Page 84 of Love Lives
Except Remy would dig through Aldrich's memories once given the chance.
"I don't care if it's tonight, or tomorrow, or next week," Remy said. "The next time you bite me, I'm going to prove to you that I'm right." Remy's eyes shone with determination. Under different circumstances, it would have been hot.
Fuck, it was still hot.
And Aldrich still couldn’t take his hands off Remy. “You really think you can threaten me?”
“Just telling you how it’s gonna be.”
Aldrich's eyes strayed to the line of Remy's neck. Maybe once Remy saw that Aldrich really was a monster--and always had been, they could be done with this conversation once and for all. Maybe Remy would finally come to terms with the fact that he had the hots for a killer. Hell, maybe he'd even agree to axing the scumbag drunk driver after all.
"What are you going to do if it turns out you're wrong?" Aldrich asked, resting his forehead against Remy's.
"I'm not wrong."
He had so much faith in that... Aldrich almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "I'm not who you think I am."
"Maybe you're not who you think you are." A hint of a challenge crept into Remy's tone again. “Isn't that what you're afraid of?'
Officially done with this conversation, Aldrich dipped his head so his mouth could reach Remy's neck. Remy didn't say anything, but he made no move to stop the vampire either. His heart beat a little faster. Aldrich could tell by the way his pulse sped up under the touch of his lips. Remy turned his head just slightly, as if to give him better access. It was as good as an invitation. Aldrich took him up on it gladly.
The first drops of blood that landed on his tongue were liquefied ecstasy. Remy always tasted fantastic, but this night, his taste seemed especially sharp. Enriched, somehow. Maybe by the argument they'd had, maybe by how much Aldrich wanted him--and by how much he knew Remy wanted him back. Whatever it was, something was different tonight. It was as if Aldrich were taking in more than just Remy's blood, as if they shared more than that.
It was as if Aldrich existed outside of his body, and as if Remy existed there too, and their souls were touching.
It made absolutely no sense, so Aldrich discarded the thought, but he couldn't quite shake it, this feeling that Remy was touching some intimate part of him that he hadn't even known existed. Drinking blood had never felt like that. It wasn'tsupposedto feel like that.
It felt good, though. Felt like he never wanted to stop drinking. Like he was becomingonewith Remy.
A soft moan fell from Remy's lips, the sound barely audible. Just enough to let Aldrich know he wasn't the only one who enjoyed this. He wanted to linger here, in this moment of unity, of bliss…
Only then Remy had to go and screw it up by doing exactly what he'd promised Aldrich he would do.
From one moment to the next, Aldrich found himself inside an old memory. The sudden shift of scenery was so disorienting that for a moment or two, he had no idea what was going on. Until he recognized his mother. Her strict face and her beady eyes, glaring at him. Aldrich remembered now. When she wasn't telling him to behave, she was telling him to be quiet,for ten minutes, for once in your life, for the love of the lord, please bequiet.
His mother had never been a lot of fun. Sure, it was kind of entertaining to see exactly how red her face could get when she screamed at him, but after a minute or two, she'd just send him to his father and then it was his butt turning red instead of her face. No fun at all.
Though he could admit that he deserved it most of the time.
Not this time. This time it was everyone else who was wrong.
It was the wholeworldthat was wrong.
Because Liam was dead. He'd hung himself in his room that morning. Aldrich had found him like that. No note, no nothing. Just hushed whispers from the other members of Liam's family as they saw him. Some saying that it might be better like that, while making the sign of the cross in front of themselves, that Liam wasat peacenow.
Some murmured that it was Reagan's fault.
Reagan... that had been Aldrich's name back then.
He didn't understand how it could be his fault, though. He'd never wanted anything to happen to Liam. He'd cared about Liam. He'd... he'dlovedhim. Even if he'd never said it.
If he'd known what Liam would do, he would have told him. He would have stopped him. But now there was nothing that he could do. It was all too little, too late.
Was Liam dead because Reagan had never confessed his feelings to him?
No, that couldn't be it. They'd been happy together.
They'd been happy last night, until Reagan's little sister had burst into the room, anyway. She'd blushed fiercely and run away. Reagan had wanted to go after her, but she'd been too fast, gone before Reagan could tell exactly where. Liam had told him not to worry about it, that she probably didn't understand what she'd seen.
