Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations Page 25

  “No, not unless he wants to. We have wasted too much time already,” Besseta said. “I’m going to fix him some breakfast and see what he says.”

  Besseta jumped up with Bonnie and Clyde following her to the kitchen. Smelling bacon, Kenneth sat up, looking around. “I fell asleep again,” he said, looking down at Tiffany.

  “Yes, halfway through Aladdin.” Tiffany smiled at him.

  Leaning over, Kenneth kissed her forehead then ran to the bathroom. Tiffany got up, carrying the puppies to the kitchen, and put them out the back door. She stood with them as Bonnie and Clyde bounced out on the grass, taking care of business. The two puppies eased off into the grass and copied them.

  When they were all done, Tiffany picked the puppies up and carried them back inside with Bonnie and Clyde scampering past her. She found Kenneth already eating at the table with Besseta sitting beside him.

  Sitting across from them, Tiffany put the puppies down, and they ran over to their bowls. “Have you decided?” she asked.

  Kenneth paused his eating. “She wants to go ahead,” he said, nodding to Besseta.

  “I asked you, Kenneth, if you decided?” Tiffany clarified, and Besseta gasped in shock.

  Kenneth sat back. “Well, I have to agree with Besseta; we’ve waited too long as it is now, and if she does this, we are waiting more till we know how it will affect her.” Not turning to Besseta as her thoughts filled his mind, Kenneth continued eating.

  When the puppies ran back, Tiffany picked them up. “It won’t take Besseta as long to control it as it did me. I’ve been through it and can help her. It may be some time before she masters it, but we can’t wait that long.”

  Besseta leaned over the table. “You’re my friend,” she whispered.

  “Kenneth gave up his night with you to help get those wretched movies out of my mind,” Tiffany informed her. “That only reaffirms how good of a person he is, and you know if he didn’t want to do this, you would be the first to refuse.”

  Stomping her bare foot on the floor hard, Besseta said, “I know that, but you’re my friend.”

  Kissing the puppies, Tiffany threatened, “Keep on, little Besseta, and I’ll agree with Kenneth he loves you more.”

  Leaning over and putting her head on Kenneth’s shoulder, Besseta moaned, “That’s not fair,” as Kenneth laughed.

  “Okay, Besseta, before we start, I’m going to tell you this: Don’t Want anything after you drink. I don’t know how long till it takes effect, but never Want anything until you can control it. I need you to agree to this and only Want when we practice. Wanting is what triggers the power. If you Want Kenneth, he will come to you even if there is a wall in the way,” Tiffany warned.

  The fork fell from Kenneth’s numb hand and hit the floor. Besseta got lightheaded and started having second thoughts as Bonnie and Clyde ran over, cleaning the fork off. “Shit,” Kenneth moaned.

  “Another thing,” Tiffany grimaced. “You two need to talk about what you are going to do about sex. You can’t abstain because I’m afraid Besseta will Want, and I don’t know what would happen.”

  Hearing that, Kenneth jumped up, almost letting Besseta fall to the floor and causing Bonnie and Clyde to take off running. “Hold on, now we REALLY! need to think about this!” he shouted.

  Tiffany looked over at Besseta, who was nodding in agreement. “Well, if the cubari win, you won’t be having sex anyway,” Tiffany pointed out.

  Besseta and Kenneth looked at each other as thoughts flew back and forth, and Tiffany didn’t complain about the private conversation. It was some time before they both looked at her. “Okay,” they said in unison.

  Tiffany got up, putting the puppies down. “I’m going to feed; then, we will do it,” she said and darted out. Getting up, Besseta went back to cooking.

  “Baby, I’m full,” Kenneth said, walking over.

  “This is for those in the cells,” she told him. “If we feed them, we can make them last longer.”

  Kenneth nodded. “Sounds good, but they don’t get bacon.” Besseta laughed. “I think you need to stay close to Tiffany till you have control over this,” he said, walking up behind her and hugging her.

  “Believe me, I’m not going far from her,” Besseta assured him. She spun around in his arms, looking up at him. “I just want to apologize now for any bruises I put on you when I do get it under control,” she said.

  “Depending on how long it is, I may leave some on you,” Kenneth grinned.

  Besseta laughed, hugging him. She had learned from Kenneth’s thoughts just how tight she could go without breaking anything. She rarely left bruises anymore unless she got caught up in the moment. “Ready,” Tiffany said behind them.

