by M. Leighton
“Are you sure that’s it? That’s all you saw?”
I nodded.
“Honestly, I didn’t see anything else, like where she was, who she was afraid of, where they took her, anything.”
And that was absolutely true. About Savannah, that is.
His eyes narrowed on me suspiciously, so I quickly took control of the conversation, afraid he might somehow pin me down.
“So I’m thinking that since I’m all juiced up on human blood, I can be around Savannah without having to worry, right?”
“Eh,” Bo said as he did a kind of back and forth thing with his head that wasn’t really agreement or disagreement.
“Well, at any rate, you’ll be here. And Devon. I say that, tomorrow morning, I go get her and bring her here. She can tell her dad she’s housesitting with me.”
“Babe, it is tomorrow morning,” Bo said, cocking his head toward the wall of windows that was flooded with the pastel-hued sunrise.
“Oh, right,” I said, smiling sheepishly. “Time sure does fly when you’re battling hell hounds, doesn’t it?”
Bo grinned.
“Why don’t we wait for Devon to get back, see what he says and then we’ll go from there?”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. That sounded far too reasonable to dispute.
“Maybe I should at least call her, make sure she’s alright and tell her what I want to do.”
Bo chuckled.
“Alright then. Call her if you must,” he granted in an exasperated voice.
I dug my phone out of my pocket and dialed Savannah. It was answered on the first ring, but not by the voice I expected to hear.
“Hey, Ridley,” Devon whispered into the phone.
“How—”I paused for a moment, wondering, but then answered the question I hadn’t asked—caller ID. “Where’s Savannah? Why are you answering her phone? And why are you whispering?” I whispered in return.
“She’s asleep. Why are you whispering?”
I thought about that for a second and then we both laughed.
“Good question,” I replied at a more normal level. “Devon, I’ve got a favor.”
I explained to him what I’d seen and what I wanted to do with regard to Savannah. Of course, Devon wanted to spend as much time with Savannah as possible, as well as ensure her safety, so he was completely in favor of the plan.
“So then you’ll stay with her until she wakes up, tell her about the plan and then call me so I can come get her, right?”
“Right.”
“Don’t tell her it has anything to do with her mother. Just tell her it’s Sebastian.”
“I won’t. I don’t want to upset her.”
“Good. Neither do I.”
“Well, I guess I’ll be waiting to hear from you then.”
“And you don’t think her dad will have a problem with her skipping time with the tutor today? Or that he’ll wonder why you’re out of school on a Friday, too?” Devon asked.
“Savannah’s creative. She’ll think of something,” I responded, never in doubt of Savannah’s ingenuity.
“Good point,” Devon said. “Okay, I’ll call you when it’s time to come and get her.”
We hung up and I turned to Bo.
“Done deal.”
I was inordinately pleased, feeling for just a moment as if we’d somehow thwarted Sebastian. I knew that there was so much more involved than just managing to hide Savannah, but I felt it was best to celebrate the small victories. I might not be around to celebrate the big one.
Pushing that thought away, I smiled my smile of great accomplishment, at which Bo grinned.
“Now you can rest easy,” he stated. “Shall we go see what new developments your skin has to show?”
Bo taking off my clothes to rub his hands all over my skin? Yes, please!
I simply smiled and Bo took my hand, leading me back to the one small sanctuary we had in all this mess. Once inside my room, Bo removed my shirt to look for new writing. There was none on my chest this time, but he found some on my belly and my side. After he scrutinized them, Bo turned me around.
He ran his fingers gently over the skin of my back, but it wasn’t until he’d reached my waist that I could tell that he’d found something. Once again, he leaned in so closely I could feel his breath fanning my skin.
I heard a soft shuffling and looked over my shoulder to see that Bo had gotten down on his knees behind me. He looked up at me and my stomach fluttered.
“Turn around,” he said quietly.
Without question, I did as he asked. His eyes dropped to my navel and he reached forward, pushing the button of my jeans through the hole to release it. After he slid the zipper down, Bo ran his thumb under my waist band and began to shimmy my jeans over my hips and down my legs. I watched his face as he uncovered my body, inch by inch. I could tell by the increasing blackness of his eyes that his desire was on the rise as my jeans fell to the floor and pooled around my ankles.
Without being told, I kicked off my shoes and stepped out of my pants. Bo pushed them aside and, with one hand to my hip, urged me back in front of him.
Excruciatingly slowly, Bo ran his hands up and down my legs and then placed one kiss just below my navel. Chills spread across my stomach and I sucked in my breath.
When he looked up at me, it felt as though his eyes—eyes so full of love and desire and something dark and ravenous—seared me to my soul. Finally, he spoke.
“Turn around.”
Shivering with excitement, I did as he asked and let him examine my back side. I felt his fingers again, skating over my skin like a warm breeze. He traced shapes at my waist and down to my left hip, beneath the material of my panties.
When he spoke again, I had all but forgotten that there was a reason for my dishabille.
“He needs the blood of Corruption, Death, Betrayal, Hatred, Envy and Doom to destroy me. He will use it somehow to invade and vaporize my angelic form. Only one element can protect me and weaken him, but it doesn’t say which one yet.”
