As we walked around the bedroom we entered, I heard him come up behind me before he whispered in my ear, "You would have loved it back then." He’d noticed my fixation on an old vanity with an ancient mirror and brush.
The intimate action sent the butterflies in my stomach swirling for the first time in days. “It seems incredible that pieces like this can last so long,” I murmured, trying to hide the nervous anxiety in my voice.
I wanted to run my fingers over the brush I was staring at, but we were blocked by a partition designed to prevent the guests from disturbing the artifacts. At night, I got to touch whatever I wanted though.
After a few more moments of pretending to enjoy the unmasked view of the room, James spoke again. "We can go out now to get food. I’m sure you’re hungry. The others will be meeting us outside soon." He motioned for me to come towards him.
As much as I loved our intimate exploration of the castle, I had a nagging feeling that we were simply wasting time. Like I should have known better. I should have known where we needed to be and what we needed to find. I knew I had to spend more time concentrating on the task at hand instead of allowing myself to be swept back in time.
We walked back through the castle, heading towards Caroline, Nick, and Riley who were all waiting for us outside the gates.
"That place is amazing, huh?" Riley said, nudging me on our walk back to the car. "You come from some pretty classy roots, Ariya."
"We'll return in a couple hours, after it closes to the public. Riley and Ariya, you need to rest so you're up for coming back tonight," James said as we piled into the car to get back to the hotel. “Ariya, you especially. You seem distracted.”
I rolled my eyes and turned my face toward the window so he didn’t see. I wasn't tired, but I knew James was right. If we intended to stay up all night, we needed to be well rested. I hadn’t gotten much restful sleep lately with all the nightmares.
James took an intricate, roundabout way back to our hotel. Well, back to our hotel is a loose term. The vampires were parking in various garages, lots and side streets during our time here. They never parked right up at the hotel, which would have been so much more convenient. Instead, we took turns and chose random roads each time. I guess they couldn’t help constantly being in evasive maneuver mode. We hadn’t run into any problems so far though.
I quietly closed the car door, not recognizing our most recent parking area. Caroline looped her arm through mine and we started walking.
No sooner had we entered one of the main city streets than James and Nick froze. They made eye contact with us and I noticed we changed direction almost immediately. Caroline didn’t miss a beat, but simply kept rambling about something with Riley, who didn’t seem to mind the sudden shift either. But my eyes were trained on James.
He glanced at me once, then looked away suddenly, refocusing and avoiding my questioning stare.
We walked a bit further, but then turned, and started doubling back the way we came from. This time, the pace we were taking doubled in speed. Riley and I looked at each other, seemingly forgotten by the rest of them, aside from them tugging us along in tow.
“Um, guys?” I asked.
James stopped, glancing down towards his right foot and peering over his shoulder slightly.
“Well, at least I’ll be having some fun,” Nick said. Caroline left my side and was immediately replaced by James. He led me hurriedly away in the direction we had turned from moments ago. The others were right on our heels, and as I turned to see them, I realized so were two men. There were still lots of people around this area, and I wondered if anyone else could tell we were being chased.
We eventually began running, and although James and the others looked calm, I was starting to worry.
James finally yanked me back into a darker alley filled with trash receptacles and random debris, but thankfully, free from prying eyes.
The two burly strangers I spotted chasing after us also turned down the alley. Of course.
“Well, lookey here, Sven,” one man gruffly snorted.
“Yes, let’s look. I’m not quite sure what exactly I’m looking at,” Nick teased.
One of the men spat and I instinctively took a step back. James turned to me and smiled slightly, shaking his head as if I shouldn’t be worried.
Suddenly, the two men growled in unison before they began transforming in front of me. I looked in horror when they became two massive wolves. Sven raked his paw against the ground and the vampires casually stood taller, ready to attack and defend us.
“What the fuck?” Riley gasped.
James lunged towards the man, or wolf, that had just spoken while Nick grappled with the other. It was a short-lived battle. James and Nick backed each other, each taking a hit at the opposite wolf they started with before I heard two snaps and the wolves lay in an unnatural heap.
They slowly transformed back into their human bodies before the boys grabbed them and disappeared.
“What was that?” I asked Caroline, releasing the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Why were they following us?”
“We’re running out of time.” James stated, reappearing around the corner with Nick, and motioning the rest of us to follow him.
“We’ve been off the radar for a while now and the Protectors, along with Audrey’s wolves, are all wandering closer and closer, without realizing it. So far, we’ve been able to fend them off. Hence our little strolls and random travel routes,” James said, answering my question from before.
“Most of them have been like these idiots, surviving on dumb luck until they stumble upon us. We always know they are there though,” Nick added confidently.
“Yes, but they always seem to know something or have someone helping them, someone who has an idea of where we might be,” Caroline said, wearier than the boys were as she spoke.
“Who could possibly have known we would come here?” Riley asked.
