our cheeks touched. I could feel it in my bones, across every inch of
my skin. This was home.
• 319 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Close your eyes,” she said. I did as she asked, feeling the
warmth of her lips against my neck and then I felt the heat of the
Mexican night wind blowing through my hair.
I opened my eyes and glanced across the shallow river, lit blue
and silver by spots of moonlight pushing through the trees. It was
the very spot Camila had been that day, here on the fertile riverbank.
I glanced around, seeing that Dalhem had kept his promise. The land
remained untouched, and I knew as Camila exhaled a deep, somber
breath, that almost nothing had changed in those sixty-five years.
We held perfectly still, letting the night creatures grow
accustomed to our presence, and after a few moments, the small
chirps of tropical insects and midnight birds rose again. Then
I walked down to the water, letting my fingertips break the cool
surface. Camila kept her eyes on me the whole time, not saying a
word as I let the last few days roll around in my head.
It wasn’t long before she’d had enough. She was having a hard
time just standing on the bank with her back to what was once her
home, but I had to know the truth. I had to hear the words from
her willingly, without our connection or our relationship working
against her in a moment of weakness. I turned to face her, keeping
the physical distance between us.
“We were screwed from the beginning, weren’t we?” I said,
my voice sounding overly loud in the dark wilderness. “You would
have saved me yourself no matter what. If I’d gotten hit by a car or
choked on some broccoli, you would have saved me, no matter what
I said.” Her eyes darkened a bit in the moonlight. I could feel her
fighting the urge to lie to me, but it wasn’t going to work.
Camila swallowed then shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I would have done the same thing.” I walked to her
and gently tucked a short spike of hair behind her ear. “If I’d been in
your shoes, I would have saved you too. A thousand times.”
“Dalhem was right. Natasha or Faeth could have made you
whole again, but I wasn’t thinking, and I ruined your life.”
“No. Greg is the one who pushed me. You just followed your
heart. I feel it now, with Sam, even with you. You were right. This
body and its connections—it’s different. It’s more. I’ll miss my
• 320 •
Better Off red
family. I already do, but you have to see I will never take that out
on you. Ever.”
“You will.”
“No, I won’t,” I said, taking a step closer to her. Her breasts
touched mine. “Here’s what I realized. If I can’t heal us, I’ll never
move on, and losing you will just add to the pain. Earlier…” I failed
as the emotion caught up with me. My throat ached to close. I glanced
back up again, and when our eyes locked, I knew I also owed her the
whole truth. Uncontrollably, cool tears started streaming down my
face. “Earlier tonight, I couldn’t find you for twenty minutes, and
those were the longest twenty minutes of my life. Do you understand
how much I love you?”
She started to nod and speak, but I interrupted her. My point
wasn’t sinking in.
“I know you see it and I know you feel it, but you have to
believe it. You have to believe me.” I huffed painfully, swallowing
as many tears as I could manage before I went on.
“Ginger, I know…I’m afraid,” she finally said.
“So am I. I’m scared shitless about all of this. Everything but
us.” “What if you can’t forgive me?”
“Can’t you see that’s what I’m doing? I forgive you.”
I closed the distance between us and crushed her to me. That’s
what broke her. Just a few tears at first, but soon we were both
sobbing amongst the moonlit trees, probably scaring the crap out of
the wildlife.
“There will be days where I’m sad and there will be days
where I’m angry. There may even be days where I’m angry at you.
All couples fight, but I will always, always love you.” Wiping her
cheeks seemed to affirm that fact. She was too precious to me, meant
more to me than anyone ever would again. “I’ll need you to help me
through it. I’m going to need you to make me laugh. And I’ll do the
same for you. When you want to kill Cleo or Tokyo. Although, I
guess they’re my problem now. I just, right now, I need you. Why
didn’t you tell me about the life-bond?” I kissed her gently, tasting
her sweet tears.
• 321 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have let you do it. I wanted to grow old, but
I didn’t want you to die with me. We’ll just have to live forever
together.” She pulled me closer this time, burying my wet cheek
against her neck.
“What do we have to do for me to be your na’suul?” She leaned
back as I fished the engagement ring out of my pocket. I took a bit
of sick pleasure as her eyes popped wide when she saw what was
in my hand.
“Um, it’s quite simple actually. I just want you to be sure.
Our divorce would be slightly more involved than lawyers and
paperwork.”
“I want to do it. Now.”
“Red…”
“Don’t you dare tell me no.”
