Fanged Desire (Leyore Coven #3)

Chapter 29

Hunter

The office was quiet. The small space looked the same as it always did, but it felt empty in a way it never had before. I sat at my desk, staring at the polished surface, shivering at the ghost of Addison’s touch. It was impossible not to remember what we’d done there.

Weeks had passed since Penelope’s rescue, since Cathy had fallen to my claws. Addison, I heard, had thrown herself into the role of caretaker, helping her sister get back on her feet – which was exactly what I’d expected her to do. What I hadn’t expected was the gnawing ache in my chest that was magnified by every acknowledgment of her absence.

We hadn’t agreed to keep in touch. I’d convinced myself it would be better if we didn’t. Addison deserved a clean slate, a chance to rebuild her life without the complications of… well, me. But it hurt. Checking my phone to no new messages, willing away the hours in this achingly empty office. It hurt.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end. Quietly. Cleanly. I should be grateful that she was safe, that her sister was safe. That should be enough.

But it wasn’t.

A knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. I lolled in my chair, frowning at the sound. It was late, and I wasn’t expecting anyone. And if it was Maxine coming to gloat about her impeccable detective skills again, I may have had an aneurysm.

With a pointedly loud groan I got to my feet, strode to the door and peered through the glass panel – and blinked, once. The sound that emerged from my lips was a strangled gasp, and I hurriedly cleared my throat.

She was standing out there, in her usual faded jeans, her hair loose and falling around her shoulders. In her hands was a bouquet of flowers, the kind you’d buy from the street vendors, and when she saw me her face broke into the brightest smile I’d ever seen.

When I opened the door Addison looked up at me, her smile faltering slightly when I could do nothing but stare.

“Hey,” she said eventually. Sheepishly. “I, uh… I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No I was just – you know…” I shook my head, still trying to find my voice. “What are you doing here?”

She bit her lip, glancing down at the flowers in her hands. “I came to… I mean, I wanted to–”

She let out a frustrated laugh, thrusting the bouquet at me like a fragrant battering ram. “I’m here to formally ask you out on a date.”

I looked at the flowers, then back at her, the words not registering at first. “A date?”

“Yes. A date. We could go watch a movie or get dinner… Okay maybe not dinner, I know you don’t eat, but maybe–” She cut herself off, blushing furiously. “This isn’t coming out right. Look, I just – I’m sorry it took me so long to show up. Things have been hectic with Penelope, and I wanted to make sure she was okay before I–”

I didn’t let her finish.

The flowers fell to the floor as I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.

After what was technically our first official date at one of Jordan’s fancy establishments, I drove us back to Addison’s place. I’d chatted her ear off all evening, catching her up on everything that had happened during her absence.

All of Cathy’s associates had been officially rooted out, Jordan’s business was flourishing, and peace had finally settled between the vampires and the elves of the city. Despite my underhanded tactics of late, Jordan let me off the hook with a grin and a shake of her head, though the rest of the Leyore woman got to teasing me relentlessly for my reckless behavior, poking and prodding for all the juicy details of what went down between me and Addison.

I risked a glance in her direction. She was staring out of the window and she looked happier than I’d ever seen, a serene smile subconsciously curving her lips. By bringing Penelope home and discarding the mask she’d worn through those harrowing months trying to find her, Addison had come alive again. This version of her was whole, happy, free from burden – and still she had chosen to stay by my side.

Addison had surprised me in so many ways, not least of all with how open she was to the idea of entering into a contract with me. It was the last thing I wanted to ask of her, but if she was going to be trusted to keep the Leyore vampires’ secret it had to be done. Humans were permitted to know our true identity through one of two routes; a contract… or a mating bond.

I hadn’t dared consider the latter myself, hadn’t asked myself that crucial question. Some sore, broken part of me was still afraid of what the answer would be.

Once inside my glowing date’s apartment, the floors no longer strewn with evidence and paper trails, Addison kicked off her shoes and headed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. I trailed after her, settling into the space that was filled with a vibrancy my little office sorely lacked.

