Page 37 of Life Blood
“Yes,” he said, and I could see the sadness in his eyes from my words.
“Maybe I’ll catch up with you before I go to bed.”
“That’d be great.” Braden turned, “By the way, you have a new wardrobe. Even though Val was a bitch to you tonight, she was charged with replacing your wardrobe. From what I saw, I think you’ll like the new clothes.”
“And if I don’t?” I teased, seeing Braden had thawed out from being the killer vampire from earlier.
“Then I’ll personally take you shopping and let you pick out your own stuff.”
He winked at me, and it made my heart flutter in my chest. Who cared what these other vampires thought of me. The sexiest one seemed to like me, and that’s all that mattered at this point.
Chapter Fourteen
Imade my way toward the back of the massive lodge these vampires called home, seeing a gorgeous swimming pool with an enormous rock waterfall and a hot tub. I couldn’t resist the temptation to walk up to the edge of the pool and feel the water. It was a chilly evening, and the water was the perfect temperature.
This place is like a freaking resort!
I looked behind me up to all the windows and the balcony of the log home that sat imposingly behind the pool. I’d never been lucky enough to visit a place like this. Mom and I didn’t exactly have money to spare for resort vacations.
“If you want to take a swim, there are swimsuits for you,” Cole’s deep voice spoke from behind me.
I would typically have been so shocked by having heard a voice come out of nowhere that I might’ve fallen into the pool, but I wasn’t startled at all.Strange.I just felt that warm, fuzzy feeling that I got whenever one of these guys came around me.
“Do you all have some vampire power that throws off mental stress relief? Every time one of you comes around, I feel like I just took a happy pill.” I stood and turned to face him. Damn, he was even sexier up close!
His eyes crinkled in humor. The usually serious Cole actually seemed to be a bit relaxed for the first time since I met him. “No.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets, and his green eyes zeroed in on mine. “We are learning that this must be part of our connection to you. We feel it when we’re around you too, but the emotions are,” he glanced over my shoulder to the pool behind me, “let’s just say our emotions are stronger because of our heightened vampire senses.”
“So what exactly do you feel when you’re around me?” I wasn’t letting him off easy. If my entire world was going to be flipped inside out and upside down, I wanted to know everything.
When his emerald eyes captured mine, an internal shiver jolted through me. My brain switched gears, and now I wanted to take his perfect face in my hands and never let him go. What the hell were these guys doing to me?
“I don’t think you’re ready to know about all of that just yet. It’s bad enough you had to find out from Val that we drink human blood.” He frowned, “Elle,” he reached for my arm, and when he touched me, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
The action made my body ache for more, and if his emotions were even more intense than mine, I could only imagine how he was feeling right now.
“What?” I asked softly, breathing heavily, trying to get myself under control.
He released my arm, and I practically collapsed. How the hell could his touch alone make my legs weak? He caught me and held me upright until I found my legs again. I took a breath and tried to clear my thoughts.
“What the hell?” I looked around for a place to sit. “Tell me what is happening. Please. Your touch is making me dizzy.” Yeah, dizzy—perfect cover up for what I really felt.
I followed him over to a fancy deck chair and sat next to him.
“I really don’t have any answers for you,” he finally said. “I know it’s all very overwhelming for you. All four of us are trying to bring you into our world gently.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m in shock or what, but this isn’t exactly easy to process. I’m trying my hardest.”
“Yes, you are,” he stated, staring at the intermittently changing colors of the pool in front of us. “I came out here because I wanted to apologize for Zac’s behavior tonight. You weren’t even properly introduced to our friends, and then, of course, they end up being completely rude to you. They sensed the change in us after we all first met you.” He looked over and half-smiled at me. “Without sounding like too much of an asshole, I think you could tell the female vampires are the most pissed off about it.”
“Why? I didn’t do anything. I didn’t ask for any of this,” I said with annoyance. “You guys say I have special blood that can help all of you, shouldn’t that be enough for them not to hate me?”
Cole leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “That’s the issue,” he started, “besides the fact that the four of us will never feel anything for themromantically, we also will not allow them, or any other vampire, to drink your blood.”
He stopped and looked at me. It was like his eyes were waiting for my approval to go on with this story, so I gave it to him.
“Why not? You’re not telling me everything, and I’m so damn confused right now I don’t know what to think, say, or do. I just keep getting fragments of a story, and all I want is the whole thing.”
He rubbed his forehead, “Elle, my cousins and I are attracted and devoted to only you. Being the strongest vampires in existence—aside from Enzo and his people—our devotion runs deeper than we could have ever imagined possible. There is something about you and your blood that has made the four of us claim you.”
