by Tara Brown
I watch him and smile. He does it for me. Whatever it is about him, I can't fight it. I sigh, "So what was it like when you were a little boy? What was your life like?" I whisper.
He looks back and frowns, "What?" I smile at his accent. He's always Scottish now, no more pretend. Course the Scottish thing could be lies too, he hasn't exactly been forthcoming with the truth. Ever.
The lights inside the house make it look warm and inviting. If she lives here I know better.
I shrug, "I have been swept up in your creature-of-the-night juju since we met. You haven’t ever just been a guy I got to know and love. Let me get a chance to know you. Maybe I won't even like you if I see you with all the lights on."
He laughs, "We can have this conversation later." He grins, "I swear only the truth from now on."
I nod back, "Oh okay. You have any snake oil for sale to go with that deal?"
He laughs and points to the swimming pool at the back of the house as we round the corner. The rain has almost ended. It's a drizzle now. We stay in the shadows, moving in the shadows only. She can see us if she looks, but the man next to her won't be able to.
Her blonde head coming out of the water makes me gag slightly. My stomach clenches. I shake my head, I'm trembling. "I can't do this. I can't see her."
He spins and grabs my hands. He pulls me in and kisses me hard. The smell of him and the softness of his lips caressing mine is intense. He pulls back, I get a waft of lilacs and him. I lick my lips nervously. He gives me a firm look, "I am your light. She can't touch you, my love."
I nod and take a breath, "Okay."
We walk in the shadow, closer to the pool and the display. My nose wrinkles looking at her. The man is laughing, holding a drink and standing on the side of the pool. She comes out of the water, graceful as ever. She smiles and tosses her long golden hair back and forth. She squeals with delight and laughs. I don’t recognize any of those sounds.
I step on a branch and her head spins instantly. I know her eyes meet mine. I can see the intensity and disbelief in them.
She swallows and looks at the young man. "Sugar, you go on and get me a drink. I'll be right in."
He nods, "Alright, Elise."
She smiles, "Don’t shower, I want to take one too."
He grins. I gag.
Her head spins back to me, "Do my eyes deceive me?"
My stomach drops and aches. She climbs out of the pool looking lithe and thin, as always. She looks the same, Ramón might have been right. She might actually look a bit younger. My hands shake until I feel Whit step closer. Momma's eyes flash at him but she doesn’t reveal a thing. I get the distinct feeling she fears him. It makes me smug somewhere deep inside.
She grabs a towel and saunters over to us, all charm and hardly any accent, "Why Lorelei, I never imagined you would ever come back home." The sweetness in her voice makes me sick.
I grin and stand a little closer to Whit, "Well shucks, guess I've been havin’ a fixin’ to get me some family lovin’. You gonna gimme some sugar, Momma?" I lay it on extra thick just to remind her of where she came from.
Her blue eyes narrow, "I suppose that’s you at the old house who's fixing it up?"
I cross my arms but I'm ready for whatever she is about to do. I'm gonna either scratch her eyes out or run for my life. "You should be ashamed of yourself, letting it get all nasty like that. Since you left Em there and all."
Her lips fight a grin. "Oh I wasn’t the one who left her there. That was you."
I feel the sneer attempting it's way across my face, "No, Momma. That was you and your evil swamp magic. Well guess what? I'm fixing it up and I'm not going anywhere. Em and me and Tessa, we're gonna live there like a real family."
"I still own that house, Lorelei." She looks at me haughtily but licks her lips. I'm getting to her.
Whit speaks for the first time, "Actually, you'll find that the deed to the house is indeed in young Miss Lorelei Huntington's name."
My face and hers look the same I'm sure. "What?" We both say.
He laughs, nodding, "Yes. I had a lawyer and realtor do a fake purchase. I mean, it's legit." He gives my momma his saucy shameless grin, "Don't worry though... what is it now, Elise? You got a whole five dollars for the house. Cheque's in the mail."
I laugh, "That’s a fair bargain, considering the state of the property."
My momma snaps her fingers and I see the sparks. I snap my finger at her and make my own. Her eyes light up.