“It’s not that far-fetched of an idea,” James answered. “If we were trying to find answers or a way to defeat Audrey, it would only make sense to come here. Even without Ingrid’s guidance. This is where the beginning was, and if there were any additional clues to the bloodline, this would be a good place to look. If the roles were reversed and I were tracking us, this would at least be on my list of potential places to search,” he said, once again, glancing my way to check on me.
“I’m fine,” I said. “There’s not much to worry about when I have you all with me,” I smiled at them, reassuring them that I wouldn’t freak out.
I was surprised we hadn’t seen anyone, or anything, since we disappeared here, but perhaps we saw more than I knew and the vampires managed to hide it from me.
We made our way back to the hotel and went our separate ways into our rooms upon our return, but before I could really settle in, there was a knock on my door.
Caroline poked her head inside. “Hungry?” she asked, holding a plate out in her hand.
I nodded eagerly and motioned for her to sit with me.
“How has exploring been for you? Seen anything interesting?” Caroline asked as I bit into the tuna wrap.
“Besides the random werewolf stalking today, you mean?” I asked, but then relaxed. She was just trying to help. “It’s amazing, Care. I would have loved to experience a day back then. Just to see what it was like.”
“You’re romanticizing a lot of it. Just imagine for a moment… no showers!” she cried out, dramatically throwing her hand over her forehead and falling onto the bed.
I grinned, “Oh, the horror!”
She flashed a smile and sat back up. “You might get your wish though. At least you’ll see what an evening of dancing was like back then.”
I raised my eyebrows at her as I chewed.
“There’s an annual charity ball that some group puts on each year at the castle. It just so happens to be taking place tomorrow night. I, being the amazing friend that I am, have convinced Hans and Frans that we could have a l
ittle fun by participating in the ball, and still end up getting our evening exploration in.” She wiggled her eyebrows, waiting for my response.
“A ball?” I choked on my food. “A real ball? Like poofy dresses, music, and real dancing?”
She clapped her hands at my excitement. “Yes! If you think I can stand one more day of this tedious monotony and checking all the rooms of the castle, you’re insane. Of course, I had to think of something. And that’s not even the best part. Wait until you see your dress!”
“My dress? You have it already? Oh, I’m going to love you forever.” I grabbed Care and squeezed her, thrilled at the thought of having something fun to do here.
“I know, I know. I’m the best friend in the world. We’ll look at it tomorrow because I think James might stake me if I keep you up and distracted much longer now.” She teased, taking my plate from me.
"Caroline," I stopped her before she left the room and she turned to me, her eyebrows rising expectantly. "Thank you for everything. Not for the dress, but for being there. For being here, with me."
Grinning, she shook her head. "Ariya, you're my family. There is nothing I've done that requires you to thank me."
She nodded, closing the door behind her. I snuggled down into the fantastically comfortable bed and drifted off to dream of ball gowns and formal dances.
"Ariya?"
Moaning softly as fingers brushed against my face, I thought, Oh, crap, that’s embarrassing. I blinked rapidly, overcome by his presence and the unexpected contact.
"Ariya, time to get ready to go," he said softly.
His voice was smooth and steady. I opened my eyes fully now, pretending I hadn’t just made an embarrassing, moaning noise at his simplest touch. The sun was setting, illuminating the room with an orange glow and silhouetting James as he sat on my bed. Oh, for heaven's sake! It was like constantly being on the set of a photo shoot around him! His hair seemed more disheveled lately and it teased the corners of his eyes. I wanted to reach out with my hands and brush my fingers through it.
I shifted my gaze, trying to ignore the uneasiness I felt. I had to restrain the urge to do something stupid. However, focusing on his blue eyes (with the tiny, black speckles) was also a mistake. My whole body responded when we made eye contact, jolting me into sitting up. I rubbed my eyes to provide a distraction.
"I'm up, I'm up." My voice was rough, and not nearly as smooth and perfect as James's voice was only moments before.
He got up to leave and let me have a private moment. I stretched and threw on some clothes, not wanting to be the last one to get ready, not again.
When we pulled up to the castle, Nick sped ahead of us as we approached the locked gates. He went around the side of the building, motioning for us to follow as we had done all the nights before this. We crouched, following him into a narrow passage. The only sound we heard in the dingy, damp passage were the scurrying, padding paws of countless mice. A maze of cobwebs soon had me ducking and weaving. I tried to ignore them too. After all, now was not the time for my girly squeamishness to show. Having been beaten by werewolves, kidnapped, and tortured, what harm could a mouse or spider do to me? Man up, Ariya! I mentally pep-talked myself.
We came out after a few tight turns in the passageway and were only a bit further down from the main doors. Splitting up again, James and I returned to the bedroom we had explored that morning.
"Climb over the rope, Ariya." He grinned, pointing at the rope I was allowed to cross now that it was after hours. An ear-splitting grin made my face beam as I did what he told me to.
I walked over, pulling out the chair to the vanity that had captured my attention earlier that day, and sat down. "Amazing," I whispered, touching the mirror and brush that lay undisturbed on it.
"This was one of the guest rooms. I doubt many people used it, to be honest," James said, touching the walls as he spoke. He was fully focused on the task at hand, still undistracted.
