by Sophie Stern
This could be our last day on Earth. This could be it. The vampires could systematically hunt down the humans and, one-by-one, kill us all. They could destroy us.
So, what is it that I want?
If I had one last wish, what would it be?
“I want you to touch me,” I whisper. I glance over at the bed on the other side of the room. It’s too dark for me to see, but I think Daisy is asleep.
“She’s out cold, Amy. She’s not going to wake up until late tonight: maybe even tomorrow.”
“You can see her?”
“Yes.”
“I’m embarrassed.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to touch me everywhere,” I whisper the words.
“Why would that be embarrassing? You’re an adult, Amy. You’re a lovely, sexy woman who has very real needs. That’s not embarrassing at all.”
“It is to me.”
“Tell me why.”
“Because I’ve never had to verbalize what I want before,” I tell him, sighing.
“Guys always just give you what they think you want, rather than what you ask for?”
I shake my head because that’s not the case, either.
“Tell me.”
“I’ve only been with someone one time,” I say. “So, this is all sort of new to me.”
I hear him go very still in the darkness.
“How is that possible?”
“In case you haven’t noticed,” I say dryly. “There’s a shortage of human men in the area.”
Harrison chuckles. He actually laughs.
“Yeah,” he says. “I noticed, baby. That doesn’t explain why you didn’t try being with someone else. There are other options, you know.”
“Like demons.”
“Like angels, vampires, magic users.”
I shudder, but he notices.
“What is it?” He asks. “That, just right there. What were you thinking about that made you uncomfortable?”
“I don’t like vampires,” I whisper.
“Because of Derek,” he says. He reaches out and touches me. He places his hands on my hips. We’re face-to-face in the darkness, lying on our sides. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with what’s happening. I’m more comfortable than I think I should be. That makes me feel nervous.
“No,” I tell him. “Because vampires killed my family.”
“You’re very young to have lost so much,” he says.
“I know.”
“You’re very strong, you know. You’ve managed to create your own business, really: a thieving empire.”
I snort. “I wouldn’t call it an empire.”
“What would you call it?”
“A job.”
“This isn’t what you want to be doing?”
His thumbs are on my belly now, stroking. He slides them up under my shirt, but only a little. It doesn’t feel like a violation. It feels like we’re being sneaky: two teenagers hiding from our parents when we’re supposed to be doing chores or homework or babysitting.
“No,” I tell him. “I don’t like thieving.”
“What do you like, Amy?”
“This,” I murmur before I can stop myself. I want to catch the words, to recall them, but I can’t. They’re out there now, and he’s heard me. He’s not scared though. In fact, the little chuckle he gives me lets me know just how not scared he is of me right now.
“Is that right?”
“Yes,” I admit. I don’t want to, but I also think that if I don’t tell the truth, Harrison might stop touching me. For a demon, he seems to be kind of moral. Is that weird? I guess I always thought demons were sort of devilish, that they didn’t have any kind of behavioral code that dictated their actions.
That doesn’t seem to be the case with Harrison, for some reason.
No, he seems to have a very strong grip on what he thinks is right and what he thinks is wrong.
It’s a little peculiar, to be honest.
It’s a bit strange.
“What else do you like?” He slides his hands a little bit higher under my shirt. I gasp even though I probably shouldn’t. I look over toward Daisy, but Harrison presses his finger to my lips. “She’s asleep Amy. She’s going to be asleep all day. It was a hard night for her. Stop worrying and just let yourself feel.”
“I...”
“Besides,” he murmurs. “It’s dark now. She can’t see you, just as you can’t see her.”
He’s right, and somehow being under the cover of darkness makes this easier. Isn’t it funny how that works? What we’re doing would be the same whether it was in the middle of the day or not, but somehow, the darkness wraps around me like a blanket and in many ways, I feel like it protects me.
Harrison’s hands move up and down my skin. He touches my belly confidently and with ease. He moves up and down, gently massaging my skin. Then his fingers touch the edge of my bra. I still.
“Amy,” he whispers. “What are you thinking right now?”
“I don’t want you to stop,” I say.
“Okay,” he says, and he moves his hands up. He cups my bra with his hands and gently squeezes, massaging me. His fingers graze against my skin and by the time he stops touching my breasts, I’m left wanting more.
I don’t know if I can take anymore waiting.
My body feels...alive.
How long has it been since I felt like this?
Have I ever felt like this?
Even when I was with my boyfriend years ago, I never felt this unquenchable passion, this thirst. Not like I’m feeling here with Harrison. He touches me in a way I can’t bear. He makes me feel like I’m on fire.
Then I realize that my skin really is hotter.
“Harrison?” I murmur. “I’m hot.”
“I know,” he says. “You’re fucking beautiful.”
“No,” I say. I’m hot.”
He laughs quietly. “Earthborn demons can’t inhabit someone else’s body,” he tells me. “But we have a few other powers.”
“What kind of powers? I thought you didn’t have any.”
