Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (11 page)

“Like
Christmas.” Jessica tossed off her boots and sat on the edge of the bed. “You
feel anything?”

Amanda’s
eyes closed as she took a deep breath, her chest rising. “Safe and content. It
smells like cinnamon and maple here, Jess!”

How
had Duncan come to have this place? And then find them, when they needed a
sanctuary like this the most? It didn’t sit well with Jessica, not at all.

Amanda
draped her arms around her sister and rested her cheek on Jessica’s shoulder.
“Maybe it’s okay to let him help us. Maybe it’s okay to be happy for a little
while.”

“With
Duncan Jasper?” Jessica snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Maybe.”
Amanda’s smile was playful. “What do you have to lose?”

“Other
than everything?” Jessica’s
heart felt
the weight of her words. It was as if she was being crushed between two rocks.
No matter what she did…

“I
can take care of myself.” Amanda lifted her head and her face lit up with
indignation. Jessica nearly laughed at her because it wasn’t true, but she put
on a good act. “When do you get to put yourself first?”

Never
was a good answer, but it wasn’t as though Jessica minded. She hated demons,
the blood, and death, but she’d never hold it against her sister. Amanda was
special to more than just demons. “One day I might get that picket fence, but
maybe I don’t want it. Maybe I’m happy just living on the road with you.”

Amanda’s
lips curled up slightly as she lay on the pillow. The moon cast a blue glow on
her face. “You’re a liar, Jessica Blood and a pretty good one at that.”

“I’m
glad you think so,” Jessica muttered.

“Most
people wouldn’t see what I see. Your crushed spirit. The fatigue you wear, not
just in your eyes, but in your soul.” Amanda tapped her finger on Jessica’s
leg. “But I don’t want you to go. I’m glad you’re always with me.”

That
would never change. Despite everything they had been through in the last
forty-eight hours, Jessica’s heart was glad. She stood up, freeing the blanket
enough to cover Amanda up and tucked her in around the edges.

“Get
some sleep and you’ll feel recharged in the morning,” Jessica whispered with a
kiss.

Amanda’s
eyes were already closed and Jessica stroked back the delicate tendrils of her
hair, it was just like their Mom’s. She watched her sister until sleep was
ready to claim her too. Then she crawled into bed beside her sister, and rested
her weary head on her sister’s chest.

The
calming rhythm of Amanda’s
heartbeat
lulled Jessica quickly to sleep, just as it did when they were kids, before
everything changed.

Before
the blood.

The
generator kicked on and purred like a kitten. Duncan, with a lopsided grin,
twirled a
toothpick
in the corner of his
mouth. The place was like a well-oiled machine and the fully stocked pantry
would keep them happy for a while. At least until everything settled, and they
figured out a plan.

As
if Jessica would even give him a say. That girl could make him run hot with
anger at times, but at others…

Duncan
did his due diligence and made sure the place was secure. Wards were still in
place, the etchings on the stained glass windows were intact, that should be
enough to keep them hidden from the demons’ inner sight. Everything else was
locked down tight.

The
armory was still fully stocked, so no one broke in while Duncan was away.
Truth
was, he didn’t come here much. Hell, he’d
hoped to never need this
place,
but kept
it for insurance. It was always a good idea to have a backup plan, in case the
rest of his hare-brained schemes didn’t pan out.

Duncan
had his
share,
but always managed to come
out alive.

Never
thought he’d need it to help the Bloods out. The idea that he’d see them again,
sure, Duncan had toyed with the notion. Might have even imagined what it’d be
like, but this wasn’t his idea of a sexual fantasy. On the run, seeing the two
sisters exhausted and barely holding it together, was not his idea of a great
reunion.

Although,
Jessica was a hot piece of ass just the same. It was hard not to admire a woman
who fought so hard and long for what she loved.

She’d
never give up, Duncan knew that. One day it was going to kill her.

That
saddened him more than he could ever say. There were no words for that sort of
thing. And Amanda? Duncan wouldn’t see harm come to her either. Sweet and kind,
she wasn’t the type of person who deserved demon trouble.

He
headed towards the kitchen, in search of a drink. The moonlight glinted off the
stainless steel fridge onto the counter and the demon ward symbol reminded him
of Jessica’s lower back. The same symbol he had inked on her. It was customary
for demon hunters like them, to add a new tattoo or new detail after a big
battle.

A
big victory.

When
she asked him to be the one to do it, well, Duncan jumped at the chance. They
had been playing that
coy
will-they-or-
won’t
-they game for a while, and it would be
his first chance to run his bare fingers along her satin skin.
It’d
been a long time coming, and not a day had
gone by since that he didn’t remember how she felt under his hands.

