Shed some Light

by Amber Naralim

  “I want the white picket fences. I want to have our fat babies running around in the front yard. I want all of it.” Vincent hung his head. “I can't give you that,” he whispered. “All I can give you is a nightmare.” Vincent's chest heaved. “And it's so unfair. You are the only hope for me, El.”

  Ellie smiled and sat up. “Vincent, this life with you is not a nightmare,” she said. “It may not be what I expected, but it's where I belong. You are the only hope for me.” She touched his cheek. “Haven't you realized that yet?”

  He kissed her. Vincent let his elation wash him away. He kissed her deeply. Her hands slid over his face, slipped around his neck. Vincent pulled her into his arms, pressing their bodies together. His hands traced around her waist, resting on her hips. Ellie drew back with need for breath. She looked at him, stared into that handsome face of his.

  “You're my hero, Vincent,” she whispered. “Everyone wants love. But no one wants to pay the price.” She cupped his face in her small hands. “The life we have. The darkness we tread. That is the price. And I will pay it gladly. Again and again, if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Vincent smiled at her, his eyes dancing. “That's the most beautiful thing I have ever heard,” he whispered.

  “It's the truth,” she breathed. “You have proven your love for me a thousand times. The things you’ve done. The way you’ve suffered. You have given me more than anyone should ever ask for.” Ellie ran her hand through his dark, shaggy hair and smiled. “I'm your girl,” she told him. “Nothing will ever change that.”

  Chapter 5

  It was late. The house was quiet. Well, mostly quiet. Reese could here Ellie's moans and sighs of pleasure. It made it hard to concentrate. Jealousy was not a beast that Reese wrestled with often. And rarer still was his jealousy for Vince. Reese read the medical notes. Some of them were hard to decipher. The Doctors used a fair bit of abbreviations. He found them aggravating. Reese sat back against the armrest. The room was dark. He didn't need the light to see. He made sure to shut the fire off the moment he came into the room and still he sat at the far edge of the couch.

  Charlie had printed everything out. Reese was grateful. Ellie spent five whole minutes explaining that black rectangular contraption she called a computer to him. Reese wanted to smash the thing against the wall. It was taking him a long time to come to grips with the world, decades later.

  Even with the clinical descriptions, his hands shook. Vince spent an eternity in hell. The things they did to him, no wonder his mind broke. Cut his arms and legs off, cutting into his brain, burning him until there was nothing left but bones. These people tortured Vince for decades in the name of science. Reese couldn’t read anymore. He flipped past the tests.

  The more Reese read of the psychological notes, though, made it difficult to keep his guilt from washing him away. Dr. Tiegler believed Vince suffered from shell shock. That coupled with an abusive relationship with their parents and a hero complex for Reese caused a break. Tiegler believed Vince murdered Reese because though Reese protected him in everything else. He did not protect Vince from their father.

  Reese heard it too many times to count. He even saw Jasper beating Vince bloody on more than one occasion. He never stopped it. A memory of Vince being driven to his knees by his father's blows stole over Reese. The sound of Jasper’s fists echoed in Reese’s ears. Decades later and thousands of miles away Reese could still feel the fear. It stole the breath from him. He just stood there. Reese watched that hulking man hurl a fist that shattered Vince’s nose. Blood pouring down the front of him soaked into his shirt. Vince was maybe ten.

  Jasper only ever went at Vince in the barn. Never in front of Nora, their mother. It would have been the one thing she would never have tolerated. Reese shook himself of the memory and forced himself to keep reading. Though, a paragraph later the ghost of Jasper Hale wouldn’t be denied.

  Reese remembered him stumbling about the house reeking of bourbon. Hours after he covered Vince in bruises so dark they looked black, he sat down in his chair. He pulled Vince cringing toward him. Jasper looked up into Vince’s face with such sorrow, tears stinging his eyes. Jasper touched his forehead to Vince’s. Reese watched the two of them cry together. Whatever awful things Jasper did to Vince, he loved him.

  Both Jasper and Reese failed Vince. They took something fragile and beautiful and broke it. Vince may have killed him in the end. But every time Reese danced close to that edge Vince was there to hold his hand. Vince tried to pull him back. Vince tried to save him first.

