A Kiss For You

by Rachel Van Dyken

  Once I was through the door, I looked around.

  It was magnificent.

  The floor was a dark black marble; the walls had sconces that I'm sure at one point had held torches — before electricity.

  Two large doors stood in my way. I could feel the power on the other side; the room practically sang with it.

  "Do not speak," the man on my right said. Finally, I glanced up and closed my mouth immediately.

  What would a perfectly healthy twenty-five-year-old say to someone who had no eyes? Only dark spots where eyes once were?

  Not to mention, his mouth wasn't moving, yet he was speaking.

  I knew what he was.

  "Fear isn't welcome here." He spoke again, this time rubbing my back as if to comfort me. But his mouth still didn't move. Regardless of the knowledge in my head about this type of creature, I was still having trouble breathing.

  This was really happening.

  My number had been called.

  I was at the ceremony.

  My life was going to change forever.

  To run away would mean death.

  To take a few more steps — well, it meant the same thing. Especially if I didn't please them.

  I tugged at my sweater, my palms sweating.

  "You look lovely, just remember. No fear. You are nothing. You are everything. You are simply… you." He nodded again and the two oak doors opened.

  A gasp escaped between my lips before I could stop it.

  "They have that effect on everything," he whispered.

  And then the lights brightened.

  All the schooling in the world couldn't have prepared me for what I saw. All the pictures, all the movies, all the preparation.

  And suddenly, I wanted very much to fall to my knees and cry.

  Genesis

  "Go on," the man urged.

  I took another step forward.

  And suddenly he was gone. The doors shut behind me. I was completely and utterly alone.

  Facing them.

  Was I allowed to look directly at them? Was I supposed to speak? I had no idea what the protocol was, only that if I broke it, I wouldn't even feel pain before they sliced me up and tossed my parts back to where I'd come from.

  I held my head high and waited, all the while repeating the same mantra in my head. ”I'm nothing, I'm nothing. I'm everything."

  "Genesis." A smooth voice called my name. It was so beautiful on his lips I wanted to cry again, and I'd never thought myself an overly emotional person, one of the only things my mom had applauded me for.

  Slowly, I turned to the left. A man dressed in dark jeans and a white T-shirt stood from a silver throne. His hair was impossibly light, almost white, his eyes a glowing blue.

  He was smiling.

  It looked painful on him.

  Only because it was so beautiful.

  "Fear isn't welcome here." He repeated the same thing the first man had said.

  "Apologies… sir." Or was it my lord? I couldn't remember and hoped it wouldn't be the last thing I uttered. How bad would that suck? Not that I'd be alive to actually care.

  "Ah…" A blindingly white smile flashed in my direction as heat from his body flew at me in waves, nearly sending me to my knees. From my fingers all the way down to my toes, I wanted to touch him. I wanted to taste him. It was more than just being near him — I wanted everything about him to consume me until I wasn't even me anymore.

  Don't you though? His voice sounded in my mind.

  I blinked, trying to stay strong as the pieces fell together. He was a male siren, someone so sensual, so strong in his sexuality that he couldn't help but give off pheromones by merely breathing. Our books hadn't mentioned male sirens, but I couldn't imagine him being anything but that. He was too perfect, too strong, too warm. My body hummed with awareness.

  "Beautiful, isn't she?" he said, the waves getting hotter and hotter, making me want to whimper aloud. I wanted to touch him, any part of him, even his feet. How stupid was that? I would literally sell my soul if I could touch his big toe.

  He threw his head back and laughed. "This should be fun."

  "Alex, stop it," a woman said to his right. "She's shaking."

  "So am I." He winked.

  Something flew by his head, barely missing his chin.

  "Damn it, Stephanie, let me have my fun."

  "You have fun," the woman rolled her eyes, "every day. Now sit down before you give her a heart attack."

  Alex sat, the waves slowly dissipated, and I was able to focus on the woman next to him. They could have been twins, except she wasn't just beautiful, but absolutely flawless — her eyes were the same bright blue, and she was wearing one of the dresses I'd seen at Nordstrom the week before… the price tag had been too high, and I'd been convinced that even if I'd put it on, it would look dumpy on me.

  Because my mother's voice chimed in my head, "You are nothing."

  I clenched my fists tighter and managed a head nod in her direction.

  When my eyes fell to the third person in the room, I took a step back.

  "Fear is not welcome here," the man barked, his eyes black and cold.

  "Right," I whispered. "I'm — I'm sorry."

  His lips twitched. Where the others were bright and pretty, he had shaggy brown hair that hung past his shoulders and black eyes that seemed to see right through me; his smile was attractive but predatory, and I was pretty sure that if he wanted to break me in half just to prove he could, he'd only need to use two fingers.

  "You're different from the others."

  I wasn't sure if different was good or bad; it was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I thought better of it when he leaned forward, causing my heartbeat to sky rocket.

  He was a beast or werewolf. I'd studied his kind, even though it had terrified me to go over those chapters in class. They were unpredictable, angry, scary hunters that thought emotions were for the weak.

  It was believed they lacked the ability to empathize with others, making them one of the most dangerous creatures to humans.

