Blake's Pursuit

Nina grinned. “Amaury would like a lot of things.” She winked at Lilo. “Most of which he gets anyway. He’s really got nothing to complain about. But no, our men don’t eat human food or drink anything but blood.”

Instinctively, Lilo’s gaze drifted to Nina’s neck. “How often do they… you know, feed?”

“Daily,” Delilah said, next to her.

Lilo swallowed. “Blake mentioned… I mean is it true…?”

“Is what true, Lilo?” Delilah asked.

“You don’t have to be coy with us,” Nina added. “I’m sure your questions aren’t any different from the ones I had when I found out Amaury was a vampire.”

“Ahem,” Lilo said, shifting on the couch. “I don’t want to pry or anything.”

Suddenly she felt Delilah’s warm hand on hers. “Dear, I’ve been with Samson for about twenty-three years, and there’s nothing I don’t know about vampires. Same goes for Nina. We’ve been there. I bet you we’ve had the same doubts and worries.”

Was that why Blake had brought her here? So these two women could alleviate her worries about vampires? About having been intimate with one?

“What is it like? The bite?” she finally choked out.

Delilah and Nina exchanged soft chuckles.

“Do you want to, or shall I?” Delilah asked Nina.

Nina motioned to her friend, a sparkle in her eyes. “You go ahead. I really don’t know how to describe it.”

A warm smile playing around her lips, Delilah turned halfway toward her, angling one leg and resting it on the sofa to be more comfortable.

“There’s nothing comparable in the human world. To say that it’s like an orgasm isn’t doing it justice. It’s more than that. Not just physical pleasure, but bliss that touches your soul, that fills your heart and warms it. It’s a connection on a deep level.” She sighed. “Of course, it’s more intense when it happens between a blood-bonded couple, like in our cases.” She pointed to Nina and herself. “But even a casual bite is something out of this world. And during sex…” She left the sentence unfinished.

Blake had said as much, but hearing it from a woman, a human, who’d experienced the bite, the words had so much more weight.

“And your husband, he bites you every day?”

“Yes, he needs to. See, he can only drink my blood, no other human’s. It would make him sick.”

“Mmm,” Lilo murmured, contemplating her words. “But if he can only drink your blood because you’re blood-bonded, how does that work when two vampires are blood-bonded? Can’t they drink human blood anymore? How do they survive? By drinking from each other?”

Delilah laughed quietly. “That’s a lot of questions, but let me see if I can explain all that without boring you.”

Boring her? This was fascinating.

“So, when two vampires are blood-bonded, like Yvette and Haven, or like Eddie and Thomas, they will of course need to drink human blood to survive. The change that happens in a vampire when bonding with a human, doesn’t happen when two vampires bond. Don’t get me wrong, their bond is just as strong, their devotion just as deep, but they are physically able to drink blood that doesn’t come from their mate. Which of course doesn’t stop them from biting each other.” Delilah winked. “Mostly during sex…”

Fascinated, Lilo gaped her. But Delilah wasn’t quite done yet.

“It’s different for a vampire bonded to a human. He’s entirely dependent on her for his survival. He needs her. Of course, during my pregnancies, Samson was restraining himself to drinking from me just once every few days. He wanted to make sure I kept my strength.”

Nina huffed. “Yeah, ‘cause Samson is a gentleman. Amaury? Not so much! He was randier than a sailor while I was pregnant with Damian and Benjamin. He said I had a glow about me. Wouldn’t give me a moment’s rest.”

Though judging by her flushed cheeks, Nina hadn’t objected much to her husband’s advances.

When Delilah started to laugh, Lilo couldn’t help herself and chuckled.

“Well, we all know Amaury,” Delilah said and winked at Lilo. “Have you met him yet?”

“I ran into him in the hallway up on the top floor. He wasn’t too pleased to see me. He said no humans were allowed up there.”

Delilah shrugged. “Yeah, well, that rule’s been broken more often than I can count on both of my hands. He’ll get over it.”

Lilo moved her head from side to side. “You both seem to be so unafraid of them. Aren’t you worried that one day they’ll turn around and lash out? They’re so much stronger than you. So much more powerful.”

“They’re just like every other man,” Nina claimed. “They want the same thing. A woman who will love them and will never look at another man again. Once they’re certain of that, they’ll grant her every wish in their power.” Nina smirked mischievously. “It’s really quite empowering.”

Lilo’s chin dropped. “Are you telling me that you manipulate Amaury?”

Nina laughed. “I wouldn’t call it that. All I do is give him what he craves, and luckily that coincides exactly with what I crave, too. And if he showers me with gifts on top of that, who am I to complain? I’ve got two smart, beautiful sons, and a husband who’d kill to protect me. Who could want more out of life?”

“Don’t forget the not aging part,” Delilah interjected.

“Oh, yes, that’s not too bad either. I was twenty-seven when I met Amaury.” She swept her hands down her body. “And look at me now, twenty-two years later. Not too shabby for a cougar.”

“Nina, I don’t think you’re a cougar. You’d have to date a younger man for that. And despite his youthful looks, Amaury has long passed the four-hundred year mark.”

Lilo gasped. “Four hundred?”

Nina winked at her. “And before you wonder. No, a vampire’s sex drive does not diminish with age.”

Lilo felt her cheeks heat.

“Now, now, no need to be shy,” Delilah said. “Scanguards is like a small town where everybody knows about everybody else’s business, and rumors are circulating fast. I spoke to Rose a while ago. She mentioned she met you at Blake’s house. So as you can imagine, everybody is curious about you. Blake isn’t the kind of guy to indulge in casual things.”