13. Chapter 13
DemetriaalreadyhasBane, and Diego wrapped around her little finger. I can smell her release flooding the hallway and it”s making me rock hard. I leave her there, hoping she will follow me back into the kitchen.
While Diego was entertaining our guest, I was preparing some food for her. Hopefully, as soon as she has some sustenance in her system, she will be up for talking. Or maybe the endorphins from her orgasm will make her more open. Either way, I need answers.
”You want to know what happened,” her soft voice calls out, more statement than question.
She”s so close to me, near enough to have me tensing up. I grab the plate of eggs and toast off the counter and turn, passing it to her. Her eyes widen as she looks from me and back to the plate again.
”Thanks...” she takes the plate from me and shifts toward the dining room table before she stops, quickly changing her direction to the breakfast bar instead. But that doesn’t stop her gaze moving back to the blood soaked table. I make a mental note to order a new one.
”Coffee or tea?” I need to pull her attention away from it, I can see the slight tremble in her hands as she places the plate down.
”Coffee, two sugars, and a splash of milk, please.” Demetria seems a little more confident now that I’ve drawn her attention to me instead.
At least she’s polite.
I move to the coffee pot and set to making her order. I can hear a fork scraping against the plate, so at least she”s eating. When I finish the cup, I place it down beside her. She gives me a small nod but carries on shoveling food in her mouth, gulping down coffee between bites.
The need to press her for more information is at the forefront of my mind, but I also don”t want her to freak out again. I”ve shared a lot of revelations with her in a small amount of time and I”m not sure how much more she can take before she fully snaps. And that”s not something I want for her.
I have a fierce need to protect her, just like the others do. I have an inkling of what it is, but it”s not something I want to mention to Bane or Diego. Not yet anyway. I need to know what their feelings are towards her before I make my intentions known.
There is a deep need inside me to claim her as my own, but I have a feeling both Diego and Bane are feeling exactly the same way. It”s not completely unheard of for vampires to share a human they care about, but it is uncommon given how territorial we can be. In exchange for blood and sex, they give the human doses of vampire blood to prolong their life. Even a meager amount is enough to replenish the aging cells. I”ve heard of all sorts of orgies happening between groups such as this, but I know what I”m feeling for Demetria is not just about blood and sex. There is more to it than that.
But the thought of getting too close to her leaves me anxious. After my sire killed the one human woman I cared about, I”ve pushed myself away from them, not wanting to get close to another in case they are snatched away from me again. Besides, they’re fragile things.
I”ve slept with human women over the years, but one night flings and nothing more. However, I”ve had too many approach me wanting my blood. They don”t care about me for anything other than wanting me to prolong their lives.
I”m not sure I”m ready to get close to her. What if we can”t protect her from the wolves? What if they get their hands on her and then she”s gone again? I don”t think my heart could take it if I lost someone else I care about.
The sound of the plate pushing across the countertop pulls my attention back to Demetria. Her eyes are on me now and I can still smell the lingering scent of her orgasm. My need to be close to her crawls back to the front of my mind. Leaning on the breakfast bar opposite her, I look over at her.
”I”m sorry for everything you have been through, Demetria.” Her eyes widen at my statement. ”Something like this should never have happened in our territory.”
”It”s not your fault, Jax.”
”It”s our territory and I should have known there were wolves here. For that, I am sorry.”
”I don”t understand why they are here. The one I think is in charge made it sound like they”d been here a while.” I quirk a brow at her, waiting for her to give me more information. ”He said he”d been watching me. I think... I think he killed my parents.”
Her admission hits me like a ton of bricks. What connection is there between what happened here and what exactly happened to her parents to make her think these wolves killed them?
”Could you tell me more?” I urge her on.
”Two years ago, my mom called me late one night. She was screaming down the phone that there was a monster in the house. I thought she meant vampires, but when I got there, there was blood everywhere.” She sniffles. ”Something had ripped apart my father. I found my mother naked and covered in blood. The cops said it was a home invasion.”
”But you don”t think it was?” She shakes her head at me. There are all sorts of monsters in this world. A half crazed wolf could easily be the culprit.
”Nope. The wounds looked exactly like the ones inflicted on Ginny.” A stray tear runs down her cheek. I can”t stop myself from leaning forward and wiping it away with my finger.
”I”m sorry, Demetria.”
”The one in charge said he”s been watching me for a while. What if he killed Ginny and my parents? Is it all my fault? Are they dead because of me?” I can see her hands shaking as she clenches her fists tightly.
”Sometimes wolves go crazy. We end up with a few strays passing into other sectors. If they don”t find their mate there, then they go searching for them. There are two types of mates for wolves. A true mate, the other half of their soul, and a blood mate.”
”So I”m not his true mate, then?”
”You most certainly are not,” I growl out. Her entire body tenses at my tone of voice. ”You have nothing to fear from me, Demetria. We will protect you.”
”But what about when I go home? What then?”
”Stay here.” A voice speaks from behind her, and Demetria spins her head around to look at Bane.
He comes closer to her, standing behind her. Her shoulders loosen as she relaxes from his close proximity. Bane passes her a packet of painmedsand she smiles up at him, nodding her thanks. Popping two into her hand, she swallows them with a gulp of coffee.
I eye them both. There is definitely a connection between Bane and Demetria. They calm each other, even though she should be terrified. Bane”s presence is enough to ease her anxieties, and she seems to do the same for him. He”s protective of her, and would easily rip someone apart for her, but he seems more talkative around her.
For now, I”ll keep my distance. I don”t want to get attached to her; I don”t want to lose someone else. And if what I think is true, I could lose my closest friends because of her. I clear my throat.
”He”s right, stay here. For as long as it takes for the threat to be exterminated.”
”I can”t just stay, I mean...” she stops to think. ”Maybe for a little while, but I have a life. I have a job.”
”Right now, Demetria, your safety is our priority.”
”I guess...” She seems so unsure of herself right now.
It”s no surprise. She”s in an apartment with three vampires she”s only just met. Two of which she has definitely grown intimately close to. I wait for a pang of jealousy, but it never comes.
”This is such a shit show. I just... I don”t understand everything that is happening. If these wolves killed my parents, as well as Ginny…”
Bane steps up behind Demetria. He towers over her as she sits on the barstool, but he stoops slightly and wraps an arm around her chest. She shifts one of her hands, and it rests on his bare forearm.
”It’s not your fault, Demi.” He whispers close to her ear.
”But how isn”t it? They”re after me, and so far, three people I care about have been ripped apart.” She looks exhausted and deflated by the situation.
”It really isn”t. This is just some sick game to the wolves. Whether it was you or someone else, I believe they would have done whatever it took to isolate their prey. I think they want to push you to the breaking point.”
She shakes her head, black hair falling across her face, hiding her facial expression from me. Reaching across the breakfast bar, I lay a hand over the one she has resting on the table. As my skin touches hers, she jumps slightly. Her crystal blue eyes flick up to mine. I can see she”s scared, maybe even feels a little hopeless, but we won”t let anything happen to her. She”s ours to protect.