Devour

by Shelly Crane

  Hatch laughed and looked Eli over closely.

  “I heard you were in the capitol.”

  “I was,” Eli replied, “but country bumpkins suit me.”

  Another round of laughter that had Angelina’s veins becoming bold in her arms and wrists.

  “He had her here and they are bloody bonded! I saw it with my own eyes!”

  “Eli’s right. If they were bonded, there would be a string,” Hatch said smoothly.

  “But you can pull back the string,” she rebutted. “You can hide it.”

  “From what I hear it’s agonizing. Are you in agony, Eli?” Hatch asked slyly.

  “Yes, but not from a bond. From red heads with too much time on their hands.”

  Hatch came forward then and clapped Eli on the shoulder before saying, “Besides, I think Eli is too smart to let something so stupid happen to him. Keeping our mate unhappily satisfied is the whole point, right? Gratitude in painful pleasure and all that?”

  Eli stayed silent. Angelina puffed her ragged breaths into the air between them. I was so focused on the string I barely felt the cold. It pressed harder every time I thought about it. I felt a thud against my chest that resounded down my arm and realized I was about to be losing my battle with it. It wanted Eli as much as I did.

  “Me, of course,” Hatch continued and made his way around Eli to Angelina’s side, “I prefer a different treat every night. I’m not the mating type but to each his own.”

  “Until it comes to bonding,” Angelina spouted.

  “Yes,” he drawled, “until it comes to bonding. I’m doing our race a favor by getting rid of the traitors who threaten to pollute our young with human blood.”

  Pollute with human blood? Devourers and humans could have children? The string yanked in my chest and I actually fell forward to the ground with the force. Luckily, I landed in dirt, not crunchy leaves, and my fall was silent. I glanced back up and held a hand to my chest as if that would help.

  Eli visibly looked shaken for a second. He gripped his chest and grit his teeth prompting Hatch to ask, “Something wrong?”

  “No. I’m just ready to be done with this,” he answered steadily.

  “As am I. Angelina, I see no cause for your summons of the Horde. We are busy people, what with dealing with humans who find out about us, the few and far between traitors, the ones who wish to change our ways. I resent this waste of my time.”

  “But, Hatch,” she yelled and stepped forward a little, “they are bonded. They’re…hiding it somehow.”

  “I see no evidence to that and I don’t take lives lightly. If he was bonded with a feeler and can hide is this well, then kudos to him.” He moved forward and trailed a finger down her arm. “As for you however, I say we have more to discuss. Bring her,” he snapped to someone and she was snatched into big arms. They carried her off as she screamed and bucked against them but they held steady. Hatch started to follow them but stopped. “I’d leave this town, Elijah. It’s never good to stay in one place for too long.”

  “I’ve been thinking that myself,” Eli answered easily and crossed his arms. “See you around, Hatch.”

  “Yeah…around.”

  And then he too moved towards his men at a pace that was swift and too quick to be normal. As soon as they were gone, I waited. I knew Eli was making sure they were gone. I counted the seconds…1…2…3...4…5…6…7. The bond jerked and this time, I couldn’t contain my grunt. It hurt. I looked up to Eli at the exact second that his resolve ended…or maybe it was mine.

  He came careening toward me through the air, upright but his feet were dragging the ground. He tried to stop, slow down, something, but even as he swatted limbs away from him, he plowed into me and we toppled to the ground. The bond wound itself around his wrist and I felt almost as if my insides sighed.

  “Oh, Clara, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop,” he pleaded and raked my hair back from my face. “Are you alright?”

  “I am now,” I answered truthfully.

  “I’m so sorry,“ he said vehemently and kissed my forehead. “I hate that you had to go through that, but it was the only way to keep you safe.”

  “It’s ok. I see now. That Hatch guy isn’t a fan.”

  “No,” he agreed and once again his hand moved across my face and neck, my arm, my stomach and side. “You’re alright? Did it hurt?”

  “Not at first. But the longer we held out the worst it was.”

  “That was incredible,” he told me, the awe evident in his voice. “The stories of this kind of thing are skewed and fairy taled but I’ve never heard of a bond being held back that long.”

  “Well, I’m not a normal human. Or should I say feeler.”

  “Don’t say that word,” he said. “I’ve always hated it and I wanted to punch every person out there that said it about you.”

  I touched his cheek, my middle finger rubbing across his eyebrow ring. He closed his eyes and exhaled. I felt his whole body relax from its tense position. I felt his weight on me as he let me help to relax him. The ground beneath was surprisingly comfortable, though cold, and I continued to reassure him with my touch for a few more moments before he lifted his head once more.

  “I’m so glad you’re ok,” he said but the words barely made a sound. “I was aching with worry for you, thinking the bond was hurting you. I thought that was better than death, though.”

