A lot of complex feelings gather in my chest. He probably thinks I’m hiding my attraction to men, but that’s not at all the case. What I’m hiding is the fact that I’m falling for my stepbrother.
Caleb doesn’t say anything, just drags his fingers up and down my abs, almost like he’s doing it mindlessly, without meaning to. His thoughts are a bit loud, like a soft murmur I can easily pick up. But I don’t feel comfortable reading his mind, so I don’t. Maybe because I like him, or because I have nothing to gain from digging into his brain.
As the movement of his hand slows down, his head becomes heavier on my shoulder, and his breaths deeper and longer. Until finally, his mind goes quiet when he falls asleep. I sigh as I close my eyes too, and allow myself to drift away with him.
Eighteen
Damien
Igot exactly what I needed, indeed. I didn’t know Jacob had it in him to be so rough. Maybe I should start causing all sorts of chaos around town, just to stress the fuck out of him. Then he can take it out on me, like he just did.
The mirror reflects my red-tinged grin. His bedroom is much brighter with the late morning sun filtering through the curtains, but still moody like every space Jacob inhabits. The deep burgundy walls make the lighting in the room seem warmer, casting a faint red glow over my pale skin.
I lick my lips and get another sudden rush of excitement from the sweetness of Jacob’s blood. My neck is all bruised from howhard he choked me, but it’s fading away pretty fast. Thank God for vampire superpowers. I love seeing the mark of his hands on my skin, though.
Somehow, I wish I could keep it, wear it like a trophy. Maybe just as a reminder of the best fight-fuck I’ve ever had. And I had plenty when I was still human . . . My toxic ex-boyfriends were good for nothing, except that. But this was different. It was a lot worse—or better, I should say. So much so, that I found myself startled by how much further I wanted to take it.
Jacob’s reflection appears behind mine, still bloody and with traces of the wound I caused on his left cheek; a small cut on his otherwise smooth olive skin. I didn’t get to take out my folding knife, but I did a lot of damage with my pretty fangs and dull fingernails. His tattoos hide most of the marks, unfortunately.
He stares at my bruises with dark eyes and wraps an arm around my waist. I take my time to stare at the snake inked on his left arm, coiling around his muscles as if it crept out of the roses. His right bicep has a slightly faded traditional tattoo of two birds, framed by the thorns and roses.
“You don’t look like you regret what just happened . . .” His voice is hoarse, which turns me the fuck on.
“Regret?!” I cough out a laugh. It hurts like hell to speak and my throat is terribly sore, but I don’t care. “That was amazing, Jacob.”
He sighs and leans forward to rest his chin on my shoulder, which looks ridiculously adorable given our size difference. “How can someone as sweet as you be so wild, honey? I never met anyone with such an appetite for pain and destruction.”
Now that’s a fucking compliment.
I chuckle and raise an eyebrow at his reflection. “Am I sweet?”
For the first time since I arrived this morning, Jacob smiles. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, Damien. Being angry at you is impossible.”
“And why exactly would you be angry at me?” I turn around and kiss his lips softly, feeling his hand slide down my waist. We’re both still naked, and the warmth of his skin against my chest feels heavenly.
Jacob rolls his eyes at me and sighs. “You know why.” He takes a step back to sit at the end of the bed. “You shouldn’t encourage your brother’s behavior. He could get in real trouble. We don’t survive in human society by being reckless.”
“He wasn’t completely reckless, though . . .” I pick up my clothes from the floor and start getting dressed. I’m not going to agree just to please him. I’d rather keep him angry and have another round of unhinged violence. Fuck yes, I’d love that.
“It’s a serious issue, Damien.” His eyes follow me as I search for one of my Vans that is nowhere in sight. “He didn’t leave any evidence, and he did it in a place that wasn’t monitored. But this kind of attitude is what often leads to trouble with human law enforcement.”
“And what happens then?” I’m not trying to tease him; I genuinely don’t know. I assume it would be easy to get out of their human claws.
“A lot of things can happen. Going to jail is probably the worst option, considering how hard it would be to feed in there.” Jacob hands me my black tank top, which sat on the bed next to him, and watches me throw it over my shoulders. “In the only case I know of, the vampire had to get a new ID to change their identity. They moved across the country too, just in case. It’s a common practice—we don’t stay under the same legal name forever—but it’s not something that should be done in a rush.”
Honestly, it doesn’t sound that bad to me, but I still nod as I search for my missing sneaker. The idea of vanishing with Killien to start over somewhere else is kinda cool. It’s not like we haven’t done it before, right? We ran away from home years ago,just a couple of innocent teenagers. If we survived that just fine, we could easily start over now too.
Jacob crosses his arms over his chest as he observes me. The fact that he’s naked is a bit distracting. I left bruises all over him, although they are nothing compared to the damage my neck took. Not gonna complain though; it was freaking amazing. I’d do it again anytime.
He looked so hot thrusting into me like he wanted to tear me apart. Not to mention how he held my neck with enough strength to crack a human’s spine, but not mine. Vampire bones are much harder, apparently. I’d never gone so long without breathing before, and at one point I thought I might actually die. But vampires can’t die from lack of oxygen either. It just hurts so beautifully that I came with no hands and so hard I saw stars. That should be a red flag, right? How much do I actually like pain now? I wonder how far I’d go.
“I need you to keep an eye on your brother, honey,” he says, pulling me back to reality. “Can you do that for me?”
I chuckle, kneeling on the floor and finally finding my missing Vans under the bed. As I stand again to put it on, I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m always keeping an eye on Killien.”
How dare he insinuate I don’t look after my older brother? I’m always watching him.Always.
“Yeah, but more than ever.” He stands and closes the distance between us. His index finger traces the marks he left on my neck, and his eyes seem to darken at the sight of what he’s done to me. “Drink from me, honey.”