  Kenneth kissed her and let her go. Besseta walked over as Tiffany bit her wrist, holding it out for Besseta. Taking a breath, Besseta took Tiffany’s wrist, brought it to her mouth, and drank.

  When she pulled back, Besseta looked at Tiffany’s wrist already closing as the familiar pain started in her stomach. Wiping her mouth, Besseta smiled, but Kenneth could feel the pain Besseta felt. She ignored the pain and turned around to Kenneth and could tell by his face he knew what she was feeling because he was filling his mind with thousands of thoughts so she couldn’t hear them.

  Putting on a brave face, Besseta walked over to him and dropped to the floor as pain shot through her. Kenneth dove down, picked her up, and carried her to the living room. Besseta was curled up in a tight ball, panting. Putting her on the pallet he had made, Kenneth laid with his chest to Besseta’s back and pulled her tight.

  Tiffany walked behind them and sat down in front of Besseta. Reaching over, Tiffany caressed her head. “Breathe through the pain, little Besseta.”

  “She’s comparing it to the pain of her turning. It’s worse than the other times she’s done it,” Kenneth told Tiffany.

  As she listened, Tiffany nodded. “Can you hear me, Besseta?”

  “She can, but you sound far off,” Kenneth told her.

  “How does this compare to when you took William’s ability?” Tiffany asked, looking over at Kenneth.

  The thoughts in Besseta’s mind roared in Kenneth’s. “It was worse than the others, but this is much worse,” Kenneth said as tears rolled down his face.

  “It’s because the others were just making what you already had stronger: speed, strength, and hunger. You had smell but not the psychic ability to link with others. My power is new to you,” Tiffany told Besseta, caressing her head.

  “You could’ve said something,” Kenneth said.

  “It’s still only speculation but sound in reason,” Tiffany said, wiping tears out of her eyes.

  “Will you keep doing it like she has been doing, feeding for several days?” Kenneth asked, holding Besseta tight.

  “Yes, until we know,” Tiffany whispered, nodding. Closing his eyes, Kenneth tried to sooth Besseta with his thoughts. After an hour, Besseta started relaxing in his arms. Her mind started clearing, but the pain was still constant and throbbing.

  As Kenneth relaxed, Besseta tightened up again and started panting. Holding her tight, Kenneth started soothing Besseta with his thoughts again, and she instantly relaxed some. Clearing his mind, Kenneth concentrated with everything he had on Besseta, and pain hit him like a truck. Feeling Besseta relax more, he fought not to give in to the pain and held her. Lying beside her, Kenneth held her and calmed her with his thoughts as pain coursed through his body.

  At noon, Tiffany fed Kenneth as he lay with Besseta, refusing to leave. “Is it easing at all?” Tiffany asked, feeding him.

  “Not really,” he said. “She’s just learning to ignore it.” Tiffany looked at Kenneth, seeing beads of sweat on his face. Glancing down, Tiffany noticed Kenneth’s body was drenched in sweat.

  “Are you hot?” she asked, and he shook his head. As Kenneth laid his head down beside Besseta, Tiffany saw his muscles jerk every so often and his face give a little grimace. “You can feel it?” she asked.

&
nbsp; “Yes,” Kenneth mumbled, closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Kenneth opened his mind, concentrating on Besseta again.

  Tiffany jumped back, seeing Besseta relax more and Kenneth’s body become rigid with the exception of his arms, which just held Besseta firmly to his chest. The more Kenneth’s body jerked, the more Besseta relaxed. When Kenneth couldn’t keep his concentration, Besseta would jerk back into a tight ball. Staring at Kenneth as his body grimaced, Tiffany wondered how he was sharing Besseta’s pain.

  Watching as Kenneth would take a few deep breaths and control his breathing, Tiffany sat mesmerized as the pain left Besseta, hitting Kenneth until it broke his concentration. Then he would take some deep breaths and repeat the process.

  ***

  It was dark when Kenneth passed out but wasn’t much longer until Besseta opened her eyes and looked around. Keeping her knees pulled up to her chest, Besseta lifted her head and saw Bonnie and Clyde asleep beside her pillow. Looking up, she saw Tiffany looking past her and realized she was looking at Kenneth.

