Page 32 of Marked
She giggles. “They get cranky, territorial, extremely thirsty,” she glances around, “and so horny it’s hard to keep them off of you.”
My face heats. “And Markus was like this?”
“After the Claiming we both were. It was impossible to do anything but lock ourselves in his chambers for almost a week.”
Holy Mother of God.
She peers at me. “And I will tell you ... I wasexperiencedbefore Markus. But there is nothing like finding the other part of you. They know your body better than you do. Mainly because they will spend days learning about you. Your likes, dislikes, needs. Every touch, kiss, caress ... It’s heightened a million times over. It’s like they’re in your head doing everything so right, that you swear it’s a dream.”
I gulp. “How are you not still in bed with him?”
Her laughter is beautiful, just like her. “Honey, I have no idea.”
She reaches for my hand, slowly, giving me time to pull away. When I don’t, the tension in her shoulders disappears. Her fingers grip mine. “I know you don’t like my kind,” she starts. My lips open to argue, but she just tightens her hold. “I can tell by your reaction, doll. But not all of us are bad, Lilah. But, just like humans, we have a few bad seeds too.”
“I know,” I say softly. I turn my hand and clasp hers tighter. “And you may be one of the best seeds I’ve ever met.” And it’s true.
Even after three hours there is something almost pure about the vampiress. Kind.
She smiles. “I know what it’s like to be in a hard place. That’s all.” Her words are wistful, pained, and it creates a protective urge in me despite just meeting her.
“After the accident took my ...” I pause as my throat goes tight. “When myguardiantook me in, I saw firsthand the damage supernaturals can do. Not only to humans. But their own kin as well.” I shudder. “We moved from city to city. And it never changed. All the fights, the blood ... The rage.”
She pushes my thick hair back. “Supernaturals are baser, love, primal. I’m not surprised what you saw scared you.”
“What do you mean?”
Her lean body turns a bit to face me. “The shifters are simple, right? They don’t understand greed or revenge. They only want safe territory, food, and sex. Preferably in that order.” She winks at me. “Now, vamps ... We are ruled by thirst. Even before the transition completes, the thirst seems never ending. Some never learn to tame it. To control it. It’s always just there, in the back of our minds.”
“And the Fae?”
“Power hungry. All of them.” Her mouth tightens. “And the ruling courts are some of the worst. Demons are just as bad. It’s not your soul you have to watch with any of them but the Mammon. They will trade a demon deal for your soul or your grandmother’s Cadillac. They’re not picky. Greed is greed, after all.”
“The Asmodai can seduce you with a word. You’ll have the best sex of your life, but the addiction to them is enough to make anyone weary. The Belphegor make you so complacent you wither away and die, and the Beel create ravenous hunger for food, drink, drugs, and sex until you drown in vice.” I stare at her in a new dawning horror. “The Sathan are killers. Cold and icy from years of wrath. Levithan care for nothing but their frigid waters and being better than everyone else. And the Lucite ... The Lucite are just as arrogant as Lucifer was when he fell.”
“Which brings us to the angels.” She scoffs. “Feathered, prideful assholes. That’s what they are. If you think demons are bad ... Angels with their greater-than-thou-art attitudes and disdain for man ...” She makes a sound of distaste. “I personally have no use for them. The only one half-ass worth his salt is Horan. And even he needs to be brought down a peg or two on occasion.”
My head reels.
Horan is an angel. No wonder him and Caine are so tense with each other.
AndRuin is insane for having them on the same team.
“What I’m getting at, is you saw the worst our kind has to offer. So maybe now you can try the other side. We may surprise you.”
Her smile is not as wide as before. It’s more hesitant, but no less beautiful for the sincerity of it. “Now, if you can stand me for a little longer, I just ordered every rom com that came out this year and no one will watch them with me. So, movie and ice cream?”
Again there is that flash of little girl innocence. Of hope.
Whatever I can say about the other vampires I have met, Raina is far from what I expected. It’s unnerving. But nice.
I haven’t had a friend in years, and despite what she is, I can picture Raina as one. There is just something about her. Something that puts me at ease.
I pull her to her feet next to me. “Raina, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say, and I’m surprised by how much I mean it.
Chapter 16
Lilah
