Silver Blood (Blood Series Book 2) Read online

  His voice is husky, and his breath caresses my skin, causing me to shiver with need.

  "Yes, I climbed into your bed. Is that okay?” I pant the words, trying to control my rapidly beating heart.

  He runs a hand up the inside of my leg, torturously slow, as he watches me intently. I expect him to tease me, but he taps my clit quickly, laughing at the sudden involuntary jerk my body gives in response. Why the hell did that feel so good? Oh, who cares.

  He moves until his thumb hovers over my clit, gently circling it, my orgasm rising up within me.

  "You are more than welcome in my bed anytime, Em. Especially when I wake up to you, naked and grinding against my leg."

  Despite the movements he's doing, I still flush. My dream must have been more intense than I thought if I stripped off my underwear in my sleep.

  Before I can respond with a smart-ass comment, he slips a finger inside me, groaning as my walls clench around him. He continues the slow circling while moving his finger inside me in a slow pace, and in the blink of an eye, my orgasm hits me.

  As I come down from the aftershocks that have my body spasming, he lays down beside me and buries his head in my hair, inhaling deeply. When I finally regain enough control to speak, I ask, "Would you like me to reciprocate?"

  I try for flirty and playful, but it comes out sounding off.

  He chuckles into my hair, placing a kiss on my collarbone. "No, Em, I'm fine. That was all for you."

  Oh.

  We lay here nestled together until I can't take it anymore. I roll over to face him, gazing down at his body. There are small scars that litter his body, and the tattoo on his chest shines like a beacon.

  "What does your tattoo mean?"

  It looks like those Celtic designs you see on people who want to appear tough, but I have a feeling Dev isn't the type of person to get his body permanently branded without a good reason.

  He freezes, and his face completely shuts down. The light that usually shines in his hazel eyes has been extinguished by my question, and I immediately feel guilty for asking.

  I reach out and stroke my hand down his arm soothingly. "Devin honey, I'm sorry if I crossed a line. I was only curious. You really don't have to tell me."

  He shakes his head, a sadness in his eyes. "It’s not that I don't want to share my past with you, it’s just that it’s pretty dark, and I don't know if I'm ready to tell you yet. Nikoli and Talon know my story, but only because they were there for the worst of it." He sighs and meets my eyes. "While I'm not ready to tell you everything, I promise that I will in time. For now, I will explain that my tattoo was not one that I chose. It was branded onto me."

  "Oh, Dev, I'm so sorry."

  He shrugs and slides further up the bed to rest his chin on my head, and I snuggle against his chest. He pulls a blanket up over my naked body, and I sigh against him at the sweet gesture.

  "It’s okay, Em. It’s just something I don't like talking about. Out of the three of us, I'm the youngest and at the end of the day, my issues feel like nothing compared to what Talon and Nik had to go through. And before you ask, I won't tell you about their pasts. That's up to them."

  I laugh, playfully swatting him on the chest. "You know me so well." I would have jumped at the chance to ask, and while Nik shared some of his history with me, I'm not about to go and force Dev to offer something he’s not ready for. No, I won’t push him to reveal his secrets. We have years ahead of us to learn these things, but it means a lot to me that he told me a bit about his tattoo, even though I know it hurt him to talk about it.

  I roll out of his arms and climb to my feet, ready to start the day. That’s when I notice the others are gone. "Where did Tal and Nik go?"

  My surprise must be obvious, and I bet he thinks it’s more about the fact that they disappeared without waking me, but that’s not it. I totally forgot Dev and I weren't the only ones in the room when he was pleasuring me. That should have been a thought that occurred to me when he was touching me, but not once did it enter my mind that they could have been watching. And I think what bothers me most is the fact that I'm not bothered by that. Shouldn't our relationships be separate from each other? I should work to try to get more alone time with each of them, but at the same time, it feels better when we're all together.

  "They went out to check the patrol logs to see if there have been any more attacks. They should be back any minute, though.”

