Awaken (Divine Hunter Series)

by L. J. Sealey

  “Well, I spent enough on the ride out there. Anyway, it has a bed and hot running water what more do I need?” he shrugged.

  “A sense of smell.” Michael scoffed as he sniffed the air. “It’s like someone died in here way before we got here, for Christ sake.”

  Evo’s nose twitched. “That’s actually quite possible judging by those stains.”

  “Probable, more like. C’mon! Grab your things. After we’ve dumped this poor guy you’re coming back to stay with me.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Lacy. Let me in!”

  Michael knocked on Lacy’s front door for a third time. He’d been standing on her porch for God knows how long but there was still no answer. Now he was worried, especially as the demon had managed to somehow evade them back at the motel. That bastard could be anywhere. He’d planned to drop Evo’s stuff at his place then for Evo to drop him straight back at Lacy’s on his way to the hospital but they’d got side tracked after Evo decided to make some calls to name-drop Varesh to some of his associates. No one he’d spoken to had heard of the demon but they promised to ask around. He’d been much longer getting back to Lacy than he’d planned.

  He decided to give one more knock and if there was still no answer he was kicking his way in. No need. Just as he fisted the door it opened swiftly leaving him knocking on nothing but air.

  Lacy stood before him, rubbing her eyes. She looked at him for a moment, eyes narrowed, lips drawn tight, before turning and walking away from him. She looked. . . angry? She left the door wide open so Michael went straight in, pushed the door shut and followed her into the living room.

  “What took you so long? You had me worried for a minute there.” Michael said, his voice sounding calmer than he actually felt. “I thought that−”

  “Where were you?” Lacy interrupted. She’d plonked herself on the sofa, squeezing her hands on her lap.

  What was she so pissed about? “I told you we were taking Jake to the sheriff’s office.”

  “But you didn’t though, right?” She wouldn’t look at him for some reason.

  He hesitated, not really knowing what to say, but he had to think of something and quick. He couldn’t tell her that Jake was dead, not without being able to tell her why. He hated having to lie to her, but he would if it was the best thing for her, which it was, without any doubt. She’d already been exposed to too much and there was no way of knowing where that demon was right now. At least when it was using Jake’s body they stood half a chance but now. . .

  He took in a deep breath. “How did you know?”

  Now she looked at him. “I went to the sheriff’s office just after you called. I thought I’d meet you there−help you to explain what had happened and give them my statement but you never showed.”

  Shit! Now there was a real big problem. If Lacy had told them about Jake then things were about to get even more complicated as soon as they realise he was missing. “Did you tell them anything, Lacy?”

  Her brow furrowed. “Yes. I told them what happened and they’re going to want my statement. Where did you go? And where’s Jake?”

  “He got away.” The lie just came out. What else could he do?

  Lacy shot up from the sofa. Her hand went to her throat. “What? How?”

  His skin prickled with guilt, but he lied for good reason. He also knew that if she thought Jake was still out there somewhere, she would have less of a problem with him staying at her house; he had to, to protect her from the demon that was now even more pissed off than it was before.

  “We lost him at the hospital that’s why I’ve been gone until now. We’ve been out looking for him. I told you everything was ok because I didn’t want you to worry.” He looked away from her. What the hell was he going to do about the cops? As soon as Lacy gives her statement they’ll be all over it and it won’t be long until they realise he’s missing.

  Unless he got Evo to recover the body and dump it somewhere the cops would find it; make it look like an accident. Yeah, that was the best idea. He didn’t need the cops sniffing around the university any more than they already were.

  He noticed that Lacy looked pale. “Are you okay?” He walked over to where she was leaning an elbow on the wooden fireplace, taking her by the other arm. “Here, sit down and I’ll make us some coffee.”

  She sighed. “I’m worried, Michael,” she said in almost a whisper.

  “Everything will be fine. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” A promise he intended to keep. He was determined to keep her safe, now more than ever. He really didn’t like it, but she was becoming more and more important to him. He couldn’t believe that he’d nearly kissed her at the hospital. After battling so hard to keep his damn feelings in check, he’d nearly caved. He had to get himself under control not just for his sake but for hers as well. No good could come of it; he knew that. So, he would execute better control around her, simple as that. Yeah right!

  Lacy’s voice cut into his thoughts. “I’m not so worried about me. I’m scared that something will happen to Nina. What if Jake did have something to do with it and decides to silence her properly? She’s so vulnerable in the hospital.”

  “Evo is there. He’ll be watching the place overnight again.” But perhaps it should be him. The sensible thing would be to tell Evo to stay with Lacy while Michael watched the hospital. That way he’d be away from her, and it would give him time to sort his damn useless brain out.

  Coffee. . . He was going to make coffee.

  “Michael?”

  He stopped without turning around.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He closed his eyes for a second then went into the kitchen without saying a word.

