CHAPTER FIVE
Love.
What a bunch of bullshit.
Willow stretched and rolled off the side of the bed. She hadn't been able to fall asleep after Michael woke her up and her eyes were puffed to the size of golf balls. She would have to punch him in his pretty face later to get him back for it.
Michael was always making something out of nothing. It was no big deal that she'd had another nightmare. It was just one and the first one in months. After everything she'd lived through, it was nothing to be concerned about. If he'd left her asleep long enough, it might have had a happy ending.
It was also no big deal that she was attracted to Chase. There was no secret about the fact that Willow enjoyed males. This wasn't human times, where she had to pretend to be chaste and keep her legs closed. She would do with her body as she pleased. That didn't have to mean more. People didn't go around assuming males were falling in love just because they wanted to get a female naked.
What a double standard.
Willow went to her closet and pulled out something to wear. She didn't even care what. Plain black leather shorts and matching top that laced up the front. Okay, so just because she felt like shit didn't mean she couldn't look hot. She pulled on the clothes, with a pair of boots that zipped up the side and went nearly as high as the shorts. After a quick tousle to her hair and some teeth brushing, she was good to go.
Luckily, Michael was already out of the house for the day, so she didn't have to see him on her way out the door. She didn't have anywhere particular to be that day, and it was again an unseasonably warm day, so she figured she'd head out for a walk. Even though they'd been living in Vampire City for months, she hadn't had the chance to explore much, other than the town square and park.
Being off on her own would give her time to think. Or maybe just to get lost in not thinking. It wasn't as if she had so much on her mind that she needed the solitude. She certainly didn't.
"You look lost in thought." Cole snuck up beside her and walked in step with her.
"Are you stalking me?" Willow slowed, but kept walking.
"That depends. Would you find it creepy or cute?"
"Creepy for sure."
"Okay, then no. It's a total coincidence that we ran into each other out here this morning. Where are you headed?"
Willow stopped and narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of Cole. "Where are you headed?"
"Well, I had the day off, so I was thinking a nice relaxing walk around the city would be good. So honestly, nowhere in particular."
How convenient.
"What is it you do around here that you have a day off from?"
"I work the gate over at Human City."
"Why don't you live there then? I thought all the vampire workers lived in the city."
"Not all, and because, have you been to Human City? Not even the humans want to live in that shit hole."
"I haven't, but I'm sure it's not that bad." Willow started walking again and Cole kept pace beside her.
"It's a filthy little hole in the Earth where the angriest humans reside. Seriously, I can't stand it there."
"Why not apply for a different job then?"
Cole tried to slip his hand into Willow's. But she pulled it away swiftly.
"I have. The king and I aren't exactly on great terms. So either I stay where I'm at, or I move to another region where I might have a better chance with a regent who doesn't know me."
"Alexander seems like a decent guy. What did you do to piss him off?"
They came up to a large pond, surrounded by buildings on one side, and trees on the other. Several swans floated on the still water, creating a serene atmosphere, that even Willow could relax to.
"Let's just say we have a past. So why aren't you busy today?"
"They call me when they need me. My talents are… situational."
"Oh, I doubt that. I would be willing to bet that your talents are profound and extend to just about every area." Cole pulled Willow over to a bench and they sat.
"You don't know a thing about me."
"Well, that's not entirely true."
Willow raised an eyebrow. "No? What do you know about me then?"
"I know that your mother was a very talented witch and your father was a vampire, distantly related to royalty."
"Common knowledge."
"I'm not finished. I also know that you and your twin have moved from place to place since you were seventeen, never settling anywhere for more than a few weeks, until you came here."
"Also, not difficult to figure out. One quick glance at our personnel files would tell you that. Or, a conversation with anyone who's known us."
Cole picked up a stone from the ground and skipped it across the pond.
"I know that you lost your mother young and when your father couldn't take advantage of you anymore, he sold you to Julian Hart."
Willow's mouth dropped open and went dry.
"I also know," Cole continued. "That Julian was an awful individual and that you killed him to escape."
His face told her he knew more than that. He knew details. But no one except her and Michael knew the details of what she endured there. The only time she'd ever even talked about it a little, was when she told Jewel just enough to convince her she could understand what the girl was going through. And there was no way Jewel had told Cole. She doubted Jewel would even waste one second with the creepy vampire.
