Blood Doll (The Vampire Agape Series Book #3) (The Vampire Agape Series #3) (7 page)

Chapter Eight

I’m walking the hall toward Avery’s bedroom and I can feel each step closing the gap between us. Her scent becomes stronger. Her presence within me is more pronounced. She’s anxious–so much so that it’s almost overwhelming–but I don’t have to guess why. She’s dying to know the verdict–if she’s my agápe or not.

Before I’m able to knock, she opens her bedroom door. We beam at one another and don’t exchange a single word but she knows the truth simply by feeling my overwhelming happiness.

She is my agápe and I am her intended.

She steps closer and places one of her hands against my face. I close my eyes and lean into her palm. I crave her warm touch–because it soothes me–and she strokes her thumb over my cheekbone. I place my hand on top of hers and press it against my cool skin. “Hello, my agápe.”

She breathes a sigh of relief with my confirmation. I know that’s what it is because I feel her rapid decline of anxiety. But it’s not completely gone. Can she sense the fear I have about a potential pregnancy? I’m trying to push my angst aside but I don’t have the hang of these shared emotions yet.

I’m not upset about the possibility of a baby. I’m not even uneasy about the prospect of having one so soon. In fact, I’m quite happy about it but I’m afraid Avery won’t be. She’s young–even by human standards–and I’m not sure a baby is something she wants at this point in her life.

She takes my hand and pulls me into her room before shutting the door. “I want you to show me all the ways I’m yours.”

I place my index finger to her lips. “Shh.” I point to my ears and then in the direction of the others since she sometimes forgets about them when we’re behind closed doors.

She nods, understanding my meaning. I lower my mouth and whisper softly in her ear. “My office.”

She mouths the word, “Now?”

I nod and she follows me out of her bedroom toward the only soundproof quarters available to us. I know she had something more romantic in mind to celebrate our news but she and I have to discuss our relationship before we can explore the other ways we belong to each other.

Her heart is pounding when I close the door. She’s terrified. “Something’s wrong.”

I want to put her at ease. “Nothing’s wrong but we need to talk about something I don’t want the others to overhear.”

“Okay.”

There’s only one place to start. The beginning. “We unknowingly completed our agápe bond this morning.”

She’s filled with confusion. “What does that mean?”

I’ll try to explain it the way I understand it. “I’ll no longer need to drink your blood for us to maintain an unbreakable connection. We’ll feel it all the time but it’ll be at its strongest when we make love.”

She beams and slinks close to me. “Perfect … because I think I feel the need for some strong bonding right now.”

As good as that sounds, I only want to proceed after I have informed consent from her. “I need to explain some other things to you.” She steps back so she can see my face. “My DNA has been dead since the night I was turned into a vampire but because you’re my agápe, you make me more human. More alive.”

“I’ve never thought of you as dead.”

That’s good to know since I’m about to drop this bomb on her. “Only life can bring forth life and you revive my dead cells so they may live again.”

“You’ve always been very much alive to me.”

I’m able to see that she doesn’t understand where I’m going with this so I need to back up. “It’s all part of the agápe phenomenon. We don’t understand the process but we know that agápe mates cause changes in vampires. We become more human. More alive. Sebastian and Ella weren’t together long. The changes he underwent weren’t near as radical as the ones Curry has experienced. We suspect that his profound changes are how Chansey was able to conceive. We haven’t tested the waters to know the degree of the change in me yet but we must consider the possibility that you could become pregnant.”

I almost think I can hear a click in her mind when she comprehends what I’m saying. “This morning …” She clears her throat but only a whisper escapes. “I could be pregnant because of this morning?”

Her emotions are all over the place. What is she thinking? “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

I’m not really sure it would have mattered if I had. I don’t think I would have been able to stop because it felt as though something else was in control of me when we completed our bond.

“I’m not sorry.” She steps closer and slides her arms around my shoulders. “Not even a little. I love you and nothing would make me happier than having your baby.”

We’ve never discussed such things. We had no reason to so I couldn’t guess where her head would be but I’m pleasantly surprised by her reaction. “I was scared you might be upset. Or angry. ”

She comes up on her tiptoes and presses a kiss against the side of my neck. “Angry? Why would you think that?”

