Love by Night

by Stina

  “Are you sure?” he huffed.

  “Yes!” she screamed out, tightening her legs around his waist as her walls pulsed in and out. Kesh followed with a stomach-clenching climax of his own. He collapsed on Adirah’s chest. She reached down and stroked his head gently.

  “You don’t know what you’ve just committed to, huh?” he huffed.

  “Whatever it is, as long as I can be with you, I don’t care.”

  Chapter 8

  Two months passed, and Kesh finally had her—his queen. He smiled as he watched her sleep. He’d been watching her for hours. He loved to look at the rise and fall of her breasts and the quiver of her flat stomach. Her hair spilled over the pillow in thick tufts, disheveled from a night of wild passion. Kesh had never seen anything look as divine. He knew Dira’s passion for him was partly because of his blood, but the way she held him and looked into his eyes when she told him she loved him couldn’t all be from the blood bonding. She had to be feeling it.

  With each passing day, Kesh loved Dira a little bit more. With her, he felt like he had a deeper purpose, something more than just running from state to state to protect his clan. He knew that some members of the clan were unhappy with his choice in Dira, but he was following his heart.

  Kesh reached over and touched Dira’s thick lips, her nose, and ran his hands over the tiny cleft in her chin. He hadn’t known this type of joy since Adie. He understood that after giving Dira his blood, there were things about her that would never be the same. Still, he didn’t want to turn her. Kesh realized that Dira had her own gifts—she could speak to and hear the spirits—and those would disappear if he turned her. He’d seen her talking with the spirits. He knew that she was a spirit walker and that even if he couldn’t be there, the spirits of her ancestors would protect her.

  “Kesh, tell me the truth,” Adirah whispered. His soft petting had woken her.

  “About what?” He was leaning on his elbow, looking into her eyes.

  “What happened the night we met? I keep having a dream of a fire and being burned.”

  “I’ve told you we met in class.”

  “Yes, I know. But that’s not really where we officially met. You see, ever since I was a little girl, my dreams have always told me the truth. But this dream seems fuzzy. Like something is blocking that truth.”

  “Maybe it’s just a dream and nothing more.”

  “No. My dreams are never just dreams.” Adirah sighed and looked away from Kesh. “I’m going to confess something. Do you promise to take me seriously?” She turned back to Kesh for his answer.

  “I promise, my queen.”

  “It might sound crazy, but I want you to know that I’m not crazy.”

  “I know you’re not crazy.” He kissed her forehead for reassurance.

  Adirah took a deep breath, then began. “Spirits talk to me.” She waited for his answer with wide, anticipatory eyes.

  He smiled. “I know.”

  “What? How? Can you hear spirits too?” Adirah was shocked.

  “No. I have seen you speaking to the spirits. I understand that some people have the gift. You have the gift, and that is just one more thing I love about you.”

  “So, you don’t think I’m crazy?”

  “Crazy in love with me, but not ‘lock you up in an institution’ crazy.”

  Adirah wrapped her arms around Kesh and kissed him passionately. When they parted, she said, “You’re right.”

  Kesh smiled, showing his beautiful white teeth. “Now I have a confession.”

  “What?”

  Kesh hesitated before saying another word. He needed to word this just right. He couldn’t give her all the answers, but enough to make her understand what she was getting into with him. “That night we met. At the party,” he began.

  “Uh-huh.” Adirah nodded.

  “There was a fire, you’re dream is right, and you were burnt. Bad.”

  “But what happened? Why can’t I see it in my dream?”

  “Maybe your dream is trying to protect you. I don’t know. But after I got out of the house, I realized you were still trapped inside. I ran back in to search for you. You were barely breathing when I found you. I needed to do something, or you would have died.”

  “What? What did you do?” Adirah asked, urging Kesh to continue.

  “You were hanging on by a thread. It needed to be done.” Kesh closed his eyes. “I cut my wrist and fed you some of my blood.”

  Kesh kept his eyes closed, waiting for Adirah to respond. Her silence was killing him. He couldn’t handle it. He opened his eyes, and Adirah was staring at him with a puzzled look on her face.

  “But . . . that’s not how a blood transfusion works,” Adirah said, confused.

  Kesh shook his head.

  “Then . . .” Adirah’s eyes darted around. She was trying to comprehend what she was just told and to make sense of it all. “What happened?”

  “You drank my blood.”

  “And that was enough to save my life. To heal my wounds?”

  “Yes.”

  “That means . . .”

  “Don’t say anymore.” Kesh put his hand over Adirah’s mouth. “My blood has healing powers. That’s all you need to know.”

  Adirah nodded, and Kesh removed his hand.

  “Are you hungry?” Kesh asked.

  She smiled, knowing that she wasn’t getting the full story. She didn’t care, but she did have a few questions.

