Conversion Book Two: Bloodlines Read online

  I sighed, remembering how his relaxed attitude about his secret had gotten us nearly killed before. He looked over my face and sighed too. “I know, Emma. I’ll be careful. I won’t touch people more than necessary. I’ll fake breathing. I’ll act completely human, just like I’ve always tried to.” His hand came back up to my cheek as my eyes started to water. His getting exposed again scared me more than I ever thought it was possible to be scared. “I will be careful.” He shook his head. “But I need this…I need to feel normal.” He squatted down to look me directly in the eye. “You know this.”

  I sniffed, but a tear ran down my cheek anyway. I still had nightmares of that terrifying man who’d taken us, and what I’d done to escape him. A part of me never wanted to go back home. A part of me wanted to stay here, at his parents’ ranch, safely surrounded by vampires that would die to protect me, and the children inside of me. And a part of me, wanted to be stronger than the scared little girl that I was starting to sound like.

  His thumb brushed away my tear and I exhaled slowly. I nodded and he leaned in to kiss me again. As he pulled away, one final objection poured from my mouth, “What if you need to eat?” That was one thing he definitely couldn’t do around humans.

  He grinned and shook his head. “I can get food, Emma. And I don’t need to eat at work. I can wait until I’m home,” his hand came down to rub my stomach again, “with you.”

  I bit my lip at the thought of moving in with him as soon as we got back. That definitely made leaving here a bonus, but yet another thought struck me and I let it out, knowing it was better to have my fears verbalized than bottled up inside me. “What if you have to eat…with humans? A business lunch or something?”

  He frowned and turned his head away from me. Maybe he hadn’t thought about that yet. He didn’t exactly have a functioning digestive tract anymore. He couldn’t scarf down the bloody steaks he used to enjoy before his conversion. He stood and ran a hand through his hair. “Well…” He twisted to look at me still on the bed, watching him. He gave me a tired smile. “I’ll think of something.”

  I sighed, but let it drop. I couldn’t expect him to have all the answers, but I did expect him to think of all of the questions. My hand drifted to my stomach, wishing I could hear their heartbeats like Teren sometimes could, wishing I could feel them move already, so I’d know they were okay. We had so much more to lose now, we both needed to be careful.

  I stood and wrapped my arms around his trim waist. He sighed contently and pulled me in closer. I had to imagine that to him, I was sort of a heat source. I probably felt pretty good wrapped around him. That’s what I liked to think, anyway. I closed my eyes and laid my head on his silent chest, happy that I could still do that, happy we were still together, despite all the odds.

  I leaned up to kiss him, torn yet again on staying here a little longer (and tossing him down on that impressive bed) or getting back to the real world. I exhaled lightly as our lips moved together, the light stubble that he preferred to keep along his jaw line, wonderfully scratchy against my sensitive skin. It really wasn’t much of a choice. We had to go back. For one, my “vacation” time was over. I’d exhausted every amount of paid time off I had, coming out to the ranch to help Teren through the scary process of converting. I needed to be back at work tomorrow morning.

  That will be weird to go back to. I’ve been gone for over six weeks, just over seven really. From what my friend Tracey had told me over the phone, my boss had been going through temps like Kleenex. The most successful one had only made it a week. While it made me happy that my job at the accounting firm I worked at had missed me, I was also not looking forward to the mound of work I’d need to catch up on. I had a feeling I’d need another vacation soon.

  Oh well, at least I had a wedding to look forward to planning. An impromptu wedding. A few weeks away from now wedding. We’d decided to get married the week before Christmas…which meant I had just about a month to get everything ready. But, since I did have a household of eager vampires waiting to help out, I was pretty sure it would go smoothly. Well, the planning anyway, I was still a little unsure of the actual ceremony. My family and a few close friends would be staying at the ranch for the wedding weekend. The ranch of mixed-vampires and that one impertinent full vampire. She was the one I was most worried about. Halina.

