by J. E. Taylor
Damian took a step backwards, forcing me to move. “You found a cure?”
“It took me a while, considering I created the damn virus, but I finally found the right mix. Unfortunately, for those of us who have lived longer than the normal human lifespan, the instantaneous aging process means death.” Lilith let out a laugh filled with sarcasm and bitterness and her gaze landed on me. “But for you, my dear, it will strip you of your strength and make you immune to the virus for the rest of your mortal life.”
Damian didn’t respond, but his eyes narrowed and his grip on my hand tightened.
The information took a moment to sink in and I blinked at the sudden flurry of questions flooding my mind. “What do you mean by immune?” I asked, a little surprised at the question that actually popped out of my mouth.
“It means no superior strength or speed and your ability to heal would revert back to the normal human timeframes.” Her gaze flipped back to Damian’s. “And it means she’s toxic to any vampire.” A slow sadistic smile crossed her lips.
The gaze Damian sent my way reflected a level of trepidation I hadn’t seen in years.
Lilith’s laugh pulled my attention back to her.
“Baby, no one dances with the devil and lives to tell about it,” she said and slid her gaze to Damian’s. “Isn’t that right, Damian?”
His jaw clenched and his grip on my hand turned to nearly bone crushing. “You mean, no human lives through his wrath,” he said.
Lilith’s teeth flashed for a moment and I swore I saw a hint of sorrow pass over her features before they hardened.
Damian’s head cocked to the side and then he scanned the landscape again. “Where’s Eve?”
Lilith’s face pinched together and she turned her gaze away, but I caught the glossy shine of tears in the moonlight.
Damian caught it as well and his hard posture softened. He released my hand, stepping toward the ancient vampire. “Lilith, what happened?” he asked, touching her shoulder.
Her head snapped in his direction and she glanced at his hand before she spoke. “I had two doses of the antidote,” she said in a voice no louder than a whisper.
When he pulled her into a hug she stiffened and before either one of us could react, Lilith pulled a gun from behind her and shot. A burning pain filled my abdomen and I looked down at the tranquilizer dart sticking from my stomach.
“What the hell have you done?” Damian growled and the grin Lilith shot his way sent a shock wave through my already pain-ridden form. Fury filled his features and before she could answer him, his fist smashed into her face.
“You were always so fucking gullible,” she whispered from where she fell.
My knees buckled under the agony filling every cell in my body. This was far worse than the pain of Damian’s initial bite. My lungs seized and I fell forward with Lilith’s crazy cackling following me into oblivion.
Chapter Two - Naomi
A cramp pulled me from the dark and I curled my knees to my chest, moaning my discontent. Coolness wiped across my forehead and I opened my eyes. Damian’s gaze met mine and he offered me a grimace that was meant as a smile.
“Am I dying?” I whispered.
The slow shake of his head along with the sadness in his eyes brought me further awake and I glanced at the familiar surroundings of our mountain home.
“What happened?”
He continued to stroke my forehead with a damp cloth, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
Before I could press further, heat burned through my skin and I screamed, tightening into a compact ball. Drawing a breath seemed like an impossible feat and I clamped my eyes shut, turning my face into the pillow and away from Damian’s pained gaze.
Finally, my chest eased and I drew in a breath, and then another, concentrating on this one thing and tuning out the agony wrestling my muscles.
“Damian, what happened?” I turned, taking in his bright blue eyes once again.
“Lilith shot you with the antidote,” he said and picked up a cup from the nightstand. He lifted my head, tilting the glass to my lips.
Cold water flowed over my tongue, quenching the dryness I hadn’t noticed until then. I grabbed his wrist and drank, trying to tip the cup further, but he stopped me.
“You need to go easy,” he said, pulling the glass away and putting it on the table.
I stared at him, at the conflict in his features and when he popped a thermometer in my mouth, my eyebrows rose.
