Page 38 of Absolution

“Sleep now,” I commanded. I tugged the blanket over him and turned off the light before grabbing the baby monitor and heading to the living room. If the babies stirred I’d probably hear them without the help of an electronic device since I could hear their little hearts beating in the next room. I could even tell when Sei finally drifted off to sleep by the sound of his breathing.

Weird. I’d not been able to do that before. Gabe should have been here to explain it to me, which just pissed me off. What was wrong with him?

Seiran was twenty-three. He was the Pillar of earth, researcher for the Magical Investigations department of the Dominion, the father of newborn twins, and Focus to one of the most powerful vampires alive. How the hell did Gabe think he could just walk away? I thought about Max Hart and how he hadn’t taken responsibility for Luca until Luca’s mother had dropped him on Max’s doorstep. Maybe it was a vampire thing. If so, it really sucked and I totally planned on giving the big guy a piece of my mind.

I plugged in my phone so it would charge then pulled up the grocery ordering website that Sei always used. The cupboards were almost bare and the fridge had no food in it but was stocked with QuickLife. What the hell? The freezer was packed with frozen blood packs, all untouched but dated. I grabbed one and nuked it. Then opened the cupboard below the sink to find the recycle bin. Sure enough the blue bin was full of QuickLife bottles. How much of this stuff was Gabe drinking? He said we’d need two to three bottles a day. This was more like ten to fifteen. Crap. I needed to talk to him about that.

At least Seiran had his password saved as well as his normal grocery list. I checked through it and added a few things for the babies before ordering a quick delivery. I began to pick up the apartment. Habit ingrained even after only living with them a few months. The babies slept pretty soundly, though I did hear them stir once or twice, which had Seiran tossing and turning. Mizuki opened his eyes to stare at me once when I’d entered the room to look at them. His blue eyes glowing in the dark.

Yeah, that wasn’t normal. I put my finger to my lips and mimicked closing my eyes. Mizuki blinked twice, slower each time and fell back to sleep. Yeah, so not normal babies.

Chapter 13

My phone buzzed now that it had enough juice, telling me I had several text messages. A lot from Luca. A lot from Con, lots of short texts separated over a series of days and even weeks. They had both apparently been texting me the entire time I was in the ground. I sent Con a quick text letting him know I was back and at Gabe’s place. He responded immediately that he was upstairs and would be right down.

Quietly.I wrote back.I’m babysitting the next generation of Pillars.

All I got back was a thumbs up. The elevator dinged a few moments later. I was grateful the ding didn’t wake anyone. Con rushed into the condo looking like he’d just dragged himself out of bed. He smelled of warmth, sweat, and cotton. The tank top, pajama pants, and slippers attested to the fact that he’d been sleeping somewhere.

He raced across the room and had his arms around me before I could think to react. His grip almost crushing. I didn’t realize he’d wrapped himself around me and buried my face in his neck before I smelled his blood, close to the skin. I wasn’t hungry, at least not unbearably so.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said to him, returning his embrace and patting his back, while breathing in the scent of him. He didn’t smell like the nectar that Luca did, but it was almost as good, this sense of peace and home. “I’m back, sort of don’t remember being gone long, but I’m back. The world has gone to shit while I was gone. Thought you were supposed to hold it together for me.” I half joked.

Con pulled away enough to grip my face in his hands, staring intently into my eyes. “Don’t leave like that again.”

“Wasn’t planning on doing it the first time,” I defended.

Con growled a fiercely angry sound that tightened my balls and made me hard as a rock. Fuck.

Then he kissed me.

Not some brush of the lips or peck on the cheek, but a full devouring, suck on my tongue kiss. At first I was at a loss, trying to understand what was happening. My body reacting to him like we were attached to an electric circuit. I opened my mouth, taking his tongue, tasting his lips, swallowing his gasps as our hips moved together. Friction amazing after wanting it forever.

His hold on my face just shy of pain, and so fucking good. I trembled, reaching a hand up to cup the back of his head and change the angle, pressing us both backward until he tripped onto the couch, dragging me on top of him. He let out a little oomph, but Con slid his hand down my back, to the top of my jeans and beneath the fabric to squeeze my ass. I didn’t like to bottom anymore, but if that’s what he needed I could make it work.

I growled at him, nipping his jaw, while my hips ground against his. He stiffened, his passion fading away, and I thought for a minute, he’d come, but the scent of fear hit my nose. I froze.

“Con?” I whispered, pulling away to look at him. His eyes were squeezed shut. “Con?”

“Just need a minute,” he whispered.

I scrambled off of him, realizing we both looked disheveled and I was supposed to be babysitting newborns. I listened for the twins, but heard only their steady breathing and heartbeats. Seiran too, still fast asleep. At least we hadn’t been too loud.

Con didn’t move. At least not consciously. A fine tremor ran through him. Barely visible, but I was a vampire and little changes didn’t escape me. Had I done something?

“Con?” I reached for him. He put a hand up to ward me off.

“I thought I was ready,” he muttered, still not looking at me.

“I would never push you…” It hadn’t even been me who’d started it. Con had always been on my do not touch list. Fuck. Back a few hours and already fucking things up. “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t you,” Con said. He sat up, folding himself in half to bow over his knees. “Not really. I mean, I felt teeth on my jaw.”

I hadn’t broken the skin. It wasn’t even a real bite. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. No, just…I thought I was ready. It connected in my brain. You being a vampire, the teeth, the fear.” He shook his head. “I need to work on it more with my therapist.”

I hadn’t known he’d been seeing one. “Okay.” My stomach ached with the idea that this could be the end for us. A beginning and an ending all at once. Fuck. “Con, I don’t want…”