She pushes her fingers through my hair and I almost forget what we’re discussing. “Doesn’t matter–not if you’re happy about it.”

She lowers herself from her tiptoes and presses a second kiss against my collarbone. “I am. But you know what would also make me very happy?”

All she has to do is tell me and I’ll get it for her. “You only have to ask.”

A mischievous grins spreads across her face. “I want us to have a place we are free to do what we want without the fear of being overheard. I think we need a soundproof bedroom. Because I have a lot of naughty things I want to do to you.”

I like the way this girl thinks. “Done. I’ll have someone here in the morning and we’ll put a plan into action immediately.”

“We are in desperate need of privacy.” She’s rubbing her hands over my chest. “How long will it be before we know?”

Longer than I want. “I don’t know. I think they can have it ready in about a month. Maybe six weeks if he uses his entire crew.” I’m willing to pay for an army of construction workers to get this done as soon as possible.

“Four to six weeks sounds great on the bedroom but I meant how long will it be until we know if I’m pregnant?”

Oh. “I think Chansey was a little bit over two months when she saw Dr. Knight the first time.”

“But she was in the middle of following Jenn’s transition. I’m sure she didn’t pick up on her missed period because she was preoccupied but I’ll know if I’m a day late. I’m very regular.”

She’d been very regular since I’d known her. “You should start your menstrual cycle in thirteen days.”

I don’t have to see her blush to know I’ve embarrassed her. “How do you know that?”

If I couldn’t smell a drop of blood, I’d have known by her irritable mood. “I’ve been living with you for months. You’re a fertile human woman that bleeds every month. I’m a vampire that can smell a single drop of blood from a hundred yards. I think you can put it together.”

Her cheeks redden more. “That’s just humiliating. And gross.”

“I know your body inside and out–even better than you know it yourself.” Now I’m gonna rock her world with the information I tell her next. “I’m even able to sense your ovulation cycle by the way you smell.”

She steps back and assesses me, the blush still present on her face. Or maybe it’s a flush. “Pray tell, Mister Alexander. How do I smell when I’m ovulating?”

“Sexy. And horny.” Now it’s me pressing my lips against the side of her neck. “A lot like you smell right now.”

Her mouth is next to my ear. “And did I smell
fertile
this morning?”

Oh, did she ever. “You smelled
especially fertile
this morning–much more so than usual.”

“Ohh,” she whispers as I move my mouth down her neck.

“When we’re like this, your agápe scent is the only smell I can detect. It’s a pheromone that overpowers everything else.” I lift her to sit on my desk and I step between her legs.

Her hands are allover me at once. “And it makes you want me?”

Want
is an understatement. “Like crazy. You can’t possibly imagine how bad.”

She’s grinning as she nips my bottom lip. “I bet I can.”

Chapter Nine

We emerge from my office so we can make our formal announcement to the family but the looks on their faces when we enter the living room tell me they already suspect. Or know. I’m sure they can tell that we just had sex. Her scent is all over me and vice versa. No way I’m telling Avery that. She’d die of mortification if she knew they
smelled
the mix of our body fluids.

The family is at full attention without our request. I take Avery’s hand in mine and squeeze it. I’m nervous but one stroke of her thumb gives me that little extra boost of confidence. It’s amazing how she’s always able to give me exactly what I need. “Avery and I have an announcement.”

“I believe you do.” Thatcher is studying us and paying close attention to the way I’m holding Avery’s hand. “Do tell, brother. I can tell this is gonna be good and I’m dying of suspense.”

“This may come as quite a surprise to everyone.” I stop and look into her golden brown eyes before I finish and I see all the reassurance I need staring back at me. “Avery is my agápe.”

Lairah is the first to react to our news. “But neither of you can stand to be in the same room.”

Avery is quick to correct her. “I’m sure it has appeared that way but it’s actually the opposite. We can’t stand to be apart.”

