“Moved bey…you mean he makes a habit of using force?”
“No! You’ve met him and spent the night with him, Brandi. He’s gorgeous and women throw themselves at him. He doesn’t need to use force.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“That I wasn’t going to make excuses for his past behavior. But I do need to give you a little background so you can understand him better. He’s a vampire, Brandi.”
Brandi touched the small marks on her neck. “No shit, Sherlock.”
Rayna laughed. “Uncle Adrian was used to doing whatever was needed to get what he wanted. My uncles didn’t think they were doing anything wrong until I was old enough to start to reshape their thinking and change their minds.
“Uncle Adrian knows you’re my friend so I can’t understand how or why…he’d…I was so sure he…” She sighed. “He has a temper, but he’s usually so controlled. I can’t imagine what happened to make him lose control with you…unless…”
“Unless what? I hope you’re not about to blame me—as he did.”
“Of course I’m not going to blame you, Brandi. I’m just not sure why he behaved that way with you.”
“I know you’re upset, Rayna, but—”
“I am.”
“I don’t want to say anything to add to your dismay, but I think you should think twice before you arrange anymore blind dates with him and your friends.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because he…even before…that incident…he hurt me.”
“He hurt you. How? Physically?”
“He…” She moistened her lips. “He was a little rough during sex and…I bled.”
“You bled? Oh, my God! You’re injured?”
“Well…no…not exactly.”
“I don’t understand, Brandi. You said he made you bleed.”
“He did, but I’m not injured.”
“Oh. You mean he ingested your blood—”
“No. That’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean, Brandi? Where did he make you bleed?”
She blushed. “My vagina.”
“From your…you’re bruised or cut there?”
“No.”
“Then where did the blood come from?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted.
There was a short silence, then Rayna gave a small scream. “Oh, my God! I knew it! I knew it! I have to get on a flight back home!”
“I’m not hurt, Rayna. There’s no need for you to return home.”
“You don’t understand. If I’m right…” she took a deep breath. “Let me slow down. How much do you know about vampires?”
“I’m not sure. There’s a lot of buzz about them on the net and as you know I’ve read every book I could get my hands on, but I don’t know how much of the info out there is credible.”
“I’ve spent my entire life with Uncles Adrian, Conner, and Jay. Still there’s so much I don’t know about vampires. I’m still learning new things all the time. They’re all over protective and try to shield me as much as possible from what Uncle Conner calls the seedier side of vampiric life. What I know is that my Uncles are full-blood vampires. They are very powerful and sometimes they can be ruthless. They can also be gentle and kind. They all want kids but it’s very hard for them to get anyone pregnant.”
“I know. That’s one—”
Rayna interrupted her. “Unless they’re in blood.”
“Unless they’re in blood? I’ve never run across that expression in my research. I’ve heard of bloodlust but not in blood. What’s the difference between the two?”
“Many vampires call their special mate their bloodlust. My Uncles would call their special mate their blood.”
“Their blood?”
“Yes. It’s a special endearment none of my uncles would use lightly.”
Then it was something she would never hear
Adrian
whisper in her ear while he made love to her—provided she ever saw him again.
Rayna went on. “Generally they only secrete blood during sex when they’re in blood.”
Brandi’s heart raced with excitement at the turn the conversation had taken. “Are you saying…what are you saying?”
“The instances when they secrete blood during sex are rare. They do occasionally secrete blood when they’re not
in
blood.”
Oh, hell! Just her luck.
“They can only get a woman pregnant when they’re secreting blood and in blood. And that only happens with their special woman. Generally vampires who believe in bloodlust can produce blood on demand. By which I mean they can secrete blood in their semen.”
Brandi found the idea of
Adrian
secreting blood in her along with his semen surprisingly erotic.
“Like most vamps, my uncles can ejaculate at will, but have no control over the secretion of blood during sex. Uncle Adrian is usually very controlled. I can’t imagine him losing control with one of my friends enough to do what he did unless…”
The muscles in Brandi’s stomach tightened. She rose and paced the room. “Am I going to want to hear what you’re about to say?”