  As Teren’s kiss intensified, his cool hands slipping under my shirt and running up my bare back, I worried about the eldest vampire being in proximity to people close to me. I wasn’t worried that she would hurt them, I was pretty sure she’d be on a tight leash, well, as tight a leash as you can keep on a vampire, but I was fairly certain she’d get a huge kick out of scaring the crap out of all of them. She immensely enjoyed intimidating people, and she sure intimidated the heck out of me.

  And how would the vampires eat while my family was here? They usually sat at the table with Teren’s human father, Jack, and drank blood from a carafe that kept it warm. They couldn’t exactly do that with my mom and friends in the room. Especially since the tiniest amount of blood on their tongues made their fangs drop down. That was kind of a clue that even my mom would pick up on.

  So, if eating at the table was out, I guess they’d be roaming the countryside for food, picking off some of their cattle in the farthest away fields. I felt a little bad about making them have to do that, although, it probably wasn’t too big a deal for them. Even if Teren liked to deny it, all the vamps had an instinct to hunt, buried deep inside them. I’d seen them all do it, the night of Teren’s conversion. Sure, they’d been hunting stupid cattle that hadn’t even moved, but the look on their faces as they circled and attacked, well, it had been terrifying and exhilarating to watch.

  Abruptly Teren pulled away from my mouth, his cool tongue breaking apart from mine. At the absence of his caress, my head snapped back to what we were currently doing. He twisted his lips and cocked an eyebrow at me. “Am I…bothering you?” he asked, annoyance and amusement in his voice.

  I laughed and pulled him tighter, shaking my head. “No, I’m sorry. Just…being reflective today.”

  He sighed as he looked me over; the crystal-clear blueness of his eyes in stark contrast to the darkness of his hair. “You’re really still worried? Don’t you want to be home?”

  He looked down at the floor, to where I’m assuming his mother was, and then across the hall, to where I knew his grandmother was hiding out the daylight. Another vamp trait, or maybe it was just an Adams trait - they could all sense each other. It was more profound the closer they got, and while he stayed in the same house as them, he always knew exactly what rooms they were in. It came in handy sometimes, like when I needed to know where he was on this massive ranch – I only had to find the closest vamp and they could point me in the right direction. It also came in handy if say, we were kidnapped and driven to the middle of nowhere and I needed to drive us back to this ranch, only I had no clue where it was. Yeah, unfortunately, it also came in handy that way too.

  Teren’s eyes came back to mine. “Wouldn’t you like to be somewhere…more private?”

  My arms around his waist tightened and I sighed contentedly this time. “Yes, I would. I know…I’m stressing. It will be fine.”

  He kissed my nose. “Yes, it will be.” He released me and grabbed our bags, tossing them on the bed and starting the process of packing…and it was a process, I’d brought a lot of stuff with me. Over his shoulder he tossed, “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be letting the guys at work lovingly rest their heads against my chest.” He turned and grinned back at me.

  I smirked. “Funny. You better not let any of the women at work do that either.” I raised an eyebrow at him and then playfully walked up and smacked his ass.

  He fully turned to me, his fangs dropping down as he did. “Careful, human.” His eyes flicked up and down me in a way that made my flesh heat, even standing a foot apart like we were. He cocked his head, listening to my heart start to beat faster. He looked so strong and
powerful and just plain sexy, all vamped out like that, and I couldn’t help but get a little turned on watching him. Of course, the pregnancy hormones flooding through my body may have had something to do with that too. He closed his eyes and inhaled. “Oh, Emma…we really should get going.”

  He opened his eyes and I could clearly see the passion in them, it made my breath quicker. “Maybe you should go wait downstairs with my mom. I’m sure she’d love to make you something to eat.”

  I smiled at his reaction to my reaction; we were both feeding each other’s desires. “Maybe I’m not hungry for food just yet. Are you?” I stepped up to him, pressing my entire body along the length of his. He sucked in a quick (and unnecessary) breath as our parts lined up.