Unlike her stupid self.
Willow jumped up from the bench and took a few steps back. "How could you know any of that? Almost no one knows that."
"Maybe I just know things most people don't know."
"What do you read minds or something?"
Cole stood and took a few steps toward Willow, but she backed away an equal distance.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"Then tell me how you know." Willow's fists bunched at her sides and she considered using a little magic on him. She didn't care if it was against the rules. She would rather be thrown out of the city, than to take any chances with some creep who knew things he shouldn't know.
"Whoa, calm down. I knew Julian… and you."
"What the hell does that mean?" Willow could feel the electricity growing in her fingertips. Her magic was begging to be released and Cole was asking to see what she could do.
"I worked for Julian a long time ago, when you were only about thirteen. One time I was there, after he'd beaten you for something. You probably don't remember."
There were too many times he'd beaten her to remember any one specific time and too many men that passed through for him to make an impression.
"I don't."
"Well, I saw you there, huddled in a small cage, and I wanted to get you out of there, but you wouldn't let me."
Willow remembered the cage well enough. Julian liked to stick her in there when she didn't behave. Which was often. There were a few times that someone would come by, offer to help her escape, but she never took them up on it. She knew what that would mean for Michael if she did.
"Doesn't ring any bells."
Cole sighed and dropped his hands at his sides. "Look, I should have been upfront with you about all this, but I didn't want to just come out with it when it was so long ago. I was afraid I'd scare you away."
"I'm not afraid of anything." Willow huffed.
Certainly not Cole.
"Everyone is afraid of something, Willow."
"Well I'm not. So get lost. Not because I'm afraid of you, but because I don't like you."
Willow spun around and stormed off in the opposite direction. Did he think he was going to come to her with stories of him trying to save her as a child and she was going to jump into his arms?
What an ass.
She needed something to take her mind off everything, something to keep her from thinking about the past, the future, or anything else.
And she knew right where to find it.
***
"That is not what I told you to do." Chase used the stick to knock Issac's legs out from under him in one quick sweep. Issac glared up at him from the floor and huffed.
"I'm trying, but it's not that easy. She's faster than me."
Sam stood a few feet away with her fighting stick in one hand and a smug smile on her face. "My speed wouldn't matter if you did what Chase told you to do."
Chase liked Sam. She was an angry little runt, but he appreciated her spunk. She worked hard, and did everything she was told in training, even if that was the only place.
"She's right." Chase extended a hand to help Issac up. "If you paid more attention, you wouldn't be getting your ass kicked by a little girl."
"Hey. I'm not that little." Sam snorted and swung her stick around in formation.
"You are compared to him." Chase waved over Issac, who stood at least a foot taller than Sam and had about sixty pounds on her. He was on the scrawny side, but nothing a little bulking up couldn't fix. Especially now that he was vampire.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chase noticed Willow standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, watching him. Her lips were blood red and she pushed the bottom one out in a way that made him want to take it between his teeth and bite.
"Okay, we're done here. Head over to Jayce for your next lesson." Chase dismissed the group of kids and headed over to see what Willow wanted. "You need something?"
"Yes."
"What is it?" Chase wasn't in the mood to be slapped again, or yelled at. So if she was looking for someone to take out her aggravation on, she could piss off.
"You." She batted her lashes a few times and nibbled at the corner of her lip. Chase couldn't help wonder if it was some sort of trick, if she was going to start flipping out the moment he moved in for a kiss. Before he could find out, she leaned in and covered his mouth with hers.
The kiss was demanding and urgent, like she was running from something and that kiss was her saving grace. A small part of him wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he didn't care all that much.
As long as she kept her mouth on his.
When Chase thought he'd be lost in her forever, she broke the kiss, and leaned back against the wall panting. She didn't slap him, or look like she was gearing up for a fight, so that was positive.
"What's going on?"
"To be completely honest, I need to not think right now. Can you help me not think, Chase?" She lifted her head from the wall and let her eyes graze over him, her stare burned along his flesh in the most delicious way.
"I have some time before the next session. Want to get out of here?"
Willow nodded. "Meet me at my place in ten?"
"I'll see you then."
