Chapter 11 Cassie
Cassie
My mate was in the bathtub right now. Naked in the bathtub. I winced as I heard a soft splashing sound, wishing for perhaps the first time in my life that my hearing wasn’t so good.
Leaning back in my chair, I stared up at the ceiling.
That kiss. I hadn’t expected her to make a move on me, but I certainly wasn’t sorry about it.
Well, not at the time. It had been the best kiss of my life, hands down.
But now that I’d tasted her, now that I’d felt Ruby’s soft curves against my body, it was going to be even harder to pretend like she was just a client.
With a sigh, I went out onto the balcony and called Lois.
“What is it, Weatherby?” Lois barked. “This is my quiet time with my mate.”
In the background I heard a soft giggle before Lois huffed impatiently into the phone. She wasn’t one for unexpected phone calls, especially outside of work hours. Then again, our job was twenty-four seven.
“It’s not a problem, but I need to disclose something to you,” I said, making my voice formal. “Ruby is my mate.”
Lois released an angry growl that made me cringe. I was glad I was breaking this news to her over the phone.
“What is it with you idiots finding mates on every damned job? Christ on a cracker, how many human lesbians are even left in this city for you to hook up with?”
“None of us can determine when and where we find our mates,” I reminded her. “I mean, I know it’s not ideal timing, and I never really wanted a mate, but now that I have one, I can’t say I’m sorry about it.”
“And of course you don’t want me to take you off the case,” she sighed.
“No,” I said emphatically. “I can do this boss. I can do my job and protect my mate. Just like Wanda and Bella and…”
“I don’t need a recitation of every damned love connection among my staff,” Lois yelled so loudly I had to move the phone away from my ear.
“Why does this keep happening? None of the other Sapphic Security offices are running a freaking dating service. I’m a laughingstock with my peers thanks to you idiots.
I knew I should have worked at a shifter office.
You damned vamps have no sense, finding your mates on every damned job like lovesick fools.
I’m going to start hiring human heteros, maybe that will fix this problem. ”
I knew from experience that when Lois was on a rant you just needed to let her swear and scream until she tired herself out. Arguing with her or defending yourself would just make the torture last longer.
After a few more minutes of blustering Lois finally wound down.
“I should pull you off this case whether you want me to or not,” she yelled. “But I know good and well that won’t keep you away from Ruby, so you might as well do some work while you’re mooning after her.”
“If it was Monique, would you walk away?” I asked before I could think better of it. We all knew the topic of Lois’s mate was strictly off limits.
“Don’t you dare bring my mate into this, Weatherby!”
I winced. Lois was about ten seconds away from an aneurysm from the sounds of it. But she also knew I was right. When she’d been in this exact same situation, she hadn’t stepped away. She’d protected her mate herself, not caring how it might affect her career.
“Fine, if you’re not stepping away, I’m going to need to put a second agent on the case with you. My first responsibility is to the client.”
“So is mine, boss. But how are we going to explain having two people here?” I asked. “It’s already weird enough for a writer to be staying with a woman she just met.”
“You don’t know a lot of lesbians, do you Weatherby? There’s a reason why there’s that joke about lesbians bringing a U-Haul to their second date.”
She mumbled something I didn’t catch but I was pretty sure it was something unflattering about my intellect.
“I’ll keep the team out of sight. See if we can commandeer a vacant unit or something so they’ll be close in case the shit goes down but not underfoot. Stand by, I’ll message you later.”
“Yes ma’am and thank you.”
Lois hung up without another word.
“Everything okay?”
I jumped as Ruby stuck her head through the partially open sliding glass door. She’d changed into a pair of soft looking sweats and a pair of thick socks.
“Yeah, I was just talking to my boss about something.”
“It sounded serious.”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped me. “Lois is very unhappy with me right now.”
“Would ice cream help?” she asked. “You’re an adult, you can have it before dinner if you want. Or instead of dinner. I won’t judge.”
I stared at her for a long moment. “What flavor?”
“Rocky road.”
“Okay, I’m in.”
I had a surprisingly fun night with my mate. While we ate our ice cream Ruby challenged me to a game of Scrabble. I hadn’t played any board games since I was a young girl, back when my grandmother was alive, and I enjoyed it more than I would have guessed.
It was a close game, but Ruby edged me out by five points before saying good night and heading to bed.
I did a search of the condo, double checking locks on the doors and windows, then checked in with Wanda who I knew was set up in a van down on the street.
Once I was confident that everything was secure, I unpacked some of my stuff, took a shower, and spent some time knitting until I finally felt sleepy enough to go to bed. It had been a big day.
