by K.N. Lee
Ian accepted her hand and she pulled him up effortlessly. He winced as he rubbed his bottom. “Geeze,” Ian said. “You girls are tough.”
Alice and Evina laughed. “We’re not girls, Ian,” Evina said. She winked at Alice.
“That’s right,” Alice said. “We’re superheroes.”
Ian nodded and cracked a smile. “I’ll vouch for that. Just teach me how to be awesome like you, sensei,” he joked and even bowed before Alice. Alice ruffled his black curls.
“Why are you so cute?” Alice asked with a grin.
Ian shrugged. His smile brightened the room.
“You almost make me feel guilty for knocking you on your ass.”
Ian simply laughed.
Raven liked that about Ian. He was always positive. She wasn’t sure about him when Koa first brought him back home after turning him into a vampire. She had been certain that he would only get in the way and get himself killed. She sighed. There was still plenty of time for that to happen.
She stood and walked from the room. She didn’t want that to happen. She didn’t want any of them to get hurt, especially the boy that had just begun to grow on her.
The church was cold, even for Raven who was always too warm. She hated the musky smell and the damp air. She’d never been a fan of old churches. Raven paused when she thought she heard something call her name. Her ears perked up.
Even in the darkness of the stone corridor, Raven could see quite well. It was one of the benefits of being cursed to live as a cat. The corridor was empty. There were pebbles and dirt on the stone floor and closed doors lining the walls. At the end of the hall was a door that was bolted shut and boarded with wood.
Raven was certain that was where the sound came from. She took a step closer and froze. A cold breeze made her fur stand on end.
Raven screeched when Alice knelt down beside her.
Raven felt her heart pound nearly out of her chest. Alice gave her a look. “What are you up to, kitty?”
Raven breathed in relief. “You startled me.”
Alice rubbed her fur, smoothing it down with her soft, delicate, touch. “Sorry, it’s a habit. I have to be light on my feet.” She smiled and picked Raven up. “At least I know I can sneak up on a clever kitty such as yourself.”
Raven looked towards the bolted door. “What’s in there?”
Alice followed Raven’s gaze. She stroked Raven’s fur, almost as lovingly as Koa would do. “Dead bodies mostly. No ghosts or demons.” She kissed the top of Raven’s head. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with us, Eunju. It’s just a temporary safe house.”
Raven looked up at her with large green eyes. “Alice, you have to stop calling me that.”
Alice smacked her forehead. “Sorry, I keep forgetting! I like Eunju so much better. It reminds me that you’re so much more than a cat, and a pet name.”
Raven didn’t know what to say. She rested her head against Alice’s chest.
“I like to call you Eunju because it gives me hope that you’ll be human… well whatever it is that you were… once again.”
Raven sighed. “Perhaps you’re right. Bund and Greggan know that I’m cursed now.”
“Don’t worry. Soon they won’t be a problem anymore. We have a pretty good team of supernatural soldiers here.”
Raven smiled. “Yes. We do. I just wish I could be myself again and help.”
Alice started to carry her back towards the others. “Halston will think of something. He always does.”
“You really think so?” Raven asked. She dared to hope that she would have her body back.
“Of course,” Alice said. They entered the room where the others were still training. Raven watched Jax. She whispered to Alice.
“Can we really trust him?”
Alice lingered in the doorway.
Jax looked over at them, as if he had heard. Raven’s heart quickened. She’d almost forgot just how well vampires could hear. She cringed. Of course he had heard her. He looked at her for a moment and then went back to reading. He was quiet and always seemed to be in deep thought, or calculating. Raven had an unsettling feeling that he was planning something.
“Haven’t I taught you better than that?” Alice said, but this time she spoke directly into Raven’s mind.
Raven couldn’t help but smile. How could she forget why Alice was called a Metal-Mind?
“Pardon me,” Raven replied. “It will take some time getting used to this.”
“After all we’ve been through… all of our adventures?”
Raven laughed. “I must admit, this is nice.”
“Now, back to the question at hand. Can we trust the vampire prince?”
Raven frowned. “What do you think?”
“I think his actions will answer that question for us. He does love Koa.”
“Perhaps too much.”
“What do you mean?”
“I detect an air of obsession from him when Koa is around. He’s always hovering.”
Alice stroked her fur. “At least we know he won’t betray Koa.”
“We shall see,” Raven said. She stared at Jax, unable to take her eyes off of him. “There’s something about him that I don’t like.”
“What? That he cursed you? You know he did it to protect you.”
Raven looked up at her. “Do I?” She narrowed her eyes. “And now he suddenly can’t reverse it.”
“These curses are always dangerous business. We will find a way to reverse it. And then you can banish that demon back to Hell.”
Raven nodded. She glanced back over at Jax. She flinched when she saw that he was gone. Her eyes searched the room for him.
“I hope that happens sooner than later,” she whispered aloud.
24
Koa woke in the middle of the night when a howling wind chilled her exposed feet. Her body felt weak and sore as if she’d been beaten. She groaned in pain as she sat up. She shuddered and rubbed her arms when another wind came in through the cavern’s opening.
