Chapter 22 Ruby
Ruby
Iwas still shaking from the force of my orgasm when Cassie slid back up my body, her slick skin dragging over mine in a way that only ratcheted up my excitement.
I gave her a little shove, pushing her onto her side so I could move my eager hand between her legs.
She was so slick that my fingers slid inside her easily, and after a few strokes I added a second and then a third finger.
Cassie’s hips rolled towards me, riding my hand as we continued to kiss like we couldn’t get enough of each other. When we pulled back to catch our breath, I caught the shell of her ear between my teeth, biting down lightly as I continued to fuck her with my hand.
My lips traveled down her jaw to her neck, and I couldn’t resist giving her a hickey, wanting to mark her the way she’d soon mark me. I caught a hunk of skin between my teeth, sucking it hard.
Suddenly Cassie stiffened as her orgasm hit. I watched as her mouth opened in a silent scream. She was beautiful when she came, all the tension fading from her face, leaving only a mask of pure pleasure.
I loved knowing that I could make her lose control like this, that I could give her as much pleasure as she gave me.
I bent my fingers inside her, finding the spot that made her orgasm crest up harder and higher.
After so many weeks together, we knew how to bring each other the maximum amount of pleasure.
We knew what spots made each other go crazy.
And we knew how to prolong the pleasure.
In a flash I was rolled onto my back, Cassie dropping on top of me.
My hands fell away from her body as she clamped down on my neck in almost the same spot where I’d marked her a few minutes ago.
But this wasn’t a hickey, this was a mating bite, and when I felt her fangs tear through my skin, I couldn’t help the scream that erupted from my throat.
I didn’t care who heard it though, because her bite triggered another orgasm, one so strong that it eclipsed every other orgasm I’d experienced in my life.
“Mine!”
Cassie’s voice was more vampire than human as she looked at me, a stain of blood on her lips.
For once, I didn’t feel squeamish though.
I was too busy feeling the creation of the mate bond, a combination of rightness and euphoria and love unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
My new mate lapped her tongue at my wound, and I felt the skin closing back up with the help of some magic I couldn’t even begin to understand.
“Cassie.” There was a world of meaning in my sigh.
Her mouth crashed down on mine again, and I could taste a hint of copper on her tongue from my blood. Somehow I didn’t mind. Not when it was part of the most erotic experience of my life.
We stayed wrapped together, exchanging increasingly gentle kisses as we came back down to Earth. I could feel Cassie in my head now, not her voice or her thoughts, but an impression of her emotions, sitting alongside mine in that part of the body that we didn’t fully understand yet. The soul.
“You’re happy,” I whispered.
“Happier than I’ve been in my life,” she confirmed.
She rested her head on my chest for a few seconds before asking, “Any regrets?”
“Can’t you feel my emotions through the bond?” I asked curiously.
She lifted her head to search my eyes. “I can. But I want to be sure.”
I knew that she still needed reassurance, so I grasped her face in my hands and stared into her eyes as I said, “I love you Cassie. Those feelings are even stronger now. I have no doubts and no regrets. You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
She gave me a sweet smile. “I love you too. My vampire may have chosen you, but it was my human heart that connected with yours. Even if I wasn’t a vamp, I would have fallen for you immediately.
And now that you’ve given me the gift of accepting our mating, I plan to spend the rest of my life loving you and doing everything I can to make you happy. ”
“When this is all over, we have a lot to figure out,” I said. “But for right now, I need to sleep before I pass out.”
Cassie gathered me closer to her, pulling the blanket up over us, and I rested my head on her shoulder, throwing one leg over hers as I snuggled closer.
“Good night, mate.”
I could hear the smile in her voice as she responded, “Good night, mate.”
I fell asleep immediately, sleeping through the night, and when I woke up in the morning, I was disappointed to find that I was alone in bed. After taking a quick shower, I headed downstairs to find Cassie sitting at the kitchen table with my parents, two cups next to her.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, heading straight for the coffee pot.
“Alexei and Eleanor are still in bed, and the rest of the team is doing perimeter checks.”
“How did you girls sleep?” my mother asked as I sat down.
I felt my face turn red, even though I wasn’t a blusher.
“Just fine Mrs. Wozniak,” Cassie said politely, although I could sense her humor.
“April,” Mom reminded her, giving me a curious look.
