Love Nip (24 page)

I heard a soft knock and the door creaked open. Axle popped his head in and walked over to me
, carrying a tray in one hand. He laid the tray onto the nightstand as he sat down beside me.

“How do you feel?”
he asked with concern in his eyes.

“I feel
…” I searched for words to finish the statement but couldn’t come up with anything. “I don’t even know how I feel.”

“You’ve been through a lot
, sweetheart, give yourself a break.” He ran his hands down my arms and the sensation sent waves of pleasure throughout my body.

“
This isn’t natural, Axle, and I’m honestly scared,” I admitted.

“Honey be
ar, none of us are natural. I know more than anyone about being unnatural.” He stroked my hair and placed his lips on my forehead. “But you don’t have to be scared. I will never let anything ever happen to you. I can’t lose you again.”

I felt the emotion pour from
his words. I could almost taste the salted tears that formed in his eyes. I didn’t realize at the time that what I was doing would have consequences. I was now a bigger freak.

I fell asleep while Axle played with my hair. I wok
e up sometime later in his arms and smiled up at his face. He looked peaceful as he slept. His chest rose with each breath and I could hear his fast paced heartbeat, each thud getting louder and louder until I had to sit up to get away. I didn’t know what was going on and the unknown was extremely frightening.

I slowly crept away from Axle and slid out of the bed. I quietly left the room and realized we weren’t in Ezra’s house. The red room was the same but the rest of the house wasn’t.
I found the kitchen with ease. The house was big, but not as confusing as Ezra’s. After making myself a cup of coffee I went into the living room to relax.

“Emily?” I recognized Robert’s voice instantly.

He startled me, causing me to drop my coffee. It levitated a few inches above the carpet. The liquid splashed around the edge of the cup. He jogged over to where I was planted, unable to move. He reached for my cup and lifted it back up. We sat down together on the couch, and he handed me my coffee.

“Thanks,” I replied softly.

“You’re up early, did you sleep well?” he asked with a slight smile on his face. I was thankful he chose to ignore the incident.

“Yeah
, actually I did. Were you here all night?” I asked.

“Yes, I slept in Axle’s guest room.”

I shook my head and tried to come up with more to say. The silence was ripping at my eardrums. The more time I had to think, the more I regretted my decision. I no longer wanted to be this way. I wanted my old life back.  

“Emily, I know you’re scared right now
, but I promise we will get through this,” he tried to reassure me.

I took a sip from the cup. The warm liquid felt amazing as it slid down my throat. “I wish I could be so sure
, Robert. This is just so different. A few months ago I had a normal life and now …” I couldn’t think of what to say.

“I know
, sweetheart. But it is going to be okay.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

He gulped and sat up straight. “I might have someone who may be able to help get you through this. It’s a long shot, but there was once a man who had something similar happened to him and I’m hoping he can coach you while you transition.”

“Transition?” I wasn’t sure what he meant by that
, but the thought of speaking to someone who had dealt with this gave me a sliver of hope.

“Emily, you took powers from three different vampires. I’m afraid you
’re becoming less and less human each time,” he offered, a certain sadness overtaking his face.

“What
, you think I’m going to have a change in my diet soon?” I joked.

He chuckled softly
. “I’m not sure if it will be that drastic.”

“So tell me about this guy that’s done this before
.” I placed my cup on a nearby table and gave Robert my full attention.

Robert scratched his head and seemed to be deep in thought. “This man was a very powerful warlock. Like you, he had a difficult time getting control of his powers
, so he did a spell that would grant him even more power. Similar to what you did with Damon. The spell backfired and gave him access to black magic. That wasn’t his goal to begin with, but the more he used the black magic, the more he became addicted to it. He’s almost three hundred years old right now and he doesn’t look a day over thirty.”

“You think that I’m using black magic?” I asked curiously.

“No, no, no, I just think that you are unable to stop yourself from using magic now and that can be very dangerous. You have to get your skills under control or you could end up killing someone. And I know you wouldn’t want that to happen,” Robert explained. I saw tears of worry in his eyes. I felt the truth in his words.

“Ok
ay, so who is this dude? When can I meet him?”

“He’s my father.
I have to come up with a way to get you into his coven.” Robert eyes darted away from my own.

“I thought you didn’t know your father?” I asked.

“Once my father became consumed in black magic, I kicked him out of my life for good. I can’t help you, Emily. If I could teach you how to control this I would, but this is bigger than I’ve ever seen. Your grandfather can teach you everything he knows, and then you can come back to me.” A tear slid down his cheek. I couldn’t imagine how hard this had to be on him.

“Thank you
, Robert.” I pulled him into an embrace and held him tightly. We had our differences, but I realized at that moment that Robert did love me and I loved him back. We didn’t have memories like most families, but we still had time to make some. I heard shuffling down the hall and knew Axle was awake. He strolled in wearing a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head; his shirt rose with his arms and I caught a glimpse of skin. I bit my lip and had to remind myself that my father was in the room. Axle sent me a wink and I blushed.

“Robert
, you have any plans with Emily today?” Axle asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“No
, actually I have some errands to run,” Robert answered as he looked at his watch. “I’d better hit the road if I’m going to beat the traffic.” He stood and kissed me on the top of my head, patting Axle on the back as he walked out.

