Blood Entangled (23 page)

Krist
—Pedro might forget all the horrors he suffered at the hand of Ethan Bennett before Kos could let go of Lena.

Love. It only made him more determined to send her away. Surely this was exactly how Andre had felt about Mila, how he cared for Zoey now. And it was only a matter of time before love failed. Love was for humans, because it only had to last their trivial lifetime. Perhaps at best it could last centuries, but eventually it would implode, destroying Lena, and him, in its collapse.

He stared at the ceiling, cocooned in her scent and her soft embrace, barely containing his panic.

Someone drove up to the house just before dawn. The front door slammed shut and Bel’s voice drifted upstairs. Kos grew restless.

Lena squeezed him tighter. “Hmm.”

“Sweetheart, Bel is here. I need to talk to him. Okay?”

She rubbed her eyes. “Sure. Kiss me first.”

He brushed his lips over hers, then again. His tongue was in her mouth before he knew it. Then he caught himself. “Okay. I’m going. Please don’t move. Don’t shower, don’t brush your hair. It will break my heart if you aren’t in the exact same place when I get back.”

She giggled.

“Lena, I’m serious. I’m keeping you in bed all day. We have lots to do before you go.” He hoped his intent look pinned her there.

At least she stopped laughing, her lips parted in surprise. “I should go make breakfast.”

“Let them fend for themselves.”

Before he reached the door, she said, “Toss me
War and Peace
. I know how you are with Bel, you could be gone all morning. And bring me coffee when you come back. It sounds like I’ll need the energy.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He handed her the tome with a little bow then slipped from the room.

Bel was in the workroom with Andre, trying to explain his research. Andre was piddling with the bottling machine, spraying lubricant on its many parts for when they resumed the bottling, after the party.

“Fascinating, Bel,” Andre said absently, without taking his eyes off the machine. He probably hadn’t heard a word of the explanation. He turned to face Kos and spoke in the same distracted tone. “Who did you deflower?”

Bel coughed.

Kos froze. “What?”

Andre’s mouth fell open, as if he’d just realized what he had said. “
Davo.
Lena? A virgin? I never would have guessed.”

“How in the world can you smell that?” Kos asked.

“Very distinct. Virgins were a hobby for a while when I was first turned.”

Bel shook his head. “Christ, Andre, that’s sick.”

“Do not be so self-righteous. They were all quite willing, and not only after I bit them. I can be very charming when I bother.”

Bel hopped onto the work table, his arms crossed over his chest. “Are you sure? It’s not like riding a bike. You
can
forget how to charm.”

Andre glared at him. Great, another father-son fistfight. Kos rose up on his toes, ready to intervene. But Andre didn’t take the bait after all. Impressive resistance. Maybe they were on the road to reconciliation.

He wiped his hands on a rag. “So, did she traipse around naked, pop her cherry on you, and then insist you keep her?”

Kos hit him. Neither of them expected it. His fist came so fast that he caught Andre off guard and actually landed a good hook to his jaw.

“Ow! Damn it, Kos!” He rubbed from his ear to his chin.

Perched on the table, Bel swung his dangling legs. “Pop her cherry? Where did you pick up that charming euphemism?”

“Zoey, of course.” Andre laughed. “Good for you, Kos. I do not think you have ever hit me before.”

Bel snorted. “That’s not what you say when I hit you.”

“That became tedious long ago, son.”

Kos stared at the bruise on Andre’s face, which purpled and then faded just as quickly. “Don’t talk that way about her. She wouldn’t do that.”

“Did she ask you to keep her?”

“No. Not that it’s any of your business. We just had a friendly good-bye, which I plan to continue for the rest of the day.”

They stared at him.

“What?”

“Friendly good-bye? The rest of the day? You’ve got it bad, bro.”

“Perhaps I do, but she’s leaving, so there’s no reason to worry.”

Andre cocked his head. “She truly did not beg and plead?”

“No, Andre. You managed to steal every shred of hope from her. She didn’t ask twice.” And a good thing too, because he didn’t know if he was strong enough to say what had to be said.

No, I cannot risk loving you, for your own sake and for mine.

“Do you love her?” Andre asked.

Kos lifted his chin toward his father. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Bel turned to Andre with his dark brows raised.

“What?” Kos asked.

Andre shrugged and then put his hands in his pockets, tight lipped.

“I’ll walk with you,” Bel said. Several steps into the damp, musty cellar, he spoke again. “It’s all over your face. I’ve never seen that look before. Why don’t you keep her?”

“You know damn well why.”

“Uh, no, I don’t.”

“Because of Mother. Because of the vow we took.”

“Vow?”

“Bel. You must remember. We bled on her grave. We promised never to marry, never to bond.”

“Kos, I was, like, eleven.”

“Of course I wouldn’t hold you to it. And I always did like Lexi—”

“But you were only nineteen. You weren’t even a vampire yet. You can’t hold yourself to a vow you made then. You had no idea how long forever was.”

“You’re right. I didn’t. But I do now, and I know for damn sure it is way too long for any love to last. Vow or not, I cannot keep her.”

“She looks a little like Mom, doesn’t she?”

One of Kos’s shoes stuck to the stone floor as if it had been glued there. The other slid out from under him like it had been greased.

Bel caught him before he toppled over.

