Bittersweet Blood (The Order #1)

He wasn’t with her, but how could he be with the sunlight pouring through the open blinds. She was in the penthouse, and far below her Christian would be sleeping away the day. She concentrated and felt the faint hum of his presence in her mind.

She’d told him she loved him.

She couldn’t get it out of her head, and while he hadn’t said he loved her in return, he had shown it with his every action. He had made love to her so sweetly and with such intensity, it had made her cry.

At the back of her mind welled a deep, residual sorrow for Chloe. It would probably always be with her, but a sense of excitement for the future now overlaid her grief. A future with Christian.

So he was a vampire, but she was half-demon and half-fae. They would never have a normal life, but so what? They would have a life. Christian had promised he would keep her safe, and she trusted him.

Still, she wasn’t going to sit back and let him do everything alone. He would keep her safe but she planned to do the same for him.

Rolling over, she encountered something soft and warm. It was Smokey, and Tara pulled his body against her as she had so many mornings of her life. He purred and her fingers smoothed the soft fur of his head.

Beneath the sheet, she was naked, and it flashed through her mind just what Smokey was. Or rather who he was. She shrugged—he’d seen her naked so many times, it hardly mattered. Sitting up, she tugged the sheet over her breasts and pulled Smokey on to her lap. He stared into her face, his eyes unblinking.

“You and I are going to have a chat very soon,” she said. “I’ll give you some leeway, because I know you’re grieving for Chloe, but prepare yourself. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

She hugged him to her until he meowed, and she let him go. He jumped off her lap but settled on the bed and licked his paws.

There was a tap at the door and it opened, revealing Graham standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a pair of black silk pajama bottoms and nothing else. They hung low on his narrow hips. Tara gave him a brief glance then looked away.

“I thought I heard voices,” he said.

“I was talking to my cat.”

“The elusive Smokey, turned up at last. When did he show?”

“Last night,” she said, not wanting to get into a discussion on the subject.

“I’m glad, I know you were worried. Do you want a coffee?”

Tara nodded. She made to get out of bed but remembered her lack of clothing.

“Don’t get up,” Graham said. “Christian told me to look after you. He said you’d had a rough night. So wait right there.” He paused at the door. “I’ve got to ask, but what was with the whole lock down thing last night?”

She shrugged. “We were practicing safe sex.”

“Right, don’t tell me then.”

Graham returned shortly with two steaming mugs of coffee. Tucked under his arm was the matching top to his pajama bottoms. He put the drinks on the table by the bed and handed Tara the top.

“I sense you’d be happier covered up, though you don’t have to worry about me. You’re not my type. Now, that nice friend of yours—Jamie wasn’t it—he disappeared last night before we had the chance to get to know one another, but if you want to set us up, I wouldn’t complain.”

“I’ll do that.” Tara struggled into the top under cover of the sheet while Smokey squinted up at her through narrowed, yellow eyes.

“Anyway,” Graham said, “Christian wouldn’t let me stay here with you if he thought I’d make you uncomfortable.”

“Just what are you doing here? I thought you had your own place.”

“I do, but Christian doesn’t think it’s safe at the moment, so I’ll stay here till he gives me the all clear.”

He picked up one of the coffees and handed it to Tara, then sat on the bed next to her, long legs stretched out, and picked up his own.

The coffee was still too hot, but Tara breathed in the wonderful, aromatic scent.

“I only saw Christian briefly,” Graham said. “It was nearly dawn when he brought you up here. Did you find out anything useful?”

Tara took a sip of her coffee. “I’m not human.”

It felt good to say it aloud. To know that there were people in this new world that she could talk to.

Graham put down his drink and studied her. “So what are you?”

“Half-demon.”

He didn’t seem shocked. “And the other half?”

“Fae.”

“Wow, I’ve never heard of that before. So are you expecting to turn red and grow horns anytime soon?”

“Do demons have horns?”

“Not always, but some of the fae do.”

“I think I would have grown them by now, if I was going to.” She took another sip of coffee and frowned. “I hope I would have anyway.”

“You know, they’re not all bad—demons I mean. In case you’re worried that you’re half-monster or something.”

“Actually, I’m worried that I’m all monster, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

“Christian will look after you.”

A flicker of irritation pricked her. “I don’t want to be looked after. I want to be able to look after myself. In fact, you can help me with that.”

“I can?”