Her teeth chattered and she crawled closer to Halston’s hovering ball of fire. She looked at her watch. It was only four a.m.
She purred in delight as the fire warmed her entire body. She touched her shirt to see if it was dry and sucked her teeth that it was still too damp to put back on.
Halston’s soft breaths drew her attention. She looked over at him and felt a guiltiness fill her gut. She’d lied to him. Her shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes. Something did indeed feel out of place. There was a heaviness in her chest and shoulders, an unearthly presence.
Koa swallowed and spoke inside her head. “Whatever you are, you need to leave. I will not let you stay. I will find a way to get rid of you.”
Nothing. No reply. Only a slight coldness filled her veins, making her shiver again. Koa wanted to cry. She was afraid. She felt vulnerable and helpless.
Koa moved closer to Halston. Something drew her nearer. Perhaps it was a desire to feel safe. Halston always made her feel that way. She needed him more than anything now.
As she looked at him, she felt an intense desire to touch him. He slept with one arm bent under his head and the other at his side. Halston’s shirt was crumpled against the wall of the cave, leaving his chest exposed. Through tears, she smiled to herself. He listened to her suggestion after all.
He must not have been cold, because he slept exposed in the cold night air and away from his fire.
Koa swallowed as she looked at his perfectly formed abs and his smooth chest. Her heart pattered against her rib cage. She crawled closed to him and hovered above his sleeping body. She watched his chest rise and fall with his breaths and saw his golden lashes twitch with whatever dream he was having.
Koa couldn’t help herself. She watched his mouth and licked her lips. She wanted to kiss him, but was too afraid. Instead, she traced Halston’s lips with her finger, softly, almost too gentle to even feel his skin beneath her finger.
Koa almost forgot how Halston was a light
sleeper. Halston stirred at her soft touch. He opened his eyes with alarm. Bright blue eyes searched her face, seeing traces of her tears, and he looked around the cavern. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Koa shook her head and smiled down at him. “No,” she said as she wiped her eyes. “I was just admiring your cute face.”
Halston looked perplexed for a moment, but after noticing the longing in Koa’s eyes, he grinned. “Cute?”
She giggled and paused when he reached for her wrist. Their eyes locked and Koa trembled at his touch. She wanted him. She needed him to know that, before it was too late.
She drew in a breath when he kissed her fingers. Such a gentle, innocent, action caused her mind to turn to dirty thoughts. He kissed her wrist and tugged her down to him. Her hair fell over his face and shielded their kiss from the world.
She’d dreamt of this moment for so long, ever since she kissed him on the day he’d found her drunk in a park. That kiss didn’t compare to what she experienced right then. His mouth was sweet and his tongue caressed her own.
Koa’s eyes fluttered closed as Halston laced his fingers in her hair and brought himself up to his elbow. Koa found herself on her back as Halston positioned his firm body in between her legs. She was breathless when he pulled away from her kiss.
Koa’s entire body tingled with joy. “Halston,” she breathed.
He kissed her again and held her close. “You lied to me, Koa. I know it.”
Koa felt new tears sting behind her eyes. “You know me so well.”
“I will fix this, Koa,” he assured her. “I promise you that.”
Koa nodded. “I know you will.”
Halston held her firmly. His eyes searched hers. “Good. Because I swear that I will set all things right. Bund and Greggan will not win.”
She looked up at him and felt a surge of courage. “I love you,” she said. She couldn’t keep it in any longer. She needed him to know. If she died during this mission, she couldn’t leave this world with that secret between them.
Koa’s lips parted in surprise as he looked away from her. She could see the glistening tears in his blue eyes. Her voice cracked. “I’ll understand if you don’t feel the same way.”
He shushed her and held her hand to his face. He closed his eyes letting a sparkling tear escape the corner of his eye. He kissed the palm of her hand.
“I love you too, Koa,” he whispered. “I always have.” His eyes met hers and she felt weak at the look of devotion in his eyes. Jax’s words could not compare to what she saw in Halston’s eyes. “I always will.”
Koa smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s a good thing we’re immortal then,” she said. “Because I want to love and be with you for all eternity.”
She craned her neck up to kiss him again.
He paused and put a finger to her lips. He raised a brow and searched her eyes as if thinking about something. Koa could look into his eyes for hours. The blue was so pure and bright that they were the only indication that Halston was not human. There was a depth to them that human’s simply did not have. Koa could get lost within them.
“What about Jax?”
Koa shook her head. “What about him? What we had was a childhood romance, Halston. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about him now. But, trust me, I am certain that I do not love Jax in that way anymore. I care about him, of course. He’ll always be my first love, but I cannot see myself with him as an adult. I only have room in my heart for you.”
Halston embraced her in his strong arms. This time Halston’s kiss went from gentle to greedy. Koa could feel the love and passion radiating between their bodies. He finally let go of his reservations and devoured her mouth.
Koa felt her body heat and her heart race as his hands caressed her thighs. His kisses went from her mouth and to her ear.
A moan escaped Koa’s lips and she reached her small hands into his pants.
Halston tensed.
Koa paused. She looked up at him with concern. “Do you want to stop?” she asked. She’d almost forgotten what he was, and what this meant.
