Darkness Awakens

by Kari Chaplin

  I pulled him in closer. I wanted his body to invade mine. I wanted him to experience every part of me. I could see that he wanted me, too. I kissed him back, harder and more fervently. Our lips were made for each other. We were made for each other. I could feel him hard, pulsating against my pelvis. He picked me up, and I wrapped my shaky legs around his hips. That was exactly where I wanted to be, wrapped around him.

  An image flashed before my eyes. I saw him, bloody and roughed up, leaning over my bloodied body. He picked my limp body off the wet, muddy ground.

  I pulled my lips away from Demien. He continued kissing my body. The image startled me. I wondered what it meant.

  Demien stopped to look at my face. “Are you okay?” He asked gently.

  I considered the vision and what it could possibly mean. Deciding it was just a daydream, I brushed that image to the far back of my mind.

  “Yea, I’m fine,” I placed my lips to his so we would pick up where we left off. A moan escaped my lips. He responded by pressing harder against me. I moaned louder. I needed him to finish what he started.

  “Ves, is that you?” Shannon yelled through the rain and thunder. I had forgotten that it was raining on top of us.

  Breathless and exhilarated, I pulled my lips from his. There was no movement at first; we gazed into each other’s eyes. Slowly realizing that my legs were still wrapped around him, I jumped to the ground. The world spun and tilted, as I fought to remain upright. Demien placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me. Once my head cleared up, I was able to step back without falling face forward into the ground.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” I yelled back to my sister, never taking my eyes off his. “I’ll be there in a second.” My voice cracked.

  I could still feel his lips pressed against mine. I was still very aware of our closeness and longing. “I’d better go,” I whispered.

  “Yes, you’d better.”

  He wrapped his arms around the small of my back and pulled me in close. Kissing my chin, he left a trail of tingles up to my lips. I kissed him back with deep passion. The star of my dreams lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around him again. He slammed me against the Hummer, but I was too numb from desire to notice any pain. I didn’t particularly care, either.

  His lips left mine and ventured up my cheek to my ear. He nibbled my earlobe. I couldn’t take much more teasing. He raised a hand to my neck and lightly rubbed it with his fingertips, making me want to scream from excitement and frustration. My body convulsed from the hunger building inside of me.

  A desperate growl rumbled through his chest, rolling off his thick, luscious lips. “Please leave,” he pleaded between rushed breaths as his mouth continued to explore my body. “I do not know how much strength I have left in me to hold myself back. I have a job to complete. I have no choice now. I have to do this.” Something about his words scared me. “You make things very, very difficult for me. I will walk you to your door.” His lips were still trailing my neck as he spoke in a soft, desperate tone. It was as if he meant what he said but couldn’t pull himself away.

  I pushed his body away slightly. His words cut deep. A thought came to mind. If he pushed me against his Hummer, why didn’t I feel any pain? Then it hit me. He had his arms wrapped around my back protecting me from the impact. That was sweet. I was too engrossed in the current situation to notice much of anything around me. He did something to me. Something I couldn’t explain.

  “I should make sure you get in safe and sound.” He caught my hand and pulled me closer to him.

  I worked on not losing my will power. “I’m sure I won’t have any problems.” I slipped my hand from his. Someone had to be the strong one.

  “I could walk you to the door.”

  “I’ve got it from here.” I brushed past him, not wanting him to walk me to the door.

  He put his hands up in the air, palms facing me. “I will not walk you to the door.” He raised an eyebrow in thought. “Are you going to roll your eyes at me, again?” His smile turned devilish.

  “Again? When have I ever rolled my eyes at you?” I replied dryly.

  “All the time, but that is one of the things I have always loved about you.” His smile was ornery, only lifting his left side.

  I really tried to hide that bad habit, but I guess I wasn’t fooling him. I started up the driveway. The ground was slick from the rain. I didn’t want him to witness my impending mud bath.

  See you in your dreams, I heard him whisper in my ear.