  Reese took in a deep breath just to blow it out slow. He looked up when he heard her bare feet on the wood floor. Ellie walked into the kitchen and went about pouring herself a glass of orange juice. Reese sat the folder on the table next to him and came up behind her.

  Ellie set the orange juice back into the fridge closing it as she turned. Reese materialized. Ellie took in a sharp breath. The glass in her hands hit the floor. It shattered, spilling the juice in a wide arc. Her arm instinctively went for the gun that wasn't there at the small of her back. “Jesus Christ!” Ellie fought to catch her ragged breath. “You scared the shit out of me!” Ellie exclaimed, her eyes wide.

  “Sorry.” Reese had the grace to look sheepish.

  Ellie closed her eyes for a second and then looked at him. Some trick of the light plunged his face into shadow. She tilted her head to the side. “You guys really need to learn to stomp your God damn feet!” she grumbled.

  “Where's Vince?”

  “He's taking a shower.”

  Reese’s eyes were glued to the cut on her left wrist. He licked his lips. “Vince can control it?” he asked, impressed. Ellie knew what he meant. Two warm red drops drew lines down her arm. Ellie thought about wiping them away. She didn't exactly trust Reese the way she did Vincent.

  “It's taken a bit, but yeah, he's making progress.” She looked down at the shattered glass at her feet. Ellie pushed at one of the larger pieces with her toe. She looked back up at him. Reese was still staring at the cut on her arm. Ellie felt a pang of guilt. She should have thought to bandage it or cover it up. Ellie knew he was in the house. She knew Edward was in the house.

  Reese tried hard to tear his eyes away. Her cherry scented blood punched him in the gut. Hunting with Vince helped to be around all the humans. Fresh blood was something else entirely, though. Those vibrant blue eyes were fixed on her. Ellie took in a deep breath. Her shoulders sagging, she frowned at him.

  “Could you stop yourself?” Ellie asked.

  He looked at her. She watched the fight rage in his eyes. Reese took in a breath and licked his lips. “I don't know,” he answered honestly.

  The moment dragged out between them. She had seen that same fight in Vincent's eyes a thousand times. Ellie felt horrible for putting him in this situation. She took in a deep breath. Giving her eyes a roll, she held her arm out to him. Reese looked her in the eye. Ellie knew exactly what he was. She knew what he could do to her. “You rip my arm off and I will be severely pissed,” she told him, her bottom lip trembling.

  Reese smirked. He reached out tentatively and took her hand in his. Her skin was like velvet. Reese lowered his head, his tongue dancing a wet line down the flesh of her arm. He felt the longing in her like an electric current that spilled out of her and ran like torturous sparks over his skin. Once the blood touched his tongue, his Beast swam to the surface, breaking through the line of water that was his control. She tasted good, not just the blood but her flesh as well. Reese had never felt desire rush out of someone once the blood began to spill. It was a titillating experience. He swallowed the tiny taste of her down. Reese laid his mouth over the cut, exploring it.

  His lips worked. Ellie watched the muscles move in the side of his face. She frowned. Her face scrunched up as he kissed the red mouth of the cut. He was nowhere near as gentle as Vincent. Reese took a step closer to her. He wanted to slide his arm around her waist, pull her into his embrace. He wa
nted to bite down.

  Reese breathed her in, the sweet scent of cherries and just a hint of cinnamon. Her heartbeat sped as he explored the depths of the shallow cut. Reese closed his hand over her wrist. His grip so strong it made her sigh. He kissed her arm the way a man might kiss a woman, with all of the passion of someone who wants more. It was beginning to hurt.

  “Reese,” Ellie said softly.

  He didn't answer her. Reese was lost in the taste of her blood. She could feel the edge of his teeth scrape across her skin. Ellie took in a sharp breath. His hand closed even tighter around her arm. Reese pulled her forward by inches. She stumbled into him barely missing the broken glass on the wooden floor. Ellie slammed her fist against his chest. She was beginning to think that maybe this had been a bad idea. She tried to pull away from him, but it was no use.

