Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
Della
Josiah came and picked me up, his eyes swirling with black smoke. He was drenched in blood and other debris I didn’t even want to begin to guess the nature of. He cradled me in his arms, let me know he’d neutralized the flower poison on his clothes, and told me to keep my eyes shut. I snuggled against him, ignoring the damp feel of his leather shirt, and just let him hold me tight.
He took us through the tunnel system before the sounds told me we were outdoors. I could hear raised voices and rushing footsteps, and then the noise of gravel crushing under his feet. After a few minutes, I fell asleep.
When I woke up it was light outside and I was in an unfamiliar bed. I rolled over just as I felt the bed dip to see Josiah in a cranberry-colored dress shirt tucked into black slacks. He sat beside me and gently moved my hair behind my ear. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Tired but I’m okay.” I pushed myself up and leaned forward, resting my head against his chest. “How are you feeling? Are you hurt at all?”
Shoes scuffed just outside the door of the room we were in. “Josiah? Is she awake? Bring your girlfriend downstairs.”
“In a moment, Mother,” he called back to her. “I’m fine. I was, but my mother treated me.”
“Oh? What’d they do to you?” I pushed the blankets off my legs and started to get up, but Josiah wrapped an arm around my waist.
“Josiah!” a male voice boomed. “Get a move on, we have things to discuss.”
Josiah gave me an apologetic look. “My father. I’ve left a bit of a mess in the High Court. Ezra injured my shoulders; they’ll be sore for a little while. It's nothing to worry about.”
“A mess?”
He stood up. “I removed one of the Ancients—it's never been done before, that I know of. Not during my or my parents’ lifetimes.”
“So, what’s going to happen?” I slid off the bed and glanced down at the loose, white night dress. “This is pretty.” My head was a mess and the last thing I knew, I was about to be experimented on.
“The bathroom is right there; my mother put some things in there for you to use last night. Nothing’s going to happen, not to you or me. The Court will replace him I’m sure. Do you want me to wait for you?”
Glancing in the direction he’d pointed me in, I answered, “No, you don’t have to. I think I’ll be able to find you downstairs.” I laughed. His parents seemed pretty lively; all I’d have to do was follow the noise.
“Hang on,” I said, crossing the room to where he now stood by the door. “What happens now? Where does everyone think we are? What do I tell Ashley?”
“We took a vacation.”
“She’s not gonna buy that; I didn’t tell her a thing, and she knows I would’ve.”
Josiah took my hands in his. “It was a surprise vacation, with no cellular service.”
“But where do I say we went?” My brain scrambled, panicking thinking of how I would explain everything. How do you tell your best friend your boyfriend is a murderous blood drinking vampire that rescued you in an alternate dimension? She would know something didn’t add up, no matter what I told her.
“You’re worrying too much; I can see it all around you.” Josiah tugged me against him. “I have the feeling Ashley will be fine when you tell her I took you on a spontaneous trip.”
I didn’t see how that was possible, but I’d deal with it when the time came. “What about us, are we in danger?”
He let out a low laugh. “No, not at all. One day I expect the Ancients will seek retribution, but today is not that day. I’ll kill anyone who comes near you.” He grasped my cheeks and pulled me in for a kiss, prodding my lips apart with his tongue.
Catching my breath, I asked, “They see you as the bad guy now, probably?”
“I’ve always been the bad guy; nothing’s changed. Don’t worry; you’ve seen for yourself what I’ll do.”
Bad guy . I’d never thought of him that way before and with what he did, I was sure many would be after him
“Well, you’re my personal villain,” I said smiling up at him, before shaking my head. “That didn’t come out right.”
“Go get ready before my mother comes storming in.”
Josiah shut the door, and I went into the bathroom and looked around. There was a change of clothes, multiple toiletries, and a toothbrush in a small package. His mom had thought of everything.
After I cleaned myself up and put on the pair of thick leggings and blouse laid out for me, I trekked downstairs.
The house was beautiful and spacious, exactly what I’d expect supernatural creatures to live in, with rich furnishings and all the trappings of wealth.
A vase full of the gorgeous bright white flowers with red liquid in their centers caught my attention and I wanted to smell them, but I wasn’t confident it was a good idea. I’d seen them when Jude brought me to this world. The petals were almost luminescent and if I stared too long, the blinding color hurt my eyes. The fluid pollen appeared suspiciously like blood and from what I’d seen and experienced, the substance wasn’t something one messed with around here. You never knew what was in it.