“Very few,” he says. “We can do this.” He swipes a finger down my arm, leaving a heated sensation. It’s heavy and warm. It feels almost like the heat of a flame, but it doesn’t hurt. It’s dark, but I’m certain it hasn’t left any sort of mark, either.
“You can warm things up.”
“I can warm you up,” he agrees.
“What else can you do?” I ask, curious.
“I can do this, baby,” he says.
His mouth comes crushing down onto mine, owning me. He kisses me deeply, passionately, in a way I’ve never been kissed before. In fact, I had no idea that kissing could feel like this or that I’d been missing out on so much. Instantly, I throw myself into kissing him back because the reality is that the world could be ending and I might not have another chance to know what this feels like.
If the vampires get their way, they’re going to hunt all of the other creatures. They’re going to hunt the humans and the vampires and the angels. They’re going to destroy all of us and they’re going to do it without a second thought. I might not be able to stop that, but I can stop myself from dying without knowing what it’s like to really be adored by a man.
That’s what this is.
Harrison is worshipping my damn body and he’s doing a fine fucking job of it. He cups my hair, pulling my head close to him, and he kisses me deeply. I’m lusty with need, but he just keeps kissing me over and over and over.
His mouth dominates mine and he makes me feel like no matter what happens next, I’ll have this moment to remember him by. This is something no girl could ever forget.
This is something I don’t think I’ll be able to live without.
Chapter Nine
Harrison
Kissing Amy is probably the worst decision of my life.
A human?
I try to stay away.
But she’s too perfect and I want h
er too much. The way that she comes apart beneath my touch is incredible. When I woke up yesterday, I didn’t expect to be walking away from Zax. I didn’t think I’d be leaving the world I’d known for what seems like an eternity. I didn’t realize that it would mean walking away from everything that was important or valuable to me.
Then again, a job is just a job.
Amy is a hero.
She saved me.
She didn’t have to stop, didn’t have to waste her time. She didn’t have to do anything. She did, though. She risked her life and the weapon she worked so hard to obtain. She risked everything so she could try to do something good for someone else.
I will be forever indebted to her.
Now she’s making soft, sweet sounds as I touch her. She’s letting me kiss her, and fuck, if she’s not kissing me back. Her lips are soft and her touch is sweet. She’s making me feel so fucking alive that I can’t stand it. She’s making me feel like nothing else in the world really matters except this moment between us.
I don’t want it to ever end.
Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end, and after a few minutes, she pulls back and looks at me. She can’t see me in the darkness, but I can see her perfectly. Her heart is racing. I can hear it. And her tiny nipples are peaked and poking the fabric of her bra. I want to lean down and taste them, nip at them, but I wait.
“Harrison,” she whispers, breathless. I know what she’s doing. She’s trying to regain some semblance of control. Amy is the type of person who has always had to be on guard. I don’t know who she lost, or when, or how, but something tells me that she’s been on her own for a long time. That does something to a person. That changes the way you see the world around you.
When you’re on your own and you don’t have a team, everything becomes about survival. Everything you do, you do to survive, to stay alive. You have to make choices that are tough. You have to make plays you never thought you’d have to make.
And you have to get used to the feeling of utter loneliness.
Amy is the type of person who has never lost control. If she did, she might die. I don’t blame her. It’s not easy being a monster in this city. How much harder is it to be a human female? She’s soft and delicate, sweet and lush. Amy has had a shit day. To be honest, she’s probably had a shit year.
I want to make her forget that for a little while.
“Close your eyes,” I tell her. She can’t see anything in the darkness, anyway. She listens, squeezing her eyes shut. I push her gently down so she’s lying on her back. She stays perfectly still as I push her shirt up and bunch it over her breasts. Now I can see her bra clearly. I reach down and trace little lines on her tummy and her collarbone. When I think she can’t quite stand it anymore, I reach and unhook the front clasp of her bra. It pops open, revealing her soft breasts.
“Lovely,” I murmur, running my thumb over one.
“Really?” She asks.
“Yes. They’re perfect.”
“Are you fucking with me?” She asks, and she sounds so sweet and innocent that I fight not to laugh. I don’t want to wake up Daisy. She wouldn’t be able to see us, anyway, but I want Amy to be able to relax. I don’t want her to feel judged by her companion.
“No, beautiful girl. I’m not fucking with you. These nipples,” I pinch one. “Are absolutely, without a doubt, the most perfect nipples I’ve ever seen.”
Amy bites her bottom lip, and I can’t resist. I lean down and kiss her again and again. I play with her breasts as I do, and I can smell her arousal start to grow. Yeah, she’s loving this just as much as I am. My cock hardens as I play with her, threatening to be my complete undoing.
I’m not going to fuck Amy tonight.
That’s not what tonight is about.
I’d love to.
She’s fucking gorgeous and sweet. Making love to her would be a complete treat. There’s no doubt about that. I bet she’s lovely when she’s sprawled out, wanton, wet, and needy. Tonight, though, is all about her.
It’s all about what she needs.
And what Amy needs is to feel safe, but relaxed.
