Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

11. Lex

11

LEX

T he house smells fucking incredible when I come out of my bedroom. I follow the rich, savory aroma to the kitchen, where I pause in the doorway when my eyes land on Calla.

“Something smells delicious,” I say with a grin as my entrance startles her. She looks at me over her shoulder from where’s she’s standing in front of the stove, stirring a steaming skillet. I cross the room, pushing my hair back, though it immediately falls over my forehead again. I’m so fucking close to buzzing it off these days. “I thought Gabriel was cooking.” I lean against the counter next to her.

“He was. Someone called him, and he left looking all weird and tense.” Calla shrugs, focusing on the stovetop. “I have no idea what I’m doing, by the way. You should probably take over if you want this to be edible.”

I press my lips together, hiding my returning grin, and slide behind her to look over her shoulder as I take the wooden spoon from her grasp. Stirring the browning ground beef around the skillet, my chest presses against her back, and when she doesn’t immediately pull away, the corners of my mouth curve upward.

“What did you do today?” she asks.

I set the spoon down and turn off the burner before dropping my hand to her hip and enjoying the way her breath catches at my touch. “Nothing exciting,” I murmur low in her ear.

Her voice is breathy when she responds, “Same here.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, teasing her with my lips against the pulse at her throat, flicking my tongue along her delicate skin.

“Lex,” she whispers, her pulse racing.

I lick my lips, the throbbing in my gums reverberating all the way to my cock as it hardens. “I want to fuck you against the counter. I’d lay you down on the marble and spread those lovely thighs of yours. I’d have you screaming so fast you would’ve had a chance to be embarrassed that the entire house could hear you moan my name. Though I do enjoy that beautiful pink your cheeks go when you blush.”

Calla is silent; perhaps I’ve actually managed to render her speechless.

“What do you think?” I ask, nipping her earlobe. I don’t wait for a response before I spin her around to face me, pressing her against the counter beside the stove. Her face is flushed, her eyes wide and pupils blown. “There’s that blush I enjoy,” I say with a wink.

She bites her lip, her heart beating faster as her eyes flit between mine, and she lifts her hand, gliding her fingers up my chest over my sweater. Pulling in a slow breath, she leans up on her tiptoes and kisses me. “I have no idea what I’m doing,” she repeats.

I fight the urge to grab her and take control. “You’re doing just fine.” My lips find hers, coaxing her back into the kiss.

Threading her fingers together at the back of my head, she leans into me fully, deepening the kiss as her heartbeat echoes like thunder between us.

My eyes slip shut as we fall into a natural rhythm, and I tease her lips with my tongue until she parts them to let me in. I’m rewarded with a little gasp when I press my erection against her core.

“Fuck,” I growl against her mouth, kissing her with renewed fervor when she starts to grind against me. “Calla,” I warn her, my control edging closer to a breaking point.

She doesn’t stop. “Just…kiss me,” she breathes, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back of my neck.

Fuck, this woman is going to drive me straight to insanity—and I’m going to love every bloody second of it.

I tip her head back, capturing her lips with mine again. Our movements mirror each other, as if our bodies are distinctly familiar. Like we’ve known one another far longer than we have. Though I suppose with our connection, it shouldn’t take me by surprise.

My fangs descend without warning, slicing into her lip, but she doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t stop kissing me, even as her heart trips over itself.

A deeply primal sound rumbles through me as I tighten my grip on Calla, her blood exploding on my tastebuds like a sweet nectar I’ll never get enough of.

I want more.

I want it all .

It takes more effort than I care to admit to reign in the predator that lives within me. I have Calla exactly where I want her, and it would be easy—too fucking easy—to drain her blood. She wouldn’t be able to stop me.

It’s that notion that has me pulling away, licking her blood from my lips. Except, she doesn’t look afraid, because she has no idea how close she could’ve been to death at my hands.

My gaze drops to her lips as she licks the bit of blood I left smeared on them.

“Do you want to know what you taste like?” I rub my lower lip with my thumb as I stare at her.

Her heart stutters, and she opens her mouth but offers no response besides, “I…”

My lips curve into a grin. “Everyone tastes a little different,” I tell her. “You…taste like the warmth of the sun on your face after a long, dark winter.”

“That’s poetic.”