  I turned around, expecting him to be right behind me. But he was leaning against his vehicle, right where I had left him. There was no way he was close enough to whisper in my ear.

  “It’s official, I’ve gone crazy,” I muttered to myself.

  No, you are not crazy, he whispered, as if he could hear my thoughts.

  I stopped to look back at him. There was no way he could have heard that. I decided I must have imagined him saying that. I made it to the house without slipping and sliding. I was ecstatic. I shook my head and climbed the few steps to my door.

  Before I opened the door, I stopped to look back one last time. Demien hadn’t moved an inch from the same spot. He stood there as still as stone. I couldn’t see his breath in the cold rain either. I opened the door and went inside.

  Through the glass of my front door, I watched him get into his Hummer and disappear into the night.

  I couldn’t wait to crawl into my personal Heaven. I was impatient to discover what my dreams would bring that night.

  Before I climbed into bed, I used the key I wore around my neck to unlock the nightstand. I searched for the note, but I came up empty-handed. I searched all over my room, but no note. Had I dreamt the note? Was it not real? Was he not in my house at all? Lately, I seemed to have more questions than answers to just about everything. Audibly exhaling, I gave up and crawled into bed. I couldn’t fight my heavy eyelids any longer.

  I was awoken in the middle of the night by voices outside my bedroom door. I crept to my door with my heart pounding.

  “No. I’m calling it off.” I heard a whispered voice through the door, but couldn’t make out to whom the voice belonged.

  “We had a deal. I’ll do it myself,” another angry voice chimed in.

  “It’s her. You will do no such thing.”

  “Are you sure?” The man sounded calmer.

  “No, no I am not. I need a little time to make certain. I sense it in my soul. There just does not seem to be any undeniable proof.”

  “No proof? What makes you think this if there is no proof?”

  “I see so many similarities.”

  “Well, you should hurry.”

  I woke up, panting. My heart was still racing. I got out of bed and hurried through the house, not wanting to wake up Shannon and Jake. There was no sign of anyone. Feeling defeated and exhausted, I went back to bed. Sleep dragged me under like a raging river.

  “Can I come in?” Demien asked from my now-open window. His soft, velvety wings collapsed behind him.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Did I wake you?” He gently brushed a finger along my cheekbone down to my jaw.

  “No. I’m still asleep.” I looked over at my sleeping body. He followed my gaze. “Good. You are always cranky if you don’t get enough rest.”

  I playfully slapped his bare, perfectly sculpted chest. “Stop,” I giggled.

  “Wanna a ride?” He leaned down so I could wrap my arms around his broad shoulders.

  His lips slowly brushed mine. Pulling me against him until we were one, Demien’s lips locked onto mine. He was urgent and desperate, yet soft and passionate as if he had waited centuries to kiss me. Our lips moved together like they were made for each other, just like earlier. Exactly like every other time we have kissed. When we touched it was like the waters flowed smoother and the air was easier to breathe.

  His breath tasted sweet yet spicy and earthy at the same time. He tasted like pure cinnamon and honey with a hint of clove,
mixed with the rain from a cool fall morning. It was both exotic and captivating. My toes quickly heated, and my breathing quickened. I felt tingly everywhere. The butterflies in my stomach threatened to take over. I pulled him in closer to my body. I wanted more of him. I needed more of him.

  “Ready?” He breathed into our kiss.

  I moaned, feverishly pulling him back in.

  Our kiss came to an end much too quickly, leaving me with a sensation of flying. My traitor body threatened to explode from intense excitement. Who knew a kiss held that kind of power? My eyes ventured downward to see that we were flying. It felt comfortable. It felt normal.

  Seventeen

  I should’ve had the day off, but per tradition, I got myself ready for work and called Myra to come get me.

  “Why doesn’t Joe just fire Mandy?” Myra asked as I opened her car door.

