“All right!” Kat leaned over and gave her a gentle high five. “The nookie train is back on track. Score one for the bonding fruit girls.”
“Bonding fruit?” Elise asked, turning her attention from the question of clones and the delicious strawberry vanilla swirl cupcakes which had been Lauren’s contribution to the girl-day brunch. “What’s that?”
Kat and Lauren shared a look and both of them laughed. “It’s a long story, hon,” Kat said. “Let’s just say it makes all things possible. And I do mean all things.”
“It’s a fruit that helps you, um, accommodate your Kindred mate,” Sophie said delicately. “Some of them are kind of you know, large.”
Kat raised an eyebrow. “Like you have to tell her? She’s got the biggest guy of all. Sorry, Elise, but you know it’s true—Merrick is huge. I’m really glad my guys aren’t built on that scale.”
“Yes, he is kind of…of big.” Elise cleared her throat and looked down at her hands.
“I’m guessing he’s big where it counts, too—right?” Kat nudged her but Liv shook her head at her friend. Then she smiled at Elise and changed the subject.
“So how are you and Merrick settling in? Have you had any more problems with that ex-fiancé of yours?”
“He tried to make trouble,” Elise admitted. “Remember I told you he’d tricked me into signing a prenup saying I had to marry him?”
“He did what?” Kat exclaimed.
“Yeah, well it was my fault for just signing instead of looking over it first,” Elise said. “Anyway, when I didn’t show for the wedding, he put in a complaint to the Kindred High Council—he even tried to bring Merrick up on charges of murder.”
“Oh, no!” Sophie put a hand to her mouth. “When did this happen?”
“Not too long after we first came up here,” Elise said quietly. “I didn’t really feel like talking about it then, but well, I’m starting to feel better now.” She smiled at Liv who smiled back encouragingly.
“Well go on.” Kat made a motion with one hand. “What happened?”
Elise cleared her throat. “Merrick explained that the man he’d murdered had been, uh, trying to attack me at the time, so they cleared him of that charge right away. Apparently a Kindred warrior can’t be held responsible for what they do when the woman they love is in danger.”
“No, they can’t.” Sophie shook her head firmly. “They go into rage.”
“It’s kind of a protective fury,” Liv explained. “If a Kindred thinks his female is in danger, there’s no stopping him until he eliminates that danger.”
“Yeah, and sometimes the elimination process can be kind of…messy.” Sophia winced.
“Messy. Right.” Elise nodded. “I, uh, know all about that.” Though she hadn’t seen her apartment after Merrick had finished with Charles, James had described it in graphic detail at the inquest. It didn’t change how she felt about the big Kindred a bit, but she had to admit it was a little frightening to be with a man who loved you so much he would do anything to protect you. Anything at all.
“Well, so they cleared him of the murder charges, but what about the prenup?” Lauren asked. “Did that hold up?”
Elise shook her head. “They ruled that my connection with Merrick superseded the prenup, especially when I testified that I signed it without knowing exactly what it stated.”
“So everything worked out in the end.” Olivia looked pleased.
“Sort of.” Elise bit her lip. “They also asked Merrick and me about the man who had captured us—the one with the silver eyes. Draven.”
“The leader of the Hoard?” Sophie’s lovely green eyes were shadowed by fear. This new threat to the Kindred wasn’t often discussed—it was too new and frightening for the girls to want to speculate about it much.
Elise nodded. “Yes, that’s him. Merrick told them everything he knew, and then they let us go. They did throw James one bone, though—Merrick is banned from ever going down to Earth again.”
“Well, that should be no problem,” Kat said comfortingly. “I mean, you’ve got enough to keep you busy up here, right? I mean, you’ve only really been together a month, I’m surprised you can even get out of bed.”
“Kat,” Liv hissed.
“No, it’s okay.” Elise looked up and took a deep breath. “Merrick and I haven’t actually…haven’t actually had sex yet.”
“What?” Kat, Lauren, and Sophie chimed together. Liv, who already knew, just sat silently.
