Hunger Embraced (The Hunger Series) (31 page)

I sat up and groaned. It seemed all the endorphins had worn off. Sore, sore everywhere. And sticky. Why is it that women always end up with all the leftovers? A big warm arm slid around my waist from behind and gave me a squeeze. Gregory.

“Glad you’re up, lass. We couldn’t leave the circle until you woke to break it, and I have to say that sleeping on hard surfaces has never been a favorite pastime.” His voice was pitched low, gravelly, and quiet.

I looked down at the arm around my waist, and the heat of a blush rose up my chest. It made no sense, and yet there it was. I was used to being naked and having sex with virtual strangers, but I’d never done something like what I had just done. Earlier. And I couldn’t blame it all on the ritual or my magic. Orgasm was enough. I hadn’t needed to…do what I did.

He grunted and lurched to his feet. It put his groin at face level, and I blushed harder before turning away and getting to my own feet in a hurry.

“Why couldn’t you leave the circle? It was meant only to keep things out, not us in.”

“Don’t know, lass. But when you passed out, Daniel tried to take you down the hall to put you in bed and couldn’t leave.”

“Huh.” I walked to the edge of the circle and stepped over it. Then back in again. The living room was in shambles. Daniel’s extensive music collection and the pictures from the walls were on the floor. The candles had melted into puddles of congealed wax on the hardwood. Poor man would go into an OCD overload. I walked over to him, trying not to be obvious in avoiding looking at Gregory.

I used one foot to nudge a salt line out of the way. “Run free!”

Gregory chuckled.

I crouched down to give Daniel a shake, and his eyes snapped open right before I touched his shoulder. He still looked groggy but gave me a big grin and sat up. He reached out with his long, muscular arms and yanked me off balance into a hug. It eased my embarrassment, and the fear I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge that he would be angry about what had happened during the ceremony with Gregory. I had no idea how things were normally dealt with in a threesome. I was worried he’d think I was a complete slut or be disgusted or jealous. I’d wanted Gregory at that moment almost as much as Daniel.

I decided not to analyze it. If Daniel was cool enough with it to be smashing me in a hug, I guess he wasn’t upset about the blowjob. And that should be enough for me. No analyzing. It was what it was.

Daniel finally let go and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. I let out a happy sigh. He stood and towed me up to stand next to him, then swept my legs out from under me and picked me up. Gregory looked at us with a fond smile. He scrubbed his hand over his hair and shook his head.

“What?”

“You two are so cute it should be disgusting.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, and the smile became a lecherous grin.

“There are better things to be doin’ with that. Valuable tools should not be wasted.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he’d make an oral sex reference.

“Shower?” Daniel pecked my nose. I sighed and snuggled against him. Who cared what Gregory had to say about it anyway?

“Yes, please. Although, don’t take this the wrong way, but—”

“I think the girl is kicking us out.” Gregory gave me a mock pout.

“Sorry, I just don’t think I’m up for more, ah, shenanigans right now. And if I go with you, then…” I cocked an eyebrow at Daniel’s amused expression and trailed off.

“Don’t worry about it,
cara
. I don’t think any of us are up for more
.
Right now. But if you want some privacy, I will give you the shower first. When everyone has had a chance to clean up we can have lunch.”

I shivered at the implication of more sex later.

“Can I have two sandwiches? And maybe some chips. Oh, and a pickle. Do you have dill?” I pressed my finger to my lips and tried to think of any other food he might have.

Daniel carried me past Gregory and down the hall. I blew him a kiss as we passed. I didn’t want him to feel left out, but he wasn’t my boyfriend. In fact, I had no idea how to deal with the whole sex with friends thing. It seemed to be enough for him though, because he smiled and caught it.

“Goddess, he is delicious.”

I rolled my eyes.
“Hush. He’s not a steak or an ice cream sandwich.”

“Even so, I look forward to another taste.”

My Hunger needed a reality check.
“Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah. Don’t get your hopes up. That was a ritual thing. Don’t be counting on it all the time.”

“Why not? Everyone has left satisfied, and I didn’t kill anyone. I followed your rules. It was your idea to—”

Oh, of course she’d go there.
“LALALALALA! Not listening!”

