Origins (A Black Novel, #1)

by Jessa L. Gilbert

  Chapter Nineteen

  T he next few days pass by in a blur and, throughout them all, Luc remains a permanent fixture. He would constantly shadow me wherever I went- even though I hardly ever left the house. He even tried to follow me into the restroom by using a bevy of well thought out excuses:

  “What happens if you slip in the shower?”

  “What if you choke on your toothpaste?”

  “You could stab your eye out doing your makeup…”

  “I don’t want you to electrocute yourself with the blow dryer…” He was relentless yet even I had to admit that he was pretty clever.

  It got to the point that whenever I headed to the restroom I would just shake my head and shut the door on his protests.

  “Don’t you need to feed?” I ask one morning around a mouthful of blueberry muffin.

  “Huh? I thought I was,” he replies as he holds up his own half eaten muffin.

  “No, I mean blood. Don’t you need blood?” I clarify.

  “Why, are you offering?” he asks suggestively.

  “Absolutely not,” I reply resolutely. “I just thought you needed it to survive.”

  “We do.” He shrugs carelessly before biting off another mouthful of muffin.

  “But you haven’t fed, that I know of, since you’ve been here.” I point out. “Wait- you haven’t, have you?”

  He laughs at my alarmed expression. “No, I haven’t. Didn’t Vraiden or your mom teach you anything? Pure Immortals, like myself, don’t have to feed as much as those that are made because our blood is

  ‘pure’, undiluted by human blood. We last longer without it. Of course, there are some Immortals who still feed on a daily basis so they have more strength.”

  “Then shouldn’t you be feeding every day in case Eris decides to try and kill me?” I raise a skeptical eyebrow.

  “There won’t be any ‘trying’ involved.” He sits down the rest of his muffin and turns to face me. His expression is scary-serious when he continues, “If Eris wants you dead, then that’s it. It’s over. There won’t be anything I can do about it.”

  “Then why are you here?! Why’d you vow to protect me if you can’t? Why did you agree to that?”

  “I didn’t agree to it exactly. It was my idea.” He lowers his eyes towards the table, either too afraid or too embarrassed to face me.

  “What do you mean it was your idea?” My voice comes out pinched.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath to steady myself before looking at him.

  “The blood oath was my idea. Vraiden wasn’t going to let you out of his sight so I had to do something! It would’ve only pissed off Eris more if he’d stayed with you and then she definitely would’ve killed you!”

  I was afraid to ask the question on my mind but I wanted to know the answer. “So Vraiden just walked away?”

  “He didn’t have a choice, not if he wanted you to live.” He stands up, voice raised, with his fists clenched at his sides. “This was his only option. Do you think he wanted to watch you die?!” He looks at me, eyes softening slightly. “He cares about you, more than I’ve ever seen him care about anything before. Now, are we done yelling so I can finish eating?”

  “Yes,” I nod. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he replies as he picks up the rest of his muffin. “I’m here because I care about you and my brother. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt and this was the only solution I could think of.”

  “Then thank you,” I say as he shoves the remainder of food into his mouth.

  “You’re welcome,” he grumbles.

  “My birthday’s tomorrow,” I reply, more to myself than to him.

  “I know,” he answers with a smile. “Just think, in roughly fifteen hours you’ll be free of me. Whatever will you do?” he teases.

  I take a deep breath and, exhaling loudly, announce, “I’ve made my decision.”

  “And?” he urges as he stares at me, a skeptical expression on his face.

  My voice comes out shaky when I answer, “I can’t stay here. I’m going home- to my dad. He needs me. He already lost my mother, I don’t know what he’d do if he lost me too.”

  “I understand,” Luc nods, gazing at me intently.

  I lift my eyes to meet his. “Can I see Vraiden before I leave?”

  “When? Today?” he looks at me, confused and I nod in response. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Eris is still here.”

  “Please?” I beg.

  “Adelin—”

  “I’ll go without you,” I cut in defiantly. “I’ll sneak out the bathroom window if I have to.”

  “All the more reason I need to go into the bathroom with you,” he says pointedly.

  “Luc, please? How do you think he’s going to feel if I leave without telling him?”

  He sighs heavily, defeated. “Fine. Finish your breakfast then go change and we’ll go.”

  “Thank you!” I squeal before stuffing the rest of my muffin into my mouth and racing out of the room.

  We park at the far end of the long driveway leading up to the Black house. “We can’t just walk in through the front door,” Luc answers in response to my confused expression. As soon as I climb out I am overwhelmed with nervousness- I had no clue what I planned on saying to Vraiden. “Come on,” Luc whispers loudly. “This was all your idea.”

  “You know its daytime right?” I say as I point towards the sun. “How are we going to sneak in when anyone could just look out the windows and see us? And why are you whispering?”

  “Just be quiet and get over here,” he snaps at me, brows furrowed.

  “Whatever,” I mutter, rolling my eyes and walking over to where he stands, waiting, next to one of the large trees lining the driveway.

