Don't Kill Dinner (The Rules Trilogy) (4 page)

The thing I loved most about Arthur was his ability to join in my dumb 23-year-old antics. We bounced around the house cheering, and just laughing with each other until I had finally returned to my sanity. We still had a few more hours before the hunt and spent the rest of the afternoon talking about our families. When it was time for dinner we ventured outside of the quarter to the college area and we found a nice couple on a date.

You could smell the sexual tension between the couple and it made the hunt so much more intense. Arthur and I trailed behind them soaking up the salty and spicy scents their bodies naturally emitted. Finally we approached the couple. As I tapped the guy on the shoulder I heard his heart jump. I was starving from my test and didn’t realize just how hungry I was until I got close to his throbbing jugular. I explained to them that we had lost our way and my boyfriend didn’t want to ask for directions. They offered to take us back to the main road and a couple blocks from Tchoupitoulas it was finally time. We led them down the alleyway where I conquered the guy and Arthur took his blonde girlfriend.

My new title surging through me made the meal that much sweeter. I could feel my power growing with each swallow of his blood. I wanted more. I kept sucking until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Arthur had pulled me out of the ecstasy I was warmly surrounded in and I glared at him before realizing what I was doing. I gave his neck the once over with my tongue and we decided that they should have as good a night as we were. We told them to go home and take care of all their kinky fantasies as we skipped home.

Now satiated and back to my full power, Arthur and I spent the better part of the evening chasing each other through the city. Arthur stopped abruptly and turned to look at me, we were close to home but the tingle in my stomach was a tingle of recognition. We were in front of the jazz courtyard where we had first met. Where we had our real first date. He led me back to the table in the corner and my breath caught. I had seen the memories when I changed but we hadn’t come back to this place since he turned me. I felt a warmth in my skin and smelled a hint of strawberries and sugar in the air.

Arthur must have recognized the confusion in my face at the lingering scent.  He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and leaned back to look in my eyes.

“You smell it don’t you?” he asked. I nodded still confused and feeling like a little princess in the arms of my prince. “What you are smelling is the remnants of true love. Three years ago, two souls connected forever at this table and as long as they live so will the aura of their love in the location that started it all.
”

We sat down and the waitress came to take our orders. Just like the first time we sat at the table I ordered water and he ordered a coffee. This time the conversation was filled with talks about our future. The trips we would take, the lives we would live together forever. We laughed and joked about what New Orle
ans would be like in another hundred twenty years and in that moment I knew my life was perfect.

Now that I was ranked, life was pleasantly normal. I got a part time job as a legal assistant at a law firm a few blocks away from our house and Arthur was the ever busy historian scribing the thoughts and moods of the coven. The ball was rapidly approaching and I couldn’t wait. Arthur had suggested that I invite my bestie from high school, Brittany and after some reticence about her being with Tim again I finally called her up.

She arrived in town two weeks later with tons of stories to tell me about the men she found in LA. She stayed at the house with us and was very impressed that I landed a man with such “a wonderful package.” I just laughed and slapped her arm.

That night Becca, Brittany and I headed out on the town. We avoided Bourbon Street for the most part and hung out at the local bars. Brittany’s nagging finally got to us and we headed back to The Beach to relive our first night in Nola. While we walked down Bourbon laughing at the drunks and rolling our eyes at the fanatical Christians claiming we were all going to hell we told Becca about the bet and the whale. That’s when I had an idea. “Hey Brittany,” I said with a singsong voice, “I bet you twenty bucks you can’t stay on the whale five seconds.” She glared at me before saying, “Challenge Accepted!” We danced to the throbbing music for a bit before we finally pushed Brittany up on stage to make good on the wager. I used the still slightly awkward mind speech Arthur and I had to tell him and Tim to run to The Beach for payback. They arrived right as Brittany straddled the Orca. Arthur wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck as I nodded in the direction of the stage. Tim walked up to the whale maneuverer and convinced him to start at level eight instead of two. It took Brittany about half a second before she slid over the orca’s head and landed on her back on the padding below. Becca and I were laughing so hard we almost missed her walk right up to Timothy and slug him in the shoulder.

