Chapter 16 Furyon
Furyon
I’m lightheaded, and Lemon’s room is spinning.
I can’t seem to put two coherent thoughts together, and I don’t remember coming here.
But she’s in front of me, and she ain’t injured.
It could have gone so badly. All I want is connection, so I pull her on top of me and yank a blanket over us.
Burying my face in her hair, I scent her.
The pungent tang of my blood mixes with every other smell. Her scent’s edged with fear, and I hate that, so I haul her higher up and bury my face in her neck.
“Better,” I murmur. “You okay, city girl?”
A soft sob is my answer.
Running my hands up the back of her shirt, I grip her neck with one and stroke with the other. “I got you, baby. We’re both fine.”
Another sob gets muffled in the pillow. “The horses aren’t fine,” she says, reminding me of where we started our evening.
“No, they’re not.” I press a line of kisses down the side of her neck, basking in her presence. “And I’m gonna figure out why that is, Lemon, if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I didn't do it,” she grumbles.
I pull her back down and take her mouth softly, slicking my tongue over that plump lower lip. “I know you didn’t. I never really thought you did.”
“Lies,” she says with a sniffle. But she kisses me back. My blood seems stronger here. Almost like…
“Furyon, I have to tell you something," she whispers. She sits upright and plants her hands on my chest, tucking long hair behind her ear. Her eyes fill with tears as she stares at me. “I, I tasted your blood while you were bleeding. I couldn’t help it—it was pure instinct. But it’s killing me now because you didn’t consent to that, and I did it while you were literally dying, and now—”
I put a hand up to stop her. Because the pieces are clicking into place now, slowly but surely. Scratching at my neck, I remember the sharp slice of hooves when I got trampled. “I was bleeding,” I say. “I remember that. A lot.”
“You were.” Her tone is cautious.
“I’m not now.”
“You’re not.” Her eyes are wide, brows furrowed as she stares at me.
I sit upright, realization coursing through me if she’s admitting what I think she’s admitting. “Lemon, tell me exactly what you did.” She tasted me while I was passed out, and somehow, despite my past, I don’t hate the mental image of that.
Because it’s her, a little voice whispers in my head.
She sighs and lifts her hand, nibbling at her thumb.
“Well, you were bleeding, and I thought you were gonna die right here, so I licked the wound. It was spurting, Furyon. There’s a pool of blood on my floor as we speak.
It was pure instinct. I didn’t think about what you’ve been through before, and I—”
“Some part of you knew it would heal me,” I say, staring at her in wonder. “Your mouth healed me. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
She falls silent.
A nod.
Realization sweeps through me with all the force of a thunderstorm. It can only mean one thing. Lemon Knox is my mate. A smile overtakes me. Laughter burbles up next as I stare at the beautiful vampire straddling my lap.
I grip her throat and pull her close, shock and awe riding my system. “Who’da thunk, Lemon?”
“Not me,” she says cautiously.
I wink. “Explains why the sex was so fuckin’ stellar, though.”
She slaps my chest. “It’s not something to joke about, Furyon!”
“No, it’s not.” I pull her down again. She rests her chin on her hand, staring up at me.
“I tasted you without your consent, and you’ve made it clear how you feel about that. Where do we go from here?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far,” I admit. “I just know the idea of you doing that to save my life feels wholly different from what they did to me in that coven. I’m reeling, Lemon.”
She lets out a darling little growl. “That’s probably on account of the blood loss.”
I chuckle, still trying to absorb what’s happening. “How’d I taste, city girl?”
She sighs. “Delicious. But I was a little too terrified over you dying to really enjoy it, if I’m honest.”
“I’m sad I didn’t get to experience that either, baby girl, but we can recreate it sometime when I’m not actively expirin’.”
“Also sometime when you can actually consent to it,” she grumbles, sighing against my chest as my lashes begin to flutter. Black stars dance behind my vision. Gulping in a breath, I try not to pass out as a wave of dizziness floods over me.
Lemon strokes her fingers down the bridge of my nose.
“Easy, Furyon. Just rest. You really did lose a lotta blood. We don’t need to talk about what this means right now.
I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time for that later.
” She drags her fingers along my jawline.
“Do you want to drink from me? Would that help?”
I nod, but even as I think about how much I want that, the black stars become a curtain of darkness. I lose consciousness again with the feel of her lush body covering mine.
I wake sometime later. Lemon’s no longer on top of me, although a candle crackles on the table to my left, casting faint light around the bedroom.
When I look at the window, the moon’s high—it’s nearly midnight, if I had to guess.
The cottage wriggles her ceiling beams at me, welcoming me back to wakefulness.
Shit, I gotta get home. The animals will be rampaging through the house at missing dinner. Roger’ll peck a damn hole in my door if he don’t get his corn.
I shuffle upright, pain lancing through my core. I might’ve gotten stomped in the ribs a little bit. Lemon appears from the kitchen area, a rag thrown over one shoulder.
