Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

7. Gabriel

7

GAbrIEL

I leave the office early to check on things at home. I was hesitant to leave this morning, mildly concerned that Kade and Lex would spend the day tormenting the poor human. Atlas would’ve stepped in so long as he was around, but business has been all-consuming for him these days, especially since he got involved with Ellis Industries, keen to keep tabs on the hunters’ movement. It was a smart call, though one that translated into more office hours and human interaction for a man who generally despises both.

I leave my car in the driveway instead of parking in the garage and shrug off my suit jacket, draping it over my arm as I walk around the side of the house toward the back yard, where I hear Calla’s soft breathing. Her heartbeat is calm, and when I find her sitting by the pool, the sun shining off the surface, my lips curve upward.

She has a textbook in her lap and a pen in her hand, scribbling down a note as I approach. When she realizes she isn’t alone, her gaze finds mine, and she presses her lips together as she looks me over.

I smile at her, taking the lounge chair next to her. “How’s it going?” I take in the book open over her lap. “Doing a little light reading, I see.”

“Studying,” she points out. “How was work? You’re not secretly the President or something, are you?”

A laugh bursts from my lips. “Where did you get that idea?”

Calla shrugs, clicking her pen absentmindedly. “We are in Washington, and look at you.”

I’m still smiling at her. “A lot of people wear suits here. You’re right in that I do work in politics.” Staying connected with powerful people is important, especially when there’s an equally powerful group of people hellbent on hunting our kind.

“Do you work for the White House?”

I can’t help the amusement I’m certain is reflected on my face like the sun on the surface of the pool. “I can’t talk a lot about what I do for security reasons, but no, I don’t work at the White House.”

Her expression lightens ever so slightly. “That’s a shame. I binged Scandal for a third time last semester. It’s one of my favorites.”

I nod, and though I’ve never heard of it, I guess, “That’s a television show?”

She hesitates as if she’s considering how to respond, then says, “Uh, yeah.”

I leave it at that, tilting my head to read her title on her textbook. “Are you enjoying your program?”

“Some of it is pretty dry, but overall I am. My gut tells me I made the right choice going into sociology. Not that I have any idea of what I’ll do when I graduate.” A hint of darkness passes over her features, and the slight uptick of her pulse tells me the thought of the future makes her uneasy. I can’t blame her, nor can I imagine what she’s experiencing being here.

“What made you pick Georgetown?” I ask in hopes of pulling her back from the ledge of uncertainty.

“Honestly, the city. My mom took me on a trip here when I was in high school, and I sort of fell in love with it. So when it came time to start applying to schools, Georgetown was my top pick. I knew I couldn’t stay in New York, and I’m happy this is where I ended up.” She frowns, quick to add, “I mean Washington, not here specifically.”

I offer her a faint, understanding smile. “I knew what you meant, angel.” She doesn’t want to be here with us, and I get it. It doesn’t change anything, but there’s a part of me that hopes acknowledging it gives her some comfort.

Calla nods before shifting the conversation. “You know, the others aren’t very forthcoming with information.” Her gaze lowers to her lap. “You all know everything about me, but the moment I start asking questions…” She shakes her head before turning toward me. “I don’t want to be here. That isn’t news. But the least you could do is tell me what’s going to happen to me and why I’m here, because the fact that you all own me isn’t an explanation.”

I swallow the sigh desperate to pass my lips, because I don’t have an answer at the moment that will appease her. “I understand you want to know, and there will be a time when things will become clear and make sense.”

“I’m not a pet, Gabriel,” she snaps. “I’m not just along for the ride. I have a life and friends, and I’m not going to just fall in line and play house with a bunch of vampires.” Her chest rises and falls faster as her pulse pounds. What she’s asking for isn’t unreasonable, which is why I nod, standing from the lounge chair, and tell her, “I’ll speak with the others.” I drape my jacket over her shoulders before I leave her, walking toward the house.

I pass Kade on my way through the kitchen, who appears to be heading out to the pool. “Be nice,” I warn him.

He chuckles. “Where’s the fun in that?” He’s out the door before I can say anything more, approaching Calla from behind. I watch him pause at her chair, exchange a few words, and then dive into the pool before I walk to the garage to grab a blood bag.

Ever since Calla arrived, I’ve found myself fighting the pangs of hunger more often than I care to admit. There was a time in my life where blood meant more than sustenance—the hunt was a dangerous game I played with my sire—and the thought of falling back into old patterns nearly makes me nauseous. I won’t let myself go unfed around Calla. Won’t risk the chance of being consumed by my monstrous lust for her blood. Even if she belongs to us now.

