Forbidden Blood (23 page)

She didn
’t consider herself sick. It was more like she wasn’t her usual self. Besides feeling exhausted, she had also been having problems with her appetite. Nothing sounded good, and the thought of food made her queasy, except for steak and chocolate milk. She liked steak and ate it occasionally when cooked medium to medium-well, but lately, she preferred her steaks rare. And she had been drinking chocolate milk by the gallons.

The smell of food was the worst. Although she was a vampire and had an increased sense of smell, it
had been even more enhanced recently. She’d finally asked the chef to stop cooking anything with eggs because there was nowhere in the house to hide to escape the stench.

Despite her new aversion to food, her increased steak consumption had caused her to put on extra weight. She knew a lot of red meat wasn
’t good for humans. While vampires didn’t have the same health problems as humans, maybe a large amount of red meat wasn’t good for vampires either. She probably should be concerned about her weight gain, but she couldn’t muster up the energy to care.

Her reaction, or lack thereof,
to her weight and decreased appetite was most likely due to her melancholy. She missed Vaughn terribly. She’d told him not to contact her since it was for the best, yet she would find herself checking her phone all the time in case she’d missed something from him.
How pathetic am I?

Tell a boy not to call
and then be upset when he doesn’t. Add another symptom to the list—emotional mess.

Also, for a few weeks
, she had been neglecting her volunteer work at Second Chances. With everything going on in her life, she just hadn’t had the enthusiasm to go. She’d felt incredibly guilty and wondered if Leo was okay. She hoped she would feel more like herself soon, so she could at least visit. Talking to Marilyn was also on her ever-increasing to-do list. Naya continued to avoid her and the job offer, but she would have to address it eventually. She would love the position, but the future vampire queen wouldn’t work for a living.

Although
she was drowsy and lethargic most of the time, she had been plagued with bouts of insomnia when she should be sleeping during the day. It was five o’clock in the evening, and with the sun still up at the moment, she decided to enjoy watching reruns of reality television. She couldn’t leave the house anyway, and she hoped the reruns would lull her back to sleep.

An hour into
watching TV, Naya started to drift off, but then she heard Arianna pause in the entryway. She sensed Arianna’s hesitation. This surprised Naya because Arianna usually awoke closer to sunset, and at this time of year, that was over an hour away.

Naya smiled at Arianna to let her know
that she wasn’t imposing.

“
Hello, Naya. How are you?” Arianna said tentatively. She lingered inside the doorway as if she were anxious about entering.

“
Hey, Arianna. I’m fine. Sleepy but fine. And you?”

“
I am fine as well,” she said with a weak smile.

Naya raised her brow.
“You don’t have to stand over there. You can come in and sit down.”

Arianna crept into the room and sat on the couch across from her.

The family room had a TV with two couches perpendicular to it and two recliners facing it. Arianna could have picked one of the chairs closer to Naya, but she’d chosen to sit farther away.

Hmm
…

“
What are you watching?” Arianna asked.

Naya knew something was off now. She sat up and felt instantly light-headed. Th
at was probably the worst symptom. She closed her eyes and held her head in her hands, waiting for it to pass. After the stars cleared from her vision, she ignored Arianna’s look of concern.

“
What’s going on?” Naya asked.

“
Why would you ask that?”

“
Arianna, I have lived with you for over fifteen years, and you’ve never cared about what I’m watching on TV. Also, I can tell you have something on your mind by the way you’re wringing your hands together. And you answered my question with a question.”

Arianna glanced down at her hands
in her lap and immediately loosened them. She looked back up to Naya. “You see…”

“
Does this have something to do with your visit to my room last night?”

Arianna
’s eyes enlarged, and her face flushed.

Bingo.
Naya’s curiosity sparked. “I forget what you needed,” she said. “You asked me how I was and if I should see a doctor. Then, you asked if I needed to feed. Hmm…” She tapped her finger on her chin. “You were going to say something else, but you had to leave.” Naya gasped and sat forward in her seat. “Oh my gosh, Arianna. You need to feed. How long has it been?” She quickly did the math in her head. “It’s been almost two months. Oh my gosh, I am a horrible cousin. I am sorry. I’ve been worried about myself and my problems, and here you are, wasting away. You need to feed right now.”

She rose from her seat and made her way over to Arianna.

“You see, Naya, that is what I came to talk to you about. I already fed from someone.”

Naya could smell Emerson
’s hazelnut scent along with her cousin’s honey scent before she was halfway to the couch where Arianna was sitting.
So, this was the reason Arianna was nervous.
While it wasn’t against the rules to be unmated and feed from the opposite sex, it definitely wasn’t proper by their society’s standards, and Arianna most likely felt guilty. Naya wished she could tell Arianna that she was the last person to judge her. Not only had she fed from the opposite sex, but he was also a human.

Naya put one leg on the couch
before sitting sideways to face her cousin. “So, Emerson fed you?”

Arianna turned her body to mirror
Naya’s. Arianna’s eyes were full of worry as she pursed her lips and slowly nodded.

