Delicate Thorns

by Miranda Hardy

  I nod. “Josiah?”

  “Yes, my dear?”

  “I don’t go by Holly any longer. My name is Jasmine.”

  “Well then, Jasmine, take care, and remember my advice. I suggest you take it to heart.” He throws his head back in wicked laughter and puts his hand over his chest. “That is if you had one. I’m sorry, it’s a joke between our kind.”

  I walk out into a new night as his laughter still roars behind me.

  ***

  On the way back to Dillan’s house, I try to process everything that happened tonight and everything I learned. The sight of Gilander’s naked and burned body will forever be branded in my mind.

  I sneak in through the back of the porch and into the apartment. I toss the envelope on the kitchen counter, take a shower, and get cleaned up. I want to see Dillan, hopefully he’ll want to see me after I left him in the night without any explanation.

  Dillan answers the door. His face is neither soft or hardened with anger.

  “Dillan, I’m so sorry for running out like that. So much has happened that I haven’t been able to understand—”

  He reaches for me and I fall easily into his arms. He kisses the side of my head. “It’s all right. I don’t completely understand, but it’s okay,” he whispers into my hair.

  He pulls back just far enough to look at me. Slowly he leans into me. I close my eyes and the distance between us. The second our lips touch I’m tucked away in the safety of his tenderness.

  He pulls away and instantly my lips feel the abandonment. “I missed you,” he says. With me in his arms, he walks backwards into his apartment and closes the door behind us.

  He raises my hands above my head and pins me to the back of the door. Without a second of hesitation his mouth closes on mine, taking complete possession of it. Heat builds in every crevice of my body.

  Every person, every place, and every thought that ever existed dissolves around this exact and perfect moment.

  Dillan lowers my arms and I tighten them around his neck. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair. One of his firm arms is around my waist, the other higher on my back. He pulls my body tightly into his, eliminating any space between us, until our bodies become one entity.

  He moans into my mouth as he breaks the kiss. Our lips are only a breath apart, but it’s too far. I want them touching me, exploring my entire body. His hand moves from my back as he studies my face with his vehement eyes. He lightly traces my open mouth with his thumb. My tongue eases out and licks the tip of it. I draw it into my mouth and close my lips around it.

  “I want you now,” Dillan breathes out in quiet desperation. I suck once before he slides his thumb out and replaces it with his mouth.

  A need so torturous writhes inside me, alive and dying to be satiated by him. I want all the fabric separating our bodies to vanish. He must have read my mind, because he takes hold of the edges of my shirt and lifts it over my head. My breasts press into his chest as he finds my mouth with his again.

  I slide my hands from his hair down his back and under his shirt. The feel of his skin is warm and his muscles are taut beneath the tips of my fingers. He shudders under my touch. I grasp the fabric of his t-shirt; he reaches for it and takes it off.

  His hands glide down the sides of my body, resting at the hollows of my waist. My head falls to the side, exposing my neck to him. He lightly kisses and sucks my throat’s tender flesh.

  Our hands, as if they have minds of their own, both gravitate toward the front of each other’s body. Mine release the button of his shorts and slide down the zipper. His hands cup my breasts as his mouth moves lower down my body.

  He’s on his knees in front of me as he unbuttons and unzips my jeans. He slides them down along with my panties, baring the rest of my body to him. I step out of the jeans. His hands slide up my legs and stop on the soft skin of my inner thighs. Silent wet kisses send me flying across the universe into oblivion.

  My knees weaken and I grip the door handle for support. I toss my head from side to side and press my hips further into him.

  When he stops, I want to cry out. I grasp a handful of his hair in frustration. Leaving me in agony, he eases up my body. His hands glide up my waist while his mouth trails up my stomach, breasts, and throat until his lips find mine. Hot sweetness fills my mouth as his tongue slips between my lips.

  He lifts me into his arms, walks to the rug in the middle of the room, and lowers me onto it.

  I begin to lean back but he grabs my hand urging me forward onto his lap. I wrap my legs around his waist and lower my body onto him. In seconds I succumb to the rhythm. Our desperate hunger for each other drives us closer to the edge of primal rage.

  Dillan’s fingers dig into the soft flesh of my waist. My hands grasp the back of his neck and I lean into him. The racing pulse in his throat catches my eye. Ferocity propels me and in a fraction of eternity, every cell in my body explodes. Blind with ecstasy, the world disappears until every convulsing shudder moves through me.

  ***

  We lie on the soft rug. The sound of the waves outside crashes though the silence of the apartment.