  Kesh fielded all of Dira’s questions after she realized the benefits of having his blood. She was equally shocked and amused when she learned that if she even got a simple scratch, she would heal faster than normal. She also realized that her senses had been heightened almost five times, which was why she could hear everyone’s blood rushing through their veins or and stomachs processing food in class. She looked wide-eyed at Kesh, and he smiled and chuckled at her. Still, he didn’t come right out and reveal himself. It was the one thing that Tiev and Vila had said that Kesh listened to—vampires couldn’t reveal themselves to a mortal without killing the person afterward. Kesh knew once Dira figured it out on her own, she would be protected.

  Kesh knew more questions would come, but until then, his focus was on keeping her happy and keeping her safe. It was a marvelous feeling, being in love, and he couldn’t have met her at a more perfect time. The two were almost inseparable. The only thing that could break them apart most days was their classes—oh, and Lina. Other than that, if you saw one, you saw the other.

  Adirah smiled at Kesh. His dreads hung loosely around his shoulders, and she reached up to move the few that were dangling in his face.

  “There. Much better. That’s the handsome face I fell asleep to,” she said, smiling. “And now I am starving. You made me work up quite an appetite. You’re so nasty.” She giggled.

  Kesh leaned down, placed a hand behind her head, and lifted it gently so their lips could meet. He kissed her deeply and then rested his lips on her forehead.

  “With you, I feel that I have met my match. You fill me up in every way. Forgive me if I want to do the same to you,” he said, planting light kisses after every word.

  “I lo—” Dira began, but Kesh froze suddenly, and Dira cut her words short.

  He moved to look at her, his face crinkled. He knew what she was about to say and could tell that she had caught herself. Dira’s eyes were wide, and her nostrils were open. She looked like a guilty child who’d been caught just when she was about to say a bad word.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing. It’s just . . .” Dira sighed.

  “Tell me. We’ve already been confessing to each other this morning,” he told her, grabbing her hand and forcing her to sit up like him.

  “Everything—and I mean everything that I have ever loved—has left me. And every time that happens, I lose a piece of myself in the process. That’s a pain that I don’t think I can handle having again. I feel things for you, Kesh, and it is crazy, becau
se we only just met. But I know how I feel. I feel it in my core . . . and that makes me scared of you.”

  “Dira, my queen, since the first day I saw you, I have known that you belong to me. My soul has been gone for a long time, but you have made me whole again. If I could take every pain inside of you and replace it with an ounce of happiness, I would. My queen, don’t be afraid of what you feel, because now that I have you, I will never let you go. I am yours forever.”

  “Promise me.”

  “I promise,” Kesh replied, then leaned in to kiss her once more, but her rumbling stomach suddenly ruined the moment. “Let’s go feed the monster inside of you.”

  They both laughed. He threw the fresh satin sheets off the bed, exposing their naked bodies and causing Dira to squeal.

  “Kesh! It’s freezing!”

  “The faster you’ll get dressed, then.”

  “Beat you to the shower!”

  Dira took off for the bathroom inside Kesh’s spacious room, but before she knew it, he’d scooped her up into his arms, with one arm under her knees and the other firm against her back.

  “I will never let a girl defeat me,” he said, and for a split second, his mind fell on Tulum and his evil queen, Calum.

  A dark glaze rippled over his eyes, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Dira. She placed a cool palm on his cheek and forced him to look at her. This was a look that she had never seen in him. It concerned her and scared her as well.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He blinked and forced the dark thoughts to the back of his mind. “Yes. I was just thinking about how hard it is going to be to keep my hands off of you when I see the water dripping from your body in the shower.”

  With that, he was telling the truth. The moment the hot water hit Dira’s body, he had to fight with himself inwardly not to pin her to the wall and spread her legs open. He wanted nothing more than to dig his manhood deeper inside of her than anyone ever had and to listen to her love cries in his ears. Instead, he helped her wash her body, making sure that every crease was squeaky clean. When it came time for her to wash him, she got behind him. He heard her suck her breath in. His first instinct was to hide, but he wanted her to see it.

  “I feel these all the time during our lovemaking, but I’ve never looked,” Dira said, running her hands gently over every lash scar on his back. “What happened?” she whispered, kissing each jagged line of raised skin.

  Kesh planted his hands on the wall and lowered his head until the water beat down on the center of it and his dreads hung around him like a cloak of shame, dripping with water.

  “I want to take all your past hurt and pain away,” Dira whispered, still kissing the scars.

  Kesh let the water mix with his tears. The lash marks were the one thing that hadn’t disappeared when he was turned. They were the one imperfection that remained from his real past. They were a sign of who he was. They were a reminder that the Malum Clan had to be defeated in order for Kesh to vindicate his ancestors.