My fangs slice through my gums as my heart beats faster. I stand in the garage as I tear into the blood bag and devour every drop until the clawing sensation in my stomach fades. I manage to retract my sharpened canines and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, breathing deep and slow as my pulse returns to a normal speed.

After tossing the empty blood bag into the trash, I head back into the house. I’m heading for the hallway when the sound of Calla’s moan stops me dead in my tracks. I move without thought until I’m standing at the back windows with the perfect view of her sitting on the edge of the pool with Kade between her thighs. The sight sends heat straight to my cock, and I grind my molars, watching them, overcome with a new sense of hunger.

Calla shifts backward as Kade dips under the water, then surfaces and runs a hand through his hair.

Tension coils in my stomach, and when Calla’s eyes find mine and widen, I have to stop myself from walking outside. She turns away in a flash, facing Kade once more, and I hear the panic in her voice when she asks him, “How long has he been standing there?”

Kade smirks as he looks toward me. “Hmm, from the look on his face, I’d say long enough.”

“What does that mean?” she squeaks.

Kade licks his lips, returning his attention to Calla. “He’s jealous.”

And I am. Desperately. I want Calla as much as Kade does, I simply haven’t acted on it.

“Jealous,” she echoes, her voice uneven with a mix of confusion and doubt that I would enjoy nothing more than to erase. But I don’t move from where I’m standing.

“Don’t look so shocked, Calla.” Kade’s voice is teasing, but Calla’s heart beats in her chest like the wings of a hummingbird.

I stand back from the door as she gets up and grabs her things, hurrying toward the house and slipping inside where I’m waiting. She throws my jacket at me, and I catch it easily, tossing it onto the kitchen island. I reach for her before she can get very far, snagging her wrist and pulling her around to face me. “Angel?—”

“Let go of me.” Her efforts to free herself from my grasp are in vain. I step closer, lifting her chin so she meets my gaze.

“Why are you running from me?” I ask in a low, soft voice.

“I don’t…I didn’t know you were standing there. If I had?—”

“You wouldn’t have let Kade devour you?” My gaze flits across her face, drinking in her blown pupils and flushed cheeks. She is absolutely stunning.

“No,” she struggles to get out.

“You have no reason to be embarrassed,” I insist firmly. “So don’t be.”

“Great, I’m cured,” she says under her breath, tugging on her arm.

My lips curl into a grin as I free her, and she takes off immediately, rushing toward her room.

Not long after, the sound of her stomping up the stairs reaches me at the dining room table where I’m ordering this week’s food through the grocery app. It sounds like she found what she was looking for when she starts firing questions at Atlas in his office. They go back and forth for a few minutes, and I pause what I’m doing when the sound of Atlas’s voice raises as he says, “You’d better get cool with it, Calla, and fast.”

With a sigh, I leave my phone and get up, my nostrils flaring at the sudden hint of blood.

I follow the sound of Calla’s desperate, anger-filled inquiries and instantly feel the tension as I step into Atlas’s office and find him, Calla, and Lex. I scan the room, noting the minimal amount of blood that stains the floor and desk—it’s Atlas’s. When my eyes land on Calla, the hard look on her face makes me frown. “You should be careful with your words, angel. Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers to.”

She scowls. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You want to know why we took you?” Lex asks, then without waiting for her response continues, “We were going to kill you. Your entire family, actually—what’s left of it. We don’t do loose ends.”

The color drains from her face, her breath catching as her lips part in a silent gasp.

“We still might,” Lex adds with a wink, “if you choose to continue misbehaving.”

Calla’s eyes are wide, filled with panic. But there’s something else in their depths too. Something I could almost mistake as excitement.

I lean in the doorway as Lex steps closer to her and muses, “Why do I think you’re going to continue testing us?” He cocks his head to the side. “You’re curious,” he says, again moving closer, and Calla’s eyes are locked on him, her pulse racing. “You can’t stop thinking about what we’re going to do with you.”

Her mouth falls open, her eyes darkening as if she’s going to refute his claim, but nothing comes out.

“You want it as much as we do, don’t you?” Lex reaches for her, but at the last moment, she flinches away from his touch. Without another word, she takes off out of the room, brushing past me, and I don’t make a move to stop her this time. I think Lex has messed with her enough for one day.

After giving Calla the afternoon to cool down, I go to her room and knock softly. She doesn’t answer after a few beats of silence, so I say, “Calla. Can I come in?”

There’s more silence and then: “Yeah.”

Opening the door, I slip inside and close it behind me. “You doing okay?” I ask, approaching where she’s lounging on the bed.

Calla sits up and shrugs. “Sure.” When I offer her a knowing look, she asks, “Why are you so nice to me?” Her gaze drops to the blanket she’s pulling through her fingers in her lap.

