Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  Honest to God, she was driving me crazy with just that simple touch. No one had the ability to get me going with so little effort. I peeked at her between heavy lids.

  Her gaze rose to mine. “No one has faults as spectacular as mine.”

  I leaned closer, my lips hovering close to hers. I could actually detect flecks of gold in her blue eyes. “Then what does an imperfect Viking warrior maiden do all day?”

  “Watch people. It’s all I ever do.”

  The way she said it, the little catch in her voice, the sad tilt to her lips got me thinking. A vision of her staring out a window all day came to mind. The loneliness she tried to hide flickered briefly in her eyes and it broke my heart. I knew how she felt. We were two of a kind. “Experiencing death every night makes living difficult.”

  The air stalled in her throat. Her gaze turned intense. “Yes. It does. It can eat at your soul if you let it. I became an expert at removing myself from what I did. Killing is easy for me. It’s the living that gets harder.” She dropped her gaze for a split second and when she looked at me again, she smiled. “And then I saw you.”

  I’d known her for two days, but I felt a deeper connection to her than any other woman I’d ever met. I didn’t even realize how close I’d pulled her toward me, like I needed to feel her against me, to convince myself she was real. It felt natural when I bent my head to kiss her, sweet and gently. I pulled away to find her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and darted her tongue over her lips. I waited, but she didn’t pull away. Encouraged, I kissed her again, deeper. Longer. My heart thudded so hard, I thought it would burst. My hand let go of the washcloth, and it dropped to the floor. I palmed her bottom and pulled her close. She moved even closer.

  We slid our lips across each others in a slow, torturous way, exploring and tasting and finding no fault. I pulled away, needing a moment to think, but she followed my retreat, capturing my lips and blowing my mind.

  The sound of her gasp as my hand brushed her side pulled me from the haze I’d fallen into. She was hurt, bleeding and I was making the moves on her. I put my forehead to hers and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. We are equal in this. I am willing,” she admitted, then shook her head, “but my body isn’t.” She ran her hand down my chest and sighed. “You are wonderfully made, like the finest work of the old masters.”

  She said the oddest stuff, but I liked it. “Chronologically speaking, I’m at my prime. Genetically speaking, I’m in the top percent of that pool.” I let go of her and held out my hands. “You don’t come in contact with this kind of awesomeness every day.”

  She laughed at my joke. “That must be what drew my eye to you. That and the way you protect people. I feel safe with you. I trust you.”

  Sophia had said the same thing to Beau. Damn. I wasn’t just falling in love with this woman, I was crashing headlong into her, fully aware and fully culpable. To get this woman, I would gladly walk on burning coals.

  Clearing my throat, I ran my fingers over one of the random, tiny braids in her thick hair and thought back to what she had said. “You saw me…all alone. What did you honestly think?”

  “I thought you were a man I needed to know. I couldn’t stop staring at you. I waited every day, hoping you’d pass by so I could see you. I know how you walk. How you breathe. How you wait patiently for the sun to go down and the vampires to emerge. You’re a warrior at heart. An angel to the helpless. You inspired me.”

  Something wasn’t right. “You saw all that and you didn’t once approach me. Why?”

  “I wanted to, badly, but I couldn’t. It was never safe.” She placed her fingertips on my lips and slowly traced them and a frown marred her forehead. “It still isn’t.”

  She began to pull away. I could just imagine her thinking of all the risks we both endured. Our lives weren’t made to be linked to someone else. I wouldn’t let her go and kissed her fingertips. “But were you dressed like that?” I teased, nodding at her armor lying on the floor. I imagined her in jeans and at simple T-shirt, and I liked it.

  She placed her kissed fingertips to her own lips, the frown still lingering. “Yes.”

  That startled me. “You wear your armor all day and night?” That made no sense. “Why? How did I not see you?”

  “I’m well hidden in the daytime. Only in the light of the moon do I come alive. I’m—”

  Beau’s signature ringtone Trouble Waiting sliced the air between us. I dug out my phone from my jean pocket and answered it.