  Slowly, and with a level of seductiveness that would have made any stripper proud, I pulled down the loose neckline of my shirt. It was stretchy enough that I successfully pulled it off my shoulder. I was talented enough that I grabbed my bra strap with it. Teren eyed my bare shoulder with a passion derived from two instincts – the need to eat and the need to have sex. I lifted my shoulder to him, encouraging both.

  A low growl came from deep in his chest, sending an ache straight through me. His eyes flicked to mine and he bared his teeth slightly, the edge of his lips curling into a self-assured smile. I felt the heat flood through me and I was pretty sure if he didn’t put his hands on me soon, I might explode. Finally, one came around to my backside, pulling me even tighter to his oh-so-ready body. The other, came to the corner of my shirt, pulling it back farther. Then his lips lowered to my skin. Then his teeth pierced the flesh. Then he groaned deep and sucked hard, his hands pulling me against him. That was when I groaned and decided every thought in my head could wait until later…much later.

  When our second tumble for the day on those sheets was finished, and I was spent and satisfied, I laid my head on his chest, hearing the echo of my still surging heartbeat through his skin. As his skin was slightly warmer after so much prolonged contact with mine, it was almost like he was alive again. I smiled as I listened to the reverberation. He sighed and stroked my hair, equally spent, but having no physical sign of exhaustion with him. I peeked up at his face, memorizing the soft, satisfied smile as he lay with his eyes closed. I rubbed a trace amount of blood off his lip, noting and immediately disregarding the slight ache in my shoulder. So worth it.

  He smiled wider at my touch and kissed my fingers before they pulled away. I traced a lazy circular pattern in his chest as I debated getting up and getting ready for the day…again. I stretched in the silky sheets and debated staying in this bed…forever. Eventually he opened his eyes and stirred, seemingly torn as well.

  I grinned and propped my elbows on his chest, holding him down, symbolically, if not physically. Physically, I had been no match for his strength before his changeover. Now, my gesture was as meaningless as a fly trying to hold down a horse. He stayed on his back and smiled up at me however, willing to play the role of captive, if only for me.

  I cocked my head, my long hair brushing over his bare skin. “Do you feel different?”

  He chuckled and tucked a piece of hair around my ear. “Yes. Now I feel tired…and very satisfied.” He practically purred those last words and a shiver went through me that had nothing to do with his other hand resting on the small of my back.

  I playfully smacked his shoulder. “I wasn’t talking about the sex, smartass. I was talking about your conversion. Do you feel different, now that you’re dead?”

  He chuckled at my reaction, knowing full well what I’d been talking about all along. Biting his lip, he looked up at the ceiling, his face more serious. “Actually, I do.” He lightly shook his head before bringing his eyes back to mine. “I wasn’t expecting that, but, I feel…” he shrugged his shoulders, “more alive.”

  My face scrunched into a confused look and he chuckled again. “I know, that sounds weird. But, it’s true. I feel everything around me more intensely.” His eyes looked past me as he examined the world in a way I’d never really be able to. “I can differentiate every separate particle of the air. I can see colors I didn’t even know existed before. I can hear sounds that have never been audible.” His eyes came back to mine. “And I can taste…” he inhaled and closed his eyes, “everything.” He opened them and gazed at me with a look of wonder on his face. “You wouldn’t believe how beautiful the world is like this, Emma.”

  He looked around the room again as I stroked his chest and tried to grasp how he saw the world, how he saw me. How odd that a being no longer living in the world, would feel more connected to it. I felt a little like old technology compared to him, like how a black and white TV must feel when it’s placed beside an HD flat screen, if inanimate objects had feelings, of course.

  He sighed and shook his head. “It’s strange. It’s like the senses swap around with each other. Like I can taste sound and hear color, and touch emotion.” His eyes came back to mine, wistfully. “I wish you could experience this.”