  I nod before moving to my clothes, picking something nice and comfortable to wear when Dev's voice stops me. "Ah, Em? Shouldn't you get changed into training clothes?"

  I narrow my eyes in confusion. Why would I do that when there's no training today? "I don't have training today, unless there's something you aren't telling me?"

  "Well, with everything that happened with your beast, and you almost getting killed again, we decided you need a permanent weapon. One that could be taken out with you when you leave the coven. A dagger won't help you if you end up getting attacked by multiple people again." He pauses before delivering the bad news. "Talon is taking you once he gets back."

  Fuck! I knew he was building up to something awful. It will be his way to punish me while also helping me. He’ll give me my new weapon then demand I use it against him, which is just code for kicking my ass.

  I hold back a groan as I dig through my clothes.

  “What’s wrong?" Dev asks as I release a defeated sigh.

  "I've been too busy to really do any washing, and since the amount of clothes I have is limited, I don’t really have anything left to wear."

  He chuckles, climbing out of the bed, and I marvel over his naked body, wondering when he stripped out of his boxers. The way his muscles move as he strides towards me holds me captivated. After a moment, he reaches out and waves a hand in front of my face, catching my gaze.

  "Huh? What'd you say?"

  He frowns at me, looking concerned. "Are you okay? You got this kind of glazed look. I was worried you were going to faint."

  My cheeks heat up with embarrassment, and I avoid meeting his eyes. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Just wondering what to wear."

  He buys my excuse, but I swear he smirks as he moves me away from my bags, and over to a dresser that I assumed was Nik or Talon's, seeing as it’s between their beds.

  "Now, I don't want you to freak out, but Talon asked Britt to get you some more clothes because we know you only had the basics. He worried you might be upset if we got you clothes that either didn't fit or were the wrong color, so he gave the task to Britt. She took care of everything while you were on your date with Nik," he adds, as if he senses my confusion.

  Damn Britt and her sneaky tactics.

  He slaps a hand on the top of the dresser affectionately. "Everything in here is all yours."

  I don't argue, since I know it would do no good for me to complain. It’s why I suspect Dev made sure I knew Talon was the key person responsible for this surprise. Because at the end of the day, I’d rather not start an argument with him over both of us being stubborn. It would just end in me giving in, or him stomping out of the room.

  My hands reach out, gripping the metal handles of the top drawer. I pull it open to reveal an assortment of bras and underwear, as well as crop tops that seem to be designed specifically for training.

  I pull out a simple black pair of cotton boy shorts and a matching black crop top, pulling them on as Dev watches. While the bra is a perfect fit, the underwear is a little tight, but it will have to do for now. Who knows how much time I have before Talon barges in here, demanding for me to join him at training?

  The second drawer contains a bunch of sweats and men's shirts. Basically, a lazy day drawer. I smile, glad that Britt remembered I like to wear loose fitting clothes. I hope they're the right size, though, because I swear this underwear is killing me.

  When I open the third drawer, I let out a sigh of relief. A ton of yoga pants and light breathable shirts are folded neatly inside. I reach in and pull out a pair of dark blue pants
with pale blue stripes up the sides, and set them on the top of the dresser as I go to peel the underwear back off. These pants look like they'll be tight enough to show an underwear line anyway, so may as well go without rather than be even more uncomfortable than I already am.

  As I bend down to peel my underwear off, I see a flash of gold and see a price tag peeking out from the pants. I reach in and turn the tag over, gasping when I see the price. "Five hundred dollars?! Are you frigging kidding me, Dev?! For pants that price, I'd expect them to be made of gold!" I throw my hands up, acutely aware that I'm still wearing only my sports bra. "Who pays five hundred dollars for pants that will just get drenched in sweat?!"

  Dev just laughs, ripping the tag off before I can object, and I almost faint. "Better get used to high-priced items, Em. We're all pretty wealthy, and your parents are too for that matter. Being a Princess has its perks.” He winks, holding out the pants I had set aside. "You may want to hurry and put these on. Talon is almost here."