  “Well, to tell you the truth, this situation works out for all of us. He knows her pattern, so there are no surprises. He knows I’m more than willing to pick up her shifts. If he hires someone else, either I won’t get as many hours or they may be less dependable, right?

  “I don’t think you losing a few hours would be a terrible thing.”

  “I need the hours. I’m barely getting by as it is.”

  “Work till we die, I get it.”

  “Besides, if I lose hours, then so do you. We go hand-in-hand, remember?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. It isn’t fair though. So, you never told me…”

  “Told you what?”

  “How did you get home last night if your car is stuck at a gas station?”

  I’d hoped she wouldn’t ask and assumed my sister picked me up. “Um, Demien,” I answered, rolling my eyes.

  Her jaw dropped. “What? The bar back, Demien,” she exclaimed.

  “Yes, that would be the one. The only Demien we know,” I nervously and sarcastically sang.

  “Details, my friend, details.” If she weren’t buckled in, she probably would have jumped straight out of the roof, literally. Ok, so not actually literally.

  “Pay attention to the road, please,” I managed to get out through laughter.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  She groaned. “Stop trying to avoid the topic. I’m not giving up.”

  “I wish you would.”

  “Nope. I have all night to harass you.”

  “There is nothing to tell. He was on his way back from the city when he saw my car at the gas station. He stopped to make sure I was okay. He offered me a ride.” I tried to make it sound like nothing.

  “And…”

  “And nothing.”

  “Come on, Venessa. Spill.”

  “Leave it to you to try to make something out of everything. We didn’t even really talk on the way to my house.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She smiled.

  “Well, nothing happened.” I felt bad for lying to my best friend.

  Myra noisily whined. “Don’t make me beg.”

  “Beg? Please don’t.”

  “Fine. Do I need to pull out our honesty pact?”

  “Wow, you’re going there, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  “Pulling out all the stops,”

  “Yep.”

  “It was nothing, really.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Fine. Did he ask you out this weekend?” she probed.

  “No. Why? Do you want to do something?” I asked, hoping to distract her.

  “Ugh. Can’t. I have family stuff” She seemed super disheartened. Pulling into the parking lot of work, she said, “Here we are. Let’s get in and get the party started.” Her mood brightened up instantly.

  “So, it’ll be over sooner,” I added, under my breath.

  “Hello, ladies,” Joe said as we entered the bar. “How are you?”

  “Ready to go. How are you?” I replied, sounding chipper for his benefit.

  “That’s what I like to hear. Oh, Vanessa, go see Brad at the bar, please. He’s got some good news for you.” Joe pointed toward the bar.

  “Okay.” My perplexity sounded more like a question.

  I headed toward Brad. “Hey, Joe said you have news for me?”

  “Well, hello to you too.”

  “Stop stalling. What’s up?” I playfully slapped his right arm.

  “Ouch,” he teased, holding his left arm instead of his right. “We have an opening at the bar. Joe and I thought you’d be interested.”

  “Well, what does it entail?”

  “For starters, more money.” He explained the rest of the details of the job and the management responsibilities.

  “Sure, I’ll take it, considering I do most of that for way less pay when you decide you need to take a day off.”

  He laughed loudly. “Good. I’ll start training you later tonight. Now, go make me some money.” Brad lightly hit my thigh with his dishcloth as I reached the pass-through of the serving area.

  I grabbed my serving tray, counted the starting funds and then headed for the floor.

  “Dream about me last night?” I felt the warmth of Damien’s breath on the back of my neck.

  My frame shuttered in the most delightful way that left me aching for every part of him.

  “No, I didn’t,” I said, stumbling over my own feet as I attempted to storm off with some dignity intact. I wasn’t going to let know that he affected me in any way at all. Somehow, I knew he wasn’t fooled.

  “Sure, you did,” he whispered in my ear, yet not standing remotely close to me.

  As I cleaned a table, I peeked over my shoulder to see he was still in the same spot. He appeared to be frustrated. His face was pointed up toward the Heavens. His hands were covering most of his face; lips moving.