He stared at her in shock as she got up on her toes and whispered into his ear “If you wanted me to fall for you all you had to do was talk to me. Not convince that ass hole to throw me off the whale.” Arthur and I exchanged knowing glances before I sarcastically said “It was fated in the stars that nothing could keep the lovers apart.” Timothy shot us evil glances from across the bar and Becca just looked at us like we were nuts.

The rest of the night went well the five of us spent the evening laughing and reminiscing until we saw the sun peek over the old brick buildings. Becca went home and Tim said something to Brittany about Toy Story and came home with us. Brittany went up to her room to put PJ’s on when I finally got my alone time with Tim.

A weird electrical feeling caressed my skin and I could feel my fangs extending. I slowly approached Tim and when I got close I hissed “Here’s what’s going to happen. You bite her
, I kill you. You break her heart, I kill you twice. You will be a perfect fucking gentlemen and let her take the lead. If I so much as hear one whimper come out of her room that isn’t vibrating with pleasure, you will never see the light of day again. Do you understand me?” I watched the blood drain from his face as he nodded and slowly walked towards the den.

I turned around feeling my body returning to normal and saw my Arthur leaned up against the stair rail with a devilish smirk on his face. I cocked my eyebrow and he was instantly in front of me.

As his hands lightly glided down my body sending shivers of euphoria to my core he whispered in my ear “Your sexy as hell when you get protective.” He finished his statement with a knick of his fangs on my neck and I knew he was in for a rocking morning as soon as Brittany passed out. I concentrated on my breathing to keep my totally horny side at bay when he laughed out “I have never seen Tim get scared like that. I really thought he might wet himself.” This brought me back to the fun night we had been enjoying and we played some Wii Bowling before Brittany finally drug Tim upstairs. I listened for her door to close and right as I heard the lock click I pinned Arthur against the wall.

His hands were locked in my grip above his head as I growled and whispered
, “It isn’t nice to tease people.” I licked my lips as I let my other hand wander down from his soft red lips over his chest, pinching his nipples before lightly trailing my fingers to the waist of his pants. As I snuck my finger inside his waistband I heard his breath catch.

They say you should never let a predator feel your emotions and I had just caught him. I knew I was getting to him and I was not going to give in easily. I let my fangs slide out as I nuzzled his neck. I could feel the pulse in his wrists increasing
, begging me to sink my teeth into his porcelain skin but I was being evil tonight. I traced his collarbone with my tongue before pulling his emerald green V-neck tee over his face. He was now blind and still pinned against the wall. I ran my fingers down his stomach and grinned when he shivered goose bumps showed up all over his body. I asked him if he would be a good boy and stay still if I moved my other hand and he groaned in response.

