“Yoanna?” Getting no reply to her knock, Ella opened the door to the apartment and glanced around the expansive living room area for the Vampire. “Damn,” she whistled quietly as she took in the wicked array of guns and knives on the table. For most people it would have been a lot but from her own experience with what she liked as well as what Sinn usually carried, Ella could tell Sinn had been travelling much lighter than usual. She bit down on the spike of fear that closed her throat off at the thought that Sinn had awoken and done something. “Yoanna?!”
“In the bedroom, Ella.”
Ella paused in the doorway at the sight that greeted her. Since Yoanna had arrived in town she hadn’t seen her anything less than impeccably dressed in the finest of clothes so it was something of a shock to see her naked.
Her pale beauty was on full display as she knelt behind an equally naked Sinn on the bed, the other woman’s head and shoulders resting in her lap as she used a thick white towel to gently dry Sinn’s hair. With Sinn’s dark hair and Yoanna being so pale they made a beautiful yin and yang contrast as Yoanna leant closer and her longer hair brushed and mingled with Sinn’s as though even that part of Yoanna was determined to touch her too.
It was so intimate a moment with them being naked… But… there was a gentleness to it, an innocence as Yoanna simply cared for Sinn’s wellbeing.
Looking up from her study of Sinn’s beautiful face, Yoanna’s hands stilled their motion as she took in the frown creasing Ella’s delicate features. “You seem troubled, Ella.” She looked at the bed, seeing it as Ella must have. She was an ancient creature, nudity had never bothered her no matter what the trend of the current age she was passing through. Sometimes though she forgot that the people around her had different ideas on what was normal. Even though the current trend was more liberated when it came to accepting and celebrating all the different genders and sexualities it could still be pretty closed-minded at times, almost prudish when it came to nakedness and even something as perfectly natural as breastfeeding.
Ella worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. “Usually when Sinn is still it’s because she is about to cause pain. Even with the stillness though there’s a part I can feel… like looking at a raging storm though glass. Now, like this… she looks… calm. I always wanted her to be able to experience true calm. But I can’t feel anything else from her…”
“You almost wish the anger back just to know she’s okay,” Yoanna sighed in agreement. Putting aside the towel, she stroked her left hand down Sinn’s arm and watched closely as her pale skin moved over Sinn’s tanned. Her colour was coming back, making the contrast between them more startling.
“Yeah,” Ella smiled at the Vampires understanding. “She does look really peaceful though.” Her eyes jumped to Yoanna’s in shock as she saw Sinn’s fingers flutter slightly and twined with Yoanna’s as they brushed across them. She thought maybe it was just a trick of the light or that the move had been Yoanna’s but she could see the delight in the Vampire’s eyes. “She…?”
“Yes, she’s starting to respond a little more now. Not much but… each bit is hope. We need to get her moved soon though so she can wake up in peace. Did they find where she’s been staying?”
“They did. Eric and Nathan checked it out. Nathan is one of our Werewolf guards but Eric is our head of security. He’s human but he’s military trained and has got more experience with tracking. Eric said it’s not very secure up there, the ground was too dry to see if anyone had been there recently and even Nathan couldn’t tell by scent with there being so many paths and cabins around. Eric said he wouldn’t be willing to risk anyone’s safety up there as it’s too exposed to guard.” He’d also expressed his reluctance to put anyone in the line of fire given Sinn’s track record and the fact that Marcus was locked up because of her. “I could stay there with her though. I would be more than happy to.”
“No. That is out of the question, Ella.”
“But, Sinn knows me, she wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Normally I’m sure she wouldn’t but, Ella, if she wakes up confused she could hurt you without even realising what she’s doing. Even if you weren’t pregnant with a miracle I would not be willing to risk that. And if her Mentor is lurking around I am sure he must know who you are and he would nothing more than to get his hands on you and the baby.”
“We need to think of something quickly. The sun will be up soon, Yoanna. You will have no choice but to rest when that happens. You can’t have her with you for the same reason that you don’t want me with her… if she wakes before you and gets violent or just wakes up pissed off as usual she would kill you. Putting her in a cell would be secure but that would have her pissed off in seconds no matter what. The only option is for me to keep an eye on her. Here at the mansion though where no one can get in. I swear I will be careful around her and I’m not constrained by sleep if she wakes during the day.”
