Vampire Food 08: He Smelled Like Peach Pie (13 page)

Rory went to make up the bed as he let Salt talk to Mia. He could still hear their conversation through the thin bi-fold divider that Mia had separated the room with. Mia was having a panic attack about sleeping alone. As far as Rory was concerned, Salt could sleep with her and he would get the bed to himself. It was a depressing idea to be sleeping without Em, but hopefully he could reach her in sleep. Rory had to suppose that he was as imprinted on Em as she was to them. He had been with her for years and was completely devoted to her.

He didn’t honestly want her with Shanagar, but it wouldn’t be any better to know that she was miserable. Russell would do his best to keep her happy, but Rory knew that no matter how hard Russell tried, Em would still suffer. She would stop eating because she would have no appetite. Her sleep would be broken and she would spend her days in the main hall or more likely in the gardens looking out the window. If he couldn’t keep her from falling into despair, then Russell didn’t have a chance in hell. Em loved Russell dearly, but he knew that if she was forced to choose just one of them, she would choose him every time. They had a longer history and her feelings for him were just a tad bit more intense. Rory would never make an issue out of it, it was simply the truth, and he knew it.

* * * *

Em watched as Shanagar struggled to make himself comfortable on the sofa. Russell chuckled softly in her ear. “Oh, hell. Invite him into the bed.”

Em couldn’t help but giggle at him as she turned her head and gave him a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you also. Invite him, but he has to sleep with his clothing on.” Russell winked to verify that he was kidding and Em smiled.

She missed Rory and Salt horribly, but having Shanagar in the room made it more tolerable. “You can come sleep in the bed. Your feet will probably hang off the bottom, but it’s slightly longer.”

He grunted and stood up, tugging the blanket around his waist. Shanagar had a beautiful body to match everything else she had seen already. His chest was broad and muscled, his arms thick. He tugged one of the side chairs along behind him and placed it at the bottom of the bed. Taking one of the cushions from the sofa, he placed it on the chair. It was just the right height to give him the needed extra length for his feet. “Would you rather that I put my pants back on?”

“I don’t think that would be very comfortable. Leather is not a good thing to sleep in.”

“Probably not, but I have nothing to put underneath.”

Em had nothing to give him. She had no underwear herself. It had long ago gone in the trash. Her and Russell were both in the nude for no better reason than they had no other clothing but what they had on earlier. “Don’t worry about it. My only request is if you get a hard-on, roll over so it isn’t sticking me in the thigh.” She barely managed to finish the comment when she began to laugh.

Shanagar rolled his eyes in a very Rory-like gesture. “You are quite amusing this day. Are you always this way?”

“Sometimes. It is better to laugh than cry.”

“Very true, although sometimes tears are unavoidable.”

“Also very true.” Russell slid over, dragging Em with him to give Shanagar more room.

He lay down and then in a modest gesture, rearranged the blanket to cover himself before rolling to face her. Leaning up on his elbow, he looked over Em. “I thank you for this, Russell. I can’t imagine that it is easy for you to welcome me into your bed. I know you respect who I once was, but this doesn’t account for that.”

“No, it doesn’t. I know that Em likes you. I like you also. I know that Em needs a figure like yourself to help keep her strong and radiant. She is a beautiful flower that can all too easily wilt under the blowing desert sands of vampire imprint. It has happened before and none of us are under the illusion that it will not happen again.”

“Not to be disrespectful or overly forward, but will this arrangement include sex? It has been quite a few years and I have a sublime craving for the sensation.”

Em was stunned that he had asked such a question. She knew it was wrong to desire him, yet she was very interested in the prospect. She was curious about what it would be like. Of course, she had no intention of telling this to him or Russell.

Russell was drumming his fingers upon her stomach in consideration. “As far as I’m concerned, I have to think that Em would really like that. Wouldn’t you, Em?”

He was really putting her on the spot. Em turned her head to glare at him. “Thank you so much, Russell. Nothing like throwing me under the proverbial bus.”

