Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Cernunnos was waiting for me on my porch when I made it home sometime after dark. Evie and Rowan offered to feed me, and I rarely passed up a meal with friends, so I stayed and hung out with them and Ben, who surprisingly agreed to stay too.
All I wanted was to faceplant in my bed, but Cernunnos wanted something.
I rummaged for my keys. “I’m tired.”
Cernunnos’s brows lifted. “I won’t be long.”
Once I unlocked the door, I waved him inside.
My shoes came off first, then I pulled my hair clip out, allowing the bulk to fall almost to my waist. Haircuts and maintenance had fallen by the wayside over the past year, and now I kinda liked it long.
I shrugged off my pullover sweater and went straight to my room to pull on a pair of cotton modal pants and a soft cardigan.
When I came out, Cernunnos was pouring us both a cup of tea. He handed one to me without a word.
I went straight to the living room, curled in my recliner, and wound my blanket around me like a serpent.
Cernunnos perched on the edge of the couch. “Does anyone else know what you can do?”
So we were jumping right in with both feet, were we?
“I’m not sure. Do they?”
A flash of white teeth in the dim light was his only reaction. “Your secrets are always safe with me, gods touched.”
“Mom’s experimentation was thorough.” As if being forced into vampirism wasn’t bad enough, Mom decided she didn’t want a child forever.
Only it was too late to change the decision.
Looking back, I wasn’t exactly grateful for what she’d done, but if she hadn’t, I would have been stuck in a child’s body forever.
“And this was a side effect?”
I nodded.
“You can draw on anyone’s power if you consume their blood.” He sounded curious. That’s all.
But my back was up. I’d never told a soul about this. There was no way he should have known what I could do.
“How did you know?”
“I didn’t. Suspicion isn’t knowing.”
“I can’t imagine you’d hand over your blood to just anyone.” I might have saved our lives, but something about the incident didn’t feel right. Blood meant power and control. Why had he trusted me with such a precious resource? I could use it to my advantage whenever I wanted.
He kicked off his shoes and lounged on my couch. I would never get used to having a god hanging around drinking my tea. “Do I need to worry?”
“You know the answer to that,” I grumbled.
“Then I chose correctly.”
I took a sip of my tea and glanced down at my cup. Damn. Cernunnos knew how to brew a fantastic cup of Earl Grey.
“Personal blend,” he said when he noticed my attention. “I source it from a fae contact.”
“I had no idea you drank Earl Grey.”
“You introduced it to me. Someone like me can’t exactly walk into a local shop without causing issues, so I had to find somewhere else to buy it.”
“Emberwood is used to you by now. Lots of people carry this.”
“Few ever truly get used to me.”
“I could have gotten it for you.”
“Moira. We aren’t talking about tea. We’re talking about you.”
I sank further into the couch cushions. “I’d rather talk about tea.”
“I’m well aware,” Cernunnos said dryly. “How long do you carry the power?”
I didn’t want to answer the question because if I did, I’d reveal too much.
“Last time, I siphoned the rest of my power from you. If I hadn’t, how long would you have hung on to it?”
“A while,” I said.
Cernunnos scratched his chin. “A week?”
I didn’t answer.
“Two?”
His eyebrows went up when I stayed silent. Cernunnos leaned forward, balancing the mug on his knee. “You are not saying you keep those powers, are you?”
I didn’t keep them at the same level he could wield his or whoever’s power I borrowed. But I did keep some. And that was why I’d never told a single soul.
No one else had these powers. If they did, they were doing the same thing I was.
Keeping their mouths shut.
Cernunnos let out a soft exhale. “Am I the only one who knows?”
I nodded.
“How often do you drink blood?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Humor me.” Cernunnos swung his legs onto the couch.
“Not often. Less often these days.” Now that I was living on a shifter compound where the residents could smell every damned thing.
“Where do you source your blood?”
I squirmed uncomfortably. Unused to speaking so openly about this subject, I clamped my lips shut.
“Moira. It’s you and me. No one else is here. I already know your secret. Allow me to help you.”
“How would knowing where I source my blood help me?”
“You’re sourcing from a human blood bank, aren’t you?”
Human blood banks were safe. There was no chance of me slurping down some weird magic I had no idea how to control, and I didn’t have to go hunting.
I nodded.
