Blood from Stone, Chapter 17

Chapter 17

11.29.2021-12.02.2021

Aubrey lifted his head wearily, patience thin. “Come back to gloat, Carver?”

Hannibal unbuttoned his vest and took a seat beside the Winterbourne. “Gloat? Nothing to gloat about, mate." He leaned back in the chair, folding his hands behind his head. "Waiting on your girl?"

Aubrey shrugged. "Lily wanted to get herself cleaned up. We're going to have to be here the rest of the night. I should have suggested she bring a more comfortable change of clothes."

Hannibal grinned. "That little encounter was pretty hot, eh?"

Aubrey sighed. "Not quite what I had planned, but I know it's something she won't be forgetting any time soon."

"Fear certainly took quite a liking to her."

"I think the feeling is mutual. But Liliana's never been with someone like Fear before."

"You mean a horrifying badass, or a person who biologically possesses a vagina?"

Aubrey snorted. "The latter, obviously. You make it sound like Fear's pussy is infested with demons."

Hannibal threw his head back with laughter. "You've been there before, Winterbourne. You trying to tell me you don't think it is?"

****

Liliana washed up as best she could, uncertain how to feel in that moment. She'd enjoyed whatever had just happened with Aubrey, Hannibal, and Fear. But just like with her growing feelings for Maverick, once the rush of the pleasure had washed away, she was left cold and confused.

She'd had relationships. She'd had sexual partners before being thrown on the Winterbourne's doorstep. But she'd never had a boyfriend, or a dedicated partner. Any time feelings started to pop up, one or both of them would back away, knowing that she was just going to be shipped off to be vampire chow eventually.

Draven had been in her bed, or she in his, more nights than not over the past few months, even if they weren't fucking like rabbits. And when she wasn't with him, she'd be cuddled up with Maverick. It had become almost impossible for her to sleep without a warm body to curl up next to. Nobody had said anything about it, although she was sure they all knew what was going on.

She knew that a bloddukke didn't have to be fucking their vampires, but blood and pleasure worked together so closely that she wondered at how anybody could separate the two long-term. She and Draven had never declared any sort of exclusivity, but now her head was filled with doubt. And guilt. Had she just cheated on him? Cuddling with Maverick when there was no sex was different. But this weird fang fingerbang thing had her thoughts all flowing towards the idea that she'd somehow been unfaithful to Draven, and it made her stomach churn.

She gripped the edge of the bathroom counter, staring at herself in the mirror. She fixed her mussed hair as best she could, dabbing smeared mascara from the edges of her eyes. "You're a fucking mess, Liliana. Get your shit in the same bag, you worthless dumbass," she half growled at herself.

With a heavy sigh, she headed out of the bathroom, determined to go talk to Draven to clear things up. She stopped dead in her tracks, the door closing behind her making her jump. Hannibal Carver and Aubrey were talking and laughing like a couple of school girls, and they fixed their gazes on her, their eyes seeming to sear into her soul as she approached. They looked good enough to eat, although she found herself wishing she could be the meat in the center of that sandwich...

What the fuck is wrong with you? Stop that shit! She chided herself inwardly, doing her best to keep a calm exterior.

Hannibal Carver got to his feet, and she didn't realize it before in the darkness of the dance area, but he was several inches taller than Aubrey. He gave her a disarming smile, any sign of the harsh degradation he'd been dropping on Fear gone from his demeanor. I'm a friendly puppy. I won't bite. Much. Liliana thought to herself.

He offered her his hand, the gentle smile on his lips also filling his eyes. "We haven't been formally introduced, and it only seemed proper--"

Lily quirked a brow and firmly grabbed his hand, using it to pull him to her so she could wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "It is proper to come say hello, but we don't do handshakes in our house. Especially not after someone encourages us to cum as loud as physically possible in a public place, and then proceeds to slurp that very same cum from their paramour’s fingers in what was—quite frankly—the lewdest display I’ve ever seen. Not gonna lie... I did love it, though.” He let out a bark of startled laughter at her frankness, snowy cheeks flushing beneath his adorable sprinkling of freckles. Liliana gave his solid torso a squeeze, her cheek pressed firmly to his chest. “But anyway… We do hugs."

