Sarah blinked back the tears that sprung to her eyes. These weren't tears of grief, though. She didn't have to hide them. She no longer felt like her world was collapsing under her. Instead, she felt like she was expanding her views and her heart. That was what brought the tears. They were tears of happiness.
It had been a long time since she'd had a reason to cry from happiness.
She leaned against Samuel for a long moment, and then pressed her lips softly against his. It was meant to be a chaste kiss, but it didn't stay that way; not at all. It deepened into something more, something far more intense.
He led her back to the bed, and for the first time, Sarah didn't feel like she was trying to suppress one emotion by finding another. For the first time, she felt like she was truly making love.
It was a wonderful feeling. Different than how she'd ever felt before.
When they were done, they laid next to each other on the bed, on top of the sheet, both of them covered in sweat. It ran down their bodies in long tendrils. She loved the smell of it, so potent and breathtaking. It smelled like their love.
Was she in love with him? Sarah glanced over at him. His eyes were closed, and his breathing had started to grow slower and deeper. He was falling asleep.
Sarah had never been in love before. She wasn't even able to say she'd had a proper crush. She hadn't been like other girls growing up. She'd watched her mother get systematically abused by her father, and that had scared her off of men.
She didn't want to admit that. For the longest time, she had held onto the idea that she just wasn't the type of person who got into a relationship. She'd held onto the idea that she didn't hate men, that she wasn't scared of them, but that just wasn't true and she had to admit that.
Her adult life was spent helping women get out of abusive relationships. She counseled them, paid for their hotels or apartments, and helped them be ready for their court cases. She had no idea, though, that this was only solidifying her belief that she'd never enter into a real relationship.
But now there was Samuel.
She didn't think she was in love with him, not yet anyway. She thought that would come in time. But she trusted him, and that was more than she'd ever felt before. And she supposed she did love him, in her own way. Not in love, she thought, but still a love nonetheless.
She didn't want to go back to normal either.
Sarah leaned over and kissed his cheek. His eyelids fluttered and then he opened his eyes and met her gaze.
"Sarah," he whispered.
"Samuel," she whispered back.
"I don't want to lose you," he said. "Don't let us drift apart."
"I won't," Sarah promised.
TWENTY-FOUR
Chloe, Brittney, Wren, and Heather sat together in the Mexican restaurant, drinking margaritas and eating nachos.
They talked about everything and nothing all at once. They discussed the vampires, Vegas weather, how they were going to stay in touch, and how they all had jobs to do.
Eventually Brittney excused herself to go use the restroom. Chloe had been waiting for this. The moment her girlfriend disappeared into the girl's bathroom, she turned to Wren. "Well? How do you feel about me and Brittney's relationship now?"
Wren laughed. "That's why you wanted to come to dinner with us? So you could question me about your love life?"
"Kind of! You were the one who said it was rotten. Is it still rotten? I mean, you're a fairy of love. I need you, Wren! We're leaving soon, and then I won't be able to ask for advice... I just... come on!"
He laughed again and glanced at Heather. She reached out and took his hand. Their eyes met, and Chloe thought she could actually feel the love radiating between them. It might have made her feel lonely before, but now she had Brittney.
"Alright," he said, turning his attention back to Chloe. "You want to know if something is still rotten... are you sure about this, Chloe? I can't lie to you. You'd know."
"I don't want you to lie," she said. "I want you to tell me that the danger is over, that we're great together, and that we'll be together for a long time."
Wren rolled his eyes and they all laughed.
"But, seriously," Chloe said. "Come on, she'll be back any moment. Please."
"Fine," he said. He studied her for a moment. Then he shook his head, his expression growing serious.
"What?"
"I don't know," he finally said.
"Come on, Wren, don't do that to me," Chloe said. "What did you sense?"
"She's not fey," he said.
"So?"
"So, you'll end up with someone of the fey," he said softly. "That's what I sense. Maybe not now, maybe not next week. But eventually... eventually you're going to be in love with one of our own."
Chloe shook her head. "Impossible," she said, "I don't even know the fey anymore. I'm not one of them."