I looked over my shoulder again at Bo. His revelation was very sobering.
He stood and I turned toward him.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know how I understand what it means, but I do.”
“And you think Devon and Savannah are two of the people he needs?”
He nodded again. I thought as much, too.
“You know,” Bo said, sliding his fingers around my neck and into my hair. “We don’t have to do this. We could just run away together. We could forget about Sebastian, get married and spend eternity making love on a beach somewhere in a third world country.”
I wound my fingers around his wrist.
“You know we can’t do that. He’ll always be looking for you, trying to find you and destroy the only person on the planet that could take his miserable life. This has to be done.”
“What if I don’t care? What if I’d rather risk it and spend as many years as I can with you?”
I smiled.
“You’re not that guy, Bo. It’s one of the thousands of reasons I love you.”
Bo took a step forward, bringing his body into contact with my scantily clad one until he was touching me from nipple to thigh. He wrapped the fingers of his other hand around my neck, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over my jawline.
“Once he’s gone, would you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Run away with me,” he answered, then added softly, “marry me.”
My heart sped up, thudding wildly against my ribs.
I must be misunderstanding him, I thought.
“What do you- I mean, what are you saying?”
Bo’s eyes bored hot holes into mine.
“I’m asking if you’ll marry me,” he whispered earnestly.
I caught and held my breath. A dozen random thoughts raced through my head, but beneath them all, a trill of pure euphoria rang.
I w
as so happy at the thought of pledging my life to Bo that I was speechless. But in my silence, Bo read a different meaning.
“I know you’re young, Ridley, and that you’ve got a lot of life ahead of you, but we wouldn’t have to do it right away. We could wait a little while. I just wouldn’t want to wait too long, because if I’m mortal and you’re—”
“Yes,” I interrupted quietly.
“What?” Bo asked carefully, one corner of his mouth curling up hesitantly.
“I said ‘yes’,” I repeated, feeling a radiant smile curve my own lips.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Bo’s faced relaxed into a boyish expression of sheer delight that warmed me to my toes. He’d actually considered that I might say no and the thought of his insecurity made my consent feel all the sweeter.
With one sharp bark of laughter, Bo took his fingers out of my hair and grabbed me around the waist. Crushing my body to his, Bo lifted me off my feet and swung me around.
I tucked my face into his neck to smother the giggle of elation that bubbled in my throat. I noticed that Bo’s scent was stronger than usual and I realized that his blood was warm with happiness, saturating his skin with his unique aroma as it seeped through his pores. Maybe that’s why I always smelled it so strongly. Maybe I made him happy.
Bo set me on my feet only to scoop me up and carry me to the bed. As he moved, a vision of me dying in his arms crept in to mar our sublime moment. I felt my smile falter for a fraction of a second, but Bo didn’t see it. When he laid me down and stood at the side of the bed, looking down at me with all the love in the world shining in his eyes, I forced my lips up into my brightest smile. I’d be the best actress Earth had ever seen if it meant keeping my troubles from Bo. There were some things he didn’t need to know, some things he didn’t need to be bothered with, and my impending demise was definitely one of them.
For the next few hours, Bo was like a totally different person. He kissed and stroked nearly every inch of my skin, worshipping my body as if it were made of gold and glass. He whispered the most wonderful words in my ear, sweet nothings that made my heart swell unbearably in my chest. He tickled my feet until I couldn’t catch my breath, chasing me all over the bed to continue his torment.
I couldn’t help notice that his laugh was more carefree than I’d ever heard it, his face was more relaxed than I’d ever seen it and his heart seemed happier than I’d ever known it to be. For those few hours, the world outside the four walls of that bedroom didn’t exist and neither did a future that held anything but optimistic sunrises and blissful sunsets.
We were laying on the bed, talking about that future, the one I was almost certain that I’d never see, when my phone rang. I knew before I picked it up who it would be. It was Savannah and she was ready for me to come get her.
“What did you tell your dad?” I asked.
“I told him that you were out of school for half the day and that we were going shopping and renting some movies for our girl’s weekend.”
“Quick thinking,” I stated appreciatively. “But half a day? What do you—” I stopped myself before I could finish the question, pulling the phone away from my ear to check the little blue numbers at the top of the screen. Sure enough, it was already almost lunch time.
“What was that?” Savannah prompted.
“Oh, nothing. So, he completely trusts you to come over here and spend the weekend in a house without adult supervision?”
“Ridley, I’m a blind girl. How much trouble can I really get into?”
I snickered.
“He obviously has no idea.”
She chuckled, too. “Obviously! I’ll see you in a few minutes then?”
“I’m on my way.”
We hung up and I looked over at Bo. He was on his side, lounging casually on the velvet duvet, watching me with eyes that turned my guts inside out. I was very sad to see our playful, enchanting morning come to an end. I had no doubts, though, that I would treasure the memory of it for as long as I lived, however many days, years or decades that might end up being.
