Virgins and Vampires: Blood Falls (The Blood Falls Book 3)
Virgins and Vampires: Chapter 14

“Ooof!” The air left my lungs as the Jeep crawled off a rock. We hit the ground hard, dropping me down in my seat. I clutched at the handle to give myself a sense of direction.

“Sorry,” Kris chuckled, steering the vehicle toward the creek. “Didn’t mean to take it quite that hard.”

“It’s okay. The adrenaline is definitely kicking.” And that was the whole point. We realized we were both amped up and sex wasn’t the relaxing outlet we needed. At least not this time. So first thing after we woke up, we got the Jeep ready and took her out for another adventure—this time with snow and ice.

The creek had frozen over. The cool part was hearing it crack under the tires as we crossed. “We should head back soon. How are you feeling?”

I took a second to check in with my body. It was wild how different it felt. Like one day I was Rain and then the next I became someone else. A sexual, powerful, needy female. I was the same…but I was different. And sometimes it took me by surprise.

I stared at my hands. Yes, they were hidden inside a pair of gloves, but they still looked like they belonged to someone else. A stranger.

A stranger I wanted to get to know.

“I feel better. Fresh air in my lungs, a little sun on my skin, snow in my hair, and a buzz of adrenaline in my veins. What a way to start the day.”

He bounced his eyebrows. “Second best way I know.”

Kris was so possessive last night. And certain. His certainty scared me a little. How could he know that he likes me? So quickly? And be so confident that everything will work out? It seemed illogical and foolhardy to make any commitments to a relationship barely a week old.

Although…he kept insisting it’s more because we’ve known each other for so long. To limit our relationship to only the sexual timeline is restrictive, but it also seemed overreaching to call our casual friendship over the decades a relationship.

“You’re thinking awfully hard over there.” He shot me a glance as the Jeep climbed back up the mountain. “Care to share what’s making you so nervous?”

Damn, it was going to take some getting used to Kris knowing my emotions. “I just…I just keep coming back to timing. We’ve only just started seeing each other—”

“You see, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about this morning. How long are we going to keep this a secret? I’m totally fine with it, I’d just like a ballpark idea. Are we talking a few days or a few years?”

I snapped my jaw shut and stared at the snow-covered trees. “I don’t know.”

“And when do I start getting friendly with your family?”

I let the Jeep bounce me around. It matched how I felt inside. “I…don’t know.” How was he so ready to jump in feet first and swim in this pool? “Kris…this is exciting. Sex is amazing. But my real life? It’s a complicated thing. Being my Shield, being part of everything—”

I braced as the Jeep slid on some ice. My heart rate skyrocketed as I imagined five different things happening. Would we roll? Hit a tree? Did I need to slide to safety?

But then the tires bit, the skid stopped, and Kris angled the Jeep in a different direction towards the House of Wren.

“Now see, this is the thing, princess. I want to be part of everything. Give me the complicated. Show me the mess. Let’s get dirty.” He shot me a wink that made me shiver.

“You have no idea what you’re getting into,” I muttered more to myself than anything, but Kris heard.

“Then give me an idea. I get that I’m making you uncomfortable. It’s because you think you know more than me and you’re trying to make my decisions for me.” He shot me a knowing look.

Busted. I was doing to him what everyone always did to me. Imitating what I knew best. And while I was right about Kris not having all the facts, he was also right. He was a fully blooded male who could think for himself.

He pulled the Jeep up the last slope and trundled up the winding road that led to the house. Smoother now, I was able to turn in my seat and face him. “How about this…I agree to show you the messier aspects of my life if you agree to carefully consider the future with a clear head.”

He grinned. “Are you insinuating I’m in a continual lust fog being led around by my dick?”

I could think of no other logical reason why Kris was so certain about being with me beyond the next night. Or the next. “Yes.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Princess, you are a piece of work.”

“See? You’re already frustrated with me. You might despise me in a month.”

