Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

14. Kade

14

KADE

I can’t stop staring at Calla. I think she wore that fucking dress to punish me. For what, I have no idea, but it’s taking every ounce of self control I have not to tear the dark green silk off her on the drive to the St. Patrick’s Day party she and her bestie go to every year. Of course this time, she’s bringing an entourage of vampires with her—Calla’s words—and we all know how thrilled she is about it.

Her heart pounds as loud at the music as we get out of the car at a student rental property. It’s a farmhouse with large trees in the front and lights strung along the porch, giving it a warm glow in the dark.

“Relax, angel,” Gabriel says to her in a soothing tone as we walk toward the house. Ever the protector, our Gabe.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

I roll my eyes. “So dramatic. It’s a party, not an execution.”

We go inside, and I’m immediately hit with a puff of smoke from some asshole smoking a joint in the entryway. I scowl at him and keep walking—I figure a minute in is a bit too early to start a fight or tear into some coed’s throat.

Calla pulls out her phone as I grab Lex’s arm and drag him deeper into the thrall of partygoers dressed in different shades of green, most of which are drinking green beer or cocktails out of green cups.

“What about Calla?” Lex grumbles, pinching my side so I’ll let go of him.

I shrug as we near the kitchen. “Atlas and Gabe will keep an eye on her. I want to play beer pong.”

Lex’s brows scrunch together. “But you suck at beer pong.”

“Fuck you. I do not.”

“Okay,” he says, dragging out the word. “Guess you’ll have a chance to defend that statement.”

I roll my eyes, grabbing us each a bottle of beer on our way outside to the back porch, where a group of people have gathered around the game table. One of the guys catches our arrival and nods.

“You want in?”

“Fuck yeah,” Lex says, shooting me a grin, and I flip him off before we separate to opposite teams.

Half an hour later, I’m slightly buzzed and far more pissed off.

As it turns out, I very much do suck at beer pong. And because the universe has a grudge against me for some reason, Lex is stupidly good at it.

I grumble a curse at him as his team cheers him on, slapping him on the back as I slink away to head back inside. After searching for the bathroom, I find Atlas and Gabriel chatting in the front hallway. They’re not even attempting to blend in, which is no shock. At least they have cups in their hands even if they’re not drinking from them.

“You look particularly more annoyed than usual,” Gabriel observes as I approach.

“Yeah, yeah.” I take a swig of beer. “You guys look like chaperones.”

Gabriel chuckles. “This music is making my temples throb.”

I turn to Atlas, who has his eyes on the other room where Calla is dancing with her friends. “And what’s your excuse? Still allergic to fun, are you?”

His lips twitch, but he says nothing.

“All right, well as fun as this has been, I need another drink.”

“Take mine,” Atlas says, holding it out to me.

“No, no. You need to at least attempt to keep up the appearance of a partygoer.”

He takes it back with a sigh, and I pat him on the shoulder as I leave him to stand with Gabriel.

In the kitchen, I lean against the island counter and munch on a slice of room temperature pizza before getting another drink.

As I walk out of the room, I spot Calla breaking away from the dancing crowd and saunter up behind her. “Having fun?” I ask, my lips close to her ear.

She turns to face me, her skin flushed a lovely shade of pink. “Hmm.” She takes a drink from her bright green cup before setting it aside with another. “Probably more than you. I heard Lex kicked your ass at beer pong.” The teasing in her tone is paired with a barely contained grin.

My mouth drops open as my eyes narrow. “Bastard,” I say under my breath, knowing Lex is undoubtedly listening nearby.

Without a second of warning, Calla leans up and presses her lips to mine, rooting me in place as she catches me by surprise. She tastes faintly of lemons and smells fucking incredible.

“It’s okay,” she murmurs, “We can’t all be good at everything.”

I peer down at her, noting the glassy look in her eyes. “You’re a little drunk, huh?”

She shows me a small space between her thumb and finger. “It was the only way tonight wasn’t going to be a complete train wreck.”

I could walk away from the conversation, but instead I find myself saying, “We aren’t that bad, Calla. Surely, you believe that to some degree.”

That earns me a frown as she grabs her cup again and gulps down another drink.

Not exactly the response I was going for but I can’t really blame her.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” she says, “So either shut up and dance with me or leave me alone.”

I follow her, smirking as I shake my head, while Calla downs the rest of her drink. She leaves the empty cup behind, snatching up the other and heading toward the living room.

Before she can get far, I grab her around the waist and haul her against me, pressing my lips against the side of her head. “You’ve got me wrapped around your finger, you know that?”

My words send her pulse racing as she sets the cup down and wraps her arms around my neck. I dip my face and steal her lips, taking control of the kiss, though she puts up a good fight for it. Calla grips the back of my head, and I drop my hands to her ass, pressing her flush against me so my erection hits just the right spot to make her gasp into my mouth.

I trail my lips along her jaw, and she tilts her head to the side when I reach her neck. The intense throbbing in my gums is my only warning before my fangs pop down, scraping against Calla’s skin without breaking it.

“Kade,” she breathes, tugging me against her as if she could possibly get me closer.

I flick my tongue along her throat as her breath catches. Her heart beats like the wings of a hummingbird, her body trembling against me with the anticipation of my bite—and fuck do I want to bite her. Just not here.

Instead I pepper soft kisses along her jaw and promise her, “Later.”

“Now.” Her grip tightens. That’s twice in one night she’s taken me by surprise.

“Easy, angel,” Gabriel says from behind her, having approached less than thirty seconds ago.

