Devour (12 page)

“It’s wonderful to meet you all.”

“Sorry about earlier. We just didn’t expect Cody here to land someone so beautiful,” Bennie chimes in.

A blush begi
ns to creep up into my cheeks at the complement. “I don’t know, I think I’m the lucky one.”

Cody smiles and leans over to kiss me.
My eyes close at the feel of his lips on mine and I’m Momentarily distracted.

“Come on guys, get a room,” Henry jokes.

We pull away from each other and he wraps his arm around my bare shoulders. I feel a shiver that has nothing to do with the temperature. I don’t want to be rude, but I want to steal some more kisses before the night is over.

“It was great to meet you guys.
If you don’t mind, I’m going to steal my mate away.”

Cody grins and waves goodbye as I tug him towards the balcony.

The minute the air hits my skin I feel a chill. Then Cody wraps his muscular arms around me and I feel nothing but warmth. He will be my sunshine when dark days come. I just hope we are fully bonded by then. It could save my life.

I reach up and run my fingers through his
blonde hair and he sighs in contentment. I look into those hazel eyes and find them trained on me with a strange intensity.

“Hey
, you,” I say.

“Hey
, yourself,” he whispers before pulling me up on my tip toes to kiss him. The kiss is gentle and soft. He lets his lips brush against mine just enough to excite me. I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer still. I deepen the kiss, exploring the recesses of his mouth.

He pushes me backwards until I come up against the wall away from the doors and windows again.
Nobody can see us here and it’s exhilarating. I let a small moan escape my lips as he brings his mouth back to mine.

We kiss for what seem
s like forever before he finally pulls himself away from me. His fangs have descended and I know we are playing a dangerous game right now, before we have truly mated. I look up at him and his hazel eyes are burning a halo of swirling amber with flecks of golden brown. I can feel their intensity. I know mine are glowing too and I am absorbed in his. They’re so amazing.

I can’t help all these feelings that have swept over me.
Suddenly, I feel the need to bare my soul to him. I choose to be vulnerable for once. I bite the bullet and hope I don’t scare him off. “Cody, I have something to tell you.”

“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to
, Callie. I can feel it through our bond.”

“I want to.
Cody, I love you.”

“You have no idea how happy that makes me, because I love you
, too, Callie.”

Then his mouth covers mine in a passionate kiss that all but drives me completely wild.

When we finally manage to make it
back inside, my parents find us. I would’ve been embarrassed if they had caught us making out on the balcony, so I’m glad they didn’t find us until we’re inside.

“Dear, we’
re ready to leave now. The ball is winding down and it’s been a long night. Why don’t you say your goodbyes and meet us at the base of the stairs in five minutes,” Mom says.

I smile and nod before they w
alk away, leaving us alone. I’m thankful that they are giving me this time.

“
It looks like I have to let you go for the night. While I’m not thrilled, I’m hoping we won’t be apart long. Would you like to spend the evening with me tomorrow at my house?”

“I would love that Cody.
Pick me up at nine?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.
I love you. I’ll miss you tonight.”

“I love you too.
I already can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” I say as I pull myself up to him for one last chaste kiss.

Just telling
Cody I love him sparks excitement in me. I can’t believe I love Cody. I had no idea the turn of events that would happen when this night first started. I’m certainly glad I opened myself up to take the ball seriously. He turns out to be the great catch I pegged him for, just for me instead.

I pull away from him reluctantly and make my way to the stairs where my parents are patiently waiting.
I can’t look back for fear of running back in his arms. My self-control around him is almost nonexistent.

“Are you ready to go?”
Dad asks me.

“Yup, let’s go before I change my mind.
Then you’ll never be able to separate me and Cody.”

Mom
and Dad chuckle and I follow them around the stairs and out the massive front door. Our car has already been fetched and the driver is standing outside of it with the door open.

I slip in, and my
Mom follows. My Dad gets in last and the driver shuts the door. Everyone is quiet until the car starts up and is moving.

“I’
m so glad you found your true mate tonight honey. We are so proud of you,” Mom says.

I beam at the praise.
Just earlier this evening I was a disappointment and immature. I proved them wrong and surprised myself in the process.

“I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t imagine loving anyone else. Cody is it for me. That’s why we started the mating process. We didn’t want to wait, we knew already. We accidentally exchanged blood and found out just what it felt like to be true mates.”

“Exchanging blood is a dangerous process among vampires that are not true mates.
You got extremely lucky. Things could have gone horribly wrong and you would be lusting after someone whom you wouldn’t necessarily want to mate with a week from now,” Mom says with concern.

“It all turned out okay
Mom. There’s no sense in worrying about it now. I love him. We are already mating and next Saturday he’ll be mine. It’s surreal.”

“When are you seeing him again?
Remember, you must have a chaperone at all times until the mating is complete,” she replies.

“He’
s picking me up at nine tomorrow evening and we are spending time at his house. There will be plenty of people there.”

“Good.
Listen, Callie, I hate to bring this up with such good news but we need to talk about Chase.”