It made sense but that didn’t mean that Yoanna wasn’t worried. She could see the determination in Ella’s eyes though and had the feeling that one way or another, she would find a way to be near to Sinn should she awaken so it might as well be at the mansion where there was no threat from Sinn’s Mentor and the guards; human and Werewolf could be on standby if she needed help calming or restraining Sinn.
She knew Ella’s reputation as a Hunter, before she had fallen for Marcus she could have given Sinn a run for her money in the skills and ferocity department, probably still could. But despite her skills she was at a disadvantage right then with being so heavily pregnant. And it wasn’t just any normal baby either. Vampires were generally considered sterile even after a couple of years of being turned but Ella and Marcus had managed to beat the odds despite Marcus having seen over two hundred years as a Vampire.
“Very well,” she sighed. “Use these rooms though, they are more private and as she rents places to stay anyway, there is probably no great ties to any one place for her. That could be enough to keep her off balance when she wakes up so you can get through to her. You must take care around her though, Ella, promise me? The last time she had just a taste of my blood she woke up from a coma in the hospital and snapped the arm of a nurse in her confusion. Tie her down if need be but do not trust that you will be safe just because she has never hurt you before.”
Ella’s eyes widened as she looked at Sinn. She had always known that the other woman was dangerous but she had, strangely considering she was usually pointing weapons at herself and people she loved, never thought of her as a threat to them. “I’ll be careful,” she promised. “Is there anything I’ll need to do when she wakes or will she just be okay once she realises where she is?”
“If only it was as simple as that,” Yoanna chuckled as she gently stroked a dark strand of hair back from Sinn’s face. “But… somehow you will need to persuade her to drink this.” Slicing the palm of her left hand with one of Sinn’s small daggers she had acquired from her jacket, Yoanna carefully filled a small bottle with her blood and sealed her wound. “It should help with healing her mind as well as any lingering damage to her body.” She’d never been able to follow up with as much blood as was needed that first time, if she had, Yoanna was certain that there would have been no scars upon her body at all but she had been forced to leave before she could find out where they had taken her and she hadn’t be able to find her no matter how many times she had driven around that town as her Mentor had even managed to keep her name out of the papers after the accident.
Yoanna was determined to keep a close eye on her Sinn from now on though.
After Yoanna had reluctantly left Sinn and the mansion for the day, Ella settled herself down in a chair next to the bed so she could keep a close eye on Sinn. Picking up a book she tried to let the story take her away but she was more worried about her husband than she cared to dwell upon and after turning a couple of pages she let it rest upon her lap when she realised she couldn’t even remember a word of it even though it was a book she usually loved to lose herself in no matter how often she read it.She hated that Marcus was locked up in one of the super strong Vampire and Werewolf proof cells in the deepest part of their home almost as much as she hated that they even had them there in the first place.There was nothing she could do to help him though other than take care of Sinn and hope that if… when, she recovered Sinn would help free him or that Yoanna would soften upon the harshness of the punishment and would release him. Forgiving was somethin
Ella cracked open her eyes, confusion running through her as she tried to make sense of where she was and what could have woken her. Sitting upright she leaned back in the chair, rubbing the back of her neck to try and ease the tension out of it from being in a hunched over position with her upper body resting upon a mattress that wasn’t her own. A kick from her baby let her know that he, or she, hadn’t appreciated her sleeping position either. Rubbing the bulge of her belly she whispered soothingly to her unborn baby as she reached over to turn on the bedside lamp to combat the darkness in the room so she could better work out which of the many rooms in the mansion she had nodded off in. “Oh!” She jumped, startled for a moment by the sight of a body lying in the bed she had been using to rest against. “Sinn,” she sucked in a breath as the shock cleared the cobwebs from her mind as she remembered everything that had happened. Biting her lip, Ella reached out