Cernunnos made a hmm noise. “Moira.”
I curled my fingers around my mug. “It’s late. I’m really tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”
His eyes swirled with annoyance. “You’re a vampire and more. Don’t you think it’s odd how fatigued you are?”
I frowned at him. “No. I’ve been running nonstop.”
Cernunnos rose. “I will sleep here tonight.”
I opened my mouth to protest.
“Tomorrow, we will source you other blood.” His face turned contemplative. “I purged my blood and power from your system without realizing exactly what you are and how it might affect you.” He dipped his head. “My apologies.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “Why are you being weird?”
He held his hand out and helped me up, but this time he didn’t let go. “Unless…”
Cernunnos drew me closer, his other hand sliding around my back.
“Umm.”
“You’ve been tired for years, haven’t you?” He released my fingers and slid his other hand through my hair, cradling the back of my head. “Eventually, you got used to the feeling of fatigue and compensated for it.”
My heart began to pound.
“When you took my blood, sweet Moira, did the power sizzle through your veins? Did you feel invincible for a brief moment in time?”
It did. I had. My throat worked. He drew me closer, pressing our bodies together.
“Umm,” I said again, because what else was there to say? His chest was rock hard with muscle and so warm I wanted to burrow into him like a cat.
“Shhh.”
I was plastered against Evie’s dad. There were many problems with the situation I found myself in, but the main problem was how much I liked it.
Dear gods. I was in trouble.
“This isn’t what friends do,” I whispered.
“Oh?” Cernunnos mused. His arm tightened around my waist. “We aren’t doing anything untoward.” The yet he didn’t say hung in the air between us.
He gently tugged on the back of my hair, tilting my face up. His eyes burned as he gazed down at me. “Desire hums through your body. I’ve felt it since the moment we met. You burn with need all the time, and I know those desires have gone unfulfilled for well over a year.”
He had no idea how long I’d been unfulfilled. “I am not sure what’s happening here.”
Cernunnos smiled. “You are denying your very nature, Moira. More than a vampire, more than a fae, more than a magical experiment, you are different than anything or anyone I’ve ever known. You’ve weakened yourself in your fear.”
I tried to step away, but his arm was locked around me like a vise of iron. “Cernunnos.”
“Taste me again.”
I blinked. “No.” I could smell the blood running like ambrosia through his veins. He was too close, wrapped around me like sunshine in the morning, and his proximity was messing with my head.
I put both my hands against his chest and tried to push away. It was like pushing against a brick wall. He bent his head and nuzzled the space between my neck and shoulder, inhaling my scent. “I feel your hunger.” He smiled against my skin. “Both of them.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “I am not going to bite you.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not in a life-or-death situation!”
He pressed a hot kiss against my throat. “I’m well aware.”
A small moan escaped me. “That’s untoward,” I gasped.
“Bite me, Moira.”
His hands slid under my tank top, hot against my skin.
“You could have asked me this when we were on different seats.”
His dark chuckle shivered over me. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“You could have any woman.” I sucked in a breath as his thumbs stroked down my ribcage.
“And you could have any man.”
I snorted. “Cernunnos.”
“Moira.”
He pressed light kisses up my throat. “Take my blood. Consider it a favor to me. I want to test a theory.”
“Then what’s all the kissing for?”
“Just a bonus.” He bent down and scooped me in his arms. “I’ll tuck you in.”
A huff of laughter escaped me. “I’m sorry I hurt you last time.” Knowing I could have dulled his pain, made my bite something to look forward to but didn’t have time for, still bothered me.
“You were in a hurry. And I have an extremely high tolerance for pain.”
Our faces were so close I could kiss him. And trust me, I thought about it.
Cernunnos was smoking hot.
“I can make it not hurt,” I said quietly.
Cernunnos smiled and walked me to my bedroom. “So that’s a yes?”
I wouldn’t agree to anything right now. “Let’s do it in the morning,” I lied. “I don’t want to be up all night.”
He frowned but when he saw I wasn’t going to budge, finally nodded. “Fine. First thing when we wake up.”
My eyebrows went up. “We?”
“Mm hmm. I already told you I’m staying here.”
“On the couch?”
Cernunnos’s wicked chuckle sent a tremble of excitement shivering down my spine.
Yep. I was in trouble.