  I growl, but snatch the pants from his hands and pull them on.

  Sure enough, as soon as I pull the pants up over my hips, I hear Talon's voice from the outer room. I sigh and give Dev a quick kiss, before going out to meet my fate.

  Nik is absent from the front room, and Talon doesn't say a word as he approaches, just intertwines our fingers and leads me from the room. I look back in time to see Dev mouth 'good luck,' which I respond to by flipping him off. He grins and closes the door after us.

  The whole way down to the forest is filled with silence, and I don't break it by speaking, not wanting to upset him. There's an unusual energy around him, not quite anger, but it’s certainly not happiness either. My beast wants us to soothe him, but right now, I have no idea how to do that.

  When we step out onto the forest floor, he finally speaks. "After what happened last night, we decided it was time you got your own weapon."

  "I think I handled myself exceptionally well, thank you very much."

  He pulls up short, and I hold back a smile. This was the only way I could think of for him to get his issues out, by baiting him. I'd rather he yell and scream at me than hold back how he really felt, leaving me to wonder what the exact issue was.

  "You... did… not... handle... yourself!" he growls out, the anger in his eyes growing with each word he says. "You were reckless and almost died!'

  "I killed a few of them on my own! If I remember correctly, I also helped Dev! If I hadn't, he would've died!" I shoot back with just as much venom. “I know what I did was reckless, I'm not completely stupid, but I did it for a good reason! I couldn't lose Dev!”

  Talon sighs, and I see his anger deflate. He reaches out and cups my cheek, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Devin would gladly die to protect you. That's his job."

  Fuck that misogynistic shit! Men aren't supposed to have to protect women! Women are more than capable of protecting themselves! "Well then, he's fired. Actually, you're all fired."

  He smiles patiently at me like I'm nothing more than a naïve child. "You can't fire us, Em. Only your mother can do that, and I'm pretty sure she feels just as strongly about your safety as I do."

  Shit! I clearly didn't think that through. I'm sure I could convince my mother or father to reassign them, though. Maybe if I...

  Talon watches me as I consider all my options. He smirks, obviously thinking he won this argument. "Come on, I have some new weapons to show you."

  I follow him, my mind still going over ways to get a little more freedom. Despite the recent attacks, I don't want to be coddled for the rest of my life. Maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement that works for everyone. They seem to be willing to let me spend time with Britt alone, so maybe that's the key.

  Talon stops, and I focus back on my surroundings, letting out a soft gasp at what I see on the table before us. It’s covered with swords of varying styles and lengths, as well as an axe and a few other weapons I've never seen before. But that's not all. The blades I saw downstairs at the market the other day also reside on the table.

  "What is this?" I ask in awe. I've never seen so many blades in one place before. I am so tempted to reach out and grab a few of the prettier ones, but I hold back, unsure what I'm supposed to do.

  Talon chuckles, and grips me by the shoulders, moving me, so I'm standing near the center of the table. He goes to stand behind me, and his breath brushes against my ear as we look over the weapons in front of us. "All vampires who fight with a weapon believe that their weapon is chosen with their own energy. That energy binds with the metal creating an unbreakable bond. Or you may come across a weapon that has already been imbued with another's energy or even a witch’s magic. Those weapons are the ones that are meant for the more powerful of us. If you read through that hefty book Jeannie gave you, you would already know all of this.”

  Damn those stupid books! When I finished training, I put them on the kitchen counter in our room and never looked at them again. I should really read them so I learn some of this.

  Talon continues speaking oblivious to my internal thoughts. “One of these will be yours. You just have to find the right one."

  When I reach out to pick up the blades I was staring at, he grips my arms tightly. "Now, don't go picking the first one you see, just because it looks pretty. I want you to look at every weapon carefully, while letting your instincts guide you.”