  “Tiffany,” Besseta croaked. Shaking her head, Tiffany looked down. “Water please,” Besseta barely whispered, feeling like her throat was filled with sand.

  Darting out, Tiffany returned in the blink of an eye and knelt, putting the glass to Besseta’s lips. Besseta drained the glass then looked up at Tiffany, who had a look of dismay on her face. “What?” Besseta asked, and Tiffany just darted back to the kitchen, returning with more water.

  “Here,” Tiffany said, putting the glass to Besseta’s lips. Finishing the glass, Besseta tried to straighten her legs, but pain racked her body again. Pulling her legs back tight into her chest, Besseta panted through the pain. Then she felt Kenneth’s arm tighten around her.

  I’m here, my love, she heard.

  Then the pain eased. I love you, baby, she thought.

  Always, Kenneth’s voice sounded in her mind.

  Always, she thought, smiling as the pain eased more.

  I will always be with you at your side.

  Right where I want and need you.

  The glass fell from Tiffany’s hand and hit the pallet. Luckily for the dogs, it didn’t break, and Tiffany dropped down next to it. She didn’t know how, but she could see with her own eyes, and it dawned on her that Kenneth was taking the pain away from Besseta, not sharing it. Willingly letting it rack his body to ease Besseta’s torment. “This isn’t possible,” Tiffany whispered, watching as the more Kenneth’s body tensed, the more Besseta’s body relaxed.

  As the sky started to brighten, Tiffany was still sitting in the same spot and watched through the night as Besseta slowly moved her legs away from her chest and extended them. When Kenneth sat up, he startled her, and Tiffany let out a little yelp.

  The dogs jumped up, looking around as Kenneth brushed the hair off Besseta’s face and kissed her cheek. Besseta smiled in her sleep as Kenneth stood, groaning, and looked over at Tiffany. The look of shock on her face told Kenneth what Tiffany knew.

  “I’m going to eat and shower. She’ll wake in a little while, but don’t tell her please,” Kenneth said, pulling off his soaked shirt.

  “Kenneth,” Tiffany said but didn’t know what she wanted to ask first.

  As Kenneth moved off the pallet, his joints popped, making him grimace. “I’m serious; don’t tell her a thing,” he said, giving Tiffany a grave look. He started walking to the stairs.

  “She’ll find out. Remember, you two have a mental bond.”

  Kenneth stopped and looked over his shoulder at Tiffany. “No she won’t,” he said confidently. “She doesn’t know about the last time, so she won’t know about this time unless you tell her.”

  A million questions flooded Tiffany’s mind as Kenneth ran upstairs. Jumping over the couch, Tiffany shot off after him and stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting on him. “You felt that the last time?” she asked, and Kenneth just walked past her. Darting past him, Tiffany stopped in front of him again, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Not that bad,” Kenneth said, stepping around her and continuing to the bedroom, and suddenly, Tiffany was in front of him again. Stopping, Kenneth looked at her. “Look, the last time she did this, Besseta was in the dungeon. I felt she was hurting and wanted to make it stop. Then I dropped to the floor, feeling like someone poured acid on me for a second, then it was gone. I got up and did some stuff around here, and Besseta came out that afternoon.”

  Finished, he walked around Tiffany, and she darted back in front of him. “Since you got this link to Besseta, can you feel more of what she’s experiencing?”

  “Yes,” he said and went to walk around her again, but Tiffany leaned to block him. “All I can tell you is it makes it easier for me to know when something’s bothering her and what she’s feeling,” he said, walking around her. “Let me shower because she’s about to wake up,” Kenneth said, walking into the bedroom.

  With her mind going several directions, Tiffany guided her body back downstairs as the dogs passed her going upstairs. Sitting back down by Besseta, Tiffany picked up the sleeping puppies and caressed Besseta’s head. It was very clear to Tiffany this link gave Kenneth more access to Besseta than she had to him, which made no sense; Besseta was the vampire.

  “What are you thinking about?” Besseta groaned, looking up and giving a weak smile.

  Shaking her head and blinking her eyes to clear her head, Tiffany smiled weakly and said, “Just that you are too little to experience that much pain.”

  Besseta slowly sat up. “Shit, at first it was bad, and I started having second thoughts about it, but it was too late,” she said, grimacing as she moved her legs to work the kinks out. “Then all of a sudden, the pain eased, and I could tolerate it. It waxed and waned, but I could take that.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re up,” Tiffany said, reaching over and brushing Besseta’s hair out of her face.