“It’s true.” Elise lifted her chin. “Olivia is the only one I’ve talked to about it. Well, besides the therapist you recommended, Liv.” She nodded at Olivia who nodded back, smiling encouragement.
“When you said that Merrick got to you just in time to stop some kind of…of attack,” Sophie said hesitantly. “Was that…does that have anything to do with it?”
“That’s a big part of it, yes.” Elise sighed. “But the other part is, Merrick doesn’t want to.”
“He doesn’t?” Kat raised her eyebrows. “Um, that’s a little unusual for a Kindred, hon.”
“It’s because he’s afraid he’ll hurt or scare her, I’m sure,” Liv said, jumping to her defense. “Isn’t that right, Elise?”
Elise nodded. “Exactly. He doesn’t want me to associate him with my past trauma. And I’ve never really had sex that wasn’t, uh traumatic. So he thinks we should rule it out entirely—or at least put it on hold for several years until I’m completely over my past.”
“I think I know what you’re talking about.” Sophie leaned over and put a hand on her knee. “And I want you to know, something like that happened to me, too. It was awful and it colored the way I saw every other man afterwards. But Sylvan helped me through it.” She squeezed Elise’s knee. “I’m sure Merrick can do the same for you. Kindred are the most patient, kind, gentle lovers in the world, if you give them a chance.”
“It sounds to me like it’s Merrick who won’t give it a chance,” Lauren said, frowning. “Am I right, Elise?”
Elise nodded again. “Unfortunately, yes. He says that since he’s a hybrid, there’s no way we can regrow the bond we lost, so there’s no point in taking a risk on him traumatizing me. He’s content for us to be celibate for however long it takes for me to feel ready—but now he won’t believe me when I say I am ready.”
“That’s right—you’re living together unbonded, aren’t you?” Kat said and all the girls made wordless noises of sympathy.
“Bonding sex is a big deal for the Kindred,” Olivia said thoughtfully. “I guess if Merrick feels you have no hope of having a bond, there’s no reason to put your emotional health in danger just to have sex.”
“But I want to,” Elise burst out passionately. “I mean, I didn’t at first, I’ll admit. I’ve been through kind of a lot in the past few months.”
“Isn’t that the understatement of the year,” Kat murmured and Sophie shushed her.
“I’ve been through a lot—both bad and good,” Elise amended. “And even though the bond between us was wrong and had to be broken, I think that was the best part of it.” She took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears. “There at the end, I could even feel Merrick’s emotions and…and hear his thoughts, and he could do the same for me. I…I miss it so much—that closeness.” She gave a soft sob. “And even though I know sex would just be…be a pale shadow of that intimacy, I still want it. I want something with him. Something more than just lying there in the dark, side by side every night, afraid to even touch each other for fear things will get…will get out of hand.”
She was outright sobbing now but there was no condemnation on the faces around her. Instead, to her surprise, Elise found herself suddenly enveloped in a group hug.
“It’s okay, doll,” Kat murmured. “Just get it out.”
“We’ve all been there,” Lauren said gently. “Some of us more recently than others—I should know.”
“I just wish there was some way of convincing him to touch me—to at least try
and have a normal relationship with me,” Elise whispered hoarsely, blotting her eyes on someone’s shoulder. “But he just won’t—he’s too afraid to hurt me.”
Kat frowned and sat back from the group embrace. “Then maybe you should put him in a position where he needs to help you.”
“Kat, please don’t tell me you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Liv said, frowning.
“And what would that be?” Kat asked innocently.
“Bonding fruit.” Sophie pointed at her friend accusingly. “That’s what she’s thinking.”
“Well as a matter of fact, it is. And why not?” Kat shrugged. “It’s a delicious, nutritious part of a balanced diet.”
“Not to mention it makes you horny and stretchy as hell,” Liv pointed out.
“Hey, some of us need to be stretchy, cuz.” Lauren raised an eyebrow at her haughtily.
“You tell ’em, sister.” Kat moved over to link arms with Lauren. “When you’re married to a man who’s hung like a Clydesdale, a little extra help in the stretchy department never hurts.”