I sit on the edge of the bed, leaving enough room between us to keep her comfortable. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

Finally, she looks at me. “Uh, maybe because you’re holding me hostage? Seriously, though. You’re making it very difficult to hate you, which is necessary for me because?—”

“Because you can’t admit you might actually enjoy being here?” My voice is gentle, void of any accusation or taunt. I want her to feel as though she can speak openly without me shutting her down like Atlas did.

“I…That doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t be here, and I sure as hell shouldn’t enjoy it.”

I nod to show her I understand she feels that way before I ask, “Why not?”

She stares at me as if she’s seeing me for the first time, and I rather enjoy her attention.

“Are you kidding?”

“You don’t want to want it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

Calla arches a brow at me, the tension in her features telling me she’s struggling to comprehend that. To even allow herself to.

“You’re really going to sit there and try to talk me into being totally okay with being, what, a sex slave to four vampires? A human juice box for all of you?”

My lips twitch as I fight not to chuckle, knowing that’s probably not what she needs to hear right now. “I enjoy your humor. I recognize it’s a defense mechanism, but enjoy it nonetheless.” I reach over and pat her leg reassuringly. “Give it a chance.”

“‘It.’ Being a captive to a house of vampires.”

I nod, because it’s true. No matter how any of us try to frame the situation, we are keeping Calla here. “The sooner you accept it, the better it will be for you, angel. You have my word.” My eyes lock on her mouth as she rolls her lower lip between her teeth. She’s contemplative, though bordering on anxious, if her ticking pulse is any indication. I find I want to soothe that unpleasantness. “Calla?—”

“I want you to kiss me,” she whispers, lifting her head to look at me, her heart beating louder.

Now it’s my pulse going faster as I slowly move closer, not wanting to scare her off. I lift my hand to her face, grazing my fingertips across her skin as she leans into my touch. Her expression smooths, most of the tension melting away as I trace her cheek with my thumb. I take my time, drinking in every beat of her heart, each slow blink, and the shallowness of her breath when she swallows. My own breath catches when she closes the distance between us and brushes her lips against mine. It’s slow and soft, and I handle her with care as I slide my arm around her back and pull her into my chest, deepening the kiss.

Calla responds in tandem, draping her arms over my shoulders as I tip her head back, my tongue sweeping out to tease her lips. They part instantly, and a low growl rumbles through me without warning. My muscles tense, and before I can move away from her, my fangs extend, slicing into her lip.

She yanks herself back with a sharp inhale, and a line of crimson rolls down her chin. My eyes are locked on her lips, my heart beating in my throat as she quickly licks the blood away. I stare at her, waiting for a reaction—one of anger or fear—but instead, she reaches up and touches my lips with a single digit.

Swallowing, I open my mouth enough for her to see my fangs. I’m not sure if I’m more surprised or she is when she pokes one, breaking the skin on the pad of her finger, and pulls back with a soft gasp, sticking it in her mouth.

My jaw works as I keep still, reigning in the monster in me that craves sinking my teeth into her soft flesh. Made only worse when she sucks on her finger before pulling it free from her lips.

I hold absolutely still as Calla leans in and presses her mouth to mine once more. She kisses me softly, hesitantly, until I start kissing her back. My entire body stiffens when her blood hits my tongue and explodes on my tastebuds, and I inhale sharply. Instinct consumes me, and I suck Calla’s bottom lip into my mouth to taste more of her, but it isn’t enough. I need more .

Forcing myself to pull away from her takes more effort than it should. My eyes dance across her face, expecting to see something like disgust or at the very least disappointment, but she’s staring at me with her pulse racing and a look of…curiosity.

Her voice trembles when she says, “You want to bite me.”

It isn’t a question.

I search her face for some indication of how she feels about the idea. “Calla,” I murmur, gripping her hip with one hand and sliding the other up her arm, then cradle the side of her face.

“Will it hurt?”

I smile at her, my fangs on full display. “It can, but not like this.”

She frowns, and her throat bobs when she swallows. “What do you mean?”

“When a human offers themselves to a vampire, the bite can be pleasurable—euphoric even,” I explain. “Vampires can also glamour humans to feel that way if the vampire chooses. Otherwise, if the human is being forced, the pain can be excruciating.”

She nods slowly, appearing to consider it. That, or she’s using me to gather information about us, which I wouldn’t blame her for one bit.

“I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” I assure her in a gentle tone, grazing her cheek with my thumb. After a beat of silence between us, I lean in and brush my lips against her forehead. Calla relaxes into me and tilts her head to the side: an invitation that I accept as I move the hair away from her neck.

In the space of a heartbeat, I strike, sinking my fangs into her delicate flesh. She makes a short noise of discomfort before she’s leaning into me, gripping the front of my shirt as I drink from her.