“You’ve been running a fever,” he said and the thermometer beeped. He pulled it out and checked the reading. The subtle close of his eyes and sigh that escaped gave me an indication of relief and when he brought his gaze back to mine, I knew. Damian’s relief washed over me like soft subtle waves.
“How long have I been like this?”
“A week.”
His answer gave me a start and I attempted to sit up, but he pushed me back onto the bed.
“You’re still sick,” he said showing me the readout.
“It’s only a hundred and one,” I said and shifted, stretching out of the ball I’d remained curled in. The pressure in my lower abdomen surprised me. “Besides, I think I have to go to the bathroom,” I said and did my best to sit up.”
The room spun and he threw the covers back, reaching to pick me up.
“I can do this on my own,” I said, knocking his hands away.
Damian stood and waved toward the bathroom. Irritation transforming the worry into a hard stare.
I stumbled into the bathroom on wobbly, weak legs and took a seat on the commode. The unfamiliar burn of urine passed and I closed my eyes. This was one of the human elements that I had not missed and I had laughed at Damian for putting a toilet in when neither of us needed one. Now, I was glad to have the convenience. I finished and slowly got to my feet, shuffling to the mirror.
The reflection showed a sickly pale face with dark circles encasing my deep brown eyes. My hair lay in a stringy matted mess that made me cringe. A shower, that’s what I needed and I turned, twisting the nozzles until steam filled the small space. With a great deal of effort, I stripped the stained and soiled night-shirt off and stepped under the stream of water.
I exhaled and closed my eyes, letting the water cascade down my skin. The effort of just standing there sucked whatever energy I had right from my bones and I reached for the wall. His soft hand took mine instead. I opened my eyes and stared at his fully dressed and soaking form, a chill blanketed me and I cocked my head, too tired to articulate.
Instead of explaining why he was standing in the shower fully dressed, he reached for the shampoo and poured some in his hand. The silence unnerved me just as much as the torture in his gaze. He lathered up my hair, running his fingers through my locks in slow patterns and I succumbed to his pampering, letting him clean me from head to toe without the usual sexual foreplay.
When I was squeaky clean, he pulled me into his arms and just held me, pressing his lips to the top of my head. It was only after dozing off in his arms did his tremors break through my hazy brain. I pushed away and looked into his eyes.
Tears slowly traced down his cheeks.
His tears sent my heart into overdrive and vaporized the fog surrounding me.
“What is it?”
His hand came to rest on my cheek and the depth of his agony ripped at my soul, leaving it in tatters.
“I gave Lilith the chance to explain what she meant by toxic before I ripped her to pieces.” He reached and turned off the water.
I wasn’t sure I had the strength for an explanation, but after he tucked me in a towel and sat me down on the toilet lid without any further words, I cleared my throat. Damian turned toward me, his fingers nimbly unbuttoning his shirt and he shrugged.
“Bullshit,” I whispered with the first bite of anger. He was completely avoiding the subject. “Tell me what it means,” I said, my voice sounding much stronger.
“You know what toxic means,” he said, nearly ripping the d
ripping shirt off his well defined chest. His pants came next and he hung them over the side of the shower before reaching for a towel and meeting my gaze.
“My blood is poison to you.”
He let out that sarcastic laugh that set my nerves on edge. “God, if only it was that simple.” A sheen of tears covered his blue eyes and he inhaled. “It isn’t just your blood that could kill me,” he whispered and stepped closer, stopping in the middle of the floor.
A low growl came from my stomach, settling over the silence of the room.
“I stocked the kitchen,” he said in response but I was still staring at him, trying to figure out the meaning of his words.
I blinked a couple of times and studied the distance between us, the dripping clothing over the shower and then my gaze shot to his. Understanding crushed my heart to bits. “You mean...I’m your kryptonite?” The words rushed out in a gasp.
His chin dropped to his chest and he turned, walking out of the bathroom with his shoulders sagging.