He chuckled, his chest bouncing against her back. “Sorry, sweets. I know you just as well as Rory. I’ve seen the looks that you give Shanagar. They are aptly casual, but I have also seen the shimmer of interest in your eyes. I know what you find attractive. Since when did you take me for a fool?”

His final comment left her flabbergasted. “Russell, I have never taken you for stupid. Why would you even ask me that?”

“I was simply responding to your comment about the bus. Are you honestly going to tell me that you don’t want to sleep with him?”

This was a conversation that would better be had if Shanagar wasn’t lying next to her. Em had no room for debate or even for a discussion. It was a yes or no question that she wasn’t sure she wanted to answer. “What do you want me to say, Russell? Of course I find him attractive. I have tried to be prudent with my glances, but I was not trying to hide them. As far as sex, I have to think that it is a bit early in the game for that.”

Shanagar stroked back her bangs to get her attention. When Em turned to him his expression relayed concern. “I did not mean to offend you. I also had the impression that you were interested in being with me. I have reason to believe that Rory and Salt gave their sanction for us to be together. Please forgive me if I was wrong.”

Em suddenly felt bad because she feared that she had hurt his feelings. That was not her intent. “Shanagar, it isn’t that I don’t want to sleep with you, because I do. I am also in an odd situation here. I am torn between loyalty to my mates and the reality of my future. I do not try to convince myself that without a miracle Rory and Salt will soon be back in my life. I have also had no time to discuss this with any of them. Is that so hard to understand?”

“I suppose not. It has just been a very long time for me and I really look forward to sharing that special bond with you. May I ask question?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“I have to wonder about the arrangement of sex with your mates. Do you sleep with them individually or all together?”

“Rory sleeps at my right, Salt at my left and Russell usually shifts into something furry to sleep on top of me. If you are directly asking about sex, then it goes both ways. I have had sex with each one of them individually and all three of them at once. Have you ever had sex with a woman who was with another man?”

“I can’t say that I have, although I have had more than one woman in bed at one time. If you are interested, then I would like to learn. Just because I’m a thousand years old doesn’t mean that my interest in new things is stagnant.”

Em giggled. “That’s a good thing. For this day, I would rather go to sleep. I’m really tired and I’m trying to deal with all that has happened. I need to talk to Rory and put my mind at ease. Then I need time alone with Russell also. Salt will have to abide by what Rory says to me in sleep, but I’m sure they have discussed this or will discuss it after I ask the question. Only then will I feel comfortable to make a decision, okay?”

“I can abide by that. You will talk to Rory in sleep?”

“Hopefully the smell won’t emanate into his dreams.”

“I don’t believe that it will. What is furry?”

“Russell shifts into a furry wolf like creature because I like it and it makes him lighter when he lays on top of me. Can you still shift?”

“I haven’t done so since my release, but yes, I can. Do you prefer that I sleep as
furry
?”

Em giggled at the stress he put on the word. “That is up to you. I like the feel of a warm body near mine. It will actually be a new thing for me to sleep between two men who give off body heat. You are not chilled like a vampire.”

“I’m half-shifter. You are cooler than me, but you still have some warmth. Why?”

“I have the blood of three, now four vampires in my body. When Rory gave me his blood I had a reaction that caused me to become very warm and some of it remained.” Em was growing more tired by the second. She hoped that it was not vampire imprint reacting to the lack of Salt and Rory in her bed. She snuggled back into Russell’s arms and he kissed the back of her head. “Go to sleep, beautiful. Talk to Rory. I was breaking your balls, but you know how I feel. I will do anything to keep you happy and safe.”

“I know. I love you, Russell.”

“I love you more than life itself.” He shifted his head for a moment. “Good day, Shanagar. The lady needs her sleep.”

“So I can feel, she is reflecting a sense of heavy weariness.” He rubbed her arm. “Hopefully someday you will share your heart with me also. I will wait and give you the time you need. Go to sleep, Em.”

She closed her eyes, searching her thoughts for Rory, but sadly, he didn’t reply.

“Are you comfy, my love?”

“I would be more comfy if you and Salt were where you are supposed to be. This is my first night without either of you in my bed and I am weary with loneliness.”