  * * *

  Soft lips met his and began to kiss him slowly. Michael had been fast asleep on Lacy’s sofa and was now being woken up in the most unexpected way. He was surprised but didn’t resist. His eyes opened slowly to see Lacy looking back at him, her eyes hooded and dark. She closed them and thrust her tongue inside his mouth meeting his and twirling it in the most intoxicating way, sending a fierce heat rushing through his whole body, lighting him up with a desire he knew he should be fighting but couldn’t. He felt her climb on top of him, legs straddling his hips. He reached down and placed his hands on her soft thighs, stroking her velvet skin with his thumbs. She moaned softly and began to trail kisses down his jaw, his neck, and continuing to his chest.

  “Lacy.” he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he gave in to the feel of her lips pressing against his skin. Her hair fell over his chest, tickling him, caressing him as she kissed one of his nipples. He hissed, pleasure seeping through him.

  Lacy sat up and pulled her night shirt off to reveal a pretty white lace bra that matched her panties. Her hands stroked up his stomach and over his chest and she began to move her hips against him. She caught his moan with her mouth and he kissed her with more fervor this time, stroking his hands up her back and into her hair. She broke off their kiss again to run her lips over his neck. “You feel so good,” she whispered into his ear, her warm breath prickling his skin.

  He reached down and unhooked her bra, leaving it to fall freely by her sides, then he ran his hands all over her, feeling every inch of her as she continued to whisper things to him.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” she said, kissing under his jaw and across to his other ear. “Do you want me, Michael?”

  He shivered this time and his breath caught before he answered. “Yes. I do.”

  She licked her tongue up his neck but instead of relishing the sensation he paused. All of a sudden his instincts were on red alert. He wouldn’t expect Lacy to act this way.

  She softly nibbled at his ear. “Do you like that?” More kisses. “Do you like the feel of me?”

  He didn’t answer. His whole body stiffened, overcome with uncertainty. Something wasn’t right.

  “Do you want me? Do you Jack?”

  What the hell? How
did she know he was Jack?

  Lacy sat up and when she opened her eyes they were bright crimson.

  Shit! The demon!

  “NO!”

  Michael sat bolt upright, unable to catch his breath for a second. But Lacy had gone. He scrubbed his hands over his face then looked around, eyes wide. The small lamp on the side table by his head had been left on, the rest of the room in darkness but he could see he was alone. His racing heart began to slow, consciousness returning, making him realise that he’d just had the most vivid of dreams ever. Finally, he relaxed his shoulders.

  Not real. Thank God!

  There was a soft knock on the door. “Michael.”

  Lacy. “Yeah. Come on in,” he croaked.

  She was dressed in sweats and a T-shirt. No nightshirt, to his relief.

  “I heard you call out. Are you okay? Bad dream?”

  Well. . . Most of it was quite good actually. He looked down to make sure his lower half was covered just in case anything was going on down there. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Kind of.”

  Her concern felt nice.

  She sat down in the chair opposite and tucked her legs up under her. “I was just coming back from the bathroom when I heard you; thought I’d best check in. I’m having a little trouble sleeping.”

  He understood that. “Thanks.” He scratched his head and tried not to look at her. He had to get those damn thoughts out of his head. He felt weird: One minute he was enjoying her on top of him on this very sofa, the next she was sat across the room from him all innocent in her sweats. And what the hell was with those crimson eyes?

  “It must have been a bad one, you’re soaked with sweat.”

  Unusual. He didn’t think he could sweat.

  As he looked over, her gaze quickly dropped to the floor. Not wanting him to see her looking at his body he guessed. The thought of her doing so made his body heat a little. Get a grip you idiot.

  The silence that followed was uncomfortable but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Why couldn’t he think of something to say?

  “I drink cocoa when I can’t sleep.” She was still looking down, her eyes glazed over as though her thoughts were somewhere else. Then she looked at him and her mouth curled up in a slight smile. “Beth, my sister, would sometimes wake in the middle of the night from a bad dream and I would always get out of bed, go downstairs and make us both a cup of hot chocolate. My mum would either be out working or in an alcohol induced sleep, so it was always me that looked after Beth when she was scared. We’d sit on our beds and tell each other stories, and I would stay awake until she went back to sleep.”

  Michael lay back down on his pillows. “You were very close?” More an observation than a question.

  “Yes.” She blinked as though snapping herself back to the present, then stood up. “Would you like a cup? Of Cocoa?”

  He smiled. “Would love one.”

  Lacy went into the kitchen through the door that connected both rooms and Michael placed his arm over his forehead. The last part of his dream had disturbed him, leaving him with a gnawing in the pit of his stomach that he couldn’t seem to shake. Obviously dealing with the demon last night was on his mind before he’d gone to sleep, but why the hell did it have to ruin a perfectly enjoyable dream? Stop it. You’ve finally got yourself under control don’t start it off again, his inner voice warned.

  He placed his hand under the sheet, curious to know if anything had happened to his body. It was the first time he’d had feelings like that since being dead. He hadn’t desired any woman or had any dreams which involved the opposite sex at all. In fact, he’d only had nightmares he could never really remember, and hadn’t thought about whether his manhood would work or not.

  Well, if it had, it wasn’t now and he wasn’t willing to try it out again, or see if it was capable of doing anything else.