“Damian,” I whispered and he stopped in the doorway without turning.
“I need to make you something to eat,” he said.
“Look at me.”
He spun, gripping the doorway with both hands and his gaze locked with mine.
“Is being near me...” My throat tightened, cutting off my voice, and I pressed my lips together. He held my gaze and kept silent. I swallowed and pushed the word out. “Painful?”
He shook his head. “No, baby, being near you isn’t.”
“But?”
“But touching you burns like you’re made of platinum,” he said and walked away.
I glanced at the dripping clothing and they blurred through my fresh tears.
Chapter Three - Naomi
Once I found the strength to pull clean clothing on, I stumbled to the kitchen and found Damian standing over the stove, reading the label on a can of chicken noodle soup.
“You just add a can of water to the soup and heat it up,” I said and collapsed into the chair.
“Thanks, captain obvious,” he said and shot a glance in my direction.
I was too tired for a verbal spar with him. What I really wanted was to cuddle in his arms and I bit my lip, blinking away the sudden sheen blurring my vision. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost ten in the morning.”
Morning. I turned toward the door and then back to him, suddenly full of energy. “Can I go outside?”
The way his eyebrows arched when he turned toward me made my excitement fizzle.
“Not until your fever is gone and then we’ll have to head somewhere warmer.”
“But I can go out in the sun?” I asked, feeling like I was a child again asking my father to go out and play.
His huff and nod told me enough. “Yes, you’re no longer in danger of turning into a smoking pile of cinder.” He stirred the soup in the pot. “Come night fall, I’ll have to go out for a few,” he said.
My stomach clenched and it wasn’t because I was hungry. “Why?”
He glanced back at me. “I need to eat and I need to get you something warm enough to fly you out of here, otherwise you’ll freeze to death before I can get you to civilization.”
“What if he’s out there?” I couldn’t help asking.
Damian turned off the small burner and sighed, pouring the soup into a bowl and bringing it to me with a spoon. “There isn’t a god damn thing I’ll be able to do if he’s waiting for me,” he said and sat down across from me. “But with the mess I made out there, I’m sure he’ll figure we moved on.”
“Mess?”
He met my gaze. “I was more destructive than you in tigress mode,” he said. “When I was done, there were pieces of her scattered over a hundred yard radius.” His laugh filled the small space. “Lilith actually thought I’d let her walk away after what she did.”
His eyes flashed with anger so deep I wanted to shrink into the chair.
“Stupid bitch thought I’d drop to my knees and just give up.” He let out a harsh laugh meeting my gaze. “She thought she’d be able to hand us over to that bastard and win his favor.” His head swayed from side to side. “She grossly miscalculated my strength and fury.”
I reached out and ran my finger over the back of his hand and he winced, jerking away from my touch. A red welt appeared where my finger traced and I stared as it faded away. When I lifted my gaze to his, the anger was gone, replaced by melancholy.
“But the shower?” I whispered and he turned his palms toward me.
His palms were red and raw like he’d held them over the open flame and my hand shot over my mouth to cover my gasp.
“Oh, my god, Damian,” I whispered from behind my hand.
“I’ll live,” he said.
The reality of our situation fully sank in and pain deep in my core laced outwards, encompassing every fiber. I dropped the spoon into the bowl and pushed it away, crossed my arms on the table and buried my face in the crook of my arm. At first only silent tears came, but then the sobs started, coming from the well of my soul. Long burning sobs that shook the foundation of my existence.
My husband, my soul mate, would never be able to hold me in his arms again.
Chapter Four - Damian
I stepped out into the cool night, inhaling the fresh mountain air and scanning the horizon. My heart hammered with each step away from the cabin, and my gaze bounced, expecting Lucifer’s thugs to jump out at any moment. Fresh snow covered the carnage from a week ago, but I could still smell Lilith’s blood hanging on the air.
