by A. Vers
It took a lot of convincing, but I got them back to Morgan’s room before she passed out on me. And judging by the increased pallor of her skin, she was close. Once there, I had to use Morgan’s obvious distress as bait to get Ames distracted enough that I could leave. And as soon as I could, I made a beeline for the old truck and left school early.
I had no doubt that my absence would be noticed, but Dad needed to know they were bringing in the big guns.
We could take on a lot of creatures with the firepower we had. But a Hallow?
I parked the old truck in front of the squad house, ignored Stucky, and sprinted for the basement.
The washed out lighting made everyone look like bleached versions of themselves as I burst into the conference room.
There was a hand drawn map of Lokworth on the pushed together tables, and enough firepower to supply a small army.
Dad glowered. Which seemed to be his usual expression as of late. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“There was another death.”
Everyone started talking, and the buzz from so many voices left blood pounding in my ears. He raised a hand, and they settled down.
“A human?” he demanded.
I nodded. “Another senior. This one near the main entrance.”
“I knew we should have struck during the night,” Mikas snapped, and his bushy beard wobbled with every word.
Dad shook his head. “There was not enough time to mobilize everyone so fast.” His gaze remained on me. “What else do you know?”
I pulled the slightly wadded bit of gauze from my pocket and tossed it on the map. “Definitely a vampire. Male. Big too judging by the distance of the fangs.”
They pooled around the small bit of white, taking in the marks in the center.
“Word through Thomas and Rhett is that the human officials are considering closing Lokworth permanently,” I added quickly. “But we have bigger problems now.”
Aunt Joe pushed from the rear of the group. “How big?”
“The board is calling in someone to catch the killer.”
“A hunter?” Aunt Joe breathed.
“Seems that way,” I said. “From what I can tell, they aren’t the only ones. The supes are calling in reinforcements too.”
Dad scoffed in obvious skepticism. “What could they possibly use to catch one of their own?” he asked.
“A Hallow,” I said.
He stared blankly then laughed. “One of their fabled assassins?” Some of the others joined him. “An assassin for a teenage killer? They can’t be serious?”
I glared.
I had hoped he would take this a bit more serious. From Morgan and Ames’ expressions alone, I knew this was big. Couple that with the humans calling in a hunter? It would be an epic showdown from both sides.
“The Hallows are trained from birth to kill their kind. What happens when the Hallow meets the hunter the humans are calling in?”
Dad’s easy smile faded. But it had never quite reached his eyes to begin with. “You’re forgetting something, son,” he started. “We are the only hunters in a tri-county radius. So the humans will have to turn to us. I’m fairly confident in our squad.” The others jeered. He raised a hand again. “And if the supes call in one of their infamous Hallows, we will be waiting.”
All around the room, the others nodded and squared their shoulders.
Dad walked around the table before he drew up before me. He clapped one hand on my shoulder and squeezed hard. I never broke his stare. “The question is, boy, are you fighting with us? Or against us?”
Behind him, the others continued to watch us, and I knew there was only one answer I could give. Even if I was no longer sure it was right.
“With you, sir,” I said, as my heart gave an unconvinced skip. “Always with you.”
Chapter 23
Morgan
I awoke sometime around mid-morning with a strong, cool weight against my back. The windowless room was black with only a narrow bar of light streaming in beneath the door.
“Do you always wake up this early?” Ames’ voice was a warm breath of air on my exposed neck. He nuzzled my hair and the hard bar of his arm tightened around my waist. “Class is hours away, Mor.”
My heart galloped. “Ames?”
He exhaled, the sound languid and masculine. “Hmm?”
“Why are you in my bed?”
His chuckle vibrated my spine, making gooseflesh flow over my body in a rush. “You passed out against my shoulder after the human left. I couldn’t just leave you.”
I slowly extricated myself from his arms. He let me go, but even without light to see by I could sense his reluctance.
He rolled onto his back, pillowing his head on my pillow and one strong arm. Thankfully, he was fully dressed. Sans shoes.
I doubted he would press an advantage. Every girl he bit went willingly into his arms or not at all. But, in my already addled state, I knew I would be hard pressed to tell him no.
His gold eyes glinted. “Don’t frown so, Mor. Nothing happened. We slept. That’s all.”
My lips curved. “I know.”
He arched a brow.
I leaned back down and kissed the silken curve of his cheek. “You are a gentleman in every sense of the word, Ames.” When I pulled back, his gaze was luminous, spinning softly with bloodlust and fire.
One long hand came up and slipped along my throat, cradling the back of my head. Every motion was predatory. Animalistic in its grace. And fast.
He rose on his elbow. “You call me a gentleman and then tease me so.” His words were light. Joking. But his focus was on my lips.
I licked them without thought, my mouth going dry. “Ames …”
He moved.
His lips pressed against the corner of mine, soft. Waiting. I gasped. He started to pull away, to give me a moment. Or maybe time to tell him no.
I dove for him, my lips fitting to his easily. He made a sound of surprise, one that quickly melted into a groan as his body flexed and rose to meet mine.
