“I had blood brought to the island for you both. I do hope you will not use my people for your needs. You only have to ask and I will have more brought in.”
Damon nodded at the woman and continued on. She was also warning him to keep Shade on a chain.
The older woman was quick on her feet. She did not speak American but she conveyed her meanings clearly. She showed them where the towels were, both rooms and how to lower the shades to block the sun from the living room windows. The bedrooms had no windows and were quite chilly. She offered to make a fire but Damon told her no. After showing them around the small kitchenette she left them alone.
A long hallway separated them from the main house. They were a story up off the ground but the patio had a small stairway that led down on the far end. There was no way to block people from coming in.
Even the bedrooms did not have doors. Damon disliked that instantly. The rooms were all off smaller hallways so there was some privacy and the bathroom was between both the rooms but you had to turn two corners to get to it. The halls in the guest house were less than four feet wide while the main house had larger halls.
It was nice for someone without enemies. Damon carried their belongings into one room. The bed was a large queen or king and was built into one corner. Two mattresses were on top of the rock shelf so that the bed frame was part of the house itself. It was a unique idea. The closet was unlike anything Shade had ever seen. More like the bathroom. It was the wall that blocked the room which gave them some privacy, you merely walked in the door and around.
The closet held a bar in one corner and a wooden dresser in the other.
A brown wooden desk was the only other furniture in the room.
Damon dropped their things in the closet and returned to Shade who stood looking out the window.
“It will take some getting used to I know,” Damon told her. He stood just behind her, nearly touching with his hands at his sides.
Shade was at a loss to even begin sorting everything from her surroundings to Damon’s odd protective behavior. It was more than likely a vampire thing. She leaned back into him and stared at the moon over the water. It looked huge from where they stood.
“You should drink some blood before we lie down,” Damon whispered into her ear. She then started wondering what he meant by that. Had their kissing gave him the idea she wanted more?
She followed him to the kitchen and watched as he took of the last blood bags from the cooler and poured it into a cup.
Shade took the cup eagerly and drained it within seconds her teeth still uncomfortable around the rim of the cup. The taste and thick texture still threw her at times when she least expected it. It coated her tongue like cough syrup. Damon found a bottle in the fridge with more blood and filled the glass again. He drank half the cup trying not to make a face and gave the rest to Shade.
After drinking that down they returned to the small room and stood looking around. He could not leave her here when he went back for his money. She was agitated he could tell.
Damon pulled his boots and shirt off and her to the bed with him. There were three blankets there and he pulled them all down. Shade sat on the edge of the bed but before she could remove her own boots Damon had them off. She usually wore shorts or a long tee shirt to bed but she was exhausted from everything and did not care one way or another. Damon slid into the bed behind her while she took her jeans off. He got a good glimpse of her black panties but ignored them the best he could. He held his arm out for her to climb in and snuggle with him.
She stood there frozen for a moment.
“I can go to the other room if you want but I would not sleep. I only want to hold you and know you are safe, babe. Come to bed.”
The Tracker laid there and looked scared for a moment that she would run from him.
After a moment Shade sighed and then did as he said. She pulled the blankets up and cuddled as close to him as she could. She was confused by her own emotions. Damon would not pressure her. She feared only what she would let him do.
Damon curled himself into her like he did when she was sleeping. Shade felt comfortable and safe and realized he was right. She would be terrified on her own if he were to leave her now. She stayed so tired except right after drinking.
“It has been such a long past few days, babe, and so much chaos and driving. It is hard to wind-down I know. I will more than likely sleep once I know you are. I have not slept more than five hours in almost two weeks. My body cannot take much more. Relax here with me and get some rest okay?”
Shade nodded and wrapped her arm over his chest and her leg over his.
Damon felt truly happy for once. Who would have thought such a petite thing would bring out the beast in him and the gentleman.
He kissed Shade’s head and took a deep breath. She smelled fruity and floral all at the same time. Her skin was satiny smooth and a little warm to the touch.
He ran his fingers up and down her arm being delighted with giving her goose bumps. Shade kissed his bare chest and ran her hand over the rock hard muscles. Damon shivered when she reached his nipples. Her caresses were mesmerizing. He purred at her feather light touch. He knew if she did not stop soon his sleeping anatomy would awaken and demand attention as well.
Damon stopped her hand and brought it to his mouth. Her wrist was so delicate. Her neon colored bracelets was made for kids. He felt each one individually.
Shade was nervous for a moment when he kissed her palm again. The he laid her hand over his heart. She felt the stuttering beats and realized he too was nervous. They were slow each about ten or more seconds apart.