  “Where are you? I’m sitting here, twiddling my thumbs waiting for you. That does not make me happy,” Beau snapped as I twirled one of Anara’s small pale braids around my finger.

  She bit her bottom lip and disengaged it from my hand and smoothed her hair, the first vain thing I’d ever seen her do. “Got waylaid, but I’m fine. Thanks for caring.”

  “Waylaid? What is that? A new code for hooking up?”

  “No,” I said, actually offended. Anara was not a hook up. A guy would be crazy to think she’d be okay with a back alley bang and bye.

  “Then get your ass over here or we’re going to lose this opportunity.”

  I ran my thumb over her cheekbone and smiled. “I can’t I—”

  “Now,” he yelled and clicked off.

  I rested my hand within the delicate crook of her neck and collarbone and sighed. My gaze landed on hers and she said, “Your brother sounds angry.”

  “He’s intense is all.” I shoved the phone back into my pocket and pulled away. “I’ve got to go. Can you stay here with the girls until I get back?”

  “When will that be?”

  There was a tight edge to her voice. I put it down to her not wanting to be cooped up in a strange house with two little girls she barely knew. “A couple hours…” I lied. I needed her to stay. “If the vamps are as focused on getting the girls as I think they are, it’s dangerous to leave them alone. I really do need you here.” Plus, I had a lot more questions to ask.

  “Of course I’ll stay.” She nodded and when she stepped back, she cringed, her hand flying to her side.

  I pushed her hand away. “Sorry. I should have fixed you up before, but I got distracted.” I sent her a glance that made her blush. I purposefully turned away so I wouldn’t again.

  As she unlaced the front enclosure of her leggings and peeled back the left side exposing the bottom portion of her wound, I got some gauze and surgical tape ready. The wound started low on her hip, and though shallow, it was obviously painful, like a paper cut stings until it’s able to knit together. The upper portion was deeper, but not dramatically so. After smearing the area with antibiotic cream, I folded the gauze into three layers and pressed it to the area before taping it down.

  As I washed my hands, I peeked at her using the mirror to see how she was doing. Her teeth nipped at her bottom lip like she was worried. I dried my hands and faced her. “What’s wrong?”

  She kept her gaze averted. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “All right.” I rubbed her arms and her eyes suddenly filled with unshed tears. I immediately stopped. “Am I hurting you?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s just...I promised you I’d tell you everything about me, and there is one thing that you may not believe.”

  “We kill vampires for a living. You’d be shocked at what I believe.”

  She licked her lips and blurted out, “I am a creature of the night. An immortal.”

  My hands tightened on her arms. “You’re not trying to tell me you’re some sort of hybrid vampire are you?”

  “No, of course not, but I live in the night just as they do, relegated to the darkness.”

  “I see.” I didn’t. “And you’re immortal.” It felt like another word for delusional. “I’ve recently come to the conclusion immortality isn’t what it used to be.”

  “You don’t believe me. I can see it in your eyes.”

  “That’s surprise you’re seeing.” Her immorta
lity wasn’t completely out of the question. She moved too fast. She was too strong. Too skilled. If what she claimed was true, it explained a lot, but I still wasn’t convinced. It was more likely she’d created a complex fantasy and was living her life on a dangerous edge. Knowing that, and it still didn’t affect my attraction toward her spoke volumes about me.

  My phone went off again. Beau wasn’t messing around. He wasn’t known for his patience and I’d extended it to the limit tonight. I pressed a button to ignore the call. “Can we talk about your…” I searched for what to call her predicament.

  “Immortality,” she added, her voice soft, her eyes hurt by my skepticism.

  “Yeah. That. Can we talk about it when I get back?”

  She nodded and pulled away.

  “Don’t.” I held onto her. “I don’t care if you’re the Queen of the Damned. You’re amazing.” I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. She attacked all my senses like no one ever had, and I seriously considered blowing off my brother to be with her.

  I finally pulled away and cupped her cheek. “Go look in on the girls. See that they’re safe. I’ll be back in no time.”

  It was official. I’d done exactly what my brother had always told me I’d do. I was falling for with a wholly inappropriate woman. And I didn’t give a damn. She fit me like no one else had. It was crazy. It was stupid. But that was love. It rarely made sense.

