Page 7 of Vein & Vow (The Bouchers #1)

Chapter 6

Beau

T ightening my fingers around the steering wheel, I stared at Reese’s front door. I’d been sitting outside for two hours, and she still hadn’t come outside again. The fire in my veins had begun before she’d slammed the door in my face, but the nausea hadn’t started until about fifteen minutes earlier. It was fucking miserable. Every molecule in my body was urging me toward her.

I hadn’t even been able to drive away. The thought of moving any further from her was abhorrent.

Taking her back to the house had been a mistake. It was inevitable that she would know them eventually, but I shouldn’t have put us in that position until we’d had a bit longer to get used to each other. She made me want to put my head through a wall, and that was before she’d made a fool of herself at dinner.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that the entire thing, meeting my parents, getting to know each other, cementing the bond—all of it should’ve been different. She should’ve been different. Quiet and kind and lovely. I’d known that she wouldn’t be the same person as Millie. I’d known that since I let Millie go, and my father’s best friend, Mordecai, had come to me in London, berating and comforting me in equal measure.

He’d warned me to be sure of my decision because there was no going back. He’d been separated from his mate after only meeting her twice, and he’d never found her again. It was two hundred years before he found his mate once more, and she’d been nothing like the original women he’d met. He’d been so shocked he’d nearly lost her a second time. He’d warned me that even knowing that it was the same soul that he had connected to the first time, he’d nearly walked away from the new woman.

He’d spoken so earnestly that I’d listened intently at the time, but I’d rarely thought about our conversation again. I hadn’t been able to even imagine finding my mate again, and for a long time, I knew it wasn’t even possible. Millie had lived for fifty more years after we’d met on that London street. She’d had children and grandchildren and a full beautiful life, though I’d never seen it.

Zeke had been the one to check in on her from time to time. He’d never gotten close enough to say hello, even after we Vampires had gone public. I appreciated him for that. Knowing that he’d been able to speak with her while I couldn’t would’ve killed me. Once I’d decided to let Millie live the human life that she was so enamored with, I’d left the country entirely and hadn’t gone back until she was already gone. The mating bond would’ve forced me into doing something I’d already promised I wouldn’t do, or it would’ve driven me insane, and neither was a preferable outcome.

I thought about the old conversation I’d had with Mordecai while I sat in my car, waiting for Reese to pull her head out of her ass and let me inside. He’d been full of warnings not to let my memory of the mate I’d known interfere with the mate I’d eventually meet, but he’d never even hinted that I might actually dislike my new mate.

I hadn’t even known it was possible to dislike the person the Gods had chosen. Sure, there were always bumps in the beginning, but I’d never heard of a Vampire actively detesting their mate. Every story I’d heard since the time I was able to listen described Vampires who were obsessed with the other half of their souls from the moment they met her or him.

The whole situation would’ve been so much easier if she wasn’t so goddamn obnoxious.

My stomach twisted, and I grit my teeth as my neck and back began to sweat.

I needed a distraction. Less than a minute later, my brother Ambrose’s voice was filtering through the speakers.

“You fucked up, little brother,” he answered, amusement in his voice. “What the hell is going on over there?”

“When you figure it out, let me know,” I replied dryly. “This whole thing is a clusterfuck.”

“Sounds like it. Mom called to tell me you’d found her, practically bubbling with excitement?—”

“Of course she called you,” I grumbled under my breath, making him laugh.

“She was pissed when she called me after dinner.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“What the fuck is your problem, Bjorn?”

“She’s a fucking nightmare,” I blurted, digging my fingers into my eye sockets. “She never stops talking. She’s loud. She’s obnoxious.”

“She’s your mate.”

“Fucking hell.”

“I’d like to point out,” Ambrose said quietly. “That you’ve found her twice, and the rest of us are still waiting.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“I think you’re pretty blasé about a situation that the rest of us would kill and die for.”

“I’m not blasé,” I shot back. “I’m fucking angry.”