  “It’s ok now. It’s over,” I assured but thought. “Isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid to think so.” His nose was almost touching mine as he gazed down at me. “I’ll keep watch outside your house tonight, just to be sure.” He let his thumb run the length of my eyebrow and then down my cheek. “Clara, we have a lot of things to talk about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like whether it’s safe to stay here now.”

  “I can’t leave at the end of Senior year,” I said.

  “Will it even matter if you’re not alive to enjoy it?” he countered.

  “Ok, point taken. But for the record, I want to stay here until then.”

  “We’ll talk about it later.”

  I nodded and rubbed his shirt front but didn’t let my fingers press into his skin just in case. I let my fingers almost skim the length of his arm to his wrist.

  “How’s this doing?”

  “All better,” he said low and rumbling. “I just needed you.”

  I pulled him down by his collar and kissed him gratefully. He was alive, I was alive, we’d made it through whoever those guys were, his evil twin, me binding myself to him and his crazy stalker semi-ex. It had been quite a night. I felt his knees lift until he was kneeling over me but he didn’t leave me. He put an arm under my back and lifted me to be closer to him.

  His warmth and the warmth my body was creating on its own from being completely affected by him was enough to make me comfortable again. He eased away gently and sighed against my skin. Then he kissed my forehead and put a hand out to steady himself, but he jerked back with a hiss.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Thorns.”

  I took his hand and looked at it. A thorn had pricked his thumb, barely, big baby. I smiled and without even thinking, put it in my mouth to make it feel better. What in the world made me do that? He watched me, enthralled by my actions, and sucked in a breath as I ran my tongue along his skin. I released him and then kissed it. He looked at it and then back to me. The look on his face was hard to decipher. Was he grossed out? Was he perplexed by my human behavior and need to comfort?

  “Stop,” he whispered. “I don’t ever want to feel your insecurity around me again.” He pushed me back down to the ground and followed me on his knees like before. “I’m fascinated by you, that’s all. You’re unlike any human I’ve ever come across before. The things you say and do…the way you react to things… It’s all I can do to keep up with you. I think you are going to be very entertaining in the days to come.”

  “Hey,” I muttered.

  He smiled that s
mirk that made me first wonder how I was ever going to resist him. And now I didn’t have to. He pulled me up again, just like before, and his mouth found mine easily. He held me so effortlessly and didn’t need my help but I gripped his arms anyway just to feel him real and there under my fingertips.

  We heard a grunt and froze, his lips still on mine. We waited for another noise, another clue. Then we heard it again and Eli put a finger to my lips to remind me to stay quiet. I nodded as he raised himself up to stand. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed before pulling me up with him.

  “My idiotic brother is awake. We better scram before he remembers what happened and takes it out on us,” he said, but he laughed as he pulled me along, easing my fears.

  Fifteen

  Eli took me to his house first. Luckily, somehow, it wasn’t past my curfew yet and we were good on time. He said he wanted to clean both of us up before taking me home.

  He opened the door and I took a good look around as he ushered me in. It looked the same as before, plain and old fashioned. He took my hand and pulled me through the house, right passed that bird. I swear its eyes followed us across the room.

  “What’s up with the bird?”

  “I told you, it’s a nasty vile creature. I hate that bird,” he explained as he opened a door to a long line down of dark stairs. “My room.”

  “So,” I asked as I braved the stairs ahead of him, “if you hate the bird so much, why do you keep it?”

  “It’s immortal,” he sneered as if that idea upset him.

  “What?” I asked and turned on the stairs to look at him. He grabbed a pull string above his head and the area around us illuminated. You’d think a basement would be dank and dusty but it looked just like any other room, but huge. The walls were black stucco and the floor was white tile. It was so clean I was afraid to walk on it. A huge wooden post bed sat in the middle of the room against the wall. The room was freakishly sterile and organized, as if no one lived there at all. The bed was smooth and clean like a hotel bed-make job. I looked at him and quirked a brow.

  “What?” he asked smoothly as his eyes followed me from his perch on the back wall.

  “Anal much?”

  He laughed that delicious deep chuckle that gave me goose bumps just hearing it…letting alone feeling it rumble as he was suddenly at my back.

  “I have to say, I like you in my room.”

  I turned to him slowly and peeked up at him, fully expecting a Tate face; open mouth, droopy passion induced eyes and a tight neck from strain because he could never seem to control himself. I wondered if I should regret coming down to his room. Would he think it was an invitation? But as my eyes found his, I saw that he was himself. His lips held a smile, but it wasn’t cocky or flirty. It was sweet. He really just liked the idea of me in his space. And given by the apparent lack of guests, I couldn’t say I blamed him.

  “Me too,” I answered and smiled back. “Are you going to keep staying here?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Um, maybe because the Horde and your evil-ex know where you live?” I spouted sarcastically and fisted my hands to my hips.

  “She is not my ex,” he said smartly.

  “Whatever, you know what I mean.”

  “Uhuh, I do. That you are particularly intriguing when you’re jealous.”

