Point of No Return (28 page)

“Come with me?” Theo asked quickly. “It will
be at night, but Danial has already said he might not make it, if
he has business.”

He’d brought it up to make sure I’d go
with him, not Danial.
After all I was putting him through, it
was the least I could do. “Sure,” I said, laying my hand over his.
“It’s a date.”

He squeezed my hand. “Nineva is coming, to
visit Elle. It’s going to be something, seeing him again.”

That was a shock. Nineva was an African lion
who had been held prisoner in Europe. Danial had sent two vampire
trackers to rescue him, believing him to be Theo. They had brought
Nineva back to Danial, and he had stayed for a while, recovering
from bad wounds. He had been the first one to show Elle how to
change when she’d been stuck in human form. “I knew Nineva still
wrote to Elle, but not of this visit. When is he coming?”

“I think in June,” Theo replied. “He said he
would tell us the flight number and arrival date when everything
was arranged.”

“It will be good to see him,” I said,
squeezing Theo’s hand. “We should have him over for dinner. Tell
him he can stay with us, too, if he hasn’t already arranged to stay
with Danial.”

Theo nodded. “Alright.” He paused. “You heard
Sundown is living with Terian?”

There was uneasiness in his voice. Maybe he
was as worried as I was about that situation. “Yes, he told me. I’m
worried she’s going to hurt him again.”

“She might,” Theo replied, uncomfortable.
“But that’s not what I find unsettling.”

“What is?” I asked, shooting him a curious
glance.

“She looks like you,” he said carefully, as
if he was worried the news would scare me. “Her hair is shorter and
straighter, but she has your green eyes. Your bodies and features
are similar.”

Terian had never told me that. “How
similar?”

“Enough so when I first saw him kissing her
in his lab, I told him I was going to kick his ass,” Theo said
ruefully. “Then she turned around, and I saw it wasn’t you. I
apologized for mistaking her for you, which only made Terian that
much more uncomfortable.”

I shrugged. “Lots of women are dark blond and
my size. When I meet her, I’ll have to see how much—”

“Titus arranged a meeting between Terian and
Leri,” Theo interrupted.

I almost got whiplash I turned so fast.
“What?”

Chapter
Fourteen

“Titus, Leri, and Terian met. Leri asked
Terian to forgive her for what she did,” Theo explained.

“Did he?” I asked. “I wouldn’t have, but
Terian has always been more forgiving than me, despite his demon
nature.”

“He said that he told her that he forgave her
for trying to kill him and for abandoning him, but that he would
never forgive her for what she did to his brother. He said he would
hate her the rest of his life for that and that he never wanted to
see her again.”

“Well, that went pretty well,” I said
sarcastically, shooting Theo a look. “Terian must be really a
saint, not a half-demon.”

“I thought so, too,” Theo nodded. “Weirdly, I
think Titus was disappointed. He wanted Terian to accept Leri and
welcome her back like he has.”

“Is he delusional?” I said incredulously.
“Terian might be a nice guy, might believe the best in people, but
he’s come a long way from the naive man who tried to hold me
hostage years ago.”

“Titus loves Leri,” Theo said flatly. “Men do
strange things, when they’re in love. Look what you’ve done to
Devlin, for example—”

I almost said Titus was a demon, not a man,
then told myself that was borderline racist. What I’d really be
voicing was my worry that as a demon, he wasn’t capable of love. “I
haven’t done anything to Dev, Theo,” I said, shifting uneasily.
“He’s still the same sadistic and ruthless man he was when I met
him. He just hides that part of himself from me now, because he
wants me to believe he’s changed.”

“I didn’t think you knew that,” Theo said
quietly. “I thought you believed he had changed.”

“I forget sometimes, because he is trying so
hard to make me believe he has.” I sighed. “But every so often the
glamour shifts, and I see that beneath it he’s the same as he was.
The only thing that has changed is his feelings towards me.”

Theo didn’t reply.

* * * *

When we arrived home, Theo parked his blue
Chevy outside the garage. “I’m leaving in six hours,” he said, as
he got out.

I stopped midstride, giving him an odd look.
Why did he think I cared where he parked? Hmm.
I immediately
walked to the garage and flipped open the keypad.

“Stop!” Theo said, panicked. He quickly
canceled the command, before the door could rise.