  My head rests on his chest and his arms wrap around me. His skin is warm and smells of salt and sex.

  “Dillan?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I think my name was Holly.”

  His relaxed body tenses and he lifts his head to look at me. He pushes up and leans against the couch, bringing me with him.

  “Holly?”

  “Yes, but don’t call me that. It’s a life I no longer have the luxury of living.” I know my words confuse him and as usual, he regards me with heartfelt respect.

  “How do you know?”

  I shrug and pick at my fingernail. “Minor memories have surfaced.”

  “Is there anything else you remember?”

  “I was involved with someone.”

  “Do you still want that someone in your life now?”

  I can sense his fraying nerves and the timid tone in his voice as he asks this sensitive question. If only I could calm him with the truth. But, that’s an impossibility. “No. I’m done with that life.” I look at Dillan and his hazel eyes are dark and guarded. I smile and say, “Call me Jasmine.”

  It doesn’t matter who I was. I’m no longer that girl.

  Chapter 16

  I stare out into the darkness and watch the street lights turn off.

  “Will you stay here today or disappear again?” Dillan asks, sitting up on the bed looking at me. “Please stay.”

  “I have to get home,” I say.

  “But, that’s not your home,” he replies and gets out of bed. He pulls on his swim trunks and comes over to me.

  “Maybe you can help find me a new home.” I smile at him.

  “Well, I have a morning appointment I can’t miss and then classes until early afternoon, so how about we meet after that?” he asks, hopeful.

  “I think I need to rest today. Can we meet up tonight?” I ask.

  “Stay.” He pulls me into his chiseled chest. “Stay here and don’t leave me. Rest here.”

  His insistence worries me. Knowing I can’t stay and I can’t give him a good possible explanation, I have to trust him to respect what privacy I have left.

  “Dillan, my mind needs the rest, and I need to be alone with my thoughts for the day. Can you respect that, please? I promise I’ll be here tonight and we will discuss everything,” I offer.

  He nods. “I’ll take that…for now.” He kisses me and leaves through the rear porch, grabbing his board and heading across the street through the open access toward the beach.

  The sun threatens to rise, but the overcast sky hides it longer than usual. Dillan dives into the water and swims out for a while, catching the short waves on top of his board. Then he sits on his board, and waits. He brushes his wet hair back and closes his eyes, soaking in the sounds, I suppose.

  Josiah’s
words go through my mind, and I recall how he told me to choose wisely. Dillan’s kindness places him in an entirely different category than me.

  His appointment arrives right before the sun rises, and I see the smile on the young boy’s face, matching the smile on Dillan’s. The boy splashes Dillan and both of their smiles grow.

  Dillan lifts the boy onto the surfboard and pushes it out into the water a little further, while the boy’s mother sits on the beach and watches.

  He teaches the boy how to pop up on the board as the waves take them toward shore. The boy falls several times, but always gets back up and Dillan has so much patience with him.

  I could literally watch them for hours, but it’s time for me to hide from the sun as it threatens to breach over the clouds. I take one last look at the smiling Dillan before hiding in the shadows of my temporary life.

  It’s time for me to rest and save up my energy for the night. I find solace on the soft carpet of a closed closet, and let darkness fill my mind as it’s been my constant companion.

  ***

  Dear Dillan,

  I didn’t want to just leave without explanation. I owe you that much, and so much more. Our worlds are very different, and without me exposing too much, your world is so much better. As much as I wish I could belong in that world, I can’t.

  You’ll go on and do wonderful things, and I have no doubt you’ll find someone special to share that with someday. I want nothing but happiness for you. Thank you for the time we spent together. For your compassion, and your kindness meant so much to me.

  I love everything about you, and that’s why I have to leave.

  Yours Always and Forever,

  Jasmine

  I seal the letter in an envelope and walk toward his apartment. He’s not in there, and I open the unlocked door and enter. He’s set up a candlelit table with fresh Jasmine flowers as a centerpiece. A note on the table says he’ll be back in 15 minutes, but all he’ll find of me is this letter. I set it at his place at the table.

  The tears fall for only a second as I take the photo of him from the mantel and look at it one last time. I’m tempted to take it, but I don’t. Why torture myself further with the memory of his gorgeous face.

  I set the picture back down and grab my small bag that contains the clothes Dillan bought me, and all of the information that I need for my new life… the envelope Josiah gave me safely tucked inside.

  Across the street, I hide behind a tall hedge from his oncoming car. I watch as Dillan parks and gets out, carrying a bottle of red wine. He’s dressed in a pair of khakis and a blue polo shirt. He looks so handsome.