  Chapter Eight

  Anara

  The room lay in darkness, yet I could still see the girls’ bright blonde heads peeking out from the covers. I stood in a house—a man’s house—because of them, but Ryan wasn’t just any man. He was different, and the girls’ tragedy had forced me to reveal myself, something I never would’ve done. Compared to what had happened to them, I had no right to complain. Still, I wanted my secret back.

  Even though I hadn’t told Ryan the full truth, what I did say had unnerved him. He would hate me if he knew what I really was. I could tell. What man could love a woman made of stone? I’d seen the suspicion in his eyes. Immortal equaled evil. It always had. Even I wondered, with everything I’d done, if I’d crossed the line. Was I really as good as I wanted to believe? The urge to follow him and say it was all a joke nearly overcame me. I could tell him I was as normal as he was.

  But I wasn’t. Sooner or later, he’d find out. And when he did, how could I face the horror that would enter his eyes?

  The legend of the angel I’d built around me had kept me sane. Everyone understood an angel’s role. They were created to serve and then quietly leave. I’d been content. I’d found my calling. Protect the innocent and I’d been careful to keep to myself all these years…how could I have let one man ruin it all?

  He had dared me to love him by his mere presence. By walking under my nook for the past few years. By acting the hero. By being a man among men who no longer knew the meaning of the word. Every night, he risked his own life for others and didn’t beg for glory. After witnessing all that he’d done, after watching him year after year and seeing the man he had become, how could I not love him? It wasn’t fair.

  The curse that had been placed on me was vindictive. The lie telling me the mere touch of my hand would see a person dead had been malicious. But to have me find a man I could love after so many years of loneliness…that was the cruelest act of all. The moment he saw what I truly was, his horror would turn to hate and he would reject me. I put my hand over my chest, felt a heavy thud and sudden, sharp squeeze. My heart was already breaking.

  I started to cry, something I hadn’t done since I’d accepted the curse centuries ago. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks as I stood near the bed. I clutched my hands together and pressed them to my forehead, begging God for mercy. For a chance to be normal, but I knew in my heart of hearts, it wasn’t meant to be. A sound of misery escaped me and I bent at the waist, bowed under the weight of my life.

  A moment later, a small hand covered mine. “It’s okay,” Baby cooed, pulling my hands away from my face. Still holding my hands, she scooted over, and then patted the mattress beside her. I stretched out on the bed, a wretched excuse for a protector and cried. The sweet girl stroked my cheek and whispered how everything would be all right. “Morning makes everything better. You’ll see.”

  I could imagine her mother comforting her and my heart broke a little bit more. Who was I to feel miserable when these girls had lost everything…everyone? My crying turned to soft gasps and then to heavy breathing and beyond my understanding, my body fell into a deep sleep.

  I heard the giggles before I saw the girls.

  “Don’t undo her braids, Baby. They’re pretty just like they are.”

  “But I know she’d like her hair brushed. Mommy brushed her hair all the time.”

  A tense silence followed Baby’s mention of their mother. I should wake up, but I hadn’t allowed myself a good sleep since being placed in the nook at the church. I stretched and sighed, causing the girls to jump off the bed.

  “She’s waking up,” Baby gasped.

  I cracked my eyes open to see them standing at the foot of the bed, staring at me, hands clasped innocently in front of them. Looks were often deceptive. “What are you two magpies up to?”

  “Waiting for you,” Baby chimed and then scrambled onto the bed to kneel at the end. “I’ve had a bath.”

  “We both did,” Sage corrected her sister.

  They looked cleaner. “Humm,” I yawned, and looked them up and down, pausing on Baby. “Is that dirt on your nose?”

  Her hand shot to her nose and she tossed a disagreeable glance at her sister before saying past her fingers, “Sage, you left dirt on me.”

  The older girl rolled her eyes. “She’s just teasing you.”

  Baby glanced at me, and I grinned, pushed to my elbows and turned to Sage. “What time is it?” I rarely slept, and doing so threw off my inner clock.