I hold her gaze, shrugging. “Ask Gabriel what you taste like to him next time.”

She makes a sound halfway between a cough and a laugh before she says, “Yeah, I’m not going to do that.”

I lick my lips, eyes flicking between hers as I grin. “You also taste a little like strawberries and coffee.”

She looks taken aback, blinking at me. “Are you serious?”

I nod. “As a white ash stake to the heart.”

Something calculating flickers in her gaze, gone as quick as it came as she lifts a single brow. “Plain old wood won’t do it?”

I pause. No doubt she’s fishing for information, but I’ll play along for a while. “No. Has to be white ash. Lucky for us, it’s pretty rare.”

“Huh,” she muses. “And that’s the only way to kill a vampire.”

“Subtle.” I tut my tongue. “You think I’m going to stand here and tell you how to kill me?”

Calla props her hands on her hips. “Haven’t you already?”

I offer her a wry grin, dipping my face to look into her eyes. “You’re very sneaky. Distracting me with your lips and your blood?—”

“Hey,” she cuts in, “ you bit me .”

“Yeah, I did. After you kissed me .” My tone is teasing; I’m not at all upset by the situation. If anything, I give the girl props. Her self-preservation is sharp, which will do her well in our world.

“Whatever.” Her attention gets pulled away from me as Gabriel walks into the kitchen and she asks him, “Everything okay?”

I read Gabriel’s expression as he smiles and nods at her. “Just something at work. Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

“Fire them,” I offer, leaning against the counter. Gabriel’s always been dedicated to his work. Personally, I think he cares a bit too much, but that’s Gabe.

He arches a brow at my suggestions. “Helpful as always, Lex. Thank you very much.”

“Anytime.” I wink at him, just to see him chuckle and shake his head.

Not long after, we’re all sitting down to dinner devouring Gabriel’s ridiculously delicious lasagna.

My eyes fall on Calla. She’s thawing to us—perhaps even enjoying the meal. I can’t help the way my lips curve upward as I watch her munch on a piece of garlic bread.

The others are mostly quiet through dinner, and I’m quickly growing bored. Without thinking, I reach over and move my hand up Calla’s thigh just to hear the hitch in her breath. She shoots me a look, as if she can’t believe I’m teasing her under the dinner table, which only encourages me to slide my fingers between her thighs and rub slow, firm circles against the heat there. I watch a muscle feather along her jaw as she clenches it, her cheeks and chest tingeing pink.

The uptick of her pulse catches Kade’s attention, and when he glances over at her, she clears her throat, sucking in a shallow breath.

He’s arching a questioning brow at her. “You good?”

“I…Yeah, I’m fine.” She attempts to tune out my teasing as she focuses on her plate again, picking up her fork and lifting it to her mouth.

I pull my hand back, and her shoulders drop. She’s worried I’m going to leave her half-wound, but then I slide past the waistband of her jogging pants and find her bare, and my lips twist into a satisfied smirk. She’s not wearing panties.

This woman drives me crazy, and I fucking love it.

I slip a finger into her, and she squeezes her thighs together, her breath catching as she grips her fork until her knuckles go white.

That snags Gabriel’s attention away from the soft conversation he was having with Atlas. “Calla?”

“Huh?” she mumbles, looking at him. “Sorry, pardon?”

I don’t stop my movements, teasing her pussy with slow strokes of my finger.

“Are you not enjoying it?” Gabriel asks, pointing his fork at Calla’s plate, and I can’t help but snicker at his words as I pull my finger back and circle her clit.

Calla shoves my hand away under the table, focusing on her plate. “It’s really good, Gabriel,”she insists with a smile. “You’ll have to teach me how to cook, because I pretty much tap out after instant noodles or those frozen meals you cook in the microwave.”

“I think you’ve traumatized him.” Kade says with a laugh when Gabriel’s face falls as he stares at her.

“What?” Calla chews her bottom lip, glancing between them. “Sorry, I just…I’m not good at cooking.” When Gabriel still doesn’t recover, she arches a brow at him. “You going to live?”

Gabriel finally remembers how to smile. “I’m going to teach you, because this is simply unacceptable.”

With a small smile, she takes a bite. “Deal.”