“I hope you will. Uncle Adrian didn’t make you bleed, Brandi.”
“I was bleeding.”
“No. It was his blood.”
Brandi swallowed slowly and moistened her lips.
“He’s in blood with you, Brandi.”
She shook her head. “No. He’s not.”
“He is. Oh, Brandi. I think I knew the moment we met you were right for him. His being in blood explains his behavior. When vamps are in blood, they lose control and often do things that would normally be against their nature. It’s against Uncle Adrian’s nature to be anything but kind and considerate with my friends.
“Oh, Brandi, he’s in blood with you. You have to forgive him and give him another chance. You have to.”
Rayna’s insistence annoyed her. “He penetrated me without my permission—while I was begging him not to. I don’t have to forgive him.”
“He wasn’t himself, Brandi. You said yourself that he was unpredictable. He’s normally very predictable. He wouldn’t have frightened or hurt you if he were in control of himself. Please forgive him.”
“You speak very eloquently on his behalf, but I doubt if he’s interested in my forgiveness. I haven’t heard from him since Saturday and I don’t expect to see him again.” She ignored the twinge of pain the words gave her.
“You will definitely see him again.”
“I don’t think so. Besides, as I said, I’ve decided to resume my relationship with Doug. We’re spending my birthday weekend together.”
“I don’t think you understand, Brandi. He’s in blood. He’ll come to you because he has to.”
“Then he’ll discover I’m no longer interested or available because I’ll be dating Doug.”
“That wouldn’t be a good thing for Doug.”
“What do you mean, Rayna?”
“If he finds you with Doug or anyone else…”
“If he finds me with Doug…what?”
She hesitated. “Please cancel your date for Doug’s sake.”
“For his…are you saying he’ll—”
“Uncle Adrian is a full-blood vampire who’s never been in blood before, Brandi. I like to think I’ve had a positive influence on all my uncles. They’re much more considerate of humans and much less inclined to resort to imposing their will on others than they were before they found me.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He’s not himself. He’ll kill any male who stands between you and him.”
Brandi sucked in a breath. “That’s only if I’m pregnant, which I can’t be.”
“If you’re pregnant he’ll be even more uncontrollable. But pregnant or not, he’ll kill Doug if he views him as a serious rival for your affection.”
“And what will he do to me?”
“To you? Nothing more than what he’s already done.”
“That was enough, Rayna.”
“I don’t mean to minimize your fear, but you were able to talk him into stopping before and you can again. I know asking you to forgive him is asking a lot. But please try to understand what he’s going through. I promise you he’s worth the effort.”
Brandi shook her head, but the weakest part of her wanted him—just as he was. “Did he know he was in blood?”
“I don’t know, but I assume he saw the blood at some point.”
“So in addition to all his other failings, he tried to impregnate me without my permission? And you expect me to forgive that as well?”
“Oh, Brandi, please try to see things from his perspective. He’s not rational or accountable for his actions. He won’t be until he accepts that he’s in blood with you and you accept him.”
“And what if I don’t accept him?”
“You have to or…”
“Or what?”
“He’ll…we’ll lose him to darkness and…you have to accept him.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Ok. No, you don’t, but if you do, you’ll get to live your fantasy up close and personal. You’ll be the center of his world…his reason for living. He’ll worship and cherish you for eternity.”
“Cherish me? Not after the way he behaved the last time we saw each other.” She shook her head. “Why did you do this?”
“Why did I do what?”
“Deceive him.”
“I—”
“Before you say you didn’t deceive him, I know you did. I saw the look on his face when he first walked into the bedroom at the Poconos. What did you tell him about me?”
“That I’d met his ideal woman.”
“How did you describe me that made him think I might be his ideal woman?”
“I didn’t go into detail. I told him you were attractive, passionate, and ripe for him.”