Page 51 of The Night Runs Red

The woman ambled over to the couch beside Jasper and dropped down. “Way to go, asshole. Now you’ve gotten him riled up.”

I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled, drawing each of their attention. “Okay. What the fuck is going on? Who are you?” I asked, pointing at the petite woman in my room. She had long, soft blonde hair and golden-brown eyes. Her skin was so pale it almost had a pink hue.

She looked over to Rion, pouting. “You haven’t told her who I am?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have not had the time.”

“Then what have you been doing? You’ve been married for—”

“I have been busy. I know you do not understand the concept—”

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that while you have been off gallivanting—”

Jasper watched with a gleeful expression as the two volleyed insults back and forth, while I couldn’t understand what was happening. “Hey!” I screamed above the noise. Three pairs of eyes swiveled to me. “Someone explain this,” I said, waving my hands in front of me.

The blonde popped up and pushed past Rion until she stood before me. “Since neither of these dickheads will introduce us, I will.” She held out her hand. “I’m Rowena. Rion’s sister.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Oh, thank fuck. This was Rion’s sister, and suddenly, I felt like an idiot for assuming it was yet another one of his admirers. When I looked closer, I saw the similarities between them. The slight upturn of the tip of their noses and high cheekbones. The fullness of their cupid’s bows, marking their lips in a natural pout. But that was where it ended, because the rest of Rowena's looks belonged to their mother.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to have the downright bitchy attitude to match.

"Oh, I like her," Rowena purred, winking at her brother. "She doesn't mince her words."

"I am well aware," Rion said, crossing his arms. Sarcasm dripped from his words, but his eyes softened as he looked between his sister and I.

I inwardly groaned. "Can all vampyres read minds? Or am I just unlucky to live with the ones who can?" I'd spent so many moments falling over Rion in my thoughts while acting as though I wasn't affected on the outside. The smug uptick of his lips told me just how much he'd enjoyed that.

"Hasn't my brother explained anything to you?" she asked incredulously, plopping herself at the end of my bed. "These special traits, gifts, powers—whatever you want to call them—are inherited from bloodlines. So while we can hear your thoughts, we can't shift like others can."

"Shift?" I asked, raising my brow.

Rowena shrugged. "Yeah. All nocturnal animals, you know, for obvious reasons. I had a friend who could transform into a cat once. I would sneak her in when my mom was being a cu—"

Jasper's laughter rang out as Rion scolded his sister. When Rion turned to his friend, Jasper didn't look the least bit sorry. "What? She is."

Rion closed his eyes and tipped his head to the sky. "By all the gods..."

I stared at the three of them dropping into casual conversation, repeatedly ending in Rion muttering under his breath. For the first time, I was allowed an uncensored look into the company my husband kept. He seemed to love these two fiercely, even if his patience sometimes got the better of him. Which, given Rowena's boundless energy, made sense. But they were family, and no matter how much they bickered, their eyes lit up being in the same room as one another.

Rowena pushed off the bed and grabbed Jasper by the arm. "Enough being rude. We obviously interrupted something." Her eyes flitted briefly to the spot on my chest, which had become visible in my relaxed state. He mumbled about Rion owing him for entertaining his sister, but something told me he didn't mind as he followed her out.

When Rion and I were alone, he stepped between my legs and gently pulled the sheet away from my chest. His fingers reverently dusted his mark before meeting my eyes. "Does it make me a monster if I want to see these litter every inch of your skin?"

I shook my head. "No, because I wish I could do the same."

He smiled. "Are you getting territorial, wife?"

"When it comes to you," I said, gripping his neck and pulling him closer, "always."

* * *

Rion and I bounded down the steps of the massive staircase hand-in-hand. We were freshly showered, though it'd taken us nearly an hour once we stepped underneath the hot water. He was insatiable, pounding me against the tile wall while sinking his teeth into my shoulder. After, he rode out the remainder of his daze while I dusted the towel across his body and combed his hair.

I liked the way he let me take care of him. It showed a new vulnerability and level of trust to both of us. We both had one loving parent who was taken too soon, while the other had made it their mission to make our lives a living hell. It was fitting that we were destined for one another.

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