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We headed into the parlor from the back way so as not to disturb Camille and Morio. As I closed the door behind me, I said, "Do you want Delilah to drive you home?"
"Now?" she asked, sounding surprised.
Thoughts of Camille's fears echoed through my mind. "Nerissa, our enemies are far more dangerous than you know. You could get hurt if you stick around here. If you get involved with… us… me."
She slowly closed the gap between us and gently raised her hands to cup my face. "I know that. I knew that before I made up my mind that I wanted to be with you. I'm not asking for a lifetime. I'm not asking for any commitments. I just want to be here, right now, tonight."
I searched her eyes, looking up at her. Roz's kiss had burned like fire, almost frightening me, but Nerissa's lips looked warm and inviting, lush and filled with unspoken promises. I thought of what we had to lose if I said no, and slowly reached up on tiptoe to press my lips against hers.
She slid her arms around me, pulling me close, her tongue parting my lips as she explored, searching. I let out a shudder as her hand slid under my shirt, and then jumped away.
"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" A look of disappointment washed over her face.
"I have to tell you something first." Every scar on my body tingled. "My body is covered with scars. And I mean covered!" I looked away. "No one has touched me in… that way… since Dredge finished with me and turned me into a vampire. My sisters think I slept with Wade but the truth is we never reached that point. I've never slept with a human or an Earthside Supe. I don't know what to expect."
"Do you want to be with me?" she asked. "Be honest; it's all right if you say no. I'll be disappointed, but I'm a big girl. I can take rejection."
I shook my head. "It's not that. Just… see, I don't know if I can control myself once you take your clothes off. I had a bad experience at a strip club last summer when Camille got the bright idea we should soak up some of the culture here. There's so much I don't know about that part of myself…" I stopped as she brushed one finger against my mouth.
"Shush," she said. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay. I partnered with Venus the Moon Child. He trained me well."
I blinked, staring at her. "What does that have to do with it?"
Her lip quivered into a smile that lurked between a grin and a leer. "Venus taught me how to master my fear and give in to passion. He taught me how to heal old wounds of the heart and psyche with sex."
Nerissa gave me a gamine smile, but behind that winsome face and proper reserve, I sensed a wild and free spirit. I swallowed my worry and slowly removed my shirt, waiting to see myself reflected in her eyes.
"This is who I am. If you want me, take me. It's all up to you," I said, feeling stripped bare before her.
Her gaze landed on my stomach and trailed up my chest, lingering on my breasts, then up my throat, finally locking with my eyes. She didn't flinch, didn't turn away from the hundreds of white lacerations that signified Dredge's psychotic attentions.
"He did this to you? This Dredge?" she asked after a moment, her voice almost a growl.
I slipped out of my boots and jeans in answer, to show her that the scars continued down my body. My hands, feet, and face were the only places he'd left pristine, untouched by those dagger sharp nails of his. I had no pubic hair; he'd shaved that, and written his name in a coiling scar on the curve of my mound. "I own you," he'd said as he slashed into my flesh. "Body and soul, I claim you and sire you."
Nerissa undressed and tossed her jeans and shirt to the side. She was glorious, with swelling breasts and a golden thatch of hair that nestled around her sacred sex. A Viking warrior, when she shook her hair loose of the chignon and it fell to her shoulders she radiated an energy that I couldn't define.
I wanted to reach out but I was still afraid. Would I hurt her? Would I snap, go into an uncontrollable frenzy when I smelled her perfume, felt her heart beating under my fingers? I was about to turn away when she suddenly covered the distance between us and pulled me into her arms, pressing her mouth against mine. Her lips tasted like sweet honey wine, and I stopped resisting, wanting the kiss to go on and on and on.
"You're beautiful," she whispered, coming up for air, staring into my eyes. And the look in her eyes told me she meant it. She dipped her head again and I let her lead me to the sofa and pull me down on the thick plush rug in front of it. Her lips worked their way down my neck and a small cry ripped from my throat as their sweet touch trailed over my shoulder and to my breasts.
Kissing my scars, she murmured something that sounded like, "We'll kill him, honey. Don't worry, we'll kill him," and then she caught one of my nipples between her teeth and tugged ever so slightly.
Waves of thirst grew in my belly and my fangs began to extend but I forced them to retreat as I reveled in Nerissa's attention. She sucked gently, then harder, and I closed my eyes, letting myself float on the sensations that worked their way up my body. A cloud rising in the brilliant sky, golden sunbeams glistening down on my hair, my face, that was my Nerissa.
Her kisses warmed me for the first time in years and as the lazy pull of first light began to drag me down into lethargic slumber, she parted my legs, gazing down at my sex. The thought of Dredge's name there made me try to pull my legs together, to hide what he'd done to me, but Nerissa gently pried them open again and leaned down to kiss the taint he'd left behind.
"He may have left his name, but he'll never touch you again," she whispered, brushing one finger over the ridged skin as tears welled up in her eyes. She let them fall, then carefully scooped up the sparkling diamonds with one finger and bathed me in them. "With my tears, I reclaim you for yourself. With the salt, I purge him from your body."
A ripple ran through me, whether it was her words or her touch or some strange magic she'd learned from Venus the Moon Child, I didn't know, but as she rested her lips on me, I tumbled into flame and fire. A wracking thirst welled up, a thundering desire to drink deep from the well of her life. I reared up, eyes blazing, fangs extended, unable to stop myself.
Nerissa didn't jump or jerk away. Instead she rested one hand on my shoulder and shook her head. "No, Menolly. Just let yourself drift."
Her lack of fear echoed through my ruby-drenched sight, and I fought for focus, fought my inclination to sink my teeth deep into her neck in a blissful communion. Nerissa pushed me back to the rug, leaning over me. Her lips moved lower on my stomach, leaving a cascade of kisses in their wake.
And then she was there, pressed against me, her tongue swirling a pattern of passion that drove all thoughts out of my mind, leaving only the wave on which I was riding. I stubbornly tried to cling to my fear—if I let go, would I lash out and overpower her? Would I tear her throat open? But the steady lapping of her sandpaper tongue broke through my barriers. I fell, tumbling into a different abyss, this one filled with a lush garden, a rain forest of delight instead of the ever-present bloodlust that ruled my life. With a sharp cry, I gave myself up to her and let the release swallow me whole.
Silence. Peace. And then Nerissa sat up and stretched, lazily glancing at the clock. "It's almost first light. You'd better go to bed before morning hits."
