Chapter 272

Joseph’s POV

I couldn’t get Tessa out of there fast enough. Once we went with Baine and Amayah to the council room and stopped the meeting from continuing, we grabbed Carter and left as fast as we could before they changed their minds about letting Carter go punishment-free.

Carter was extremely confused by the turn of events because apparently, they were really laying it into him that he shouldn’t have gone behind their backs and turned a human into a vampire. He was taking full responsibility and he overheard some of them saying something about the death penalty. He was terrified he was never going to see Ruby again and then we walked in, and everything changed.

Baine ordered the councilmen to release their custody of Carter, much to their confusion. But they knew better than not to argue with Baine and his mother.

Once we were on the road, Carter asked me way too many questions about what had gone on in there. I didn’t want to reveal to him what Tessa was and why they went easy on her. It’s not that I didn’t trust Carter, it’s just that Tessa’s safety meant more to me than anything and I already felt uneasy knowing that the vampire council knew what Tessa was, despite her mother desperately trying to keep the fact hidden away.

I trusted the council and most importantly, I trusted Amayah. I’ve known her for a very long time, and she’s saved my life more times than I could count over the years I’ve been alive. But Tessa’s safety came first to me above anything. I wanted to get her far away from this town and back to the mountains. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to rest easy until we were back in the safety of our home.

When we got back to the hotel, it was around 2 am and I knew Tessa was exhausted. She slept with me for most of the day, but the time change was strange for her, and I knew it would take some getting used to.

“I’m going to call the pilot,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. “You both should make sure you have everything.”

“We are leaving tonight?” Carter asked, raising his brows as he looked between me and Tessa.

“Yes,” I said sharply without looking at him.

I pulled up the number for the pilot and soon, it was dialing. I pressed the phone to my cheek, hoping and praying that he was awake.

“Hello?” The familiar voice said on the other end.

“Hey, it’s Joseph. Is the plane ready for take-off?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Yes, of course. Did you want to leave already?”

“Yes,” I answered. “The sooner we get out of here the better.”

“Yes, sir,” the pilot said.

I hung up without another word to see Tessa staring at me questionably.

“Is everything okay?” She finally asked, her brows pinched together, and I could see the worry on her face.

The last thing I wanted to do was worry her though, so I wrapped my arms around her, crushing her to me and kissing the top of her head lovingly.

“Everything is fine,” I told her honestly. “I just want to get you out of here. Everything happened so quickly, and my mind is still whirling.”

She nodded against my chest and peeked up at me.

“I understand,” she murmured, standing on her toes she kissed my lips gently before pulling away. “Most of my stuff is still in the suitcase.”

I nodded and we scanned the room for last-minute stuff before we took our bags and met Carter in the lobby of the hotel. We went to the front desk and apologized for our early checkout. After assuring her that it wasn’t because of the hotel and that we just had to be somewhere early this morning, I paid the bill and then we left.

The plane was in the same location we left it and the stewardess, who looked utterly exhausted, was leaning against the stairs with the pilot. He was sipping his coffee and looking as if he’d rather be anywhere but there. They both instantly perked up though when they saw us coming and it took everything I had not to chew their heads off.

I knew they were both probably annoyed I was making them do this in the morning. The front cabin of the plane had a protection tint on the windows so the sun wouldn’t affect the pilot while in the air. But the sun still bothered him while flying and I knew this. It was a lot easier to fly once the sun set so we had all night to get to our destination without being bothered by the sun too much.

“Thank you for meeting us here,” I said, walking past the pilot and stepping onto the plane with Tessa close behind me. “I’ll make sure you are paid greatly for your work.”

This seemed to make them both more cheerful as they helped us up the steps. Carter walked into the plane after us and he took his usual seat toward the front.

I kept my hand on Tessa’s hand, and we traveled to the back of the plane, sliding into a booth. Tessa tucked herself into my arms and snuggled against me. She seemed a lot more comfortable this time around than she did when we first took off. I was glad about that; I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of me.