“So be fucking angry,” Ambrose replied. “But don’t be a fucking idiot. The universe doesn’t make mistakes, Bjorn. This woman was meant for you. Maybe take a minute to figure out why the hell that is before you burn it all to the ground.”

“Is this the only reason you were trying to get a hold of me?” I asked tiredly. My hands were starting to shake, and I was pretty sure the symptoms were getting worse because I knew that Reese’s symptoms must be a whole hell of a lot worse than mine were.

I refused to acknowledge why that was.

“Actually, no,” Ambrose said, his tone changing completely. “I found something.”

“What?” I sat up straighter in my seat. Ambrose and his team had taken the last two months following every thread that led to the group who’d killed our baby brother.

“We came to the camp.” He paused for a long moment, and when he began to speak again, his voice was hoarse. “We found where they did—where he was tortured. Where they held him. Zeke left some shit behind.”

“What kind of shit?”

“You gonna be home tomorrow?”

“What kind of shit, Ulf?”

“I’ll be home tomorrow,” he said, ignoring the question. “I’ll talk to everyone together.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Don’t wanna go over this twice, brother,” Ambrose said softly. “Tomorrow, yeah?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good.” He let out a sigh. “Now go love on your mate.”

I scoffed.

“Find some gratitude, Bjorn,” he said tiredly. “And go convince your mate that you’re not the biggest asshole on the planet.”

“That’s Chance,” I replied, almost as a reflex.

“Exactly.” Ambrose chuckled. “Love you. Talk soon.”

“Love you, too,” I replied as he hung up.

Ambrose was right. I needed to just suck it up. I knew Reese wasn’t all bad. There were moments when I found her funny. Some of her facial expressions were cute—usually when she’d just embarrassed herself. I couldn’t deny that she was beautiful, even if she wasn’t my normal type. She was lean, yes, but the curves she had were exquisite.

We needed to figure out a way to make things work. I needed to figure out a way to make things work.

On that thought, I reached for the door handle but paused when a beautiful brown-haired woman sauntered toward Reese’s apartment. She was tall and voluptuous, and by the way she pounded on Reese’s door, I figured she must be the friend that Reese had mentioned. Rena.

“Reese, open up! It’s cold as hell out here!” She stood impatiently, resettling her purse on her shoulder. “I know you’re in there! You said you were sick.” She waited longer. “Fine, I’m calling your phone. If I hear it ringing, fair warning, I’m kicking this bitch down.”

She dug through her purse and pulled out a phone, putting it to her ear.

“Where the hell are you?” Pause. “You said you were sick.” Pause. “I drove all the way out here, you pain in the ass.” Pause. “Yeah, yeah. Text me later.”

She waved both hands in frustration at the door and turned on her heel, stomping back down the breezeway before disappearing down the stairs.

So, that was the best friend who was obsessed with Vampires. Maybe I should’ve gone and enlisted her help in getting me back into Reese’s good graces. I had a feeling after that dinner, I’d need all the help I could get.

If my mate hadn’t called me back in—I checked the clock—three hours, all the while the heat from the mating bond grew more and more excruciating, I had a feeling that I was dealing with one of the most stubborn or masochistic women on the planet.

Or she just really hated me, which was valid.

As soon as Rena pulled away in her car, I headed up to the apartment. It was quiet on the other side of the door, even after I’d knocked.

“Reese,” I called out, trying to peek between the living room curtains. “Open up.”

I waited for a minute. Knocked again. Watched between the curtains for any movement.

“Come on,” I called, glancing down the breezeway. If she didn’t let me inside soon, someone was going to notice me standing out there like an asshole. “Reese, let me in.”

Five minutes passed while I searched for Reese’s number in the command database. You really could find anything now if you knew where to look. It rang and rang, but Reese didn’t answer.

My heart sounded in my ears, growing louder the longer she didn’t open the door. From what little I’d learned about her, Reese would’ve never let me stand out there for so long. She wouldn’t want the neighbors wondering why I was there, and I was pretty sure she wouldn’t give up the opportunity to tell me to go fuck myself.