She looked up at him, her fingers locked together at the small of his back. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Hannibal Carver. My name’s Liliana Gunnstein, but you knew that already. Liliana, Lily. Whatever feels natural. As an accessory to the Winterbourne clan, we hope your evening continues to be pleasant.”

She released him and turned to Aubrey. “Do you know where Draven got off to? I haven’t seen him since dinner.”

Aubrey shrugged, doing his best not to laugh at how totally flustered Liliana had inadvertently managed to make Hannibal from dismissing him so easily. "Last time I saw him, he was refereeing the twins playing beer pong. Woe be to anyone stupid enough to challenge them."

Liliana laughed. "Beer pong? Really? Damn. And here I was thinking vampires were high society types."

Aubrey snorted. "That would be a mistake on your part."

Hannibal chimed in: "Vampires are hedonists. If it thrills us, no matter which itch the thrill scratches, we tend to indulge in whatever it may be until we've had our fill." His voice dropped towards the end of the statement and Liliana swallowed hard, doing her best not to titter nervously.

"You've got a look on your face that I know all too well, Mister Carver. And I'm pretty sure Aubrey heard the stray thought I had when I saw you two sitting there all dapper and dangerous in your fancy suits, so... On that note, I've got a Baby-Bat to catch up with. See ya!" With a friendly wave, she took off at a pace that was as much of a jog as she could manage in a ball gown and heels.

Hannibal watched her go, not only enjoying the view, but also feeling a bit miffed. "Fear might not be the only one possessed by demons," he half muttered.

Aubrey cackled, his shoulders shaking with his laughter. "I'll be sure to let you know if I need a priest, since that was your progenitor's profession and all."

Hannibal smirked, a hint of fang peeking out from under his lip as he made the sign of the cross in the air before him. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us dat ass." The two of them bit their lips, trying not to giggle and failing horribly. "What 'stray thought' did your little bloddukke have about the two of us, by the way? If you don't mind sharing, that is."

Aubrey gave him a sideways glance. "I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out where her brain headed."

Hannibal clucked his tongue. "These young ones and their sex positivity... There's still a small part of me that's appalled by how easily they'll give their bodies over to one another. A very small part, that is. The rest of me is very much glad that we don't have to hunt the same way we used to."

"Back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, right?"

Hannibal tsked. "We prefer to call them the steeds of our Lord and Savior. And no, you snot-nosed little shit. I'm barely four hundred, thank you."

Aubrey pursed his lips. "Funny. I'd have said you don't look a day over three hundred."

"Aww. You're so sweet, Winterbourne." Hannibal cooed mockingly, playfully giving Aubrey's shoulder a shove.

*****

Liliana wandered around the venue for a few minutes, purposely avoiding the dance floor and the wildly gyrating bodies that filled it. Last thing she needed when she was already wondering if she'd fucked up a chance at a lasting relationship was to get fang-banged again. With the energy in the air from all of the heavily fed vampires, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist it, no matter how much her mind was digging in heels and telling her it was a bad idea.

She grabbed an appetizer from the tray of a passing waiter, thanking him as she popped it into her mouth all in one go. As she was casting about, trying to figure out where Draven and the boys could be, she heard a familiar voice call to her over the music, "Hey, Lily Guns!"

Turning, heart in her throat just from hearing him speak her name--his name for her--she saw Draven waving at her from a corner with several tables that contained the token pyramid formation of red Solo cups. She hurried over to them and threw her arms around Draven, catching him off guard. They may have been intimate for a few months, but they hadn't really indulged in any public displays of affection.

She kept her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and grounding herself with the calming scent that was purely Draven Winterbourne. He stroked a hand over her styled curls and she felt the tension in his body melt away just from being in her embrace. "You alright, Lily?" he asked softly.

