Devour (21 page)

I’m not
in the mood for him. Forget the apology. My best friend had been here and I have Cody here for me. I didn’t want Chase to ruin my good mood. I cut him a look and turn to Cody. If I pretend he isn’t there, maybe he will take a hint.

“How was your visit with Lana?”

“She misses us. She worries about what will happen.”

“It’s entirely my fault.
You wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me being so stupid.”

“Shush, I don’t want to hear that.
It’s not your fault that Chase is some freak of nature. As long as we’re together, it’ll be alright.”

“What will happen to us?
Jane said they might stick us in the breeding program as punishment. I didn’t even think about that. This is your future they’re messing with too.”

“Princess, whatever happens, happens.
I don’t care what they do to us. I just want you and I will take you any way I can get you.”

I
’m so struck by his declaration that I climb up on my bed and meet him at the bars. I wrap my hands around his neck and he kisses me with a fevered passion. Everything around us fades away and it is just the two of us.

My body
is warming and I’m completely consumed by him. His kiss is urgent and intense. His tongue tangles with mine and I’m engrossed in all things Cody.

He fin
ally pulls away from me and we’re both breathless. I look up and know that his eyes match mine. They are glowing. I want his blood and I want him to have mine. What could it hurt?

I nip the tip of my index finger and bring it to his lips, the blood flowing freely.
He makes a little sound of contentment as he pulls my finger in his mouth and licks the blood. He takes very little and seals the wound.

Cody mimics my actions and when I place his finger in my mouth, fireworks go off.
The taste is better than any blood I have ever encountered. I take just a small amount as well and softly lick the wound.

When I look up this time, his eyes are still lit up, but his face shows his love for me.
He smiles and brushes his hand gently across my cheek.

“You are
the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. I love you, Callie Andell. We will make it through this together.”

I smile and am comforted at his words.
We shared our Moment through the mental connection and I can feel his love for me through the bond. I can’t help but forget about everything else and grin like an idiot.

And then, Chase
goes and shatters our perfect Moment. I’m growing more irritated by the minute with him. He may be gorgeous, but I really hate his personality. It rubs me the wrong way and I just want to strangle him at times.

“It’s almost disgusting to watch you two.
I think I’m going to barf now.”

We both pin him with a glare.

“Don’t get me wrong, the eye thing is sexy. That whole sharing blood thing is like watching a porno movie. Kinky.”

I choose to be the mature one and ignore his comments.
Even though I only had a little of Cody’s blood, I’m still experiencing a soft blood high. I lay in my bed, letting my thoughts run their course through my head. I would normally paint, but that isn’t exactly an option right now.

I shut my eyes and let my mind wander.
My body is humming and I practice some meditation techniques to ground me. Soon, I feel my mind reaching out to Cody’s automatically.

He’
s feeling the blood high too. I’m shocked to find the intensity of his thoughts. He is thinking things that are intimate enough to make me blush. I send him back some equally shocking thoughts, giving him a taste of what will happen Saturday and I hear his breathing catch. I smile, satisfied.

I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up to find several council members rushing down the stairs.
Their faces are serious and dread creeps through me. Surprisingly, they ignore Cody and me. They focus on Chase and ask for more blood.

Why would they want more blood?
And why are they so serious? I watch as he slides his arm out between the bars and allows them to draw more blood. They thank him and turn to leave. They are gone, just like that.

Confu
sion and curiosity war for my attention at that moment. There has to be a better explanation for this than the one I am conjuring up.

I see where this is going and it c
an’t be. Having a child with a human means instant death. We are immortal, but we can still be killed. No one can recover from a beheading or a stake to the heart. At least the legends got that right.

No vampire I know would risk impregnating a human.
If that is, in fact, what happened, Chase would be a dhampir. We haven’t had one in recent history, but they are almost always turned in our history books. The secret must be kept.

I look at Chase with new eyes.
I wonder if he knows. Deciding he mustn’t, I actually begin to wonder what it would be like to be different and not know why.

Dhampirs
don’t need to live on blood like we do. They’re faster and stronger than most humans though. They age normally, but as I said, most are turned before they age. If there are more of them, they go undetected in the human world.

It’
s sheer luck that I would have fed from a dhampir. No wonder his blood tasted so good. The blood running through his veins is half vampire. I’m suddenly feeling better about the situation. It isn’t my fault. I know this is just a theory, but it gives me hope.

If it’s true, then it begs the question, who is Chase’s real
Dad? This would be like opening a whole new can of worms. Every vampire has blood samples in our database. We do this in case someone commits a crime or a paternity test is needed. The latter is almost never used, but is available nonetheless.

Finally
, Cody breaks through my reverie. “Are you okay, princess? I hope you’re right. We could certainly use a break.”

He’
s reading my thoughts, of course. For a moment, I feel invaded and it’s an uncomfortable feeling. Then I rethink it and realize it is a blessing. Cody is my blessing. No matter what happens, I will always love Cody. There will never be another for me.