“
Cara
?”

“Hmmmm?” I snuggled against Daniel’s chest and ran one hand idly across his warm skin. He set me down on my feet in front of the glass shower door.

“Who are you talking to?”

My heart sped up when I saw the concern on his face. “Uh, my Hunger?”

His brow crinkled. “Why would you being doing that? It is as though there is a separate entity inside your head now. If the ritual was successful, you should be joined perfectly.”

“I am. It was. You see…well the thing is…uh, crap, when I killed Tommy, my magic sort of went away. I kind of blocked it. And it developed, it became, more.”

“More. More what?” He leaned back against the vanity and crossed his arms. Gregory frowned at me from the doorway. They both stared at me. Damn it, Daniel had started that silent interrogation thing again.

I fidgeted and played with a strand of my hair, wrapping it around my finger over and over. “It developed a, well, a personality. A sentience. I felt it when we merged again. She’s better looking than me. Kind of pissed me off if I told the truth. Her boobs are amazing.” The breast talk did nothing to distract either man. I could hear my Hunger laughing and told her to shut up. She gave me the finger.

Daniel looked at Gregory, and they frowned at each other. I took the distraction as an opportunity to open the stall door and slip inside, where I turned the water on full blast. It burned when the liquid hit my lower back.

“Have you ever heard of this?” Daniel asked.

“No.”

I could hear them clearly even with the water pounding my head and running into my ears. My hearing had already improved.

“We need a plan. Who can you call?”

I watched Daniel scratch the underside of his chin through blond stubble.

“I’m not sure. Most of the boys are still so loyal to those mummies that they would be of little use other than handing our girl over with a big red bow.” Gregory clenched his fists. “Fuckin’ fools they are.”

“Aww he likes us. He called you our girl. Call him in here.”
Warmth and seduction colored her tone.

“No. Shut up. This is your fault.”

“Fuck off. Is not. You did this.”

Damn I was furious. I didn’t need this. Not from her.
“Well, if you’d shut your trap, no one would have heard you. So this, right here, is your fault.”

I lathered shampoo into my hair twice and tried to ignore them. It was mostly impossible. The minty conditioner cleared my sinuses. I’d forgotten to get a washcloth and walked to the door to ask for one. Gregory met me there and handed it to me before closing the door again. He looked worried. Not as worried as me. He shouldn’t have known what I wanted.

Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe just context. I was in here with no washcloth, so why else would I be coming over to the door?

Daniel shifted his hips. “We must gather a consortium. Get all the texts we can find, prepare for unfavorable outcomes.”

I lathered up and scrubbed myself slowly, afraid to come out of the water. When the washcloth dipped between my legs I hissed. My skin was abraded and sore. Guess the power boost didn’t mean that loads of acrobatic sex was completely without consequence.

Both men looked at me, and I grimaced. It wasn’t such a bad price to pay for all that sex. I waved at them and turned my back. Guess that privacy I had wanted had been vetoed. No matter. I retreated to the pounding spray and started humming.

“Could you pick a different song, at least? If you want to delude yourself and ignore what they are speaking about at least do it to something other than ‘I’m a little teapot.’”

I scowled.
“How about you pretend that I’m the only one in my head for a few minutes and keep your mouth shut. I’ve had a rough fucking week.”

“There’s no reason to be so bitchy. Just pick something else. How about something by Evanescence? I love them.”

“Really? Isn’t that nice for you.”

I hummed louder and punched the wall. The tile I hit broke, a nice elliptical shape in the middle of it from my fist with cracks radiating out from it.

The conversation outside the stall stopped. I’d managed to ignore it enough for a few moments that it had become nothing but a low-level hum that buzzed in my ears. Daniel walked into the stall, took my hand in his and looked at it. When he saw it wasn’t injured, he wrapped me in his arms.

“Sorry about your wall.”

“Do not trouble yourself.”

“Guess I’m stronger than before.”

“A bit.”

Gregory spoke from the door. “Don’t worry so, Miri. We will take care of you.”

“The issue with my magic isn’t our only problem.” I hid my face in Daniel’s pectorals.