“
Obviously
since we can smell what you’ve been doing.” Avery jerks her head around to look at her sister. Jenn’s words are intended to wound and humiliate her but why? Perhaps she’s angry that Avery didn’t confide in her but that’s no way to treat her sister. I’m about to fire back when I feel her squeeze my hand. Her eyes tell me everything her mouth doesn’t.
Please don’t.
I give her a quick nod letting her know I understand, even if I don’t agree. I’m sure Avery would like to address Jenn in private and I’ll give her that courtesy.

Lairah is still wearing a confused expression. “I don’t understand. You’ve acted like you hate each other for months. It’s been uncomfortable as hell living with the two of you under the same roof and now you’re telling us you’re mates? Are you sure? It doesn’t seem likely.”

Avery leans into my side. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”

“Shouldn’t you have known when you met her?” Gia doesn’t seem convinced.

Curry and Sebastian allow us to answer the family’s questions without interference. “The circumstances weren’t ideal when we met. She was a blood jewel and I drank from her. I thought everything I was feeling stemmed from the side effects of her blood. I had no idea what was actually happening. I spent months fighting my feelings for her because I thought she hated me. I never imagined the physical responses I sensed from her were really her body’s reaction to her love for me.

“It’s as much a shock to us as it is to all of you.” Avery’s trying to smooth this over with her sister.

“I somehow doubt that.” Jenn is sitting on the couch, arms crossed. She’s unhappy about our announcement but I don’t understand why unless she doesn’t want Avery mixed up with a vampire.

“I didn’t know, Jenn. Really.” Avery’s voice is pleading.

“Yeah, right.” Jenn’s words are saturated with sarcasm before she streaks from the room toward the hallway to her bedroom.

I shrug and look at Avery for some kind of clue about what’s going on with Jenn. “I’m lost. What was that all about?”

Avery closes her eyes and sighs. “She’s going to hate me for this.”

I wish I could get a reading on the things running through her mind but it’s racing a mile a minute. “Hate you for what?”

She releases my hand and my skin instantly misses her touch. “I need to talk to my sister. I have to try to make her understand.”

I’m left standing dumbfounded–without my agápe–in front of everyone so I grab a seat on the sofa next to Lairah. “Does anyone have a clue what’s going on with Jenn or why she’s so angry with Avery?”

Lairah punches me in the arm with her fist. “Seriously? You don’t have any idea? You’re even stupider than I thought.”

I rub my arm because it was a hard punch. “What was that for?”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “You’d have to be a total idiot to not see that Jenn is in love with you. She’s been showing you for months. I think you’re the only one that hasn’t picked up on it.”

She has to be trying to pull one over on me. “I never saw anything resembling that kind of interest from Jenn.”

“Sol had no idea.” Sebastian is defending me. “He wouldn’t notice romantic interest from another woman. It isn’t in his nature for any female to catch his attention because he only has eyes for his agápe.”

We’re all able to overhear the conversation going on down the hall. “Jenn’s angry and I don’t like the hurtful things she’s saying to Avery.” I have an intense need to protect her from being hurt–even if it’s only words being used by her sister.

“You aren’t supposed to like anything that hurts your agápe but Avery and Jenn are sisters,” Sebastian reminds me. “You must let them hash this out on their own just as you and Thatcher do when you have a problem.”

Thatcher and I are both vampires. The worst we would do is beat the shit out of each other. “Jenn is a vampire and Avery isn’t. She could kill her in a fraction of a second.”

“I’m not saying they won’t argue but Jenn’s stable and she loves her sister very much. She’d never harm her physically.” Their argument is quickly escalating so I stalk toward the hallway leading to Jenn’s bedroom. Sebastian calls out, “Sisters do this. It’s normal.”

I’d agree with Sebastian if Jenn was human. But she’s not and all of her emotions are multiplied ten-fold. “Sorry but I’m not chancing it. If Jenn goes after Avery, I can’t protect her if I’m sitting in the living room twiddling my thumbs.”

I don’t knock. I burst through Jenn’s bedroom door like I own the place–because I do. This is my compound. Jenn is a guest here–even if she is my agape’s sister–and I won’t tolerate her hurting Avery even if it’s only a verbal assault.

