Chapter 28 Valen
VALEN
Dusk has set by the time Ava ambles out of the bedroom. Her hair sticks up adorably on the side of her head and there’s an imprint of the pillowcase on the side of her cheek. Pom Pom rushes over to greet her with a wagging tail.
After we got back and she had a good cry, she took a shower and climbed back into bed.
“Hi, buddy,” she coos and scratches behind his ear the way he loves. The dog melts under her touch and sprawls out on the floor with his little feet splayed behind him. “I can’t believe I was out for that long.” She stands and rubs her eyes, stifling a yawn.
“You needed the rest.” I unfold my long legs to walk over to her.
Feeling bold, I wrap my hands around her hips and pull her to me so our pelvises meet.
“You look better.” I wait for her to close the distance, and when she lays her head on my chest, I relax.
Stroking her head, I run my fingers through her pink strands.
Ava lets out a loud sigh and kisses my chest. “I feel better. That really took it out of me. I’m sorry. I should’ve handled that better.”
“You handle things as you need to. There is no better or worse. There is just what is right for you.”
“Thanks, Valen,” she whispers, rubbing at her cheek.
Instrumental music plays on the TV from where I put it on for background noise. I find silence unnerves me after everything.
Snaking a hand around her back, I sway to the music. She giggles but doesn’t fight me. Our bodies meld together, and we lose ourselves in the music. She looks up at me with an emotion I don’t dare give a name to for fear of being wrong.
It’s times like this where I thank the universe for the twisted path it put me on.
Many times, when I was beaten and broken in captivity, I wondered what it was all for.
How could something so heinous lead to anything worth living for?
Now that very thing stands before me, and she’s a small pink-haired witch.
“Crap, I forgot I texted Celine before I passed out,” Ava groans when her phone vibrates against us. “She deserves to know.”
Pulling away, Ava slides out her phone, and the screen light illuminates her face. I instantly miss her warmth and long to pull her back into my arms where she belongs. Her fingers fly over the invisible keyboard with precision, then she tosses it onto the couch with a sigh.
“I must look like death warmed over. I’m going to freshen up and run over to Celine’s.” She makes her way to her room, and I follow, leaning against the doorframe.
“I will join you.”
Ava pulls a fresh T-shirt over her head and deposits the wrinkled one in her laundry basket. “You will?”
Shifting uncomfortably, I admit, “I need to talk to Zavier.”
“You need to talk to Zavier?” she says, face scrunching in disbelief.
“You’re willingly subjecting yourself to Zavier?
” Ava repeats in a baffled tone when I nod my confirmation.
Walking over, she teeters on her tiptoes so she can press the back of her hand against my forehead. “Are you feeling, okay?”
I brush her hand aside and roll my eyes.
“Quite well, I assure you. It’s a vampire thing I need to ask about.
” I clear my throat and realize I picked the habit up from Ava.
Humans have many quirks that aren’t natural to vampires, but the more time you spend around them, the harder it becomes not to mimic certain things.
Besides, it helps with blending in. Helps us seem human and not otherworldly.
Ava nods, not seeming fully convinced about my reasoning. But she goes about her tasks without asking me further questions on the matter.
I wait in the living room for her to get ready and throw Pom Pom’s ball, which he retrieves and brings back. Tiny tail wagging like crazy, he assumes play stance and waits for me to throw once more. This time, the ball rolls over to Ava’s feet.
She bends down to give Pom Pom love. “Do you want to come, cutie? You can hang out with your bestie.”
She scoops up the wiggly dog and we head next door.
The door swings open before Ava can knock, and Zavier stands there with a shit-eating grin, sliding his arms across his chest.
“Jesus.” She rears back, her hair ruffling from the wind he created when he sprinted to open the door.
“I hate when you guys do that quick as a flash running thing,” she mutters and slides past him.
She puts Pom Pom down, and the little dog immediately takes off after Midnight, who sits on the living room couch.
Midnight hisses and ducks into the bedroom, unhappy with the new arrival.
“Still not friends?” Celine ambles over, arms crossed with a smirk on her face. “Doesn’t seem like doggy-kitty playdates are working,” she says pointedly to Zavier with an amused tilt of her lips.
“I’m working on it,” he defends with a foot stomp like a defiant child. “Midnight has class, and Pom Pom is …” Zav trails off, and I bristle.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I level him with a look. “Finish your sentence. My child is what?”
What can I say? I’ve become protective of my familiar. He’s sweet and entertaining.
“Your child?” the red-haired vampire sputters. “Does Ava know about your scandalous love child? That doesn’t bode well for the relationship.” She smacks him on the arm, and Celine shakes her head at our typical antics.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay, Aves.” Celine gives Ava a side hug and pulls her over to sit in the living room. Zavier and I stand off to the side in the kitchen, and I use the time to do what I came here for.
“I need to ask you something,” I whisper to him without taking my eyes off the girls. Pom Pom must have given up on Midnight and struts back into the room to jump up onto Ava’s lap.
“Moi?” Zav smiles, and a devious gleam enters his green eyes. “What business could you possibly have with me, Cupid?” He rubs his hands together with excited glee.