We sat in
silence for a moment. Axle drank his coffee, staring into my eyes. When he was finished, he rinsed his cup in the sink and walked over to the couch.

“So what did you have in mind?” I asked curiously.

He sat next to me and pulled my face to his, kissing me gently. He ran his hands through my hair and playfully tugged at my locks. I moaned in response. I ran my hands over his stomach and pushed my body closer to his. He pulled away but still held my face in his hands.

“You have no idea how worried I was about you. I realized the second you walked away from me that I had made a
huge mistake. I shouldn’t have let you leave with that bloodsucker. From now on, you’re not leaving my sight.” He kissed my lips softly and sat back.

“Stop beating yourself up, it wasn’t your fault. And you couldn’t have stopped me you had wanted to
,” I answered.

He laughed
. “Sweetheart, I could have stopped you I was just being dumb.”

“W
hat do you mean dumb?” I asked curiously.

“I let
you do whatever you want, even when I know it’s wrong. Ezra said something while we waited for you to wake up that keeps replaying in my mind. He said that if I truly cared about you I wouldn’t let you put yourself in harm’s way, even if it meant losing you. He was right. I do want to be together forever, but I have to stop being selfish.”

His comment about being together forever sent a big smile to my face. “So we
’re listening to Ezra now?” I teased.

“You know
, he is much easier to be around now that he’s human.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “It also doesn’t hurt that he’s no longer competition for you.”

“You sure?
I mean, you do have the same red room as his house,” I teased.

He chuckled
. “That’s my red room. Ezra had rooms designed specifically for us to look exactly like home.”

“Ah,” I answered.

“So, I made a deal with Kimmy. I get you today and she gets you tonight.”

The thought of spending time with Kimmy made me smile with excitement.
But an entire day with Axle caused butterflies in my stomach.

“So, get dressed
! We’re leaving soon.”

I took a long shower, attempting
to wash away the memory of Hessley. I wanted to forget everything about that leech. I felt sick with a realization, he was now and forever a part of me. I would never truly be rid of him. I dried off and tried to stay positive. At least I was alive and back home. My friends and family were safe. I wrapped the towel around my body, and looked down on the counter and smiled. My toothbrush was resting in the same cup that held Axle’s toothbrush. Normally, my reaction to this would have been to freak out. The past year had forced me to take a step back and examine my actions.

Axle knocked on the door
. “You all right?”

I smiled again
. “Yeah, I’m great.”

*
**
*

We had to stop by the office to fill out paperwork on the situation. I could have skipped protocols, but it felt good to get everything out on pa
per and be done with it.

“So what will happen to
Rocko and Buster?” I asked as I finished typing.

Axle sighed and seemed flustered
. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s up to you.”

I gave him a confused look
. “Can you please explain?”

He sat on the desk corner and rubbed his eyes
. “After finding you, we had a long meeting on what to do with the prisoners. I suggested termination, but Robert thinks it would be best to leave the decision to you.”

“Termination, you want to kill them?” I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

“Yes, I do,” he stated.

“Don’t you think that is a bit
harsh?”

He chuckled
. “Wow, you are your father’s daughter. That is exactly what Robert said. As I explained to him, they kidnapped you and nearly killed you. Their punishment should be death.”

“Even in the human world, death wouldn’t be their punishment
,” I tried.

“Emily, you are no longer a part of the human world.
When Kimmy was kidnapped, you killed Damon.”

I shook my head
. “That was different.”

His eyebrow rose
. “How is that different?”

I sighed
, giving up. There was no arguing with Axle. “Rocko and Buster didn’t kidnap me, Hessley did. Plus, Hessley was holding them captive as well. They only stayed with him to keep their families safe. We should free them.”

He placed his hands around my waist and pulled me close. His eyes studied my li
ps. “The thought of never seeing you again was tearing me apart. You mean the world to me, and when I am with you I’m a better man.”

I smiled
happily. After we finished with the paperwork we had a date day. Axle took me shopping and then to the movies; it was perfect. He dropped me back at my apartment a little after six. I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I was glad to be home again. I opened the door to my apartment and was bombarded by friends. Kimmy, Dee-Dee, even Maggie was there.

“Welcome home,” Kimmy greeted.

I smiled brightly, hugging her tightly. “I’m glad to see you.”

Dee-Dee stood in the kitchen and started the blender.

“What’s going on?” I asked curiously.

“
Margaritas, and we totally deserve them,” Maggie replied, placing her arm around my shoulders. She held a glass while Dee-Dee filled it, and then handed me the cup and walked away. I took a long sip of the delicious mixed drink. I felt a warm, fluffy object brush my leg and looked down to see a tiny solid black cat at my feet.

“Who’s cat?” I asked.

“He’s yours,” Dee-Dee answered.

“I don’t have a cat,” I stated
, confused.

“You do now,” Kimmy replied.

“We figured we should make your witch status official, and what better way than owing a black cat,” Dee-Dee explained.

I picked up the tiny creature and held him close. I brushed his soft fur,
and he purred in response.

“Oh
, Em, can you thank your brother for me? In the mess of being rescued, I didn’t even have time to say thank you,” Maggie called out.

“Um, what are you talking about?” I asked.

“Your brother came to our rescue at Hessley’s’ house, I thought you knew that,” she answered.