Finding the Blood Assassin [Lords of the Expanse 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (14 page)

“I want you again so badly I can almost taste you.” But in all honesty she was far too tired. “Eat, Raven, drink lots of blood because your daughter and I both need it from you.” She paused. “When we wake.” And as much as she wanted to be awake, her eyes slid closed and she slid deeply asleep at the high noon hour.

Stroking his hands over her body, he didn’t move when the door opened and food and blood were brought into the room. He just watched with predator eyes as the maids set the trays down and moved back out of the room. Once the door was closed, he slipped from the bed, wrapping his woman carefully to keep her warm. Sliding across the room, exhaustion pulling brutally at him, he quickly ate the food, a lot of it, and drank more blood than his body truly needed. Taking another bag because he knew that Jamison and their daughter would need it, he finished that and then went back to them.

Slipping into the bed, he pushed the covers aside to bare her stomach to his gaze and laid a hand over her flesh. “I know that I’m not what you or your mother need,” he whispered softly. Speaking to the daughter, he might never know if Jamison left him, as was her right, considering how miserably he had failed them both. “But I love you both so much. I don’t know what to do with all of these feelings, baby.” Resting his forehead to the little swell, he closed his eyes. “I just don’t know what to do about anything,” he whispered even as he shifted and began to slide into sleep. He’d been awake too many days in a row and it was catching up to him violently. “Don’t let her leave until I wake, baby girl,” he told his daughter and then fell asleep with his cheek to his wife’s belly. Because that was what Jamison was, his wife. That had been solidified the moment that his seed took root in her womb and he claimed her with the lineage of his House upon her neck as he fed from her.

It was nearly two days later before she roused enough to move at all. When she did move she felt him lying at her belly and smiled. A hand touched his long, shaggy hair and fingered through the tousled strands. “I love you, Raven,” she whispered and heard her daughter and had to smile. “Raven, you are exactly what she and I need.” She shifted slightly. “Well, one thing.” She moved partially and when his hand reached out and clamped on her leg she leaned in. “Raven, I have to go pee. Please let me go, darling, before I wet our bed.”

Grumbling under his breath at her, he rolled to his back and freed her. He threw a hand over his eyes, a pout on his lips as he shifted around on the bed. Then he stilled, but she knew that he was paying attention, watching and listening to ensure she was safe.

She felt better after using the bathroom and curled back into the heat his body offered her and lay her head on his chest. “I’m not ready to get up yet,” she whispered and closed her eyes as she patted his chest. “I’m not hungry yet either. I just want to be here and close to you.”

Wrapping one of his arms around her, Raven lightly trailed his fingers through her hair before reaching down to pull the blankets higher. “I think I can wait,” he told her softly. “I’m in no hurry to move.” He yawned and threw his other arm over his eyes.

Her eyes closed once more and a smile crossed her face. “Your daughter is of another mind, however.” She began to nuzzle at his chest lightly. “She’s still hungry, Raven, is it all right?” She would never just bite into him and take what was hers because she had more respect for him than that, more love for him than that.

Cupping the back of her head, he nodded. “Of course you can, Jamison,” he said softly. “I fed very well before I fell asleep, assuming you would need more. Take all that you wish, love,” he told her. He rolled into her more, giving her more of his body to choose from, his free hand moving up to cup her hip.

And she did need more, both for herself and for their daughter. She was nuzzling against his chest lightly when she grinned. “Where from, Raven?” Her cheek rubbed against his chest like a kitten asking to be petted. “Where do you want me to feed from? Your neck, chest, or wrist?”

“Anywhere that you like, Jamison,” he told her softly. “I just like the touch of your lips to my skin. Do as you will with me, I am your ever willing slave.”

She stilled, his words telling her something important, something from his very heart. Looking up at him she leaned in, brushing her lips to his. When she pulled back she smiled. “I love you, Raven.” Her lips nuzzled now at his neck, and before she could talk herself out of it, she let her single fang slide out and sank it into his neck to begin to feed for their daughter.