“I thought I told you to stop calling me that,” I hiss. Trying to tamp down the irritation that always seems to rise around him, I relax. “It’s about the mating bond.”
He snaps in my direction. “Better discussed in confidence. Follow me.” I follow him to the bedroom. He goes to close the door, but Celine stops him.
“What are you doing?” she asks curiously, and Ava quirks a brow too.
“Comparing dick sizes. I told him mine is bigger and he doesn’t believe me.” Zav winks at them and closes the door.
“I cannot with you sometimes.” I shake my head.
We both sit on the bed, and he turns toward me with a gleeful smile. “Fire away. Let Zaddy help you.”
“Zaddy?” I repeat the unfamiliar word.
“It’s like Zav and Daddy smooshed together. That’s me.” He points at himself. “Zaddy.”
I shake my head. “You are … something.”
He shrugs, completely unbothered. “Now go on. Tell me what you need help with.”
“Since the first time I saw Ava, I’ve been struggling to fight the pull.
I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
It eats away at me constantly, and I’m reaching the point where drinking blood is not helping.
I drain the supply I get from Luna in record time and the hunger claws at me.
” I pause to take a breath and gather myself.
“Every little thing she does is a temptation, and I have to fight my body not to mark her as mine. Especially at night when we’re alone in bed together.
I don’t want to force Ava into bonding prematurely, but I fear I may not last much longer, and I don’t want to hurt her.
” I run a hand through my hair and feel the strands fall back into place once I’m done.
My worries pour out of me now that I finally have someone to talk to about it.
In a rare moment of seriousness, Zavier pats me on the shoulder and cracks no jokes.
“I get it. I was in the same boat with Celine, and much like you I didn’t want to force her into bonding.
” That news is surprising to me, because I have a hard time picturing the chaotic vampire being patient.
“You have to be careful, especially with humans, since it isn’t in their nature.
Nothing supernatural is natural to them and even though Ava is a witch, she’s thought she was human all this time, so in a lot of ways, she might as well be.
” He readjusts how he’s sitting and leans back against the headboard.
“Vampires, immortality, mate bonds—it’s all foreign, and the last thing you want is them to blame your attraction or love on the bond.
From everything I’ve seen, you’ve respected her boundaries, and dare I say you’re both itching for more?
” Midnight hops up onto the bed and curls up in a ball beside Zav, who smiles down at him.
“What do you mean?” I tilt my head.
“Seriously?” Zav gives a bland expression.
“The sexual tension has overfloweth. I’m surprised you two aren’t fucking like bunnies with it simmering between you.
Just talk to Ava and tell her everything you’re telling me.
It’s better to be honest with her, I learned that firsthand with Celine.
Secrets between mates are never a good thing. ”
I watch Midnight’s tail as it twitches lazily in his sleep, envying how peacefully he dreams.
“Perhaps you are correct, Zavier.” I pat his arm. “Thank you for the assistance.”
He nods. “No problem. Just name your firstborn after me and we’re even.” He winks and I sigh. I should have known he’d have some sort of comeback.
Going back out to join the girls, we find them sitting next to each other on the couch, sharing a blanket and a bowl of popcorn. It looks like Ava has mixed M&M’s in to add the pop of sweetness she loves.
“So, who’s bigger?” Celine asks in a joking tone as we sit next to our respective mates. Ava hits me with a blinding smile that stops my heart, and Zavier pulls Celine to his side.
“That’s one secret I’ll never tell,” he replies, nuzzling her throat. He play-bites her until she dissolves into giggles. Pom Pom barks at the noise, and I shush him until he lies between Ava and me.
“That means Valen’s bigger,” Celine whispers to Ava with a laugh.
“Please, stop,” Ava says before throwing a piece of popcorn into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. To Zavier, she adds, “I still can’t believe you stole my best friend. She doesn’t even work with me anymore, so you get to hog her all the time.”
“I’m hard to resist. Plus, she can’t get rid of me,” Zavier goads, eyes shining with humor.
“Like gonorrhea,” Ava replies like they’re bickering siblings.
Steering the ship back on course, I intervene. “Did Ava tell you about what happened to Detective Waters?”
Celine nods. “It’s horrible.”
“What about Detective Waters?” Zavier asks, and Ava fills him in on the details.
When she finishes, I stare down Zavier. “It wasn’t you, was it?”
“Me?” he asks, incredulously. “I don’t kill innocents, and I have a distinct signature. You’d know if it was me.”
Ava bites her lip. “Something feels off about this to me, you guys.”
Celine nods in agreement. “Genevieve is gone, but there’s still a lot of weirdness happening.”
Zavier pushes his glasses up his nose. “I can reach out to my contact and see if he knows anything.”
“That would be helpful,” Ava agrees with a grateful smile. “I’ll continue to keep an ear to the ground at work, and Valen will stay alert when he’s out and about.”
I hate to tell her, but the only place I spend much time other than the apartment is the library, and it’s unlikely I’ll find much that can help us there.
Concluding our visit, I lead a still tired Ava to bed.
She complains that she doesn’t want to go since she took a nap but passes out quickly.
My thoughts run wild as I go over everything that happened, but eventually I feel the pull of sleep myself.
I allow Ava’s soft snores to lull me into darkness.