by Lainy Lane
Why was I telling him this? My past was supposed to be a subject that was off limits to anyone other than Ethereal and Ember. It was even limited to them. I bit my tongue, hoping that doing so would stop allowing what should have been secrets to escape my mouth.
“So,” he seemed timid as he worked to change the subject, “you guys are affected by the moon cycle?”
“Directly,” I replied quietly.
“Why?”
“Because the Goddess of Night rules us. Nyx is the moon personified, which links our powers to her, and therefore the moon.”
“Why do you think your blood intensifies us the way it does?” He returned to refusing to look at me.
“Because you’re creatures of the night too, I guess?”
The truth of the matter was I didn’t know why the effect happened. No one understood it. But since the discovery of the benefits witch blood provided vampires, the witch population had dwindled down significantly. Vampires had taken advantage of the information and commenced creating a market to sell witch blood to their people. They would find witches on a new moon when our powers were at their weakest, and use that to their advantage and take us captive. Then, after waiting for a full moon, when our magic coursed at its maximum power, they would drain us dry, and sell the blood to the vampire population. The effects of witch blood lasted up to two years in a vampire. It was the easiest way for them to become more powerful. It was the cruelest way, but the simplest nonetheless. Some witches had even taken advantage of the benefit and started selling their blood out to vampires with the promise they wouldn’t drain them thoroughly. That, of course, was an agreement that didn't always work out to the witch's benefit.
Vampires had even made a ritual out of drinking witch blood. They made it into some sick spiritual ordeal, like a sadistic religion. That was when the issues between the vampires and witches fully ignited. When they started celebrating our blood as if it was some freebie for them to take and do what they pleased with, the witches had finally resolved to begin fighting back. Unfortunately, we had waited so long to take a stand that we were already at a definite disadvantage. They had already dwindled our numbers down significantly and built up a sizeable back supply of full moon blood to keep themselves strong for the fight.
“How is it that two creatures of the night ended up so deep in a deadly civil war?” Phoenix drew me out of my thoughts; his voice seemed heavy as he asked the question.
“How do any wars start?” I asked, allowing my thoughts to flow freely out of my mouth as a vulnerability I didn't often expose. “Hate. People are unwilling to understand and accept things outside of their window of what they perceive as being right. They say it’s human nature, but apparently, it doesn’t only affect humans. Our humanity is supposed to be gone, but we’re still just as capable of hate, judgment, and discrimination as they are, if not even more so.”
“I think it’s a superiority complex.” He smiled as he spoke and I felt my stomach do a flip that I didn’t permit it to. “We think that we have to be better than everyone, and the loss of humanity only strengthens that superiority complex. Our humanity may be gone, but an extra-large ego supersedes it.” He chuckled, and the sound carried around the room, sending a spark of something shooting through my skin.
Something foreign to me charged the air. My heart was light, and my breathing became erratic. My conscience wasn’t sure what was going on, and I didn’t like it in the least. My walls had been built to allow no one but Ember and Ethereal in, which was the way it had been for quite some time now. That was how I was comfortable. I liked being in my small coven with my sisters and no one else. That was what our plan consisted of, and we weren't looking to change the arrangement. Ember had a somewhat functional relationship, and Ethereal had plenty of human toys. I was the one that was deemed to hold us all together from the outside world. I was the one that didn't take chances, who refused to trust outsiders. It was the role I’d taken on, the part I’d assumed from the time they took me in. It was the position I had been born to fill.
I had only ever experienced a screwed-up kind of love before Ember and Ethereal came around, and I was pretty sure I was only capable of love in a messed-up way due to my raising. I had walls up for a reason, and no one had ever dared to climb over them before. I wasn’t worth the climb, which was the one thing I’d learned from my parents. I simply wasn’t worth the trouble I caused, and I’d learned to accept that a long time ago. I was okay with it, as were Ethereal and Ember. Another person would only complicate things more, especially a vampire. It made no sense. We were mortal enemies, currently engaged in a civil war against each other. He had wanted to take my blood to gain power earlier that night. So why was I now sitting here finding my skin clammy in his presence?
“Acqua?” His creamy voice extracted me from my private monologue.
“Yeah?” I sounded breathless, which struck me with irritation.
“What are you thinking?” His breath matched mine as he brushed a chunk of hair I hadn’t noticed had fallen on my face back behind my ear.
I shuddered at his touch and had to shake myself out of my train of thought. “Nothing,” I responded too quickly.
“Hmm,” he smirked, but there was an undertone of a dare to it.
The challenge in that smile intrigued me, and I decided all at once that I didn’t want to fight whatever this was anymore.
I didn’t mean to make my next move, but I did.
CHAPTER FIVE
The air between us became magnetic. There was suddenly a gravitational pull that neither one of us worked hard to fight if we were honest. Our lips touched, and the passion of the kiss instantly skyrocketed. All at once, we were laying back on the bed, hands feeling everywhere for something more to touch. Our bodies were grinding against each other, and the heat in the room was rising to volcanic temperatures. Our lips interlocked and our tongues fought each other for the upper hand. Steamy breath swapped between us as we embraced the moment of passion. The rest of the world melted away. The civil war didn’t exist. Our supernatural beings didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered at that moment was the kiss and the feeling that I would never get enough of it.