Halston was silent for a moment. Koa didn’t want to stop. She took his silence as acquiescence and unbuckled his belt. She watched his eyes as her fingers worked his buttons loose. When she slipped her hand into his pants and gently grabbed his hardened manhood, Halston closed his eyes.
Koa had no idea what she was unleashing, and she didn’t regret being so forward, once he pulled her hand from his pants and pinned her hands above her head with one hand.
“Koa,” Halston whispered in her ear. “You weaken me.”
Koa nodded. “I know. But I want you. I’ve never wanted something so badly in my entire life.” She closed her eyes and sucked his earlobe.
Halston used his other hand to take her pants off. He pulled them over her knees and over her feet, and tossed them away.
Koa shivered at the cold, but when Halston gripped her thighs and kissed her belly, she grew warm all over and no longer noticed the wind that swept into the cavern. Her back arched and her eyelids fluttered closed as Halston licked higher and higher up Koa’s soft inner thighs.
Her mind filled with blurry blissful thoughts as Halston made her body feel such pleasure that she’d never imagined.
Her love. Her Halston. He filled her and she felt an explosion of euphoria better than any drink of human blood she’d ever tasted. She almost forgot where they were and Halston covered her mouth with his to suppress her cries of delight.
Love never felt so good.
25
When morning came, Koa and Halston were still wrapped in an embrace. Koa rested her head on Halston’s arm as he laced his fingers in between hers and kissed the back of her hand.
“Don’t you just love how morning seems to chase away all of the evil of the night? All of your sins and misdeeds seem to fade away when the sun shines its cleansing light.”
Halston smiled at her. “I’ve never heard you talk like this before,” he said and kissed her forehead.
“I’ve never felt this way before.”
Halston squeezed her close. “Me either.”
Koa beamed. “Never?”
Halston shook his head. “Never.”
Koa primped and grinned. “Well,” she said. “Aren’t I special?”
Halston laughed at her and pulled her into another passionate kiss.
“I love you,” Koa said.
Halston’s pause made her worry. He looked deep into her eyes and cradled the back of her head with his hand. “I love you, Koa,” he said in a lowered voice full of such sincerity that it made her shiver.
“Wait until I tell Galena,” Koa whispered with a grin.
Halston tensed.
Koa frowned at the serious look on his face. “What?”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Halston said.
The tone of his voice made her wary. She raised a questioning brow.
“Galena is dead,” he told her as he sat up to put his shirt back on.
Koa felt a cry get trapped in her throat. Galena hadn’t been a close friend or anything, but they had worked many missions together. Galena was a Russian woman who joined the Netherworld Division shortly after her parents were murdered by vampires.
Koa went numb. Why was she surprised? Being a Netherworld agent was a dangerous job.
“How?”
“Bund,” Halston answered.
Koa pursed her lips and shook her head. “I hate him.”
Halston didn’t reply. He came to his feet and picked up Koa’s shirt. He handed it to her. “He will pay for his crimes.”
Koa took her shirt and slipped it over her head. Her cheeks were red with anger. She tried to calm herself as she came to her feet. All of her sweet feelings of love and joy were replaced with bitter hate. Bund seemed bent on ruining their lives. She could not understand why she was targeted. Why did he want her?
The feeling of cold filled her veins again
and she glanced over at Halston.
He didn’t notice the look on her face. “We need to head back to the others.”
Koa nodded. She wanted to hug her mother again, before something bad happened. Koa couldn’t tell Halston, but she felt her own end coming. She felt something odd. Was it a sense of duty? She actually thought of surrendering herself to Bund, just to protect her mother and the innocent people of Earth.
They flew back to the church. When they arrived, the sun was bright in the sky.
Halston landed and waited for Koa to do the same. She held onto his waist, knowing that he was leaving her.
“I need you to do a few things while I’m away,” Halston said. “Go with Jax to the Oracle. Find out what you can about breaking your mother’s curse.”
Koa nodded.
“Then, I need you to go to Lady Colleen in the vampire colony of St. Baron’s Court.”
Koa shot a look at him. “Seriously?”
Halston nodded. “Yes, it’ll be fine. She’ll be expecting you.”
Koa made a face. “And what exactly am I to do there?”
“Tell her we need her help. Bring Evina along. Evina knows all of the rules and decorum for such a meeting.” He looked down at her. His face was serious. “I need you to make sure Lady Colleen and the vampire colonies are on our side.”
Koa still looked confused. “But why would a vampire ever want to be on our side when Greggan is offering them free human blood?”
Halston leaned in. “Because it will not be free. Nothing, and no one will be free.”
Koa shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Greggan will try to dominate this world just as he has the Netherworld. He probably wants to make himself emperor or something. And we both know how he rules. Many vampires will die at his hands, as well as humans. The world will be enslaved by him.”
Koa sighed. She imagined what that would be like. She had seen the cruelty of his dictatorship. “But we won’t let it come to that.”
Halston nodded. “Good girl.” He smiled again. “That’s right.”
“Then you better not take too long coming back to me then. I’ll try not to screw things up too bad before you return,” Koa said, only half joking. She’d made plenty of mistakes already.