Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) (17 page)

"His scent… He smelled so good and I couldn't
get close enough. Does that make any sense?"

"Believe it or not, it makes perfect sense.
Hmm… This may prove more difficult than I anticipated."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've bonded with him. Normally, this would
not prove a problem, but you are newly made. You have very little
self-control."

The statement should bother her, but being
normal and in control were off the table. "I don't want to hurt
him." She covered her mouth, but touching her lips only proved to
remind her of Derek's kisses.

"You will not hurt him if I can help it.
However, until we find Tim, you will have to keep your distance
from Derek. No more alone time."

"Then what?" Where did she go after all this
was through? She couldn't go home.

"You will accompany me and Cassandra back to
our home. There I will see you settled into a routine that will
ensure your success as a hybrid. You are my responsibility and I
shall not fail you."

It was like he pledged his fidelity to her,
but what did she know? Maybe this was what vampires were supposed
to do when they sired a human, but then she had a hunch Tremayne
was a man of worth. "And my family? They'll be worried sick if I
just pack up my things and disappear. I can't do that to them."

"We will compel them into believing you are
attending college—out of state of course."

"Compel? Like erase their memory and plant
another?" She'd seen vampire movies and compelling never seemed to
work out well for the compelled.

"Do not fret. Your family will not be harmed.
I shall only have to compel them once and with one story that will
be easy for their mind to accept."

"Just like that? You plant a seed and—"

"It's either that or we fake your death so
they stop searching for you. Which would you prefer?"

This shut her up. As patient as Tremayne had
been with this whole situation, this couldn't be what he'd like to
do with his free time. "All of this is so unfair." She met his
gaze. "For you and Cassandra too."

His brows lifted in surprise.

"You can't make me believe you want to be
saddled with me," she added to clarify.

"I do not think of it in that way." His
features softened. "You are an Oiche Sith now and we take care of
our own. You will not be lying to your family about going to
school. In a sense you will be."

"Vampire 101," she grumbled. "I was never
very good in college. I only finished a semester."

"Some professors can be dreary. I on the
other hand, am not. Let me show you a perk to being a vampire."

She highly doubted he could impress her. She
was about to say as much, but one minute Tremayne stood in front of
her and the next moment he vanished. "What the…" A tap on her
shoulder had her whirling around in alarm. Tremayne stood behind
her with a grin plastered to his face and that charming dimple in
his cheek winking. "How did you do that?"

"Want to learn to do it, also?" he asked with
a hint of a challenge.

"Hell, yes."

Chapter Twenty-Two

The door to Derek's room flew open and Wade
strode in, his eyes glaring with contempt. His brother ignored
Cassandra's protests to let him rest. Derek scooted into a sitting
position and readied himself for a fight. There was no way he would
go into this lying on his back and looking like a victim.

"That vamp tried to kill you," Wade addressed
Derek, shrugging away from Cassandra's grip.

"Sloane," Derek stressed her name to make a
point. She was not just any
vampire
. She was someone he
cared about. "She did not try to kill me. What happened was
entirely my fault. I took off the cuffs. I'm the one who kissed her
and let things get out of hand."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Wade's voice was
low and trembling with unbridled anger. "It was her fangs in your
flesh, not the other way around. I'm ending this madness now like I
should have done in the very beginning." He fished his cell phone
out of his pocket.

"Who are you calling?" Cassandra demanded to
know.

"Axel," he told her without hesitation. Wade
knew he was outnumbered in the house and was calling in
reinforcements.

"No, you're not." Cassandra advanced on
him.

Wade was wise enough to back up. He may stand
four inches taller than Cassandra, and outweighed her by a good
sixty pounds, but their sister was lethal when she wanted her way,
and in this, she would do all she could to protect Tremayne. Sloane
wasn't the only one who would be in danger if Axel showed up. Their
brother didn't negotiate. He would take out Tremayne, too. Though
he had a hunch Tremayne could handle himself. However, he didn't
want anyone to be harmed, vampire and hunter alike.

