“Blood Bound”

2012 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 23

     “It’s settled then,” Leo noted, running his hand through Shelby’s golden hair.  He could lie here all day and be content to just relish in the soft feel of the silken strands as they tickled his fingertips, but that wouldn't happen today.  He made his bride a promise and it was time to get moving.  “I’ll line things up with Ric to make sure the estate is taken care of while we're gone and at sun set we’ll go hunting.  Afterwards, I’m taking you, my beauty,” he tugged playfully on her hair to gain her attention, “On a honeymoon fit for a Queen.” 

     Shelby was lying across Leo’s chest, staring up at the ceiling with a huge smile on her face, enjoying the feel of his hands in her hair when that one word, ‘hunting’ fully registered.  She froze, knowing exactly what he was referring to and then pushed up on her elbows to stare back at him.  “I’m not going hunting,” she said stubbornly, her nose slightly upturned and her chin firmly set.  “And frankly, I would prefer that you didn’t either.”

     Leo raised a challenging brow at her.  “We’ve been over this my sweet, you have to feed and the only way to do that is to hunt.  It's what we are, it's part of our survival and I don't want to hear anymore of this not going hunting non-sense.  You'll go and you'll feed, end of discussion.”

     Shelby scoffed.  Leo stepped over the line with his dour commands of what she would and wouldn't do.  It was high time that he learned that she would not always appease him; especially in this.  Sitting fully up, she tossed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes on him. "You wanna make a bet?"

     He tried to hide his smile.  His bride had a temper and every time that it sparked, certain parts of his lower body seemed to come to life, in a really big way.  In a matter of seconds, he was so hard that he was pretty sure his groin was sporting an impressive zipper indention. 

     Slowly, he stood up, his much larger body dwarfing hers.  "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," he countered.  His face suddenly grew much more serious.  "You have to feed Shelby.  You're a vampire and vampires live on blood.  It's all part of the food chain and we're at the top of it.  Think of it as the circle of life."

     "Circle of life my ass."  She turned away from him, feeling disconcerted.  She strode over to the window, and peeked out, wrapping her arms around her middle.  "Anissa told me there was other ways.  She said something about blood bars.  I'll drink blood if it's given to me," she said turning back around to face Leo, "But I'm not a killer.  I will not kill just so that I can feed."

      Leo sighed loudly, his frustrations riding him hard.  "My sweet, they are only humans," he said, clearly exasperated with this discussion.  Why couldn't she just accept the inevitable?  "There are billions of them out there; no one will miss just one or two.  Blood bars are un-natural and disgusting.  I forbid you to ever step foot in one."

     "Forbid me?!" She exclaimed.  "Are you serious right now?"  She shook her head at him.  "I thought you knew me Leo, maybe I was mistaken.  No one forbids me to do anything, least of all you."  She left the window and went back over to the bed, dropping down on the edge.  "And, I still refuse to go hunting with you."

     "Fine," he snapped, going from highly aroused to highly irritate in the span of two point two seconds.  "I'll go hunting and you can feed from me."

     "No!"  She rounded on him so fast that a gush of air swirled around in the room, circling around them in a whirlwind frenzy paralleling the anger that she was feeling.  "If you kill someone then I will not feed from you Leo." She closed her eyes, "I told you," she said more quietly, "I will not be a party to human murder.  Did you forget that I was once a human not so long ago too?"

     Leo bellowed out an angry snarl, whipped his body around and plunged his fist into the wall.  The deafening sound of the impact echoed in the room.  "I will not let you suffer because of your apparent new-found affinity for human life.  You are all that matters to me.  I won’t do it Shelby!  You will feed from me and that's final!"

     Shelby pulled herself up to stand on the bed, pointing her finger in his direction.  She was getting ready to tell him exactly what he could do with his final declaration when he waved that all mighty hand of his and pulled his infamous Houdini act on her- again.

      "Dammit!" She hollered into the hollowness of the room.  She huffed out a breath and stared at the closed door.  She was getting tired of his childish disappearing acts whenever they got into a heated argument; it was beginning to border along the lines of ridiculousness. 

      No more, Shelby told herself determinedly.  She wasn't letting him walk away from her this time.  Closing her eyes, she forced herself to try and focus on where he was in the house.  She tuned into him and locked onto his aura.  She smiled.  "Not this time Leo.  You aren't running from me again."

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     “Have you found anything yet!”  Ric jumped at the sound of his Master’s bellows.  He was still at the desk, doing research, but not the type of research that he was ordered to do.  He was researching prime real estate because once this thing with the Prophecy was blown wide open, he fully expected to be a rich man. 