Willow disappeared from the training facility at vampire speed, or as much of it that a blood witch had, and Chase watched her go. He wasn't sure if going back to her place was the best idea, but he was tired of always making good decisions.
It was time to have a little fun.
***
"Your brother isn't going to show up, is he?" Chase glanced around the room, fully expecting Michael to jump out any second.
"No. He's gone for the day, working on some locater spell for the missing kids."
"Why aren't you helping with that?" Chase sat down on the leather couch and rested his head back against the soft cushion.
"He can handle it alone. Michael is better at those sorts of things. My talents are different." Willow climbed onto Chase's lap, facing him and clasped her hands behind his neck, pulling his head up to meet her. "Did you come here to talk about my brother?"
"Not even a little." Chase's nostrils flared as he took in the scent of her growing arousal. Any thought of Michael was pushed from his mind.
"Good." Willow loosened the tie on her top, that held the leather sides together, and her breasts bulged through the thin strings. "Because I thought we could refrain from talking altogether."
"I like that plan."
Before Chase could say another word, Willow pressed her chest against Chase's face, smothering him in her cleavage. He wasted no time releasing her breasts from the cumbersome garment and taking one into his mouth. The taste of roses and blood danced on his tongue. It was the same familiar combination that made up her scent. It overtook him, made him want to sink his fangs into her soft flesh to get a better taste, but he held back.
Biting her might need to wait, but he fully intended on giving her breasts the attention they begged for. He brought his hands up for a rough squeeze and pulled her back to his mouth. Her skin was soft, smooth, but he had no intention of being gentle.
Starting on the left side, he grazed his teeth over her nipple, biting down until she let out a soft groan. There was nothing about Willow that made him think he needed to go slow, or easy. Which was good, because Chase wanted to make her cry out with a mixture of pleasure and pain.
His tongue flicked over the swollen nipple as his warm breath breathed over it. She pulled his head harder against her, so he sucked her into his mouth. He sucked hard, letting his teeth scrape the sensitive flesh. She must have been enjoying what he was doing, because she ground her hips into him painfully.
The scent of her arousal filled the room and damn did she smell amazing. Her scent alone could get Chase hard and fuck he was hard. If he got any harder, he might just split open.
Chase fumbled with the lacing of her ridiculous top until he managed to get the thing off of her. After tossing it aside, he pulled back a moment to admire her half naked. She squirmed around, trying to get off his lap, likely to remove the rest of her clothes, but Chase held her in place. She might be in a hurry, but he was enjoying her impatience.
And thanks to his vampire blood, he was stronger.
"Slow down. We have time."
"No." Despite the fact that he was stronger, she managed to loosen his grip and hopped onto the floor. "I don't want slow."
"What do you want?"
"Fast. Hard. Now." She unzipped the leather shorts and pushed them down her thighs. Willow wasn't stick thin and Chase loved that about her. She was strong, but soft. Just enough padding to make her look real, feminine. It was a major turn on.
She looked at him with a hard stare. She wanted him undressed and she wasn't about to wait for it. When he didn't move, she grabbed his arms and pulled him up.
"No patience at all." He feigned a frown, but her urgent need was sexy as hell.
"None." Willow yanked his shirt over his head and undid his jeans in a flash.
"Okay, okay. I got it." He finished the job and tossed the rest aside. He wanted to admire her as she stood there naked in front of him, but before he could take the sight in fully, she jumped on him, forcing them both backwards onto the couch with her back in his lap.
Her heat burned against him, wetting him with her need.
"Now, Chase." Something in her voice was different. It was almost vulnerable, something he wasn't used to seeing in her. Moments earlier, he was enjoying making her wait, but when she looked at him that way, he had to give her what she desperately needed. Anything else just seemed cruel.
Willow positioned herself against him and paused for just a moment. As soon as his hands gripped her hips, she pushed against him and they were joined. Their fit was perfect, as if each of their bodies was made for the other. She closed around him and threw her head back.
Chase imagined sex with Willow on more occasions than he cared to acknowledge. The reality was nothing like his fantasy. Not that it didn't stack up. Feeling her around him was amazing. But he figured she'd want all the control, and although she was on top of him, basically controlling the speed and movement, he never for one moment felt like she had the upper hand.