“
Whew. Thank God. What would we do without Emerson?”

Arianna
’s eyes filled with relief, and her shoulders sagged. “You are fine with this?”

“
Yes.”

“
You are truly okay with Emerson feeding me?”

“
Um…yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Naya
didn’t care. Emerson was just the man her parents had chosen as her mate.

Oh, right…

Naya understood Arianna’s concern now. “Ah, because he’s supposed to be my future mate? Well, Arianna, maybe you haven’t been in the same room as me for the last couple of months. Even though Emerson and I have been courting at our parents’ request, we don’t like each other in that way.”

“
You have no romantic feelings for him?”

Naya grabbed Arianna
’s hands and squeezed them. “None whatsoever.” She tilted her head. “But I bet you do.”

Arianna blushed.

“And Emerson?”

Arianna
hung her head, embarrassed, but she had a smile on her face. “He says he feels the same.”

Naya snapped her fingers.
“I knew it. I knew he had feelings for someone else. I just didn’t know it was you. But why did he always act aloof toward you when he visited?”

Arianna looked
up. “He told me he kept his feelings for me hidden, and he did not want to encourage my feelings for him because he didn’t want to disappoint his mother, your parents, and the Council. It displeases me to say this, but your illness brought us together.”

Naya laughed.
“It’s okay.” She pointed her finger at Arianna and gave her a stern look while keeping the humor in her eyes. “And I’m not sick.” She dropped her hand and shifted her weight in order to rest against the back of the couch. “At least something good came of my not feeling well. I’m happy for you. I know I don’t say it often, but I want you to know that I couldn’t have asked for a better sister than you. You are such a wonderful person, and you deserve to be happy.”

She grabbed Arianna in a hug
. Naya’s thoughts immediately went to seeing Vaughn again, but she knew her parents would find a respectable vampire to replace Emerson.

They released each other, and Arianna smiled at Naya with joyful tears in her eyes.
“Thank you. I could not have asked for a better sister either. But what of you? Your parents will be home soon. What are we going to tell them? Do you think they will hate me?”

“
Arianna, Mother and Father could never hate you. I won’t lie. They might be disappointed, but they would never hate you. They love you like their own daughter.”
As much as they could love anyone, that is.
She sometimes felt more like a political pawn than a daughter
.
“Don’t worry too much about me. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling the refusal of this betrothal will be nothing but a small hurdle in the near future. My instincts are telling me that something much bigger is going to come.”

“
I hope you are right about your parents. Their approval is very important to me,” Arianna said. She studied Naya, and concern crossed her face.

“
What?” Naya asked.

“
Naya, I’ve noticed that you have not fed the whole time your parents have been gone. Actually, I do not remember the last time you fed. Do you need to feed now?”

“
I don’t mean to be rude, but the thought of drinking your blood right now makes me sick to my stomach. Besides, I’ve fed three times from—”

Holy crap
. She’d fed from Vaughn three times in almost three months, and she hadn’t felt the need for any vampire blood in between feedings from him. That meant his blood had been sustaining her the whole time. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized this before. This could explain why she hadn’t felt well lately. Maybe she’d caught a human disease from him, or maybe his blood had been missing a vitamin or nutrient she required. She should probably feed from Arianna, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it even if it meant possibly feeling better.

“
Whom have you fed from?”

Arianna
had confided in Naya, but she found she couldn’t do the same. Arianna was still a little old-fashioned, and most likely, she wouldn’t understand.

“
I’d rather not talk about it.” She winced. “Sorry.”

“
Naya, Emerson said you smell like someone after you go out for the night. He indicated it was a male scent. Is this the same person who fed you?”

Naya sighed.
“Yes.” She sat forward. “But I can’t tell you any more than that.”

She wanted to protect Vaughn
, and more importantly, her memories of their time together. She didn’t want her precious feelings to be tainted by anyone who would make her feel like she’d done something wrong by being with him.

“
Okay, I will respect your privacy.”

Grateful Arianna wouldn
’t pursue the issue, Naya relaxed some.

“
But are you in need? Do you want me to find him, so you can feed?”

“
No.” Naya shook her head. “I’m not hungry right now. I fed two weeks ago.”

Remembering the taste
of Vaughn’s blood calmed her stomach, and her nausea almost went away completely. The idea of drinking from anyone else immediately made her feel queasy again. She thought of Vaughn, and the feeling passed.

What in the world
is happening to me?

“
Naya, what is wrong? I can see you are troubled.”

Naya looked up into Arianna
’s concerned eyes. “Honestly, Arianna, I don’t know.”

“
Are you sure you do not want me to take you to a physician?” Arianna asked.

Naya waved her hand.
“No. I’m sure it will pass. See? I’m already out of bed today.”

Naya gave Arianna a half
-smile. Naya wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more—Arianna or herself.

Two nights later, Celeste Kensington followed her mate into their house. It felt wonderful to be home after the long trip. She knew it was important for them to
spend time in other parts of the world since not all vampires lived in the United States, but her favorite part of every trip was when they returned home.