Bitten By Regret (Just One Bite #2) (13 page)

"You know I'm right, honey," Diandra said quietly.
Her temper had subsided as it usually did once she made her point known.
"I want you safe, and if I have to kill this monster like I did the
assassin this morning I will do it."

Lizbeth's blood ran cold but all she could do was nod.
"Can we at least think on it a bit? I cannot handle any more
tonight."

All the tension drained from Diandra's body. "Of
course, baby. I'm sorry." She sat back down on the loveseat, her short
legs looking long in the high-cut shorts. "I didn't mean to jump all over
you. I really only wanted to talk of pleasant things tonight. My emotions got
the better of me." She looked a touch embarrassed as she gestured for
Lizbeth to sit with her.

"It's all right, Dia. I want to sit here a bit and
catch up with baby girl before she falls asleep." She grinned at RaeLynn
where she held her bottle with one hand and a wooden alphabet block with the
other. The baby's eyes were glassy and it wouldn't be long before sleep claimed
her. She sat down on the edge of the armchair and slid down to the floor, her
movements awkward since she couldn't use both arms to lower herself as she
normally would.

"Hey pretty girl," Lizzie cooed softly to RaeLynn.
The baby dropped her bottle and let out a happy squeal, reaching for Lizbeth
with both hands even as she held the block tightly. Lizbeth laughed and scooted
closer so RaeLynn could reach her.
"
Whatcha
doing, Rae
Rae
?
Are you having fun with your
blocks?"

Her happy laugh caught in her throat as the baby set the
block down and crawled to her. Although Lizbeth had no real experience with
babies she'd secretly read a lot of baby books while Diandra was still
pregnant. She knew this wasn't normal. After all, Rae was barely five months
old now and shouldn't be crawling yet. Even so, the baby inched her way across
the floor as though she'd been crawling since birth. She reached Lizbeth,
eyeing the sling. Lizzie tensed, waiting for the baby's curiosity to come into
play, tugging on the sling and causing her pain. Instead RaeLynn simply set her
hand on Lizbeth's arm and looked up at her. She'd swear she saw concern in the
infant's eyes.

"No, no, RaeLynn," Diandra said, hurrying to pull
the baby away before she could do any damage, but Lizbeth held a hand up to
stop her from interfering.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt." She watched the baby
run her chubby hand over her arm through the sling and was surprised that it
didn't cause her any pain. She supposed the ibuprofen she took on her way home
was doing the trick. After a few minutes of this RaeLynn clapped her little
hands together and curled up in Lizbeth's lap. Within moments she was asleep.

Diandra lifted the baby with one arm and quickly got Lizbeth
on her feet with the other. Together they walked upstairs. Lizbeth watched from
the doorway of the nursery as Diandra lay the sleeping baby in her crib. She
didn't turn on the monitor because with her advanced senses she no longer
needed it. Lizbeth was never sure if it was her hearing that picked up
RaeLynn's noises when she awoke or if some internal alarm was triggered. She
was fairly certain it was partly a vampire thing in addition to the usual
mother's senses. Either way it meant they didn't fall asleep listening to that
annoying hum that baby monitors emitted.

Diandra slipped out the door, squeezing her body up against
Lizbeth's and instantly ignited passion within her. There had been plenty of
room in the doorway so she knew it had been intentional. Without a word she
followed her lover into their bedroom. Diandra approached her silently,
standing on tiptoe to lay a gentle kiss on the side of Lizbeth's neck. Gently
she tugged at the caramel shirt, ripping it at the seams. "I can sew this
back together but there was no way to remove it without hurting you," she
murmured against Lizbeth's bare flesh. Shivering from the sensation of Dia's
breath on her skin, all she could do was nod in agreement. Still breathing
lightly against Lizbeth's skin she unhooked the bra as well, enjoying that it
was a strapless and would not need to be torn away like the shirt.

