by S. K. Falls
Reluctantly breaking eye contact with Althea’s henchman, Dax looked at me for a long moment before nodding.
Satisfied, the man turned to me, his expression bland as if nothing had happened. “Althea has offered use of the kitchen downstairs if you are hungry.” Then he turned and walked briskly away.
Dax opened the door to my room. “Wait here,” he said to me before stepping inside for a few moments. When he came back out, he nodded. “It’s safe.”
I stepped inside. The farmhouse décor continued in here. The curtains were blue gingham and matched the bedspread. Above the bed was a wooden plaque that said, “Bless this day the Lord has brought.” I wondered if it was some sort of joke to the Astaroth to have Christian sayings around the house.
It was funny, in a way, but I didn’t see Dax as being the antichrist in spite of what Hollywood would have us believe. He wasn’t evil in any sense of the word; I simply couldn’t see him as the thing that took possession of the girl in the Exorcist. But the way the Astaroth were flaunting a down-home, human sensibility didn’t sit right with me. There was a thread of menace that lurked under everything here, and it was starting to freak me out a bit.
When I turned to Dax, I saw anxiety flooding his eyes. “I’ll be outside your door the entire night. I don’t want you in here alone.”
“Okay. But, you know, you could stay in here with me. Keep me company.” I smiled, but my heart leaped in my chest at the thought of Dax and me in such close proximity to each other all night. It was a testament to my human hormones that even here, in the home of the Astaroth, that’s where my mind strayed.
“That’s not such a good idea, Cara.”
I’d known he’d say that. It wasn’t as if we hadn’t been down this path many, many times already. “Okay.” I stepped close to him and slid my arms around his waist. His scorching heat wrapped itself completely around my body as I put my head against his chest. His heart was steady and fast, a galloping horse. “I love you.”
Dax snaked his arms around me gently. “Not more than I love you.” He kissed the top of my head and that old electricity crackled between us. “I’m going to get you out of here as fast as I can.”
“I know,” I said. “I trust you.”
At that, he sighed deeply. “I don’t understand how you still can, but I am deeply grateful for it nonetheless.”
He was doing it again; blaming himself for my being in danger. I knew he’d keep doing it no matter what I said, so I lifted my lips to his neck and kissed the spot where his life pulsed steadily.
His arms tightened around me as if on reflex, pushing the breath out of my lungs. I exhaled in a rush and my breath fanned against his skin. He let go of me, stepping back. Dax’s pupils were completely dilated, his breath coming in shallow bursts. “I should allow you to undress; it’s been a long day. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Disappointment banged against my chest but I nodded. He opened the bedroom door, and after a long look at me, closed it after him.
I stripped down to my underwear and rummaged in my overnight bag for my nightshirt. Back home in Eden, I’d tried not to agonize over what to pack. I’d known that Dax and I would spend a night in close proximity during the course of this trip. Still, I hadn’t wanted to seriously consider the possibility that this might be when Dax decided to be irresponsible, throw caution to the wind, and sleep with me. I’d had my share of disappointments in that arena. But of course I’d picked out my lacy nightshirt anyway—the only sexy pajamas I had—just in case.
Just in case, what, Cara? I asked myself, annoyed. It wasn’t like Dax had ever wavered on his decision to not put my life in danger. He’d never wanted to cross the line as much as I had. He just accepted that we wouldn’t be able to physically consummate our relationship and was somehow fine with it. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t fine with it at all. And it made me sad—sadder than I dared admit—that he didn’t feel the same way.
I walked into the adjoining rustic-style bathroom and washed my face quickly. The water from the faucet was frigid, and my skin was instantly numb. I ran a brush through my curls and then went to stand in front of the gigantic, wood-framed, floor-length mirror. Looking into my own eyes, I sighed. There was no point in feeling this way, I knew. I knew Dax was so adamant about us not sleeping together because he loved me and didn’t want to chance hurting me in any way. But... It still stung.
I walked back into the bedroom and climbed under the thick covers. They smelled a little stale from disuse, but they were warm and comfortable. As I nestled into the pillow, I sensed Dax’s presence on the other side of the door. That electricity we usually felt between us was a rope now, crackling from my chest to his. I wondered what he was thinking about. I wondered what he’d say if he knew how much this was hurting me.
I let my eyelids drift close. Tomorrow was a big day, one I was consciously trying to avoid thinking about. Tomorrow they’d decide what to do about Marion’s clan. They had to help us. It made the most sense, didn’t it? I breathed in and out a few times, trying not to let my anxiety mount. I was safe for now. I just needed to breathe…
I stood before Lake Pendleton, back in Eden. The water was crystal clear; the trees glowed in the moonlight. A chill breeze whipped through the clearing, and goosebumps sprouted on my arms. Rubbing them, I turned in a circle as the owls hooted overhead. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, only that I needed to find it.
“Cara.”
The whispered voice rushed past me. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female or from where it had come. I looked into the trees, my heart hammering. “Who’s there?”
Across the lake, a shadowy figure stepped into the clearing from in between the trees. At this distance, the figure was mostly obscured by mist, but I could see that it was tall—well over seven feet—and much broader than any person I’d ever seen. It walked upright and had a human shape, but how was it so big?