"Sorry," I said, jumping up. "What should I do to help you?"
His smile was only a small one, which curled one side of his mouth. "You're fine. Just feel around for ledges or any stones out of place. I think whatever it is will probably be well hidden, not something in plain sight."
I nodded, touching the stones on the opposite side from where James was. His senses were stronger than mine so I expected him to go over everything again with his own hands despite my measly, human efforts to help. He could detect something long before I could.
Oh, no, thinking about his hands was not a good idea! The last time his hands were running all over me was quite memorable…
"Ariya?" His voice snapped me out of my inappropriate thoughts.
"Sorry,” I said, realizing my heart was speeding up.
"Are you all right?" he questioned, frowning at me. My rapid heartbeat probably caused him to think I’d come across something of value, not because I was thinking about his sexual expertise.
"Yes, I'm fine," I responded, trying to flash a smile.
James and I slept together upon my return from Audrey’s. In a moment of passion, I begged him to bite me. He had my blood in his system now. As Caroline explained it to me, that meant if I got flustered or excited in any way, and my heartbeat or pulse increased, James, in turn, got … well, turned on. Knowing that my currently flustered heart was turning him on did not help me gain control of my wayward thoughts. I wondered how long the effect would actually last. It seemed like that was a lifetime ago.
James’s head jerked to the side and his brows furrowed as he looked towards the door to the room. I barely revealed my own frown before my back was suddenly pressed against the wall. James’s whole body was covering mine, protecting me.
He brought his finger up to my lips, silencing me. It wasn't as if I could have spoken anyway. Damn my previous thought process! I was already going into a tizzy from thinking about his warm, skillful hands on me! Now his whole body was pressed up against mine! I closed my eyes and shut them hard before reopening them again, hoping my deliberate action could banish my wayward thoughts far away.
James tilted his head, refusing to meet my eyes, trying to hear whatever was causing him to worry. We were hidden behind a wardrobe that was positioned in such a way that blocked both of us from any eyes on the visitor’s side of the rope. I couldn't hear a thing, so whatever was coming towards us, it couldn't have been too close. Unless it was purposely sneaking around. That thought was more than a little disturbing.
James didn't budge. In fact, after a few moments, he pressed harder against me. Holy hell. I could feel all of him and my body gave an involuntary shudder. His attention finally turned back to me.
"Don't be afraid," he cooed so softly into my ear that my knees wobbled at the intimacy.
I wasn’t afraid of anything except my ridiculous reaction to him in a situation that might very well become dangerous.
I finally heard the footsteps that he detected long before. A light that obviously came from a flashlight looped through the room quickly and I saw James lean his head back. I listened and watched as the light disappeared and the footsteps retreated. He turned back to face me this time, making eye contact, and not moving further away.
"Security guard," he whispered.
I stared at him, unwilling to move and silently began begging him to kiss me. I stayed in place, pushed up against the wall. His eyes hadn’t left mine yet. The electricity that seemed to have faded between us for several days had finally returned. That connection, our connection, was strong again as we stood, pressing up against each other in the darkened room.
Not thinking, I pushed myself harder into him and one of his hands came off the wall, landing on my waist. Not even a full second later, his lips crashed into mine. I threw my arms around his neck to let him know he didn’t misinterpret anything, and this was not only what I wanted, but also what I needed. My mouth fell open, welcoming his tender assault.
His hand trailed up my leg, causing me to moan embarrassingly for t
he second time today as his lips left mine and descended to my neck. I didn't care about the sound at this point, my body was too far gone and entirely in his control. His tongue flicked over my neck and I gasped.
He brought his face up to mine and silenced me with his lips as he dragged his hand seductively higher, slipping under my loose shorts and rising all the way up to my hip bone. He clenched his fingers around me. Oh, for heaven’s sake! When he grasped my hip bone, I was unable to think rationally.
He brought his other hand to my opposite leg and not only wrapped it around his body, but lifted me up higher until our hips were even in an easy, fluid motion. Then, he thrust his now obvious excitement against me.
I missed this! Gosh, I craved it so much and had no idea how I managed to function without it. He evoked such a passionate response in me, it felt… well, inhuman. He wasn't a human, maybe that's why. Even as I thought the words, I knew it wasn't true. It wasn't just him, but the two of us. We did this to each other. I gasped in a short breath of air as he moved his hips again, realizing I had forgotten to take one during the past few seconds.
My fingers raked through his hair, a motion I desperately wanted to do in the bedroom earlier this evening. I felt James pushing his hand onto my lower back, increasing the pressure at our hips and forcing another cry from my mouth.
With that, he instantly pulled away, causing me to fall off the perfect hips that had, only seconds before, been pressing into where I needed him most. His eyes were closed and he clenched his fist at his side.
"I'm sorry, Ariya. I didn't mean..."
"It's okay," I interrupted as I took a step towards him to offer him comfort, but when he looked up again, he truly seemed upset.
Sacrificed Page 2