Ames was not small. He was a large male. Even for a vampire. At over six-five, he was lean, muscular, and built with grace.
He wrapped one arm around my waist, the other holding the base of my head. He whisked me back to the mattress and pressed me gingerly into the thin pad. He did not crowd my frame. But his body heat blanketed mine, warming and cooling me in a dizzying mix.
Every press of his lips was patient. Soft. He worshipped me in those moments, giving me all of his focus, and every bit of his skill.
When his mouth left mine, stars shimmered at the edge of the room and the desire I felt was breathtaking. I closed my eyes, body following his without thought, word, or direction. He kissed his way along my jaw and down to my throat.
There he hesitated, his body tightening against mine. I knew what he wanted. What he needed.
As a full-blood, he had to feed more than even the transitioning.
I ran my hand along his back until I found the soft tendrils of his hair. They were like strands of silk between my fingers. I gripped them gently and urged him. “Take what you have given me.” The phrase was archaic, and it came from somewhere deep within me.
Still, he hesitated.
“Ames.”
He shivered. “I fear this,” he whispered in the dark. “More than all the days I have watched you hurt. I fear the pain I could cause you too.”
Something in my chest swelled and burst.
That was why he never pressed the issue.
A vampire’s bite was like roulette to the donor. It could be blissful, like a drug, or painful like ripping off your flesh. If the bite was enjoyable, the donor was a good match. If not, they would never feed the vampire again.
And for a betrothed pairing, we had to be a match.
I stroked his head and neck, massaging his skin. “We won’t know if we don’t try,” I said as sure as I could. But the words tasted of ash.
If we did not match ...
He seemed to sense my hesitation, or maybe it was his own. His arms found me and gave a hard squeeze. I gasped at the power in his frame.
And just like that, his weight was gone.
I laid on the bed, mind whirring with the change. He had not left completely, his irises glowed from across the room.
I sat up on my elbows. “Ames?”
“I’m fine.”
I knew better, but I did not press him. “Would you like to sleep?” His eyes raised and met mine. He could see me perfectly, even in the near complete dark. “I do not remember a time I slept as well as I did with you holding me.”
He remained across the room.
I shifted and tried not to let my face fall. “But I understand if it is too hard for you to be near me so soon—”
He scoffed and started walking back to me. “Shut up, Mor, and lay down.”
My lips curved, but I did as he said, leaving enough room for him to climb in with me.
He crawled up the bed and collapsed on his back. One long arm looped around me, pulling me over until I was pillowed on the widespread swell of his chest. My hand found the hard curve of muscle above his heart and I rested my palm there, listening and feeling the rhythm. He bent his head and nuzzled my hair.
“This is easy,” he muttered into the quiet. “I could do this forever.”
I giggled and threw my leg over his. “I feel like I’m laying with a tree.”
He laughed, making me raise my head and stare at him in surprise. It was a rare thing for him to laugh so freely. And the deep roll of sound was glorious.
I only wished I could see his face.
He palmed my head again and leaned up, kissing me as he chuckled. The world swam. When he pulled back, nuzzling my nose, I sighed.
“I take it back,” he said against my lips. “I could do this forever.”
I swatted him lightly.
He settled back, pulling me with him as one hand idly stroked my arm and the other clenched around my hip.
We stayed that way for a long time. The tension was not uncomfortable. Or awkward. But my body sung in a strange tune.
“Why do I still feel so awake?” I asked, knowing he was staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
“Do you?”
I nodded, rubbing my face on his chest.
He growled. “Stop that.”
I grinned but went still.
“You’re awake for the same reason I am,” he muttered. “Physically, there is enough chemistry between us to burn down a house.”
That made me frown. “So … This is desire?”
He went rigid. “What do you mean?”
“I knew my body was hot for a reason, but I’ve never felt this before.” I shrugged.
His heartbeat went erratic under my hand. “Mor? Are you a virgin?”
My face flamed in the gloom, and I pulled back. Or tried to, but his grip on me tightened. “Let go, Ames.”
“Answer the question.”
It was my turn to growl. “Yes, okay?”
He swore and extricated himself from my arms and then the bed. His long body began to pace. “No damn wonder.”
I sat up, staring at him. “Ames.”
He whirled. “How are you still a virgin, Mor? How? With how you—And the way you—Dammit.”
I glared at him and knew he could see it. “I have had little inclination to change it,” I spat. “And you were supposed to be my husband, remember? Who else would I take to bed? Roman? The human?”
He stopped pacing. “When we came to Lokworth, it was your chance to be normal, Mor. To be a teenager. To try things. I never wanted to tie you down out of a sense of requirement. Of duty. I wanted you to want me.” His hands slapped his chest. “But if you’ve never even kissed someone else, are you responding to me as your first? Or because you really want me?”
His words made no sense. “I want you, Ames.”
He laughed, but it was no longer the beautiful sound from before. This was colder, angry. But something told me it wasn’t directed at me. “You think you do because you’ve had nothing else. Anyone else.”