As soon as he was on his feet, he said, “No. She really doesn’t, Bel, besides her hair. She’s taller and thinner. Her face is fuller, her nose narrower.”

“I suppose you’re right. I hardly remember what Mom looked like, and Andre destroyed all the pictures. You’re my only memento.” Bel opened the door into the foyer and held it for Kos. “You and Lena suit each other nicely.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Oh, sorry. Kick her to the curb, bro, like the needy blood slave she is. Hos and bitches all of them.”

In spite of himself, Kos laughed. They’d reached the kitchen, and he was grateful to find a full pot of coffee. He poured a cup for Lena. “Bel. About Lexi. Did you want—?”

“More than you can possibly imagine.”

“Really? Even after everything with Mother and Andre?”

“Yep. Even then. I always held them personally responsible for the mess they made. Doesn’t mean everyone in the world is destined to cock-up their forever.”

For the first time in his life, Kos really wished he could believe that.

“Goooaaal!” shouted the announcer.

“Piss off,” Bel shouted back at the television, waving a nearly empty beer bottle at the TV.

Pedro didn’t care a lick who won the game, but football was the sport of his youth, so it was still fun to watch. He kicked his feet onto the coffee table and curled his finger around open air, wishing he could drink his own cold
cerveza
.

With the mouth of a beer bottle between his lips, Bel shut up for once.

Pedro seized the moment. “So, you’ve found the mysterious magic ingredient in Hunter blood and Blood Vine, but you’re no closer to learning why it’s there.”

Bel’s eyes turned to slits over the beer bottle. He looked closely at the bottle, then began to peel the label off. “The more I think about it, the more it becomes clear that the only explanation is vampires evolved to need Hunter blood, with Andre’s wine as an inferior substitute.”

Pedro took the bottle from Bel, forcing the other man to look at him. “But vampires don’t need Hunter blood if they live in their homeland, only if Hunters drive them out. So, which one is the chicken and which the egg?”

“Right. That’s the million dollar question. But no bets on this one, buddy.” Bel’s eyes flicked to Pedro’s groin and back, and he winked.

“Yeah, yeah.” Pedro cleared his throat, unsure if he was ready to share his theory. Damn, he’d like a swig of that cold, malty beer to moisten his dry mouth. “I have an idea. But I’m not willing to put a million bucks on it.”

Bel lifted his beer. “Shoot.”

“At some time in the past we were all together, and vampires exploited the Hunters for their blood, enslaved them, and that’s why they hate us.”

“Nope. Doesn’t work. Vampires didn’t need their blood unless they were exiled. Why bother exploiting them?”

“Well, that’s the thing. I’ve never tasted any blood but Hunter blood, but I think it’s different. I’ve seen Andre and Kos feed from humans all the time. For the humans, it’s hot, but for vampires, it’s nothing special—like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Feeding from Lucas is…” Hunger and lust surged through his veins, and he took a breath. “It’s every good feeling at once. It’s like your favorite home-cooked meal and waking up on Christmas morning and a hug from your mom, and the best sex of your life, all rolled into one, which I realizes sounds creepy, but
Madre de Dios
, it feels really damn good.”

Bel’s dark eyebrows pulled together, and he scratched his head. “I didn’t know that.”

He sipped his beer and looked at the ceiling for a long time. Pedro waited, hoping Mr. Vampire Wizard would have some kind of whopping brilliant epiphany and cure Pedro of his Lucas addiction. Not that he wanted rid of Lucas, exactly. He just didn’t want to need him so damn much. Need his firm lips, his long arms and legs wrapped—

“Normally, things that feel good have an evolutionary benefit,” Bel said. “For humans, eating and sex support the survival of the species. For vampires, feeding from people who get blissed out from a bite serves the vampires well, helps them survive.”

“You’re saying that maybe vampires didn’t just feed from them for the, uh, vampire crack effect?”

“Exactly. Maybe the blood doesn’t just feel good, but does something else to you.”

“I need to feed less often than Andre and Kos.”

“Right. That could be it.” Bel didn’t sound convinced at all. “Maybe Lucas knows.”

The idea of Lucas keeping something like that from him made Pedro queasy.

“You should ask him.”

“Yeah, right.”

But Pedro wouldn’t. He couldn’t stand another betrayal.

Chapter 18

L
ENA
A
RCHED
H
ER
B
ACK
and stretched, reaching her hands over her head. Kos’s fingers were lodged inside her for an anatomy lesson, and she’d decided to play dumb.

“Sex Ed class is a lot more fun with you than with my health teacher, Mrs. Humphries.”

“That’s good to hear.” He breathed the words into her ear, his hot breath heightening her sensitivity. “But you’re sure this doesn’t hurt?” He wiggled his fingers slightly. “I can’t believe you’re not sore.”

The pain lingered, a dull ache that kept all her core muscles on alert, but she didn’t want him to stop touching her.

“I’m surprised too. I promise that when you do that, what I feel is the exact opposite of pain.”

Half true. She wanted the pain because it reminded her this was their one and only chance to be together. She didn’t want to take for granted any sensation.

She groaned.

He grinned at her, all satisfied male. “That’s your g-spot.”

She’d known that the moment the broad head of his penis had hit it and her insides had melted.

“Oh. I’ve heard about that.” Then she pushed herself further onto his fingers. “More please.”