She smiles, although it looks cautious. “You’re up. It’s the middle of the night, but I’ve been cooking soup. You need to eat a little something to build your blood back up, according to Bluebell and Varek. And also,”—she waves at the bed—“we should change the sheets.”
I look around. The sheets and blanket are covered in blood.
“Bluebell brought fresh ones by,” Lemon says, then disappears around the corner again.
I rise with a groan, swinging my legs tentatively over the edge of the bed.
Stars dance in my vision again, but they dissipate when I give it a moment.
Standing, I place a hand on the wall and use it to guide me around the bed.
On the other side of the wall, Lemon stands in the kitchen, stirring a pot of bubbling soup.
“Beef minestrone,” she says with a smile. “Varek’s recipe. He brought groceries over.”
“Wouldn’t have pegged him to be one to help,” I muse as I join her and look into the burbling pot. Garlic, tomato, celery. A half-dozen scents waft up and fill my senses. My stomach grumbles, despite the pain in my ribs. When I place a hand over the sore spot, Lemon frowns.
“You’re still hurt. Why don’t you lie down, and I’ll bring you a bowl in a second?”
I shake my head and turn from her, dropping gingerly in one of the dining chairs just behind her. “And miss this opportunity to watch my woman cook? Why don’t you strip those clothes off, Lemon, and let me stare at your ass?”
She scoffs and shakes the stirring spoon at me. “You basically died tonight, and your first commentary is sexual? You’re worse than a vampire!”
I fall silent as I stare at her, smiling. I don’t need to remind her that she loves my teasing. “There’s a reason I couldn’t steer clear of you even when I thought you might’ve committed a serious crime.” I wink at her. “C’mere, Lem. It wasn’t just those sparkle boots after all…”
She sets the spoon down and joins me, slipping easily between my thighs. When I pat one, she drops delicately onto it, folding her hands in her lap.
I shoot her a careful look as I trail my fingers over the gorgeous family tattoos swirling down her neck. “Is it too soon for me to try calling you mate? Just to see how it feels?”
She clears her throat. “It complicates things, doesn’t it? I never intended to stay here, Furyon. I’m just…” She waves at the cottage around us. “Shit, I thought I was heading home soon, and now I’m in utter and complete shock.”
I continue stroking down her chest until I reach her nipple.
I pinch and pull until she mewls and arches into the touch.
“You’re probably right. I got an idea, then.
” Looking up into those ruby eyes, I smile.
“Let’s take this a day at a time, Lemon.
I won’t call you mate until you’re good and ready.
But let’s make this a little more official.
All I ask is that you keep an open mind about me and this place.
” My smile grows bigger. “There’s a whole beautiful world out there for me to show you, Miss Knox. ”
Black lashes flutter against her high cheeks. She rises off my lap, crossing her arms over her chest. “Knox is my middle name. I might as well come clean about this right now, given…things.”
Alarm trills through me. “Knox ain’t your last name? But…”
She sighs. “My last name’s Denton.”
Understanding fills me. Denton’s a unique name, a famous vampiric house name. I’ve known a Denton or two in my time. Ancient, snooty fucking vampire house. New York-based if I remember correctly. I straighten in the chair.
She takes another step away from me. “I didn’t want to be judged by the name. I didn’t want folks to look me up and make assumptions based on the city news. I…I was looking for a fresh start, which is why I lied about my name when I got here.”
I keep my tone neutral. “Anybody else know who you are?”
“Letitia does,” she grumbles. “Because my father got me the job, which is why she hates me.”
It’s all falling into place. But the biggest emotion I can name at the moment is how my mate didn’t trust me enough to share her truth with me from the beginning. Although that’s not really fair, because the day we met, I basically accused her of a crime.
Trust has to be a two way street.
“I see.” It’s all I can manage.
Lemon blanches but recovers quickly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Furyon. I really didn’t think I’d be here long, and so I hoped it wouldn’t matter at all.”
“It does, though,” I correct. “Because you’re a Denton, and you’re mine. And that makes all of this a fuckload more complicated, doesn’t it? The Dentons are a New York vampire house…you never meant to stay here.”
“Yeah.” She sighs and returns to the soup. After ladling out a bowl, she sets it in front of me with a predictably neutral look.
I rub my hands over my face, then run them up over my horns as I think through all of this.
“Alright,” I say finally. “Here’s what we’re gonna do, Lemon. We’re gonna start over right now with no secrets between us. Tonight was quite the realization, so let’s just take it easy and agree we’ll be forthright with one another. I trust you.”
I tip her chin up so I can look deeply in her eyes. “I liked you the day we met, despite everything. And I haven’t been able to keep my hands off you since. Whaddya think, city girl?”
Dark lashes flutter against her cheeks as her lips part. “If you’re sure, Furyon. I…I’m sorry for how this all happened.”
“I’m not,” I whisper, bending to press my lips to her forehead. “You saved me, baby girl. But I do gotta get home and feed the animals, or Roger, my spitfire of a rooster, will raise hells at my place. Come with me?”
“Are you sure?” She plants both palms on my chest.
“I got no doubts, Lemon.” I place my hand over hers. “And that’s the honest truth.”