by Alisha Basso
After Tessa took a quick shower and changed clothes, she went to Nik’s cabin and knocked on the door. He opened the door and looked down at her, his eyes unreadable. Stepping aside to let her pass, he made sure he was a couple of feet away from her as she walked in. Should she tell him about getting rid of the barrier?
“How long before we reach the island?” she asked.
“The ship has to drop off the people going to Bermuda first. Then we’ll continue on to Isla de las Almas.”
“Are you scared?”
He looked at her for a moment, then turned away. “Of course I’m scared. But not for my physical health. I’m afraid I won’t get my soul back. And I’m afraid something will happen to you. I would never forgive myself if you were hurt or killed. There’s still a part of me that wants to turn back and forget this whole thing. But then I think of how I would have to live the rest of my life and I get selfish.”
“It’s my choice, Nik. I want to do this, to help you. Even if entering the cave didn’t involve having to have a pure heart, I would still want to be with you.”
He turned back to look at her. “If there was any other way, I wouldn’t let you. It’s obvious your heart is pure, even if the witches hadn’t said anything.”
Tessa blushed, and it was her turn to look away. Without thinking, Nik reached out to touch her, but then drew his hand back. A look of puzzlement came over his face, and he extended his hand toward her again, stopping about twelve inches from her face.
Frowning, he said, “I don’t understand. I don’t feel the magic when I get close to you now.” He moved his hand closer. “I don’t feel even the beginnings of a shock. The static is even gone.”
“I know,” she said.
“You know? What’s going on, Tessa?”
“I found a witch on the ship, and she took down the barrier for me.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “How could you do something so foolish? And how did you just happen to find a witch?”
“I did it so we could help each other fight. Think about it, Nik. The barrier would have been a hindrance in a situation where we had to protect each other. It was best to get rid of it.”
“What if I hurt you? What if my dark nature takes over again?”
“You’ve been fine on this trip. What about the woman? You didn’t kill her. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw the woman you drank from at breakfast. She was all right,” said Tessa.
Nikolas sighed. “That doesn’t mean you should have taken that chance. Things could still go bad. And you didn’t answer my question. How did you find the witch?”
“She actually found me.” Tessa told Nik about the meeting and everything that had happened.
“You trusted a complete stranger? What’s wrong with you, Tessa? You’ve been reckless with your life. This whole thing could have gone so wrong!”
Without thinking, he grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. Tessa looked up at him and saw his eyes go soft. His breath caught as she looked at him, and his hands stilled. Then he moved his hands up to the sides of her neck, caressing the sensitive flesh there. Tessa felt like she couldn’t breathe as his touch elicited all kinds of sensations in her body. His fingers traced the skin of her throat on both sides and then in the center. His hands were warm and strong, and she had a slight moment of panic, thinking how fragile her neck was compared to his strength. But she brushed aside the thought, appalled at herself for letting it come into her mind. His eyes looked like smoldering embers, a flash of red within the dark irises. She shivered, and it caused him to moan softly, and he closed his eyes as his hands worked their way to her face. He gently pulled her face toward him as he bent his toward her, and they met halfway. His lips were soft as he gently brushed his mouth across hers. He did that over and over until Tessa’s legs felt like they weren’t going to hold her up much longer. When he slowly licked his tongue across her lips, her knees buckled and he chuckled softly, grabbing her under the arms to keep her from falling. His thumbs brushed the sides of her breasts, and heat like a red hot poker seared her from head to toe. What was this man doing to her? He bent his head to her again and captured her mouth in a deep kiss, his tongue seeking entrance, to which her mouth answered by opening to him. She felt his warm tongue exploring her mouth, and the sensation was almost more than she could bear. If he made love to her, she might just die from the pleasure. And was this where this was heading? Would she let that happen? She broke the kiss so she could catch her breath and think.
“Are you okay, Tessa?” he whispered softly in her ear.
“I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way, and it scares me,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Don’t be afraid of your feelings, Tessa. But maybe you should be afraid of me.”
His actions belied his words, though, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and pulled her close against him. His mouth came down on hers once again, his kiss more urgent than before. His lips moved to her neck, and she gasped, but it was from pleasure, not from fear. He suckled the soft skin there and nipped with his teeth, but didn’t bite. A part of Tessa wanted him to bite her, and she was shocked at the need to feel his fangs sink into her skin. How did he make her want this? His tongue licked her neck, and he pushed her blouse aside so he could move down to her shoulder.
Nik’s hands were roaming over her body now, and he left a trail of fire everywhere he touched. The combination of his tongue and his hands were driving her crazy, and she felt like she was missing something, needing something, but it was more than sex. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, and she knew Nik had pierced the skin of her shoulder and was biting deeper into the muscle. The pain should have been excruciating, but it wasn’t, and the pleasure far outweighed any discomfort. She shuddered as the ecstasy washed through her body in wave after wave, surpassing any sexual feeling she had ever had. This was different, totally different, than sex. This was…other. She screamed in pleasure as he drew her blood from her body, and there was no fear, no worries, only the sensation of being in a place of pure pleasure. Why hadn’t it felt like this the last time? Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, the feelings crested then slowly subsided as Nikolas pulled his fangs from her body. She started to crumple to the ground, not from loss of blood, but from the tidal wave of joy and delight that she almost had been unable to bear. Nikolas picked her up easily and laid her ragdoll body on the bed. She couldn’t move. He lay beside her and cupped her face in his hand and turned her head toward him.
