The Heart's Ashes (55 page)

“
No, it doesn’t.” Emily looked over to David. “That’s how
humans feel when we kill them.”

“
But, I’m okay though—it’s not burning. I don’t feel any
different.” I clutched the sheet to my chest.

David, with
curiosity behind his eyes, crawled across the bed and sat before
me, the sheet forgotten. Mike shook his head, looking away; Emily
just smiled.

“
My love.” He cupped my face, looking right into my
soul.

“
I’m fine.” I placed my hand over his, using my other one to
cover his manhood, half smiling.

“
She should have had some kind of reaction by now.” His eyes
narrowed, then he looked knowingly at Em. “If she was going to,
she—”

Emily nodded
in agreement.

“
There’s no way of knowing that,” David said, looking suddenly
up at Mike.

Mike shrugged.
“It was just a suggestion.”

Emily and I
shared the confusion. “Knowing what?”

“
When Jason bit you, we always just assumed you didn’t have
the gene—that you can’t be changed—because you’re still human,”
Mike said.

“
Right.” Emily stood up, folding her arms. “David, is it
possible that she
does
have the gene—that maybe something went wrong when Jason
tried to change her?”

Thought washed
across David’s face.

“
Do you think that’s possible?” Mike edged forward.

“
No one has been gifted the secret of transformation for over
a hundred years,” David said, not taking his eyes off me. “All I
know is that it’s not just a case of biting a human and leaving
them alive.”

“
Well, that’s just great.” Emily threw her hands up. “And it’s
not exactly like you can just walk in there and ask the
council.”

“
I know. I—” David pressed a fist to his lips.

“
Come on, Em.” Mike folded his arms, a tight frown darkening
his eyes. “Let’s leave them to it.”

David looked
at Mike then back at me as the door closed behind them—giving us
back our privacy.

“
What?” I said. “What was that look Mike just gave
me?”

“
He just realised what we were doing—when I bit
you.”

“
Oh.” I looked at the door. “Is he mad?”

He poorly held
back the laughter etching on his lips. “Yeah. Pretty mad.”

“
Oh no.” I rolled my face into my hand.

“
Ara. I’m sorry. I lost control—” He shook his head, staring
at my face.

“
I know. I felt it when you did.”
I
liked it.
“I’m not mad that you bit me,
David. It was silly of us to risk it—with you being hungry and
all.”

“
I should be able to control it. I’m not some kind of
animal.”

“
If it’s any consolation at all, I loved every second of
it.”

His teeth
showed with a smile, tipped with thin lines of red. “Me too.”

“
Can you believe we finally did it?”

“
It didn’t hurt too much, did it? The er, when I
first—”

I shook my
head. “After I relaxed, it was fine.”

He reached
across the small space between us and touched my chin. “You were so
beautiful. I mean, you are so beautiful, all the time—but, when you
let yourself go and be free, feel the desire, the lust—you look
amazing. You make me feel so alive.”

“
Well, any time.” My cheeks flushed with heat. David laid
back, pulling me onto his chest. “David?”

“
Yes, my love?”

“
What’s it like? To make love to a girl vampire—why is it
different?”

His fingers
traced circles over my bare skin, all the way down my spine. “Well,
they don’t have a heartbeat for starters. They’re not timid and
shy, and, inside, they don’t move like you do either; they’re kind
of just tight. You—you’re all of that, but more alive.”

“
But you said vampires aren’t dead.”

“
We’re not. But I mean
alive
descriptively. Buzzing, sort of.”

“
Right.” I nodded. “So, you liked it—I was enough for
you?”

“
Oh, God, sweetheart, yes. For eternity, you’re
everything
I
want.”

“
But, what about when I’m Lilithian?”

David laughed aloud; his eyes became distant behind his
smile. “Lilithians are a
very
different class of vampires.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes, trust me, making love to a Lilithian is
nothing
like with a
vampire,” he scoffed, with a grin.

“
So, you speak from experience?” I looked down at my diamond
ring.

“
Ara.” David tilted my chin upward and smiled softly. “I’ve
been alive for over a hundred and twenty years, I have had other
girls.”

“
I know.” I pulled away and rested my face on his smooth, warm
chest. “I just don’t like to think about it.”

“
Then don’t, sweetheart.” David kissed the top of my head and
smoothed his fingers along my hairline. “It’s only ever going to be
you now.”

And for me, I’ve only ever had him.
“Is—is Mike going to be okay?”

“
I actually don’t know, Ara,” David said with a breath. “I
wish I did, but he shouldn’t be feeling what he’s feeling. Not now
he has Em. I’m worried.”

“
Why?”

“
He and Em have...you know...they’ve had sex since she became
a vampire. Being Marked should change a few things.”

“
Really? But he wouldn’t be bound to her, because he wasn’t a
virgin.”

“
No, but even then, he should be more focused on her than he
is.”

I pointed to
my neck; “Is mine there yet, my Mark?”

David leaned
over as I rolled onto my back, and gently swept my hair to one
side. “Your hair is getting so long now.”

“
I know. Do you think I should cut it?”

“
God, no. Don’t do that. It’s beautiful.” He smiled warmly and
studied my skin, running his finger over the curve of my shoulder.
“Hm.”

“
What’s hm?” I frowned at his frown.

When his eyes
narrowed and he laid back with a blank expression, I jumped up and
ran to the mirror.

“
Ara. Don’t. Please? Just come back to bed.”

“
No!” I gasped, touching my neck.

“
Maybe it’s too early. Maybe it’ll show up tomorrow,” David
said. “I’ve never Marked someone before.”

I backed away
from the mirror and studied my naked body, tears welling in my eyes
as I forced my mind to see images of Mike, images I shouldn’t be
able to see with a spirit bind in place.