Wiggling the knob, I looked closer at the door. She hadn’t locked the dead bolt.

Idiot.

With another wiggle, I lifted the door slightly as I butted my shoulder against it.

When it swung open, there was barely a sound, but I’d cracked the frame. I swung it closed behind me and locked the dead bolt to keep it that way.

There was no sign of Reese, and the apartment was as silent as a tomb and completely dark as I moved through it.

“Reese?” I called out, hurrying down the short hallway. The door to the bedroom was wide open and as dark as the rest of the house. When I flipped the light switch, it illuminated a messy space, filled with a million textures and colors, but no Reese. The bathroom was a different story.

As I blindly reached for the light, my stomach lurched in panic at the sight of her pale face barely visible over the edge of the tub.

“Get out,” she moaned, weakly throwing her arm over the edge of the tub.

“What the hell are you doing?” I barked, hurrying toward her.

“Cool bath,” she said, not even trying to hide her naked body.

She was curled up on her side in the fetal position, her knees beneath her chin, shivering.

“Fuck,” I muttered, soaking the sleeves of my shirt and jacket as I lifted her from the tub.

“Get out of my apartment,” she hissed as I carried her out of the tiny room. “I told you I’d call you.”

“Hard to do when you don’t have my number,” I argued, carrying her into her bedroom. “I was right outside. Why didn’t you come get me?”

“Figured you left,” she said, pressing her forehead against my neck. “Oh, god. That’s good.”

I dropped to the edge of the bed with her in my arms. Now that I’d gotten her out of the bath, I couldn’t seem to put her down. The burning in my veins had calmed to a slightly uncomfortable sensation, and the nausea had disappeared.

“I don’t want you here,” she said, her hands sliding inside my coat. “You’re a fucking prick.”

“I know,” I murmured, pulling a throw blanket from the end of the bed to cover her.

“I’m great. You’re the one that needs a personality adjustment.”

I ground my teeth together, rubbing my hand up and down her cold thigh as her hands burrowed beneath my shirt.

“You’re probably right,” I replied as her breath warmed the spot between my shoulder and neck.

Fuck.

“Your parents loved me,” she said smugly. “And I think Daniel is my new best friend.”

“Stay away from Daniel,” I barked idiotically.

My brother would never behave inappropriately with my mate, and it wasn’t as if she had the ability to cheat anymore. Physically, at least.

“Jealousy,” she said with a huff. “Interesting.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Sure, you’re not.”

We sat quietly for a few minutes as the effects of the mating bond calmed. The urge to let my hands roam was there, but manageable now that she was pressed against me.

“How did you get in?” she asked abruptly, lifting her head to meet my eyes.

“Broke the latch on your door.”

“What the fuck, Beau?”

“You didn’t lock the dead bolt.”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to barge in,” she griped, pushing away from me.

“It’s a good thing I did,” I said calmly as she got to her feet.

Reese really was beautiful, especially when she was angry. She stood glaring at me, completely unconcerned with the flesh she was baring, her hands in fists at her sides. With her hair piled on top of her head in some kind of clip and her cheeks once again flushed, it took all of my willpower not to reach for her while she berated me.

As she called me every filthy name she could think of, something seemed to click in my head.

This was my mate. This woman had been chosen for me specifically.

She could’ve lived a different life. If she’d lived somewhere else, worked somewhere else, been out sick that morning, or if one of my brothers would’ve gone to the blood bank, we never would have met. She could’ve been married, and I would’ve had to make the choice again, whether or not to completely obliterate the life she’d built.

Instead, she was right there in front of me, the mating bond already cemented, angry and beautiful and mine.

The embarrassment from her unhinged behavior at dinner melted away like it had never existed.

“Are you done?” I asked, cutting off her tirade.

“No, I’m not done.”

“You keep licking your lips.”

“They’re chapped,” she snapped, her gaze moving from my neck to my face. The lie wasn’t believable.

“Come here and let me help,” I said softly.

“I don’t want your help,” she shot back, crossing her arms.