  I sighed and sank my chin to his chest. Sometimes I wished that too, but there was just no guaranteed way to make me a partial vampire like him, and giving up all of my humanity, and having to live in shadows and darkness, just wasn’t something I was willing to do. Plus, I couldn’t right now anyway. Not with two lives inside of me, depending on my still beating heart to keep them alive and nourished.

  I kissed his cooling skin, feeling the hard muscle encased beneath it. Laying my cheek down on that solid chest, I smiled up at him. “I’ll just have to experience you. That’s enough.” He smiled and kissed my forehead.

  Eventually we did pick ourselves up and keep our hands off each other long enough to get all our stuff together. Hand in hand, we walked down an elaborate dual staircase, the kind of staircase that debutantes would be paraded down as they were announced to the world. The seemingly simple living vampires had a taste for the finer side of life. That made me smile, but I sort of understood it. In a way, Teren’s family was kind of recluses, keeping to themselves and away from almost everyone else. If I never really left my home, I’d want it to be the best home money could buy too.

  Smiling at each other, we walked into a sunny and bright with life dining room. Teren’s father, Jack, was sipping his coffee at the table and reading a paper. He looked up at us when we entered the room. “Morning, kids. Just get up?”

  I blushed faintly, knowing that Jack was the only one awake in the house not aware of how long Teren and I had been “up” and nodded in response. Teren chuckled and squeezed my hand, pulling out a chair for me with his other one.

  Jack smiled at his son’s gallantry and then went back to drinking his coffee, happily oblivious to our bedroom antics. I loved that about Jack and felt even closer to the man I considered a father figure in my life as well. He didn’t look much like Teren, what with his brown but graying hair and warm brown eyes, but he was as warm and gentlemanly as his son, and Teren’s manners were no great surprise after spending a little time around his role model.

  Teren kissed my neck but didn’t join me at the table. He usually didn’t, not since he’d stopped eating. Being around food didn’t bother him or anything, he just usually took the time while I was eating breakfast to visit with his mother or his grandmother, since just sitting there and watching me eat was a little boring.

  I hadn’t been seated for more than ten seconds before Teren’s mother, Alanna, whisked out of the kitchen with a plate of food for me. She loved playing hostess and since she’d lost a human to feed when Teren died, I think she’d started making up for it by piling on the food for me. Even before she’d known I was expecting, she’d piled on the food, and now that she did know about it, that habit had gotten even worse and the plate before me was mammoth, loaded high with pancakes and a rich-looking molasses syrup. A mound of fresh fruit and about three sides of bacon made up the rest of the platter-sized plate. I knew better than to object though.

  “Thank you, Al…Mom.” Alanna had insisted I treat
her like family from day one. It was still an odd thing to do, but I was trying. I suppose it would feel more natural once we shared a common last name.

  Alanna gave me a brilliant smile, her exact same shade of blue eyes as Teren, catching a shaft of morning light and sparkling in the rays. The sun didn’t bother her, too much. She could be in it for short periods of time with no adverse consequences, unlike the other women. Teren’s grandmother could tolerate being in a hazy with light room, but, although she wouldn’t die from direct exposure, sunlight certainly hurt her. Halina, on the other hand, would fry to a crisp. She couldn’t even be in a room with rays of light and stayed holed up in her underground lair until sundown. One of the downsides of vampirism. And one that faded with each mixed generation. It made me obscenely happy that our children would get to play in the park in the afternoons, just like all the other kids. I wanted to give them as normal a life as possible. I understood Teren’s need to be like everyone else, so much better now.

  Alanna swished over to her son’s side, locking her arm around his. Her long, black hair was free down her back except for two long strands in front that were pulled back from her face. Her black as night hair also perfectly matched her son’s and as Teren smiled down at her, I could sense the deep connection they had. It was more than just a close mother/son bond. It was a species bond as well. Alanna completely understood her son, because she was exactly like him. She knew what it felt like to changeover. She understood his thirst. She shared his desire to keep their secret hidden. She saw the world in the same amazing way he did.