Orion and Oberon watched the two of them with knowing smiles, purposely turning a bit away from them, continuing to destroy the team across the table from them. Lily shrugged, lifting her head and taking a step back to meet his gaze comfortably. "Can we talk about something?"

His eyebrows lifted with concern, but he nodded. "Sure thing. Wanna head outside where it'll be quieter?"

She nodded. "I'll have to get my jacket first."

He picked up his own off the back of the chair he'd been next to, revealing that hers was beneath his. "Already gotcha covered, Lily."

"Thanks, Draven! You're so sweet to me," she said, taking her coat from him and tossing it on over her gown.

He put his arm around her, guiding her along with his hand on the small of her back. They stepped out into the wintry chill of deep December, their breath rising like clouds in the stillness that surrounded them. The world was so peaceful, so much quieter, when blanketed with snow. As much as Liliana occasionally longed to live somewhere warmer, she wouldn't give up the meditative silence that came with a heavy snowfall willingly. The music from inside was a barely perceptible thumping sound in the background, unable to combat the muffling effect of the winter frost.

She looked up at the stars in the dark sky, the bowl of the cosmos above their heads making her feel small and insignificant, but in a calming way. Like maybe her fears and her duties weren't as important as she'd been led to believe. Perhaps this was all just a tiny blip in the annals of history written throughout the Universe. Draven took her hand in his, content to just be near her until she was ready to spill her secrets.

With a heavy sigh, she turned to him, wrapping both hands around one of his and bringing his hand to her lips. She pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles and met his dark brown eyes with uncertainty in hers. "This is going to sound like the dumbest high school shit you've ever heard, but I need to get this off my chest before I lose my mind."

He cocked his head to the side curiously. "Alright. What's going on?"

"That's kind of what I needed to ask you."

He frowned a bit. "I don't think I'm following where you're trying to lead me, Lily. Assume I'm an idiot and spell it out for me."

Her eyes turned to the fluffy piles of white on the ground beside them, gnawing lightly at the corner of her lower lip as she racked her brain for the right words, the taste of her lipstick as bitter as her uncertainty. "Draven... What are we? You and I. In terms of relationship status, that is."

"Oh. That."

She sighed, her grip on his hands tightening. "Hear me out. I've never been with someone as I've been with you. And I know that things with Maverick are complicated, but since he and I aren't sleeping together, it hasn't been a moral issue."

Draven's lips turned up in the barest ghost of a smirk. "You and Maverick have been sleeping together, though." She smacked his arm and he laughed. "Okay, okay. I know what you meant. Go on, though."

"I wasn't a virgin when I was delivered to you all. You know that. But I've never... I've never had a long-term dedicated partner. And if that's what you are, and we're an exclusive thing, then I just royally fucked up and I wanted to clarify things. And I feel sick to my stomach about the idea that I've somehow betrayed you without even thinking twice about it, because I've never been with someone like I've been with you." Her words fell rapidly from her lips, the anxiety and guilt flowing from her lips like a river.

"I know that not all vampires fuck their bloddukke, or date them, or whatever. But this is... The more time I spend with you and your brothers, the more open and full my heart feels, if that makes sense. You're all important to me in your own ways, and you especially. Despite them saying you were potentially the most dangerous, you're a whole person to me, Draven. You're not just some bloodsucking master. You're not just some hot guy I fuck when I'm feeling lonely and touch starved. You are the one who came up with my goofy nickname, which I absolutely adore, for whatever reason. You're this combination of heavily distorted guitars, easy laughter, the time we've shared together in the garden, the way you and I can talk normally because we're practically the same biological age.

"You're the opposite of everything I was told you'd be. And the thought of not having you in my life, or losing this thing we've got between us makes my heart jump up into my throat and it makes my eyes tear up and I feel this..." She clutched her jacket over her heart in a trembling fist, her voice quivering to match it. "This sense of loss, and you're still standing right in front of me. I can't imagine being without you, because I... I fucking love you, Draven."