Calla’s blood is absolutely incredible. It coats my tongue and fills my veins with a dizzying level of power. I could all too easily lose control, drunk on the endorphins flooding my system with an energy I haven’t felt in a very long time.

A moment longer and I find it in myself to pull back, tracing my tongue over her neck a few times before kissing her cheek. I look at her face, gauging where she’s at, but before I can say a word, the bedroom door opens and Lex comes in, closing it behind him. His eyes shift between me and Calla, and when he opens his mouth, his fangs glint in the light.

“I thought I smelled something sweet,” he purrs, coming closer.

Calla’s heart beats faster, and she says, “I taste sweet?”

My lips graze her ear when I murmur, “You taste absolutely exquisite.”

Lex folds his arms over his chest. “So that’s what you kids are up to in here.”

“Jealous?” Calla blurts, her cheeks going pink.

Lex smirks. “Fuck yes.”

Calla shifts toward the headboard, and both Lex and I follow the movement, picking up on the race of her heart as her eyes dart between us. I can see the wheels spinning, the catch of her breath, the uneven rise and fall of her chest.

“Stay with us now, angel,” I say softly, capturing her attention.

She takes a deep breath, nodding. “I’m here.”

Lex moves to the bed in a flash, hooking a finger under Calla’s chin and turning her gaze to meet his. “If you thought Kade was good, you have no idea what you’re in for.”

“I think he’d disagree,” she breathes, and my lips curve with amusement, because she’s absolutely right.

“Hmm,” Lex hums, leaning closer until his nose touches hers. “Allow me to prove him very wrong.” Without warning, he grabs Calla’s hips and pulls her down until her head hits the pillows, then slides his hands down her thighs. He watches her face, and when she wets her lips, I can’t keep my hands to myself a moment longer.

I move to the headboard and lie on my side, leaning in to nuzzle her neck, kissing her and inhaling her scent. I listen to the sound of her breathing and the heart pounding in her chest as Lex teases his way down her body, undressing her as he goes.

The warmth of her skin against mine goes straight to my cock, making it harden in my pants as my fangs extend again. I tease her throat, my sharpened canines scraping against her skin without breaking it. Calla shivers, and I slide in behind her, pulling her back against my chest and wrapping my arms around her so I can watch Lex devour her pussy.

When Calla fists the sheets on either side of us, I steal her hands, entwining our fingers and giving them a gentle squeeze to let her know I’m right here with her. I suck on her neck, swirling my tongue over her delicate skin until her breathing goes shallow.

“Bite her,” Lex orders in a husky tone, and I oblige immediately, sinking my fangs into Calla’s neck and the same moment Lex does something particularly reactive between her thighs.

She cries out, gripping my hands tighter as she pants, her pulse jackhammering.

“Spread your legs wider,” Lex directs her, and she complies without hesitation.

“Good girl.”

It doesn’t take long for Lex to have her gasping for air, moaning as she races toward release. Between one moment and the next, she falls apart, her muscles clenching as her hips jerk off the bed as she announces her release with a delicious sound that’s sure to be heard through the entire house.

I pull my fangs out of her, licking the wound until the blood stops flowing from it.

“Fucking hell,” she mutters under her breath.

“Don’t worry,” Lex says, patting her knee, “I won’t tell Kade you enjoyed me better.”

Calla makes a sound akin to a scowl, but it doesn’t come out very strong. “What does that even mean?”

“What does what mean, angel?” I ask her.

“You drinking from me,” she whispers.

“We’re already connected by blood, so this doesn’t change anything.”

Lex traces slow circles on her thigh. “Blood sharing on the other hand…”

I arch a brow at him, wondering just how much he plans to share with Calla.

“Blood sharing?”

“If we drank from each other at the same time, it creates a sort of connection,” I explain. “It’s temporary and wears off after a few days, but can be very powerful the first time you experience it. You’d be able to sense me as much as I can sense you after drinking your blood. We would feel each other’s emotions, and it would also draw us together in the sense that being apart would be unpleasant.”

“Oh,” is all she says.

The corner of Lex’s mouth kicks up. “It can also be very fun.” He shoots a wink at her as he gets off the bed and head toward the door.

“Where are you going?” she asks around a yawn.

Lex pauses in the doorway. “You’re about to pass out, and I’ve got some shit to do. Sweet dreams, Calla.” He closes the door behind him, and Calla rests her head against my chest with a slow exhale as she gets comfortable.

I smooth a hand over her hair, listening to the sound of her breathing as it evens out. I move just enough to grab a blanket and drape it over her legs, relaxing as Calla falls asleep in my arms.