  Shit. He was in trouble. It seemed the more he tried to ignore what he was feeling for Lacy the more he felt. Now he was dreaming about her for God’s sake. He was definitely going to have to swap roles with Evo after today, even though the thought of his womanizing buddy sleeping in the same house as her, the two of them alone, made him anxious in a way he couldn’t describe. He knew how good his friend was at charming the females, and he didn’t doubt that Evo would try working his magic on her, but it was something Michael would have to overlook if he was to try and spend less time in her company.

  The door opened and Lacy came in with a tray that had two steaming hot cups on it. Michael pulled himself up to a sitting position, still careful to keep his bottom half completely covered, and after Lacy put the tray on the floor next to him she patted his leg with the back of her hand. “Scoot,” she ordered.

  She wanted to join him on the sofa? Michael reluctantly moved his legs back making room on the edge and she sat down by his waist.

  “I brought cookies too.” She smiled at him; passing him a cup before taking hers followed by a chocolate chip cookie from the small plate. Michael wasn’t in the mood for food. He was tense. With Lacy sitting so close to him after what had just happened, he was having a hard time trusting himself right now.

  “So what did you dream about?” she asked innocently.

  He gulped a mouthful of cocoa and it went down the wrong way causing him to momentarily cough his borrowed lungs up. He held his cup out trying not to spill the contents.

  After he’d composed himself he thought of something quickly. “I don’t really remember.” It was all he could think of and oh, how he wished it were true.

  “Happens to me all the time.” Lacy smiled. She looked down into her hot chocolate and he watched her face straighten. “I was worried sick about you earlier. I thought something bad had happened.”

  He felt that pang of guilt, again which unsettled him. He never thought that she’d go to the station, figured she’d wait here for him to return, and he would’ve called earlier if he’d known she’d be worried. He was so used to just getting on with things, and not having to think about anyone else, that he hadn’t realised. He was uncomfortable with having to think of someone else’s feelings all of a sudden.

  “I’m sorry. I should have called sooner−”

  “I know,” she interrupted, “just hear me out for a second. When I was pacing the floor waiting for you to get in touch, my mind was thinking all sorts of things. I panicked when I’d convinced myself that something bad had happened and there was a possibility I would never see you again.” She dropped her gaze and picked at her thumb nail. “I’ve been lying awake for the past hour trying to make sense of it all. I mean, we haven’t known each other all that long but it seems I. . . What I’m trying to say is”−she let out a sharp sigh and her shoulders slumped−“I care for you, Michael.”

  Oh, hell.

  All the air left his lungs and he couldn’t seem to think of a single word to say−stunned, for the first time ever. This woman in front of him had been in his life for only a little over a week and yet she’d somehow captivated him. He knew he was developing feelings for her and had tried so hard to deny them but it seemed to have only made them stronger. What was he going to do? Nothing! You can’t let anything happen and you know it. His inner voice seemed to have the right idea. It wouldn’t be fair on her.

  When he realised he’d been staring at her for far too long without saying a word, he tried to muster something. “Lacy, I. . . ” What could he say to her that wouldn’t hurt her feelings?

  She reached out and took his cup from him, placing both onto the tray on the floor. She slowly leaned towards him and his heart rate increased, his own feelings playing tug-of-war as he stared into her hypnotic pale green eyes. She was so close he could feel her warm breath on his face and he almost weakened until something snapped him back to reality, reminding him of the hurt he would cause her when he eventually had to leave, which he would, without question. He wasn’t human, would never be, so being with her wasn’t an option.

  He pulled back, his breath hissing be
tween his teeth as he forced himself to ignore a potent instinct which would allow no room for rational thought.

  “Lacy, we can’t do this,” he said, even though every part of him wanted to.

  She dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry. I thought you felt the same way.”

  That feeling of guilt was hitting him a lot harder now. In fact, it had swapped its softball racket for a wrecking ball. “I can’t deny that I have feelings for you, Lacy. And you can’t begin to understand how hard it is for me to not kiss you right now.”

  “Then why?”

  His reply was hesitant. “There are things you don’t know about me.” Things she could never know.

  Damn. The way she was looking at him now made him nauseous. Hurt, fear, confusion, it was all clear to see on her face.

  “What things?” she pressed.

  Shit. He was sinking deeper into the hole that had appeared below him and it worried him that, without being honest with her, he wouldn’t get out of it. “Things I can’t tell you but I assure you, you don’t have to worry. I haven’t done anything bad. Believe me, if there was any way I could tell you I would. You do know that don’t you?

  He could no longer read her expression. She stared at the floor, her eyes blank behind those heavy eyelashes. He longed to know what she was thinking. Had he hurt her? It wasn’t his intention but perhaps it would be for the best; better for her to be wary of him−to not trust him.

  The silence seemed to last forever. Then Lacy damn near floored him.

  “I do believe you.”

  It was her kind and trusting nature that had attracted him to her in the first place. Her willingness to care for a complete stranger such as Nina and the fact that she was accepting what was happening around her without question, trusting Michael to see her through it and make sure that everything was ok. Believing him now, after he’d meant to put doubt in her mind, was just a testament to her true nature. How was he going to stay away from her when every second he was with her, she pulled him in deeper?