  I do as he says, but my gaze is still drawn to the first weapons that caught my eye, the twin swords from back in the marketplace. I take a closer look and see each blade has foreign markings etched along the length of them.

  No matter how hard I try to shift my focus over to the other weapons on the table, I keep finding myself drawn back to the twin swords. Finally, I give up trying to resist and step out of Talon’s space to reach for them.

  When I pick them up, I see a small glow that starts in my hand and extends into my arms, and the swords thrum in response. The blades are no longer than my forearms, but still feel powerful enough to cut down my enemies.

  Talon sucks in a sharp breath as I twirl them happily. It feels like I've been reunited with a lost limb, and pure joy radiates from me. I turn to meet Talon's gaze with a hint of challenge in my eyes.

  I feel like I could take on the world, and it would surrender to my power. Huh, that's a weird thought to have.

  Talon just stares at me, with both shock and fear in his eyes. He seems to shake himself free of his thoughts and then pride fills his eyes, replacing all traces of fear.

  "What's the matter? Did I do it wrong?" I ask, disappointed that I may be told to choose a different weapon.

  "It's nothing, Em. Those swords are special is all."

  "Hmm," I murmur absently, twirling them in each hand. Talon watches me appreciatively, and I fight not to give myself away. If he thought training me with swords would make for an easy win, then he was wrong. My dad made sure I trained with every weapon that I showed an interest in. Swords, however, were a personal favorite of mine.

  At the time I would complain, saying all my sword training would never come in handy, but with everything that has happened over the past few days, I'm glad I am capable of defending myself with a weapon.

  "So, what's special about these swords?" I ask, taking a few steps away from the table towards the open field. Talon grabs a sword in its scabbard that's hanging from a tree branch on the edge of the area, as if he knew I would find a sword to train with.

  His sword is the same one I've seen him attach to his hip every time he leaves on patrol, whereas I know Dev carries a few daggers, but seems to prefer guns. Maybe it’s because of the age difference between them?

  "Those swords," he says as he faces me, unsheathing his sword. A shiver runs through me at the ringing of steel that echoes through the large forested room, and he grins wickedly. Shit, maybe even my training won't be enough this time.

  "They’re silver, and were infused with witch’s blood when they were forged."

  I frown, and start cir
cling Talon. "So, silver really doesn't affect us then?" I think back to my mother’s explanations and feel silly for still being fearful of silver.

  "No it doesn't." He smirks and continues to move in a circle, and I mimic his steps, waiting for the inevitable attack. "What surprises me is that when I was given those swords to try, my hands were torched with witch fire. The witch who made them laughed at me and told me that one day I would get to see their true power, but it wouldn’t be that day. He told me I would know when it was time to bring them out again. The thing is, I didn't put them on the table today. I sold them to a vendor a few weeks ago because I was tired of being their guardian."

  "Why were they at the market then? And, why was I able to pick them up if they burned you? Or am I the first to pick them up besides you?"

  “No, you weren’t the first. A number of vampires and wolves have tried to steal them over the years, but no matter what, the blades always return to me. There have been whispers about so and so that stole the swords only for their hands to erupt in flames before the swords magically disappeared. But when I go to check, the swords are always back in my house, locked in their cabinet, with no evidence of having been taken. This is the first time I’ve seen them since I sold them.” He shrugs, and I look down at the swords in my hands with a new appreciation.

  "I have magic swords? Cool!" I exclaim, becoming even more excited. Let’s see what these babies can do.

  He nods, seeming amused by my eagerness. He gives a cocky smirk and looks at me in challenge. "Are you ready to begin?'

  I smile coyly. "Yeah, just take it easy on me."

  I position myself in a stance similar to his, and a small frown appears on his face before he springs forward.

  I let go of my control, my movements coming automatically as he attacks me. The sound of steel hitting silver can be heard, echoing through the room. He keeps trying to get a hit in, but he can't get through my defense. That was one thing I was always good at.

  He pauses and takes a wary step away from me. "This isn't your first time with a sword, is it?"