“Cara.”
The voice drifted to me from across the lake, where the creature stood. I still couldn’t make out any detail, but I knew that voice. “James?”
The creature walked forward. Once it was past the mist, I saw that it was James, looking like his normal self. The creature had disappeared. James smiled. “Hi.”
I walked to the water’s edge. I must be dreaming—how else could I hear him so clearly across the expanse of water? He didn’t even seem to be talking very loudly. “What…what are you doing here?”
He kept walking forward, and soon he was wading into the lake. If the water was cold—and it had to be, in November—he didn’t show it. He was still smiling as he walked forward, deeper and deeper. “I’ve come to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?” I watched him nervously. The water was up to his thighs now, but he didn’t stop or slow down.
“Things are about to get complicated,” he said. The water was now up to his stomach.
I stepped forward, and the icy water numbed my toes. “Stop! You’ll drown!”
But he didn’t stop. He kept walking, kept smiling. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“James, stop!” I reached my hand out to him, but of course, he was too far away to take it.
The water was up to his chin. “I won’t take any prisoners.”
And then the lake swallowed him. I watched in silent horror as the water closed over his head. For a few moments, it bubbled. Then it stopped and it was as if James had never been there at all.
I screamed.
All of a sudden Dax was on my bed, gathering me in his fiery arms while I wept, my tears soaking into his shirt. I breathed him in—smoke and sweet spice—over and over until I began to calm down. The ringing in my ears began to recede, and the image of the bubbles subsiding as James died faded.
Dax’s voice began to enter my consciousness; he was talking to someone. “She’s all right. I think it was a nightmare.”
I wiped my eyes against his chest and peeked out from under his arm. The tiny lamp on my night
table had been turned on. Oscar stood in the doorway, his gentle face creased into anxious lines.
“Yeah, I’m—I’m okay.” Even to me, my voice sounded pathetically small. “It was a nightmare…it just felt real.” I took a deep, shuddering breath, and Dax tightened his arms around me.
“All right.” Oscar looked from me to Dax. “I’ll leave you two then. Good night.”
When he was gone, Dax looked down at me, his copper eyes burning with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded and breathed in his sweet breath. “I am now.”
He laid me back down gently on the pillow, his arms cradling me so I was barely jostled with the movement. He smoothed a strand of hair off my face, letting his fingers linger over my cheekbone and trail down to my chin. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
My heart quickened until it was bounding in my chest. I was sure Dax could see it battering against my nightshirt, if he hadn’t heard it already. His fingers came to rest at the hollow of my throat. He brought his face close to mine, his lips hovering just a centimeter away from my mouth. My lips parted in an involuntary sigh as he closed his mouth over mine for the kiss I’d been waiting for.
I tangled my fingers in his dark, luscious hair, my tongue eager for a taste of him. For once he didn’t push me away, but tightened his arms around me, pulling me flush against his body as we deepened our kiss. My breath caught when his hand pushed my nightshirt up higher on my thigh, his blazing palm moving slowly upward. His fingers dug into the tender skin on the inside of my thigh; I gasped, half in pain and half in excitement.
Dax pulled back from our kiss and looked down at me, his eyes burning like I’d never seen them burn before. Only a sliver of copper was visible, most of it eclipsed by his dilated pupils. His nostrils flared as he breathed in my scent, and I felt the racing of his heart against my chest. I could feel other things, too, like the immense heat pouring off his body, and the hard length of him pressed up against my hip.
I slipped my fingers from his hair and down onto his shirt collar. Grabbing tight, I tried to pull him in closer, but he was like granite—immovable. “Dax—”
His grip on my thigh tightened for a moment and then his hand was gone, the skin absurdly cool in its wake. “No.” Dax began to pull away, to move himself off me, but I pushed my body up and pressed my lips against his, nipping and biting him, tasting, licking. He cupped the back of my head and pulled me to him again, matching me move for move like he couldn’t get enough. His mouth slipped from my lips to my throat, his teeth nibbling the sensitive skin there. I could hear my panting in the quiet room; it was loud, harsh, wanton. I couldn’t believe this was really happening. It was exhilarating—like every birthday wish I’d ever had was coming true all at once. I reached for Dax’s belt buckle and began to undo it.
Then, with a sound somewhere between a growl and a groan ripping from his throat, Dax put his hands on either side of my body and pushed himself backward off the bed in one smooth motion. It slid toward the far window, taking me with it. When I caught my breath, he was standing about six feet away from me, his hands clutching his hair, bent over as he tried to calm his breathing.
“Don’t,” he half-panted, half-growled. When he looked up at me, the expression in his eyes was wild, tortured, and so unlike him that I felt my heart stutter in its tracks, thin wisps of fear tugging at it. Here was the evidence of what he’d been talking about all along—his lust for my body warring with his lust for my soul until one couldn’t be distinguished from the other.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. “I’m sorry.” The words came out a whisper, barely audible over the roaring of blood in my ears. Fear began to ebb away as Dax gradually got a hold of himself and I was left with a familiar pang of hurt and disappointment.