“
Daddy, please don’t ruin my fairytale night. Can’t this wait just until tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, but this needs to be said.
We will try to wipe his mind again tomorrow. If that doesn’t work, then we’re going to have to go to the council. We aren’t allowed to change a human unless it’s council sanctioned. If this happens, we’ll give you as much time as possible. Maybe the mating ceremony will be finished and you’ll be mostly safe from repercussions. Your life will be tied to Cody’s and they won’t ruin his life by killing you.”

“I understand.
I really hope this gets fixed tomorrow and we have nothing to worry about. I want Cody. I don’t want to lose him.”

Tears begin to build up at that thought.
I love him. I can’t live without him. The bond is already stronger than it would have been if we weren’t true mates. I know he can sense my distress because I can feel his confusion.

I cut off all thoughts of Chase now that the conversation is over and straighten up.
I have to get a grip. I can’t project this kind of despair on Cody. It’s not fair.

I’
m thrilled when we pull up to the house and I’m able to get out. Just before I hit the stairs to go up to my room, my parents stop me.

“Goodnight
, Callie. It was a wonderful night. Get some sleep so you can have fun with Cody tomorrow. Then you can start packing. You’ll be moving in a week. That isn’t a lot of time to get your affairs in order,” Mom tells me with a kind smile.

“Goodnight
Mom and Dad. I love you both,” I say before bounding up the stairs and shutting my bedroom door.

I just st
and there, on the other side of the door, my eyes closed. I’m absorbing all the things that have happened since I woke up. My life has been turned upside down and I’m trying to get my brain to catch up with my heart.

A smile creeps up as I think about Cody and the way I felt when his eyes burned into mine with passion.
Heaven help me, he’s going to be the death of me. This week is going to be torture. I can’t wait until the mating. I want him in ways I’ve never felt before.

I hear a sound and my eyes pop open.
I search the room for the source of the noise, but don’t have to look far. Chase has stepped inside my balcony door and is leaning against the wall. Doom fills me like a bucket of ice water has just been splashed on me.

“Chase, what are you doing here?”

“I’m staring at you in that beautiful dress. Wow. How was the ball? You look absolutely radiant. I wish I could have been with you.”

I shift
uncomfortably. I know he feels more than friendship, but now that I have Cody, it makes me ill to even think of another man. I could never ruin the good thing I have with him, especially for a human.

“Something happened tonight.
I can see it in your eyes. Don’t tell me you did it. I wanted the chance to show you how good we could be together.”

“I found my tru
e mate, not just any mate. He’s my soul mate. It’s not something I can control. I’m sorry, Chase. I wish there was something else I could say.”

“I see.
I guess that changes everything then. I’ll stay here tonight, but I’m going home in the morning. There really isn’t a need for me to stick around. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone the dark secret about your bloody obsession.”

“Chase, I’m sorry...” I start before he steps around me.
He pulls the door open and leaves me alone with my thoughts.

As soon as I hear his footsteps retreat, I crumple to the floor and the tears begin to flow.
I can’t stop them. I hurt Chase and I never wanted to do that. I don’t feel the same way he does. It doesn’t matter, because the whole thing just makes me feel awful.

I
f only I hadn’t found Chase last night. Then everything would be perfect. I could live my life without fear of the council or a death sentence. I didn’t even get the chance to tell him he isn’t actually allowed to leave. He will be locked in by morning and kept here until we are able to take care of my mishap.

I am pulled out of my pity party by my cell phone ringing on my nightstand.
I hurry over to it and don’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Callie, it’s me. Are you alright? What’s wrong? I can feel your unhappiness from here,” Cody says.

Cody.
Oops. I didn’t mean to cause him pain too. That’s the last thing I want to happen. I can’t drag him into this mess unless I absolutely have to.

“I’m okay, really.
Everything is just catching up to me and I don’t do well with change. It was just a minor freak out. I love you and I’m really excited to mate with you. I don’t ever want you to think otherwise.”

“It’s alright.
I can understand that. It’s a lot of change in just a week. I’ll do my best to make the transition go smoothly for you. I want you to be happy.”

“That’s just it
, Cody. I’m so happy. I don’t deserve to be this happy. You are perfect and I’m not. I don’t know why the bond chose me. I just hope I can live up to being a good mate.”

“How can you even think you’re not a good mate?
I’m incredibly happy you’re my mate. I’m not perfect. Even if I was, you are perfect too. Perfect for me in every way. That’s why the bond chose you. We fit like two puzzle pieces. You never have to worry about that, ever.”

He says it with such conviction that I believe him.
I just need to get my mind out of the gutter. He is affected by my moods now. I’m not being fair to him by breaking down or even lying to him. It makes me all the more ashamed of myself.

“I love you.
I already miss you. I wish you could crawl up into my bed and hold me as I fall asleep,” I confess.

“I love you too
, princess. You can’t believe how hard it is to be away from you already. I would give anything to be there, in your bed.”