Crimson Groves

by Ashley Robertson

  “How are you doing that?” he asked.

  “I’m isolating the energy to my hand. As long as I stay focused, that’s where it will stay. My hand is so hot it will scorch anything it touches.” I smiled, glancing up at his face and then quickly back to my hand.

  “Wow. That’s incredible!”

  “Isn’t it?” I chuckled. I was proud of my new ability—more than proud, I was inebriated by the reality of having pyrokinesis and more so by the fact that I was able to control it. “We’ve got to celebrate! Bronx can’t hurt us anymore. I’m not afraid anymore!” I jumped out of the chair, twirling around in front of him, holding the fire safely in my hand. Then I closed my fingers over it, balling my hand into a fist, trails of smoke floating up. The fire was out. Cool prickles rushed all over my body. My breathing slowed. My heart stopped beating. I was just a normal vampire again.

  I skipped over to the fridge, pulled out two Chimays, and then popped the tops off with my teeth—yep, my teeth. I would’ve never done that when human, not that I couldn’t, but because I’d be too afraid to even try it. But now I felt fearless. A whole new form of confidence was taking over. My feet were light, as if they were floating above the floor. I grinned, big and wide, and then swooped back into Tyler’s lap like a bird landing in its nest. He took one of the beers, smiling shyly, perhaps a little nervous, unsure of everything happening to me, to us. I held out my beer. He hesitated briefly, and then clinked his bottle into mine. The celebration had begun. Yippy.

  After finishing our first round, I retrieved another. Tyler eased up, seeming happier, a little less cautious. Thank God. No one likes to celebrate with a party pooper. Contagious giggles alternated between us. Constant chatter—declaring my freedom and the fact we were no longer on the run—soared off our lips. I guess Tyler was finally becoming a believer. That or he was acting like he was. Either way was fine with me for now. I sensed there was something a little off about him, but I easily put it out of my mind. The carefree atmosphere was revitalizing. All of our worries and fears were silenced. We moved into the living room, turned on some music that Tyler downloaded earlier from beatport.com. “Alright” by Hybrid and Blackwatch was fitting for our mood as we danced and twirled around to the beautiful lyrics and melody. Everything was absolutely perfect.

  When the song ended, we plopped down on the sofa together. Tyler leaned in closer, staring at me, eyes full of depth, meaning, and something else; attraction, lust…maybe even lo—. No, I wouldn’t say it. “I was thinking,” he said, voice soft but confidant. “That maybe we, maybe there could be, something between you and me now. Maybe we can be together and not fight it anymore?” He reached for my hand, gave it a tight squeeze.

  Those warm tingly feelings returned, scattering all around inside me. My stomach twisted into knots. Hot chills flushed my cheeks. The knots spread up my chest, into my throat, thick and sludgy. A single tear jumped over the edge of my eyelid. “I just don’t think that’s a good idea.” I shook my head back and forth—rapid movements. “We don’t even know how the Head Council will receive me. And Bronx is still out there and—”

  He pressed his lips into mine. They were warm, soft, wet. I didn’t move. My body froze but not because it was cold. I just couldn’t move, as if I were paralyzed. My mind was racing with cautions and warnings. But my body wanted the opposite—wanted to feel close, to kiss him back. He didn’t stop kissing me, gentle sucking strokes. I couldn’t pull away. I liked how it felt way too much. The voice inside my head was being drowned out. The lust fire burning inside took over. I grabbed the back of his head, pulling him closer, grabbing handfuls of his hair. Then I kissed him back, passionately, needy, completely lost to the moment.

  Several blissful moments passed, his hands pulling me closer, fingers digging into my back. His kisses were hot, heavy, urgent. His breathing was rapid and deep. I let go of his hair, hands trailing down his neck, shoulders, and back, pulling him closer, both aggressive and soft. But I needed to stop—we needed to stop. It couldn’t happen like this, not yet, not so soon. I let go, dropped my hands to my sides, and leaned back. He stared at me, shocked, his eyes desperate and wanting. I shook my head, looked away. My body was hot. It didn’t want to stop. I bit my bottom lip, not too hard, didn’t break the skin. His face lowered, lips traveling towards me, a slow, steady movement. But we couldn’t. We had got to stop before things got out of control. I threw out my arm, hand pressed hard to his chest, blocking him from coming any closer. “Please just let me think for a minute,” I said. “Please. This is happening so fast.”