“What’s in there?” I said, turning to face
him. “You didn’t buy live rabbits again, did you—?”

“No, but you have to keep it secret. Promise
me,” Theo said urgently.

“Sure,” I answered, giving him a lopsided
smile. “Spill it.”

“You know that Danial had a cat a while back,
right?”

“Yes,” I said slowly. “He never said what
happened to it.” I’d assumed the worst: that it had been run over
accidentally, or that one of the werefoxes had eaten it.

“It died of old age. He loved it a lot. He
called it Blackavar, Blackie, for short.”

“It was a black cat?” I asked. Danial had
always liked Cavity best of all my cats. He was all black, too.

“Yes. Anyway, when I was bringing over more
wood from the woodshed last night, I found a black cat in the
woodshed. Though it clawed me up, I managed to get it inside the
garage and get out without it escaping. It’s really thin—”

“Why didn’t you say so?” I said emphatically,
practically gushing empathy. “Did you feed it? Give it water?”

“Yes and yes. I grabbed the heated bowl and
bed from the basement. He ate two cans of food, a bag of treats,
and some dry food, too. He was friendly afterwards, when he saw I
wasn’t going to hurt him.”

I wasn’t surprised Theo had found him in the
woodshed. People often dumped cats near barns, thinking that there
had to be farm animals inside, and no one would care if another cat
showed up. But in my barn there were no animals to keep it warm, no
water to drink, and no food. It was also locked up tight, to
protect my equipment. The cat would have met a bad end if Theo
hadn’t gotten the wood. I might have missed the cat entirely, and
likely would have been too slow to catch him if I had.

“I want to bring him to Danial, for a
present,” Theo continued. “I know Danial will take good care of
him. But I want him to be checked out by a vet first. The earliest
appointment I could get was tomorrow at four.”

“You’re afraid he has something?”

Theo nodded. “He coughs. If he’s sick, I want
to know with what,” he said grimly. “If he’s only going to live a
little while, I want Danial to know that up front.”

Danial would certainly outlive the cat, even
if it were young. He should know going into it if he might have
twenty years with his new pet or only two months. “I won’t say
anything.”

After I got the fire going again, and let the
dogs out, I began packing while Theo checked on the cat.

After gathering some food in a box and a
cooler and my vitamins from Camlyn, I went into the bedroom,
wondering what else to pack.

Besides my fox head choker and earrings, the
first thing that came to mind was the red dress, Danial’s favorite
thing for me to wear. But as that was in one of Danial’s memory
boxes, it wasn’t an option. Besides, it was going to be cold, and
we were staying in a park, supposedly in order to enjoy the
outdoors, neither condition optimal for wearing a dress. A better
bet would be jeans and lots of polar fleece.

With my one duffel full of warm clothes, I
opened the other, debating lingerie. Danial was thinking of this as
a sort of honeymoon, regardless of what he said. Blood wasn’t all
he would be after...

Instantly, my memory of being with Lash
sprang into my mind in vivid detail. Nauseous, I went to my
calendar and marked the days I’d have to be careful. By next Sunday
night, I should be safe. Even so, I should see Dr. Camlyn, just to
make sure. Maybe he could test me first, to make sure I was free of
whatever disease this was.

My nausea increased. I’d never worried too
much about STDs before. Sure, I’d gone to the doctor’s regularly,
but I’d never thought this could ever really happen to me. I’d been
able to count my lovers on one hand before Lash. But those days
were over, had been over the minute I’d let myself be with someone
I hardly knew...

Get a grip already.
I was smarter now,
and going to stay smart. Maybe I couldn’t control who I let have me
when I felt The Lust. But I could be conscious of who I was with at
all times, and make sure to never be alone with someone I wasn’t
sure would be safe for me to be with.

Theo came in. “The cat’s fine; he’s eating
again. Want to go for a dog walk?”

I nodded. “Sure. If it keeps being this warm,
it’s going to be spring.”

We took the dogs for a long walk, walking
hand in hand in the snow, just enjoying the soft wind and the
warmer weather. Then when we got back to the house, they both saw
my bags and immediately began to be agitated, panting and giving me
uneasy looks punctuated with whines.