When she emerged from the kitchen, twirling a glass between her fingers, Addison fluttered her eyes at me, something playful flickering in her expression. “So, you’ve successfully wined, dined, and dazzled me. What should we do now?”

I shrugged, funneling my hands into my coat pockets, though considering the way she was looking at me, I had a few ideas. “Preferably something that requires taking our clothes off.”

“What about a bubble bath?”

The suggestion had been innocent enough, said with a smile and a teasing lilt to Addison's voice, but it hit me like a brick. She must have seen the way I balked because her face immediately fell.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, “I didn’t think… I mean, I forgot. We can do something else, something less…” She hesitated, searching for the right word. “Something less wet.”

I stared at her, taking in the genuine concern on her face. This woman – this maddening, infuriating, brilliant woman – had seen me at my worst and was still here, trying to accommodate my bullshit. A part of me wanted to take it, to retreat from the memory of rushing water and suffocating fear, but the larger part of me – the part that had slowly started to believe in us – wanted to try.

“No.” I shook my head quickly, surprising even myself. “I want to do this. With you.”

Her voice was gentle when she spoke. “Hunter, you don’t have to. Really.”

But I did. Somehow, in that moment, I knew that I wanted to experience life with her – see the world through her eyes, experience even the small, seemingly trivial things with her by my side.

“Run the bath,” I said quietly, jutting my chin towards the door. “I want to try.”

Addison gave me a searching look, then nodded, setting her glass aside and disappearing into the bathroom. I followed a minute later, standing in the doorway as she knelt by the tub, pouring in some kind of lavender-scented concoction.

The sound of rushing water set my nerves on edge, but I focused on her instead, on the little hum she let out as she tested the water temperature. This was for her, with her. That thought was enough to steady me.

Addison climbed in first, the water sloshing softly as she leaned back against the porcelain.

I kicked off my shoes. The water lapped at my calves as I sat on the edge of the tub, staring at tendrils of steam curling into the air. The sound was almost soothing, the warmth almost inviting, but my chest was tight, my stomach twisting itself into knots.

I glanced at Addison. She was leaning back, her hair damp and pasted to her shoulders, her expression pensive as she watched me. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Her voice was like a tether, but still, my fingers curled around the edge of the tub as I hesitated. I didn’t want her to see this side of me; the vulnerable side that was still haunted by something so simple. But I didn’t want to turn away, either. I wanted this. Not the bath itself, but the experience. Being here with her.

I stripped down, avoiding my reflection in the mirror, and stepped into the water. The heat crept over my skin and I clenched my jaw as I sank deeper. Every muscle in my body wound tight.

“Turn around.” Addison’s hand reached for me, fingers fluttering on my shoulder. “Trust me.”

I sucked in a breath and slowly, I turned, letting her maneuver me, positioning us so that my back rested against her chest, her arms sliding around my waist to hold me steady. The sensation was... strange. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had held me like this, cradling me like I was something fragile, something worth protecting.

“See?” she murmured near my ear, her voice like a balm. “Not so bad.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “It’s not great.”

Addison’s breathy, teasing laughter tickled my ear. “Well, you’re being very brave.”

“Thanks,” was my flat, griping response. “Could you be more infantilizing about it?”

“I was going for encouraging.” I felt her shrug at my back, rest her chin on my shoulder, and the slippery, skin-on-skin contact was a welcome respite.

Her voice in my ear, her breath against my neck, it all worked to soothe the tension coiled in my chest. Slowly, my muscles unwound and I leaned back against her, letting her hold me. We sat like that for a while, the bubbles floating lazily on the surface of the water.

I curled my knees up as she pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck, and closed my eyes. Of all the directions I had imagined my life going, I had never expected this. I couldn’t believe I had ever wanted anything else.

“It’s nice,” I finally admitted. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but… It’s nice.”