  I shook my head and moved on. I could think of nothing but him and my dream from the night before. I wanted that feeling back. I imagined floating in the sky and kissing his lips. This was the guy I had dreamt about my entire life. I craved him. Well, nothing had changed since I laid eyes on him. My feelings for him had just gotten more intense. I was having issues ignoring the explosions within, forgetting why I even tried to fight him off in the first place. His pull on me was too powerful. He had put his claim on me in the most basic, animalistic way… desperate need for only him. I rolled my eyes, exhaling a stored-up breath of air and proceeded to customers waiting to order.

  I took a few orders on my way back to the service area. Business had been slow so far. A busy night would have come in handy to help me clear my head. I spat the drink orders to Brad.

  “Deliver these, and then Julie will take over.” Brad’s tone was very matter-of-fact and all business.

  Purring in my ear, Demien said, “Can’t wait to trap you behind the bar.”

  A giggle accidentally escaped. I really hoped he hadn’t heard. How embarrassing. I said nothing in response. I delivered the drinks and reported to the service area.

  “Count out your riches. You’re done out there for the night.”

  “You got it, Brad.” After I closed out my till and put my tips safely in my locker, I reported to the bar.

  “Okay, here is the menu. It has every drink listed in alphabetical order. And here is the recipe packet,” Brad began.

  I was familiar with the setup of the bar. I had played bar back and bartender a few times recently. He walked me through everything in the front of the bar, letting me mix a few drinks. Then we went to the back. Brad showed me the extra storage of supplies and he walked me through changing the kegs and soda canisters. I wasn’t familiar with the back. Joe had always taken care of everything that required heavy lifting for me.

  “Okay, Ves, that is about all I have to show you for now. I know most of this stuff you have done before. You need to get quick at it and know everything like clockwork. It is fast paced. I always take the slowest days off and you have Joe and the bar backs to help you out. You won’t always have much help back here.”

  “I get it.” I clenched my jaw.
Imaging this place on a Friday night was intimidating. He was right; I would be lost.

  “Turn that frown upside down. Come on, Ves, we’ve got your back. I will make sure you are good to go before you will be by yourself. You will still wait tables during the busy times. It won’t be until after Halloween that you will bartend exclusively.”

  “Okay,” I said. My nerves were calming down a little.

  “I’m going to have you work with Demien. Some shifts you may have to tend the entire bar, including the bar back duties.”

  I gave him a look of dread. “That means that I’ll have to do my own dishes. I hate dishes.” The bar back kept things clean, opened the beer bottles and restocked the supplies. The nights when we were short-handed or just plain slow the bartender did all of that.

  He cupped his hand under my chin and rubbed his thumb down my cheek as if I was still twelve. “Well, honey, I wouldn’t want you to be stuck by yourself, not knowing how to use the sink.”

  “Har, har! Very funny, jackass!” I rolled my eyes as I headed to the sink area.

  “Love you, Ves,” he managed to torment me through thunderous laughter.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I waved him off, without looking back.

  Demien was leaning against the sink, awaiting my arrival.

  “I already know how to use the sink,” I said, slathered with attitude.

  “Come on, be a sport, don’t take all of my fun away,” he purred.

  “Fine, what do you have to show me that I don’t already know?” My attitude toward him was standoffish and probably sort of uncouth. Despite what my dreams may reveal, he hadn’t earned my friendship yet.

  He winked as he tilted his head toward the sink. “Come over here, I will show you.”

  He extended his hand to me. As I slowly accepted the offered gesture, the events of last night flashed through my mind.

  “Hmm… Where do we start?” he purred, sending flames of fire through my veins at top speed.

  Demien guided me to the sink and positioned me in front of the soapy water. He stood behind me, perfectly parallel to my body, the length of his long, hard physique running down my very aware frame. I felt every unyielding muscle in his body pressed against mine driving me to the brink of insanity.