"You are," he said. "You always will be."
"No," Chloe said.
Wren shrugged. "You asked," he said. "I warned you that I wouldn't lie."
"I just don't understand," Chloe said.
"Let me put it very clearly," Wren said. "When I look at your aura, and I think about you being in love, I sense that you will be in love with one of the fey. I don't know who. I don't know if it's a woman or man. I don't know why you'd end up with one of them instead of Brittney. But you will. You will--"
He cut off as Brittney approached.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Chloe said quickly. "We're just talking about returning to Las Vegas. Aren't you getting tired of the heat here in Phoenix?"
"It's not that much hotter than home. But, yes, I'm tired of everything about Phoenix," Brittney said, retaking her seat and picking up her drink. "Even the shopping sucks. I can't wait to be home. Besides, you get to have dinner with my family. That'll be... interesting."
Chloe nodded. "I'm excited to meet them," she said, though it felt like a lie. She glanced at Wren and their gazes locked. He held her eyes for a moment, and then looked away. She could read his apology on his face.
"Of course, I'm going to miss you guys," she said to Wren and Heather.
Heather nodded. "We're going to miss you too," she admitted. "I never thought I'd find friends in other supernatural creatures, but you guys are truly great. The only black mark on this whole thing is that Miriam couldn't be here."
There was a moment of silence as they all contemplated this.
It was Wren who finally broke it. "Miriam is at peace," he said. "That's what I think. I think she was hurting for a very long time, and now she's not, and we should remember that and be grateful for it."
"Come on," Chloe said, tossing money onto the table to pay for their food and drinks. "Let's get out of here."
The four of them left together, walking back towards the hotel.
They saw several vampires as they walked, though of course all but Harper couldn't recognize them. Right before they reached the hotel, though, they saw a vampire they all knew.
"Jeffrey," Chloe said, stepping up to him. "It's good to see you again."
Jeffrey smiled at Chloe. "You look a lot better," he said.
Chloe nodded. "Thanks to you," she said. "You saved my life. I'm forever grateful to you."
"As am I," Brittney said. She slid an arm around Chloe's waist. Chloe stiffened a little, thinking of Wren's words. She would fall in love with one of the fey. But no. No. She wouldn't allow herself to dwell on that. She truly loved Brittney.
"It was nothing," Jeffrey said.
"So what are you going to do now?" Chloe asked.
Jeffrey shrugged. "Brian Larke asked me to help run the community," he said. "We're starting a census, and he put me in charge of that. So I'm out collecting names and ages and occupations. We're going to try and form a community that works together."
"That's great," Wren said. "If you need any help, you come find me and Samuel and Heather, alright?"
"We'll be at the coffee shop, Serendipity, just a
sk for us," Heather said. "We'll do whatever we can to help."
"Thanks," Jeffrey said. "Anyways, I better get going. Lots of names to get tonight before the sun comes back up."
Chloe leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you," she said again. "And good luck, Jeffrey."
He nodded, and went on his way.
"I'm so glad he lived," Chloe said. "Not just because he saved me -- he deserves this, you know. He deserves to get the chance to help those who need it."
The others nodded their agreement. They walked again, and soon enough they'd reached the hotel. They went to their separate rooms to shower and sleep. Brittney and Chloe shared the hot water, and for a while, Chloe forgot all about Wren's premonition. I mean, cupids didn't know everything, right?
TWENTY-FIVE
Alec and Brian sat in a bar, each one of them with an untouched drink in front of them. They were both pale, and a little trembly.
"How does it feel?" Alec asked.
"Terrible," Brian admitted. "I'm in pain, and I want to feed."
"That will last a while," Alec said.
Brian nodded. "I owe you a lot, Alec. You opened my eyes to the atrocities we were committing, and now you've given me real meaning, and a way to raise my son to be good and wholesome. Not to mention providing a life for all the vampires in this city."
Alec shook his head. "You don't owe me anything," he said. "What you did, choosing to become a vampire, that's extremely brave. Any debt you owed, that was paid the moment I took your life."