Diandra gently sucked one of Lizbeth's perfect rosebud
nipples into her mouth. Licking gently at the tip, she rested one hand on the
wall for support and the other to caress the free breast. She kept all her
movements gentle, almost teasing as she switched her hand and mouth to the
opposite breast. When Lizbeth's breath turned ragged she stopped, leading her
to stand in front of the bed. Diandra unbuckled the belt and slid the end free
before unbuttoning the pants. She then slid Lizzie's pants down her legs and
inch at a time, lowering her body as the pants fell. Nudging her lover gently,
she finally got Lizbeth to lay back on the bed, heels on the edge of it with
her legs open for Dia's attention.

"I want to take care of you tonight. Tonight is all
about you," she whispered. Sensing Lizbeth's protests she stilled them by
licking lightly along her lover's inner thigh. Unable to control her movements,
Lizzie's hips raised off the bed and Diandra gently pushed them back down by
laying a hand on her stomach. Keeping her hand there she flicked her tongue
lightly across the other thigh as well, and when Lizbeth shuddered she moved in
between those lightly tanned thighs and licked in one long, thick line from top
to bottom and back again, making sure to flick the tip over Lizbeth's clit in
the process. With a shudder, Lizzie's first climax overtook her before she was
even aware it was coming. She used her good arm to clutch at the bed sheets,
cursing lightly at the realization she could only use one arm.

Diandra pulled back to look up the long line of her lover's
body. When Lizbeth's eyes focused again she looked into Dia's lilac pair, body
bucking a bit as Diandra licked her lips and went back to her task. She slid
first one finger and then a second along the wetness before her,
then
she slid them inside, moving them in time with her
tongue, alternating little flicks of the tip with long caresses from the whole
thing. Lizbeth bucked once, twice then screamed Diandra's name as she came once
more.

"Let me," Lizbeth started to say but Diandra
silenced her with a kiss. Lizbeth could taste the clean flavor of her own body
in the kiss as well as the familiar taste that was purely Diandra.
 

"Tonight was for us, but it was also just for you. I
just wanted to bring you.
Rest, baby.
Heal up. Once
you're feeling your usual self we'll take time for mutual pleasure. For now it
was enjoyable just taking care of you." Dia scooped Lizbeth up as though
she weighed nothing, guiding her under the lightweight summer sheet set. She
spooned up behind her, her arms wrapped round Lizzie's waist, careful not the
bump the sling in the process. They were both sound asleep in moments, the glow
of happiness and gentle love enveloping them. Diandra's last coherent thought
before she drifted off was that Lizbeth made her life complete.

Chapter Twenty

Lizbeth sat upright in the bed, body stiff and eyes full of
sleep as she searched the room for the noise that had awakened her. Without
thinking she used her left arm to draw the covers back. She froze and started
to wince with the pain… but there was none. Her arm felt wonderful, like it's
usual self. Testing, she carefully removed the sling from over her head and
lowered her arm to the bed. Lifting it again, the sling rested in her lap, the
movement made entirely with the sprained arm. Bending it at the elbow she
tensed once more but the arm moved freely and without the slightest twinge of
discomfort. Marveling at the speed of her recovery she had temporarily
forgotten what caused her to be awake in the first place. A slight scuffing
noise downstairs drew her attention and she jumped up out of bed, forgoing her
slippers in her need for silence. Lizbeth picked up her white nightshirt off
the floor and slid it over her head. She carefully slipped her gun out of the
nightstand, carrying it at her side as she went through the partially open door
and made her way to the stairs. Her bare feet made slight whispering noises
across the hard wood floor of the hallway as she tiptoed carefully, raising her
gun in a two-handed grip before her, thankful for whatever magic had healed her
enough to complete the gesture.

She padded down the stairs as quietly as she could manage,
pausing on each step to listen for a sign that she had been heard, as well as
trying to determine where the intruder might be now. She sent up a mental
prayer for safety as she stepped around the corner towards the parlor. A fist
came out of nowhere, slamming into her temple with terrifying precision. Lizbeth
collapsed to the floor, stunned from the blow. She struggled to focus, hoping
to see who assaulted her. Everything was shadows as the dim light shrank to a
pinpoint. Then everything was blackness, and she saw nothing more.