  Like unwanted visitors, fear and worry crept back into my mind. How was the Head Council going to react to my ability of fire? When should I tell them? Would they be okay with me loving a human? Loving a human! How could I be in love so soon? It couldn’t be love. Could it? Even though vampire secrecy was huge to them, maybe the Head Council would see the benefit of having Tyler on our side. His visions had proved extremely helpful so far. But what if they were in alliance with Bronx, believing some fabricated version of the truth? Then I was really on my own. And that meant I needed Tyler more than ever—the need to keep him safe even greater.

  And then there was Lily, who desperately needed me to help her. If I was right—and I knew I was—then there was no telling what Bronx was putting her through in his efforts to find me. Bronx. I swallowed hard. I still had to face Bronx, fight him and destroy him. If he was working with the Head Council then that meant I was going up against all of them. Me versus the most powerful vampires ever to live. It didn’t sound very good. All of a sudden, the night wasn’t looking so great anymore. Even using my amazing new power wouldn’t really guarantee my victory. I had no idea what any of their powers were. Sure my gift of fire was unheard of, but they might have a mind control advantage with Bronx. I hoped and prayed that wasn’t the case, and that I got to Lily before it was too late.

  With so many things still unresolved, was it possible to find love in the midst of it all? Love? It had to be lust, attraction. A need to feel close during challenging times. Whatever I wanted to call it didn’t matter. My body still longed for him. It was growing more difficult to ignore. The crossroad I’d come to was either opening up to Tyler or running away from him—right now. Which one would it be? Tick tock. My body would decide for me if I didn’t act fast. I swallowed hard, closed my eyes, and then threw my arms around him, instantly resuming right where we’d left off. The decision was made. There was no turning back from it.

  After hours of holding and kissing each other, the sun began its descent in the sky. Even though I thought it was a really bad idea, Tyler convinced me to let him come to the pub to meet Stone. He took a quick shower, got ready even faster, and then came prancing into the kitchen wearing black slacks and a gray sweater made of cotton and silk. He looked gorgeous, his green eyes hypnotizing as he walked my way.

  I was sitting at the café table, and he sat down in the only other chair. While he had been in the shower, I’d changed my clothes and run a brush through my hair. I picked the sexy royal blue top with spaghetti strap sleeves and paired it with the jeans from the other night. My cleavage showed a little in the low, V-shaped neckline. It was kind if sexy, I have to admit.

  “You look beautiful.” He stretched around the table and kissed my cheek.

  “Thanks, so do you,” I replied through the biggest of smiles.

  “Ready to go?” He hopped up and grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do it.”

  We held hands and listened to Katy Perry the entire way to the pub. I couldn’t ignore that little voice cautioning me about bringing Tyler with me. I silently prayed that Stone wouldn’t overreact and that Tyler wouldn’t get jealous. Yeah sure, if I believed that, then I’m really a fool in love. Love?? Why do I keep calling it that? By the time we parked, my nerves were doing aerobics. Tyler got out and came around to my side to open the door. Taking his awaiting hand, I got up, then slammed t
he Audi door shut behind me. We briskly crossed the street, still holding hands, and came up to the entrance of the pub.

  Here goes nothing, I thought.

  We strolled inside, heading straight for the bar. Britney was sitting on the left, in her usual seat, and thankfully she was alone. She wore white jeans and a green hoodie. She and Quinn were heavily talking about something. His eyes beamed the moment he noticed me. “Hey Anna!” he said. “Welcome back! Stone’ll be glad to know yer here.”