“I don’t know about this, Kat,” Sophie said doubtfully. “If you’re planning to have Elise eat some bonding fruit so Merrick will have to touch her…I mean, that’s kind of manipulative, don’t you think?”
Kat raised an eyebrow at her. “And your point is? You told me how you seduced Sylvan into sexing you up the first time.”
“Well, yes, that’s true,” Sophie admitted, blushing.
“But in Elise’s case, seduction won’t work because Merrick is so afraid he’ll hurt her.” Olivia sounded thoughtful.
“But if he feels he has to touch her in order to help her or stop her from hurting…” Lauren continued the thought.
“It just might work,” Olivia concluded.
Kat snorted. “Of course it’ll work.”
Elise frowned. “I still don’t understand. How will eating a piece of this fruit make Merrick think he has to touch me?”
“Let’s just say the effects of the fruit can be…extreme if you eat too much of it,” Liv said. “It acts like an aphrodisiac.”
“It makes you crazy for sex,” Kat said bluntly. “But that’s only if you overdose on it, like I did the first time. You could just eat a little bit—just enough to need a man’s touch, if you know what I mean.”
“But just a little,” Lauren cautioned. “You really don’t want to be left high and dry if Merrick refuses to come through for you.”
“I don’t think he’d refuse me,” Elise said thoughtfully. “And if I could just get him to see that we could make love without me losing it, I think it would really help.” She sighed. “I can’t blame him for being so reluctant—I did a lot of freaking out during our trip together—before I started dealing with my, uh, past issues.”
“You had a lot to freak out about,” Liv said, patting her knee comfortingly.
Elise sighed. “I know it won’t bring back our bond, but even having regular old garden-variety sex would be wonderful at this point.”
Kat laughed. “Honey, sex is never ‘regular’ with a Kindred. Especially with a man like yours—he’s got a mating fist and a set of fangs.”
“Mating fist?” Elise asked, and then remembered the ridge-like swelling she'd seen at the base of Merrick’s cock.
Liv frowned at Kat and then looked at Elise. “I really hope we’re not traumatizing you right now—please tell me you already know about the mating fist.”
Elise coughed, feeling her cheeks go red at the memory of exploring Merrick’s bare body with her hands on their trip to Rageron. “I have heard something about it, yes. Isn’t it some kind of, uh, swelling at the base of the shaft?”
Olivia nodded. “Uh-huh. It locks you together with your mate during sex and makes it last for a long, long time. Very tantric.”
“But the Blood Kindred don’t have a mating fist—they have fangs,” Sophie put in. “They bite during bonding sex instead of, you know, swelling up. Which is why they don’t make a chemical to help their women, uh stretch.”
“Which is why you’d really better having some bonding fruit in hand before you attempt anything with Merrick,” Kat added. “Just in case things go farther than planned. Don’t worry, I’ll hook you up.”
“She’s practically got a bonding fruit tree growing in her suite,” Liv said dryly.
“For which I, for one, am eternally grateful,” Lauren grinned at Kat. “If it wasn’t for bonding fruit, I wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing but admire Xairn from afar.”
“Scourge have a double-dick thing going on,” Kat explained with a smirk. “Not something you’d want to experience unprepared. Amiright?” She nudged Lauren who blushed and nodded.
“Completely.”
Elise remembered that during her conversation with Merrick, he’d been pretty certain the compounds in his precum would help her accommodate his mating fist. Still, remembering the size of his shaft, she thought a little extra help in that department couldn’t hurt. She hadn’t thought, however, about having to contend with both his mating fist and his fangs at the same time.
“So…” She cleared her throat. “If we do this—if I get Merrick to agree to try it—I should be prepared to deal with a mating fist and fangs?”
“Pierced and penetrated all at once. Ouch,” Kat murmured.
“Kat!” Sophie exclaimed. She looked at Elise. “I’m afraid so. But please don’t be afraid. The biting thing isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds. I was scared to death of needles and I didn’t want Sylvan’s fangs anywhere near me. But as it turns out, when a Blood Kindred bites you, they inject their essence, and it’s…” She shivered. “Oh, I can’t even describe it. It’s pure ecstasy.”