I point, "Don’t mess with me, Momma. I can promise you, I will kill you for what you done to all of us if you so much as breathe near that house or Em or me or Tessa." I'm ranting like a nut.
She grins at my fingers, "You have my magic?" her voice lifts in hope.
I scowl at her, "It was nice seeing you, Momma. Guess I won't stay to meet my new daddy. You can tell him I said howdy." I grab Whit's arm and pull him back to the shadows.
She laughs and calls out, "I knew it. I knew you weren’t just a fat little bitch, Lorelei. I knew you weren’t completely useless." Her laugh is a cackle and my dead heart still breaks a little when she calls me fat. Whit leaves my side but I keep walking.
I walk to the truck and take gulps of air. I hear her squeal. I look back, he has her by her ear, she's zapping his arms brutally but he's not stopping.
"Say it." he growls, bending her arm up her back and holding his thumb in her jugular.
She squeals again and cries out. "I'm sorry!" she shrieks.
He lets go and she shoots him in the back with something. He stops walking and turns to face her. Her smug grin drops and she runs back around the house.
I look at his shirt smoking and frown, "You're on fire." He pulls the shirt off and walks to the truck bare chest. His back is singed brutally.
I climb in the truck and look at the huge house.
"She's remarried and living the life? Hardly seems fair." I whisper as he climbs in.
He leans over and kisses my cheek as he starts the truck and roars out of the driveway. He stops the truck just down the road and turns the truck off. "It's not. But you walked out of Momma Holt's house before she could tell you how to get your revenge." He leans forward, "Want to heal that for me?"
I look at the blackened skin and shake my head, "What can I do?"
"Let me drink your blood or put a spell on my back to take the pain and destruction." He talks through the pain.
I hold my wrist out. He looks at me sideways, "You can try the spell. Magic is all intent."
I shake my head, "I'm scared to mess with that. Can my blood help you?"
He nods, "Yup." He grabs my wrist and bites down. Instantly the blood he isn’t drinking rushes to my groin. I moan in pleasure and feel something twirling inside of me. My mouth is hanging open as I moan and mouth breath like an idiot.
"What…what…what are you doing? Ohhhhh my god." He licks my wrist and I look down between my legs, "What was that?" My ragged breath is all over the place.
He smiles and wipes my black blood from his thick lips. I lick mine and leap at him. He catches me laughing and shaking his head against my face, "In a bed. Not in this truck. I want you in everyway I can get you, but not in this truck on the side of the road."
I look down at his huge erection bulging out of his jeans and nod, "Drive fast."
He starts the truck and throws it into gear. The tires burn and skid and my brain works against us. It points out the reasons I have to hate him just as my heart defends him. He drives up to a house I've never seen before. It's not fancy, it's just a regular house in a suburb.
The truck stops with a jerk. He grabs my hand, dragging me from his door. My stomach is still lit with the fire he created sucking my blood. His hand is warm and incredible, wrapped around mine.
He punches a code on the lock of the front door and drags me inside. When the door is closed he's on me. My back is slammed into the door roughly. His fangs are out, I feel them graze my neck where his tongue is licking. I shudder and cl
ose my eyes, tilting my head back offering him my throat. He bites hard and sucks. The draw of the blood pulls a moan from my parted lips. I swallow, moaning and gripping to his head. I'm almost holding him there, forcing him to drink. My eyes won't open fully as the ecstasy ripples through my body. He licks the wound and lifts me into his arms. He moves quickly through the house until he reaches a bedroom. He kicks the door open and crosses the room to the bed in a couple steps. He lays me down and looks down on me. Anticipation and desire are battling and burning their way through me. He grabs my boots and pulls them off. I catch a glimpse of his dark eyes. They scare me. He scares me. I pull my shirt off and undo my jeans. He drags them down my body and then looks down on me. I feel a nervous type of insecurity with him staring down on me like that. My hands twitch, fighting the urge to cover myself. He sees it and shakes his head slowly. His not speaking makes it worse.
