His face is inches from mine. I can feel his breath against my skin, his body pressed against mine, and I know my blood has healed him better and faster than I could have expected. His abs have returned to their normal, ripped selves. His body is responding to our proximity with a clear message of desire.
I give into my own temptations and lift my hand to his waist. The contact sends shivers through us both, and he lowers his own hand from my neck to my chest, tracing the line of my nightgown just above my breasts. My breath shudders and fires light in me.
"Alex," he says, his voice a low rumble. "I don't know what you're doing to me, but if you want to stop, tell me soon."
Logic says I should stop.
But my body laughs at logic.
Instead, I take his hand in mine and lay it on my breast, then glide my own hand down his body until it catches the part of him that is clearly ready for more. "Don't stop," I say, breathless with anticipation.
My words trigger a wave of desire pulsing in both of us. His hand grips my ribs as he lowers his face, his lips finding mine. Our first kiss is an exercise in controlled passion as his tongue explores my mouth and his teeth nibble at my bottom lip.
My fingers dig into his back as he moves his body between my legs, pulling my nightgown up and over my head as he does. He still has silk bottoms on, but I'm now naked as his gaze lingers on my scar-riddled body.
He traces each one he finds, first with his fingers, then his tongue, making trails of lava-like heat all over my skin. "Tell me about these," he says, his voice thick with desire.
And so I tell him the stories of my body, of the tombs I've explored, the monsters I've fought, the times I've nearly died. As he moves down my body, my back arches in need and desire, and then I am gone, consumed by him, by his touch, by his kisses, by his exploration of me as if I am the only thing in his world that has ever mattered.
Words disappear along with his pants, and when we become one, the world around us disappears as well.
The power of our passion is not spent quickly, and the fire has died to embers by the time we fall into each other's arms in exhausted splendor.
For what feels like hours we do not talk, not with words, but we lay and enjoy each other's closeness for as long as we can.
We both know that our next steps will be perilous. That the journey we're on to recover the Fallen Star of Nirandel could be deadly.
And so we savor this moment, knowing it might be our last together.
As the sun rises, Helda comes to the door with food, blood, and juice. I pass on the blood, but am not as repulsed as I would have been seeing Dean drink it.
He explains to me their humane way of acquiring blood, and I'm impressed and humbled by their commitment to not harm humans.
"If time were not our enemy, I would spend an eternity in this room with you, showing you all the ways I desire to pleasure you," he says, once our food is consumed, and it's clear we have to get up.
His words bring promises too tempting to think on right now. There are more urgent matters to discuss, though my unquenchable body disagrees. "I have to tell you something," I say.
He sits up, listening.
"Last night, the woman who stole your piece of the star. That was my mother."
"So she must have been turned the night you thought she was killed," he said, reaching that logical conclusion must faster than my addled brain did last night.
"That's my assumption," I say. "But why would she be doing this? You've shown me being a vampire doesn't inherently make you evil. My mother was a good person. The best I know. Why would she become a monster?" Saying the words brings up a well of emotion, and Dean pulls me in his arms. The warmth, the closeness, comforts me even as it scares me. This has happened so fast. It's insane. And yet, nothing feels more perfect than being with him.
"Power can make anyone mad, even the best of us," he says. "She had the other piece of the Star last night. It gave her power I've never seen. She tore through my men and me. Not a small feet for anyone. Now she has two and will be even more powerful."
I pull away, my heart racing at what I've just realized. "Three. She'll have three soon," I say.
"How so?"
"There's something I haven't told you. Something I didn't know if I could trust you with. I have my own piece of the Star. I always assumed it was what the vampire who killed my parents was after. It's what started me on this quest."
He frowns. "Where is it?"
"In a safe under my house in Malibu," I say.
"Does your mother know this?" he asks.
"She knows we have it. She found it, after all. But I built a new safe for it after a break-in several years ago, and she doesn't know about that."
He caresses my face, kisses me quickly, then takes leave of the bed. "We have to get to it. We can't let her get three pieces. She will be nearly unstoppable."
"Dean, I think I know why she wants it," I say, finally sharing my last secret with him.
He turns mid-way through dressing. "Why?"
"I know what it can do. What its power is." I swallow, my heart falling in my chest. "It can bring back the dead," I say. "Fully restored. As if they never died. If my father is actually dead, I think she wants to use it on him. It's what I would do."
He studies me. "How do you know this?"
"It's my ability," I say, realizing this is actually my last secret from him. "I can read the history of things. It's how I knew what the Mother Tree was feeling. And your blood, it unlocked more of that power in me. Now, I can see the web everyone walks in and how it all connects. I can see the patterns. I know this is what my mother is going to do."
"I knew you weren't human," he says. "Feeding on your blood confirmed it for me."
"I think you're right," I say. "But I don't know what I am." A mystery maybe my mother can help me resolve, now that I know she's alive. Of course, she's the villain now, so we'll see how that goes.
"Something so much more," he says, his voice a soft caress over my heart. Then his face darkens, and he frowns. "What's the cost?" he asks. "There's always a cost for this kind of magic."