So, I kiss her. I play with her breasts, and I rub her soft skin. She arches her back, pushing her breasts further into my hands, silently begging me for more. When she does that, I know she’s getting close, and I haven’t even started to stroke her soft pussy yet.
I lower my hands to the edge of her pants. When I hesitate, Amy reaches for my hand and pushes it below her waistband. I chuckle. Yeah, the little minx is ready. She knows it, too. She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to take it.
“Harrison,” she murmurs.
I stroke her under her pants. I don’t even pull them off. I just slide into her, playing with her, and I feel her growing tighter, closer. More ready.
“You’re so fucking tight, baby,” I murmur.
“I’m so close,” she whispers.
“Are you going to come for me like a good girl?” I ask her gently.
Amy nods and bites her lip again. She clenches her body, tightening around me, as she nears her orgasm. It’s just out of her reach. She’s so fucking close. She groans, not quite there, and I lean down and nip at her breasts.
That’s enough to push her over the edge and I feel the exact moment when she lets go of everything she’s been clinging to.
She lets go of the stress.
She lets go of the exhaustion.
She lets go of everything and she just falls.
She’s beautiful when she comes. Her mouth forms a tiny “o” and the orgasm rolls over her. She shakes, holding her breath as the pleasure washes over her entire body. She’s perfectly silent, which I’m certain is on purpose, but she’s crazy if she thinks I’m not going to make her come again another time when she can be loud and free.
When the last bouts of pleasure finish washing over her, she opens her eyes and looks at me.
“Fucking perfect, baby,” I kiss her softly. “Fucking perfect.”
Chapter Ten
Amy
Perhaps I should feel bad about using Harrison.
I did.
I used him.
And I do feel a little bad.
Harrison and I are not dating or in love. We don’t have a relationship. The only thing between us is the fact that I saved him, and then I used him.
The reality is that at the end of the day, I was hurting and tired and exhausted. Most of all, I was worn out. Dealing with everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve been through, is exhausting. It’s overwhelming. It’s horrifying.
And for a little while, I kind of just wanted to be normal.
I kind of just wanted to pretend like I was all the other twenty-something-year-olds. I wanted to imagine that I was living in a time lost long ago.
Harrison gave that to me.
He didn’t have to, but he did.
And I owe him an immense gratitude for that.
I fall asleep beside him on my own sleeping bag. The hard, carpeted floor beneath me doesn’t bother me at all. I just lay on top of the fabric, close my eyes, and pass out. When I wake later, it’s still dark, but Harrison is awake.
“Daisy?” I ask.
“She’s fine,” he says. “Her breathing is normal.”
It’s still dark and I can’t see a thing.
“How long did I sleep?”
“All day,” he says. “It’s nearly midnight.”
“We need lights,” I say, but he shakes his head.
“That’s the fastest way to get noticed, and right now, you do not want to be noticed.”
“Why not?”
“Look outside,” he says.
I go to the window. The inside of the studio is completely pitch black. This lets me know that no one is going to see me unless they’re specifically looking at this window right now, which seems unlikely. I look out and down at the street.
And there is nothing.
The lights are out, and I can’t see a thing, but a
shiver shoots down my spine.
“What am I looking at?” I ask quietly.
“There are vampires roaming freely,” he says. “The humans are all in hiding now.”
“How do you know this?”
“I can see it,” he says. I look at him and he shrugs. “And I checked using your computer. Everyone is going nuts.”
“What are the humans going to do?”
“There’s going to be a war,” he says. “The fighting has already started.”
“There’s no way to win this,” I murmur.
“Derek wants everything the world has to give him,” Harrison says. “Unless someone takes out the Vampire Lord, there’s no way the city is going to return to normal.
“What about the daylight?” I ask. “How do we get it back?”
“The barrier around the city does more than just keep it dark.”
“I know,” I swallow. Hard. “It keeps everyone inside.”
That means there’s no way I can leave now. I can’t go to my cabin. I can’t escape. This isn’t a situation where I can take my knife and just run away. I can’t get out of City 3140 now. The time for running has come and gone.
“The magic users who hold the barrier up are probably in the Mountain,” he says. “That’s where I’d keep them.”
“Me too,” I agree unhappily. “It’s a central location, so it means it’s the best place for getting a city-wide barrier in place that’s even and strong at all points.”
“It also means it’s going to be hard to take down.”
“The problem is that there’s no organized resistance,” I tell him. “Most humans are scavengers these days. We’re all used to being on our own. We’re all used to surviving the best way we know how. That doesn’t usually mean gathering in large groups.”
“The vampires have that advantage, but they don’t have telepathy or any other way of communicating with each other,” he says. I know he’s right. They have to use tech if they’re going to speak with one another, and most vampires are so fucking old that there’s no way they’re using comms. Only the newer, fresher vampires use technology to talk with each other, and those vampires are young enough that they’re easy to kill. They haven’t come into their strength yet.
I look toward the place where the knife is resting, or was, earlier.
