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“They lied to me about everything. I wasn’t found at the church, and I wasn’t adopted––not legally, anyway. Where did they get me? Did my birth parents give me to them, trusting them to keep me safe? And if so, where are they? Are they still out there? They’d have to know Mom and Dad died, right? Why didn’t they come for me, then?”
“I don’t know, love,” Jesse says, his voice soft and tender. “But if you’re right, and your birth parents did everything they could to keep you safe, coming to find you when your parents died would only put you in the danger they sacrificed so much to prevent.”
He’s right. I know he is. If my birth parents gave me up to keep me alive and safe, it would’ve been a huge sacrifice on their part. A sacrifice that would’ve been for nothing if they revealed themselves to me, thereby revealing my own existence.
But something doesn’t make sense.
“If knowledge of my existence puts me in so much danger, wouldn’t it be the same for my birth mother? She’s a Grundelier, too, yet she managed to live her life, get married, have a child…all while keeping her own existence a secret. If she was able to do all that, why wouldn’t she be able to raise me in the same secrecy? Bind my powers, herself, allowing us to live our lives in anonymity the way my adoptive parents did?”
“I don’t know,” Jesse answers, and I can see the frustration in his eyes that he can’t solve this for me.
“Maybe I should try for another vision,” I say, perking up. “Maybe I can see them again, see why they made the choices they did.”
“Having another vision so close to the last might be dangerous for you,” Jesse replies, and I can hear the worry in his voice despite his effort to keep his tone light and even. “We don’t know what damage these visions are causing inside your mind.”
“I’m a vampire,” I say gently. “Any damage would heal, right?”
“Any physical damage, yes. But psychological?” He shakes his head. “We just don’t know.”
“I’m afraid that’s a chance I have to take,” I say, then cock my head to listen for Steph through the wall to see if she’s busy before I call for her to come help me initiate another vision.
“Come on, big boy,” I hear her say. “You know you want me. Just give in. Give us both some relief.”
Oh, shit. I meet Jesse’s gaze, and he grimaces, having heard Steph’s entreaty, as well.
“I am not what you need,” Erik says. “I’m no good for you, and you know it. Please, put your shirt back on, Stephanie.”
“You don’t like what you see?” she shoots back, and I can hear venom lacing the words. “Maybe I should just give up and go find someone else. Someone who wants me and isn’t afraid to act on those desires.”
“The hell you will,” Erik growls, and my eyes widen.
“You bet your Viking ass I will,” Steph shoots back.
There’s another growl, this one wordless, and Steph gasps. I hear a ripping sound, then the creaking of bedsprings under the loud, staccato rhythm of Steph’s beating heart.
“You want to feel my cock inside you, little witch?” Erik murmurs, then grunts as Steph lets out a long, satisfied sigh.
“Erik,” Steph gasps. “Yes. More. Please.”
“Fuck, you’re so wet for me. That’s it, squeeze my cock with that tight, wet pussy.”
“Shit,” I say, leaping off the bed. “Maybe we should, uh, get out of here for a while. Give them some privacy.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” Jesse says, pushing to his feet.
When he swings open the door, Leif is walking by with a tense expression. He pauses, looks back over his shoulder, then shakes his head. Without a word, he steps back and motions for us to go ahead of him.
We hurry to the elevator, and the sounds of sex are muffled as the steel doors close us inside. I look at Leif, then at Jesse, and a sudden, harsh, inappropriate laugh bursts out of me. Leif chuckles with me, and Jesse gives me a warm, humorous smile.
And fuck, it feels good to laugh. I intend to enjoy this outing, because somewhere in my gut I know one thing to be true…after this meeting tonight, nothing is going to be the same.
23
GONE
My lips curve up as Steph sings along with the radio, her cheeks rosy and her smile bright. After several tense minutes of arguing, I convinced Jesse to go along with my plan––Steph and I would take the car, alone, while he, Erik, and Leif run to Terremagie. They can easily keep up with the vehicle on foot, and if the Brimmwise witches are already there, setting some sort of trap, the vampires won’t be caught in it and can serve as a backup for us.
Jesse didn’t like it, of course, but I’ve seen flickers of movement in the trees along the way, telling me they’re keeping pace with us.