  “Well, it’s a little disconcerting…the whole a goddess-wants-my-boyfriend thing.”

  He laughed again and hooked his fingers in my front pockets to pull me to him.

  “You are one cute human.” He tipped my chin with a crooked finger. “Did you not see the whole me-choosing-you-over-her thing,” he said mockingly.

  I tried to scowl, tried to frown, bit my lip to stop the smile but it won, hands down.

  “Yeah, that was pretty sweet,” I agreed.

  “Yeah. Now, let’s get you a clean shirt and get you home before I have to add ‘Pastor’ to my list of growing enemies.”

  “Why does the Horde care if we’re together?” I asked as I took my shirt off when his back was turned to rummage through his dresser drawers. I held my shirt over my front. He turned and stumbled a little at seeing me that way but held the shirt out as he turned back around.

  I accepted the t-shirt he gave me and hoped that no one noticed my shirt was different at home.

  “Well,” he cleared his throat, “what he said about polluting our race, he believes that. The Horde does. They are a group who takes matters into their own hands and places those of us that they deem a traitor into custody. And they kill humans who interfere with our kind or find out about us.”

  “So, they’re like your council or police or something?” I asked as I pulled the shirt over my head and smoothed the front. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I smirked as he went on.

  “No, not at all. We have no government, no council, no regulations, no laws. That would defeat the whole purpose in their eyes, though the hypocrisy is almost funny.” He turned his profile towards me. “Can I turn around now?”

  “Yes, I’m decent. As decent as I can be wearing super hero turtles from the 90’s.”

  He looked me over and smiled wistfully as he said, “I love that shirt.”

  “I’ll make sure you get it back.”

  “No problem. You’ll be with me anyway won’t you? I’ll just take it back if I want it.” He pulled me by my hands and sat me on the bed. “Now, see, they think mating is acceptable because, as I said, it’s all about control. They’ve never accepted nor understood a bonding and I’ve never personally met anyone who has been. But I knew it would be trouble, I just assumed we’d lay low and then avoid my kind at all cost. But Enoch and Angelina couldn’t make things easy for us, could they?” he spat angrily and clenched his fists on the bed between us. I covered my hand with his, smoothing the angry blue veins.

  I waited for him to say something. I didn’t try to soothe him with empty words.

  He continued, “We’re going to have to do a lot of pretending. A lot of…lying. A lot of trying to avoid my kind.”

  “Are they going to be coming after us or something?”

  “I don’t know if the Horde bought it or not. They’re very manipulative and sneaky. They may have just been playing us, but they took Angelina so…I don’t know. I just know that I can’t leave you alone. Not yet.”

  “Eli,” I countered, “you can’t just sit outside my house every night, all night.”

  “Of course I can, CB,” he replied almost smugly. “You can’t stop me, so don’t even try. I know I can’t come in, but I can at least watch out for you while you sleep.”

  “But you’ll be…bored. You’ll get tired of me pretty quick that way,” I grumbled.

  He scooted closer and put a hand around the front of my neck, using his thumb to tip up my chin as he said, “Have I not made my feelings for you clear?”

  “Yes, but-“

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is more important than you. Besides,” he pulled me closer and put an arm around my shoulder, “I like the night. It’s quiet. It’s easy to deal with. I’ve lived a very fast paced and reckless life and to be able to just sit and enjoy peace is a gift all its own. And sitting outside your window, knowing you’re safe inside, is just icing.”

  “Ok,” I conceded, “if you must. But I don’t want you putting yourself in danger either.”

  He nodded and chuckled a little.

  “Ok, CB. You got it.”

  “So tell me about the bird. It’s immortal?” I asked, continuing my earlier question.

  He shifted uncomfortably, pulling his arm from me and leaning his elbows on his knees. He fingered the barbed string on his wrist and avoided my gaze. I thought, that couldn’t be good. I leaned forward too and asked him the silent question with my eyes. He sighed and finally looked up to see me.

  “It’s Angelina’s bird.”

  “What?” I asked and sat up.

  “It’s Ange-“

  “I heard you!” I almost yelled and he looked away
again. I felt suddenly hysterical. Why would he have her bird if nothing went on and why wouldn’t he have told me about it? “Why do you have her bird?” I tried for calm.

  “She abandoned it on one of her escapades to come and get me. She’s had that blasted bird for as long as I can remember. I’ve always hated it. She taught it to say all kinds of stupid things.” He looked back to me. “I know you think it proves me guilty of lying to you, but I haven’t. She left it, I don’t know why, but she did and I couldn’t just leave it there too. Number one, it’s immortal as I said and number two, as badly as I don’t like the thing, it’s an animal. It doesn’t have to eat to survive but it feels hunger and it was cruel to leave it there in that cave in California for all eternity, hungry and alone. Besides if a human had found it there’s no telling what they would’ve done with it.”