“Come here
, Callie.”

I nod and
move to his side of my bed. I scoot as close to the bars as possible. Cody grasps my hands and wraps them in his. I feel a sense of calm wash over me as I soak up his energy and affection. I pull him into a slow, torturous kiss and he groans.

“I can’t wait until Saturday.
You are so going to get it, you tease.”

I grin
just knowing I have that effect on him. It gives me some semblance of control.

Then, someone c
omes down with dinner. We have to drink twice as much without our special cocktail. I can already begin to feel the effects of the missing nutrients. First, I’m so tired. Second of all, I’m irritable, which doesn’t bode well for Chase.

The bond with Cody and me would be more diminished if it wasn’t for sharing our blood.
It reinforces our bond and actually brings us closer together. Our mind sharing has gotten stronger by the day.

I t
ake mine and sip on it. I’m savoring every last bit of the bitter tasting blood. It nowhere near comes close to the taste of Cody’s blood, but I need more than I want to take from Cody right now.

After a few minutes
, the weak blood high hits me. It may be weak, but it is at least something. Sitting in this cell, awaiting the verdict on my future is pure torture. I would be insane if not for Cody’s presence.

I lie on my back and close my eyes.
There is silence and I know that Cody and Chase have nothing to say to each other. Amen for small favors.

My
thoughts, are swirling around like a dust storm in my brain. So much has happened to turn my life upside down in the last week. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a week since that fateful night.

I finally sit up and lean m
y back against the bars. Cody’s enjoying his own blood high and I don’t want to bother him.

I sit in the bed cross-
legged and gently bang my head against the bars behind me. The sheets are stiff and scratchy. The pillow is flat and the room is sparse. I only have access to a bed and a small, basic bathroom. Fortunately, I don’t have to pee in public. That is something, at least.

My hair feels stringier than usual and I want to wash my face with something other than plain soap.
I can’t believe how much I actually miss the normal creature comforts I’m so used to. I don’t think I will ever take them for granted again, if I live that is.

Things have gotten desperate.
I never thought something like this could ever happen, let alone to me. Due to the bizarre set of circumstances, I’m being held for possible treason. The thought that I would ever purposely betray my kind is unthinkable and makes me shudder.

Then there is the fact that I am dragging two royal families’ reputations through the mud.
That means I have shamed four council members in the process. I can’t help but be ashamed of myself. It’s not really my fault, but that doesn’t change the situation.

Being royalty brings with it so many expectations to uphold, but being a teenage vampire is what really sucks.
Ha, ha sucks. Anyways, I digress. I close my eyes and let my mind take me back to a time when things were simple, before
him.

I am pulled back to the
Moment I met Chase. He was the perfect blend of edgy and sexy. I should have known then that he was too good to be true.

At s
ome point during my trip down memory lane, I fall asleep. Everything fades away and is replaced by a darkness that I can’t fight against. My eyes flutter closed and I let myself be pulled under.

I wake up to a pair of strong hands massaging my shoulders.
Cody. Just his name makes me smile. I enjoy it for a few minutes before breaking away and turning towards him.

My face is glowing despite the crick in my neck from sleeping sitting up.
I lean into the bars for a good morning kiss that sends a rush of warmth through me. When I pull away, I give Cody a huge smile.

“
Hey, princess. How can you be in such a good mood? Our fate rests in the hands of Alexander. Did you take my advice and decide to go with the flow and be happy as long as we’re together?”

I sputter
. Is it really that time already? I will be happy as long as I have Cody. The thing he doesn’t realize is that I’m responsible for Chase. His fate is on my shoulders and I will have to live with the outcome.

He read
s my thoughts; lord knows I’m thinking them loud enough. I feel his fingers wrap into mine and I soak up his warmth. We will get through this.

It
isn’t long before three guards come to retrieve us. They go to Chase first so they can tie him up. Once he is secured, the other two guards come for us. Our cells slide open and we head up the stairs and toward our fates.

We enter
the chamber to find the council already seated around the room. We take our same spots in the metal folding chairs. It feels like we have to sit in them out of shame or something. Alexander slides into his spot at the dais and the hushed conversations go silent.

I swallow
hard. This is it. Our lives will be decided today. I can’t bear to even look at Cody. How could I put him through this? If only I could wish this all away. It’s a shame I’m a vampire and not a genie.

Alexander clear
s his throat and opens our file. He scans the contents and there is genuine surprise in his expression. He didn’t know all the information until just now. The council has been collecting everything, including our blood samples.

I’
m nervous and fidgety. I begin to bite at my manicured nails to quell my anxiety. The only problem is that I nick my finger on my fangs. I hadn’t even noticed that they descended. Damn.

Blood seep
s out of the wound and everyone in the room gasps. Spilling blood in a room full of vampires is not a good thing. Lucky for me, Cody is quick with his reaction. Before it can spill to the ground, he slips my finger into his mouth.