My head clouded over as my senses deserted me altogether. Desire took over everything in my body, and I was no longer in charge of my actions. Something else commanded me, something I’d never allowed to take the reins before. It was alarming and somehow freeing at the same time. I was permitting someone – the wrong someone, into my world. It was likely the dumbest thing I’d ever done, but at that moment, I didn’t care what the repercussions would be. Suddenly he was leaning toward me as if he would press his body into mine if it were at all possible. The pressure left a burning need for more and melted away any lingering discernment that I had left in me. When we finally came up for air, we stared at each other. The desire was still in our eyes and laced with a longing to resume. Our breathing slowly steadied back out as we reveled in the break.
Something changed in his eyes suddenly. They darkened, and the skin around them had shadows that seemed to be looming there. His irises widened, and his pupils shrank. He held my gaze and watched me carefully as he slowly made his next move. He lowered his head down to my neck. My brain registered what he wanted and, without my permission, my body responded by elongating my neck for him. That single action gave him the open invitation he craved. In one smooth movement, he launched his mouth into me. His teeth sank into my skin, and the twinge of pain sent an odd pleasure through me. In an instant, the pain dissipated and was replaced by a pressure sensation as he slowly drank me in. The feeling of my blood rushing out of me sent a tingling sensation to every nerve in my body. My entire body relaxed as I relished the excitement and a moan escaped my mouth, much louder than I should have allowed.
The crash was instantaneous as my door flew off of its hinges and across the room. It hit the opposite wall and landed on the floor in a million tiny shreds. No sooner than Phoenix had raised his head up an
d turned to see what the commotion was, a gust of wind tore him off of the bed and tossed him into the same wall against which the door had just reached its oblivion.
“STOP IT!” I screamed as I saw pain cross his face from the impact.
He recovered in a second, and it took me a minute to realize that was due to me and what I’d just allowed him to do. He was back on his feet and perched on the floor like he was about to pounce. His eyes were still dark, his pupils’ small, and the shadows lingered around his eye sockets. A line of scarlet trailed down his chin, my blood. His skin seemed to have a bit more color than I remembered it having earlier in the night when I’d first laid eyes on him. I shook that out of my head. I had more vital things to focus on at the moment.
“What have you done?” Ethereal’s voice cut through the silence that had become deafening in the aftershock of the situation.
Ember stood behind her, still wiping the sleep out of her eyes and looking confused by what was happening in front of her.
“He didn’t do anything!” I stood up and walked over to Phoenix, I stood in front of him, and his body relaxed as he straightened out of his attack stance.
“He was draining you!” Ethereal screeched, and Ember’s eyes went wide, as she seemed to finally fathom what was going on and why we were all in my room in the middle of the day with a busted door shattered on the floor before me.
“No, he wasn’t! Geez, quit overreacting!” I turned away from them and faced Phoenix.
He didn’t have a single scratch on him. He stood broader than he had at the bar and even though I would have thought it impossible, he looked more confident than he had when he gallivanted in and caught my attention for the first time.
“Overreacting? Overreacting? I walked in to see a freaking vampire sucking you dry. I defended you, and you say I’m overreacting?” Her voice was troubled as she spoke.
“He was not sucking me dry for Goddess sake!” I snapped back around to challenge her in one swift and fluid movement. “And he wasn’t doing anything that I didn’t allow him to!” That was the piece of the explanation I didn’t feel like getting into at the moment. It was too late now. Ethereal and Ember both dropped their jaws at my words and their eyes seemed ready to bulge out of their sockets.
“You let him—” Ember finally stepped around Ethereal as she scowled at me, “you let him feed off of you?”
My head was spinning, and I couldn’t decide what had caused it. It could have been the lack of sleep or the passion still coursing through my veins from the kiss. Perhaps I was in shock from the events that had unfolded afterward mingled with the memories of Phoenix feeding on me. Maybe it was the combination of everything rolled into one, mind-bending package. I put my head into my hands and rubbed my temples as I allowed a touch of my magic leave my fingertips to ease the tension that was building behind my skull.
“Just—I can’t discuss this right now!” I couldn’t piece together a complete thought, let alone a coherent sentence. “We can talk about this tonight! I’ve yet to sleep, and I need some rest before I can even consider dealing with any of this!”
Ember and Ethereal stared at me with an expression of shock mixed with concern. I nodded my head to assure that I was okay, but couldn’t deal with the drama at the moment. I rubbed my fingers into my temples to further iterate my point. Reluctantly, they both turned and left the room, but not without first giving Phoenix an 'I wish I could kill you with my eyes' glare on their way out.
Phoenix had been awkwardly noiseless behind me. I turned around without acknowledging him. I stood over the wood shreds that had once been my door. I held my hands out, palms facing down toward what remained of the door. Slowly the pieces began to quiver. They rearranged themselves into their rightful places and mended back together. I moved my hands to lift the newly repaired door off the ground and back to its frame where it belonged.