Daniel’s hand ceased making circles on my upper back. “Are you about to tell me why your Mark has changed?”

“Changed? I don’t know. I didn’t know. I had a vision while I was out. After we—anyway. The Goddess Babd told me she has a job for me. She wasn’t happy about the burning of the head and hands either.”

Gregory blinked slowly, the flexing of his right hand until the knuckles were white the only thing betraying any emotion.

Daniel stepped back so he could see my face, and he hissed. “Are you sure it was her?”

“That’s the name she gave me. The first time I saw her, she kept flashing from looking like a withered old lady, then a pregnant woman, and then a scary Amazon type and told me her name was Macha. I thought I was delusional or something.”

“And what did she look like this time, lass?” Gregory stepped closer.

“Scary Amazon type. All bloody, blue body paint, armor, sword. Bow and arrow.”

“What task have you been charged with completing?” Daniel ran his fingers through my hair.

I closed my eyes, remembering the look in her eyes when she’d tasted my blood.

“I have to kill the vampires that have taken over my father’s coven. She said she wants me to ‘make it rain with their blood.’ Actually, I think she wants me to kill everyone there. She said to kill them all and bring her all the heads. Empath and Incubi alike. She told me I’m part of her bloodline.”

“Did she give you a time frame?”

“She said before the week is out.” The men looked at each other. They were talking a lot with their eyes this morning.

“It doesn’t do to keep the gods waiting. They can be fickle.” Gregory crossed his arms over his chest, and the Hunger growled in my head.

“Let me at him. I want to taste his flesh again.”

“Now is not the time. Sit. Stay.”
Dealing with her was exasperating.

The Hunger snarled and retreated.

“Tell me about it. She told me the next time she sees me I better have a proper sacrifice. Although, if I don’t know I’m going to be seeing her, how can I be prepared? Do I start carrying around a chicken or something?”

The joke fell on deaf ears.

“Um, guys, I think I really need to eat something. If I don’t I’m going to need a different kind of food, and physically I don’t think I’m up to it right now.” In fact I was exhausted and sore pretty much all over. “Am I all Transitioned now? I thought that I’d feel better than this. I hurt, and I’m tired.”

“Your body is healing slower once more because of the Blooding. You fed well, but normally after the ceremony a new vampire sleeps for two or three days. You had only five or six hours. And they did not sound restful.” Daniel patted me on the ass before he let me go and stepped fully under the water.

“Daniel is right. Your body will continue to change for some time.” Gregory passed me. “Takes a bit for all the DNA to get switched around.”

“Yeah, that’s what he told me earlier. Wishful thinking so I could be big and bad. It works like a viral attack, huh?” I watched rivulets of water trace over Daniel’s chest, abs, and then the line of muscle where stomach and groin met. It was my favorite place to lick, other than his cock.

“Good enough analogy. Actually I think of it as genetic manipulation. Turning certain genes on and off.”

Wow. A pretty face, body of a hardened warrior, and smart to boot. How had Gregory gone so long without being snatched up?

“Get dried off, but don’t leave the bathroom.” This was from Daniel as he began to scrub his hair.

He moved to washing down. Gregory stepped in under the water on the opposite side of the stall. Normally I would have let my lecherous side out to enjoy the sight of two hot, muscular men showering, but the way they were moving about, so briskly with no wasted movement, killed my inner voyeur.

I retrieved three towels and wrapped myself in one, wondering why they didn’t want me to leave the room. No one was going to get me from inside the apartment. At least, I didn’t think so. I behaved and didn’t make any kind of mess in Daniel’s perfectly folded linens. Mischief just didn’t seem appropriate right now. If I had to put a label on the way they were acting, scared would sound about right.

The cotton hurt my back, and I spun around so I could look in the mirror. Might as well see what was going on there. Denial hadn’t been serving me too well lately. My birthmark had indeed changed. As a child it had really been an ugly purplish red blob. Now it looked like the Holy Grail in that Indiana Jones movie, except there were areas of raised tissue that reminded me of a brand. A sword rose out of the center of the cup with a bird perched on the pommel.