He reaches a hand down and drags it up my thigh. I grab his arm and pull him down on me. His mouth crashes on mine. Our fangs are brushing against each other's lips and tongues. I feel mine nip his lips. I suck from him like he did me. He moans into my mouth.
His fingers trace the length of my thighs, gripping at my meaty legs. I slide against his clothed body, kissing and sucking. My fingers have found the base of his shirt. I drag it up and bend my face to kiss his rippled stomach. He's fit and hard, with thick muscles and washboard abs. My hands drag up and down. I let my nails drag a bit, he winces when one of them draws a small trickle of black blood. I bent my face and lick the line. The sexy taste of him fills my mouth again. I could live off of it.
I undo his pants and slide a hand inside. He isn’t wearing underwear. I glide my hand the length of his erection, making him suck sharp inhales.
He grabs my hand and lays me back flat again, "Let me love you." he whispers and plants a kiss on my belly. I tremble with nerves as his lips kiss their way up my rib cage.
His fingers trace the waistband of my panties. I think it's about to go one way but he trails up my stomach and grabs the center of my bra. He rips, releasing my breasts. The bra falls away to either side. His mouth hovers over my nipple. I can feel his hot breath tickling my sensitive skin. I'm about to grab his face and force it down on me when his hands find my waistband again. I grip the bedding and wait. Feather light touches trail along my belly. I'm ready to scream and attack him.
He looks up at me through his thick lashes, and grins. I'm shaking with need. His face splits into a huge smile. He maintains the eye lock and lowers his face onto my breast. His warm mouth covers my nipple completely, sucking and nibbling. I'm about to get lost in the pull of it when his fingers dip below my waistband. He slides a finger between my lips, seeking out the moisture. He drags it up and down my slit, brushing against my sweet spots as if accidentally. He only brushes my clit lightly before sliding back down again. I'm ready to scream when his finger finds my entrance.
He slides one finger in slowly. My nipple is cold when I realize he is kissing his way down my abdomen. His finger leaves me and my panties are ripped down. He spreads my legs and buries his face in between my thighs.
He sucks my clit and slides a finger back inside. I cry out and jolt upright. His finger moves faster than before. His flicking tongue and pumping finger, start making a twisting feeling in my belly. My body starts to clench. He pushes me back on the bed and grabs my nipple. He rolls it between his fingers and I lose it.
He sucks and flicks me until the waves and spasms are too much. My hands fly at him, holding in place as I convulse against him. I'm twitching and shaking and confused. I've given myself orgasms before, in fact Murray Daniels gave me one when we were fourteen but this…this was different. I'm still clenching his finger when I feel his body slide over mine. His finger is replaced with his hardness. He slides the head in and whispers to me, "This might hurt a bit again." I nod but honestly couldn’t care less. I want him inside of me. He bends his face over mine and sucks my bottom lip as he pushes in. The difference between his finger and his erection is considerable. Even with the moisture from my orgasm it's a tight squeeze.
He moans into my mouth, "You are all mine forever. Say it, Lorelei."
I nod, I still don’t know what's happening. I wrap my legs around him and mutter, "I'm yours forever."
His thrusts are gentle and slow as his tongue slides in and out of my mouth, caressing mine.
His hands are everywhere, squeezing my ass cheeks and cupping my breasts and lifting me up to arch my back better. His thrusts have become pumping, making me writhe in the sheets.
"Do you love me, Lorelei?" he asks in my ear as our bodies are gliding against each other.
I nod, biting my lips and trying to press back against him, "I do."
"Say it."
I swallow and whisper, "I love you, Whit."
He nibbles my ear and kisses my neck but I'm lost in the buildup happening between my legs.
He pulls out as I feel my orgasm starting build. I open my eyes. He grabs my arm and rolls me on my belly. I push up with my arms, "What are you doing?"
He spreads my legs and enters me roughly. He grabs my hips and pulls back, "I want to watch your ass. You have a beautiful ass." He kneads my cheeks and slams into me. I cry out into the bedding. He pulls out and enters me again, plunging in and out. I get dizzy as a million feelings and emotions cram into a single moment.