“Sorry,” I said affectionately, hugging them.
“You can’t go with me this time. The rental houses all have a no
pets policy.” I gave them some dog cookies, then gave my cats some
treats as well. “But here, treats all around.”

Cavity and Jessica inhaled the snacks in
seconds, then meowed for more. As I watched them eat, I decided to
bring some treats to Devlin’s cat the next time I visited. Dev
would appreciate it, even if Phantom was one of those rare cats who
didn’t like treats.

Theo came in with his duffel bag. “I’m set.
Do you want me to heat up something for dinner?”

We had another hour before Danial got here,
but Theo’s hungry expression wasn’t for food. “What did you have in
mind?”

“Maybe ravioli?” he offered, going to the
cupboard. “I’m not particular.”

Instantly, The Lust washed over me. “I am,” I
said huskily, going after him and kissing him hard. “And I’m not
after food, Cat.”

He kissed me back, his arms crushing me to
him, his tongue thrusting into my mouth. Then he tried to stop me.
“Wait, we can’t,” he groaned, agonized. “Stop, Sar—”

“We can, Theo. Remember our honeymoon?” I
said, kissing him on his neck. “Remember what I did for you?”

Theo pulled back from me, his eyes a dark
midnight blue. He picked me up, and quickly carried me to our
bedroom. A second later, he was kissing me, grinding into me, as I
helped him to pull off his shirt and pants. He let out a gasp as
his penis came free of his clothes, gently bobbing, already erect
for me. I pushed him down on the bed, then went down on him.

He was too close for finesse, too close for
gentleness. I just stroked him hard and fast. A moment later, he
spasmed within me, letting out a roar of pleasure.

I slipped his softened penis out of my mouth
and began stroking him gently with my fingers. In a moment, he
firmed up again, and began to contract in my hands. I began to rub
my body on him, to bite him gently, to run both my hands and lips
over him. But I didn’t take him inside me. Soon he was straining up
towards me, impossibly hard, trembling in desperate need.

“Tell me what you want, Theo,” I said
silkily, working him with my hand. “Tell me how good I feel to
you.” I bit him again gently, licking him.

“Sar, please!” he said raggedly.
“Please.”

“Please what?” I whispered, then gently
slipped my lips over the head of him. He let out a cry, and thrust
up hard. I was ready for him, moving back quickly to avoid being
impaled. “No. Not until you tell me,” I hissed gently. “Not until
you beg me—”

Theo took hold of my neck and head, his hands
like a vise. I shivered to feel him hold me like that, knowing what
he was going to do.

“Take me in you all the way,” Theo growled,
pure desire in each syllable. “And don’t stop taking me, even when
I come.”

I didn’t reply, just slipped my mouth over
him and swallowed. He arched up, burying himself into my throat,
his hands holding me as he thrust. I took him in over and over,
moving on him, sucking him.
I wanted him, wanted him to scream
for me, wanted him to give himself to me!

Theo thrust himself in deeply, screaming,
jerking as he came. I kept moving on him, sucking and squeezing,
and he kept coming, crying out repeatedly. Finally, his cries
subsided, and he began to shrink. As he did, The Lust left me. I
relaxed to the bed, my muscles aching from being rigid for so
long.

Theo pulled me gently up into his embrace.
“Was it too much?” he said, vastly contented, yet also
concerned.

My jaw muscles were a little sore, but I’d
keep that to myself. “I’m fine, Theo.”

“You never said things to me like that
before,” Theo growled softly. “You felt so good, Sar, the way you
touched me. It was wonderful.”

“The Lust had me,” I admitted.

His eyes widened. “I thought you just wanted
me badly,” Theo said, clearly disappointed.

“I did.” My face split in a large smile.
“Though I was worried you might be too much for me.”

“That’s a new one,” Theo said, turning to
look at me curiously. “Explain.”

“I know you recover fast after climax,” I
said tactfully. “You always have.” I gave him another smile. “I’m
glad you were satisfied with what I could give you.”

“I’m were,” Theo said, as if that explained
everything.

I gave him a blank look. “And?”

“From what I understand from the foxes, most
of us have fast recovery times.” He took my hand and squeezed it.
“I like that you’re multi-orgasmic, that I can bring you again and
again. But I don’t need that every time. I can be completely
satisfied with one, like Danial and Devlin are.”