“Yours,” he whispered, pulling her over him before carrying her to his bed.
Laying her down, he opened her knees, settling himself between them. He pushed back into her warmth, slow and steady.
Her smile was everything to him, as gentle as the press of her hand on the back of his head and as sweet as her kiss. Her body held him the same way and as much as he fought against it, held it away from him, he could no longer deny what it was he felt for her. How did this woman completely own him? Tenderness filled him as he looked down at her. A new bond took the place of the one they had before and if this one was taken away, it would destroy him.
“Love me, Sebastian,” she commanded, and he obeyed.
Closing his eyes, afraid to give away his feelings, he dropped his head to her open lips while speeding his movements. Her moan of approval spurred him on, faster and deeper. Raising one of her legs, she hooked it around his waist, pulling against him, helping them both reach the stars.
Her long groan told him she was close, and he opened his eyes, wanting to see it on her face, the pleasure he could bring her.
“Look at me, Eve.” He told her and her eyes opened with her gasp. He could see it in the shining green, the bliss filling her. A bit faster and she arched against him, crying out her climax.
Her body tightened around him as he broke and yelled out his own release.
Collapsing over her, he shifted to the side, easing out of her panting body. His heart thundered in his ears, his feelings for her roaring through out him. Immediately, she turned to him, twining her legs with his. She lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Mine,” she whispered, closing heavy eyes.
“Mine.”
His whispered reply brought a smile to her lips as the darkness claimed her.
#
Tickles woke her and she squirmed away. What was wrong with coffee? Would that be too difficult?
“I’m awake!” she yelled when the fingers attacked her foot. She kicked out and got flesh.
“You’ll pay for that bruise,” Sebastian said, but she didn’t him seriously with the laughter she could hear in his words.
“I can’t bruise you if I tried,” she muttered darkly.
This time the laughter was independent of speech and she smiled. There was something inside her that glowed when she could make him smile and laugh. Something he didn’t do around the others often.
She sat up and pushed her messy ponytail off her face. To her dismay, he was already showered and dressed.
“Couldn’t wait for me, huh? We could have showered together, you know, saved hot water.” She gave him a wink and he laughed again.
“I thought that was too personal for you,” he said after a moment.
“Things change.” She smiled. Surely, he knew better now. After last night. When they made their own bond.
“Well, for your information, I did try to wake you. A while ago. You were having none of it, lazy bones.”
“It’s been a long couple of days.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned.
“I know, and if you had taken a shower with me, you would still be tired.”
She blushed from her toes to hairline. While she wouldn’t have minded, but he was probably right. He held out his hand and she took it, letting him help her off his bed.
Sliding on his robe, she glanced up and caught a glimpse of the heat in his eyes. “I’ll always want you too, my Sebastian.” She pulled him down for a soft kiss and left for her room, him right behind her.
“I’ll hurry,” she said, grabbing a long-sleeved tee and a pair of jeans. Some undies went into her pile and she stopped at his words.
“I’ll be here, my Eve, our Eve.”
She looked back at him. He was sitting in the chair by the window and on his lips was a gentle smile. She returned it and she turned away, pretty sure she was not deserving of the happiness that filled her.
He was still sitting there when she was done, true to his word. The fact that he was still watching over her, even with the mark gone, hit her. Yes, they had talked about it, yes, she knew that they still wanted to, but to see it in action brought tears to her eyes. Ones she quickly dashed.
“Bored?” she asked with a laugh.
“No, not at all.”
This time, she held out her hand. “Come on, let’s see what everyone is up to.”
“Trouble, probably.” He took her hand and together they walked down the hall.
#
“I don’t care!” Eve heard Gideon’s voice raised in anger as they approached the lounge and she glanced at Sebastian. He was frowning.
“So, the princess stays locked in her tower and we never figure out who or what is after her?” Fallon’s voice was full of sarcasm and she hid her flinch. She had thought they had moved past that.
“You don’t understand.” Gideon again.
“And you don’t know shit about what I understand or don’t. All your pussyfooting around won’t accomplish a fucking thing except keep her in danger longer. She’s a helluva lot stronger than you give her credit for, Gideon.” Fallon paused.
She heard a sigh. “You can come in, Eve.” Gideon sounded tired.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to. Biting her lip, she considered going back to Sebastian’s room. The fact that they were fighting about her made her feel horrible. Coming between them was the last thing in the world she wanted to do.
The decision was taken from her as Fallon appeared in front of her and took her hand.
“Don’t make me eat my words, princess. Show me your backbone.” He pulled her into the room.
She lifted her head at his challenge.
“You may as well hear what we’re arguing about,” Gideon said, leaning against the back of the couch. His hair looked like he had pulled it in frustration a few times. Not exactly the mogul look he normally had.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” she said.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Argue about me.”
“Well, you haven’t heard what Fallon wants to do with you,” Gideon said with an edge to his words.