“Are you okay, my love?” asked Nikolas in a soft, anxious voice.
“I…I’m not sure. What was that?”
He smiled. “I’m not really certain. It’s never happened before.”
She frowned. “You mean, when you drank from other women, they didn’t feel this way?”
“No, and I didn’t feel this way either. Yes, they felt some pleasure, but nothing like this happened. It was like I was connected to your feelings somehow, and I knew exactly how you felt. And it made me feel things I never felt before.”
“You’ve never experienced this at all?”
“My maker, who was Marianna, didn’t explain anything to me. I can only guess why we experienced that this time.”
She looked at him and saw something in his eyes that made her feel warm inside. “And what’s your guess, Nik?”
He slowly lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently. Then he said, “I think it happened because we love each other. And we both know it now.” Tessa started to look away, but Nikolas gently turned her face back around to face him. “Don’t be sorry, Tessa. I love you. And when I get my soul back, I’ll show you how much.”
“I think you just did,” said Tessa. “And I love you, too, Nik. But it scares me. At least right now it does. It all happened so fast. I don’t know what will happen when you get your soul back. I don’t know if you’ll still be a vampire or if you’ll be human. And if you’re human, then I’ll never feel this sensation again
, and that makes me sad. But, if you’re still a vampire when you get your soul back, then you might never be able to go out into the sun, and I think that might be even worse. At least for you.”
“Tessa, do you think you love me because I am a vampire? Does this whole thing excite you, and will you be disappointed if I end up being an ordinary man?”
She reached out and cupped his face. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “No matter what happens, Nik, I’ll always love you. Even if something happens and you don’t get your soul back, and even if I can’t be with you because of that, I’ll still love you. But your soul is worth fighting for, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help you get it back. Because I know being a vampire is torturing your human side, and eventually you would have to turn completely to the dark side to keep from going insane from guilt. I’m with you every step of the way, no matter what happens. Nik, we are going to get your soul back. And then you’ll never have to worry about feeling guilty again.”
He gathered her into his arms and hugged her tightly, then let go and rose from the bed. His eyes had that weird light in them again. “Let’s go out on the deck and see how close Bermuda is. I feel the darkness trying to push to the surface again, and if we stay here together, I’m afraid of what will happen.”
Tessa looked at him for a moment then nodded. They walked out of the cabin together, and Tessa tried to take Nik’s hand, but he shook his head. She understood. Any contact with her might set him off. She was surprised he didn’t lose control when they had been together. She admired him for his control. Soon, they wouldn’t have to worry about those things anymore, and they could be together. They would get Nik’s soul back…if they didn’t die trying.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tessa watched as the passengers departed for Bermuda. The stars were out, the moon was full, and the night was so clear that the beauty of it almost hurt her eyes. The people who were leaving all seemed excited, and she was sure they were on vacation without a care in the world. She looked around at the people who stood at the railing, and she knew these were going on to Isla de las Almas. She saw the witch, who nodded slightly in her direction. There were a few more, all of them dark and brooding. Were they all witches and warlocks? What was their purpose in going to this mysterious island?
“Let’s get our things ready to go,” said Nik. “It should only be about thirty more minutes until we reach our destination.”
They went to their respective cabins and gathered up their things, stuffing them into their backpacks. They met back on the deck where the other travelers were gathered, all anticipating their arrival at the small island. Soon Tessa could feel the ship slowing down, and she could see the island, and she was surprised at how dark it was. She had expected to see lights peppered across the expanse of land like she had seen on Bermuda. But this wasn’t Bermuda, was it? This was a little known island that wasn’t even on a map. She knew because she had looked for it. Why wasn’t it spoken of in any travel guides she had read? Her skin prickled with trepidation as they got closer and closer to their destination. She had tried to keep the fear at bay, but it was starting to creep in slowly as the reality of what she was doing suddenly hit her. It had all seemed so vague and far away when she had first agreed to do this. Now, she was close to facing the most dangerous situation she had ever encountered in her life.
“Are you ready?” asked Nikolas.
“As I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”
They started forward to disembark, and as Tessa passed by the old witch, the crone whispered to her, “Remember your promise.” The sound of her voice reminded Tessa of a hissing snake.
When they were on land, Tessa looked around at the landscape before her. Even though it was dark, the full moon gave her a glimpse of her surroundings. She saw lots of trees and many exotic looking flowers. Some of the flowers even seemed creepy here in the dark, almost as if they were sentient. She looked at Nik questioningly, having no idea where to go from here. There didn’t seem to be any structures nearby. She had seen the others disappear into the trees, but Nik had been just standing there, as if he were listening to something she couldn’t hear.
