Free Black Blood by Melissa Pearl

to bring us along for these
ones? You used to go on your own.”
    Her father
raised an eyebrow. “Problem, Ruby? I wasn’t disturbing anything
important, was I?”
    His question
was innocent enough, but the look of shame that crept over Ruby’s
face gave her away.
    Gemma and Dom
tried to quell their chuckles. She had spent a good ten minutes on
her cell phone listening to Ruby argue with herself about what she
should wear for the extremely hot date she had that night. Gemma
could only guess what her sister had been busy doing when she was
disturbed. If the college guy was as gorgeous as Ruby described,
she was sure it would have been smokin’.
    “At least I’m
not past my curfew like some people are.”
    Ruby’s attempt
to take the heat off her worked. As two stern sets of eyes swung
towards her, Gemma shot her sister a black look.
    “I was just
about to leave before you pulled me away.”
    Her parents
looked skeptical.
    “I swear I’ll
be home on time.”
    “Gemma, this
Friday night was a privilege. Don’t push your luck. Leaving your
departure to the last minute then driving home at the speed of
light is not a good idea.”
    Gemma shone
them an innocent smile then began gnawing on her cheek.
    “Well, at least
he’s not here, that’s one thing we can be grateful for,” her father
muttered.
    Gemma
rolled her eyes. Would they ever trust her again? No matter how
many times she argued that Harrison and her had not yet slept
together, they did not seem convinced. She was sure whenever they
pictured her with her boyfriend they were imagining two naked
bodies locked in a sweaty embrace. She may as well sleep with him,
if that was the case, but she wanted her first time with Harrison
to be on her terms. She’d know when it was right and resisting the
urge to sometimes devour him was giving her pride in her sense of
control. As much as they wanted to, they didn’t need to right now; it would just be an added bonus
somewhere down the track.
    And what a
bonus it will be.
    Gemma smiled,
her cheeks rising with a flame she was glad no one could see in the
dim light.
    “Okay, shhh,
here he comes.”
    The family
followed their father’s lead and crouched down in the foliage.
Gemma strained her eyes to see the figure approaching. She assumed
he was a man. As he drew closer she could see the masculine shape
of his fingers, the wide breadth of his hand clutching the gnarled
wooden staff. His gait was awkward and the sound of his breathing
as he passed them was labored. The way his body hunched suggested
he was elderly. Gemma wished she could see his face, but it was
covered by the large hood of his woollen cloak. He looked like a
monk.
    Once he had
shuffled past, her father stood and indicated they stay here while
he followed in silence.
    What?
    Gemma felt the
disappointment sear through her. She had been entangled in a very
delectable tussling match with Harrison and to be called all the
way over here to do absolutely nothing was just plain mean!
    As Ruby
squabbled over the same issue with her mother, she rose to her
feet. Dom caught her movement, but turned his head away. He would
let her go in order to get the details later.
    She would
deliver, just like he would cover for her if their mother noticed
she was gone.
    Creeping
through the flora she followed the sound of her father’s steady
breathing, keeping a safe distance back. The moonlight began to
aide her quest as it filtered through the pines and cast a low glow
over the vegetation. She watched his body tense still then lower to
a crouch as he peered towards a small clearing.
    Gemma
repositioned herself so she could follow his line of sight. The
hooded man stood hunched in what Gemma thought was despair. Her
intuition was confirmed moments later when a low sob echoed through
the air. The man dropped awkwardly to his knees. The cane thudded
to the grass as he flung back his hood, revealing a crop of silver
curls atop a dark, wrinkled face. Gemma studied his profile.