Despair attempted to creep in again and I shook my head, pushing it away. There would be time to wallow in it later, but for now, I still needed to get her to safety, otherwise she would die in this harsh wilderness and that’s the last thing I wanted.
The constellations speckled the dark sky and I started toward the woods, snow crunching with each step. The farther I got from the cabin, the more my anger blasted to the surface. My hands curled into fists and my jaw ached from my tightly clenched teeth. The injustice burned.
My nerves were raw from Naomi’s grief and the fact I couldn’t just hold her and comfort her, kiss her or make love to her shattered my sanity. With every wincing touch, my heart blackened and right now, I wanted to kill, to allow the shadow to take over and destroy whatever crossed my path.
Lilith had said Lucifer wanted us to suffer.
Well, this certainly qualified.
With a roar, I picked up the pace, running and jumping and letting the transition take hold. Wings unfurled, taking me higher into the darkness. I banked southeast, toward Denver hoping to find a less than innocent soul, because right now, wildlife would not satisfy my pummeling hunger.
I landed on the dark soccer field of the East High School and turned north toward the park and the dark windy paths within; praying trouble would find me. The snowy pathways were as welcoming as Lucifer’s den and with each step my mood worsened. The absence of criminals pissed me off. This was very different than Central Park, where thugs prowled after dark.
A shuffle behind me caught my attention and I stopped.
“Are you lost or just stupid?”
I turned slowly, facing my attacker and my gaze dropped to the blade in his hand and back to the hooded figure standing in the path behind me like he was invincible. Steel glinted in the dark and I raised my palms toward him, playing the game.
“I thought I’d take a short cut,” I whispered. My mouth salivated at the scent of human flesh and the thrill of turning the tables on this asshole.
“Just give me your money and you won’t get hurt.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed and he lunged, the knife coming close enough to tear fabric and then he pulled away.
“I’m serious. If you don’t give me your wallet, I’ll gut you like a fish.” His black eyes peered out from under the hood.
“I’d like to see you try,” I said and my hands dropped to my sides, waiting for the next lunge. The
man snarled and attacked. I turned, letting the knife sail by me and I grabbed his wrist, yanking him closer. Before he could recover, my teeth sank into his throat.
The sudden rush of hot blood filled my mouth and I sucked, swallowing his life in pulses timed with his frantic heartbeat. He didn’t have the chance to scream, instead he just moaned as death claimed him. When I had drained every drop from his thieving heart, I dropped him to the ground and wiped my mouth, relishing the warm renewal of strength filtering into my muscles.
It had been years since I hunted humans and now I remembered why. One was never enough. I turned away from the cold corpse and continued north, my gait strong and my focus on one thing.
Blood.
It wasn’t until I walked past the local strip club that someone in the alley hissed for my attention. I stopped and turned, taking in a well-insulated man whose eyes kept darting around.
“You looking for a good time tonight?” he asked in a hushed whisper and nodded toward the van parked farther down the alley.
I glanced at the van and the word “Ménage-mobile” stenciled on the doors. My gaze traveled back to his jumpy eyes. The idea of a van full of whores set my appetite on fire and I licked my lips. “How many are we talking about?”
“I have three girls ready to take care of your every need,” he grinned, flashing a mouthful of crooked teeth.
Somehow I doubted that, but I stepped into the alley with him and he waved me forward. When we got alongside the van he turned and slid the door open. He did indeed have three girls, bound and gagged and spread out for any twisted mind. Their frightened gazes told me more than I wanted and I turned toward the letch in the alley.
“Today is not your lucky day,” I said and closed the door on the girls. Before he could draw the gun in his waistband, I snapped his neck and drained him of blood. When there was nothing left to drink, I rummaged through his pockets and found the car keys.
Their frightened gazes met mine when I stepped into the van and closed the door. As much as I wanted to drain them of precious blood, I couldn’t. They were what Michael deemed innocents and as I unbound each girl, they crumpled on the floor of the van in tears.