“I was a dick?—”

“That’s the understatement of the fucking century.” She threw out her arms. “I can’t stand you. If I had the choice, I’d never see you again. Ever.”

“I understand.”

“I doubt that very much.”

She glared as I rose to my feet and lifted my hand to my mouth.

“Here,” I said, reaching out. She allowed me to tangle my other hand in her hair, making the clip fall to the floor. “It’ll help.”

“I’m not going to fuck you,” she blurted before greedily sucking the meat of my thumb between her lips.

I would’ve been embarrassed at the jerk of my erection if I thought she’d noticed, but she was wholly focused on my hand as I moved closer.

The blood in her veins was practically singing to me. My mouth filled with saliva as I stared at her pulse point. It was so close.

“No,” she ordered, jerking her mouth from my hand.

“What?” It took me a moment to follow.

“You’re not biting me again,” she said, pulling away. “I’m never letting you that close to my neck again.”

I stared at her blankly, my blood on fire as she crossed the room.

“What do you mean, you’re never letting me bite you again?” I asked.

“You heard me.”

“Never is a long time.”

“Let me know your favorite type, and I’ll hook you up, just like your brothers.”

The sound of my growl surprised us both.

“Thanks for the blood,” she said with a shooing motion. “You can go now.”

“You really want to go through all that again?” I asked, gesturing to the bathroom.

“Well, not especially,” she barked. “But I don’t really have a choice, do I? I don’t want you in my space.”

“Then come home with me,” I replied automatically. I hadn’t meant to say the words, but once I had, it made sense. Every argument I’d made to myself just an hour before seemed stupid and childish. My parents already knew her at this point, and she’d be surrounded by other Vampires that would keep her safe. I had to be home to meet Ambrose the next day anyway. I also didn’t feel like sleeping in my car, and I was almost positive that I wouldn’t be able to drive away from her.

“Oh, fuck off ,” she spat dismissively.

“Come back with me,” I pressed. “These symptoms aren’t going to get any better, at least not for a while. You can’t deny that they’re at least manageable when we’re close.”

“Yes, but when we’re close, I also have to deal with you, which is actually worse,” she replied, her tone less biting.

“Less cold baths, though,” I joked badly.

“I have to work tomorrow.”

“I don’t think Noah will expect you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have responsibilities.”

“Look,” I said, dragging my hands through my hair. Now that I’d asked her to come back to the house, I desperately wanted her to. It was such a change from earlier in the night that I felt like I had whiplash. From the look on her face, she was feeling the same way.

I’d never felt so out of control.

“I’ll sleep on the couch if you want.”

“Well, isn’t that sweet,” she drawled.

“I’m trying here.”

“You should have been trying before,” she ground out. “You know, earlier when you took me to meet your family and showed every single one of them how much you dislike me—which is pretty interesting since you’d spent the hours before that fucking my brains out!”

“It was a mistake,” I conceded, hiding my wince. The argument with my father had been one of the lowest moments in our relationship, and I’d done some pretty terrible shit in the past.

Reese turned back to me and stared at the small closet. It was full to bursting, with random pieces of fabric spilling out onto the bedroom carpet.

“Fine,” she said finally.

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Just so you know,” she said after a moment. “The only reason I’m agreeing to this is that I don’t want to spend the next week feeling like I’m boiling from the inside, and I don’t trust that you won’t leave me here—completely fucked—whenever you decide you don’t like me again.”

“I didn’t want to leave the first time,” I pointed out.

“Wait in the car,” she ordered. “I’ll be out once I pack a bag.”

Instead of arguing with her, I strode out into the living room. I couldn’t make myself actually leave the apartment, but at least I’d be out of her way while she did whatever she needed to get ready. My focus had been distracted when I’d been in her home earlier, and I finally took the time to look around the room. The couches seemed to be the only thing in the entire apartment that were newer. The rest of it was worn and colorful. The coffee table was definitely mid-century unless it was an excellent replica. There was a hurricane lamp that was made long before Reese had even been born. I wondered where she’d found it. Books were tightly packed on a bookcase along one wall. There were too many of them to fit neatly on the shelves. She’d decorated her space to reflect her perfectly. Loud and chaotic.