  “Goodbye, Dillan,” I whisper.

  I turn around and head north along the beach.

  Chapter 17

  I walk a good two miles and then I sense another of my kind. The feeling doesn’t faze me like it once did. He sits on a blanket on the sand, staring at the ocean, as I continue to walk by. I’ve had my share of our kind with the events of the last couple of days, but I admit the curiosity weighs on me.

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” A soft, deep voice travels to my ears as I pass by the stranger.

  Why not? I walk the few yards toward him and sit next to him on the blanket. He doesn’t look at me, only continues to stare out at the dark ocean. Without looking directly at the stranger, I know he’s older in years than me, possibly by ten years, but in vampire years, I can be way off the mark.

  “So, you’re the reason for all the visitors to the area?” he says, but not really asking it in the form of a question. “I was wondering what would bring Josiah so far, but I figured it would happen with your kills being so sloppy.” He smiles. “I guess Gilander is dead?” He turns toward me.

  I nod.

  “Well, I can’t say that I’m disappointed much. “My name is Nathaniel. And you are?”

  “Jasmine.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jasmine.” He holds out his hand, which I take to shake, but he turns it over and kisses it. “I’m old fashioned like that.”

  I smile. “How old are you?” I ask out of interest.

  “I was born in 1715, right here in the states, believe it or not,” he says. “I guess I stopped counting the years long ago.”

  That makes him close to 300 years old.

  “And do you have a companion? Did you make someone or the other way around?” I want to hit myself upside the head. Of course someone made him, but was it a lover?

  “Ah, yes, our stories bringing us into this life can be a bit interesting, especially to the newly created.” He nods, and then becomes silent for a moment. A crack of thunder follows a quick streak of lightning high in the clouds. “Not that you’ll run into as many of our kind as you have in the last few days. We are rare these days. You can probably go a hundred years without encountering another one of us, but some of us like to keep our stories to ourselves. Sometimes they stir not so pleasant memories.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. This is all very new to me,” I say.

  “But to answer your question, no, I have not made another in all this time.”

  “Oh,” I say, wanting to ask him why, but not wanting to pry anymore.

  “It’s okay. I’m not as old as some of the others. This life isn’t meant for everyone, and I think spending eternity with someone is one heck of a commitment.” He smiles at his own comment. “I guess I’m not sure if that everlasting love thing truly exists,” he says.

  Dillan pops into my head. He wasn’t meant for a life in darkness. He was meant for a life full of light and happiness. I agree with Nathaniel about that, but I do believe in love. If I hadn’t truly loved Dillan, I wouldn’t have let him go. It was from love that I left.

  “Well, I better get going,” I say and stand.

  “Heading north?” he asks.

  I nod. “I’ve had enough of the ocean to last me a while.”

  “Well, it was nice to meet you, Jasmine. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime,” he says, giving me a brief nod while staying on his blanket.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” I say, and continue walking down the beach.

  My name is Jasmine, and I have more than a lifetime to figure out who I want to be.

  Jasmine can’t resist the chance to find out about her past, even if it means dealing with a witch.

  Clink here to continue Jasmine’s journey in Jagged Feather on Amazon!

  If you enjoyed Delicate Thorns, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, or send an email to the authors to let them know you enjoyed it.

  About the Authors

  Miranda Hardy writes literature to keep the voices in her head appeased. When she’s not in her fantasy worlds, she’s canoeing in alligator infested waters or rescuing homeless animals. She goes to coffee shops to do most of her writing while drinking tea. Unable to reveal too much, she has the most boring superpower ever (hint: you have to be a close relative for it to work). She resides in south Florida with too many animals to mention.

  To get free books, exclusive content, and exciting updates from Miranda, visit https://www.mirandahardy.com/contact and subscribe to her mailing list.

  www.mirandahardy.com

  miranda@mirandahardy.com

  Ainsley Shay avoids insanity by living mostly in the fiction world. She believes in surrounding herself with positive people, and strives for balance in everything. She owns more jeans with rips and holes than without. For her, reading or writing the perfect sentence is better than the smoothest piece of dark chocolate melting in her mouth. She longs to move north one day, even though she hates the cold. (Go figure!) So, for now, she continues to live in warm south Florida with her incredible husband, three beautiful daughters, and two lazy cats. (We won’t mention the dog.)

  Join Ainsley’s mailing list and get exciting updates on upcoming publications.

  Visit Ainsley’s Amazon page to see what other publications are available.

 
 

  Miranda Hardy, Delicate Thorns