“Oh, there you are! Those are Moonflowers, do you want one? Or Bloodmoon flowers. I’m so glad to finally meet you—maybe not like this but at least you’re here. Come, come into the kitchen. I thought I heard you come downstairs. Hungry?”
“Mother, calm down please.” Josiah chided the woman as she steered me down a hallway to a spacious kitchen. “Della, this is my mother, Ruth.”
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you,” I greeted her.
She grabbed me and yanked me into a hug. “Oh, you smell so good,” she said as she released me. Josiah hissed while I thanked her.
“Don’t worry, I’d never bite you. Unless you asked of course.”
“Mother,” he warned her. “I told you she’s a vampire,” he said looking at me. “But she won’t touch you.”
A nervous laugh bubbled out. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Good because Josiah has no sense of humor—I was joking. You do smell good, if I’m being honest but I know you’re his.” She winked at me.
Ruth was extraordinarily beautiful. She was tall, lithe, and had a long mane of rich, dark brown hair that trailed to her hips, sparkling brown eyes, and smooth pale skin. She didn’t look a day over thirty. I felt certain she had her pick of whoever she’d want to bite.
“What do you want for breakfast?” the woman asked me. “We have everything—fruit, waffles, cereal, eggs, pancakes, blood, oatmeal, yogurt. You name it, I got it. You don’t drink blood, do you? I have a succulent virgin, only thirteen years old.”
“Uh, no thank you with the blood. Fruit sounds good, please.” I watched as she crossed the room to fetch my request and caught Josiah rolling his eyes.
“What would happen if I drank blood? Would I turn into a vampire?”
Josiah held his hand out and an apple appeared in it before he tossed it lightly to me. “No, Little One, you don’t have the proper DNA.”
“Awww,” his mother said, her eyes sad.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. “I don’t want to get gray and grandma-looking while you stay all hot.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before.
What the hell was I supposed to do? I didn’t really want to become a vampire. Stabbing people in the neck with my teeth wasn’t appealing though I loved it when Josiah did it to me. My eyes started watering knowing there was an expiration date on my relationship with the man.
He walked over to me and grabbed the apple right before it fell to the floor. “Do you not trust me? You’re my wife, that will never happen to you.”
“But how?”
Ruth opened her mouth, but Josiah lifted a hand toward her, closing off her voice. She looked like a fish underwater and I tried not to giggle at the sight.
“Boy, we have things to discuss.” A man I assumed was Josaih’s father strolled in. “Release your mother immediately.”
Ruth swatted Josiah as soon as she was able and pulled a clear carafe filled with red liquid out of a cabinet and began pouring the fluid into etched glasses.
He ignored them and turned back to me. “Pick an age you want to stay, and I’ll start feeding you my blood then. It will preserve you.”
“As easy as that?” I took the apple back and crunched into it, letting the sweet and savory juices fill my mouth. It was the most delicious apple I’d ever tasted.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll take care of you. Speaking of which, you’re moving into my manor when we return but you may keep your apartment if you wish.”
My gut pushed back instantly. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to give up that much control. Everything was set up just the way I’d always wanted—all my ducks were in their neat, orderly row. It took forever, but I’d finally gotten a handle on my life. Did I really want to turn it over to someone else?
Staring at Josiah, I thought about it some more. He’d taken care of me, rescued me multiple times. He showered me with affection and supported my every desire for myself. It would be nice to wake up next to him and not have to worry about intruders. He was the intruder, anyway, sneaking into my room and having his way with me.
“Okay, you’ve got a deal. Just a few conditions. I keep my apartment. My dad moves in with us—with Melinda.”
He nodded and said, “Of course, I already planned on that. What else?”
“You trap me sometimes and have your way with me. Like before.” I grinned at him, thinking of the fun we could have in his huge house.
“Oooooh... Karl, our son’s still got it. He’s a lady killer,” Ruth said, winking at me. She licked her lips and gazed at Josiah’s dad. Josiah’s eyes shuttered and he shook his head, clearly having had enough of his mom.
Josiah arched an eyebrow at me. “Yes, Little One, we can do that.” He nipped at my neck, sending goosebumps down my arms.