“And you?” I said, coming to my feet at last. “Do you want me out of requirement?”
His eyes flashed. “I’ve wanted you for years, Mor. I know who you are to me because no one has ever been able to make me forget you.” That rocked me back. “But I won’t take you unless you are sure you feel the same. Betrothed or not, I won’t be with you only as a sense of duty. I want you to love me as much as I know I can love you.”
My jaw wobbled and my eyes burned.
Did he love me? Ames?
The male born to protect me and care for me above all others? The one constant since they forced me from home? The only piece of my past that remained with me?
Could he love me? After everything?
“What do I do, Ames?” I asked in a whisper, voice quivering as much as my mouth. “How do I ignore the only rules I have left?”
I didn’t need light to know his jaw hardened. “Rules?” He made a sound. “You still act like we are confined by any of that here, Morgan. You’re eighteen. You can make your own damn rules.”
He started toward the door.
I lunged and grabbed him by the arm. “Ames. Don’t go.”
He pulled out of my grip easily. “You need to think about this, Morgan. Long and hard. Think about why you feel how you do for me. Because I won’t be a rule for you. A requirement. Either you want me for me—no title, no alliance, no sense of responsibility to your damn parents ... Or you don’t.” He grabbed the door and stalked out, slamming the panel loudly and with finality behind him.
Chapter 24
Morgan
My eyes remained glued to the closed door. It was hours before class. I knew sleep would not come again. Just as I knew there was nothing to do but go to the rec room and endure more accusing stares. Or maybe hide in the attic.
But none of that seemed like a good way to make me forget any of this.
I wasn’t mad at Ames. He was right. And that was why I was mad at me. I was still acting like the girl my parents groomed me to be.
After nearly five years away from them, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. No dreams. No aspirations.
I had been planning on returning to the colony when I finished school. On marrying Ames and living my life as a dignitary. Attending balls, banquets, and whatever else mother did.
But did I even want any of that?
There were no other goals. No dreams. When I pictured my life five, ten years from now, I drew a blank.
I glanced down at my creased uniform. It was hard to see it in the dark, even with my heightened senses. But I knew the pattern of the plaid. I knew the blue, black, and purple of Lokworth’s colors fit my skin tone and brought out the lilac in my irises. I knew the blouse was stiff, and not the silk gowns I grew up wearing.
What else was there though?
I pressed my face into my hands.
It was stupid. There were bigger worries. Dying humans, Lokworth could be closing, and now the humans could send hunters after us all.
And yet … That wasn’t what was bothering me.
No. I hated the distance now between Ames and myself. After so long, we had made progress. And I should want that, right? But did I only want it because he was supposed to be mine?
Was he right? Was I still trying to abide my parents?
Lifting my head, I gazed around at the shadowed room.
I had nothing from home. No memories or photos. Keepsakes or letters. I could not remember the last time I even spoke to my parents. Even the dress I had worn here was long gone. Outgrown.
Had I ever even worn a pair of jeans? Had I ever done anything rebellious? Stayed out late? Did things most teens got in trouble for?
Been human?
My eyes tracked around the room to the narrow closet. I walked over, slung open the door, and felt along the hangers. My fingers closed over a stiffly padded garm
ent bag and I pulled it free.
Though my heart beat wildly, I knew what I wanted to do. What I needed to do.
So, closing my eyes, I shucked my clothes, unzipped the bag, and dressed before leaving the room.
***
The city of Easthaven was bright with the early afternoon light. It had taken little effort to get out of Lokworth, and the sprint into town had not left me over tired despite the heat.
The clothes Riki had given me a year ago were odd, but not uncomfortable. And they seemed suited for the populace. I strolled down the sidewalks with the humans, taking in the storefronts and their casual banter. No one screamed or ran. In fact, most of them ignored me like I wasn’t even there.
Outside of a small diner, a mouthwatering fragrance wafted out on a current of steam as a group of teenagers left for their cars. I inhaled. The smell was delightful, though I had no name for it.
So I climbed the steps and entered the red and white restaurant.
Soft music poured from speakers far in the corners of the room. Teens and adults sat at the low bar and in tables and booths. Tall, frosty glasses of some vibrant cream sat before them with straws like happy darts out of the top.
A kind looking woman in an apron approached, booklet in hand. “Just you, dear?”
I looked around. “Umm …”
“Do you want a table or would you like to eat at the bar?” she continued, checking something on the podium beside her.
“A table,” I stammered.
She beamed. “I don’t blame you. The bar is crowded today.” She gestured for me to follow her and we skirted the room.
Plates of all kinds of food littered the tabletops. Things I was familiar with, like steaks, salads, bacon and eggs. But there were also strange red-colored cakes and what looked like a moldy green pie.
My lips pursed.
How did they serve spoiled food?
We passed a table of teenagers as they chatted amicably about some sport or other. Several of the males looked up, eyes wide. “Whoa,” one called, clamoring from the booth to follow me. “Did you just move to town or am I envisioning an angel from heaven?”
I blinked but kept walking. “Pardon?”