A single tear slid down her cheek, the sight of it making Draven's face soften immediately. "Oh, Lily Guns..." He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head in his hand as he lowered his lips to hers, hovering just over her mouth. "You know I love you, too. Don't you?"

Liliana's voice came out as a barely repressed sob. "I was sure as fuck hoping so," she murmured.

Draven's lips brushed against hers, the friction drawing a ragged breath from Liliana. He kissed her firmly, pulling back just enough to softly reassure her, the laughter in his voice alleviating her anxiety. "I love you, Lily." He pressed his hand to her lower back, pulling her body flush against his. "And I absolutely adore this mouth of yours," he practically purred, kissing her deeply with such ferocity that it left her breathless.

She put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back so she could speak again. "That's one thing off my mind. But the other thing."

Not wanting to be deterred, he bent his head down, ducking slightly to kiss her neck with slow, sensual movements of his lips and tongue. "Mhmm?" Lick. "Go on." Bite.

"I g-guess what I'm trying to... Holy shit, I can't brain properly. Please, stop. Just for a second," she gasped out, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Draven did what she asked. Sort of. He stopped pulling her skin between his lips and teeth, which was causing more than one problem for him.

"I'm trying to ask you if what we have is an exclusive, monogamous thing. Because what just happened on the dance floor was totally not monogamous."

"Oh, Liliana... if you think the entirety of the venue didn't see that little tableau on the dance floor, you were obviously so deeply into it that everyone else in the room may as well have not been there." He pinched her skin between his teeth, a soft growl bubbling from his lips at her startled gasp. "Besides... seeing how Fear and Aubrey had total control over you like you were a marionette and all they had to do was tug your strings the right way... Watching your expression as you totally let go, so trusting despite the three of them being more than capable of ripping you apart. On their own, never mind together."

He dragged his thumb across her lower lip, drawing it between his teeth and scraping the edge of one of his fangs on it. "You've got a thing for the dangerous ones, don't you, bloddukke?"

She gripped a fistful of his jacket, dark lashes resting against her cheeks. She didn't try to shove him away, but she knew where things were headed. "I do. I said that right from the beginning. But that doesn't answer my question."

Clouds of vapor rose between them from their impassioned panting. "I'm as yours as you want me to be, baby. But I know you're not wired to just be with me, or any one person. Hell, after the thing with Fear... maybe not even just men. Who knows? You do you, Liliana. As long as I still get to have time with you, it doesn't matter to me. Cuddles with Maverick, the hottest fucking kinda four-way I've ever seen go down in a public space... Whatever you need, Lily Guns."

She sighed with gratitude, relaxing more fully into his embrace. "That's what I needed to hear." She cupped his face in her hands, looking up into his dark eyes with a soft smile. "Thank you, Draven."

He kissed her lips several times in rapid succession, the final one pressing harder against her lips and dipping his tongue into her mouth. He teased her with the soft slide of his tongue against hers until her moans hummed against his lips. He broke the fevered kiss begrudgingly. "You've accepted all of us as we are, Lily. Why wouldn't we do the same for you?"

"If I answer that, it's going to make me cry..."

"Then don't, although I'm pretty sure what's running in that head of yours, anyway." He stroked the pads of his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away the wetness that prickled her skin as it froze. "You're gonna turn into a snowman on me if you can't quit crying, Lily." He kissed her cheek, murmuring against her skin: "You're gorgeous, and you're a dork, and I love you for all of the weird little horny things that make you who you are. And I can tell you right now, without a doubt, I'm not the only one of my brothers who feels that way."

"But they're not here, right now. You are, Draven." She draped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to claim his lips with hers.

He kissed her back with equal fervor, stopping suddenly as a snowball hit him smack dab in the middle of his back. He pressed his forehead to hers with a laugh. "How long have you bastards been there?" He called, unable to stop snickering.

"Long enough to know that you like to watch, you little creep!" Oberon called, his voice teasing as he ducked down to make another snowball.