He parked the Jeep beside the barn near the wash station, threw it into Park, and turned to face me. “I like that you frustrate me. It’s fun. Sometimes it’s hot. I prefer that, but I enjoy both. And I’m confident in my instincts because they’ve never steered me wrong. My instincts say I like you more than I’ve ever liked a female before and there’s a lot of reasons to believe we’re going to be permanent. With the Plane in the state that it’s in, I’m not inclined to waste a moment of my life debating the pros and cons of eternity. Now, get those pretty lips over here and kiss me before you put all your walls back up and I can’t feel how excited and nervous you are around me.”

“I thought everyone was out of the house,” Bridge groaned, cheeks flaming red.

Cass shook her head, laughing. “Well, now you know to always knock before opening a closed door.”

“I was just trying to do the laundry! I hate laundry week and I try to get it over with as fast as possible.”

I looked around the group—Bridge, Cass, Leena, and Rhysa—wondering what they were talking about. Rhysa couldn’t stop laughing. The harder she tried, the more she laughed.

“What did I miss?” I nodded toward the cackling.

Bridge pursed her lips and glared. “It’s my turn to wash the bedding and as I was making my rounds I opened a door without knocking first and got an eyeball full.”

Rhysa laughed even harder. Leena tried to shush her, but then she started laughing again. Cass shooed them away. Once their cackling was muffled behind a door she turned to me. “Apparently it was a fairly intense session between Ronan, Maximus, and Katonya.”

Bridge shook her head, eyes wide. “It was just so…so feral. It was like they were possessed. I can’t stop seeing it.” She waved her hand in front of her eyes. Her expressions were comical. I understood why Rhysa lost it. “Like, those are some big males. Maximus especially. And seeing them try to obliterate each other like that.” She blinked again. “And Katonya was like here,” she made a scooping gesture with her hand, “and like whoa.”

Cass handed her a glass of water and petted her hair. “It’s just sex, Bridge. Calm down.”

“It wasn’t just sex though. It was…” she blinked several more times, “it was something else.” She gulped down the water and shook her whole body. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Distract me with work.”

We moved to the library. An hour later a disgruntled and confused looking Ronan joined us, followed by a hulk of a male. A little shorter than Ronan, but much wider. Broad shoulders, huge biceps, large thighs. He looked like he could bench press anything without breaking a sweat.

Ronan cleared his throat. “Ladies, this is my best friend Maximus. Now that we’re moving into the planning stages the House thought it best to send another set of hands to help out.”

Luckily Bridge was working on the laundry because if she were here, standing in front of the two males, I think she might have burst into flames. As it was, I got hot under the collar imagining what she saw. Their sheer physical presence was a lot to take in. If they were lost in lust fog only a few feet away I’d probably be as shocked as Bridge.

“It’s nice to meet you Maximus. Happy to have you on board.”

He smiled warmly. “Call me Max. Point me where you want me.”

Once they walked away Cass leaned in and whispered, “Whoa. Can Katonya walk? Or did they flatten her?”

I definitely found it hard to imagine being on the receiving end of even one of those males, let alone two. But, defying all logic, Katonya glided in a few minutes later, wearing a long dress with her dark hair down. She glowed as she joined Ivy at the desk.

“Still walking.”

Cass shook her head. “Impressive. I might casually ask for some tips later.”

“Rain!” I spun around to replace Shoshanna, the head of my House, walking into the library with Saoirse and Dray.

The sight of them all together, looking at me expectantly, scared the crap out of me. It was like I was meat on a platter. Something they were all about to feast on, no matter what I wanted.

“I didn’t know you were coming.” I kissed her cheek and nodded my greeting to the others.

Shoshanna, like many of the females in my House, typically wore her hair in a thick inverted braid down her back. Today was no different. Her auburn hair glinted redder than normal in the firelight of the library. “Well, you left very early this morning. I came to breakfast with your mother and,” she waved her hand through the air, “you were already gone.”

“I like to clear my head before a long day.”