Bo watched me dress. It made me feel warm and sexy and shy all at the same time, a very heady combination. When I was straightening my shirt, he slid off the bed and walked to me.
Tenderly, he pushed my hair over my shoulder and bent his head to kiss my throat. Chills spread over my chest. When he straightened, he looked down into my face and smiled.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
He took my hand.
“Now, let’s go get Savannah.”
“Wait,” I said, putting a hand to his chest. “You can’t go. What if someone sees you?”
“Oh,” he said, “I didn’t think of that.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said, planting a quick kiss on his chin. “You’ve been distracted.”
With a growl, Bo pulled me in close and whispered to me just before his lips covered mine. “Tease.”
After what had to be a full minute of steamy kissing, Bo leaned back and looked at me questioningly.
“How do you feel, thirst-wise?”
I paused, giving careful consideration to the sensation in my chest and throat and then thought of Savannah. I paid particular attention to how envisioning her and the smell of her blood affected me.
“I think I’m okay,” I answered. “But Devon will be with us regardless, so…”
Bo nodded and we finally made our way from the bedroom down the hall toward the front door. As we passed the living room, I saw the Cade and Annika were sitting in the floor around the large, rectangular coffee table with a board game spread out between them. The fireplace behind them was ablaze and both seemed utterly engrossed in what they were doing.
I paused in the doorway to look at the letters on the board. I had to smile when I saw that the game they were playing was Chutes and Ladders.
“What?” Bo asked when he saw my grin.
“I guess the only games they could find here were some of Lilly’s.”
Bo walked me to my car and I drove to Savannah’s house. When I pulled up to the curb, I sat in the car for a few extra seconds, reassuring myself that my thirst was very much under control and that I would never hurt my friend.
In my head, I was formulating a plan that would best ensure Savannah’s safety when I heard the front door creak open. I looked up and saw Savannah making her way carefully down the sidewalk using a walking stick like I’d seen other blind people use. I’d never seen Savannah use something like that and it made my heart wrench in sympathy for my friend.
Savannah had an overnight bag slung over her shoulder and she was shuffling her feet uncertainly. I hurried out of the car to go and help her. It wasn’t until I got closer to her that I realized why she was shuffling. I hadn’t been looking around her or I would’ve noticed Devon’s wavy shimmer glinting in the partially sunny afternoon light. He was hovering at her back, helping her as she made her way to the car.
“Sorry, Devon,” I said quietly. “I didn’t see you.”
“See,” he whispered to Savannah. “I told you.”
“Shh,” she hissed, shushing him. “Wait until we get in the car.”
I took Savannah’s bag and let her use my arm rather than the long stick to help guide her to the car. She walked much faster that way. Once she was safely in the car, I opened the back door wide, ostensibly to throw her bag into the floorboard.
“Hurry,” I said softly, trying not to move my lips.
I saw Devon’s shimmer disappear into the back seat just before I threw Savannah’s bag in behind him and slammed the door shut.
When I slid behind the driver’s seat, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“That was crazy,” I exclaimed to Savannah as I started the engine.
“He was afraid for you to come in the house, but he didn’t want me to fall going down the sidewalk either,” she griped. “I just knew someone would see him.”
“I told you no one would pay any attention as long as I stayed close to you. The sun’s not that bright today and I’m harder to see,” he explained sensibly.
I listened quietly to their exchange, trying my best to hold back the smile that threatened.
“What?” Devon said.
I said nothing. I didn’t know who he was talking to until Savannah clarified.
“He’s talking to you, Ridley.”
“Oh,” I said grinning sheepishly. “Sorry. I can’t see you, remember?”
“Now you know how I feel,” Savannah mumbled.
“What were you trying not to laugh at?” Devon specified.
“Oh nothing,” I said as I pulled away from the curb.
“What, Ridley?” Devon snapped.
“You two. You’re like an old married couple, the way you argue. I just think it’s funny, that’s all.”
Savannah turned in her seat to face Devon, throwing her most winsome smile in his direction.
“Do you feel like an old married couple? Because, if that’s the case, I think we’ve missed out on a couple of the finer points of being married,” she teased.
I could almost hear Devon smile at her innuendo.
“Maybe we are like an old married couple,” he returned, referring to their apparent lack of physical intimacy.
“Oh,” Savannah said, laughing good-naturedly. “That’s just wrong! Not all wives are frigid like that.”
“I know,” he conceded. “And I doubt you’d be that way anyhow. There’s nothing wrong with your, ahem, urges.”
I had to glance at Savannah to see if her cheeks would flood with color. And they did. She still laughed, though, slapping Devon on the knee. It made a smacking sound so I knew her aim was spot-on. It was still so strange to me that she could see him perfectly.
“You’re so bad,” she added coyly, beaming at him.
“Geez, get a room,” I suggested.
They both laughed and it seemed that their spat was over.
We chatted about inconsequential things on the short drive to Sebastian’s. It wasn’t until I’d parked in front of the garage that I realized I’d made it the whole drive without thinking of ripping Savannah’s throat open one time. I was inordinately pleased with my progress.
Devon helped Savannah out of the car and I reached for her bag.