"Innocent lives. So many innocent lives." My voice chokes with emotion. "My mother is willing to let hundreds of innocent people die to bring back my father. And the more the Star is used for this purpose, the hungrier it will get. In the wrong hands, it could result in an apocalypse like we've never seen."
Dean pulls some clothes out of his closet and tosses them to me. "Then we'd better get going and stop this before it's too late."
I dress quickly, though his clothes are too big for me. We are both silent, lost in our thoughts, but I can tell they run on parallel tracks.
We are both worried that it's already too late.
Alex Stone
Dean and I stand in front of a large mirror, ready to travel back to my world. I'm nervous. This just got so much more personal on so many levels.
"I can't take us directly to your house, since I haven't been there, but I can get us close."
I nod and take his hand, and he pulls us through. I obviously traveled this way once before, but I was unconscious so it hardly counts. My stomach drops as my body is sucked into a vortex of magic that dances all over my skin. It's a heady experience, as if traveling through galaxies, through a dark and starry night. Dean's hand grips mine firmly, and I cling to his, not wanting to get lost in this universal expanse of nothingness. The absence of any sound is the most disconcerting, like what I'd imagine being in space is like.
Moments later, or hours later, I can't really tell, we are sucked out of another mirror and into a covered alley lined with trash bins. The mirror we came from is a graffiti-covered attachment to a brick wall that forms the backside of a line of shops.
At least a dozen homeless are camped out around the bins, using cardboard boxes and bits of cloth to form makeshift houses. You can't drive through Los Angeles without seeing camps of homeless people under overpasses and lining the streets. It breaks
my heart, and I wish I knew a way of fixing this growing problem. I donate to organizations that I know work hard to help those less fortunate or privileged, but it never seems enough.
Dean shakes his head as we make our way through the web of bodies. "And people think we're the monsters. You'll never find anyone in my realm living like this," he says.
It's past dusk, the sun already a memory in the night sky as we walk down the street, and I orient myself to where we are as I search for a cab to take us to my house. "What would we have done if it was daylight?" I ask.
"Waited," he says, shrugging.
"Oh to have the patience of an immortal," I tease.
He winks at me and reaches for my hand, holding it as I hail a cab.
The intimate everyday gesture sends flurries of butterflies to my stomach, and I wonder how long we'll have this—whatever this is.
I tell him a bit more about my parents on the drive to my house. "They met in college. My mom was studying archaeology and anthropology and my dad was majoring in theater arts. It was love at first sight, to hear them tell it."
My cheeks warm as the prince studies me. "Sometimes that is the way of it," he says. "Two people who are meant to be often know instantly. As if their souls have danced the same dance before and they were only seeking each other for another round together."
"You believe in soul mates?" I ask.
He nods. "I do now."
The cab pulls into my driveway and I let his words settle into me as I pay electronically using PayPal. I don't have my wallet or phone, so I have to borrow the driver's cell. After setting up his payment, I send a text to my friend, letting her know we might need help if shit hits the fan here, then I hand the phone back with a thank you.
The cab speeds away as Dean and I face my house.
The prince whistles. "No wonder you weren't that impressed by my castle. You've got one of your very own."
He turns to admire the view of the ocean and mountains and then follows me to the front door. I don't have my key, but I had a thumbprint system installed just for these occasions.
As we enter, a familiar voice greets me in a deep British accent. "Good evening, Alex, you've been gone longer than expected. I modified your food delivery and cleaning service accordingly."
Dean startles, looking around. "Is someone here?"
I chuckle. "No, I had Smart House Technology installed a year ago. It's the house talking to us."
He shakes his head. "My brother, Ace, would love this place."
I grin. "He's welcome anytime." And I'm stunned at how fast I've come to accept Dean and his family of vampire brothers into my life. It's incredible how fast things can change.
I give him a quick tour of the place, showing off the dining room, kitchen, entertainment room and game room. We skip the many guest bedrooms, and I'm showing him the master bedroom that I sleep in when my house speaks again, and my heart stops cold. "Alex, you have a guest in the living room. She claims she is your mother."
"She's here," I say to Dean, stating the total obvious.
"I guess it's time I meet your mother properly," he says, holding out his hand.
I take it, and we make our way downstairs.
My mother is standing in front of the fireplace staring into the flames. She turns when we approach. "Darling, I've missed you so much."
She comes towards me, arms open, and I let go of Dean's hand to approach her. "Is it really you?"
"It is. I'm so sorry. For everything. I had no idea you were involved in this. I came here to explain."
She reaches for my hand and I let her. I don't feel the energy of the Star pieces on her, and don't see them anywhere. My eyes burn with unshed tears, too many emotions warring within me.
"You've become everything I imagined you would. Your father would be so proud of you," she says, her voice catching on emotion.
"So he's… he's really dead?" I know he is, but I need to hear her say it.
She nods. "I was saved that night, but he was too far gone."
"Why… why didn't you come back for me?" I search her eyes for lies, for truth, for understanding, something.
