Page 85 of Bonded By Blood
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maybe it had been too much, jumping into the Bonding process when he was still by all accounts a fresh Turn. Perhaps asking his body, which was barely finished adjusting into a vampire, to accept a mystical, unbreakable tie with an Original so soon had been a little reckless. In retrospect, Joe supposed he should have thought of that. He’d heard stories of how horrendous the Bonding process could be—from an actual Bonded pair, as well as from the occasional vampire who’d witnessed it. But he’d forgotten, or underestimated.
Nevertheless, as Joe stared up at the now-familiar ceiling of Brianna’s room, he’d survived. Though he felt like shit.
The bed dipped beside him and Brianna let out a faint hum. “The sun has set,” she said tiredly. “In a few more minutes, we’ll be done.” She scooted up and rested her head on his shoulder.
Joe wrapped his arm around her. “We don’t have to do this again on our anniversary or something, right? Don’t get me wrong, I love you, it’s just … this sucks.”
Brianna laughed and pressed a kiss to his chest. “What’s the phrase? ‘One and done,’ or something like that.” She wiggled around, her feet sliding over his leg, until she was leaning over him. “As we speak, the Bond is settling inside our souls.” She dipped her head, her hair falling around them, and ghosted her lips over his face. “I love you, Joe.”
God, how he wished he had the energy to celebrate properly. Just surviving the Bonding process was a fairly big deal, considering how little they could consume. It was the end of the third and final day and he could hardly move, let alone appreciate his lover’s current position. Their lips glided together, slow and easy, for several seconds before she eased back. He offered her a grin. “After we’ve regained our strength, we should definitely celebrate.”
Amusement lightened her exhausted features and Brianna slumped against his chest, her hair tickling his nose and chin. “Too tired to get out of bed and still thinking about sex, hmm?”
“Primal instinct,” he replied calmly. “A man only really needs two things. Food and sex. I’ve discovered that being a vampire doesn’t change that, other than what I define as ‘food’.”
Brianna burrowed her face into the groove of his neck, her muffled giggling drifting up to his ears.
Sharp, distinctive knocking reverberated throughout the room and startled them both.
Brianna jumped and sucked in a breath.
Joe attempted to lift his head toward the closed door. He scowled as his brain processed that he was going to have to drag himself to his feet.
Brianna sat up, sliding to the side of him simultaneously, and the door swung open.
“Your Bonding period is up, I believe?” Trista inquired as she entered the room.
“Mother?” Brianna quickly drew the comforter up, as if she were embarrassed to be seen in her nightgown. “I understand you had reservations about our Bonding right now, but it wasn’t necessary for you to barge in like that.”
Joe wanted to agree with his lover’s point, but his gaze had zeroed in on the two still-corked bottles dangling from the Queen’s hand. If she’d come with blood to offer them, he’d already forgiven her.
Trista waved her free hand dismissively as the door was pulled shut by one of the outside guards she’d previously stationed there. “I figured you’d be too exhausted to travel across the entire mansion to see me, after drinking nothing but each other’s nutrient-deprived blood for so long.” She lifted the bottles for emphasis. “I brought you some A. It is your favorite, isn’t it? And since we’re celebrating, I generously brought a bottle for each of you.”
Joe blinked. She was … there to congratulate them?
Trista hadn’t been entirely thrilled with their decision when Brianna and Joe had explained their intent to her several days prior. She hadn’t been surprised, apparently, but she’d been less than overjoyed. While part of her counterargument had been fairly rational—the timing really wasn’t the greatest—Joe suspected that some part of her simply struggled to grasp the idea of her daughter forming a Bond. After being each other’s only family for so long, to him it seemed natural that she wouldn’t leap for joy—saying nothing for the fact that Trista herself wasn’t a ‘leap for joy’ kind of person.
They’d waited two days, in part to make sure they weren’t immediately attacked or forced to fight again, and in part to give Trista and Kendall both time to accept Brianna’s decision. Then they’d locked themselves up in Brianna’s room, with guards stationed at the door and beneath the veranda for Trista’s peace of mind, and started the clock. Trista hadn’t bothered them in any way during the past three days.
Still, Joe had half expected her to be angry with him in some way when he saw her next.
“Thank you, Mother,” Brianna said as she accepted the bottle. The pop of the cork releasing echoed in the room, and immediately the scent of chilled human blood filled the air. It tantalized Joe’s stomach and he wasn’t sure if his stomach rumbled or he actually groaned.
“If I hadn’t already made up my mind never to mess with this Bonding business,” Trista said, in a weirdly teasing manner, “the sight of you two right now would convince me.” She waved the other bottle in front of Joe. “Don’t guzzle it all at once. I expect you to start working tomorrow.”
Working? He fought to keep his hands from shaking as he uncorked his own drink. A fresher, richer scent greeted him and he tipped the bottle to his lips. Blood hadn’t tasted so good since he’d first been Turned and finally fed.
Beside him, Brianna lowered her drink. “So you still intend to let Joe work as your advisor?”
That’s right. With everything that had happened after, he’d actually forgotten.
Trista moved and claimed a seat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. The leather of her thigh-high boots squeaked with the motion. “Of course. I only make such offers after careful consideration. I knew your personal relationship was likely to continue, possibly flourish, and so I decided to embrace that opportunity.” Suddenly her piercing stare was focused on Joe. “Don’t misunderstand, Joseph. You didn’t receive that offer because you were convenient. You received it because I’ve seen something in you that is consistent, seemingly dependable, and refreshingly honest. I respect your insistence upon the truth, but make no mistake, the moment you begin allowing me to tread over you like a worn-in doormat you’ll be disposed of.”
Joe raised his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes. “You’ll be fired, is that better? I’m not going to murder my own child. Honestly.”