“
David,” I said, covering my mouth when my voice came out
broken. “The bind didn’t work.”

He slid his
warm arms along my waist, his soft lips touching my shoulder. “I’m
sure it will, my love. It’s probably just not what you
expected.”

“
No.” I shook my head and let my heart feel the burn of love
for Mike—to really wallow in the desire to be in his arms as
well.

David doubled
back, growing taller as he stumbled backward to the foot of the
bed. “The only way that’s possible is if—”

“
If what, David?’

“
If you’re not a virgin.”

“
David! We’ve been through this.”

He rubbed his
chin. “Are you sure that when my brother kidnapped you, he
didn’t—”

“
Yes!” I cringed. “I’m sure he didn’t. Besides, there’s no
Mark there.” I pulled my hair away. “See? If he’d raped me I’d be
Marked.”

“
I know.” He breathed out. “And that wouldn’t explain how
deeply you feel for Mike, either. Are you sure
he’s
not a vampire?”

I laughed.

“
But, then, if that were the case and Mike had bound you to
him, you would be incapable of loving me.” He scratched his chin,
taking a breath. “You do still love me, don’t you?”

I walked
slowly to where he leaned, naked, against the foot of the bed. “I
just gave myself to you, and you ask if I love you?”

His lips
curved before the smile showed in his eyes. “I guess that was a
silly question.”

I pressed my
naked body against his, feeling the silky warmth of him all the way
down my ribs, my stomach and knees. “Maybe I didn’t Mark because I
died when Jason bit me. Maybe I’m not human anymore—I might be an
apparition.”

David smiled
and squeezed my hips. “Well, you’re a fantastic apparition,
then.”

With the force
of my eagerness, we toppled over the foot of the bed, his arms
wrapping my body as it fell on top of his.

“
I love you, David.”

“
No more talk.” He grinned through our kiss. “Make love to me
now, apparition.”

Chapter
18

The sun warmed
the heart of my room where I lay beside the love of my life. My
hand fell against his pillow but cold greeted my touch.

I sat up,
panicked, and looked around.

“
In here,” he called, his voice echoing.

I flopped back
down. Bathroom. Still here. Relief washed over me, coming to rest
beside a rise of giggles when the memory of last night hit me. My
sheets were ruined again, something I was used to now, and the
sticky, dried blood that pulled softly on the fine hairs of my neck
didn’t seem to gross me out as much as before. With the white glow
of winter morning light, I held my shimmering diamond up and
marvelled at the pink tone it took, resting over dried blood on my
fingertips. A blood diamond.

David popped
his head around the corner, his face a mess with white cream.
“Morning, beautiful fiancé.”

My smile
spread from ear to ear, making remains of dried blood around my
lips crack. “Morning.”

“
You having a shower?”

I nodded.
David stored his razor between his teeth as he plucked a towel from
his shoulder and held it out to me.

“
Thanks,” I said, falling into his embrace, too aware that the
top of my head was being smeared with shaving cream from his
chin.

“
Sleep well?”

“
Better than ever before.”

He pulled back
and kissed my brow, then wiped the remaining shaving cream. “Good.
Now, take a shower, get clean, then, I wanna make you
breakfast.”

Mm, David’s
breakfast. “Okay.” I stepped into the shower and ran my hand
through my hair, letting the warm water separate the crusted blood
from my skin. “How is it a vampire who doesn’t need food can be
such a good cook?”

He tapped his
razor on the sink, looking at me through the mirror, the glass
shower screen leaving me nothing to hide behind. “My tastebuds are
very sensitive.”

“
Oh. Guess that helps.”

“
It does.” He appeared in the shower, his towel gone, his
naked, wet body against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck,
letting shampoo fall in thick soap mounds down the centre of my
back.

“
I had fun last night.”

He smiled to
himself and kissed my cheek. “Then we shall have to do it again
sometime.”

“
Sometime? How ‘bout now?”

“
How ‘bout I go get the coffee pot on.”

I opened my
mouth to protest, but as usual, he was already gone, so I finished
up, towel dried my hair and threw some clothes on, stopping by my
bedroom door for a second to listen to pots and pans clanking a
little too loudly in the kitchen.

“
Ara—don’t go in there.” Emily grabbed my arm as I passed the
lounge.

“
Why?”

“
He’s really mad.”

“
Who?”

“
Mike.”

“
Why?”

She folded her
arms and looked past the entryway. “You know why as well as I
do.”

“
Is it—he’s mad because I had sex last night?”

“
More like because you did it before you got married,
and—”

“
There is no ‘and’.” I folded my arms and stormed past Emily.
He has no right to be mad. “Mike! What’s the deal?”

He slammed a
pot into the sink and pointed at David, who appeared behind me, his
face lit with a smile. “Shut up, David. It’s not funny.”

David laughed
louder. “You can’t control her, Mike. She’s a grown woman now.”

“
Yes—I saw that.” Mike shook his head and rested his palms on
the edge of the sink.

“
Mike, you can’t be mad because I slept with
David.”

“
You were supposed to wait, Ara.” He turned to me. “I can’t
believe you did that, and worse, you let him bite you. After you
promised me—”

“
Hey!” I stepped forward, my hands on my hips. “I promised I
wouldn’t let Eric bite me—not David.”

Mike turned
away and started running the tap.

“
Don’t do that.” I grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Don’t
deflect. If you’ve got a problem—say it.” I flicked the tap
off.

David laughed
again, appearing across the room, behind Emily, when Mike shot him
a death-glare.

“
David, stop laughing at him,” I pleaded. “Can we get a moment
here? Please, guys?”