"It's complicated. At first, I couldn't control my thirst and didn't want to put you in danger. And I didn't think you would want me after I was turned into a monster. I thought you'd be better off without that in your life. Without me in your life." Her eyes spill over with tears and she lets them fall as she holds eye contact with me.
My heart breaks in that moment, and I pull her into a hug. "I needed you. I needed my mother."
All the pain and grief I felt for her for fifteen years swells up in me and breaks through my carefully manufactured walls. I pull back, looking at her again, not wanting to break contact, not wanting to lose her again, despite what I know of her, despite the truth that is gnawing away at the back of my mind. I know I shouldn't trust her. That she's murdered to get the Fallen Star of Nirandel and will do so again, but it's painfully difficult to align that knowledge with the fact that the mother I remember is right here, holding me. "I never thought I'd see you again."
She smiles through her tears. "We can be together now. Forever, if you want. We can be a real family."
My heart thumps in my chest. Because I know what's coming next, and I can't face it. It's too tempting. Too torturous. The Mirror of Idis showed me what might have been. But because of the power of the Star, it inadvertently showed me what still could be as well. If I'm willing to pay the price.
"I just need your piece of the Star, honey. Once we find the fourth piece, I can bring your father back, and everything can be as it should be."
I step away from her, and she frowns. "Darling, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. This star was brought into our lives for a reason. I can fix what happened to our family that night. I just need your help. With your powers, we can find the last piece and set right all we lost."
"Do you know what you're asking?" I take another step back, afraid I will be sucked into her desires, to her wants, to her needs, and that I will lose my sense of right. "Do you know what price the Star demands for use of its power?"
I want to believe she doesn't. That when she discovers the horror of the cost, of the lives that would be sacrificed, she will realize we could never use its power, not even to bring my father back. But I see on her face the truth. She already knows. And she doesn't care. She's willing to sacrifice innocent lives for her own selfish gain.
"I can't do what you're asking. I won't tell you where my piece is or help you find the final piece."
"Please, don't do this," she begs. "You don't know what you're doing. Who you're angering. Just… give me the shard and tell me where to find the last piece. I promise you won't be hurt."
I laugh, but there is no humor in it. "Do you think I'm worried about myself right now? Are you serious? What happened to every lesson you ever taught me as a child? To the difference between right and wrong? To self-sacrifice? To choosing the moral high ground even when it hurts? Where did the woman who taught me those lessons go? Do you really think Dad would want to be brought back if he knew the cost?"
Her eyes flick to something behind me, giving me only a moment to react before I realize we're not alone.
A figure appears as if from smoke, standing in the corner of my living room across from us. He is draped in a black robe and wears a black leather mask over half his face. The other half is sheer perfection. Blue eyes, pale white hair. And filled with cruelty. Around his waist is a chain with the two Star shards hanging from it.
He smiles maliciously, but only half his face responds.
Dean gasps, and I look at him as he stares at the man.
"Levi?" the prince says, clearly stunned. "What? How?"
The man, Levi, takes a step forward. "It's been a long time, brother."
"You're dead," Dean says, and it's a total Deja Vu. How many dead family member reunions are we going to have today, I wonder morbidly.
"You should know we Vane brothers aren
't so easy to kill." Levi takes off his mask and reveals the other side of his face. It's as if someone melted off half his face. I cringe in disgust.
"I found a way to live, but not fully. I need the Fallen Star of Nirandel to complete my transformation, and your new girlfriend is going to help with that. If she doesn't, both you and her precious mommy will die."
Dean Vane, Prince Of War
I cannot process what I'm seeing. My brother has been alive all these years? He died over 100 years ago during the war. How can this be? And yet, it is true. He stands here, in the flesh, taunting me.
And he wants to use Alex for his own gain. The power he already possesses is too great, especially for his warped mind.
"Don't help him," I tell her. "No matter what he does, do not give him access to the Star."
Levi flicks his wrist, and I am sent flying into the living room wall, crashing into the drywall. With a power he shouldn't have, he pins me in place, paralyzing me, squeezing my internal organs until I can't help but scream out in pain. I feel my life force being drained slowly from me, siphoned off by the power of the Star shards.
"Stop!" Alex rushes him, stupid, brave woman that she is, and with another flick of his wrist she's frozen in place, her face pained, her eyes wide.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt her," Alex's mother says.
"I'm not hurting her, just inspiring her to do what's in her best interest. And yours." Levi's eyes pierce through Sandra Stone. "Or have you forgotten our deal?" he asks.
And then it all clicks into place. Or most of it. "You turned Alex's mother, didn't you? After sending a vampire to retrieve their Star shard?"
"I needed her help to locate the others. I had no idea her daughter had the real power until much later."
Alex's eyes widen at this news, and she glares at her mother, who looks away, ashamed.
"You're helping the man who had my father killed?" Alex asks, as she struggles with the paralysis keeping her in place.
"It's more complicated than that," Sandra says. "Just do what he says. He won't hesitate to hurt you or those you love to get what he wants."
Vampire Girl 7: Fallen Star Page 6