I find Calla in the kitchen after dinner, approaching her and wrapping my arm around her waist to pull her against me. “Come with me,” I murmur, brushing her ear with my lips.

She immediately starts squirming and turns in my grasp. Her eyes meet mine, no doubt searching for a clue to what I’m planning. “Where?” she asks.

The corner of my mouth kicks up as I fail to hide my excitement. “My favorite place.”

Her brow lifts. “Not really a helpful answer, Lex.”

I lean in, brushing the hair back from her face and enjoying the way her breath catches at my proximity. “I have an appointment with my tattoo artist. I want you to come.”

Her eyes light up, matching the smile curling her lips. “Yeah, okay.”

Dropping my lips to her cheek in a brief kiss, I tell her to, “Meet me in the garage in half an hour.”

I leave her, walking into the living room to hang with Kade until it’s time to leave. And when she comes into the room with a little bounce in her step, I can’t help but grin.

“Remember what I said,” Kade says from the couch, and Calla turns to look at him though he’s speaking to me. “If you’re going to get my name in a heart, I want it to be atomically correct.”

I just roll my eyes.

His gaze shifts to Calla. “And what is our girl getting?”

She shakes her head. “I’m just going to watch.”

His eyes sparkle with mischief. “Watching can be fun.”

Calla rolls her eyes at him this time as she turns back to me. I open the garage door, gesturing for her to walk ahead, and she steps into the concrete room, looking around at our admittedly impressive vehicle collection.

“Pick one,” I offer, pausing at the wall with a board of key fobs.

She considers it for a moment before pointing at the black Tesla.

“Good choice.” I grab the key, walking with her to the car and opening the passenger side for her to slide in before I move at preternatural speed and get behind the wheel.

The sky is dark when we pull out of the garage, and I turn on the heated seats as we head downtown where Scarlett’s shop is located. I’ve been going to her for years, since she first started tattooing. Her talent and personality are unmatched.

“Isn’t it kind of late for a tattoo shop to be open?” Calla asks.

“My artist, Scarlett, runs her own place and works by appointment only.”

“And she has appointments after ten o’clock at night?” She looks out the passenger window for a moment before her attention returns to me. “Wait. Is she a vampire?”

I laugh. “Nah. She’s just a kickass artist who makes her own schedule, which is lucky for me.”

“Does she know about you?”

“What about me?” I ask, amusement dripping from my tone. When she shoots me an unimpressed look, I add, “Yes, she knows I’m a big, bad creature of the night. She’s glamoured to keep my secret.”

Calla nods. “Did she do the vines and roses on your arm?”

“Yep. She’s done all of my ink in the last fifteen years or so. Being immortal means having to find a new artist every handful of decades.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to turn one of them?”

I school my features, not expecting her to pull out a question like that. “Turning someone into a vampire isn’t a small thing, Calla.” I turn onto one of the downtown streets, driving down a narrow alley between two buildings, barely big enough for the car. I slow to a stop where the alley opens up to a courtyard near the back of the buildings and kills the engine.

Calla chews her lower lip, pulling at a loose thread on her shirt. “Will you tell me how it’s done?”

“Why? Are you thinking of joining the eternity club?”

She’s quick to shake her head. “I just…I was curious is all.”

I drum his fingers against the wheel, considering how to approach this. I don’t think I’m revealing any trade secrets or anything, but it does feel a bit odd speaking so openly about it with a human. “It’s a process. There’s a venom in our bite that needs to be coursing through your veins—along with our blood—when you die. You’d awaken weak and vulnerable, but once you drank human blood, you’d be stronger and faster than ever before. The first feed has to be directly from the vein, and a newbie vampire needs to drink so much blood to complete the transition that the human rarely survives.”

Her expression darkens, and her voice is quiet when she says, “That’s intense.” She slides her hands down her thighs, glancing toward the brick building with a flickering neon red TATTOO sign in the window. “We should probably go in.”

Keeping my eyes on her, I search her face for a change in her expression, but she’s quickly learning to mask her emotions. I nod, getting out of the car and opening the passenger side door. I offer Calla my hand, somewhat surprised she takes it and doesn’t let go as we walk to the building. I bang my fist against the metal door before opening it and guiding Calla inside.