After the disaster was, once again, set right, I turned back to Phoenix once more. “Are you ok?” I asked.
He nodded his head and continued to stare at me without speaking. He seemed stunned, but despite that, he looked even better than he had when I’d first approached him at the bar.
“Look, I think we all just need to get some sleep and deal with this tonight, agreed?”
My heart fluttered as I waited to see if he was going to challenge me or not, I was praying to Nyx he didn’t. My story about not being able to deal with the situation until I had some sleep was in no way made up. He nodded his head, still not speaking a word. His body finally relaxed a tad, and he began walking toward the bed.
“Oh no!” I scoffed at him, “I do not even think so, mister! That’s the last thing I need at the moment! You may sleep on the couch!” I said as I pointed my index finger toward the black couch against the wall opposite the bed. “I assume you can regulate your body temperature just fine on your own without needing blankets?”
With another silent nod, he turned on his heels and walked over to the couch. He mechanically laid on it, with his back facing outwards. He buried his face in the cushion of the couch, and his body instantly became utterly still. I sighed, unable to even question if he was okay anymore. Truthfully, at that moment, I couldn’t have cared less whether he was all right or not. My eyes were trying to close of their own accord. With massive and dramatic steps, I walked over to my bed and plopped down dramatically. I sighed as I pulled the covers over my entire body and closed my eyes to the world around me. I couldn’t fight the smile that remained on my lips despite everything.
***
Before I opened my eyes, I felt a sense of security that I never before woken with wash over me. My heart felt light. The air smelled different; masculine. My skin tingled with excitement, and I had goosebumps covering every inch of my skin. I began to stretch and realized what was prompting all of the odd sensations running through me. There was a muscular arm wrapped around me, and a hand rested on my waist. Phoenix’s body cradled against mine, which was not how we had gone to sleep. I’d ordered him to sleep on the couch. I remembered that much without a doubt. I hadn’t wanted to deep down, but I’d fought that feeling back and forced him to anyways. I turned my head slightly to look at him. He seemed very peaceful with his eyes closed and his eyelashes fluttering slightly. There was a serene look on his face, which caused me to grin. I had been smiling far too much since last night. I feared I was in the process of turning to mush.
That was when I finally decided it was time to put a stop to whatever was going on. I jumped up, dramatizing every move to ensure that I woke him up as I did. He groaned and mumbled under his breath as he pulled his body into an upright position.
“What the—” He looked around and seemed confused as to where he was. His shirt was off, and his pants undone at the top.
I pulled the sheets down to be sure I was fully dressed and let out a sigh of relief upon discovering that I was.
“How did I—did we—” He rubbed his eyes as he spoke. He wasn’t awake enough to make a coherent statement apparently.
“I was going to ask you the same thing!” My voice screeched as I spoke. “Dude, put a robe on or something, would you?” My vision had narrowed down without my permission. I felt the heat surge to my cheeks and forced myself to look away instantly.
“What? You offended?” He cackled. “You shouldn’t be, it’s a compliment you know.”
I wanted to be angry. I wanted to snap his neck in half. I wanted to quit looking at him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do any of those things. Instead, I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, hoping it would prevent him from seeing the cheesy smile that crossed my face.
“Seriously, just do something about that, would you? We have to give Ember and Ethereal some semblance of an explanation as to what happened last night. The conversation is going to be awkward enough as it is!” I was dreading confronting them, but there would be no avoiding it.
“What would you propose?” He arched one brow as he said it and a smirk came across his face
. It made his eyes twinkle, and my stomach did an involuntary flip.
“Seriously!” I had to battle harder than should have been necessary to keep the smile at bay. A laugh was trying to pry through my mouth, but I refused to give him the pleasure of hearing it. I bit my tongue and swallowed my emotions back down to regain my composure. “Just—fix yourself and let’s do this!” I rose and walked away from him. As soon as my back was toward him, the smile I’d been fighting so hard against finally broke through.
“Don’t act so freaking uptight!” he mumbled under his breath.
“Just gather yourself and get dressed please.” I groaned as I grabbed some clothes out of my drawers and headed to the bathroom to change and make myself somewhat presentable for the night.
CHAPTER SIX
Ember and Ethereal were sitting on the loveseat in the living room. They had their arms crossed over their chests and a vexed look on their faces when we finally strolled out of the bedroom. They exchanged a look when we came out together. It didn’t help matters that we were walking so closely that our hands touched every few steps. Why was I walking so close to him? Despite the inability to put my finger on the reason behind it, I didn’t have any desire to pull myself away from him.
That was the most frustrating part of this whole ordeal. I didn’t feel like I was in control of myself around Phoenix. I felt as if something else was making my decisions for me. I didn’t know what that something was, but it needed to give me back the reins to my life before I lost my patience. After all of the things that I had gone through in my life, I’d learned that the one thing I had control over was who I permitted behind my walls and who stayed blocked out. Ember and Ethereal were the only ones with a free pass inside. Everyone else was supposed to be forbidden. So why was it that, against my better judgment, he had somehow managed to break his way inside without even having to try?