  “Damn it, Reese, you’re hurting! Let go!” she growled, trying to keep her voice quiet. Keep the fear in check. It drowned out every ounce of desire she felt. Her eyes swiveled over the counter, looking for something, anything she could use as a weapon. Reese’s breath was hot against her skin. She was pressed against his chest. This was nothing like what she felt with Vincent. She hated the tiny voice in the back of her head that whispered it excited her just a little.

  Even the first time, Vincent had been so tender. The promise of sex had blunted the pain. Reese was rough. Ellie worried the bones in her arm would snap under the power of his hold on her. She took in another breath, wincing at the hurt that rocketed up her arm. It throbbed. His tongue probing the cut stung.

  Her blood had a spice to it. A richness that coated his throat in candied syrup. Her heart beat fast like a hummingbird’s wing. She tasted wonderful, warm and sweet. Reese knew he should let go. He could hear it in her voice. She’d trusted him. He wanted to pull back. But he wanted her more. Reese loved the sound of her beating heart. He just couldn't force himself to pull away. Ellie spotted the glint. She reached with everything she had. Finally, her hand closed around the grip of the kitchen knife. She hefted it, ready to plunge it into his throat.

  “Reese!” Vincent's voice cut through his need. A low trickling growl slithered through the room. That was enough to break the spell. Reese pulled away breathless. His chest heaved. His eyes wide, they were black with a violently red starburst around where his pupil should be. Reese looked down at Ellie at the anger and fear in her eyes. Reese let her go. His hands up in surrender, Reese licked his lips. Ellie glared at him. His face was slack. His eyes bleeding back to that insanely bright blue.

  “I-I'm sorry,” he breathed. Reese laid his head back against his shoulders, fighting to catch his breath. Vincent stomped across the floor putting himself between Ellie and Reese. Ellie tried to warn him. Vincent wasn’t listening. The shards of glass tore into his feet. Vincent didn't notice them, or if he did, he didn't care. Vincent touched her face with one hand. The other he used to take her left wrist. He looked at the wound. There was a black and purple bruise around the gash.

  Vincent’s eyes rolled to his brother. Another quiet growl tore itself from his throat. Ellie dropped the blade back to the island and touched his chest. She shook her head no. “It's my fault, Vincent.”

  “You shouldn't have been that stupid,” Vincent thundered, sparing a glance at her. “She told you to let go!” His voice was quiet. Vincent enunciated every word, because if he began to scream he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop.

  “You're right. I'm sorry,” Reese told his little brother.

  “Don't say it to me.” Vincent snapped.

  Reese looked at Ellie. “I'm sorry, Sunshine,” he said gently. Reese still couldn’t catch his breath. Red stained the corners of his mouth. His eyes were a little wide, his voice breathy.

  “Broom,” she retorted.

  Reese's eyebrows knit together, forehead wrinkling. “What-what do ya mean?” he asked, giving her a look.

  “Give me the broom. Your brother can walk on broken glass, I can't.”

  Reese smiled, despite the tension between them. He walked over, grabbing the broom. Instead of handing it to her, he swept up the glass into a wet pile. Reese looked up at Vincent. His hair was dripping wet. It occurred to Reese then that Vincent was bare assed naked. He must have heard her protests.

  Reese frowned. “I mean it,” he began, pointedly averting his eyes. “I am sorry,” he said gently. “I wasn't trying to hurt her, Vince.”

  Ellie looked down at her wrist. She hissed. It still stung. The skin at the very edge was white. A black that was almost purple ringed out around it. It looked like a really bad hickey. “All right, Dracula,” she said. “It's over.” She looked up at Vincent, giving him a look of argumentative contrition. “Lesson learned. I promise. I won't be making that mistake again anytime soon.”

  “The Monster looks for any way through,” he told her. Vincent pulled her into his arms. He lifted her up and walked her a few feet toward the dining room.

  Ellie sighed, shaking her head. “He swept it up.”

  “Not good enough,” was all Vincent said, giving her his angry little eye flare. Ellie had to admit she found it cute.

  “Well, damn it, I still want orange juice,” Ellie whined.