How
many years ago had it been? Three? Maybe even four.

Jessica stood, the chair
straddled between her legs and Duncan took in the sight of her perfect perky
ass in the black leather pants she always wore. In her hand, an amber beer
bottle glistened with condensation. Leaning her head back to take a long
draught
, her red curls spiraled down her back
like an ocean wave.

Beautiful. Duncan just
wanted to touch it. Pull it. Bury his face in it and smell her sweet scent of
lavender up close. It was probably the only thing about her that was sweet, or
so he thought at the time.

Jessica placed the beer bottle
down on the nearby table. She gripped the bottom of her tank top and pulled it
over her head. Dressed only in her black lace bra, Duncan’s heart
pattered
to see the curve of her lower back.
Throwing her top into the corner she sat down on the chair and leaned over the
top, hugging it close to her chest.

“
Well,
I don’t have all day, Jasper.” Jessica gripped her hair and
pulled it over one shoulder.

Duncan’s hands were
sweating badly, so he wiped them on his jeans before he grabbed his needles and
ink, dragging them closer to her. He held his breath as he sat behind her on
the bench, close enough to see every pore of her skin, to watch the muscles in
her upper back and arms flex as she tossed her head to the side to look at him.

“You’re sure this is what
you want?” Duncan asked.

Jessica’s voice was
sultry laughter. “It’s just an ink. Tonight’s win was sweet and you should be
the one who does it.”

Duncan ran his fingers
down her back even though he had no reason to. He listened to Jessica
suck
in her breath and saw those goose bumps
rise up on her flesh. For a brief
moment,
he even caught a brief smile on the corner of her mouth before she turned her
face away.

“Gold and red?”

“Those are my colors.
It’s Blood tradition.” She coiled her torso over the chair as Duncan’s pencil
touched her skin and he sketched out what he was going to do. She took a deep
breath as his fingertips traced her lower back.

Soft. Silky and smooth
except for the goose bumps under his fingertips. Like a Braille map, Duncan
traced them down to the waistband of her tight pants. Slightly, she shivered
under his touch.

He suspected Jessica
wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Now he could practically taste her
lips in his mouth. Saliva collected against his teeth and Duncan swallowed it
away.

“And Amanda won’t get
ink? Why not? She earned it too. What she did for those people, it was…a
miracle, I guess. If you believe in those things.”

“She can’t. Messes with
her abilities. I don’t know if it’s the needles or the changes to her skin, but
the first time we tried,” Jessica shook her head. “Well, let’s just say she
just can’t.”

“I can live with that.”

“Besides,” Jessica tossed
her head. There was a glint in her eye that hadn’t been there before as she bit
her lip. Sinfully delicious, Duncan burned just a bit hotter for her. “I don’t
think I want you touching her like you’re touching me.”

Duncan paused and raised
his eyebrow. “And how am I touching you?” He ran his open palms up her back and
over her bare shoulders. Muscular, they felt strong beneath his calloused skin.

“You’re bad at subtle.”
Jessica leaned back, her shoulders pressing against his chest.

“It’s never been my
forte.” Duncan ran his hand up her neck and over her jaw line. The way she
looked at him with hungry desire, made him burn hot. His lips came for hers
quickly and Jessica was more than receptive. She pushed her tongue into his
mouth, her arms reaching back to grip his hair. Duncan traced the curve in her
waist, resting his hands on her hips.

The
action
was hot, but
this? A dead scorcher. To
touch
her felt
surreal.

She spun around
on
the bench and placed her hands behind his
neck. “If we do this, there’s one thing you have to know. We take care of her.
Amanda. Above all else.”

Duncan nodded. “Amanda’s
the mission. I know what’s important to you.”

“Good.” Jessica’s nose
rubbed against his, her forehead pressed against his. “If you betray her or
break her heart, I break you. If you’re good with that…” She gripped his inner
thighs, squeezing them as she lifted herself up higher to come down on him,
kissing.

It
was all good with him then. The idea to leave her, cross Jessica Blood? Had
never been a thought in his mind. To be with her, to fight by her side against
the evil that plagued the world, that’s all Duncan wanted for a long time.

Until
the road called. Until things came up that the Blood sisters didn’t need to
know about. They had their own battles and didn’t need his troubles on top of
their own. Maybe it was wrong. Walking away hadn’t been easy, but it had been
his choice.