“Nik?”
He looked at her, startled, as if his mind had been somewhere far away. “What? Oh, I’m sorry, Tessa.”
“You looked like you were hearing something,” she said.
“I think…I think maybe I can hear….” He stopped.
“What, Nik?”
“My soul. I think I can hear my soul.”
She looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t know your soul could talk to you.”
“No, it’s not talking. I can just hear it. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to. But we do need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“Belinda told me of a place she read about. It’s a place we can stay until tomorrow night. We can’t go looking for the cave tonight. I know you’re tired, and I’m not sure there’s enough time since it’s so late. I want to make sure it’s still dark when we return from the Cave of the Lights, just in case….”
“Just in case you still can’t go out into the sun?” she asked.
“Yes. We have no way of knowing what will happen to me when I get my soul back. It’s almost too much to hope I’ll be human again.”
“And that’s what you want? To be human?”
He looked at her in surprise. “Of course.”
“I just wondered if you would miss the strength and other assets you have now.”
“I’ll miss nothing,” he said, almost as if he were angry.
She didn’t say anything else as they walked into the trees. To Tessa’s surprise, they came out on the other side just a few yards after they went in. The trees were just a very thin barrier to the clearing they stepped into. She looked around, but didn’t see any structure they could stay in. There was nothing but small huts sprinkled around, and the only illumination besides the moon, was the light emanating from lanterns hung from wooden posts in front of each hut. Nik seemed to know where he was going, so she followed him to one of the little houses where he picked up a little brass bell hanging by the door and gave it a little shake. The tinkling sound summoned a little girl about eight years old, dark-haired, with eyes that looked blacker than the night in the dim light. Without speaking, the girl led them to the hut situated next to the one she had exited, and gestured to the door. Nik thanked her and took some coins out of his pocket. He held them out to her, and she snatched them from his hand and ran away. Nik looked at Tessa and shrugged.
They entered the hut and set their backpacks down by the door. There was a kerosene lantern on the table, and it shed enough light in the room to let them see their surroundings. The room was charming in a primitive way. There was a chemical toilet behind a curtain, and Tessa was surprised at this modern convenience that seemed out of place with the rest of the structure. There was a pump handle and spigot over a small basin which had no drain, so she assumed the water would have to be thrown out after use. There was no bed, only some blankets thrown over a pile of thatch. On the table sat a bowl filled with fruit. There was a loaf of bread on a cutting board beside the bowl.
“At least there’s some food,” she said to Nik.
Then she noticed something in the far corner of the room. It was a coffin. Chills went down her spine as she realized Nik would have to sleep there. It had never occurred to her that he couldn’t sleep in the hut during the day. She just hadn’t been thinking, or she would have realized provisions would have had to be made ahead of time. How did the people on this island already know Nik was coming and what he needed? Belinda must have taken care of things somehow, although she was pretty sure there were no phones here.
“Does the coffin make you uncomfortable?” asked Nik, noticing the direction she was looking.
“A little,” she admitted. “But I know it’s necessary. I just hadn’t thought about how the sun situation would be
taken care of.”
“Would you be more comfortable in a place by yourself?”
“Are you kidding? I would be too scared to be on my own on this island. This place gives me the creeps,” Tessa said.
“At least if I’m sleeping, you won’t have to worry about what I might do if my dark side takes over,” he said with a wry smile.
“Maybe I’ll be able to sleep, then,” she said, but her smile held more humor than his had.
Nik moved closer to her. Her breath caught as he reached out and traced his finger down her face. He slid his hand around to the back of her head and pulled her face gently toward his. His lips were soft as they met hers, and she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach as the kiss deepened. His tongue was slow and gentle as it made its way into her mouth. He tasted hot and sweet, and Tessa wanted to kiss him forever. But he broke off the kiss and looked down at her, and she felt a sense of loss. His wrapped his arms tightly around her and laid his cheek against the top of her head.
“Tessa, I want to give you so much. I want to be everything you expect me to be. I want to be a good man again like I tried so hard to be when I was human.”
“You’re a good man now,” said Tessa. “If you weren’t, you would have already hurt me. You fight so hard to keep the human side of you in control. I admire you, Nik.”
He gently pushed her away. She saw his eyes glittering in the soft light of the lantern, and she knew he was struggling. She reached out to him, but he backed away.
“Fight it, Nik. I know you can.”
He shook his head in regret. “No, I can’t, not right now. The things I want to do to you, the things that are going through my head…I have to go. I’ll be back right before dawn.”
As he rushed out the door, the need to stop him was overpowered only by her fear. If he had let himself go completely, would she have survived it? A part of her was almost excited by the idea of the animalistic urges that would cause Nik to take her in a savage way. Shocked by her thoughts, she wondered if there was a dark side deep down inside everyone.