  Vincent let her body slide down against his until she found her feet on the hardwood. He exhaled a breath, the anger leaking away from him little by little. She pressed the side of her face against his chest. Cuddling it against him like a cat. She went to take a step away, but he wouldn't let her. Vincent closed his arms in tighter around her. She gave him a look.

  Reese rolled his eyes. He picked a glass out of the cupboard and crossed to the refrigerator. He poured out a glassful and screwed the cap back on. Reese walked it over and held it out to her. Ellie eyed him for a few seconds before she took it from him. She took a sip. “Thank you.”

  Reese took in a breath, his eyes sliding from her to Vincent, then back again. “I didn't mean to hurt ya,” he said again. His face screwed into an odd expression. “I did mean to hurt ya. I like it…” He paused looking for the right word. “Better, when it hurts,” Reese told her honestly. “I'm sorry that I hurt ya.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Ellie took another drink of her OJ.

  “Are we good?” Reese asked. She gave him a wary smile and a nod.

  “Yeah, we're good,” Ellie told him, setting the glass on the table. She had to reach around Vincent's arm around her waist.

  He looked at Vincent, knowing it wouldn't be that easy. Vincent refused to take his hands away from her, standing over her protectively. Reese flashed him a sheepish smile. “It won't happen again.”

  “That's right,” Vincent said.

  “What were you doing lurking in the dark anyway?” Ellie asked.

  “I was reading the doctors notes,” Reese said. Giving a quarter turn he gestured to them lying open on the table.

  Ellie's eyes widened. “Charlie printed them out?” she asked intensely curious.

  Vincent gave her a look. “I thought you weren't going to read them?” he asked, his eyes a little hurt. “You promised me,” Vincent reminded her.

  Ellie sighed. “You're right, I promised. But, you can tell me,” she argued.

  Vincent simply looked at her. “I don't want you to know.” He touched her hair.

  Ellie tried hard not to be annoyed by this. It just wasn't working. She hated not knowing. Ellie did not understand why he didn't want her to know. She frowned, looking at the floor. Vincent never asked her for anything. Ellie wanted to trust his privacy on this. It just was not her style. “Fine,” she breathed.

  “Vince,” Reese said. “I'm sorry as hell for what they did to ya.”

  “Wait, he gets to know and I don't?” Ellie complained, tucking her hair back behind her ears.

  “I didn't want him to know either,” Vincent told both of them. He exhaled loudly. “What happened to me. It's the past. It is what it is. There is nothing you can do about it.”

  Reese sighed. He looked at his little brother for
a long moment and nodded. If Vince didn't want to talk about it, Reese understood. He didn't think Ellie would. He heard her make a noise.

  “Ugh, you got me all wet,” Ellie grumbled.

  Vincent plastered a smile onto his face. “All part of my diabolical plan to get you to go finish my shower with me,” he assured her.

  That made her laugh. She plucked her orange juice from the table, draining it. Ellie sat it back down around Vincent's arm and looked up at him. “Very well, you evil mastermind, shower with you I shall,” she said with a smile. “Ah you, villain, you shall have my body…” Ellie joked dramatically. “Ah who am I kidding, you know damn well I'm going to like it,” she admitted with a waggle of her eyebrows.

  Vincent let his hands slide around her waist and lifted her, tossing her over his shoulder. Her hair hung almost to the floor. He wrapped his arm around her thighs, just beneath her ass to secure her. He gave her ass a smack. Vincent popped his eyebrows playfully at his brother’s smile and turned headed for the shower upstairs. Ellie waved at Reese, upside down.

  Chapter 6

  Rain tapped out a rhythm on a roof that Reese almost recognized. The only light was the glow from the fireplace across the room. He could hear it cracking and hissing, and yet it didn't bother him. Ellie lay against him. That silken hair he liked so much sliding through his fingertips. She was laughing about something.

  A sweet purr that made his breath come a little faster. He loved the sound of her laughter. Ellie slipped her hand beneath the thin t-shirt he wore. Her nails dragged gently over his stomach. The only thing missing he decided was music. Reese lay a kiss on her cheek. He pushed back on her shoulders guiding her into a sitting position. Ellie gave him a confused look.