  Sage shrugged. With all my attention on Sage, I barely noticed Baby moving. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her grasp the heavy blackout curtains that helped Ryan sleep during the day and yank them open. A shaft of bright morning sunlight streamed in.

  “No,” I cried. One of my wings appeared and sprang forward like a shield. I held out my hand straight in front of me, but it was too late. The rays hit me full in the face. White, blue-veined marble slowly replaced the flesh of my hand and swept up my arm. Stone hardened my face, stiffened my legs and stilled the breath trapped in my lungs. The bed creaked under my weight, threatening to break the frame as I slowly turned to marble.

  Baby’s eyes widened, and Sage ripped the curtains from her sister’s hand and pulled them shut, plunging the room back into darkness.

  “What happened?” Baby asked, her face showing her confusion.

  Sage tentatively stepped closer and placed her hand against my outstretched one. Awe filled her whisper, “She turned to stone.”

  A gasp sprang from Baby’s lips. “I turned our angel to stone?” She swayed as if someone had punched her in the stomach. She looked at her hands, then at the window and then at me. The next moment, her legs crumbled under her and she dropped to the floor. Her little chest began to rise and fall in quick succession. “I didn’t mean to.” She drew her knees to her chest, and sobbed the phrase over and over, begging me to turn back to flesh and blood.

  It’s okay. I’m fine, I wanted to say, but although I could see and hear them, I remained mute. I wouldn’t be free of the curse until the moon’s rays touched me.

  “Baby,” Sage groaned and shot her sister an annoyed glance. “Stop your crying and come look at how pretty she is.”

  The poor little thing only curled up tighter and shook her head. “I killed her, Sage. I don’t want to look.”

  Sage’s face scrunched up as she examined me. “I don’t think she’s dead.” She turned to her sister and said it louder.

  Baby uncurled herself, wiped at her tears and looked up. “H-how do you know?”

  “Think about it. She never came to us du
ring the day. She always came at night.”

  Baby pushed herself off the floor and hesitantly moved closer. “Anara?” Her big blue eyes blinked at my form. She climbed onto the bed and got so close, I could see tiny freckles splashed across her nose. Her hand rose, knuckles poised to tap, but hesitated. I couldn’t even guess what she was thinking. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the stone over my heart. “Are you in there?”

  Sage dove for her shoes. “I’m gonna go find Ryan.”

  Ryan wasn’t back yet? No! That was a horrible idea. Frustration at my inability to stop her welled up within me so strong, I felt like bursting apart. I desperately wanted to crawl out of my stone cocoon and block the door so she couldn’t leave.

  Baby must have had the same idea. She launched off the bed and grabbed her sister’s hand, forcing Sage to face her. “You can’t leave me alone. I’m six.”

  “And three quarters,” Sage reminded her. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t leave the room.”

  “But you don’t know where Ryan is. You’ll get lost.”

  “I won’t.” At Baby’s disbelieving look, she sighed and held out a handful of change. “I’ll take the bus to that park, the one with the turtle and bunny statues you like so much. I heard him and Anara talking about it when they thought we were asleep. If I can’t find him, I’ll come straight back here.”

  “Promise?” Baby held up her smallest finger.

  Sage hooked her tiny pinky around her sister’s even smaller one. “Promise. Don’t worry. Ryan will know what to do.”

  There’s nothing anyone can do, I wanted to tell them.

  Baby and I watched Sage leave. Saying I panicked was an understatement. Baby didn’t look like she was taking her sister’s decision much better. The poor thing paced the room, glancing my way and then at the door. Oh God. Please don’t let her follow her sister.

  She stopped in front of me and placed her hand against the cold stone of my hand. Curling her fingers around mine, she hauled herself onto the bed and drew close. Her big, blue eyes stared deeply into mine, searching. She brushed her fingers along my jaw, and then tilted her head just enough for her breath to warm my ear. “Sage thinks she’s big, but she’s not. I gotta go. You’ll be fine here.” She pulled away and smiled sadly at me. “We’ll be back with Ryan and everything will be better.”