Chapter 10
ten
. . .
I slept with Dorian Drigo in my bed. Yes, I’d been bloodless and feverish, and probably on some kind of vampire drug, but I’d still kissed him like I’d forgotten all about the long miserable years we’d been apart.
I woke up with an abrupt jerk, knowing that he was there, all around me, tucking me against him like I belonged there.
And I felt like I belonged there. That was the most terrifying thing of all, waking up and feeling like I was finally home.
“Dorian,” I whispered, trying to find my way out of the warm demon cave, but every wall was soft, velvety skin that touched me back.
“Cherry blossom,” he whispered.
I held very still. Once a long time ago in spring when I’d seen a tree with a broken branch, I’d brought it in to work because it was so pretty.
Everyone had looked at me like I was crazy, but Dorian had touched the blossoms and then looked at me with a slight smile and called me a cherry blossom.
That was the first time I wanted anyone.
He was the only person there who acted like it was normal for strip clubs to have jars with branches of blossoms stuck in them.
He’d actually taken it to his office when one of the dancers complained about it in the dressing room, taking up valuable counter space where she was trying to do her makeup.
“I’m not cold anymore. You can put your shirt back on,” I said, trying to sound normal, like I wasn’t cozying up to a demon I’d been way too in love with.
“You’re feeling better.” His wings parted, letting in the light of my lamp on my dresser so I could see his face, the expression, warm, pleased, relaxed, and so handsome.
For a second that feeling, the contented peace swept over me, washing away all the awkwardness, the hurt, but I shook it off and climbed out of my bed, out of his arms, and onto the floor.
I pulled the needle out of my arm—ow—and then headed for the shower.
I undressed quickly and then slipped under the water, trying to breathe normally and not let the emotions, the happiness clashing with misery, make me completely insane.
I had it mostly together and was washing my hair when he spoke, clearly, right outside my shower curtain.
“What do you want to eat? You’ll need extra calories to rebuild your blood.”
I inhaled water, because what was he doing right there outside my shower when I was naked? I pressed my body against the cold tiles while I sputtered. “I’ll worry about that later. I’m in the shower! What are you doing?”
“Did you want me to be doing something? I suppose I could scrub your back for you if you really—”
“No! Absolutely not! Dorian, do you want me to kill you?”
He chuckled, rich dark, and for a second I closed my eyes, waiting to see if he’d open the curtain and step into the cascade of water with me. I wouldn’t be able to push him away. He felt so good when he was scrubbing my back.
“I’ll wait for you in your bedroom. I was only checking on you to make sure you hadn’t fainted or been attacked by an unstable vampire or a fear demon.”
I took a shaky breath. “Good.” Good, right? Of course good. Not like I actually wanted him coming into my shower. Right. The last thing I needed was to complicate my life by rekindling my addiction to a demon.
I finished washing my hair quickly and then stepped out, dried myself off and went into the bedroom.
Then I realized that I was in my bedroom with a demon without anything on other than a towel.
He did have his shirt on, but only two buttons were done.
He was sitting on my bed, frowning at his phone.
“Are you looking for a good restaurant?” I asked, going to my closet to find something normal.
I had so few things that fit into that category and I’d already worn everything functional.
I needed to do laundry. In the meantime, I had a pencil skirt and blouse with pumps that I had for my lady teas every Wednesday.
I’d keep the jewelry simple and the accessories minimal, so I should look okay.
“We’ll have to go back to the club after you get dressed,” he growled.
I turned to look at him, still holding my hanger with the gauze blouse on it. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there is a problem. I need to lick all the water droplets off your damp skin, but it would probably give you a heart attack. Your pulse needs to stay steady until your blood levels are up, but you’re wearing a towel.
I’ll wait outside.” He moved so quick, in a blink he was out, closing the door firmly behind him, leaving me and my unsteady pulse alone with my towel.
I stood there for a second, staring at where he’d been on my bed, then I finally shook my head and all the madness out of it before I dried more thoroughly, lotioned up, and dressed.
My makeup was tasteful and subdued, and I looked mostly normal when I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror.