Scarlett’s place is dark but warm and smells of professional grade cleaner. Calla doesn’t venture far from me as she looks around the front of the shop. It’s traditional in appearance, with red, art covered walls and checkered tile floors. And the brown couch under the window is one I’ve slept on a night or two after drinking a bit too much with Scar. Old rock music fills the room, and the fluorescent lighting along the exposed ceiling buzzes with electricity.

Scarlett pushes through the curtain leading to the back of the shop, looking phenomenal as always. She’s absolutely rocking a blond pixie cut, and paired with her Rolling Stones shirt, jeans, and Doc Martens, I can’t stop grinning at her.

“Lexington, you beautiful bastard, it’s good to see you.”

I feel Calla’s eyes on me before she asks, “Is that your real name?”

I roll my eyes, though I’m still grinning. “Nope, but she’s about to hold a needle against my skin, so she can call me whatever the hell she wants.” I pull my friend into a hug, then step back. “What’s new, Scar?”

Scarlett shrugs and reaches behind the counter to shut off the music. “Not a damn thing.” Her gaze shifts to Calla. “Who’s this? You don’t usually bring anyone when you come to visit me.”

Before I can answer, the human in question speaks up. “I’m Calla. It’s, um, nice to meet you.”

Scarlett purses her lips, as if checking to make sure her bright red lipstick is still even. “Hmm, okay, Calla. You got any ink?”

“No, though I’ve always wanted to get something. I’m just not sure what.”

She nods before turning her attention back to me. “Give me ten minutes. I’m almost set up.”

“Thanks, Scar,” I say as she disappears behind the curtain again.

Calla circles the room, inspecting the tattoo sketches displayed on the walls. I don’t bother her; I want to give her the opportunity to explore and be comfortable in this space that I enjoy so much.

Scarlett returns and leads us back to her room. She drops onto her rolling stool and pulls her tray closer and I walk over to the black leather chair I’ve sat in many times.

My gaze finds Calla leaning against a wall covered in artwork, including some of the pieces Scar designed for me, and I grin as she pulls on her gloves and orders my shirt off. I do as she says, tossing it over the back of the chair as Calla’s eyes drop to my bare stomach, and she presses her mouth into a thin line before moving her gaze to where Scarlett prepares then presses the vine stencil along my left collarbone. It’ll connect with the design that covers my arm and shoulder when it’s done, and I give her the nod of approval when she hands me a mirror to check it out.

A minute later, the buzz of the tattoo gun fills the room, and I shoot Calla a grin. She looks so damn out of place here, it’s kind of…cute?

“What?”

“You don’t need to stand all the way over there.” I pat the empty stool.

“I’m good,” she insists, not moving from her spot against the wall.

I pout at her. “What if I want to hold your hand?”

Scarlett snorts.

“I think you’ll live,” Calla remarks in a dry tone.

I send a cheeky wink in her direction. “You think?”

After rolling her eyes, she approaches and sits on the stool next to me. “Baby,” she mutters, offering me her hand.

I entwine our fingers as Scarlett leans over and gets to work. I inhale slowly as my lips curl into a faint smile at the sharp, scratch-like sensation blooming over my skin with each pass of the tattoo gun. I move my thumb back and forth over Calla’s hand as her heart beats slightly faster than normal.

“So your thing is tattoos, Gabriel’s is cooking, Kade’s is…his hair, probably, and Atlas’s is being the grumpiest person alive or undead or whatever.” Her eyes pop wide and flit to Scarlett, but then she seems to remember that I told her Scar was glamoured a long time ago to keep our secret.

I chuckle. “You’re mostly right.”

“What, Kade’s thing isn’t his hair?”

“No, you’re definitely right about that. Atlas on the other hand…” I hesitate to elaborate. While Calla has quickly acclimated to being in our lives, she’s still new. I don’t know just how much any of us should be telling her yet. Still, she deserves some basic information, so I tell her, “He was born to a very powerful vampire family a long, long time ago. There are certain expectations he’s had to live with that would put a strain on anyone.”

She mulls that over. “Is that why the rest of you look up to him?”

“We respect him. For many reasons. One of which being, for me at least, that he turned me. There’s a special bond between a vampire and their sire. He doesn’t control me, but he doesn’t have to. I would do anything for him—we all would. And I see that look on your face, but before you say anything, you should know that he would do the same for us.”