Dax straightened, his chest still moving fast from his shallow breaths. He ran a hand through his mussed hair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he walked forward, and with one hand, pulled the bed gently back to its original spot. He sat beside me, his expression still tortured, but now it was marked with pain and sorrow, too. He raised a hand up to my cheek, but before he could touch me, he curled his fingers back into his fist and put it in his lap. “Did I…are you afraid of me?”
In answer, I moved forward and laid my head on his chest. “I was for a minute, but not anymore.”
He stroked the back of my head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice trembled, giving away the depth of his emotion.
I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. You were just… you were staying true to yourself. I just wish…”
“What?”
My voice was hoarse as I tried to hold back the tears. “I want you so badly, and I just wish you wanted me badly enough to want all of me.”
“Hey.” He pulled back and cupped my chin in one blazing hand. His eyes shone with earnestness. “I do want all of you.” He laughed mirthlessly. “You have no idea how difficult that was for me, how agonizing, to pull myself off you. Cara, you…I love you like no other. And if something I did caused you harm in any way…I would perish. Do you understand? I would cease to be.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I know. I guess I just wish we could be together like lovers are meant to be.” I opened my eyes and smiled ruefully. “Stupid human wishes, huh?”
He shook his head and kissed me, gently, on each eyelid. “Not stupid. And not just human. I wish the same, Cara. I wish the same, I promise you.”
I sighed and curled up into his arms. “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
“Of course.”
I jerked awake what felt like five minutes later. My room was completely dark again. Dax had laid me back down on the pillow and covered me with the soft, heavy down comforter. I stared upward in the complete darkness, listening for what had awakened me. There it was: a scraping sound. What was that?
Click.
I stiffened. This new noise hadn’t come from the front door, but from the direction of the bathroom. But there wasn’t a door in there. I sat up and tried to see through the darkness, but it was useless. My mortal eyes were too weak.
“Dax?” I whispered.
The wind was knocked out of me and I found myself flat on my back. At first I didn’t understand what had just happened, but then I smelled him—ice and mint. I opened my mouth to scream for Dax, but he said, “Shh. Don’t be hasty now. I’m close enough to rip your throat out before that scream even leaves it.”
Panic and fear wove through me, turning my blood to ice. My terror was compounded by the fact that I couldn’t see him. He was just a scent, just heat and immobilizing weight pressed into me. I lay still, freezing cold in spite of the demon’s heat.
“That’s better.” I heard the smile in his voice.
“What do you want?” My voice sounded alien to my ears, thin with fear, tight with an anger that lurked underneath.
“That’s simple: just a little taste.” He ran his scorching finger down my arm and I shuddered.
He was one of the demons who were enthralled with the betrotheds of others. Marion had been too, but he hadn’t just wanted my soul—he’d wanted to mate with me as well. I fought the rising panic and refused to let my thoughts go haywire. “Dax is just on the other side of that door,” I whispered. “If I raise my voice—”
“But you won’t, will you? Because you know it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”
Before I could respond, I felt his mouth close over mine. I tried to fight him off, confused and disgusted, but he held me down with barely any effort at all. And then he began to suck.
The vacuum he created around my mouth almost unhinged me. I didn’t know what he was doing. Trying to fight him was like trying to push a concrete slab off me. Nothing gave.
And then…then the sensation changed.
First I got cold—colder than I’d ever been. I thought I’d been freezing earlier, exposed to the elements in my inadequate jacke
t. But compared to this, it had been nothing. This cold was so complete it felt like the absence of myself. There was nothing but the cold.
As he kept sucking, I had the oddest sense that I was deflating somehow. I got gradually numb, my panic and fear dulling into a gray nothingness. I closed my eyes, because the darkness in the room was beginning to seep into me.
And then, from somewhere far away, came an anguished roar. It sounded like it should shake the world with the force behind it, but it barely grazed my ears before floating off. The sucking feeling suddenly ceased. I opened my eyes, but it was still dark.
There were sounds of things being broken, crashing, but these, too, seemed like they came from a distance. I blinked and the room flooded with light. Squinting in the sudden brightness, I was aware that my corneas were burning with the onslaught of light, but the awareness was dulled, as if cotton had been placed over all my senses. Where had the light come from? What was happening?
Someone pulled on my arm, raising me to a sitting position. A beautiful French-accented voice growled, “No! Don’t touch her!”
I turned, the deep void inside me slowly filling with the stirrings of love. A small smile played on my lips as I focused on Dax’s gorgeous face, his copper eyes bright with something I couldn’t quite understand.
Heat wrapped around me, instilling me with warmth, displacing that cold nothingness that had been there just moment before. Vestiges of things began to return—I began to see color the way I used to see it, sounds, besides Dax’s voice, began to filter in. I blinked and then had the sudden urge to inhale deeply, which I did. My chest ached as it filled with air, oxygenating my blood. The cotton began to fall off my senses.
Dax’s face sagged in relief. “Cara. Are you all right?”
I put my hand up to his face, pulling in another deep, shuddering breath. I noticed people all around—Althea, the two men, and Oscar. Althea faced me and Dax, while the Astaroth men and Oscar seemed to be staring at each other, the expressions on their faces inscrutable.