  I follow Luc’s lead doing my best to “blend in” as I hunch down and dart from the shadow of one tree to the next. At the fourth tree in I have to cover my mouth with my hand to stifle a giggle at how ridiculous I feel- and probably look. Luc shoots me an icy glare as he continues sneaking through the trees ahead of me and I do my best to maintain a straight face as I creep along after him. The Pink Panther theme song suddenly springs to mind and I have to take a moment to compose myself again before continuing.

  Once we reach the end of the tree line Luc signals me to, on the count of three, race across the driveway and take cover in the bushes along the house. I nod my assent with a small sigh and, holding up three fingers, he silently begins counting down. When he lowers his last finger I shoot across the clearing after him and crouch down between two of the hedges. I follow Luc’s example and stand stiffly.

  I flatten myself against the side of the house, sprigs of evergreen catching in my hair in the process. Luc begins slowly edging along the house and I scoot along next to him, making sure to duck beneath the large windows. Once we reach the end we slip around the side and continue onward toward the back of the house.

  Luc’s hand reaches out and grabs me, holding firm. My mouth snaps open to ask why he’s stopped, but before I can speak his hand is over my mouth, silencing me. I glare at him angrily. He lifts a finger silently in response and presses it against his lips in a “be quiet” gesture and, eyes wide, points to the large window over his head. I nod my understanding and he lowers his hand from my mouth to sit on my collarbone in an effort to press me closer into the house. We stay that way for several minutes before his arm finally sags down, releasing me. I breathe in a sigh of relief and roll my shoulders to try and erase some of the tension left in them.

  After a moment Luc continues on easing around to the back of the house, taking care to be as silent as possible. “Oof!” The air rushes out of me as I collide with Luc who is now standing, unmoving, in front of me. He turns and scowls at me as I regain my breath and points straight up to one of the terrace’s lining the back of the house. That must be where Vraiden’s room is.

  “How are we going to get up there?” I whisper as I look around
for a trellis or a ladder. Hell, even a drain pipe would work but I find nothing.

  “Get on my back,” Luc whispers in response, a small smile lighting his face.

  “Get on your what?” I ask confused.

  “My back. Get on and hold tight.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” I mutter. Of course he’s going to try and jump up there, never mind the fact that its fifteen feet in the air. He’s probably going to get us both killed. I climb on his back, piggy-back style, wrapping my legs around his torso and securing my arms around his neck and close my eyes tightly. I take a deep breath, holding it, as I feel him crouch down and spring off the ground. The air whooshes out of me a moment later as we connect with something solid with a soft thud.

  Opening my eyes I find Luc easily hanging onto one of the bars on the railing of the terrace. Holy shit, we made it. I smile in triumph as he hoists the two of us up and over the railing and slide down off his back once we’re on solid ground.

  “You didn’t think we’d make it, did you?” he says with a smirk making me roll my eyes.

  I ignore him and mentally prepare myself before turning and walking through the open terrace doors and into Vraiden’s bedroom. “Wait, where is he?” I ask as I look around the empty room.

  Luc shrugs, glancing around. “Not here.”

  “Obviously. What do we do now?”

  “Now we wait.” He strides over towards the bed and plops down on top of the duvet. Kicking off his shoes he lies back against the pillows and lets out a satisfied sigh. I shake my head at him in disapproval before relaxing into one of the red armchairs on the opposite side of the room.

  I’m not sure exactly how long we sit there- hell, I’m not even sure if Luc’s awake the entire time. From the looks of it, he appears to be sleeping but the second the doorknob turns his eyes spring open and he sits up, startling me. I glance towards the door and smile as Vraiden enters.

  He looks more unkempt than the last time I saw him. His hair is longer, messier, and there is a shadowing of dark golden stubble lining his jaw, making him appear even more handsome. My hearts begins beating erratically as his warm familiar scent invades the room. He stops with one foot still on the threshold as his eyes dart towards Luc before resting on me. Not lifting his eyes from mine he steps the rest of the way into the room and shuts the door firmly behind him.

  “What the fuck is she doing in my room?!” He explodes, pointing at me.

  Luc raises his hands in a gesture of surrender and shakes his head.

  “Not my idea.”

  “I don’t give a fuck whose idea it was! Get her out of here now!” I guess he’s not so happy to see me.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I cut in, keeping my gaze level with his.

  “See what I have to deal with,” Luc says, gesturing to me. “Would you rather I brought her here safely or she came on her own?”

  “I’m leaving tomorrow,” I announce before Vraiden can respond.

  Shit, tact was never my strong point.

  “What?!” he sputters, shooting a look towards Luc who stands and heads to the door.

  “I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll be in my room when you’re done,” Luc says before pulling the door shut after him.

  “So,” Vraiden says as he stuffs his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and grimaces. “You’ve made your decision? You’re leaving?” I lower my gaze to the floor. “Yes,” I reply, thankful my voice remains steady.

  “And there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?” His voice is soft, wistful.

  I look up, heartbroken at the pained expression he wears. His blue eyes are dark, almost grey, and for a moment I think about staying and how it would feel to live for eternity with him. I close my eyes briefly and shake my head with a sad smile knowing that if I try to speak I’ll only betray myself. His expression morphs into one of torment at my answer and I have to blink away the tears welling up.

