Devour (25 page)

Looking in the mirror, I realize just how stunning the dress is on me.
I feel sexy and vulnerable. The dress flows just to my feet and the back fabric hangs loosely, baring my entire back. I hope Cody likes it.

Jane knocks on the closet and hollers at me.
“Hurry up, princess. You probably look fantastic.”

I slip on my shoes and stride over to open the closet door.
Everyone’s eyes are on me. I have stunned them into silence. I sure hope that’s a good thing. I turn for effect and everyone snaps out of it.

“You are so beautiful
, dear,” Mom says.

“I hope I look that good for my mating,” Jane remarks.

Smiling, I pull on the connection with Cody. I have been blocking him some, because I want the dress to be a secret. That doesn’t mean I can’t tease him a little. I mentally send him two words: no bra. I sense the lust rush through the connection and it makes me feel desired. I can’t wait any longer.

“Am I ready to go yet?”

“The limo is waiting downstairs for you,” Mom remarks.

“Does anyone want to tell me where we are going?
Why does the ritual place have to be so secretive?”

“We can’t tell you, Callie.
It’s just part of the bonding process. Don’t worry though, Cody doesn’t know either,” Ginger assures me.

I’m filled with anticipation and an overwhelming desire for Cody.
I feel like everything else is just going on in a haze around me. I really hope he likes my dress.

Everyone follows me down the stairs
and we gather in the foyer near the front door. It feels like I’m saying goodbye to my old life and starting anew, which I am. Maybe a better analogy would be a caterpillar changing into a beautiful butterfly.

Mom
wraps me up in a hug first. “Congratulations, honey. I always knew this day would come. You are going to make us proud as you start your next stage in life.”

Ginger comes next.
It’s a strange emotion to know she is now going to be like a Mom to me. “I’m so happy to welcome you into our family, Callie. I know you are the right vampire for my son and I will love you like my own daughter.”

All of this sentiment is making me a little tearful and I’m afraid it’s going to ruin my makeup.
I’m almost done, I have to remind myself.

Lana throws her arms around me and nearly knocks me off balance.
I grin at her enthusiasm. She doesn’t say anything though, just gives me a warm embrace and steps away.

Of course
, the thought of saying goodbye to Jane makes me all misty eyed. I’m going to miss hunting with her, despite our last debacle. It all turned out for the best and I know she isn’t alone either now.

“Go get lucky tonight.
I need a play by play later so I know what the hell to expect,” she whispers with a smirk.

I laugh out loud and nod.
“I promise, Jane.”

Then that’s it.
I have said all my goodbyes and turn towards the door. Finn opens it and I carefully maneuver towards the limo.

When I get there, I take one last look at my old life and the people that are going t
o be with me going forward. I’m really blessed. They’re all standing on the porch, waiting to see me off.

I get to the limo and the driver stops me before opening the door.
He pulls out an elegant, silk blindfold and I reluctantly put it on. I’m even more anxious without my sense of sight. It just makes all my other senses elevated.

He opens the door
and then guides me into the limo. The door shuts with a soft click and I’m alone in the back seat with my thoughts. Uncertainty and excitement war inside me. I love Cody with my whole being and I can’t wait to be his.

Another part of me worries that I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
What if I’m not very good tonight? He’ll be stuck with me forever. I brush the unpleasant thought away as if it were just an unwanted nuisance.

We start forward and I’m still not sure where we’re going.
I reach out and connect with Cody. I can feel similar emotions running through him. I’m shocked. He is actually nervous too.

I don’t get any clues as to where
we’re going though, because he’s in pitch black. I assume they blindfolded him as well. Swell. Now I just have to wait impatiently.

The ride fl
ies by fairly quickly. I only have a minute to remember Hannah’s escapades tonight before we’re slowing to a stop. I think my heart is going to leap out of my chest.

The back door to the limo opens and I feel the warm
, summer breeze against my mostly exposed body. I give an involuntary shiver as I carefully step out into the night.

I’m gently guided into a building, but no door opens.
This just gets curiouser and curiouser. We walk for a ways and I focus on not tripping on the hem of my dress. That in itself is a huge task.

The only sounds are the ones our feet
make across the tiled floor. I’m starting to wonder if I’m on a wild goose chase when we finally come to a stop.

A door opens and a deep voice announces that we will be going up stairs.
Hmm, I’m very lost. This doesn’t feel like anywhere I’ve ever been.

He stands behind me and I slowly make it up a twisty staircase a few minutes later.
I can tell the minute we exit the stairs. The room we have stepped into has a draft and I know it’s a large one.

We don’t stop though.
I’m soon guided through another door. This room isn’t covered in tile, but I don’t think its carpet either.

My ears perk up as I hear my guide whispering to someone else.
Try as I might, I can’t make out a word he’s saying. Soon enough, he has stopped and is issuing a command.

“I want you to wait thirty seconds before taking off your blindfolds.
You will be locked in here until sunset tomorrow evening to protect the secrecy of the location. This is a sacred place that all bonding rituals occur in. Congratulations.”