Draven let go of Liliana, ducking down to quickly scoop up and roll some snow into an orb to defend himself. He chucked it at Oberon, who held his arm up just in time to not take the frosty sphere to the face. "Like you should talk, with what you and Orion get up to!"

As if on cue, Orion popped up from behind a bank, firing off a few snowballs in their direction. Liliana blocked one with her forearm across the front of her body. "Really?" she hollered, trying to sound offended but unable to mask the gaiety in her voice. "You gonna hit a girl with a snowball like that, you cowards?" She ducked as two more whizzed over her head.

"Only place you count as a girl is in the bedroom, Lily! We know you can sling those frosty balls as good as any of us!" Orion and Oberon chimed together.

"Fuckers," she mumbled under her breath. "I'll give you frosty balls!"

"That's what she said!" A third voice joined the twins, and Maverick jogged up beside them.

"Aww, come on! Et tu, Maverick?" Liliana whined, pulling Draven in front of her to block the onslaught.

"What the hell, Lily? I thought you loved me?!" He fake-cried.

"I love you enough to let you take the shots for me, Baby-Bat."

The five of them ran around in the snow like children, their laughter ringing out sharply in the crisp evening air. More people filtered outside to join them in their revelry. Liliana spotted a familiar blond head of hair and she waved to them as she shouted: "Fear! We need you!"

The other vampire was beside them in an instant. "Those rotten twins givin' you hell, sugar?" Lily nodded. "Wanna see the best way to deal with them?"

Fear dropped into a crouch before Liliana and Draven in the snow, holding one hand out with the palm facing up. Crimson eyes glowing brighter, a ball of fire curled above their palm. With a swipe of their hand, the three snowballs aimed at the pair behind them were reduced to nothing more than puddles thanks to the tiny blaze under their control.

"That's fuckin' cheating and you know it, Fear!" Orion and Oberon called in unison.

"So was ganging up on your youngest sibling and your bloddukke, ya couple’a mimics!"

"Never thought I'd see the day a Brewster went to bat for a Winterbourne," Draven said with a disbelieving laugh.

"Your girl here earned you an ass savin', pretty boy. It'd be in good manners to just be grateful, ya know."

Draven ducked low and prepped a volley of snowballs, using the other vampire's power as a shield. "Thank you, Fear."

They peeked over their shoulder and gave him a smoldering wink. "You're welcome, sugar."

The night air around them erupted in pandemonium, laughter and snowballs flying through the crisp darkness in equal measure. Liliana's heart felt light. Seeing the camaraderie and childlike innocence from so many vampires who were old enough to have seen America come into being, she couldn't help but smile. This wasn't at all the life she'd been primed for, but it was every bit the life she wanted and needed.

Eventually, everyone called for a cease-fire. Liliana was breathless from running and dodging in her heavy gown and puffy coat, and from giggling nonstop. She felt, in that moment, that life couldn't possibly get any better. For all of the anxiety she'd had about acting a certain way, and being proper to be received by the other two American clans, everything had gone perfectly. Nobody had tried to bite her and suck her dry. She'd managed to get a better feel for where her relationships were at, and she'd confessed her love aloud to one of them.

She sighed softly, watching the cloud of her breath drift up into the midnight sky, so dark and clear and filled with tiny pinpoints of shimmering light. The breath was suddenly driven from her lungs as arms wrapped around her and she was lifted from the ground, dragged from her reverie. "What in the name of..? Oh no the hell you are NOT!" Liliana's voice came out shrill as Aubrey and Draven scooped her up and carried her over to a nearby snowbank, nearly as high as they were tall. "Don't do it--!"

At the last crucial second when they were about to dump her into the pile of frosty precipitation, Liliana wrapped her arms around their necks, holding on for dear life. Neither of them expected her retaliation and the three of them fell into the cold white mound together.

"Fuck, that's cold!" Draven whined, trying to shake off his coat, but Lily wasn't having it. She had no intention of letting him run off.

"Wuss! I'm wearing a dress and you were gonna just toss my ass in it! Reap your reward, Baby-Bat!"