She looked at Fallon, sprawled in the over-sized loveseat, feet propped on the coffee table. “What does Fallon want to do with me?” Deliberately, she lowered her voice.
“See, Gideon? Strong.” He turned his hidden face to Gideon before looking back to her. “And baby, I’m the wrong one to be playing with.”
She wanted to dare him but something in his posture made her hold her tongue. “Okay, seriously, why were you two fighting?”
His lips twitched at her concession. “Nothing too bad.” he said, and Gideon growled. “Fine. I was wondering if perhaps you would join me in a midnight stroll this evening.”
She frowned. “In the snow?”
Fallon grinned. “And again, Gideon. First thought was the cold and snow. Not the people out there trying to kill her.”
“Oh,” Eve said. Then the realization what he was getting at hit her. “Oh! I see. Parade me around and see who comes to the show.”
Sebastian spoke at the same time she did.
“Not a chance in hell.”
“I’m in.”
“Eve,—” Gideon started to speak but she cut him off.
“Fallon’s right. How are we ever going to find out if I’m always tucked away in here?” Eve grinned. She knew the danger, the risk, but the thought of action, the idea of knowing who wanted her gone was thrilling.
She looked down at Fallon, the full smile curving his lips. He knew her. That idea was more than thrilling. It was almost intoxicating.
“I want to know. I have a right to know. Sure, things can go south, I get that. But do any of you know what it’s like to have someone wanting to end everything about you, and you not know who or why? Wouldn’t you jump at the chance to find out?”
“Eve, these aren’t humans we are talking about,” Sebastian said and moved around in front of her. “We don’
t know what to protect you from. What kind of abilities they have.”
“I can’t let that stop me, lover.” She put her hand over his heart. “I can’t sit by when there is something I can do to draw them out.” She took his hand and put it over her heart. “I trust you people more than anything. I know you will do what you can to keep me safe. I also know it may not be enough. I won’t hold you responsible for that.”
“Can’t we at least wait until your mother returns? She knows what they can do,” Gideon groaned. She could hear him relent in that sound of frustration.
“We don’t know when that will be.” She looked over Sebastian’s shoulder and gave him a soft smile. “I know this is difficult for you. For both of you. But it needs to be done. And who knows, they might not even buy it.”
“I bet after last night’s run through the trees, it won’t take them long,” Fallon said.
Sebastian frowned. “What happened last night?”
Fallon shrugged. “Same thing as every other time I see her. I was a dick.” He nodded at Eve. “And when she sets her mind to it, that one is fast.”
The compliment warmed Eve’s cheeks. Though it wasn’t exactly true. It was her power, her abilities, that was fast. One thing that she had zero control over. When they weren’t there, she was still just as slow as normal.
“Is anyone welcome to this party?” Alex’s voice had her turning toward him with a smile. One that dimmed when he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him since the night she bled. Maybe that would explain the feeling of shame coming from him. “The price of admission is a hug,” she said.
“A bit too steep for me,” his words were soft as he turned away.
“Mmm, I disagree,” she said, walking up to him. “You didn’t have any problem with it a few days ago,” she whispered into his ear and watched his skin redden. “In fact, it went way beyond arms around me.”
He looked at her then. “That was before.”
“Before what? Before you acted naturally?” She stepped into him and wrapped her arms around him. “Breathe.” She was finally able to say that word to someone else. At long last, he did. Tense arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. “That’s my Alex.” He was the closest to her height and she kissed his clenched jaw. Only, it wasn’t her Alex, was it? Not when he held her like she was glass and he was the stone that was going to shatter her. There was nothing she could so about the sadness that filled her. But she was nothing if not stubborn, as Sebastian pointed out. Determined would be what she called it. She would get him back.
Sebastian spoke. “Alex, will you please help me and Gideon try to talk some sense into her? Fallon has this crazy idea that if we take her outside, the people out there will attack us.”
“Bait?” Alex asked. “You want to be bait.”
“Yep.” She pulled her head back and met his blue eyes. “I want to know. I want to do something. All this waiting and worrying, with no real sense from where the danger is coming from, is going to drive me crazy.”
“But the mark is gone,” he said softly.
“I’m exquisitely aware of that fact.” She glanced over her shoulder at Sebastian. Giving him a smile, she winked. “But that doesn’t mean that I’ll be on my own, does it?”
Sebastian shook his head. “You’ll have me, always.”
Gideon spoke. “And me.”
Alex’s arms tightened and she looked back at him. “And me.”
Then, something happened that she never expected.
Fallon cleared his throat and she twisted in Alex’s arm.
He dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward. Running his hand up his face, he pushed his hair back so that she could his eyes. He wanted her to know how seriously he took this. Yes, he was a dick. Yes, he was a bastard, hate-filled and mean. But yes, he would look after her. “And me.”
Tears in her eyes was not the reaction he expected to his words, but there they were. Would she ever do anything, just once, that he could predict? Her leaving Alex and coming to him was also a surprise. She dropped to her knees in front of him. Taking his hand, she put it on the side of her face and the small gesture almost broke him.