I didn’t look like I belonged in a fight club, and I was too pale, but I looked mostly normal.
Whatever that meant, and whyever I’d care, because nothing about this situation was normal. And Wilkie was still lost.
My arm ached. Yep, those were real demon claw marks that were red around the edges, scabbing over.
I turned until I could see the back of my neck.
Yep. There were the puncture wounds that had ripped when Dorian startled Lucy.
I’d really been bitten by a vampire and clawed by a demon.
At least no one had accidentally ripped out my spine.
What if I was turning? I’d thought he was joking when he mentioned that, but what if he wasn’t?
And Lucy had almost killed me. She was one of the oldest girls I’d known at Aunt Perry’s house.
She’d always had so much energy, so much curiosity, but always been solid and responsible.
She was the one who would make sandwiches for the little kids when they were hungry.
Weird she’d ended up a housewife, and then a vampire.
Weird that three of us would end up with monsters.
Yeah, those things were just weird, not ‘freak out right now,’ issues at all.
Aunt Perry always seemed to know more than she’d tell you.
I wasn’t going to dwell on the Roberta thing.
That was even more ‘freak out right now’ than the Lucy vampire thing.
I grabbed my phone and called Gloria.
“Divine Inspirations. Your voice is the shattering of raindrops on a million fans.”
“Um, thank you? I feel very validated now. Did Aunt Perry intentionally adopt children who would turn into monsters?”
“Aren’t you supposed to still be hibernating from your traumatic weekend?”
“Yes, I am, but instead I’m being dragged back to the fight club, because some idiot demon thinks I belong to him.”
“Do you want me to call Lucy? She could take you to her castle and then—”
“Lucy bit me last night or whenever that was, because I was unconscious and feverish and… No. I don’t want to go hang out at Lucy’s vampire castle. You should be more careful around her. She really is an unstable vampire.”
“She bit you? Like infected you with vampirism?”
“Bit me like I hope not, because if there’s one thing my life doesn’t need, it’s a thirst for blood.” My stomach rumbled. I looked up and Dorian was standing in the door, apparently listening to my conversation like that wasn’t rude.
“You’re hungry,” he said.
“Not for blood.”
“What?” Gloria asked.
I sighed heavily. “I’ve got to go. Dorian is standing in my doorway looking like he’s about to pick me up and carry me away. Too bad demons don’t have castles in the clouds.”
She said, “Tom says they like caves. More defensible than clouds. Also, clouds would be damp and cloudy all the time. You’d get good rainbows, but I don’t think it would be worth the tradeoff.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, I was saying more that it was too bad that he wasn’t a Prince Charming with a castle instead of a demon with a cave, but whatever.”
“He’s right there? You might hurt his feelings telling him he’s no prince.”
I glared at Dorian. “He’s a demon. He has no feelings. Also, he’s a king.”
She snorted. “Ah. A possessive king. Sounds much better than a whiny prince.”
Or a fear-devouring general manager. I shuddered and shook it off. I wasn’t thinking about Roberta. Lucy was bad enough. “Bye, Gloria.” We hung up and then I was left staring at Dorian who cautiously patted the spikes coming out of his head, eyes glittering with amusement.
“And you are my Candy Queen to my king, delicious to all the monsters I will protect you from.” He frowned. “Or fail to protect you from as I already so clearly demonstrated.”
I pushed past him. “I’m the Candy Queen because I own the Candy Kingdom, not because some demon thinks I belong to him. Also, we’re not married. Whether you were a prince or a king has nothing to do with me.”
“You made me a ring and swore vows. What is marriage if not that? You haven’t even taken any other lovers. Even that notoriously irresistible incubus who bakes you cake hoping for a bite.”
I shuddered at the thought of more demons in my life. Roberta… Nope. Not thinking about that. “It was for an afternoon. And you said that you threw them away.”
“You lived with me for seventeen months and twelve days after we swore vows. Seems longer than an afternoon to me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “No one witnessed it. If there are no witnesses, it didn’t happen. Also, and most importantly, you threw me away, even if you kept the rings.”