  “Can’t say I’m looking forward to this,” Besseta said, flopping back down. She could feel and hear Kenneth’s thoughts as he showered. “The only thing I had reservations about was letting Kenneth see it.”

  Tiffany smiled weakly. “He held up like a champion.”

  “It hurts him too much to see me in pain,” Besseta said, looking at the ceiling.

  “Yes it does,” Tiffany said and wanted to add, “more than you know.”

  “When did he go to bed?” Besseta asked.

  Tiffany got up. “He never left your side last night. He went to take a shower just before you woke. He wants to eat before we go again.”

  Dragging her sore body up, Besseta admitted, “I really don’t want to, but I’ll wait. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Oh, I don’t care what you say; we aren’t doing anything until Kenneth’s ready,” Tiffany snapped, looking over her shoulder.

  Besseta slowly stood. “I was just saying, Tiffany, gosh. I wouldn’t do it until he was here,” she huffed as Tiffany took the puppies out. Hearing nails clicking on the marble floor above, Besseta smiled as the clicking hit the stairs.

  Bounding off the stairs, Bonnie and Clyde ran to her. “Momma’s babies.” Besseta grinned as they ran over. With her muscles groaning, Besseta knelt and loved on them. “Go outside; Aunt Tiffany has the puppies out there,” Besseta told them, pointing at the kitchen. They gave Besseta a last lick on the chin and took off.

  Feeling Kenneth coming, Besseta struggled to stand before he got downstairs. When he started down them, she was standing and waiting. “Hey, sexy,” Besseta said and grinned, seeing him wearing only shorts. His muscles rippled across his body as he walked over and gently picked her up.

  “Keep those thoughts out of our head,” he warned and kissed her.

  “Well, you’re teasing me walking around like that.” Besseta laughed as her body jerked in pain. She laid her head on Kenneth’s chest and felt the pain ease again.

  Kenneth carried her into the kitchen and sat her at the table. He grabbed a bottle of water and put it in front of her. �
��Drink, please,” he said, heading back to the kitchen.

  “I’ll fix you something, baby,” Besseta said, putting her hands on the table to stand.

  “No, you will sit,” Kenneth told her, and Besseta heard his frustrated feelings of not being able to help. Sitting back down, she opened the bottle of water. “Even if you would’ve fixed something, I wouldn’t have eaten it on principle,” Kenneth informed her along with a flood of other thoughts.

  Upturning the bottle of water as Tiffany and the dogs came back in, Besseta looked at Tiffany out of the corner of her eye. “Glad to see you moving,” Tiffany said, putting the puppies down and sitting beside Besseta. The puppies ran over to their bowls as Tiffany grabbed Besseta’s hand and held it gently as Besseta drained the bottle.

  Putting the bottle down, she smiled. “I cheated; Kenneth carried me.”

  Kenneth set a plate down in front of Besseta. It didn’t have much on it, but just the thought of food made Besseta ill. “I’m really not hungry, baby,” Besseta told him, pushing the plate away.

  Kenneth slid the plate back. “Your body needs this,” he announced in a tone that said he was ready for an argument and willing to fight about it.

  As Kenneth walked away, Besseta looked at the plate. “Eat, Besseta,” Tiffany said beside her, letting her hand go.

  With both of them ganging up on her, Besseta picked up the fork and took small bites. “Thank you,” Kenneth said, sitting down with them. Hearing and feeling the joy in Kenneth’s mind, Besseta smiled and ate with more vigor.

  “I’ll be back,” Tiffany said, taking some food to the dungeon.

  “Shit, I don’t know if I’m ready,” Besseta said as she cleaned her plate, feeling better.

  Reaching over, Kenneth laid his hand on hers. “I’m here for you, baby, and I’m ready.” Lost in Kenneth’s thoughts, Besseta closed her eyes and relaxed.

  “Always,” she whispered.

  Always, Kenneth echoed in her mind.

  Chapter 17

  With Kenneth beside her, the routine continued. Each day, the pain slowly lessened. Tiffany never ventured further than the back door or dungeon. After four days, Besseta was only debilitated with pain for a few hours, and Tiffany told Besseta that she didn’t have to drink from her anymore.