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“What do you mean he resurfaced?”
r /> “Apparently drinking from your Agápe while making love is a ritual to complete the bond between us, but I didn’t know that. It scared the hell out of me; I didn’t know what was happening. All of the sudden, I had this uncontrollable urge to drink from her and she begged me to because it’s what she wanted. I would never tell this to anyone else, but she wanted me to bite her so badly that I think she physically overpowered me.”
Sol died out laughing.
“I’m not kidding you. I tried to get off of her and she locked her legs around me and held me in place with her strength. She reached up behind my neck and pulled me down so hard that my incisors pierced her throat and when I smelled her Agápe scent, it was over with. There was no more holding back.
I admit that it was the best of both worlds. I was simultaneously feeling human and vampire pleasure at the same time. Now we share this incredible bond that I can’t describe. We’re closer than ever and we feel one another all of the time. It’s almost like I’m able to read her thoughts because I feel her emotions so strongly.”
He reached over and patted my back. “It sounds really incredible.”
I turned to look at him. “Are you sorry you asked?”
He looked so sincere. “No, I’m not. It makes me happy to see you happy.”
Sol was such a wonderful person when he wasn’t being an ass. He deserved so much more than to watch others be happy. Maybe with a little time, Jenn could be exactly what he needed to make him happy.
23 Force My Hand
Unfortunately, the remainder of Jenn’s transition over the next five weeks didn’t happen any easier than the beginning. It was without doubt the worst we’d ever seen. Nothing about her transition was normal and even Sebastian could offer no explanation.
Avery’s insistence to see Jenn during her transition did little good with Sol. He was completely unwavering when it came to refusing Avery a visit with her sister. In addition to their preexisting rigidity with one another the tension between them multiplied rampantly as a result of Sol’s inflexibility, but life in the compound seemed more relaxed tonight. Jenn joined us at dinner for the first time and things couldn’t have gone better. It felt like things were on the road to...normal.
I found myself unable to sleep and decided to return to work on the oil painting I had started of Chansey on our wedding day. My favorite inspirational music was playing softly on the surround sound speakers as I painted the irises of her eyes. I leaned forward to see if I had the color right when I caught sight of movement in the doorway.
I smelled Sol, but I quickly turned my head and saw him standing at my studio door watching me. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, not at all.”
He leaned casually against the door frame. “I didn’t knock because I didn’t want to disturb Chansey. She has seemed so tired lately, especially earlier tonight. She looked like she was going to fall over at any minute.”
So...it wasn’t my imagination since I wasn’t the only one that noticed. Her level of fatigue didn’t seem normal for a healthy, young human. “I’m afraid watching Jenn go through her transition took too much of a toll on Chansey.”
“It was tough on us, so I can only imagine what it did to Chansey, but she’ll be fine. It was a good decision on your part. I mean the part about insisting she understand what the transition is all about. She needed to see how bad it can be so she can make an informed decision when the time comes.”
I washed the paint off of my brush and laid it on the easel. “That’s what I’ve tried to tell myself, but I did all of this for me. I did it to scare the hell out of her so she would change her mind about wanting to be turned and now I have to ask myself if it was worth the toll it has taken on her mind and body. She has lived the past five weeks in chaos. That doesn’t seem like much of a start for a new marriage, does it?”
He shrugged and said, “You’re asking the wrong person. I have no idea what makes for a great start in a marriage, but I think a little rest should bring her around to her old self. Get her some vitamins or something. Human bodies love those things.”
I nodded, but couldn’t bring myself to agree because I wasn’t sure that rest or vitamins were going to fix what Chansey had seen and been through.
Sol crossed his arms and said, “I came in here because I need to talk to you. I’ve made an important decision about something and it includes you.”
I knew something was up; otherwise, I wouldn’t look up to find Sol standing in my doorway at one in the morning. I slowly spun around on my stool so I could face him. “Sure, what’ up?”
He looked so solemn and defeated. “It’s about Avery. I don’t think she will ever forget or forgive me for biting her. She is terrified of me; I see it in her eyes every time I enter the room. I’m forced to hear it in her shaking voice and racing heart whenever I’m around her. She finds no peace when I’m in her presence and she views me as a monster...like Vincent. I’ve been considering it for a while, but I have made my decision. I can no longer stand the constant reminder of what I did to her, so I have decided to leave since Jenn’s transition is complete.”