He went back to caressing her arm from shoulder to wrist. She shivered in his embrace. She looked up at Damon’s face and traced his jaw line delicately. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the sensation. They were exploring foreign territory and thoroughly. Neither had shared this experience with another. For Damon his encounters with females were purely sexual. Once done he dressed and left.
Her touch left him breathless.
Damon opened his eyes and leaned into her face rubbing his cheek against her forehead. Shade enjoyed the sensation as much as him. She turned more into him, laying her chin on his chest, and gazing into his face.
Damon caressed her back now up from her neck down to the blanket. He smiled at the look she was giving him. He was relaxed and content for the first time in his life because of this woman. He could stay in bed with her forever. Damon was enthralled with her from head to toe.
Shade reached for a kiss at the same moment he did. They were so in tune with the other they were not sure who initiated what. The kiss was slow and friendly at first and quickly became more urgent. Damon’s hand had found the edge of her shirt and was feeling her back underneath, moving in slow circles.
Their tongues danced together and before he realized it Shade was in his arms and he was pulling her atop of him. Her legs went to either side of his hips and she slid down to where she could feel his growing desire.
All at once she tensed up and nearly jumped off of him. Damon had been waiting for this moment even with her getting exciting and pushing him further. She began to panic in his arms and hyperventilate.
“Shade, babe, it is alright. We will not go any further. We are done kissing.”
Her eyes were squeezed closed and her heart was racing. He felt her start to shake on top of him.
“Shh, I am not going to hurt you. Come back to me love, you are safe. No one will hurt you anymore,” he whispered eagerly to her.
The vampire in him wanted to roll on top of her and take control, show her there was nothing to fear. He loved this woman though and knew that taking her control away would completely terrify her.
He found her wrists and held her still.
He was starting to get worried, his mate was upset and he was at a loss as to calm her.
“Shade, just look at me, I am right here, no one else okay.”
He was not sure if he was get
ting to her. Her breathing was getting rapid. She was going deep within herself, locked in the memories.
He rolled them over and pulled her into his embrace, she was so stiff and rigid he had a hard time. Damon laid his head on her chest and hummed quietly, his hand at her hip not moving. Her hands were out in front of her, fisted.
Damon continued to lay there with her, just being with her. He was holding her still but not captive. Shade began to cry and her chest heaving, tears wetting his hair. He rolled back on to the pillow and drew her to him. He continued humming, taking his hand from her hip and caressing her hair back from her face.
He was lost at what to do to make her see that he loved her too much to hurt her. Finally he heard her trying to talk to him. She said his name and he sighed.
“I’m sorry Damon.” She was so confused sometimes. She could not stop the vague but lifelike images that popped into her head. Absolute terror hit her instantly in these times and left her gasping for breath and security.
“No need to be love, I understand. We moved too fast and you had a flash back. I hope to erase those memories though and replace them with better ones someday. For now this is enough. Just relax with me and try to get some sleep.”
“O…okay,” she whimpered. Being within her arms was now comforting so she used those feelings to fight off the harsher ones.
Damon wanted to take the pain away from her. In some ways not knowing what sex was at all was worse. Now she was bewildered and petrified of what she did not know. Had she not been a virgin and known kindness he felt she would have taken it a lot better. For now he would have to go at her pace and reassure her when she had flashbacks. Mikhail had told him how bad the man beat her the last time he had gotten a hold of her. Two weeks of hospitalization was clear enough to him. The man deserved to be tortured for what he done to Shade.
Shade’s sobs turned to hiccups and then she finally fell asleep. She stayed within his arms and never made a move to escape him once she realized it was Damon and he was safe. Damon wrapped himself around her once more, his hand on her stomach and her head on his shoulder.
He fell asleep holding her like that.
When her wiggles alerted him to her waking he released her and stretched. She shot out of the bed and to the bathroom.
“Shade?” Damon asked quietly, looking at her.
“I’m fine!”
He sat up and waited for her to return. It was freezing in the dark room.
When Shade returned he wrapped his arms once more around her tenderly and tried to warm her. Her chilled hands and feet found warm pockets on his body and he shivered at the shock.
“I’m sorry Damon about last night.”
“It is fine, babe, I completely understand,” he told her.
Shade turned in his arms and kissed him. Damon had feared she would back track. Her kisses were not urgent. She needed reassurance he was not angry with her.
“Shh, I am not mad at all, with you. I am furious as hell that he put you through this. It will be okay. Relax for me.”
She kissed him once more and put her head back in the crook of his neck. His hand found her stomach and stayed there.