“Okay, baby,” she said, trembling slightly. “Just remember, this
is more than a marriage. It’s an oath that surpasses the feeder bond
and even the bond we have with our sisters. You’ll be able to sense
me always. Our minds will be connected.”
“Perfect. Mila, will you marry me?”
“Yes.” She nodded as the tears started again down her cheeks.
She took the ring from me and slid it on my finger. It was a perfect
fit. “Give me your other hand. And you take mine.”
With her right hand over my heart and mine over hers, she
cupped the back of my head with her left. I did same. When our
foreheads touched, she whispered several words into the night air.
Na’suul was the only one I understood, but that didn’t stop me from
feeling the weight of their meaning. Once she finished, she gently
slid her ring finger between my lips. I guided mine toward her plump
mouth.
“Bite,” she said. I tasted her cool, sweet blood as her fangs
pierced my skin. A drop was all we needed to seal our love, but
we took more. And then she kissed me. I cried out against her lips,
feeling whole, so completely loved without having to utter a single
vow, and then like a movie playing in my mind, Camila showed me
her life.
• 322 •
Better Off red
I saw her entire existence, human and demon. I knew the
smells of her Mexican valley as it had been when it was filled with
human life and joy. I knew the feeling of the rocky ledges and the
cool riverbed under her feet. I knew the survival less
ons her mother,
father, and brothers had taught her. I saw the smiles of her children
and heard the sound of their laughter as they called her mama. I felt
the warmth and respect in the firm embrace of her husband’s arms.
I saw the devotion in Abrah’s eyes, and I felt the unconditional love
that dwelt in Dalhem’s heart.
I knew, even more, exactly why she’d saved Cleo and why
she’d changed me. I felt her love for me, how it swallowed up all her
rational sense, how it made her feel alive and whole again. All her
stresses, her hesitations and fears, I knew them and felt their sting,
and then I saw how her love for me helped her push them away.
I whimpered desperately into our kiss, taking what she was
giving me. Her life. And I gave her mine. Every moment. Every tear.
Every smile. Things from my past I didn’t want to remember and
memories I didn’t want to forget. They were all hers now. In every
possible way, I was hers now.
And I am yours, Red, she silently whispered into my heart.
I understood now that our na’suulaem had nothing to do with our
need for blood and everything do with our devotion to each other.
We were no longer two demon-vampires connected by our sister-
queen bond, or demon and maker. We were one, partners of the soul.
We’d be together for the rest of my life, and for the eternity of hers,
she would be mine.
The kiss went on for what seemed like forever, but soon we
pulled apart. I gazed at her, now my wife, overwhelmed and stunned
into silence.
“Red,” she whispered. “I want to consummate this, but there’s
something I want to show you first. Shift with me.”
“What do I have to do?” I asked as we shed our clothes.
“I’ll shift first and then you come into my mind. It’s very
simple,” she said, wiping my cheeks with the backs of her fingers.
I nodded then kissed her again. A moment later Camila was beside
me, this time on all fours as a sleek panther.
• 323 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Got sick of the house cat costume?” I asked.
No. There are condors out here that could swallow a housecat
whole. They like to hunt at night. No need to tempt them.
“Oh.” I kept the rest of my commentary to myself and followed
the cues my demon needed to shift. It felt the same as vanishing,
almost like flying, only faster.
It took a second to get used to being so close to the ground,
having whiskers and thickly padded paws in place of feet and hands,
but I adjusted the moment Camila’s large feline head nuzzled against
the thick fur on my neck. I purred back deep in my throat, licking
at her face and ears. In the next moment, she took off into the trees,
bounding over rocks and ferns. I stayed close behind, letting her
take me deeper into the night. I was still the queen, but when she
knew where to lead, I would always follow.
• 324 •
Better Off red
Chapter tWenty
Camila and I took a quick shower, and while she was getting
dressed, I called Barb. She was a little confused to hear
from me at the crack of dawn, but much more confused when I
opened the door for her a few minutes later. Shock flashed across
her face when she sensed my power, and her eyes grew even wider
as she fixated on my teeth. I explained to her quickly what had
happened, skimming over the dramatics, leaving out details about
Samantha that were hers and hers only to share.
Barb handled the news well, her own sense of duty as chapter
president overtaking her shock and her confusion.
“So, uh, you’ll need two more feeders, right?” Barb asked
nervously. She couldn’t stop staring at my teeth.
“Yes. We’ll let you guys choose again,” I said.
“I’d like to stay with Camila,” she replied honestly. I told her
that was fine, patting her arm as I sensed her relief. Titles may have
changed, but I had no aspirations of grandeur, no bright ideas that
said I had to mess with a good thing.