Brian laughed, and it was a bit shaky. "I'll have to bring my son here, to Phoenix," he said. "But I want to wait until I'm a little more in control of myself. I don't want him to see me like this."
"Let him see it," Alec said. "It'll be good for him, because he'll see that you're resisting every day and that will give him the ability to make that same choice. Children are very easily influenced by those around them."
"Maybe," Brian said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that he's never going to grow up. He'll be nine forever. Constantly silly, sometimes mopey. He'll never have a date. Do you realize that?"
"Yes," Alec said. "It's not a life I would have wished on anyone, but at least he has you, and he always will. Take care of him, Brian. Teach him right from wrong. Teach him that just because he feels the need to feed doesn't mean he has to."
"I will," Brian said.
Alec stood up. He offered his hand to Brian. The scientist took it, and gave it a firm shake.
"If you need anything at all, you have my number," Alec said. "If things start to go bad, if things get out of control, you call me. Afterlife will be here immediately."
"And there's Serendipity, too," Brian pointed out. "They're going to help us."
"Good," Alec said. "They owe you that much after they started this."
"Don't blame them," Brian said. "They thought they were doing good."
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," Alec said darkly. "Anyway, I need to go. Are you going to be alright tonight?"
"Yes," Brian said.
Alec nodded. "Remember," he said again.
Brian nodded, and the two of them separated. Alec walked slowly back to the hotel. He could have taken a car, but he wanted to enjoy the cool night breeze. Autumn was almost over and soon it would be winter.
When he got back to the hotel, he had no idea where he was going to go. So when he found himself in front of Harper's room, he blinked in surprise. He thought about turning around, going back to his own room, laying down, waiting for the night and then the day to be over.
Instead, he knocked.
Harper answered a couple of minutes later. She was wearing a bathrobe, and her hair was pinned up over her head. She looked beautiful. Alec stared at her for a long moment.
"Alec," she said. "What is it?"
"I did it," he said. "I turned Brian into a vampire."
Harper nodded.
"I swore I'd never do that," he said. "I made a promise to myself that I would never inflict this curse on anyone, but I did it, Harper."
"He wanted it," she said.
"People don't always know what's best for them," Alec said.
"No, they don't," she agreed.
Then she was took his hand and pulled him into the room, kissing him. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, not even with Ileana. It felt magical, it felt right.
His hands found the ties to her bathrobe, and he untied it with trembling fingers and let it fall to the floor. She was naked beneath it. He took time to admire her body, and then they were kissing again, and he was leading her to the bed.
Alec took the time to enjoy her body. Her skin was so soft! He wound a hand into her long, blond hair, and breathed in the scent of her.
Then her fingers were on him, lifting his shirt, unbuckling his pants. Their mouths were locked together, their tongues meeting timidly at first and then with more vigor.
"Harper," he groaned. "I don't know if I can stop."
"Good," she said. "I don't want you to."
He ran his fingers down her arms, feeling the goosebumps that had formed. He knew he was cold to touch, but she was so warm. He kissed her again, and again, and again.
Neither of them thought of Conner, who was sitting in his room, listening to music, and planning his next date with Harper.
When they were done, they laid in each other's arms. Harper had never felt so happy, and Alec couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. He felt like a man instead of a monster, like someone in love.
Soon they would return to Las Vegas, and their lives there, and they'd have to face the consequences of what they'd done.
About the Author
Kaitlyn Meyers lives in the western United States near Lake Tahoe, CA. You can find her on the shores of the lake anytime of the year.
A Message from Kaitlyn Meyers
I hope you enjoyed reading my book! If you did, please leave a review and let me know!
Visit my website at kaitlynbooks.com to see the entire Afterlife series and get the latest updates on what I'm working on. Join the Club for a chance to win free gifts and prizes. I'm also giving out pre-release copies of my latest work, so signup today!
- Kaitlyn
Join Afterlife in the next book! Book 7: Six Spot.
A Phoenix Never Dies (Afterlife Book 6) Page 12