Then, I hear two sets of footsteps receding.
The door shuts and I hear the lock slide into place. My nerves are a frayed mess and my heart is beating wildly now.

I don’t waste any time tearing off the blindfold.
When I do, I am just inches from Cody. He’s just finished pulling off his own blindfold and it flutters to the floor.

Instinct takes over.
I don’t care about anything but him. I throw myself into his arms and place a kiss on his soft, pink lips. He wraps his hands around me as the kiss deepens and then he stiffens.

At first I think I’ve done something wrong and start to pull away.
He just tightens his grip on me and looks me in the eyes. His amber eyes are blazing and I know he desires me.

I feel his hands roam my body as he takes in the back of the dress and
they settle on my waist. He pulls me towards him and whispers in my ear. “You look like the most perfect vampire I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m going to devour you in that dress.”

Shivers slide down my spine, but not from being cold.
This is finally it. I’m going to be mated for life to the most awesome guy in the whole world. I couldn’t be luckier.

He’
s wearing a tuxedo, much like the one he wore the night of the blood ball. I want to swoon at the look of desire that he’s giving me.

I break the contact to finally look around the room.
It feels like we have stepped back in time. There is a four poster bed against one wall, with plush white bedding. I can’t wait to sink down into it.

The wall next to it reveals a bathroom.
There’s a small light on that makes our surroundings look like they are soaked in moonlight. I walk in the ornately decorated room with high ceilings. Crown molding adorns the walls. There’s a shower and a claw foot tub. Everything is in gold and a rich honey color.

I’m surprised, but there aren’t any windows in the room or the bathroom.
It feels like we’re sealed in our own little world. I’m about to say just that when I feel Cody’s fingers wrap around my upper arm.

I smile and turn towards him.
He tilts his head to the wall opposite from us. I look to the other side of the room and notice a Victorian dresser. Moving closer, I examine what is on top of it.

There’
s an ornate chalice. Below it is a note.

To complete the blood oath, you must both bleed into the chalice.
Then each of you must drink.

“I guess this is
the part of the ritual that is so sacred,” Cody says as he bites into his wrist and lets his blood drip into the cup.

“I love how your blood tastes,” I blurt out nervously as I follow his lead.

He chuckles and brushes a hand across my face. “I love how yours tastes too, princess. Let’s do this.”

I don’
t know what I expected, but it’s just like drinking the cocktail only fresher and sweeter. When we’re finished, we set the chalice back on the dresser and move towards the bed.

This time, his eyes
light up in a molten tawny tone and I know that this is it. In the dim lighting of our surroundings, we become true mates in every sense of the word.

I wake up to warmth and I inhale the scent of cinnamon and a
scent very unique to Cody. We’re in the middle of the bed and I’m facing him, my legs twined with his. My head rests on his chest and when I look up; I discover he’s looking at me. The only light is coming from the bathroom. I can only guess it’s nighttime.

“Good
evening, Callie,” he tells me. Then he lifts my chin and his lips meet mine in a slow passionate kiss. Yummy. He is so gorgeous, amazing and so many more things than I can’t even describe. I’m completely and utterly enthralled by him.

“Mm… good
night, yourself,” I say, grinning.

I stretch languidly like a cat and he pulls me down, hovering over me.
I feel his eyes drinking me in and a shiver passes through me. I sense his excitement and I giggle. He pulls the covers back up over us and I forget about the world outside of these four walls once again.

His soft lips
trail down my face with slow gentle kisses. He moves down to my neck and licks a small circle on it. Anticipation floods me as I realize that he is going to feed from me. I let out a strangled moan as he sinks his teeth into my neck and euphoria takes over.

It takes several minutes of bliss before he retracts his fangs and coolness replaces his mouth.
I feel the loss, but am eager to feed as well. I pull him down to me and repeat the process he just finished.

As soon as the blood flows freely, I feel the ecstasy of it.
When I finally lick the wound to staunch the bleeding, I’m completely sated.

We must have fallen back asleep at some point during our amazing
Moments. The sound of the lock being turned wakes me. At first I panic, thinking someone was going to come in and find us in a compromising position. I pull the covers up over us and cling to Cody as if my life depended on it.

“
It’s okay, Callie. No one will come in. They know what we are doing in here. This was
our
ritual night. We’re just allowed to leave now. I’m sure they are waiting outside to blindfold us again. Why don’t we get ourselves up and dressed. Everyone will want to see us today.”

“Ugh, do we have to?
I would rather stay right where we are, just like we are,” I say with a mischievous look on my face.

I feel the rumble of his laugh vibrate through me.
“I wish we could, princess. I would like nothing more than to ravish you again, but reality calls.”

I groan, knowing he is right.
I suddenly feel a wave of self-consciousness flutter through me as I realize I have to get out of bed naked. Even though I shared my body with Cody last night, it was dark and under the covers. Now the light in the bathroom is on.

It was so much easier to take off our clothes than
to put them back on. Humph. Reluctantly, I peel back the covers and climb out of bed. Then I realize that all I have to wear is what I wore in.