“Ella? Where the hell- Ahh, there you are!”Looking up from the book she was reading, Ella smile slipped at the troubled expression on her friends’ usually happy face as she walked across the patio towards her. Wearing the typical black garb that the guards favoured while on duty and her almost blue-black skin she blended into the night almost as well as her black Werewolf form did when she changed. Usually though her bright smile and her pale blue eyes gave her away but right then only there was no smile. “Oh god. Hi, Mel, something wrong?”Even though she had been sent there with a task to do, Mel pulled out the chair Ella gestured to and sat down with her to enjoy whatever time she could grab with her. They saw each other every day and yet it felt far too long since they had managed to have any time together to just chat and be friends. “Yoanna wants to see you.”Ella slipped
While she waited for the sun to set, Sinn returned to the main cabin she was renting. Even though she had arranged with Ella that she would go back to the mansion willingly, Sinn looked around carefully as she checked the spare gun she kept hidden on her bike. Before she went near the small building she wanted to be as sure as he could that there weren’t any unwanted surprises from the mansion or anywhere else lurking around.Crouching down amongst the bushes in the shade of the trees she looked down at the cabin and reached out with her powers. The sun being up meant she was safe from Vampires but Werewolves could move around at any time of the day and were almost as strong as a Vampire even if they weren’t Alpha enough to change with the full moon still weeks away.Sinn knew she was good, better than good, with most weapons and hand to hand combat but no amount of training helped much if something that could toss a truck and ri
Hands shaking, Sinn turned off the engine and took off her black, full face helmet before she gave in to the temptation to speed off in the other direction. Out of the corner of her eye as she saw Ella coming out to greet her with four guards shadowing her every move as they glared at her. “Four? Really?” The number wouldn’t have bothered her even if their numbers had been doubled but it was not like Ella to hide behind guards when dealing with her.“They wanted to send out more but I pulled rank.” Giving her a wry smile, Ella wrapped her arms around Sinn as she finished stowing her helmet away and hugged her as best as she could with her belly getting in the way. Despite the confrontational looks she was shooting the guards, Ella could tell that Sinn was nervous and ready to bolt given half a chance but Sinn surprised her and actually relaxed into her hug and returned it. “Sinn,” leaning back, she gave the young woman a disapproving
Taking Sinn by the hand, Ella urged her gently into moving and followed Yoanna through to the apartments. She felt the nervous flutter of the hand in hers as they finally came to a stop in the bedroom. It was probably not the most professional of places to give a pat down but it had the added effect right then of keeping Sinn off guard. And herself, Ella had to admit. It was strange to see Sinn being so pursued by anyone given the ‘get the fuck away from me’ attitude she usually had in place. It was definitely throwing Sinn off guard though and Ella still hadn’t quite made up her mind if it was a good or bad thing for Sinn or them. Sinn wasn’t protesting the attention though. If she had, Queen or not, Ella would have found a way to remove Sinn from the situation and protect her… and Yoanna from any reprisals. Coming to a halt, Yoanna turned and watched as Ella nudged Sinn forwards before taking up position where she could grab Sinn if necessary. Sinn for her p
“Now. If we are to go any further, I need your weapons. Sinn?” Yoanna held out her hand expectantly. “I haven’t got any more on…” Sinn’s voice trailed off under the weight of those blue eyes and her own guilt as she remembered just what she was wearing. “Just thought of some, huh?” Removing her jacket again, Sinn handed it over to Yoanna without a word. Ella had searched it already but she knew that not everything had been found. Mostly the garrotte wire Ella had mentioned. Just because she was giving them up didn’t mean she had to let on as to where everything was hidden in it though. “And the rest.” Grumbling mumbled obscenities about pushy vampires under her breath, Sinn kicked her boots off and handed over her wristwatch and studded leather bracelet. Then with a sigh, removed the belt from her jeans too. “There, that’s it.” “Hmm… nope, don’t b
Keeping Sinn off guard, Yoanna pulled her sports bra up, ripping it at the seams in her haste as she exposed her breasts from beneath. While Sinn was busy covering up her modesty she ripped open her jeans, sending the button flying across the room and simply pulled them and her underwear off at the same time rather than waste time bothering with niceties. She damaged both beyond repair in her haste before ripping her bra completely apart at the seams and throwing the ruined fabric of each item of clothing off the side of the bed.“There, that’s better.” Gently pinning Sinn’s hands above her head with one of hers, Yoanna sighed in satisfaction as she settled herself between Sinn’s parted thighs and smiled down at her flustered expression.The feel of her own clothing coming between them was almost more than she could stand but right then Yoanna knew that if she pulled back to take any of her own clothing off Sinn