His body is ramming mine and I'm loving it. He controls the motions and me. He chooses how it feels. He grips my ass like he's trying to take some of it home with him. I push my butt back into him, trying to take back some of the control but he lifts my hips more, taking me.
His hands slide around front and cup my breasts. He rolls my nipples and slams me until I can't see straight. He's taking me close and stopped so many times when I do orgasm it's so intense I can feel myself twitching and jerking. I lose my arms strength and flop onto the bed.
"Not yet." He says and lifts me back up. He's pounding and groping me harder and harder. He holds me tight to him as his orgasm does the same to him. His body jerks against mine. We flop onto the bed, moaning and breathing frantically.
"You are mine." He kisses the back of my neck. "All mine."
I don’t want to argue. I can't talk anyway.
Chapter Seventeen
He's wrapped around me completely. We've slept through the sunshine. I can see the glow of the sunset in the tiny crack of light between the wall and the thick curtains.
I can feel a variety of things I want to wash off all over me. I lift his thick arm and slide out from under him. I tiptoe to the ensuite and close the door. My reflection greets me. My dirty blonde hair is everywhere and my gray-blue eyes look sparkly in a way they have never before. I lean in closer as a face appears in the mirror. I jump back when I see Maria.
She puts a finger to her lips and whispers, "You in danger."
I shake my head, "How? I'm already dead."
She looks around the bathroom, "She knows you got magic now. She gonna try to take it. You gotta go see Momma Holt."
I nod and shudder; she looks creepy in the mirror like that. My reflection and hers blend. It's remarkable how much we actually look alike, except the hair. My hair is dark blonde and hers is light, like my momma's.
I never realized I looked like my momma before. It makes me sad and breaks my heart a little.
"Maria, was she mean to you?" I ask and look at my reflection, even dead I can still see the places she convinced me weren’t perfect. Too wide of hips, too thick of thighs, too large of breasts.
Maria shakes her ghostly head, "No. She weren’t mean to me. She made me stay inside. She never let me be around them other swamp folk and she always took the beating from Daddy. She weren’t mean until the day I woke up and I was in her tired body. It felt different, dirty. Daddy comes in the house and start smacking me around, thinking I was her. He done bad things to me. I didn’t know what was what. She came to me after and told me she was gonna free me. She was gonna save me. I let
her do it. I let her cut my wrists and drain the blood out. I just wanted to be free of it."
I feel sick but I can't risk her getting emotional here. She'll poltergeist and destroy this house.
"I gots real tired and I fell asleep. When I woke I was in Blackwater and that mean old man, he was there. He tried to swing at me but I vanished. I stayed a ghost till he done died. I go back now; I stay with Momma Holt sometimes. I can be real there. Only in the bayou though. Everywhere else I look like this."
I nod, "I'm going to get her. I'm going to kill her."
Her eyes flare with sparks of something, "You need Momma Holt to help you. But you need to hurry. I been watching her. She up to something."
I nod, "Okay. Thanks Auntie."
She smiles, "You my kin. You shoulda been my babies. She never deserved y'all."
The cold air leaves and I think she's gone. I trace my finger down the frosty mirror.
In the frost I can see my reflection. I am alone in the mirror.
I turn on the lights and the shower. When it's hot, I climb in and lean against the wall. I don’t know what to do about anything. I lather my body with the soap and wash my hair. He doesn’t have conditioner. I grimace, "Yikes." That’s gonna be interesting later.
I stand under the spray and let the hot water rinse me free of the millions of feelings burdening me. I don’t even hear when the shower door is opened. I just lean against the wall and let the hot water spray down on me.
His warmth wraps around me. He kisses my neck and back.
"Good evening."
I look back at him and smile, it's weak. He looks troubled when he sees it.
"What happened?" he asks suspiciously.
I shake my head, "I need to go see Grandmamma. She has shit she needs to tell me about. Ways to stop my momma."
He looks confused, "She can live her life and you live yours. When Luke finishes the repairs to the house and you have the Emily problem sorted out, I want to go home. I want you to come with me."