     Turning around, he faced him with a false smile on his face.  “Not yet sir; these things take time.”

     Leo whirled around, his emotions still running high from the tiff with his little bride.  He drew his hand through his hair and slowly exhaled.  He had faith in his servant to get him the information that he needed in a timely manner.  Soon enough he would know what he needed to know to protect Shelby.

     He also had this honeymoon that he had planned for Shelby.  It should soothe her and with time; he knew that she would come to accept everything, including her new vampiric nature.  He just had to have some patience and give it time.  The rest would fall into place as it should.

     "You're right," he said to Ric.  "I know they take time, especially when it's done right.  Also, I wanted to inform you that Shelby and I will be gone for the next week.  We will be completely indisposed.  Am I correct in assuming that I can trust that you can handle the affairs of the estate while we're gone?"

     "Of course," he said, his attention on full scale alert.  "Where are you going?"

     "A honeymoon.  I'm taking her to the Cocos Islands but I don't want that bit of information to go any further than this room."

     "Duly noted," he remarked.  Ric leaned up on the desk, placing his elbows in front of him.  Watching his master, he thought that it was such a shame that he came from the seed of one of the greatest coven masters in history; such a waste.  Leo's father had great plans for their kind.  He knew that they were far more superior to the humans and that their day to rule was coming fast upon them.  "Sir, may I ask you a question?"  He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer, made plans as to such but just wanted confirmation- needed it, in honor of his original master.

     Leo glanced back at Ric and shrugged.  "I suppose."

     "Why is this human girl so important to you?"  Ric noticed the red tint around his orbs start to brighten in his masters eyes and quickly added in, "I mean if she is part of this prophecy, couldn't that be a sign that she might be more trouble than she's worth?"

     Leo took a step forward, feeling the beast rise within him.  "She is my bride," he hissed through his elongated teeth, "And you would take care to remember that."  Approaching the desk, he lifted his hand and pounded his fist against it, causing the oak to crack right down the center.  "I will not tolerate questions as to her worth.  She is not a human and has not been for years; the day that I fed her my blood, she was bound to me.  She is one of us, blood of my blood and she would be worth all of the trouble in the universe if that's what it came down to."

     Ric leaned back in his chair, feeling the fury that was emanating off of his master.  It was clear that he would never see the light.  As he thought, he was a lost cause and because of that, he would have to be dealt with too.

     "Do you mean that?"  Leo snapped his head back.  Shelby was standing there just feet away from him.  She had heard everything that he said and it really got to her.  No one has ever stood up for her so vigilantly as he has. 

     Her face was crest-fallen and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and hold her there forever.  "I do," he said softly.

     "Can you not kill for me?  Can you only take what is needed when you feed?"  She knew that she was going out on a limb here but it was the only compromise that she could think of.

     "Not kill?"  He repeated her words, looking totally perplexed.

     She walked over to him, closing the distance and rested her hand on his cheek.  "Yes my love.  For me, can you mot kill the humans when you hunt."  She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that he would give just a little on this.  "If you don't kill them, then I will I promise that I'll feed from you."

     Leo seemed to think about it and a second later, he pulled her into his arms.  "For you my sweet, I can do anything."  He pressed a kiss against her temple and inhaled her sweet scent.  :If you insist that I let the humans live, then it will be."

     Shelby leaned into him and sighed.  Why couldn't life always be this easy?  "Thank you," she whispered and at the same time, she looked up and could have sworn that his servant was snarling at her.  She frowned, pushing her face back into his chest.  Putting on her big girl panties, she figured it was now or never, she asked him, "Are you ready to go hunting?"

     Leo smiled down at her, already anticipating the nights activities.  He would feed, then she would feed from him.  He had to stifle his groan as his pants tightened against his groin.  "With you," he said huskily, "I'm always ready."  Not bothering to say anything else to Ric, he flicked his hand and they dematerialized under the cloak of darkness.

     Ric watched them disappear.  The moment they were gone, he reached for the first thing that he could get his hands on and tossed it across the room.  Glass splintered everywhere as the paperweight exploded against the concrete wall.  Not kill the prey?  What the hell kind of vampire leaves their dinner alive?  That was just unheard of.

     What that pitiful human asked of Leo goes against all of their natural instincts.  It wasn't right, it wasn't the way of the vampire.  First, she convinces him to take mercy on the maggots, what's next; we walk side by side, adhering to pathetic their rules.  Ha!  Not happening, not in this life time. 

     It was time to make another phone call.  He reached for the phone, already knowing the Councilman's number by heart.  Leo and Shelby may make it to the Cocos Islands but they would never leave them, at least not breathing.  He would make damn sure of that, if it was the last thing that he ever did.