“Understandable. Now,” she glanced at Dray and Saoirse, “we have some things to discuss. Saoirse and I have come to an understanding about how you were treated. Now that everyone knows about the full extent of your gifts there’s no reason to pretend you are anything other than what you are—”

Her words turned muffled as Kris walked in behind her, drawing my focus. His eyes swept over us and he immediately frowned.

“—I’ve assigned Revenge to be your Shield for now. You’ll need to take a familial bond as soon as possible.”

I went cold from the top of my scalp to the tips of my toes. “Wait, what? Am I hearing you correctly? You’re telling me who will be my Shield and telling me to take a bond? Do I not get a say in this? Or at least a conversation? Hell, do I even get a say in who I bond with?”

Shoshanna’s head snapped back in surprise. She stared at me long and hard before taking a breath. “Do not speak to me with that tone.”

In the past I probably would have bowed my head and apologized. But I wasn’t that female any longer. I was, as she liked to point out, the most powerful Gatlin in generations, and I was sure as shit going to act like it. “Do not speak to me with such a lack of respect.” I was not a weapon to be loaded and aimed. Whether Shoshanna realized it or not, she was treating me the same way Saoirse treated me.

Like I wasn’t even there.

But my defiance put a fire in Shoshanna’s eyes. “I am the House of Gatlin and I will speak to you however I wish.”

She probably thought I was challenging her authority. Maybe even her seat. But I didn’t want her job. Not now, not ever. I just wanted to be treated like an equal. I took a step toward her, bringing us uncomfortably close. “You may be the Head of the House…” I let my words hang in the air before continuing, “but as your most valuable member, I would suggest you treat me with the respect I deserve…or these powers you’re so proud of,” I held up my hands, “will not be yours to command.”

The whole library could be staring at us, standing in a circle gawking at the quiet fight taking place, but I wouldn’t know. My full attention was on Shoshanna and being as intimidating as possible. I would not blink, breathe, or move until she did.

And while Shoshanna wasn’t as powerful as me, she was powerful, and she made sure to show it before she broke, stepping back and spreading her hands out. “I do sometimes forget you’ve grown up, little Rain. Forgive my thoughtlessness.”

It would be so easy to throw her microaggression right back in her face. Little Rain. Whatever. It wasn’t worth it when I already so clearly made my point. “Forgiven…as long as this turns into a conversation instead of a command.”

She nodded once. “Again, forgive me for being so presumptuous. Let’s start over, shall we?” She smiled at Dray and the Saoirse in turn.

I finally took a real breath and glanced past Dray to where Kris stood glaring at us, his legs wide and his arms folded over his chest like he was ready to fight.

Saoirse’s voice pulled me back. “The simple fact is that you need a Shield. Even if it is a temporary bond. I—I’m hoping you’ll be able to try to contact Marhysa soon.”

And there it was. The source of the sudden need. Since Saoirse was so emotionally invested in this, I gave a smile of reassurance. “Yes. I’d like to begin experimenting with that within the next few days. Not anything major. I won’t be able to attempt reaching your daughter until I have a good understanding of how she got where she is.”

“And the simple fact is,” Dray said, “we have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow. If you have a Shield then that’s one less thing we have to worry about.”

“I understand the need. I understand it quite well.” Better than anyone but Dray.

He gave me a reassuring smile. “Rever is a good choice. You’re close with your cousin, he’s familiar with the situation, and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he served as a Guard for you.”

“He’s one of our finest Guards,” Shoshanna gushed. “I only want the best for you, Rain.”

Rever was a good choice. An excellent one. And taking him as my Shield would give Kris more time to decide before taking on such an intense job.

“I agree. I’ll speak with him today.”

Shoshanna’s eyes narrowed like she wanted to say something but she pursed her lips to keep the words from escaping.

I appreciated the attempt. “We are often aligned, Shoshanna. But next time ask.”

With a nod and a glare she turned and left.

And so did Kris.

Fuck.