"Back off, Cassandra, I'm warning you," Wade
threatened.

Her response was to sweep her leg behind
Wade's knee and land him on his behind. His phone slipped from his
hand and slid across the hardwood floor.

Derek forced himself to stand, but his limbs
moved awkwardly like he was wading through mud, but at least the
room no longer spun. Wade caught sight of his intent to capture the
cell phone and managed to throw Cassandra off his back and tackle
him around his legs, bringing him down.

"Dammit, Wade." He rolled over and threw a
punch at Wade, making contact with his jaw. His brother's head
snapped back, but it didn't stop him. Wade lunged at him.

"Boys, boys, boys." Cassandra's taunting
voice drew their attention. She held the cell phone and wagged it
at them.

"What's going on?" Tremayne had entered the
room with a bemused expression creasing his brow before his lips
pursed in displeasure. "Cassandra?"

Sloane hovered behind Tremayne, hugging
herself around the waist and looking unsure if she should slink
away or not.

Both Derek and Wade scrambled to their
feet.

"Son of—" Wade's breath left him in a whoosh
as Derek ribbed him with his elbow to shut him up.

"Nothing," Cassandra said innocently as she
slipped the cell phone in her pocket.

Tremayne wasn't fooled. "If you hunters are
through throwing your weight around, maybe we can sit down like
adults and clue Sloane in on her role in taking down Tim
Wilkins."

Cassandra and Derek both stared at Wade.

"What are you looking at me for?" He brushed
by them and halted when he stood in front of Sloane. Derek tensed,
but didn't make a move. If Wade planned on staking her, he wouldn't
have halted his steps to chat.

"Remember what you asked me?" Wade leveled
his gaze on Sloane, expecting a response to his odd question.

She nodded.

"And?" he let the question hang between
them.

Sloane glanced at Derek when she answered
Wade. "Nothing's changed."

Wade harrumphed. "Correct answer. Make sure
you remember that the next time you crave a snack."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Another two days went by with no word from
Tim. There hadn't been any murders noted on the news either that
would indicate Tim was targeting humans for his blood supply, but
it didn't mean he hadn't killed again. It just meant he'd learn to
cover his tracks. Sloane shivered at the thought. With no clues to
where he had slithered off to, they were forced to wait for his
phone call.

In the meantime, Sloane adjusted to her new
way of life, and the changes her body endured. She felt stronger
and more alive, which seemed like an oxymoron considering her human
existence had died. She was reborn as a Oiche Sith hybrid, a
vampire. Her strength had increased, and her eyesight and hearing
had become sharper. She'd grown a few inches in height, too.

Derek and Wade made a visit to her house and
packed a few days worth of clothes, but when she dragged on a pair
of jeans, they fit above her ankle, and her shoes were too small.
She always wanted to be taller than five-foot-four, and now she
stood five-seven or eight. So despite her apparent need to go
shopping, this was a perk in her way of thinking.

Cassandra offered to be her personal shopper
with the help of Tremayne's credit card. Cassandra came back with
bags full of slacks, jeans, shoes, and more. Santa would have a
difficult time competing with Cassandra's frugal spending
ethics.

"That looks great on you," Cassandra said
when she emerged from the bathroom wearing black leggings and a
short skirt. She really liked the boots with the buckles.

She smoothed down the T-shirt
self-consciously. "I'm not used to modeling. This seems weird."

"Weirder than growing fangs and a few inches
overnight?" She grinned.

Sloane chuckled. "No, I suppose not." She
sighed. "You'd think I could have grown in the boob compartment,
too while I was at it." Her hands cupped the sides of her breasts
and sighed with disappointment.

"Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't think Derek
has had any complaints."

Sloane's cheeks felt hot and she knew she
blushed. Why couldn't that annoying trait be wiped out along with
some of the other more human attributes she'd like to get rid of?
"Uh…well…I…" Yep, like not being able to string full sentences
together when embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel
uncomfortable." Cassandra may have apologized but her grin didn't
leave her face. Then for a second their easy banter lulled into
awkward silence. "Derek's a good guy," Cassandra said.