Shade must have fallen back asleep shortly after. He stayed awake a moment too before his eyelids closed. He pictured ripping the coach apart with his bare hands before he too was asleep.
The heat forced him awake. Three blankets in the day were a bit much. He pushed them off of him and Shade and closed his eyes again. It was mid-day or afternoon he suspected.
She began to squirm and he released her to stretch. She yawned and looked around the room confused.
Shade looked at him for a moment before it clicked into place, along with her pathetic freak out last night. Her face turned red as she groaned and then she realized she did not have any covers on and her tee shirt was around her chest bunched up. She looked at Damon who smiled at her.
She pulled her shirt down and cuddled back up to him.
“Forget about last night love, I have.”
“I can’t.”
Damon realized her stomach was exposed and tried tickling her. He did not know if she was ticklish or not but he would find out.
Shade gasped. Her giggles could have woken everyone in the castle.
Damon realized two things, tickles were powerful weapons and only to be used when the whole house was awake.
“Well now that you have let everyone know we are awake should we dress and join them. I am sure your brother wants to see you.”
Shade nodded mischief in her eyes.
She inched back slowly and then tackled him, giving him lots of kisses across his jaw.
Damon grabbed her hips and rolled her beneath him.
“If we are kissing I am on top this time cher, but let me warn you I do not stop for breaks. This could take a while.” Damon’s Cajun accent was appealing, Shade thought randomly.
“NO!” Shade exclaimed. She giggled and stared wide-eyed at him. Mikhail had not tickled her at all because of her fear of being touched.
He posed above her for a moment before striking at her jaw line, then back up to her mouth. Damon planted over a dozen kisses from her forehead down to the exposed skin of her stomach. She had frozen at first and then burst into more giggles. Apparently kissing the tummy was ticklish as well, just not as much as the other.
“Stop I give!” Shade called out.
“No more kissing wars then?”
“No, you win, of course.”
Damon got a more thoughtful look on his face. He had never played with a female like this before and it did something to him. He kissed her stomach once more, his hand still on her hip. Shade was aware she was wearing nothing but panties and her shirt with him on top of her and he was paying her no attention below the waist.
“I love you Shade,” he told her, seriousness written all over his face.
She saw the fear as well on his face that she would reject him. She placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him up to her. She pulled him in for a kiss then pushed back so their foreheads rested together.
“I love you too Damon.”
Damon grabbed her and flipped her over and on top of him holding her in the air above him easily. His smile reached his eyes. She could not believe he loved her. He was so beautiful it took her breath away.
“I hear people moving about we should dress and join them.”
Shade nodded. They both found clean clothes and put their socks and boots on. Damon held his hand out, grateful she did not hate him, did not hold his criminal actions against him.
They walked hand and hand towards the main house and found everyone in the kitchen.
Mikhail was at the table with Shayla and both were having a hearty breakfast of sausage, bacon, and eggs. Shade looked a bit envious but stayed at Damon’s side.
“We need to talk Shade. Please join us both of you,” Shayla said between mouthfuls, indicating the chairs across from them.
Damon pulled a chair out for Shade and then himself and kept her hand in his under the table. He had pulled his chair closer to hers. He was not sure why, maybe because he was among strangers and felt particularly fond of his weaker mate. Whatever the reason was he did not want to be far from her at all.
Mikhail might not be a feral but he was a newborn just like Shade and at this moment they were more or less equal in strength and speed with Mikhail having the only advantage due to his knowledge of self-defense.
“We have talked about the situation. We are neutral in this fight with the vampire overlords and do not want to be brought into this fight we sense coming.”
Damon saw that Mikhail was not exactly agreeing with his own mate when he looked off to the side. His jaw ticked momentarily but he gathered his emotions before Shayla continued. Damon sensed an impending private conversation with the brother.
“We will however continue to provide Shade’s safety under a few conditions. One, as I spoke briefly yesterday, my humans are off limits and you
Tracker must train your newborn well and keep her within arm’s reach at all times. I am afraid my mate would hesitate to control her or things may become worse if he intervened.
“Second, she must start training immediately with me. She is weak and needs to learn to defend herself if things become bad. I will drag my mate away and leave her to die before he comes to harm. He is still young and nowhere as strong as us ancients.
“Third, as long as I provide her safety she must do as I say. For example she must stay with you at all times and if you leave she leaves. This is where Mikhail and I disagree of course.” Mikhail was nearly bristling now.
Damon made a low pitched growl before he caught himself. Shayla ignored him and continued.