He stayed perfectly still as my other hand came down and settled on his belt
. His belt was off before he finished exhaling and his entire body tensed in anticipation of what would come next. I lowered myself onto my knees and grabbed his solid package before opening my mouth and letting my hot breath tease him even more. I unbuttoned his pants with my mouth and alternated between kissing and licking the light trail of hair that led to my treasure. I spoke “Come and get me,” in his mind and was gone. Instead of running to our room I went to the basement and hid behind the punching bag. He bolted down the stairs and stood in the center of the fighting mats with his shirt off and pants still unbuttoned. He slowly took in the room looking for me and as soon as his back was turned I was behind him. He turned and caught my bright green eyes enjoying the hunt. I gently pushed him back to the weight bench and pushed him onto the seat. He was standing at full attention and I couldn’t help but lick my lips in anticipation. The growl that emanated from his chest drove me wild as I kneeled in front of him and took him inside my mouth. I had never done this before but for some reason it was all I could think about in that moment and I was enjoying the salty sweet taste of him on my tongue. I assume from the sounds coming from his swollen lips that I was doing a good job. He laced his fingers through my hair and pulled my head up to meet his gaze. As I licked the taste of him off my lips I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head and I placed a forceful kiss on his lips. A fire erupted through my body when his tongue forced its way into my mouth. This time it was me doing the moaning as I finally succumbed to his touch. I had teased him far past the point of returning the favor and his mouth went straight between my legs. I was still fully dressed and it felt like my tank and jeans were suffocating me. I couldn’t form a coherent sentence if I tried and knew that I was moments away from losing my sanity. He pulled my shirt up to my wrists and left it there for me to hold onto. He moved us onto the floor and peeled off my jeans as he watched me writhing on the floor in anticipation of what was next. With his hands on either side of my elbows and his legs in between mine he lowered himself into a push up position and barely touched my lips with his. As his mouth trailed down my stomach I could feel the fire completely engulfing me and I tried not letting it get the best of me. When his tongue finally trailed between my thighs I couldn’t hold the sigh any longer. This only fueled him as he flicked my clit with his vamp quick tongue. I could feel the moisture between my legs and he licked it all up. Neither of us could handle the tension any longer and I was immediately sitting on top of him enjoying him inside of me. Through the passion I could smell the hint of strawberries and sugar that was our true love as I rode him. I took in his solid body and couldn’t help but smile when I noticed he was doing the same. I leaned down so our entire bodies were touching as we continued to thrust in unison coming closer to the precipice. I felt his fingers dig into my ass as he was nearing climax and welcomed it completely. As he filled me I was finally pushed over the edge and we lay there exhausted, enthralled and in love. We finally made it upstairs where slept holding each other in an embrace that was meant to last forever.

My alarm went off at two in the afternoon and I woke up a very happy woman in the arms of my soul mate. I knew that he was my rock, my anchor and the only person that could fill the void in my heart. I woke him up with a light kiss on the nose and whispered to him that it was time for Brittany and I to head out for our spa day before the Ball.

Brittany and I went dress shopping in the little boutiques around the quarter and once we made our choices we headed to the Salon for updo’s, mani/pedis and make up. I loved the feeling of being pampered all day long. As we sat side by side getting our manicures Brittany told me about her night with Tim.

She said he was a complete gentleman and that it was weird but she kind of enjoyed it. She asked me if I had told him about her and Toy Story and I honestly replied no. He had an all-natural hold on her and it was nice to see her actually interested in someone for once. It was weird when I though about her being human and not knowing what we were but the longer she could enjoy her notions the better. Being a vampire was cool but I still reel when I think about the day I found out we existed.

We spent the rest of our afternoon sipping champagne out of solo cups and walking around the city. The last time Brittany had been in New Orleans I didn’t know all the awesome secret spots and now I was a seasoned local. We made it back home and kicked Arthur into the hallway bathroom to get ready while Brittany and I used the master. An hour later and another glass of champagne we were ready.

Brittany chose a plum floor length silk gown with silver shoes. I had found a strapless princess ball gown that was the same exact color of my emerald green eyes. I could hear Arthur and Timothy downstairs in the study talking about “business” and was interested to learn more but not tonight. Tonight was my coming out party. Brittany walked down stairs first to get another drink while I slipped on my Doc Marten combat boots and slid my new sai in the side.
Since becoming a vampire I had gotten used to carrying a weapon and even in my beautiful gown I felt naked without it’s cold metal against my calf. When I had my blade comfortably situated I began my walk downstairs.

I hadn’t been in a ball gown since my senior prom and back then I was naïve enough to believe that I could dance all night in heels. I was not so dumb this time. I placed my right hand on the railing and began my descent to the library. When I looked at the base of the stairs I saw Arthur practically glowing as he looked up at me. It was the kind of look girls im
agine their husbands will have when they walk down the aisle on their wedding day. He had on a traditional tuxedo with penguin tails and a red rose in his lapel. He handed me a beautiful black rose, offered his arm and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Now fully aware I had rendered him speechless I whispered into his ear, “I thought you said vampires don’t sparkle… Dude, you’re glowing.” He snorted, pinched my side and we were on our way to the party.