Page 102 of Vampire's Choice
She held that thought to herself, but would share it with a more appreciative audience later. Like Clara and Charlie. Clara would welcome the chance to smile.
Marcellus’s gaze shifted between them. “So Clara said you two were together last night.”
Merc’s eyes narrowed, but Ruth nodded. “We were. I’m in top condition today. If needed, I’ll scale a few trees to prove it to Dollar.”
“So he did not feed from you?”
Merc stepped forward. It put him between her and Marcellus, though he wasn’t blocking her view. “I did. But not fully. As I said, that will be a rare occurrence. I’ll seek other sources as needed to protect her strength.”
Ruth’s temper flared, but not so hot she didn’t notice how the men’s gazes had locked, or the tension in Merc’s shoulders. It wasn’t her job to defuse his reaction to the babysitter treatment, but Marcellus was already out of sorts over Clara, and Merc didn’t know that. Testosterone could be a mine field.
But she had her own territorial reactions. So, despite those warning thoughts, she put a hand on Merc’s arm. “The person you’re talking about happens to be right here. You won’t be feeding on someone else to spare me.”
She’d successfully captured his attention—and his ire. "Your tone with me is unacceptable."
"Your feeding on someone else is unacceptable."
"Incubi are not monogamous."
It was a cruel shot, forcing her back a step. He registered the hit, his own expression tightening in a way she couldn’t interpret. But before she could retort, her brother spoke.
"They can be."
They turned toward Adan, joining the impromptu meeting. His arrival, so soon after his last visit, raised her hackles further. Merc wasn’t the only one who didn’t appreciate babysitting. Did Adan really feel she needed this much checking up on?
Okay, yes, the first time he’d visited, she’d been attacked by a Trad. Second time, a pair of vampires had attacked her, and she’d been drained for a full feeding by Merc, so…
She scowled. Fine. But his job was incredibly dangerous, and she didn’t pop up at his workplace every day. Never mind she had no way of knowing where that would be, and it was often frustratingly out of range of their twin bond or the mind link.
A lone voice of reason reminded her he was also supposed to be keeping tabs on Clara’s visions and their impact on the wider world, aka Guardian jurisdiction, and Clara had just had a pretty significant one.
"Sex demons may not always be sexually exclusive, but they can be emotionally monogamous,” Adan continued. “Raina is both. She's a succubus witch who runs a bordello populated by sex demons. And she’s bonded with a Dark Guardian both of you know.” He indicated Marcellus and Merc. “Mikhael.”
Marcellus’s brow lifted. “Mikhael is fully monogamous. Emotionally and physically.”
“Yeah. She’s the same,” Adan said. “By choice I might add, but if she had any thoughts otherwise, Mikhael would just incinerate the poor bastard with a thought and keep reading his morning paper.”
“I really want to visit her place sometime,” Ruth mused. At Merc’s lifted brow, she added, “It’s been on my bucket list since Adan first told me about it.” But she had a more pressing question. “How does she feel about it?”
Surprising her, it was Marcellus who answered the question. "She's devoted to him. It’s a True bond.”
At her puzzled look, he explained, “Angels only mate once in their eternal lifetime. If their mate is not in the life cycle intended for the relationship, the angel will keep his distance, leave them to live their lives, until he or she reaches the point of readiness.”
“Wait.” She was picking up a lot of information on the back end as she digested all the implications from the front. “Mikhael, a Dark Guardian, is an angel?”
“Yes.” Marcellus said. “Partly. He has enough angel blood to carry that characteristic.”
When the angel looked at Merc, a sudden silence descended. As the implication hit Ruth, it freaked her out, more than a little. It appeared to unsettle her brother, too.
Merc’s expression darkened. “My angel blood might have a greater impact than I have accepted or considered before now, but that doesn’t mean it fully defines who I am. Most incubi are not monogamous physically. For obvious reasons. Sexual energy is still my primary food source.”
Ruth’s temper flared hot, telling logic to take a hike. “I wasn’t asking to set up house. I don’t give a damn what your angel blood does or doesn’t tell you about soulmates. But while we’re together, I’m not going to share you. Period. You want that, then find someone else’s head and heart and body to fuck with.”
She should match her tone to her audience, but she was no longer in a giving mood. She looked toward Marcellus as she pointed at Merc. “I want him to take from me what I want to give. I’m aware of the cost, so that’s my choice. Mine. If it impacts my work for the security team, I’ll be the first to identify it before it causes a problem. Serving the Circus and protecting Clara is important to me.”
Her gaze moved to her brother. “I love you, but if the primary reason you keep coming back this often is to check on me, I want you to stop. It might be an illusion, me being able to protect someone for once, rather than having everyone bend over backwards to protect me, but let me have that illusion as long as I can. All right?”
Her volume had risen enough to draw attention. She checked herself, but pivoted and stalked away. She’d made it almost to the end of the line of tents and the open field beyond, the lake where the mermaids swam, when Merc landed near it.