“Thank you, Fallon.”
“Yeah, well, keep in mind what happened to the last people I was supposed to watch out for. Don’t be thanking me yet.” Had to be the asshole, didn’t he? Had to check his emotions and hide them away. He dropped his hair back over his face and sat back, pulling his hand from hers. Her smile was wry and he had a feeling that she could see into the darkest places in what used to be his heart.
Standing, she gave him a slight bow. “Why yes, Fallon, I would love to take a walk with you this evening. I’m delighted you asked.”
Him and his bright ideas.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The crunch of snow was the only thing to break the ethereal silence of the forest and Eve was reminded of her childhood. The almost supernatural quiet that surrounded the world after the snow blanketed everything. The way everything seemed surreal, but that reality lay just on the other side of some invisible curtain. Another more step and one would find it. Despite the danger of some unknown assailant, she couldn’t stop the smile from spreading at those remembered childhood fantasies.
“Are you cold?” Fallon asked, voice low, almost as if he were wary of disturbing the magic surrounding them.
She shook her head, smiling up at him. “Do you feel it?”
“Feel what?” he asked, looking around.
She laughed. “Nothing bad. But there’s always been a thing inside me when outside after it snows. It makes me feel…”
“Makes you feel what?”
“Mmm, like I’m more than myself. Like I’m part of something far greater than just another life on a crowded world. Something… magical.” She couldn’t stop her smile. Despite her mother’s best efforts, it seemed she had always believed in magic.
“I used to be that way.” Looking at her upturned face, with the moonlight brightening the snow around them and her reflecting in her eyes, he wished, for a moment, that he could recapture that feeling. But, he knew better. He knew nothing could ever bring back those days. Not when he knew the truth about what was out there. But could that be what it was? Was that what it was that drew him to her? Her innocence? The way that they kept throwing horrors at her, and she still believed the best in all of them?
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t erase the feel of her lips on his scarred flesh from the night before. How she brought him closer to forgiving himself than all the years combined. And how much he hated himself for that.
She stopped and he was quiet as she grinned.
“I know I’m in danger and stuff, but I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
She fell back into the snow and started moving her arms and legs. “Come on, even you have to know how to make a snow angel.”
“I’m the devil. I don’t deal with angels.” he said, watching her enjoy something so… simple. “You said you’re twenty-seven. I think you’re eight,” he said then cursed himself as her smile dimmed. “I didn’t mean that.”
“No, I suppose you’re right.” She rose to her feet and looked down at her creation. She shook her head and he was spellbound as snow fell from the red tresses. “Someone is trying to kill me. I guess it’s time to start acting like an adult.”
Could he be any more of a bastard? Taking a deep breath, he let himself fall back into the snow and repeated her movements. Her laughter was worth the embarrassment.
“So, I guess you’re twelve?” She grinned down at him and he couldn’t stop the answering smile.
“Nah, fourteen. I’ve got a few more years on you than that.” He sat up then got to his feet. They both looked down at the angels then looked at each other. The angels looked almost like they were holding hands. Fallon held his out and when she took it, warmth flooded him. They continued their walk.
>
“So…,” she started to say before trailing off.
“So…,” he repeated.
She gave him a quick glance, bottom lip in her teeth.
“Don’t be nervous. I’ll either talk or I won’t,” he said with a shrug, refusing to look at her mouth. At her lip. A lip he wanted to taste.
“I’m too curious for my own good. I don’t want to make you remember bad times.”
He barked out a laugh. “I can’t forget the bad times, princess. Just ask.”
“How were you made into this?” She waved a hand at him.
“How was I made into a man?” he asked. “I think my parents did the horizontal tango and the Y chromosome won.” Her sound of frustration made him laugh.
“No. You know…”
“The word doesn’t bite, Eve. Only I do.” He grinned as her cheeks reddened.
“How did you become a… vampire?”
“Good girl. And for your reward, I’ll tell you.” He squeezed her gloved hand. “The thing that destroyed my life was chased off by another vampire. I was a breath away from death, having already lost my family. I couldn’t see, but I could hear. And a voice offered me a chance at revenge. All I had to do was swallow. My last word as a human was ‘yes’. Yes, I wanted it. I wanted to be strong enough to kill the thing that took everything from me.
“The vampire dripped his blood into my mouth before forcing my throat to work. But not for long. I could feel the tears in my flesh begin to heal, my heart started beating again. My lungs once more pulled in oxygen. And then more. Over the pain of my body dying the first time, there was the pain of that second death. And that is something that has no equal. Organs dying off, fluids… enough with the gory stuff. Let’s just say that it hurt a lot.
“After what felt like an eternity of torture, I was put to sleep in the earth. After two nights, I dug my way out of the ground. The one that made me was waiting. He told me some things I needed to know, like, stay out of the sun, you know, typical painful things for our kind. Some are written about in books, some are not. After the heart to heart, he left me alone to do my thing.
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