Calla pulls back, and the room feels colder despite the writhing, sweaty college students filling it with a nauseating combination of booze, cologne, and smoke. Her gaze is focused across the room, where Atlas is speaking to Brighton. Fielding her questions about us, more like it.

“We should get her in the car,” Gabriel says to me, nodding at Calla. “Where’s Lex?”

I shrug, pulling out my phone to shoot him a quick text. “I left him at the beer pong table out back. I’ll let him know we’re heading out now.”

Gabriel turns his attention to Calla. “We’ll wait for the others outside, Calla.”

She shakes her head, suddenly coming back to us as she glances between me and Gabriel. “Huh?”

“Are you ready to leave?” he asks her in a soft tone. Perhaps he thinks giving her the illusion of choice will make her more agreeable. Either way, we’re leaving.

She fishes her phone out of her pocket, squinting at the screen, then says, “Yeah.”

Lex pops up behind me, handing Calla a cup. “Water,” he says with his signature wink. “Drink up. Atlas will kill you if you puke in his car.”

Calla’s only response is a scowl as she takes the cup and sips on the water.

Gabriel catches Atlas’s gaze and nods to him, and the three of us walk around the edge of the room, meeting him in the hallway.

“You’re leaving?” Brighton asks, clearly not too happy about it as she looks at Calla with a frown.

Calla nods, giving Lex her drink so she can hug her friend. “You want a lift home?”

I exchange an unimpressed glance with Atlas. Chauffeur to the Ellis girl wasn’t part of the deal tonight.

“Nah, I’ve still got some party in me.” She looks at the rest of us, her heart beating slightly faster. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she tells Calla before disappearing back into the crowd.

We walk outside, and I inhale a long breath of fresh air. After being in that cesspool of human odors, it feels divine.

“You good?” Lex checks in with Calla as she rubs her hands together against the cold.

She offers a thumbs-up, though her tone is sarcastic when she adds, “I’m so good.”

I chuckle from her other side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and hugging her to my side as we walk along the gravel driveway.

When we get to the Escalade, Atlas and Gabriel sit up front, while Lex and I join Calla in the back seat, sandwiching her between us.

She rests her head against the back of the seat for a moment before leaning into me. I’m smoothing a hand over her hair before I even fully realize what I’m doing, and she closes her eyes, humming softly. My gaze drops to her hand as it slides over her lap and finds Lex, lacing her fingers through his.

We sit like that for a few minutes, Lex brushing his thumb over the back of her hand as I continue petting her hair.

“Calla,” Lex murmurs.

“Lex.”

“Open your legs.”

Her pulse jumps as Lex keeps his eyes on her, licking his lips. I slide my hand along one thigh as Lex does the same to the other, and we slowly nudge them open.

My hand stills against her collar bone as Lex slides his hand under her dress, bunching the fabric at her hips. She gasps when his fingers reach their destination, and he smirks at me.

“You owe me fifty bucks.”

“What the fuck?” Calla demands in a breathy voice.

I can’t help the laugh that escapes me as I lean in until my lips brush Calla’s ear and whisper, “No panties.”

She exhales an uneven breath, and her legs open wider as Lex continues playing her as if she’s his favorite instrument.

A moment later, he pulls back, tutting his tongue, and she narrows her eyes at him.

“You’re teasing her,” I murmur, grinning softly. “Her heart is about to beat out of her chest and attack you.”

Calla nods, trying to inch herself closer to Lex, but he pulls back, making her grumble a colorful, “Fuck you.”

“Hmm, only if you’re a good girl,” he taunts in a cocky tone.

I circle her waist with my arm, holding her against me and sliding my hands along the front of her dress. Her breathing quickens, and when Lex pushes his fingers into her pussy, she cries out, the sound of surprise morphing into a moan within seconds. I pinch her nipples through the dress, and they stiffen into hard peaks as Lex continues teasing her until she jerks in the seat between us.

“Holy shit,” Calla breathes.

“You want more?” Lex asks in a low voice, his eyes locked on her face.

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes please.”

He smiles. “Good girl.”

My lips find the pulse at Calla’s throat, and she tilts her head to the side, giving me better access. I tease her with my lips, my tongue, my fangs, and her responsive moans go straight to my cock.

It doesn’t take long for Lex to wind her up until her thighs are shaking and her breathing is shallow. The moment her climax unleashes inside her, I sink my fangs into her neck. Her blood coats my tongue, singing in my veins and filling my gut with a delicious warmth as I swallow it down. She rocks against me, riding Lex’s fingers as she chases the aftershocks of her orgasm.

I stop drinking from her, sealing the bite marks before leaning back in time to watch Lex lick his fingers clean. I smirk at him, earning a wink as he sucks his middle finger, releasing it with a soft pop.

Calla’s gaze drifts to the front of the car, and when I follow it, I find Atlas stiff as a board, gripping the wheel tightly. And Calla fucking loves it. Seeing him on edge—being the one to put him there. Those two are either going to kill each other or…nah, they’re mostly likely going to kill each other.

Without a word, Calla yawns and slumps back against the seat, holding onto me and Lex. Not long after, her eyes close and she drifts off to sleep, her heart returning to its normal steady rhythm.

“Was that necessary?” Atlas grumbles.

Lex whistles softly, grinning. “Jealous looks good on you.”

“Doesn’t it?” I add, dousing the flames with fuel because it’s just so fucking amusing to see the uptight, famously broody vampire off his rocker.

Atlas doesn’t say anything else, just shakes his head and presses harder on the gas.

“All in all, I think tonight went well,” Gabriel comments.

I glance down at Calla, her head resting against my shoulder as she sleeps, and fight the itch to brush my fingers against her cheek. “Yeah. It could’ve gone worse.”