I couldn’t say I hated it.

“I thought I told you to wait in the car,” she said flatly as she carried a duffel bag into the room.

It was as good of a time as any to tell the truth.

“I couldn’t make myself leave the apartment,” I replied evenly.

Her gaze shot to mine.

“Couldn’t leave the parking lot earlier,” I continued with a shrug.

“It’s—I—” She stuttered to a stop and took a deep breath. “Right. It’s just as bad for you.”

“In some ways,” I agreed. The physical symptoms were worse for her, but she didn’t have the Vampire instincts I was fighting.

“Well, let’s go,” she said, moving toward the door.

By the time we’d pulled out of her parking lot, the tension in my shoulders had dissipated to almost nothing. The burn in my gut was still there, churning, but the knowledge that she was coming home with me was making it easier to ignore.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to go without her blood. The thought of it made my skin crawl. I didn’t even know if I could stomach the banked blood anymore. I’d never heard of a mate rejecting the exchange, but surely it had happened before. I was beginning to realize that the stories I’d been told may have been exaggerated. There was no way that all mates not only ignored their instincts and waited for weeks or months for the human partner to decide whether or not they’d accept the mating, but that once they had, everything was great.

The mating bond had made me want to protect Reese from harm and crave her to a tortuous degree, but it hadn’t made me dislike her any less.

Or maybe it had. Maybe that was why I felt more accepting of her filthy mouth and chaotic presence all of a sudden.

“I don’t know anything about you,” Reese murmured sleepily as we pulled onto the freeway.

“It’ll come,” I assured her, reaching out. We had unlimited time to learn everything. Being in such close proximity without touching her was uncomfortable at best. It must’ve been bothering her, too, because she allowed me to lace her fingers with mine.

“When were you born?” she asked curiously.

“December 13, 1870,” I replied, glancing at her.

Her hand tightened, but she valiantly tried to hide her shock.

“No shit?”

A laugh rasped out of my mouth at her strangled words. I nodded.

“Jesus, you’re old.”

“I haven’t aged since around 1901,” I corrected.

“So your body is, like, thirty-one years old?” she said, turning toward me just a fraction.

“Why? Does it seem older?”

“No,” she replied instantly, making me laugh again.

“How old is your dad?” she asked in fascination.

“Old,” I replied, my lips twitching.

“Your mom can’t be more than twenty years older than you,” she mused. “Women married young back then.” She whistled. “This is so weird.”

“My mother was twenty-two when I was born,” I corrected, looking over at her.

“Old lady,” she joked.

“She was married before my father,” I explained, something inside me settling at the surprisingly normal conversation we were having. No sniping. No misunderstandings. “And she had two daughters.”

“Oh,” Reese murmured, her face falling. “What happened?”

“The war,” I replied quietly. We’d only ever heard bits and pieces of what our mother’s life had been like before she’d met Erik Boucher. “Her husband was a soldier. My sisters died of typhoid.”

“Damn,” Reese whispered. “Your poor mother. When did she meet your dad?”

“After,” I replied. “He fought for the Union?—”

“Hell yeah, he did,” Reese enthused, making me smile. “I knew I liked that guy.”

“He’ll be so glad,” I joked. “He was in her town buying a horse or something. The story changes each time he tells it, but the result was that he saw my mother gardening out in front of her little house and knew instantly that she was his.”

“Must’ve been a shock for her, though,” Reese mused.

“You should ask her about it,” I offered. “I think she’s downplayed that part for us.”

“Aw,” Reese replied. “She wanted you to be under the illusion that your mates would jump for joy when you found them.”

“Something like that, I’m sure,” I agreed.

“Sorry, not sorry to disappoint,” she quipped.

It took me a moment before I could think of something to say that wouldn’t make her angry. If I told her she hadn’t disappointed me, we’d both know I was lying. If I confirmed that she had, it would be like rubbing salt in the wound.

