Page 11 of Blood Ties
“I get why you don’t want to, but why can’t you?”
“Because her sire bond over me tends to be shitty,” Grayson announced as he walked into the room. It was amazing how everything changed for me just by his presence. It was like my world tilted, pushing me into his direction. I stood there entranced as Grayson strolled across the room to me. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulled me to him, placing a light kiss on my temple. “Morning baby.”
I beamed up at him as I watched the sunlight dance across his feature. Morning three and the sun still wasn’t affecting him. I was beyond thrilled. Maybe this would be permanent. I wouldn’t allow myself to get my hopes up though. It was pessimistic, that I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, but with the way my life had been going the last couple of months, I couldn’t help but be guarded. “Mornin’ Grayson.” I turned to Shawn who had turned mute since Grayson’s appearance. He was rooted gaping at us with his mouth hanging open. “Shawn?” I stated, but he didn’t seem to hear me.
“What. The. Hell?” he muttered.
My brow furrowed with confusion. I looked at Shawn, whose eyes were wide, boring into Grayson. Then it clicked. “Ohmygod! Shawn, I completely forgot that I hadn’t told you yet.” I looked at Grayson as the sun highlighted his features. “It seems Grayson isn’t affected by the sun either.”
“How?”
I spoke without breaking my eyes away from Grayson. “We don’t have the slightest idea.”
“And we’ve decided not to look into it either,” Grayson chimed. I loved this man. He had so easily accepted my decision, and not only agreed with it, but supported it.
Shawn was quiet for a moment then he stood and began pacing the room. “Are you two out of your freaking minds? For one, you want Grayson to return to work so soon after the transition. A week, a year, it’s still not safe for the people around him. And two, something happens that has never happened in the history of vampirism and you both want to ignore it?”
I opened my mouth to speak but Grayson spoke first. “Shawn, there is only one person on this planet who might have even the slightest idea as to why I can walk in the sun. Gaby’s father. Even if we were to seek him out, all that would happen is that we would have some information as to why I can walk in the sun when no other can. And what would we do with that information? Nothing. We would just have our curiosity sated. I won’t put Gaby in that situation when nothing useful will come from it.”
Wow! I stood there, stunned. Grayson and I hadn’t talked about searching for my father since my mother left Thursday. Even that conversation had been brief, I’d assumed he had supported my decision to appease me, but it seemed he had given it real thought and that realization delighted me.
Without thinking, I wrapped Grayson in my embrace and pulled him to my lips. I let my tongue plunder his mouth. I still wasn’t used to how he tasted like him, but not. I couldn’t get enough. He groaned, giving himself over to the kiss. His hands strummed up my body, while my fingers tangled in his hair. I had all but forgotten Shawn until I heard him clear his throat. I pulled away looking embarrassed. We were still getting use to our mating bond as well.
“Sorry Shawn,” I uttered bashfully.
“It’s cool Gaby. I’m surprised you two waited this long. You both looked ready to jump each other the moment he walked in the room,” Shawn admitted with a shake of his head. “Have you guys done anything else since his transition? Never mind I don’t wanna know.”
Grayson chuckled. I looked at him with amazement. I was baffled he wasn’t upset with Shawn’s earlier comments. It wasn’t Shawn’s place to dictate our lives. And Grayson wasn’t the type of man to be told what to do.
“Look guys, I know it’s not my place, I just want what’s best…for the both of you, but not at the risk of anyone else’s safety.”
“We get it, Shawn, but we got it figured out. So don’t worry so much,” Grayson voiced.
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“It’s cool,” I declared walking over to Shawn pulling him into a quick hug. He was my best friend and I knew everything he did was because he cared even if he was going about it the asshole way.
CHAPTER FIVE
Over the next week, Grayson and I went out into the city as much as possible. I wanted to be positive, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could handle himself, otherwise I would have to talk him into postponing his return to the working community and that would mean delaying my return as well. I hadn’t talked to Ralph since before Grayson’s transition. Shawn had been the one to place the phone call telling Ralph that I was out “sick.”
With the sire bond on the fritz, it made persuading Grayson a little more difficult. It just meant I’d have to rely on my womanly talents. If that didn’t work, and after the other night I wasn’t sure if it would, I just hoped he’d realize I would be asking it of him for his safety and the safety of everyone around him. Newbies were not known for their rationalism. I just hoped that Grayson’s levelheadedness transferred over when he became a vampire.
Every morning when he awoke, Grayson would test his tolerance for the sun and every morning I heaved a sigh of relief when his skin remained unscorched by the rays.
I made him feed before every outing whether it was from me or a blood bag, even though he tended to choose me. I think he just liked the lust it would evoke in us both, since the bag was more hunger satisfying. The feeding of my blood wasn’t a perfect failsafe, but it would help with the hunger. He would still smell and crave blood even if he was full, although, I was stunned by his amazing control. First, we started by just walking the city. I noticed him people watching more than he ever had before, but never once did his eyes change to the vampiric honey green.
“Just take slow breaths. If it doesn’t help, then stop breathing. You don’t have to do it anymore. It’s no longer necessary,” I told him.
He shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just…”
“What?”
“It’s different.”
I didn’t understand how. When my body transitioned, not much changed. I craved blood more than I had and I was able to influence people in a way that I hadn’t before; otherwise I was the same. I was born this way. It was the norm for me, so I asked, “Different how?”
He shrugged. “It’s like I see more.”