Calla is quiet for several beats before she says, “Okay. But you’re the only one he turned?”

I nod. “He saved my life. I was living in Brooklyn at the time, driving into the city for work. I left the office long after dark following a meeting that had run late one night and hit a whiteout storm. I was in a head-on collision and was minutes away from death when Atlas found me. He was driving in the opposite direction and saw the crash. I don’t remember that night, just waking up several days later in Atlas’s home on the Upper East Side with the most excruciating burning in my throat.”

Her heart is pounding now. “I…I’m sorry that happened to you.”

I blink at her, not quite expecting such a sympathetic response from the woman who believes we stole her life. “Don’t be.” I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not.”

She licks her lips, nodding. “And what about the others? How did they become vampires?”

I look over at Scarlett as she finishes tracing one of the thorns before turning my gaze back to Calla. “Kade was a vampire when Atlas and I met him shortly after I turned. He was going through some shit that he never really elaborated on, but he helped me get a handle on my bloodlust. I wasn’t ready for the constant urge to rip into people’s throats, so it was quite the adjustment.”

“You still don’t know how he became a vampire?”

I shake my head. “And before you ask, I don’t know about Gabriel either. It’s not exactly something we talk about.”

“Why not?” She takes her hand back, resting it in her lap.

I make the mistake of shrugging, and Scarlett snaps, “Don’t move.”

“Sorry, Scar.” Clearing my throat, I continue, “Gabriel is a fairly private person, in case you hadn’t noticed.” I grin softly. “I think it’s just naturally ingrained in him for some reason.”

Calla nods, seemingly finished with the questions for now. I didn’t mind them—it passed the time for a bit.

An hour later, Scarlett is bandaging me up. She cleans her station and shrugs on a jacket. “I’m late for another appointment,” she says, tossing me a key. “Lock up on your way out?”

“Sure thing.”

She’s halfway down the hall before I get the words out.

When the door closes less than a minute later and Calla and I are left alone, I make no move to get up. Instead I poke gingerly at the bandage.

“Did it hurt?” Calla asks, a curious lilt to her soft voice.

“I’ve felt worse. It goes numb after a while.”

“Oh,” is all she says.

I strike faster than she can move, catching her chin and tilting her head back so our gazes meet. “I could give you one.”

Her pulse jackhammers, and she squeaks, “What? No way. Absolutely not.”

I laugh deeply, grazing her jaw with my thumb. “I’m fully trained, Calla. I just don’t ink myself.”

Her eyes are narrowed as she pulls back, and I drop my hand to the armrest as she mutters, “You’re not getting anywhere near me with a tattoo gun, so don’t even think about it.”

I can’t stop grinning. “All right, all right. You know what I thought about while Scarlett was stabbing me a thousand times?”

Her response is a thrilled, “Oh, please do tell.”

Lowering my voice, I lean into her. “I thought about how badly I wanted to get you alone. How I would pin you to this chair and spread those gorgeous thighs of yours. How I would fuck you hard and fast, pounding your pussy until you screamed so loud anyone close enough to hear would think you were getting stabbed.”

She stares at me, her pulse pounding in the silence between us. And when she presses her thighs together and flicks her tongue over her lips, I grip the armrests tighter, my control sliding toward the edge.

“Come here,” I order softly.

Calla doesn’t move immediately, but then she stands and swings her leg over the chair so she’s straddling me. My hands drop to her hips, making sure she’s steady in my lap, and her hands fall to my shoulders. Her breath catches when she feels my erection tease her, and she shifts upward, grinding against me until I’m groaning as I dig my fingers into her hips. Trailing my hands up her arms, I push her jacket off her shoulders, and she maneuvers it the rest of the way off. Before she can move again, I haul her against my chest and steal her mouth with mine. She braces herself on either side of me, kissing me back as our eyes shut and we lose ourselves in exploring each other. I tease her lips with my tongue until they part with a soft moan as I grip her hips and grind her against my hardened cock. I push my tongue into her mouth and claim her, deepening the kiss and reveling in the way she feels circling her hips against me, her pulse kicking up.