Cupping the back of her head to him, he curled into her and sheltered and protected her body and therefore his daughter’s. Sliding his free hand up and down her back, he realized something but he waited while she fed. He should have noticed earlier, but he’d been so distracted that he’d been less then observant toward her.

It was far harder for her to feed with only one fang. She had to take twice as much, twice as long, and with as quickly as Raven healed it was even harder because the wound healed before she could take as much as she needed. She didn’t bite him a second time, however. Rather she licked the now healed wound and licked her lips. “I love you, Ra,” she whispered with her eyes sliding closed as she was pulled up close and protectively to his larger body.

Tipping her chin up, he pressed a thumb to her lower lip. “Open for me please,” he said softly, but it was clearly a command. When she looked at him through sleepy eyes and opened her mouth he ran his thumb over her upper teeth until he obviously found it. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked with a frown at her. Slipping his thumb gently over the gap that was there, he rested his forehead to hers. “Why didn’t you tell me, Jamison?”

She shrugged and closed her mouth. “You stopped him before he was able to take the second one.” She leaned in closer to him. “They figured I would talk better with fewer teeth. That’s what your mother said to that monster you rescued me from. That if I didn’t have a way to feed myself I would be more apt to give you up. That I would tell her where you were so that she could kill you.” But even then she hadn’t given him up, refused to allow him to be hurt no matter the cost to her.

“Baby,” he whispered softly as he stroked her cheek, leaning his head to hers and closing his eyes. Reaching deep inside as he settled himself he focused on her and that missing tooth. With his
gift
, the one that he’d never told another soul about, the one that was completely opposite to his other abilities, he found the root still partially there. Breathing slowly and carefully, he focused on the regeneration of the tooth, constructing it and letting it grow to as it once was before until she had two incisors once more. Sweating heavily from the strain of not having used his “gift” in too many years, he opened his eyes to look into hers, knowing his were full black with a streak of something in them that only happened when he used the controversial gift.

Her eyes were wide when he lifted his head, opening his eyes to watch the tooth regenerate. She blinked and reached out a shaky hand to touch his cheek. “You did that for me?” she whispered and pulled him close, tears falling from her eyes as she pressed her forehead to his. “Thank you. How?”

“No tears,” he breathed out. His voice was weak as he shuddered in reaction to stretching a limb he’d rarely used. “It’s my
gift
,” he whispered weakly, closing his eyes again. “I’ve only used it once before, on myself when I was younger. I’ve never tried it on another but I figured since you are my soul tie, it should work. I need to sleep, Jamison, that took a lot out of me,” he whispered, his voice getting softer as the last of his energy seemed to just slide away.

“Sleep then, Ra, I will protect you, your daughter, this, I swear.” Leaning in, she brushed her lips over his and settled in close to hold him tightly. “Rest, Raven, just rest.”

Chapter 12

Waking slowly, Raven was disoriented for a time and reached out blindly only to find nothing but cool sheets. His eyes snapped open as he sat up quickly, his head spinning slightly. “Jamison,” he called, fear coating his tongue. She had to be here, she had to be. “Jamison!” he called louder as his heart started to pound in anguish, his mind telling him that he hadn’t found her, that she wasn’t with him, that their daughter was nothing but a dream.

Jami’s voice called through the door to the bathroom followed by a giggle. “I’m in the bathroom, Raven. You woke about ten minutes ago and told me to go and take a bath. Why don’t you come on in here and join me? I even put in the bubbles.” Her voice was pure tease.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he let out a breath of absolute relief as he slid from the bed. Walking into the bathing chamber, he stared at her across the space. “I don’t remember that,” he told her quietly as he padded to the tub. Climbing in, he wrinkled his nose at the scent coming from the bubbles. When she moved to him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her neck. “I thought it was all a dream,” he whispered hoarsely.