  Britney quickly turned around and exclaimed, “Hey Anna!” She froze when she saw me holding hands with Tyler. The smile evaporated from her face like thick fog in bright sunshine. “I guess you don’t need me,” she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

  Realizing she thought Tyler was my donor, I decided to have a little fun with it and keep my mouth shut. There was a good chance Britney would turn out to be my donor tonight, but there was no reason to give that away to her now—not after her bratty attitude. “Britney, this is Tyler,” I told her.

  Tyler and Britney shook hands, her face still pouting, and then I introduced him to Quinn. He frowned, studying Tyler as they shook hands. Perhaps Quinn recognized Tyler from before. “I’ll go let Stone know yer here. Would ya like sometin’ to drink before I go back der?”

  Tyler respectfully answered, “We’ll both have a vodka with a splash of soda water and a lime please, sir.”

  “No problem, son,” Quinn replied and flashed me a quick smile. He moved quickly for his age, and as Tyler and I got situated in the barstools next to Britney, the drinks clanked on the countertop in front of us.

  “Thanks,” I said, then turned my attention to the gorgeous man sitting on my right. I could feel Britney’s eyes on the back of my head and I really hoped I was driving her as crazy as she drove me.

  Tyler and I did another rendition of cheers with our cocktails. I heard Britney puff an annoyed sigh behind me. Completely ignoring her, and feeling proud of myself for pissing her off, I drank my tasty beverage and then set the glass down. I started giggling uncontrollably, feeling nervous and giddy.

  A huge smile stretched across Tyler’s face. He leaned toward me, his lips hovering around my ear. His breath was warm on my skin. Oh please don’t kiss me. Not here, I silently prayed. But he didn’t. He gave a long sigh and said, “I love you, Abby.”

  My eyes instantly filled up with tears, but this would be a horrible place to cry, so I fought it with all I could. Damn it! How could I care so much about this man that I would burst into tears at the sound of those sweet words? I wanted to say those three precious words back to him, but I couldn’t say them. Not now, not here. I smiled at him. What else could I do?

  “Hey Anna,” Stone called out as he came out from behind the bar. His smile vanished, face crumbled. “You must be her boy toy,” he smarted, looking at Tyler.

  Staring daggers at Stone, Tyler replied, “And you must be that jackass she told me about.”

  Stone glared back and his fangs burst out. In that moment my fears were confirmed. I heard Britney laughing and I looked over, daring her to continue. She rolled her eyes but got quiet.

  Forgetting about her, I looked back at Tyler, then Stone, both still glaring at each other. Stone started snarling and then growling—deep, guttural sounds. His predator eyes drilled deeper and deeper as he staked Tyler out. But instead of backing down, Tyler jumped up, pushing the barstool behind him, holding his balled fists in front of him. Stone inched forward. He would pounce at any moment. I had to do something, now!

  Throwing myself in front of Tyler and extending my arm out to keep Stone back, I shouted, “Enough of this crap. If you guys can’t get along, then I’m out of here!” I looked back at Tyler. “And you’re coming with me!”

  Tyler inhaled deeply and stepped back. “You’re right. This is stupid.” He shook his head, eyes still locked on his enemy.

  I looked back at Stone. “He wanted to meet you, not fight with you. If you’re not capable of being friendly with him, then we’re leaving!”

  Stone concealed his fangs and relaxed just a little. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a problem with it as long as he stays out here.”

  “Wait just a minute,” Tyler shouted, running his fingers through his hair.

  Glancing back I said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come in the back room anyway. I won’t be long. Please, Ty, just wait out here for me?”

  Britney gasped. “Oh goody for me!”

  “Be quiet!” I yelled.

  “Where you go, I go!” Tyler exclaimed.

  “Like hell you will,” challenged Stone, eyes slanting back into a glare.

  Here we go again, I thought, wishing desperately that Tyler would just listen. Keeping my stance between the two males about to rip each other’s throats apart, I said, “Ty, I’ll be quick. I’m not particularly excited about you watching that anyway. Please. Please do this for me.”

  A few tense moments passed as I waited for Tyler’s answer. Thankfully he nodded. “All right. I’ll do this for you. But you better be back fast or I’m coming back there!”