In the space of a heartbeat, I flip us around and pin her to the chair, stealing the air from her lungs in a shallow gasp. I quickly trap her between my legs, my knees pressing into the chair on either side of her, and dive for her neck, kissing, licking, and sucking until she’s panting. My gums throb until I can’t hold back any longer, my fangs extending and teasing along her skin, though I barely manage to hold myself back from sinking them into her throat.

Calla makes soft noises that threaten to drive me wild, and when she reaches between us to palm my erection, I groan and kiss her again. She fumbles with the button on my pants, tugging the zipper down and freeing my cock before gliding her hand along its length.

I growl her name, my heart pounding against my rib cage, demanding I take control and take her .

She doesn’t give a fuck.

Wrapping her fingers around my shaft, she moves her hand up and down at an easy pace as my lips devour hers. A warning that I’ll devour all of her if she’s not careful.

I pull back to catch my breath, meeting her lust-filled gaze as she continues working my cock in her hand. My tone is deep when I murmur, “You feel so good.”

Her cheeks are flushed, her pulse pounding, but she doesn’t stop tormenting me. She picks up her pace and tightens her grip ever so slightly, and it feels fucking incredible.

“Don’t you dare stop.”

She grins in response, alternating her speed and pressure.

The muscles in my thighs tighten, and I grind my molars. “Christ.” My hand snatches hers, pulling it away from my cock. In a second, I have both of her wrists trapped above her head in one hand, using the other to slide into her pants and find the heat at her core. My fingers glide in easily, and I smirk as I flick her clit and lean in, my lips brushing her ear. “You’re a mess. I fucking love it.” I nip her earlobe before pressing my lips to the erratic pulse at her throat.

Calla sucks in a sharp breath as I work my fingers inside her, tightening my grip on her wrists when she tries to pull them free.

“Lex,” she grumbles in a breathy voice.

I kiss her briefly, alternating the speed of my fingers inside her with each measured thrust, teasing her as she did me.“Yes, Calla?”

“How long are you going to keep—” Her words drop off as her pussy tightens around my fingers and her hips jerk off the chair. I take her orgasm, pumping my fingers and strumming her clit as I smirk down at her. As the aftershocks fade, I pull my fingers out and free her wrists, tugging her pants down to her knees.

Calla tracks my every move as I line up the glistening head of my cock with her entrance. She’s practically vibrating with anticipation as I trace her pussy lips with my tip, pushing in a little more each time, then capture her mouth with a searing kiss as I bury my cock fully inside her.

She moans against my lips, shutting her eyes as I pull back and drive back in all the way to the hilt. I glance down to watch my cock sink into her with each delicious thrust, slowing my pace to allow her a chance to adjust and catch her breath. My lips find the pulse at her neck again, and she tenses beneath me when I sink my fangs into her, her whimper morphing into a moan as I roll my hips to push my cock deeper.

My pace quickens as I pull away from her neck and lick the wound shut. “You are my new favorite taste.” I brush my lips against hers.

Calla opens her eyes just as another orgasms ignites, and she grinds against me.

“That a girl,” I murmur, slowing the speed of my thrusts. “Catch your breath, because I’m not done with you yet.”

Something in my words sparks a fire in her, and she lifts her hips, urging me on. I shoot her a wicked grin and thrust my cock into her faster, harder, and then I pull out completely and flip her over. “Wrap your arms around the chair,” I order, spreading her legs as she obeys.

I take Calla from behind, making her pussy clench around my cock, and she sucks in a sharp breath when I reach an even deeper spot at the new angle.

“Lex,” she breathes.

My control frays and then snaps altogether. I pound into her over and over as my own breathing becomes labored. “Hold on,” I grit out, losing myself in the feel of her wrapped perfectly around my cock.

Calla’s heart hammers in her chest, her breathing coming in quick, shallow pants as she moans, and between one thrust and the next, she clenches around me, crying out and coming hard. I follow her over the edge, stiffening inside her as my muscles tense and I find my own release. Things slow down as I pull out of her, and she curls herself against my chest as we catch our breaths.

I rest my forehead against hers, brushing my fingers along her cheek to check in with her. “You good?”

She nods, her skin flushed and coated in a thin layer of sweat. She traces the outline of my bandage in the comfortable silence as she meets my gaze.

I lick my lips and shoot her grin. “That’s officially my favorite tattoo.”