I held her in my arms for most of the trip this time. She fell asleep pretty quickly and I wasn’t going to disturb her rest. I loved knowing that she was safe and that everything was going to be okay. With the council’s blessing, we were going to start planning our wedding and our futures together.

Even if it was a short future.

I didn’t want Tessa to know that the thought of not being with her for eternity bothered me. If she knew that I was upset about it too, she would ask me to make her a vampire and that wasn’t something I was willing to risk.

When the plane finally landed, it was late in the evening. I tipped the pilot and stewardess before helping Carter bring our stuff to my waiting car. Once we were inside the car and driving away from the private launch pad, I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time since leaving the council house.

I kept my hand in Tessa’s, not wanting to let her go for even a second.

When we got back to the village, I parked the car in my usual spot, and we all got out. Carter said he was going to the training grounds for a few hours, and we said goodbye to him. I took Tessa’s hand and guided her to my house where I could finally be with her.

As soon as we were in the closed capacity of my house, I dropped my bags to the ground and pulled Tessa into my arms. She lifted her chin and met my eyes; I saw the wonder and love she had for me within her gaze, and it only made my manhood twitch with excitement.

I conquered Tessa’s lips with mine, tasting her and loving how soft her mouth was. Her lips were extremely plump, and her tongue danced across mine rhythmically. The soft moan that escaped her lips made me practically fail as I lifted her into my arms and guided her into my bedroom.

She chuckled against my lips as she wrapped her legs around me, desperate to get closer to and feel every inch of me. While I kissed her, I worked on getting her out of her shirt. She helped me lift her shirt over her head and toss it across the room. She slid down my body until her feet hit the floor and then she took her pants off as well, leaving her in only the bra and undies.

My mouth was watering at the sight of my beautiful girl. I wanted her more than anything and I was determined to make her mine in every way possible.

I took my shirt off and her gaze drifted across my body; her cheeks growing pink as she took me in. I would never get used to how she looks at me. I bit back a smirk as I worked to get my pants off, leaving me in only my boxers.

Her eyes darkened as she looked up at me and I could see the desires hidden in her eyes. I wrapped my arms back around her waist and pulled her closer to me. I kissed down the nape of her neck, kissing her shoulders and across her chest until I reached her cleavage. I cupped her breasts in my hands while I kissed and licked the top of her breasts.

She threw her head back and moaned. I reached around her and in a quick movement, her bra unlatched and fell to the floor. Before she could even grasp what was happening, my lips were on her nipples, feeling them get harder in my mouth. I smiled at the effect I had on her body; goosebumps formed on her flesh and her breathing grew heavy.

I pulled her on top of me as I continued to kiss and tease her. Her legs wrapped around me, and she straddled my body as she deepened the kiss.

I needed to be inside of her. I needed to feel all of her.

She helped me get my boxers down and I moved her panties to the side just before I plunged deep inside of her with my manhood. At first, she gasped, startled. But then she started to move her hips, grinding herself against me, and she found her rhythm. She threw her head back and moaned with satisfaction as she continued to ride me.

I gripped her hips, quickening her pace. I tightened my hold on her, watching as red marks appeared on her fair skin and I had a primal urge to mark her body as mine.

I kissed her again as she moaned, and I told her how much I loved her while I ran circles around her spine and her breasts bounced eagerly in my face.

She called out my name as she came undone on top of me and that was enough to push me over the edge. I completed my orgasm and fell to the bed with Tessa still wrapped in my arms.

She kissed me gently on the chest and not before long, she fell asleep.

I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, I heard my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I groaned and grabbed it to peer at the screen; Tessa only stirred slightly. The sun was up so we’ve been sleeping for at least a few hours.

Bernard’s name flashed across the phone screen and my mouth frowned even more. It was a text message.

I swiped my phone and went into the messages to read what Bernard had sent.

Bernard: Did you read the news headline?

He then sent a screenshot of the news article and my entire body felt cold.

Body taken from the local hospital.