Aubrey rolled over towards her in the snow, the captivating expression in his blue eyes looking down into hers as she wrestled with Draven causing her to lose her grip on him. His hair was down again and it fell forward to frame his face, the shadows cast by it drawing her attention to his full lower lip, begging her to kiss him. She swallowed hard as he hovered his mouth over hers, the warmth from his breath on her chilly skin speeding her pulse. "Don't worry, Liliana. We'll warm you back up."

The dark promises in his words made her cheeks burn scarlet as he kissed her, lips and tongue claiming her with languid, sensual mastery. "You're so fucking cute when you blush like that, Lily." Draven's voice was a heavy whisper of passion in her ear, and it caused her to moan into Aubrey's mouth. She felt Draven's hand settle on her waist, slowly dragging his fingertips down to her hip.

She broke away from Aubrey's kiss, breath heavy. "We're gonna melt this snowbank, and we're also totally not doing this out here in the snow. You guys might be alright with it, but I'd prefer not to get a frostbitten ass."

"Who says your ass is gonna be anywhere near the snow?" Draven murmured against her ear. Their fingertips teasingly tracing down the sides of her throat almost made her change her mind, but she shook her head violently.

"Nope. Definitely not. Help me up, guys." Their sighs of disappointment echoed each other, and she couldn't stop the bark of laughter that jumped from her lips. "You act like I just said 'never' when all I'm saying is 'not right now'. Quit pouting and get up!"

They got to their feet, grabbing her upper arms and pulling her up with them. Draven took the opportunity to dust the snow off the back of her dress where she'd fallen. Liliana just shook her head. "Any excuse to put your hands on me, huh?"

He pressed a genuine, tender kiss to her lips. "Always, yes. I feel like it's my turn for the evening."

"I didn't mean to make you feel left out or neglected," Lily said softly.

"Oh, you haven't. I'm just pissed this fucker got to take you out on the dance floor and I didn't."

Aubrey smirked, tilting his head to the side slightly. He leaned in and gave Liliana a kiss before stepping back, giving his youngest brother a look. "I might have gotten to dance with her, but you've been monopolizing her time more than any of the rest of us, Draven. No need to be greedy." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the two of them relatively alone.

"I suppose we should head back inside for a bit before it's time to pack it up and head home."

Lily nodded, covering a yawn with the back of her hand. "I could totally go for another snack before we're sitting in the back of that limo again."

*****

Snacks were acquired. Liliana received contact info from both Fear and Hannibal, which she honestly wasn't sure how to interpret. She thanked them, making sure she put their information in her purse to add to her phone later.

"Look at you, rubbing elbows with the heavy hitters." Jaxon gave her shoulder a squeeze as he stood beside her, the group of them waiting outside for the driver to arrive.

Lily shrugged, unable to keep the blush from her cheeks. "I've never been much of a people person, but apparently I'm a vampire person."

He gave her a sly wink. "Trust me... vampires are much harder to please than humans. That you hit it off with them so well tonight means that this is really where you belong, Liliana. And we're glad to have you with us."

She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Jax."

He ruffled her hair and the limousine pulled up. They piled in with no particular regard for birth order this time. Everyone looked exhausted, but overall sated. She ended up wedged between the twins, and she wasn't going to complain. Their bodies radiated heat, their warmth and the ambient temperature of the inside of the vehicle chasing some of the chill from her bones. She listened to all of them chatting away about the events of the evening, the combination of their deep, level voices and the gentle motion of the car making her eyelids heavy.

On the bench opposite her, she saw Leon smile as he watched her getting drowsy. "How'd I do tonight, professor?" she asked, turning her face and yawning into her shoulder.

His smile widened, his face softening as he looked at her in adoration. "You did great, Liliana. All that worrying and prepping, on both of our parts, was for nothing. I should have known that you'd be as irresistible and infectious to the others as you have been to us."

She didn't even hear the last words he spoke. Her head was leaned heavily against Oberon's shoulder, her breathing deepening as she slipped into a comforting, cottony darkness that claimed her consciousness.