  He was proving the text hadn't lied. No smile. No light behind his eyes, just emptiness.

  "You really are a pretty one, aren't you?" another voice chimed in, this one deep, smooth, soothing… like a stream where the water trickled over the rocks.

  Giving my head a shake, I turned to the man next to the werewolf and barely managed to hold in a gasp.

  He was gorgeous.

  Light green eyes glowed in my direction, beamed and twinkled with each blink, almost like I was staring at stars. His skin was smooth and light. Dark brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and he had a leather bomber jacket on.

  He was the epitome of every girl's fantasy come to life.

  I quickly averted my eyes, aware I was blatantly staring at him.

  "What?" His warm chuckle made my body tingle. "Are you afraid to look at me, human?"

  "No." I found my voice, "Not at all." Slowly I lifted my gaze to his and waited.

  His smile was blinding. "Good, that's good, as we'll be spending many hours together in the near future." His smile suddenly dropped as if the idea saddened him, or maybe just made him want to kill me and get it over with.

  Yeah, that was what I was afraid of.

  Maybe I was better off with the werewolf.

  Or the siren.

  "Enough." A booming voice sounded throughout the room, shaking me out of my stare-down with the man. Only vampires had green eyes, so I imagined that was what he was, though he looked nothing like I imagined a vampire would look.

  I glanced around for the location of the voice but saw nothing.

  The smile froze on the vampire's face. He shared a look with the others and leaned back in his chair, while the other three seemed to stiffen in theirs, as if they were afraid. What could they possibly have to fear? They were immortal.

  I looked around the room again. The lights flickered.

  That couldn't be a good sign.

&nbs
p; Up until now, I'd had no idea what immortals I'd be meeting with, and I wracked my brain trying to think of who else would be there — who else I should be afraid of… when suddenly the room went black.

  It was only three seconds.

  But it was enough for my brain and survival instincts to kick in.

  I had to force my feet to stay planted.

  I had to force the scream to stay in my throat.

  And when I felt a hand reach out and touch my shoulder, the pain I felt at that touch was so life-altering that I fell to my knees, my body giving out.

  "That's better," the voice said. "Don't you know you are to kneel in front of those you serve?"

  "S-sorry," I said through clenched teeth. "It won't happen again."

  "No," he said, "it won't. Because if it does, you'll be dead. Understand?"

  "Yes."

  The ice from his touch wouldn't let up; it continued to flow through my body like he was trying to freeze every vein I had.

  The lights flickered again, and then he was standing in front of me.

  All seven feet of him.

  It hurt to stare.

  But not as much as it would have if I hadn't — I, at least, had paid attention to that part of my studies. To look away was like experiencing the greatest pain imaginable because, as a human, I was drawn to his beauty, drawn to his essence in a way that had been programmed since the beginning of time.

  He was a Dark One.

  A fallen.

  Half angel. Half human.

  And he was the leader of the immortals. His punishment, along with the others of his kind had been to watch over both races, keeping them as separate as possible while still making sure both thrived. Requiring him to live with humans and play police with the immortals was a punishment.

  They were called Dark Ones because both light and dark fought for them, making it impossible for lights to stay on or the dark to stay dark for too long a time span.

  They commanded the dark.

  But were forced to live in the light.

  They were equal parts good and bad, which made them the most dangerous as they had no moral compass.

  "Interesting…" His head tilted in a cat-like stance. "…that you know so much about me. Pray tell, are you going to give us a history lesson? You may stand."

  Crap. I stood on shaky feet.

  They could also read thoughts if they wanted to.

  Though most weren't powerful enough to do so.

  "I am."

  Those two words devastated me. If he was that powerful, he wasn't just any Dark One. He was—

  "Cassius." He finished my thought, his lips tilting up in a seductive smile. White teeth flashed, and then he turned on his heel, slowly walking up the stairs to where everyone else was seated. "But to you…" He turned slightly, his eyes flashing white before going back to a normal blue. "…I am Master.

  Genesis

  Cassius. The name burned on my lips though I hadn't spoken it out loud — was too afraid to. I knew the power behind his name, behind who he was.

  He was like a god to the immortals.

  And to me?

  Well, he was more than that. He could kill me with a simple snap of his fingers. He could make me see my worst nightmares by simply willing it to happen. But worst of all? He could own me. It was said that Dark Ones treated humans as pets, playthings — an amusement. But because Dark Ones had such heightened emotions, when they abandoned a human out of boredom or something else trivial, it killed the human.

  Instantly shattering their hearts in their chests.

  Once the Dark Ones were finished with you — you didn't survive it. No one could survive the emotional break that came when someone like Cassius left.

  It was emptiness.

  It was death.

  I needed to stay far, far away from him if I wanted to live.

  The only happy thought that occurred to me was that someone as old as Cassius most likely despised humans enough not to toy with them. Unlike the vampire and siren, who found it amusing and harmless.

  "Do you know your duties?" Cassius barked. "Or am I to go over them with you? From the looks of Alex, it seems he's been too preoccupied to do much of anything except fill the air with his arousal."

  Alex's nostrils flared, but he said nothing.