I shook my head in refusal. “No, you can’t leave. This is your home. This is your compound to run and Avery’s residence here is only temporary. I won’t do it. I won’t take this position from you.”
“I’ve already made the arrangements with Sebastian. I’m returning to New Orleans and Lairah is coming here with Sully to finish his mentoring. You will be the leader of this compound. You can do it.”
It wasn’t a matter of being able to do it. I didn’t want to do it. I had a new wife I needed to spend time with and I didn’t want to see my best friend leave. “This isn’t right,” I argued. “Avery should be the one to leave.”
A look of disgust came over his face as he looked away from me. “No! What I did to her was not her fault.”
There was only one person to blame for all of this mess. “It wasn’t your fault either. The fault belongs to that evil bastard, Vincent.”
He looked at me again and said, “If we sent Avery away, she would be in constant danger because Vincent wants her back; he won’t stop hunting her and she deserves protection. No one else is going to provide protection for her and even when I’m not here I know that I can count on you to protect her.”
Why would I need to protect her for Sol? This wasn’t making sense. “When will you go?”
He eased his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ll leave tomorrow night.”
Why was he allowing Avery to dictate his life? Was he doing it because he loved Jenn? That had to be the case. “I think I understand why you feel like you have to leave, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Chansey will be quite upset; she has grown to love you very much and she has become attached to you these past several weeks.”
“I have come to love her as a sister as well and I will miss both of you. The good news is that New Orleans isn’t that far from Savannah. We can visit one another whenever we want.”
“Does Avery know that you’re leaving?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to see the relief on her face when she learns the thing she fears most is leaving. You can tell her after I’m gone.”
Avery wasn’t going to be relieved by Sol’s departure; she was going to feel guilty for being the reason he left. He was running away and it felt like a mistake, even if he didn’t realize that was what he was doing. I wished I could make him see his error, but I couldn’t show him what he was unable to see.
˜ ˜ ˜
I was still in my studio painting when I heard Chansey scream. I streaked to her side and gently shook her awake. “Chansey, Love, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
She slowly opened her eyes and tears immediately rolled down her face. She quickly sat up and put her arms around me. “It was awful, Curry.”
I held her close as I stroked her hair. “Tell me about it, Love.”
She buried her face in my shoulder. “I don’t thi
nk I want to tell you about it.”
“Why not?” I asked as I continued to stroke her long hair.
She pulled away and looked at me. “Because it was about Jenn.”
I didn’t push her for more information; probably mostly out of my guilt. “Why don’t you try to go back to sleep?”
She buried her face in my shoulder again and shook her head. “I don’t want to. I’m afraid my nightmare will pick up where it left off.”
I rubbed my hand up and down her arm and then across her back. “Your muscles are so tense. Why don’t you take a hot bath? It might help you relax. What do you think?”
She thought it over a minute and nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I think so, too. Wait here and I’ll get it ready for you.”
After I started a hot bubble bath for Chansey, I returned to our bed. “This is going to make you feel so much better,” I assured her as I pulled her by the hand to the bathroom.
After she fastened her hair into a knot on her head like a geisha, she shimmied out of her panties and slid them down her legs. I reached for the hem of her satin chemise and pulled it up over her head before I helped her into the large garden tub. I had seen too little of this beautiful body since the whole chaos with Jenn started, but I planned on making up for lost time once Chansey was her old self again.
She sat in the hot water and slid down into the tub, allowing the bubbles to cover her shoulders as she closed her eyes. The tendrils hanging from her neckline fell into the water and stuck to the skin on the back of her neck. “Do you want me to stay with you?”
Her head was resting against the back of the tub and without opening her eyes, she replied, “No, I think I just need a minute to myself. The warmth of the water feels really good and I think I want to just soak for a while.”
“Okay. Would you like to hear some music while you soak?”
She smiled. Music always made her smile. “Yeah, that would be great. Something soft and soothing. Would you put on my Chillax playlist?”
“Anything for you, Love.” I walked over to her iPod on the dock and scanned through her playlists. I found a playlist called Bump and Grind and made a mental note to investigate that one a little later.