“Enough.” It comes out as a growl–which isn’t my intention–but I’m in full-blown protection mode. I won’t spare feelings when it comes to my mate. “Avery had no idea she was my agápe. She–nor I–would ever intentionally hurt you. It’s something we couldn’t control. I’m sorry I didn’t pick up on your feelings for me. I would have set you straight had I realized. My relationship with your sister isn’t going away so you need to decide if you can stay here and deal with it or not. If you can’t, you need to leave because I won’t allow you to continue treating her like this.”

“Sol!” Avery is angry with me for speaking to Jenn so harshly.

“No, Avery. He’s right. I have no business being here. I never did but I don’t plan on sticking around and continuing to be anyone’s problem.” Jenn streaks from the room and out the front door. I immediately feel the pain in Avery’s heart. I want to comfort her but I’m not sure it’ll be welcome.

Shit. What have I done?

I have to try to make this right. “I’m sorry, baby doll. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“You have to go after her.” Her voice–and mind–is drenched in panic. “She doesn’t know how to survive outside this compound yet.”

I put my hand to my forehead and then push it back through my hair as the realization sets in. She’s right. Jenn has been living in a bubble and has no idea how to get along on her own.

This is nothing but a mess–a gigantic one. And I’m its creator.

Avery grabs my face and forces me to look at her. “Stop it, Sol. I feel your guilt but this isn’t your fault. Jenn is a hothead. She always has been but it’s compounded now that she’s a vampire.”

The family–minus Chansey and the babies–enter Jenn’s bedroom before I’m able to reply. “Don’t worry. We’ll all pitch in to help find her,” Gia says.

Avery walks toward the door. “I need my jacket.”

Oh, hell no. She can’t possibly think I’m letting her out of this compound at night. “You’re not going out there.”

I feel her preparing for a showdown. “Why can’t I come? She’s my family.”

Avery and I are a team but I’m forced to draw a line on how much say she gets when it comes to her safety. I’m now the overbearing alpha male that will be calling all the shots. And it’s going to piss her off royally. “No. It’s too dangerous.”

She’s frustrated but not furious as I anticipated. “My circumstances are never changing. I’ll always be a blood jewel. Does that mean I’m never going to be allowed out of the walls surrounding this compound?”

Sounds like a great plan to me. “Maybe not if it keeps you safe.”

Avery stands with her hands on her hips and her weight shifted to one foot. I’ve seen Chansey in that same stance while angry with Curry and I can only wonder if it’s a coincidence or some kind of agápe characteristic. “I want to help find my sister.”

I play the card I’m certain will get through to her. “I know you do but you’ll only slow us down. We can find Jenn much faster if you stay here. Isn’t that what you want? For us to find her as soon as possible?”

I feel her conceding. “I know you’re right but I’ll feel useless if I stay here.”

“You won’t be of no use,” Curry says. “Chansey will need your help with the babies while I’m out. I can’t go if you don’t stay with her.”

“See? You’re needed here.” I’ll need to thank Curry for that later.

She’s hesitant as she appears to be thinking it over but finally agrees. “Okay. I wouldn’t want Chansey to be left alone.”

Curry tells me over his shoulder as he leaves the room, “I’ll meet you out front after I tell Chansey what’s happening.”

We leave Jenn’s bedroom and walk toward the foyer since she used the front door when she left. The others gather outside and begin forming the plan as I stop to kiss Avery. “Don’t worry. We’ll bring Jenn home.”

“Ugh!” she groans. “I hate this.”

“Me, too. But think of this as an opportunity. You’ll have the luxury of being able to speak freely with Chansey about the agápe bond. She can tell you things firsthand that no one else can. The good and the bad.”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

She pulls me in for a tight squeeze before letting me go. “Please. Please. Please. Be careful.”

I squeeze her back. “Don’t worry about me, baby doll. There’s a reason I’m almost three hundred years old. I know how to take care of myself.”

“I know but I can’t stop myself from worrying. I realize it’s your duty to protect me so please understand my position when I worry about you. I can’t help it.” Hmm. Good point and one I’ve never considered.

I kiss her hard and place my forehead against hers. Curry walks past us in the foyer to join the others and it’s my cue to leave. “We’ll be back before you know it. With Jenn.”