  "And, Stephanie, what's your excuse?"

  She dropped her head and gave a little shudder. "Sorry, Cassius."

  "Mason?" He turned to the werewolf. "Your looks don't betray you, but your rapid heartbeat does. Tell me, does she set your blood on fire?"

  The werewolf rolled his eyes. "Only in irritation, my lord."

  "Ethan…" Cassius barked. "You've been quiet."

  "I've been watching." Ethan tilted his head, making himself look more vampire than before. The way his eyes glowed in my direction sent shivers all the way down my spine. "I think I'll keep her."

  Stephanie jumped up from her seat. "Ethan—!"

  "Please." Ethan waved her off. "He owes me, don't you, Cassius?"

  The temperature in the room dropped at least thirty degrees while Cassius stood and, with little effort, threw Ethan across the room. He slammed into one of the rock walls.

  Pieces of dust flew into the air. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands.

  "Dramatic," Ethan huffed beneath an array of rubble and rock. "Then again, you've always been dramatic, haven't you, Dark One?"

  Cassius released Ethan and turned to face me. "You will go with Ethan. You will do your… duty." The way he said it made me feel dirty, like I was being whored out.

  "I don't need to explain the rules, but I will, for your sake, explain them once. You're hired to do a specific job for us. You are not here to try to land yourself an immortal husband, so leave those hopes and dreams at the door. Physical contact between you and an immortal is forbidden, and if you are on the receiving end of it, outside of your duties, you will be the one punished, not the immortal.

  Yeah, that was what I was afraid of.

  "They may touch you, may do whatever the hell they want with you. But if you seek them out, touch them without proper invitation…" His voice trailed off, his nostrils flared. "Do you understand?"

  Not at all. But I had no choice. I gave a quick nod, wringing my hands together. "Yes."

  "Ethan," Cassius turned, "consider my debt paid."

  Ethan's smile grew to gigantic proportions. "Oh, it's been paid," he licked his lips, "in full."

  I knew that look.

  I was going to die.

  Because there was no way that vampire wasn't putting his hands or his fangs on me — and it would be my fault because I was the human.

  To them, we weren't victims. Just nuisances they put up with.

  "Well then…" Ethan held out his hand in my direction. "Shall we?"

  Fear kept me rooted to my spot.

  Then suddenly warmth spread throughout the room. I quickly glanced to the siren; Alex had his hand raised in the air, and I could almost see the heat radiating from his hand toward my body.

  Be calm, he whispered in my head. Ethan will not harm you.

  And you?

  None of us mean you harm.

  My gaze flickered to Cassius.

  Alex gave a slight shake of his head. Yes, human. He means you harm. You are never to be alone with him. Ever. If you are, I cannot help you. I cannot shield you from his power. If he touches you, if he claims you, it will be the last time you own your own body, soul, and mind. He will destroy you. If you must… run.

  My hands shook at my sides, but I managed a nod in his direction.

  Ethan held out his hand again. "Come."

  I followed him, careful not to touch his hand lest he have the same effect on me a Dark One would, and followed him through a side door.

  He moved silently next to me, opening door after door, finally leading me into a dark parking garage where a black unmarked town car was waiting.

  "Hurry, get in."

  "What?"


  He shoved me in the car and ran to the other side, faster than my eyes could follow, then sped off as if we were being chased.

  "We don't have much time." He looked behind him. "Damn it, we have less than that much time."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "He will hunt you."

  "What?" I gasped. "Who?"

  "Cassius…" He spat. "He wants you. I could feel it. Could see it in his mind's eye as if I was living it myself. The reason you're here isn't for the immortals. It's for him."

  "But, my mom said that—"

  Ethan barked out a laugh. "Yes please tell me what your human mother told you about what your job is to the immortals?"

  I swallowed the dryness in my throat. "I'm to educate you about the ways of the humans so you don't have to interact with us. Teach any of the immortal children how to use the Internet, cell phones — technology — and at the end of the day, I—"

  He roared with laughter, interrupting what I thought was a pretty good speech.

  "So that's what they tell you now?"

  "Wh-what?" I looked behind me only because he kept looking behind us. For Cassius to fly overhead? Or what? We were in the middle of Seattle. It's not like the immortal would want to be seen.

  "Immortals cannot have children with one another, Genesis."

  "What?" I gasped. "But that's impossible. That would mean—"

  Ethan's eyes flashed. "Do you really think that with all the money we have, all the resources, we would need a tiny pitiful ugly little human to tell us how to use a damn computer?"

  Well, when he put it that way…

  It didn't make sense. I mean, I'd studied their history, studied everything about each race. I'd studied my butt off so I could be useful for them, to them. And when all of that was finished, I'd even had to take classes on proper etiquette — how to serve at an immortal feast, how to dress when I was presented, how to—

  "Oh, my gosh," I gasped, reaching for the seatbelt.

  Ethan's hands went to mine. "Stop. It will pass. You're just scared."

  "But—"

  "Shhh." Something shifted in the car, maybe it was the temperature, maybe it was just Ethan trying to calm me down, but my heartbeat slowed way down.