The smell of coffee woke me up just after seven.
I was surprised that I’d slept that late, but a quick glance told me that my mate was still sleeping as well.
Realizing the coffee pot was on a timer, I got dressed, did another perimeter search of the condo, and checked in with my team downstairs before helping myself to a cup of coffee.
“I’m heading off duty in an hour,” Wanda told me. “Everything was quiet last night. Martha is on shift next.”
“Roger that, thank you.”
I was reading my emails on my laptop when I heard Ruby get up.
I heard her pad around her room, then spend some time in the bathroom before coming to the kitchen.
She looked sleepy, her long brown hair wild and tangled, a crease on her cheek from the pillow.
She was wearing the same sweats I’d seen her in last night, but without a bra.
I tried not to notice the way her little nipples poked against the threadbare fabric of her shirt.
“Hey, good morning,” she said sleepily.
“Good morning.”
I’d poured myself a glass of my morning blood and was taking a sip of it when I heard Ruby make a little squeaking noise. When I glanced back up at her, she was blinking at my lips. Realizing I must have a blood mustache, I wiped it off with the back of my hand.
Suddenly my mate turned deathly white and hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
“Ruby! Ruby are you okay?”
I dropped to my knees on the floor next to her, my fingers going to the pulse at her neck. Her heart was beating strongly, and she wasn’t frothing at the mouth or seizing, so I wasn’t sure why she’d passed out.
“Ruby!” I tapped her cheek lightly with my fingers. “Ruby, it’s Cassie, can you hear me?”
She groaned, her eyes opening slowly. Ruby shook her head from side to side as she blinked to get her eyes back in focus.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “What happened? Are you dizzy?”
She pushed up to seated, her eyes on her lap. I noticed that her hand was shaking. My inner vamp was freaking out, desperate to know what was wrong with our mate.
“No, I uh… sometimes I faint at the sight of blood. It’s stupid I know, but I can’t help it. I’ve been this way since I was a kid.”
I’d never heard her voice sound so small.
“Blood? Are you bleeding?” I asked in confusion.
My eyes scanned her body, but I didn’t see any injuries.
She shook her head and risked a look up at me. “No, it’s you. You had blood on your mouth.”
She winced. “Still do.”
I lifted my shirt and wiped my mouth, making sure I got it all off.
“I’m sorry,” I said contritely. “I had no idea.”
“It’s fine. I just need to get used to seeing you drinking blood in my kitchen I guess.”
When she started to get up I jumped to my feet, offering her a hand, then led her to a chair.
“I’ll use a cup instead of a glass next time, that will help make it less visible.”
Turning away from her, I downed the rest of my therapeutic blood in one shot, rinsing the glass thoroughly before putting it into the dishwasher.
Then I opened the refrigerator and moved my remaining bottles to the back of the bottom shelf, where they wouldn’t be seen.
I poured Ruby a small glass of orange juice and took it to her at the table.
She still looked a little shaky and I figured the fructose would be good for her.
She drank it without comment and by the time she was finished, the color was coming back to her face.
“Vampires have to have blood,” I offered softly. “It’s like medicine for us. But I know it may seem… barbaric.”
Her eyes flew to mine, and I saw the concern there. “No, please, it’s not that at all. I’m not trying to be judgmental or make things weird. I just wasn’t expecting it, it took me by surprise. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or self-conscious because I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot.”
Impulsively I reached for her hand, wrapping her small fingers in mine.
My entire body hummed with something that felt like contentment.
Like everything in the world was fine now that I was touching her.
Ruby stared at our joined hands, a look of wonder on her face, like she felt the same thing I did.
“What’s happening?” she whispered. “Whenever we’re close I feel… strange. I’ve never felt this way before.”
I wondered if she was remembering our kiss yesterday. How could she not? It had been incredible.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this or not,” I said slowly, thinking I should have discussed this with Lois or one of the other agents before I got into this position.
“Tell me what?”
I stared at her for a long, charged moment. “You’re my fated mate. What you’re feeling, what I’m feeling too, is the formation of the mate bond. It will grow stronger the more time we spend together.”
“Fated mate?” She frowned, her forehead doing the most adorable crinkling motion. “Like in a paranormal romance book?”
I shrugged. “I guess? I’ve never read one, but I imagine the concept is the same.”
She pulled her hand away, a look on her face I couldn’t quite read. Shock, maybe revulsion. My stomach cramped painfully as I worried that my mate was about to reject me. Why hadn’t I asked one of my mated friends how to best handle this? I didn’t want to mess it up.
“So you’re saying you want to… to bite me?”