Blue Balls and Bagged Blood
Devin
The early morning rays of light filtered into the empty kitchen. The cabin was silent, and I presumed everyone was in bed, sleeping soundly. I wished I was still tucked in bed. But instead, hunger woke me, and I stood glaring at the warming bag of blood in the microwave. It had been nearly five months since I'd sunk my teeth into succulent, smooth flesh and pulled sweet blood from the vein. All because I met my beloved.
Meeting your beloved was supposed to be the be-all, end-all. You were supposed to find each other, fall deeply in love, fuck like bunnies, and live happily ever after. Of course, I had to be different. It was far from the case when I met Roarke, and while vampires could feed on anyone even after encountering their beloved, I wouldn’t disrespect him by doing so.
Roarke was my dream man come true. He was about six-five, with a muscular build. He had fiery red hair, a chiseled jaw with the perfect amount of scruff, and brilliant green eyes that contrasted his hair. He had a slight Scottish accent, not very pronounced, but it was there. Gods, I was a sucker for a man with an accent—fate had truly blessed me.
Then he had to go and be a dragon. A stunning, giant dragon, who could get his male mate pregnant. One drop of his blood, I would become an instant baby maker.
The beeping of the microwave pulled me from my thoughts. I grabbed the warm blood from the microwave, emptied the contents into a glass, and grimaced as I took a drink. It tasted sour going down, like drinking a glass of straight lemon juice. I didn’t know how long I could survive if I continued to feed like this. I was already weak from not taking directly from the source. Pretty soon, my body would start rejecting the blood. Drinking this way was meant to be temporary and wasn’t sustainable.
"Not a good morning?" Ben asked as he came into the kitchen.
His bright green eyes greeted me. Ben had light, dirty-blond hair that came down to his shoulders. His tan skin was odd for a vampire; while we could go out in the sun, most of us could not stay out for prolonged periods. Ben was shorter than my six-one, only about five-ten. It always amazed me he used to be an enforcer. While most enforcers were well over six feet and had large muscular builds, Ben had a swimmer's frame. He looked like a typical California surfer.
Ben looked at the blood in the glass, and a sad look appeared on his face. I knew he wanted Roarke and me to bond and be happy. Seeing the blood in the glass said it hadn't happened yet.
"Got little sleep last night," I replied simply.
Roarke had tossed and turned all night. That was another thing. I’d slept in the same bed as Roarke since he’d almost died saving Ben.
"You know, you could get sleep if the two of you would just fuck and bond already," Ben said bluntly.
"Roarke's still healing and needs more strength; you’d know better than anyone that bonding takes a lot of energy. Where’s Callum? Did he sleep through the night?" Changing the subject to Ben's son was a sure way to distract him from Roarke and me.
"Kris has him and is changing him. He didn't quite sleep through the night, but he's getting better," Ben said, grabbing a bottle from the cabinet.
"I'm just getting his breakfast ready now, and don't think you're going to distract me from the conversation about Roarke. It’s been five weeks since the attack and longer than five months since you met Roarke. He’s healing and getting stronger unless both of you are hiding something from us, which I don't think you are. What’s really going on, Devin?"
I sighed. My best friend could always see right through my bullshit when something was bothering me and I was trying to hide it.
Being able to become pregnant wasn't the only issue I was having with this mating. I was second-in-command of my coven. As one of the strongest vampires in the area, I’d believed my mate would move in with me and stand by my side in my coven. Roarke, however, was a dragon guardian and now a dragon duke of his people. His place was by his king, Ben's mate. I was struggling with having to leave my coven and find my place and position among dragons. Well, two dragons—currently it was just King Krispin and Roarke.
Also, my parents and my sister's situations played constantly in my head. They had not had happy matings, and I worried mine would end up like theirs.
"I'm scared, okay!" I barked. "I know I love him. I think I fell in love with him the first time I met him, but what if…" I paused and looked at Ben. My expression said it all. Ben knew what I’d gone through with my family and understood what I was feeling. He nodded.
"And add a baby and his family. Gods, what if his family is like mine? I'm scared shitless."
"First, you’re nothing like your parents and the bastard that mated your sister. Your mating will not be like theirs because you and Roarke actually love each other. Second, you can handle a baby. Yes, it will hurt like a son of a bitch, but it will be worth it, and you’ll love him. Last, while I don't know Roarke's family, I’m sure that they will love you—and if they are like your family, fuck 'em. You and Roarke are all that matters. Everyone else can go fuck themselves."
"Good morning!" Krispin said with a smile on his face as he flew his smiling boy into the kitchen.
Krispin stood well over six feet, at least six-seven, was well built, and had raven-black hair. His hair complemented his already intense features, along with his piercing blue eyes with flecks of gold in them. Whenever he entered a room, he commanded—no, demanded—attention. I guess that comes with being the Dragon King.
Callum looked like a mix of Ben and Krispin, but he had chubby cheeks that you just wanted to pinch. Though he’d been born only a few weeks ago, his dragon genes allowed for fast development, and he looked the age of a four-month-old. I smiled and pinched one of the tempting cheeks.
"Good morning, handsome," I cooed.
"Who are you calling handsome? I'm the only one you get to call handsome," Roarke said from the kitchen doorway. His intense face and bright green eyes bored into me.
"Well, you are handsome, but you have a run for your money in Callum," I teased.
"I guess I can live with that. Callum is a handsome little guy."
He smiled and walked into the kitchen, pulled me into his arms and kissed me good morning. Against his chest, my fears melted. Maybe Ben was right. Perhaps I could bond and have my happily ever after.