The
memory faded like a candle wick slowly being snuffed out. His mind darkened and
his heart grew cool. Duncan was so lost in memory, he never poured that drink.

He
walked down the hall. When an unexpected draft blew in, he turned the opposite
way and was surprised to see Jessica, leaned up against the wall, a phone to
her ear.

“Aunt
Gwen, you were supposed to meet us days ago. Do you have any idea… Fine. Fine.
You better have a good explanation when you get here, that’s all I have to say
to you right now.” Jessica took a deep breath, her eyes blinked and Duncan got
the impression she was struggling to remain in control. “So don’t second guess
who I keep company with when you’re the one who screwed us.”

Jessica
slammed her finger onto the phone as hard as one could before pocketing it.
Kicking back her heel as if she wanted to punch her hand through the wall. She
startled
as Duncan strolled into view. “Guess
that’s good news,” Duncan said as he leaned against the wall beside her and
shoved his hands in his pockets.

The
corners of her mouth twitched, but she didn’t look up at him. “As good as it
gets when you’re a Blood. Though I guess things weren’t always this bad, right?
Parents met and got married. Things don’t always have to be this way.”

Duncan
shook his head. “Nope. We’ll figure something out, and things will go back to
normal, or at least as normal as they get.”

“Things
haven’t been normal. Maybe ever.” Jessica slid her hands into her pockets. “I’m
not much for this pity party thing we’ve got going on.”

He
grinned at her. “You’re the one who hung the streamers, sweetheart. I’m just
here for the punch.”

Jessica
finally glanced up at him, her green eyes dull with annoyance. Her eyebrows
arched in
amusement,
though she’d never
admit it. “Your sense of humor still needs work.”

“So
does your disposition.” Duncan took a breath and was able to smell her clean
sweat through a hint of lavender. Some things were still the same and it sent a
shiver right through him. “I thought you were asleep upstairs, what happened?”

“Was,
for a while.” Jessica rubbed her neck. “Wanted to call my aunt while Amanda is
asleep. Just in
case
I couldn’t connect
with her again.”

So,
worried about Amanda, as usual. What other option did she have? “I’m glad
you’ve got her on her way. Anyone we can get to join this fight—
listen
, my gang isn’t far from here. If we tell
them what you and Amanda are running from…”

Jessica
shook her head and pacing to the other side of the hallway. “No. I don’t trust
them, Duncan. I never have.”

“Like
you don’t trust me?” Duncan’s cheeks reddened and he said the words as an
accusation. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

.

Her
eyes were wider than normal. She didn’t answer the question. She never
bloody
answered the question, and it made
Duncan want to put his fist through a wall. He settled for a shake of his head.

Jessica
crossed her arms. “If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave.” Boom, just like
that her walls went up. The old joke went, what does Jessica Blood
hate
more than demons? Vulnerability.

“This
is my place.” Duncan waved his finger.

She
snorted and laughed. “I’ll lock up before we go. You’ll never know the Blood
sisters were here.”

That
wasn’t what Duncan wanted. Couldn’t Jessica feel that? Or was she testing him
again? “Why do these demons want you so bad? The queen doesn’t go all out like
this for just anyone.”

“
Well
I’ve pissed them off enough over the
years.” Jessica bit her fingernail, but wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Yeah,
but you’re the only one they want dead. Amanda’s the one who can heal and exorcise
them. So why not kill her?” Duncan felt anger rising in his chest, but he
didn’t understand why he was so angry. Was he still protective of Amanda, or
was he upset that Jessica wouldn’t level with him?

All
that time, all that trust. It was destroyed by him, Duncan knew that. He hated
that the distrust between them might as well have been the breadth of an ocean.

With
a rapid blink of her
eyes
Jessica
flustered. “I don’t actually know what they want because I never stopped to
ask. I kill them and move on to the next one.” Jessica said it with zeal, but
her eyes were drawn, her expression grim. She was tired, but she’d never admit
she needed help.

“Look,”
Duncan stepped up close to her so she couldn’t edge her way out. When she
peered up at him, Duncan’s heart skipped, “my gang is twenty-five strong.
Twenty-five extra arms to help you fight those S.O.B’s, until we can figure a
way to stop them from coming.”

“Or
twenty-five extra arms to turn us in for the bounty. Or maybe they’ll just keep
Amanda for themselves. No thanks, I’ll take my chances with my aunt. With you,
if you stay.”

Jessica
said it as a dare and didn’t turn her face from his. Duncan stared down at her
and he too refused to glance away. The longer he stared into her green eyes,
the stronger was the pull to kiss her. He didn’t. Wouldn’t.