She buried her face against his neck and breathed him in. “I know, honey.” She had thought it was a dream when she woke in his arms as well. “I won’t listen to you from now on when you tell me that I stink.” She grinned and nuzzled her face against the side of his neck before pulling away to look at him. “I will make sure that you are well and fully awake and looking me in the eyes when you tell me that I stink before I come to bathe.”

Frowning at her words, he shook his head. “I did not tell you that you stunk.” He hesitated before adding, “I didn’t, did I?” When she tipped her head, cocking a brow, he winced. “Should I apologize now or later?” he asked quietly.

“How about you just wash my back and all is forgiven?” Touching his cheeks, she grinned. “Raven, it’s really all right,” she promised, brushing a kiss to each of his cheeks. “Just calm down and love me, baby. I promise I didn’t take offence.” She grinned wider and added, “It made me smile actually.”

Holding her to him for a moment, he nodded slowly. She might be smiling, but he wasn’t. He’d said something without thought and he knew that it had to have hurt her. All he did was cause her pain. Why she was staying with him was beyond him, but he loved her all the more for it. “I love you, Jami, I never meant to say anything to hurt you,” he whispered softly as he drew back to look into her eyes.

“I know that you didn’t, Raven. I know that you didn’t try to hurt me and it really didn’t hurt me, love. I do mean it when I tell you that you didn’t hurt me,” she said with a smile and leaned into him. “Please, Raven, I wish that you would believe me, honey, I really do.”

“I do believe you, love,” he said softly, his eyes searching hers carefully, no lies hidden in the depths. “I’ve been lied to a lot in my life,” he told her, touching her cheek lightly. “But with you I know you won’t ever.” At last he was starting to believe. Before he hadn’t been sure, after the note he would have said definitely, but now he knew that was not who she was or ever would be. Kissing her lightly, he pushed at her shoulder. “Turn around and I’ll do your back,” he said softly.

She gave a small nod before twisting around to offer him her back. Pulling her hair around and over her shoulder, she looked back at him and grinned. “And will you do that one thing with your thumbs? You know when I get to feeling all stressed out and tense. I don’t know what it’s called, but I do like it a lot.”

Rubbing the bar of soap between his hands, Raven nodded to her, and when she faced away once more, he set the bar aside before he began to slide his hands over her back. Gently, he pressed his thumbs into the muscles, moving them in small circular motions as he went up and then down her spine. Over and over he moved his hands over her back, working out each of the muscles carefully until she looked nearly boneless and practically to the point of sliding under the water. Dropping his hands to her hips, he pulled her closer to him as he turned her and slid his arms around her. “Any more and you will be asleep,” he told her at the small nearly subvocal protest.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She shifted in his hold and placed both her feet on each side of his hips and laid her head on his shoulder. Chest to chest, core to core, they lay quietly in the tub until she suddenly chuckled softly. “I’m so glad you had the forethought to have such a massive tub.”

Rubbing her back, he nuzzled her cheek gently. “I am glad that you like the tub,” he told her softly. “Are you feeling all right, with the baby and all, love?” he asked her. He was worried about her, especially after all she’d gone through with the kidnapping.

She nodded and slid her arms around him, her hold tight. “Yes, I think that we are finally getting back to normal, Ra.” She shrugged. “I still feel slightly hungry, but I’m sure that will pass.” She pulled back and looked at him. “Because Daddy will make sure that we will get all we need, won’t he?”

“If you are hungry, Jamison, you should feed,” he told her. “Never delay, especially after all you and she have been through.” Stroking back her hair, he pressed a kiss to her throat. “Feed and then we will get out and go to find actual food.”

She nodded and asked the question he could see on her face. “Do I hurt you when I feed from you, Ra? When I bite into you, I don’t hurt you do I?” She stroked the skin of his neck with a finger.

Sighing, he looked her in the eye and shook his head. “No, love, you don’t hurt me when you feed. It feels…” He felt his cheek warm slightly. “It feels erotic actually,” he mumbled as he ducked his head slightly. “I like feeling you feed from me, Jamison,” he admitted against her shoulder with a shrug.