  A wave of relief flushed over me. I told Tyler “Thank you” and then gave Britney a flat gaze. She jumped up out of her chair before I could even ask her. As we rounded the bar, I called out, “Stone, I’m trusting you to be an adult here and not mess with him.”

  “Oh don’t you worry”—his voice was directly behind me—“I’m coming with you!”

  I knew Tyler must have been using every bit of strength he had to refrain from following me, especially now that Stone was heading back too. And for that, I was extremely thankful. The thought of Tyler watching me eat was disturbing, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wasn’t ready for him to see that anyway. Despite his ability to “see” me eating in his visions, I was nowhere near prepared to willingly put on a show of it. Perhaps his patience on that would be demanded indefinitely.

  The three of us entered the back room and found our places on the sofas. Britney on the left one, Stone and I on the right. As she unzipped her hoodie, revealing a hideous green-colored tank top, she demanded, “What the hell was that all about?”

  Oh God, please shut her up. In a flash, I was across the room and sitting next to her. As Britney crossed her arms over her chest, Stone started laughing. Rolling my eyes at him and then swinging them back to Britney, I asked, “Do you want to sit here and chitchat or do you want me to bite you?”

  Britney’s eyes grew wide with delight, and an oversized smile spread across her face. “I want you to bite me,” she panted.

  “And I don’t want to keep you waiting,” I replied smartly, then leaned down and plunged my enlarged canines into the plump vein inside her neck. She gasped. Moment’s later, pleasant moans escaped her mouth until she was finally silenced by the intense pleasure of my bite. A little while later, I was licking the last few drops from her skin.

  After that, I got up and headed back over to Stone. He was giving me one of “those” looks. “Don’t say it,” I challenged.

  “Don’t say what?” he replied, voice playful.

  “You know what!”

  “Like the fact he’s human and knows about us.”

  Crap. He got me there. I hadn’t thought about that. But if he can have an arrangement with Quinn, then I should be able to have one with Tyler. “We have an arrangement,” I smarted. “And I don’t have much time, so perhaps we could talk about something of importance?”

  He propped his feet on the table, keeping a watchful eye on me. “My dear sweet Abby. I would do anything for you. But you must know that guy is bad news, I can smell it.”

  “Smelling is not your gift, so keep your opinion to yourself.”

  “But I’m telling you, something is off, way off, with that human.”

  “There is something special about him, but that is none of your business!” Oddly, I had sensed something strange about Tyler earlier. Maybe Stone noticed it too? Or maybe he could sense Tyler’s gift
? I shook off the thought; thankful he wasn’t making the human thing an issue.

  Stone chuckled and tilted his head to the side. “Fine. Mum’s the word, my love, but only if I can have a little taste?”

  Of course he had to request that, didn’t he? I was beginning to believe I was supplying him all the blood he needed. I also noticed that once again, he had dressed up for me. His hair was styled similar to the way it was last night, and the dark jeans and black button-up shirt paired well together.

  Shaking my head, I replied, “I don’t think that’s a good idea tonight. Unless, of course, you can now see the future and want to look into mine.”

  “Perhaps I could tell you more about your new ability? That would be something worth hearing about.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. But what I really need at the moment is complete control over my pyrokinesis. When I’m not pissed off, I have no problem with it, but I fear that if incited I’ll come apart like I did before.” I leaned forward and ran my fingers through my hair.

  “Controlling it will take lots of practice,” he cautioned. “You can’t expect quick results with it, but I’m happy to help you anyway I can.”

  “But I don’t have a lot of time! I need to be able to control it now! It’s my only chance!” I stood up and paced the area between the sofas and the door.

  Stone watched me, his features sharp with concern. “You can’t do that, Abby! You can’t go after him! You’re not ready! Not even close!”

  I shook my head, fighting the waterworks show that was seconds away from going off. Tormenting memories of my captivity pushed to the front of my mind. “But I have to! He has my friend and he’s using her to find me. If she doesn’t lead him to me, then what will he do to her? I can’t let anything bad happen to her!”

  Stone got up and walked over to me. I stopped pacing, and he grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him. “You can’t go after him alone,” he murmured.