Camila came out of the bedroom dressed for bed in her tank and
a pair of my shorts. I gave them a minute alone and went to check on
Sam and Benny. In the darkness of the bedroom, through the closed
door, I could sense Camila as she fed from Barb, deeply but slowly
and safely. Barb did an excellent job of keeping her moaning and
whimpering to herself. My body still flushed with heat, feeding off
the lust rising in Camila. Knowing once the feeding was done, that
Camila would be mine helped me keep my impatience in check.
• 325 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I watched Benny and Sam sleeping soundly. How in the world
had I gone from college student to married, crowned, demon foster
mother in a matter of days? I thought of Seamus, wondered how
much he and my birth father had in common, how often he thought
of my mother. I wondered what exactly he did for Caana.
My thoughts drifted back to my Mila. Her feeding was almost
complete, and with every swallow she took, my body bloomed for
her, my skin flushing hotter, moisture rushing between my legs. I
closed the bedroom door and walked quietly past her, into her office.
Her gaze tracked my every step.
I left my clothes in a pile by the sideboard and leaned against
her desk, leaving the lights off. I slipped my fingers over my tingling
mouse on its pad.
Out in the living room, Camila growled.
I waited, listening as Barb slipped out the door. A second later,
Camila appeared in front of me, panting and ready.
My body reacted differently to hers now. It invited her strength,
ached for her physical power as a sign of her love. The animal in
me would never be satisfied with the care she took with my former
human self. I wanted all of her.
I watched her curves as she walked toward me, gazed over
every inch of her as she came between my legs, licking my mouth,
swirling her tongue around the tips of my fangs, sharing her feeder’s
flavor with me. The force of my lust rumbled deep in my throat as
I took what she offered, sucking her tongue deep into my mouth.
Barb’s blood was sweet, but not as sweet as my Mila.
I ripped her tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor.
My shorts followed as I yanked them down her smooth legs. I smiled
at how wet the crotch was. Drawn forward, I cupped her breasts,
massaging one and suckling on the other. I nipped her delicious
brown nipple, teasing it with my teeth and my tongue, sucking it
between my lips. Her fingers weaved their way into my hair, holding
me closer, her body arching toward me.
“Ginger,” her voice echoed in the darkness. My pussy clenched,
my throat tightened as she called to me. I lifted my head, searching
• 326 •
Better Off red
up her neck, and finding her mouth. My tongue slid inside with
slow, dragging strokes, past the tips of her pulsing fangs. And then
&
nbsp; her fingers found my slit, digging inside, pumping me, filling each
inch, making me want more as her thumb rotated over my clit.
Suddenly, part of me snapped. This wasn’t how this was
supposed to go. I knew it had to be Dalhem’s doing, but I could feel
it, clearer than a simple title change. I was in charge now. Camila’s
demon belonged to me.
Pulling away from our kiss, I looked up in her eyes. Her gaze
softened, the caramel and green oddly muted for how turned on I
knew she was. Slowly, she withdrew fingers and lowered her head.
Normally, that would have made me beyond uncomfortable. This
was Camila. She didn’t bow to me. Ever. But the demon in me was
pleased, aroused even more at the sight of her submission.
I cupped her face and guided her lips back to mine. I swallowed
the whimpers that came from her mouth as I sucked her tongue past
my teeth and licked her fangs and her lips and chin.
“Do you want it hard?” I said against her skin.
“Yes.”
I plunged my tongue back into her mouth and walked us across
the room, the drive of my desire to get inside her carrying more
than enough momentum. More momentum than I realized. My body
slammed into Camila’s as her back slammed into the sideboard. The
Colonial Williamsburg ashtray smashed to the floor, but neither of
us made any move to stop it.
I gripped my Mila’s hips and spun her around. Reading my
mind, she bent over the wood surface, presenting her perfect ass to
me. My knees met the hardwood floor with a loud thud. I wasted
no time spreading her open and spearing her pussy with my tongue,
coating my mouth with her cinnamon musk. I moaned, taking in her
flavor, driving her with more force as my nails scraped her clit.
“Ah, fuck!” Camila cried while she scrambled up the sideboard.
I helped her, gripping her thigh and shoving it up beside her elbow.
One of the antique teacups and its saucer crashed and broke into
pieces next to the ashtray.
• 327 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
The animalistic sounds we couldn’t contain grew louder and
louder together, and more and more, I felt my control slipping, the
human in me getting lost to our fierce lovemaking, but I liked it.
Camila did too. Silently, she told me so.
I stood, swapping my mouth with my fingers, grinding my clit