Rory softly stroked her cheek. In his dream she was laying, as she should be at his left side. “I miss you also.”

Em rolled to face him. “So what are the sleeping arrangements there?”

“I am sleeping alone and Salt is in bed with Mia. The attack on her has seriously disturbed her mind. I think we need to find her a different room to live in. This one holds too many memories for her. Salt felt bad for her and is giving her comfort so she can sleep.”

He could feel the pang of jealousy blaze through her. Rory chuckled. “Ah, the queen is resentful.”

“Of course I am. I had one night with the three of you and now you have been taken from me again. As usual, it’s my own fault.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Em curled into his body, her leg resting over his thighs. Rory hugged her tighter, but her thoughts said that his body felt oddly warm. “I chose to have sex with Salt rather than actively seek out those who had threatened us. Mia, the bombs, me biting Shanagar, all this could have been avoided if I had gone out and found Becka and her cohorts. I dilly-dallied and now karma has taken you away from me for shirking my responsibilities. I’m a crappy queen and I caused so many deaths.”

“When the hell did you come to this conclusion? It is absolutely ridiculous.”

“It’s the truth, Rory.”

“You said to put the blame where the blame lies, with the ones who did this. All four of us knew what might happen, but we never figured that it would happen this fast. How the hell were we supposed to know that Becka was telling Russell because everything had already been done?”

“Becka warned Russell because she was hoping to take him from me. She was making a last ditch effort to keep him alive. I should have seen that. She knew that he would tell us. She knew that once we learned that she was plotting against us, she would be found and stopped.”

She had a point, but this was not her fault. “There were four minds at work and none us thought of that. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, my love. Just because you see these things now doesn’t make this your fault. Did you have any of these thoughts before the bombs went off?”

“No. I was too busy fucking Salt.”

Stroking her hair softly, he chuckled. “You are also a stubborn bitch. You fucked Russell and me, also. This is not your burden, Em. You did not slice Mia open, you did not set off the bombs, and you did not shirk your responsibility by having sex with a man you love who you hadn’t been with in a few weeks. None of us had warning that this would happen so quickly, even the proverbial Mia.”

That struck a nerve. Em’s body softened in his arms, some of the tension leaving her. “Good. Now let’s talk about the future. I want to take some blood samples to try and see what is now different about you.”

“Okay, send someone over with the night.”

“I will.”

“Now let’s talk about us. If you and Salt want to spend time with Mia, that’s fine. I know she will enjoy the experience, just be gentle with her at first.”

She was also an irritating bitch. “What makes you think that I want Mia? Or is this just a suggestion so you won’t feel guilty for fucking Shanagar?”

Her brow crinkled in exasperation, and Rory knew that had come out sounding very harsh. “I’m sorry. I’m jealous. Shanagar intimidates me, and that is an unusual feeling for me. I can see everything about him that you like. I fucking like him and I don’t want to.”

Her face softened. “Rory. Don’t be jealous, you have nothing to be jealous about. I love you so much and Shanagar will never replace you in my life. There is little point in denying my attraction because you would know I was lying. If I have sex with him, it will be as much from need as desire. I’m hoping that if I welcome and accept Shanagar and Russell together, I won’t lose my mind.”

The statement was made with such sadness that Rory knew she understood what could happen. Had she been aware that she was slowly fading without Salt and Russell in her bed each night? He had stupidly assumed that it had just happened without her conscious knowledge? Had he been wrong? “What do you mean?”

Em boosted herself up onto her elbow to glare at him. “You know damn well what I mean. Do you honestly believe that I didn’t understand what happened to me? I lost my hunger and knew that my body was starving, but I had no desire to stop it. I knew that I needed to get up and go out to socialize, yet I couldn’t. I couldn’t force myself to leave the room except to go run and even that desire was fading. When you were occasionally around to have sex with me, I enjoyed it, but not like I should. I understood that it was from lack of energy on my part, but had no ability to try harder. I was watching this happen to me as if my mind was no longer a part of my physical body, but I was helpless to change it. I was aware, Rory, and I don’t want it to happen again.”