Sloane knew this. He had sacrificed a lot to
make sure she was safe, and she knew the cost was high. He went
against his core beliefs, pissed off his brother, and lied to the
other one.

Cassandra tucked a strand of hair behind her
ear. "Derek doesn't often open up to…outsiders."

"You mean vampires?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No, I mean he
doesn't date. It's not easy to have a relationship, when your job
requires unexplained late nights. Trust me, I've been there, done
that."

She was with Tremayne now. How did that work
exactly? A hunter and a vampire?

"I've never seen Derek take an interest in a
woman as he has with you." Cassandra's gaze swept over her, not in
a rude way, but with curiosity.

"I knew him…you know before…all this."

Cassandra's brows furrowed. "You did? Do
tell."

Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that, but
it was too late now. "In high school. We were sort of an item."

Cassandra laughed and slapped her leg. "Derek
thought he was all cool and in control of his destiny, strolling
home from school with his back pack slung over his shoulder, but I
knew the dweeb was hiding something. I just didn't know it was a
girl. Go figure. So you and Derek were an item. Like in you and he
were sleeping together back then?"

"No! God, no. We only kissed."

Cassandra remained silent, but an eyebrow
rose.

"Okay, a little fondling, but that's it," she
admitted. "He's a damn good kisser." Her breath caught on a surge
of yearning as she thought of his lips and the way he took her
under each and every time.

"Hot damn! You have it bad." Cassandra shook
her head. "I don't want to see him hurt." Her green catlike eyes
latched onto her with meaning.

Sloane's heart sank. She had hoped to have an
ally with Cassandra, and selfishly, a link to Derek once all this
was finished. She was under Tremayne's care and guidance, and most
likely wouldn't be able to see Derek…for a long time. She'd hoped
one day when she mastered control, she could look him up and if he
wasn't involved with someone else… "I get it. I do. You want me to
stay away from him."

Cassandra's ruddy brows drew together. "Hell
no, that's not what I'm saying at all. I want you to listen to
everything Tremayne tells you. I want you to control the bloodlust
so you and my brother have a chance to be together. I think you're
both good for each other."

She wasn't so sure Cassandra was right, but
she would do her best to prove she could be. "I really care about
him."

Cassandra sighed. "I'm happy you do. My
brothers—Axel and Wade—may pose a problem, but we don't have to
invite them to the same parties."

"Derek told me Axel is worse than Wade when
it comes to vampires."

"Oh, much worse."

Cassandra meant well, but her comments didn't
exactly encourage her to befriend the family and try to have a
relationship with Derek. Having to constantly look over her
shoulder would grow old fast.

"Go put on the workout gear I bought for you.
It gives you room to move and it looks fashionable. I think you're
going to like it. It has lots of pockets for weapons, too."

What thrilled Cassandra didn't exactly put
her at ease. She loathed weapons and violence, but she knew her
world had changed, and she better get with the program.

"Then we'll go find Derek," Cassandra
continued without a breath.

Now this she liked. "What for?"

"He's the best with the bow and arrow. He
taught me, and he's going to give you a crash course."

She hoped she didn't seem too anxious when it
took her less than thirty seconds to change into the tight black
outfit, Cassandra deemed appropriate for fighting Otherworldly
beings. She'd never worn anything so… revealing. The leggings
hugged her hips and thighs, and the spandex tank made it look like
her boobs did grow a cup size.

"Hmm…" Cassandra tapped her chin. "Derek's
going to flip out." She chuckled. She rather thought Cassandra
wanted Derek to squirm. "Let's go find my brother."

They found him in the backyard with Wade and
Tremayne. They had setup a target range, a complex one at that. It
was like one large shooting range with moving targets ready to pop
up and roll by on a pulley as she tried to get off a shot. Had they
set this up while she was busy trying on clothes? Jeez, talk about
handy with the tools.