“The mating fist sensation isn’t half bad, either,” Olivia murmured, giving her a wink. “It’s very deep and intimate…I always feel like Baird and I have been, I don’t know, touching souls, somehow, when we finish.”
“It sounds beautiful and frightening at the same time,” Elise said honestly.
“Which is why you should probably take some time to think about it,” Lauren said gently.
“And have some bonding fruit ready for when you’re done thinking and ready to start acting.” Kat grinned at her and then looked at Sophie. “Not to change the subject, but speaking of thinking things through, when are you going to take that pregnancy test, Sophie? Aren’t you like, two months late on your period by now?”
“Well, more like a month and a half…” Sophie twisted her fingers together. “But you know, I’ve been late before and nothing came of it. I think…” She sighed. “I think I’m just afraid to take it because right now I can pretend I’m pregnant if I want. But if I take it and it’s negative…I mean if I get that awful white flower…”
“Then the dream is over,” Lauren said softly.
Olivia reached over and patted her twin’s shoulder. “We understand, Sophie. Take the test when you’re ready. Just be sure you keep taking those prenatal vitamins I gave you just in case.”
“Don’t worry, I am,” Sophie promised. “And you know you’ll be the first to know the minute I ‘screw my courage to the sticking point’ and take the darn thing, wombmate.”
“I know.” Liv smiled back and then sighed. “Well girls, it’s been real, but I need to be getting back to my own suite. It’s Baird’s turn to cook tonight and he needs to know what I want.”
“What do you want?” Sophie gave the half-eaten watermelon-broccoli-cheese quiche a doubtful look.
“She means besides something disgusting,” Kat added.
“Kat has a point, cuz,” Lauren put in. “You do have some weird cravings, even for a pregnant lady.”
“Unlike you, of course.” Liv sniffed.
Lauren put up her hands. “Hey, all I crave are chocolate and lima beans. And of course, raw meat.”
“Yeah, so normal. Who doesn’t want the occasional chunk of raw meat?” Kat snickered and Lauren elbowed her good-naturedly.
??
?Just for that, you’re invited over for dinner the next time I make steak tartar.”
“Only if I get to stay after and watch your whipping technique for dessert,” Kat shot back. “And I don’t mean I want to watch you whipping cream, doll.”
“Ha-ha,” Lauren retorted.
Elise couldn’t help smiling at the good-natured banter as her new friends rose and gathered their things. But inside she wondered what Merrick would say when she told him she’d eaten some of the bonding fruit. Would he be angry…or would he be willing to at least try making love? Elise was hoping for the latter outcome—after all, if what Kat said was true, she was going to be gambling a lot on his decision.
Chapter Forty-five
“No, absolutely not.” Merrick frowned at her, shaking his head firmly. “We’ve been over this, baby—I’m not going to risk hurting you. Not when you’ve already been hurt so much.”
“Merrick, please. At least consider it.” Elise sat on the side of the vast Kindred sized bed they shared and looked at him longingly. He was ready for bed and wearing his usual sleep attire—a pair of black silk sleep-pants and nothing else. His broad, scarred chest was muscular and firm, and she wanted to touch it…wanted to touch him all over. Just the thought of running her hands all over his hard body made her feel wet and achy between her legs. In fact, her whole body was one big throbbing mass of desire—she’d never felt so horny in her life, not even when the hunger was making her crazy with need. God, what was wrong with her?
Oh yeah, the bonding fruit I ate. Kat had given it to her after their get-together, just as she’d promised. Despite all of Olivia’s jokes about her redheaded friend being a “bonding fruit pusher,” Kat had actually warned Elise to be careful with the fruit.
“Just a few bites at a time,” she’d told Elise, giving her several of the fruits. “After you eat it, you will need help getting over the effects.” She winked. “And by that I mean you’re going to need a serious boink-fest with your man. So don’t eat it if you don’t think Merrick is willing to give it up.”