“Good morning.”
Eleanor came in with Alexei, both of them looking sleepy. My friend stopped, her eyes bouncing between me and Cassie, an excited look on her face. “Did you two finally…?”
“Congratulations,” Alexei rumbled. “This is good news.”
“What’s good news?” Mom asked.
Dad looked up from his newspaper for the first time since I came downstairs. “What’s happening?”
Behind them, Eleanor widened her eyes at me dramatically. Meanwhile Alexei poured them both cups of coffee, seemingly oblivious to the silent conversation around him.
I took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, Cassie and I are officially mated.”
My father’s eyes flared as he fixed Cassie with an angry look. “That isn’t what I hired you for, young lady.”
I moved closer to her, protective instincts kicking in.
“Mated? What does that mean?” my mother asked.
“In the supernatural cultures, it’s similar to human marriage,” Cassie explained. “Your daughter is my fated mate, we were destined to be together.”
Dad still looked pissed.
“Wait, you two got married without having your father and me there to watch?”
Cassie and I exchanged a look and this time I wasn’t the only one blushing.
“It’s more of a… private ceremony,” I said weakly.
Mom frowned, then looked at Dad, who was turning a dangerous shade of red.
“I don’t get it. Your parents should be there with you at your side when you make a commitment.”
“Mating happens during sex,” Alexei said matter-of-factly. “Is private.”
Eleanor smacked him on the arm and he looked around. “What? This is how it happens.”
“I’m confused,” Mom said faintly.
“There’s a bite,” I explained slowly, pointing to the healing scar on my neck.
“So you’re a vampire now?” Mom asked, cringing.
“No, just mated to one.”
Dad got up so quickly his chair fell over. He pointed a finger at Cassie, then at me. “You’re supposed to be protecting my daughter, not fucking her.”
He stormed off and Mom rushed after him, leaving the four of us an uncomfortable silence.
“That went well,” I joked.
“You fucked me too,” Cassie mumbled, a look of devastation on her face.
I reached for her, my hand gripping her shoulder.
“They’re not rejecting you. They’re just surprised. Mom always imagined I’d have some big fancy wedding and now that’s been taken away from her.”
“You can do a human wedding,” Alexei piped up. “Most of our friends do both. You must be married under human law for legal protections. Eleanor and I already plan to go to the courthouse once our assignment is over.”
“I’m going to go talk to them.”
“I should come too,” Cassie said, looking like she wanted to puke.
“No, I’ll go.”
I found my parents in my father’s study, both of them sitting on a small leather couch and having a shot of bourbon even though it was only eight-thirty in the morning.
“I want you to know I started it,” I said. “I kissed her first, I told her I wanted to be mates. Even though the biological pull is stronger for her, she waited for me to not only give consent, but to make the first move.”
When my parents didn’t say anything I added, “I fell in love with Cassie the minute I saw her. I’ve never felt this way. And for her, mating is a lifetime commitment. I hope once you get to know her, you’ll love Cassie as much as I do.”
“I wanted a wedding,” my mother sniffed.
“We will have a wedding,” I assured her. “We are married by supernatural law, but not by human law. We want to do both.”
“So we can buy a dress?” Mom asked, perking up. “Your father can walk you down the aisle? We can invite all our friends?”
Poor Cassie would hate a big fussy thing, but I knew she’d go along with it to please my parents. “Yes, of course.”
Mom popped up, then leaned over to give me a hug. “That’s great news. I’ll get started on the planning.”
My father still looked angry.
“Dad?”
“I never thought you’d let someone turn your head like that, kochanie,” he grumbled.
“I want what you and Mom have,” I explained.
“The forever kind of love. The supernatural society believes that fate ordains all of these matings. That means if I hadn’t met Cassie by her being my bodyguard, I would have met her another way.
Walking down the street. At a game. It was going to happen sooner or later. ”
Dad opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.
“Get down.”
We all dropped to the floor as two men leapt through the broken window, brandishing guns.
“You!” One guy pointed a gun in my direction. “Athlete. Come with us.”
“The hell she will!”
Dad took a step towards him and the man shot him. Mom screamed as he dropped to the floor, holding his shoulder as blood seeped out from a bullet wound. I moved in front of my parents as Mom knelt down to help her husband.
“Don’t hurt them,” I said with surprising calm. “I’ll come with you.”