  “I’m sorry Adelin,” he whispers. His voice cracks as he speaks and I can no longer hold the tears back.

  “Sorry for what?” I ask as I wipe at the wetness flowing across my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through all this. I’m sorry about what I said and did to you. I’m sorry I’m so fucked up….”

  “Vraiden, it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault,” I reply soothingly.

  His fists clench at his sides. “It’s all my fault! You’d have been better off if I had just stayed away from you.”

  I rise from the chair and make my way over to where he still stands by the door. I stop in front of him and lift my hands to his face, wanting nothing more than to comfort him.

  “Don’t touch me!” he snaps, grabbing my wrist before I can make contact.

  Not giving up, I raise my other hand. His eyes flash and he spins me around, pinning me to the door with my arms over my head. My heart speeds up at his proximity and my body instinctively tries to lean into him to no avail. His breath quickens as I squirm in his grasp and my lips part in response. My head tilts back and I bite my bottom lip as I stare intently into his eyes.

  Before I have time to react he presses his body firmly into mine and crushes his lips against my own. I sigh in contentment as his tongue caresses mine. Groaning deep in the back of his throat he releases my hands and wraps his arms around my back, pulling my body flush against his. My fingers tangle in his hair as he lifts me slightly and I wrap my legs tightly around him.

  Holding me up, Vraiden stumbles to the bed and collapses on top of me, all the while never taking his lips from mine. Untangling my hands from his hair I quickly yanks his shirt over his head and run my hands longingly down his chest to pop the button on his jeans.

  He kicks his pants off and, leaning back, yanks mine off as well and tosses them to the floor. Staring down at me intently, eyes full of desire, he grips the edges of my blouse and yanks it apart, sending buttons flying.

  I shrug my shirt the rest of the way off and pull him back down towards me. He kisses me feverishly, trailing his lips down my jaw to my neck. His stubble scrapes against my flesh, rough as sandpaper, and I moan out loud, delighting in the pain. Panting heavily he sits back. “Can I…?” he says hoarsely, trailing his finger down my neck to the rise of my bosom before dipping his hand under my bra and kneading gently.

  “What?” I ask breathlessly.

  “I want to taste you,” he says as he licks his lips. Understanding dawns on me and I nod, biting my lip. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I whisper. “Please.”

  He leans to the side and rummages around in the drawer of his nightstand. When he straightens I see a flash of silver- his pocketknife- and I tremble in anticipation. “Adelin, we don’t have to.”

  “Please, I want to,” I beg, silencing him.

  “I promise it won’t hurt,” he says gently as he leans down to brush his lips lightly across mine before traveling back to my neck.

  I tilt my head back further to give him more access and feel a sting against my collarbone before his mouth descends and he grazes his tongue across it. I gasp in ecstasy as his mouth closes over the wound. He begins sucking on my flesh, his hands dipping into my panties. Just as I’m about to climax he lifts his head and yanks my underwear down. I moan loudly and topple over the edge as he thrusts inside and begins moving rhythmically. His hand clamps down over my mouth, silencing me, and the taste of cinnamon and clove floods my mouth. Too late I realize he’s cut himself and I begin swallowing greedily, lost in desire.

  The sun has long set by the time we lay twined together, motionless and covered in sweat. I sigh happily as he flips on the bedside lamp and freeze as light floods the room. I look around, horrified. There is blood everywhere.

  “I might have gotten a bit carried away,” Vraiden remarks sheepishly at my expression. “Don’t worry, most of its mine.” I arch an eyebrow skeptically as I survey the mess. “A little carried away?”

  Dark, sticky handprints litter the headboar
d and there is blood streaked across the sheets and pillows, as well as smeared over most of our bodies.

  “I didn’t hear any complaints from you,” he smirks. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower while I clean this up? I’d hate for someone to walk in and think I tried to kill you.”

  “I think they’d be more upset if they thought I had tried to kill you,” I point out dryly.

  “Just go get in the shower,” he says with a scowl, shooing me towards the bathroom.

  I shower slowly, taking care to make sure all the blood is washed away. The water circling my feet goes from clear to a rust-colored red, then to pink before fading back into clear. Climbing out of the shower I wrap a large, plush grey towel around myself and inhale deeply, sighing happily at the scent of Vraiden’s spicy body wash that still clings to the air. Vraiden is lounging on the freshly made bed when I pad back into the room. He sits, hair damp, propped up against the now spotless headboard with his arms folded across his chest. He’s changed into a dark green long-sleeved T-shirt, sock and faded jeans, and his legs are stretched out in front of him, casually crossed at the ankles.

  “Took you long enough,” he grins. “I brought you a new shirt,” he says shamelessly, motioning to the end of the bed.

  “Thanks.” The image of buttons flying through the air makes me blush and I look away from him, hoping he doesn’t notice how red I am. I pick up the rest of my clothes from the floor and, turning around, dress quickly, then lightly blot my hair dry with the towel.

  “What time are you leaving tomorrow?” Vraiden asks when I turn back to face him.

  “I’m not sure yet. I still need to talk to Sera, and my dad,” I reply with a grimace.

  “Would it be all right if I came over to see you in the morning then?

  You’ll still be here?”