Her thrusts came quick and hard, just as she'd said she wanted it. Chase was more interested in having it last. He dug his fingers into her hips and slowed their rhythm. Willow wiggled her hips, trying to fight him, but he held firm, keeping her to a slower pace. His lips found a nipple and sucked it into his mouth. Her hands gripped his hair and pulled hard, keeping him against her needy skin.
Once she stopped fighting against him, they fell into a steady rhythm of her pulling back against him, and him slamming hard back into her. With each thrust in, she let out a sharp cry and yanked harder on his hair. She kept her eyes closed the entire time, much to Chase's disappointment, but she was damn beautiful either way.
Not sure how long he could hold off, Chase tried to keep his breath steady and his mind on other things. It wasn't working. Everything about her demanded his full attention. Her scent penetrated him. Her heat scorched him. Her moans beat against his eardrums . It was more than sex. It was an experience of his entire being. No matter how ridiculous that sounded, it was true.
The closer he came to release, the more his fangs ached. Her heart thumped fast in her chest. The vein in her neck matched it, calling his attention to it. There was little doubt that she would mind if he bit into her, took just a little, but he held back. It felt wrong to take something she hadn't offered, even if she likely wouldn't mind.
Just as Chase was about to leave the thought behind, Willow leaned down and sunk her small fangs into his throat. The world exploded around him into brilliant, blinding color and sound. He lost track of everything around him and floated away into oblivion.
***
Willow slipped herself from Chase's lap and sunk into the couch next to him. She couldn't keep herself from laughing at him, just a bit. Luckily, he hadn't noticed. She was pretty sure he hadn't even noticed that she was no longer on top of him.
The first time she'd been bitten during sex was nothing like Chase's experience, but at least it hadn't been Julian. It took her a bit longer to let her guard down just enough to enjoy the experience of bloodsharing during sex, rather than react with anger. Eventually, she managed to find that place he was currently floating around in. Although for Willow, it was only her doing the biting. She never allowed her partners to bite her back.
It took some control for a vampire, or in her case, part vampire, to keep their wits about them. Chase had no control. Hell, he didn't even know what he was getting himself into. That was probably why she hadn't warned him. That, and the fact that she found it amusing to see him so lost in the pleasure she'd given him.
Once the post-bliss glow started to fade, Willow was flung back into reality. She'd slept with Chase. Or, they'd fucked, because there certainly wasn't any sleeping going on. She'd wanted to for some time now, but she kept telling herself she wasn't going to allow it to happen. Her plan was to tease him. Get him all worked up and leave him hanging. It was mean, but she didn't care.
There was something different about Chase. He was arrogant and naive and nothing like the males she usually allowed into her bed. Or her couch. Rather than hounding her until he got into her pants, he tried to avoid her, deny her, pretend he didn't want her. He turned her down at every turn for months. Until today. When she most needed someone, he was there.
She wasn't even going to give thought to why she needed the distraction so badly. It didn't matter. What mattered was that when it counted, Chase was there.
"Hey," Chase said through hooded eyes. His goofy smile was enough to make her consider rethinking her decision to go to him. It wasn't like she didn't have other options. She didn't need a little puppy dog falling in love with her or anything.
"We're done. You can go."
Chase laughed.
Willow wanted to punch him in the throat.
"Buyer's remorse?"
"I didn't buy you. We screwed. Now go." Willow gathered her clothes and slipped back into them with lightning speed. She hoped he wasn't going to be one of those clingy boys who wanted to stay and snuggle. She certainly wasn't a snuggler.
Chase watched her. His eyes burned into her, never straying from her body. It made her feel exposed, raw, and she didn't like it one bit.
"I'm serious. You can go." Willow gave him a moment and when he didn't move, she threw his clothes at him. "Get out."
"Is there some reason you're being a bitch all of a sudden?"
"This isn't sudden. I've always been a bitch. Did you miss that?"
Chase threw on his jeans and slipped into his shoes. She thought he would speak, but he closed his mouth, tossed his shirt over his shoulder, and headed for the door.
"Whatever."
The slam of the door made her shudder, but she pushed the feeling aside. She'd gotten her distraction. He had a good time. She didn't owe him anymore.
So why did she feel like shit now?