*****

Diandra woke instantly at the first whimper from RaeLynn.
She got to her feet and pulled her black silk nightgown from its place on the
bedpost, tugging it over her head as she drifted towards the nursery. She
realized Lizbeth hadn't been in bed but shrugged it off for the moment. Her
phone must have rung, calling her out for one reason or another. Diandra was
used to that sound and never even noticed it anymore. Focusing on the present,
she eased the door of the nursery open and stepped in. RaeLynn was sitting up
clutching the rails of her crib, still whimpering softly as she kept her eyes
on the doorway. It was as if Dia wasn't there at all, and the thought made her
shiver. The first whisper of worry trailed cold fingers around the back of her
neck and raised the little hairs to attention.

"What is it, sweetness?" Diandra cooed. RaeLynn
flicked her eyes to her but immediately returned them to the door and resumed
her whimpering. Dia scooped the baby up in her arms and asked her again.
"What's wrong, baby? What is it?" She focused her energy on reading
her daughter's mind and paled at the image she saw there: Lizbeth.

Diandra clutched the baby to her chest, trying to release
the grip fear had on her. If she indulged she knew it would paralyze her and it
would all be over. She needed to keep calm or she'd never be able to help the
woman she loved. Diandra tried to set RaeLynn hack in her crib but the baby
latched her arms tightly around her mother's neck and refused to be put down.
Giving up, Dia tried to see if her daughter knew where Lizzie was but the only
thing she could find in her mind was fear and worry. She didn't know her
location, only that Lizzie was in trouble. Diandra's mind screamed one message
over and over again: Lizbeth was in trouble. Lizbeth needed her help, but she
didn't even know where she was. How could she help her lover when she didn't
even know what was wrong?

*****

Lizbeth groaned as she opened her eyes. There was almost no
light to be had in the room but what was there was enough to make her head
pound like a sore tooth, especially her right temple where it seemed the
fireball of pain originated. She closed her eyes in self-defense then
cautiously opened them to slits. She recognized the parlor and knew from what
she could see that she was laying in front of the sliding glass door facing
towards the staircase where she had originally landed. A breeze sent shivers up
her spine and she knew the door was open. It was obvious the intruder had
entered this way. Looking up she finally saw her attacker and the spit dried to
dust in her mouth. Jonah stood three feet away from her wearing the same grubby
clothes he'd been in the first time he'd appeared on the doorstep. Most
importantly, he had her service pistol and it was aimed at center mass, lined
up where her heart beat too quickly in her chest.

"Hmm, so you're back with me, huh?" Jonah grinned,
flashing fangs at her. He walked towards her and casually kicked her in the
ribcage. Judging from the pain that stole the breath from her body, he had just
broken a few of them. "You've been a meddling cunt from the day I first
saw you," he continued conversationally.

Lizbeth licked her lips, struggling to breathe through the
pain. "What do you want?" she managed to gasp out. The pain was
intense and she longed for the dull throb she'd felt when she'd sprained her
arm. The difference between that pain and this one was the difference between a
lit match and a forest fire.

Jonah pinned cold, crazy eyes on her. "You know what I
want. I want my wife back, and I want my daughter. You're the only thing
standing between me and them. I decided to remove the obstacle keeping me from
those I love. Tag, you're it," he said as he let out a giggle tinged with
meanness and hysteria.

"You crazy bastard," Lizbeth mumbled, finding it
hard to draw a clean breath. She thought one of the broken ribs might have
punctured a lung, and prayed help would come quickly. She didn't know how she'd
survive if he kept travelling the path he was set on.

Jonah kicked her in the leg this time and she felt the
white-hot agony of her femur cracking cleanly. She struggled to draw a clear
breath, frustrated that she couldn't even scream. This bastard was breaking
her, bone by bone, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He would
kill her and she couldn't even scream for help. Flashing back to the warehouse,
amazed to find it had been nearly two months now, she knew help was probably
not going to reach her this time.

"Crazy am I, huh? Well, maybe I am, but you fucking
drove me to this. If you had simply moved out once you knew I was still alive
then you wouldn't be dying at my hands now." He licked his lips, fangs
catching the light and shining brightly for a moment. He saw her shiver.
"No, I won't make the same mistake I made with Diandra. I won't bite you
and risk you surviving." He clicked the safety off her service pistol,
grinning broadly at her as he did so. "Die, you fucking whore." Then
he pulled the trigger.