“I’m sure I’m not your first choice,” I said finally.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said almost breezily. “If you kept your mouth shut, I’d like you just fine.”

I let out an oof in mock pain, and she chuckled.

“You haven’t been so bad for the last fifteen minutes,” she said slyly. “Keep up the good work.”

“No promises,” I replied as we turned onto the driveway.

My parents were in patio chairs on the front deck as we pulled into the garage.

“Shit, I thought they’d be asleep,” Reese grumbled, sitting up straighter.

“They stay up late,” I replied, shutting the car off. “It made it impossible to sneak out.”

“What was there to do in the eighteen-seventies anyway?” she asked snarkily.

“There were cows to be tipped back then, too,” I replied.

“Are you serious?” She stared in disbelief.

“No, I’m not serious. We lived in the city. There were prostitutes and gambling halls.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You better not have given me syphilis. I know all about those turn of the century sexually transmitted diseases.”

“I’m going to ignore that you know an obscure fact about prostitutes a hundred and fifty years ago.” She glared. “And tell you that Vampires can’t catch human infections.”

“Thank God for small mercies,” she grumbled as she threw open the door and climbed out.

I stopped her at the hood of the car and pulled the duffel bag from her hands.

“My father will punch me again if he sees you carrying your own bag,” I told her as she opened her mouth to protest. “And since sneaking inside is impossible, let’s get this over with.”

“He punched you?” she asked, a smile playing on her lips as I tugged her toward the garage door.

“Oh, so you didn’t hear that part, huh? Figures.”

“Actually, I did,” she replied smugly. “But it’s nice to get confirmation that it wasn’t just wishful thinking. Do we really have to go say hi to your parents?”

I stopped short in the driveway. “I should’ve told you earlier,” I murmured, leaning down to speak in her ear. “But Vampire hearing is very sensitive. They can hear pretty much anything you say in or around the house.”

Reese choked and started to sputter.

“Even in your room?” she hissed.

My eyes widened in horror. “No, absolutely not. The apartments are about as soundproof as they can get. Someone would have to be outside the door for anyone to hear what was happening inside.”

“Oh, thank God,” Reese blurted.

My father’s laughter drifted toward us.

“They just heard us, didn’t they?” Reese asked, her head dropping in defeat.

“Unfortunately.”

Reese stood with her eyes closed for another moment, then jerked her head as they snapped open and started marching forward, towing me along behind her.

“This is a surprise,” my mom called happily as they came into view.

“Your son is a pain in my ass, but I’ve agreed to stay close to him so as to not burn alive,” Reese announced.

“Logical,” my dad replied.

“I thought so.”

He looked at me. “You’ve come to your senses.”

“He didn’t really have a choice,” Reese answered for me. “He can’t seem to stay away from me either.”

“As it should be,” my mom sniffed.

“That remains to be seen,” Reese replied. “If I murder him in his bed, I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

My dad grinned. “Not at all, dóttir.”

“Consider this your home,” Mom said sweetly. “With or without Beaumont.”

“Well,” Reese said, a little loudly. “I’m exhausted and surprisingly cold. So, we’re going to bed.”

It might’ve been the first time in my life that I’d seen Erik Boucher work so hard to contain his laughter.

“Good night,” my mom said, smiling at me.

“Night,” I replied, following Reese to the door.

“Ulf will be home by nine,” my dad called out as we moved inside.

“The famous Ulf,” Reese said, stomping toward the stairs.

“I’ll introduce you tomorrow.”

“Great.”

“Are you pissed again?”

Reese paused halfway up the stairs and turned to me with a deliberate grimace, and I suddenly understood the problem. I was surprised by the new knot of concern that pulled in my gut.

When I threw her over my shoulder, she let out a huff of air, but the contact must’ve felt good because she melted into me, resting her forehead against the small of my back, her arms sliding around my chest.

Maybe she’d changed her mind.

I took the stairs two at a time, anticipation making my hands shake.