Addison chuckled softly, the sound vibrating against my back. Her fingers trailed lightly over my stomach, our shifting bodies sending ripples through the water. My eyelids fluttered and I damn near drifted off, until Addison asked, “Hunter, you brushed over it before, but… what really happened that day?”

I tensed slightly at the question. I knew exactly what she was referring to, and the long-buried memories thrashed violently just below the surface. But Addison’s hold didn’t waver. I let out a long, slow exhale. If I couldn’t tell her, who could I tell?

“I’ve had the power to bend minds to my will since I was a kid. It was just… amplified after I was turned. Jordan thinks there was a trace of vampirism in my genes or something.”

Addison’s fingers stilled as I continued, the words tumbling out now that I’d started. “It wasn’t something I understood then. I didn’t even know I was doing it half the time. But my parents… they knew something was off. They saw it in little things. How I got my way more often than not.”

I paused, the memory of their wary glances and hushed conversations like a splinter in my heart. “Like I said before, they were afraid of me. It all came to a head in my twenties. My dad had always been a little paranoid, but it got worse. He became erratic, convinced I was some kind of threat. And one day, he just snapped.”

The words stuck in my throat, and I forced myself to push through. “I went over to visit them. My mom was running a bath. I went in to say hi, maybe said something that set my father off – I don’t remember. But he… he grabbed me and tried to drown me under that scalding water.”

I felt Addison suck in a sharp breath behind me, her hands tightening into fists at my stomach.

“I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die there, under the rushing water.” I closed my eyes, the memory vivid even after all these years. “Jordan saved me. Of all people, it was Jordan. She was passing by the apartment and she heard me scream. She climbed the wall, broke in through the window, and pulled me out.”

I let out a shaky, bitter laugh. “She didn’t even hesitate. She saw what was happening and stole me away like a Nosferatu himself. Tried to keep me alive, but… I was already half dead. When it was clear I wasn’t going to make it, she made a choice. She turned me. Made me a vampire.”

The room was quiet and I tilted my head to glance at Addison, unsure what I’d see in her eyes.

But when I met her gaze, there was only understanding. And anger – not at me, but for me. For what had been done to me. I didn’t speak, and neither did she. She didn’t have to. Addison’s arms around me said everything I needed to know.

For a while, we sat like that. But then Addison spoke again, tentative and treading carefully. “These powers you have... is that why things ended with Selene?”

The question sent a sharp pang through my chest. I stiffened against her and looked away, sinking deeper into the steaming water. Addison’s voice was gentle in my ear. “You can tell me.”

I could, and I had to. She deserved to know the truth.

“Yes. It was my powers. I... used them on her, during an argument. I was tired and upset and I let it leak into my words. Just for a moment. But even one moment was a moment too much. And then she left… But I deserved that. And I deserved everything that came after that too.”

Addison didn’t say anything, but her arms tightened around me. Silence descended on us again, heavy and suffocating, until she finally asked, “What came after?”

She deserved to know. And I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her everything.

“Selene was my mate. For vampires, a mate is your other half, your missing piece. And breaking that bond...” My voice faltered, and I forced myself to continue. “It’s like losing a part of yourself. It hollowed me out. I wasn’t... I wasn’t okay for a very long time.”

The silence returned and it felt contemplative, like Addison was turning over the confession in her mind. I couldn’t see her face, and the uncertainty gnawed at me.

Then her voice came, soft and silky in my ear. “Is it – is it possible to find a new mate?”

The question stilled me, though a whirlwind of emotions surged in my chest. Hope, fear, longing. And then, clarity. Like my heart was perking up and saying Oh. It was so obvious, wasn’t it?

I turned slightly, tilting my head back so I could meet her eyes. Her face was so close, full lips just inches from mine, her gaze searching, hesitant and… hopeful.

“I think,” I said softly, cautiously, holding her gaze. Speaking out loud what I'd subconsciously known all along. What I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge until now.

“I think I already have.”