  Kesh finally turned toward Adirah and embraced her. “And I will take away all your past hurt and pain too.”

  * * *

  Kesh and Dira descended his stairs, laughing and giggling together.

  “Where are you two off to on this lovely day?” said a voice.

  Kesh turned his head to see Vila striding toward them. Instantly, he felt Dira’s hand clutch his arm, not fearfully but possessively. Vila smirked but kept her attention on Kesh.

  “You have things to do. Important things,” Vila said, staring at Kesh.

  “They can wait. I will be back after I take Dira to get some food.”

  “They can wait?” Vila asked incredulously, looking at Kesh as if he had lost his mind. “So your people can wait? We have waited long enough, Kesh. You have been gallivanting through the city day and night with her for the past two months. It is time that you assume your duties. We’ve been buying time, but . . .”

  Kesh’s eyes flashed with anger, but Vila did not back down. She stared back just as fiercely as he was gazing at her.

  “Dira, my love. Will you wait for me outside? I will be right out,” he said.

  Dira hesitated. Kesh nodded at her to let her know he could handle it. After about ten seconds, Dira finally took her leave, but not before shooting Vila a scathing look. When she was gone, Kesh whipped his head back to Vila.

  “I understand that part of your destiny is to find a mate, Kesh, but you were to find a mate for your clan!” Vila’s tone was icy, malicious.

  “Do you forget who you’re speaking to? I understand my duties as the king of this clan, a responsibility that you or anyone else is not strong enough to take on. Had it not been for me, we would have lost more than what we did.”

  “And if you keep neglecting your duties, then we will lose the rest,” Vila declared. “They are getting comfortable again, Kesh, as are you, apparently. The Malum will never stop coming for us, and we cannot afford to be caught off guard again. They know where we are. It doesn’t bother you that they have not struck again in two months? That means they’re planning an even bigger attack this time.”

  She went on. “They know your precious, queen,” Vila said, doing air quotes at the word queen, “is a mortal. They know they can destroy her, and ultimately, that means destroying you. Thousands of years of vampire history show that when a king is this enamored with his queen, he can easily be destroyed. The others need to learn to fight again. This life that they have been living has made them forget our true ways.... Some have even tried to follow you and walk in the light. They don’t even understand that that ring is the only thing making you able.” Vila nodded toward Kesh’s hand.

  “Okay.” Kesh waved his hand at Vila, letting her know that he was done with the conversation. “That is why I am putting you, Tiev, and Tiba in charge of training the others for a battle that is sure to come.”

  “It is your job to lead,” Vila said, raising her voice.

  Kesh was done. He turned his back to her and started to the front door. Just as he was about to exit, he turned his head so that he could speak over his shoulder.

  “And it is your job to follow. Do as I say, Vila. You are starting to question me so much, I am beginning to wonder if you are turning into a Malum. I am wondering if you’ve already betrayed the Sefu.”

  Right before he was completely out the door, he heard Vila’s voice again.

  “She’ll have to keep drinking from you, you know that, right? That is the only way she will survive without you turning her completely. The state that she was in? Not even your blood has the power to bring that back one hundred percent. You need to make a choice! Either she’s one of us or she’s one of them. You cannot have both!”

  “I know,” Kesh whispered to himself.

  * * *

  Adirah sat on the step outside of Kesh’s temporary frat house, with her cheeks resting on her fists and her elbows resting on her knees. Her day had felt long, and she was feeling sluggish. The normal energy she had been feeling since meeting Kesh wasn’t there. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with a cold. Without warning, the leaves on the trees began to blow like a tornado was whipping through. She sat up, alarmed.

  Adirah. Adirah. Dira. Dira. Dira.

  She heard her name being called. Adirah shook her head, but she couldn’t stop herself from getting up and following the sound. Her eyes wouldn’t blink, and her entire body was freezing cold. It felt like her body was being controlled by someone else. No matter how much Adirah fought to gain control, she was helpless. She walked like a zombie a few paces, and then she saw him—her brother Adolphis.

  He was standing at the edge of a field, waving her forward with his hands. I have to show you something. Follow me. He was smiling like he did when they’d play hide-and-seek as kids.

  Adirah couldn’t help herself; she kept walking toward him. He led her into a small thicket of woods at the back of the frat house. Adirah followed like an obedient dog.

  Look
at the tree. She will reveal the danger. She will tell you what you need to know, Dira. Watch it....

  Adirah did as she was told. She stood in front of the tree, watching and waiting to see what it revealed. Then, as if a movie projector were playing against the tree trunk, she saw two strange people, and she could hear them speaking clearly.

  “We cannot let the blood ritual happen. If it does, then Kesh will rise to full power. Even with his clan cut in half, he will be unstoppable. Why haven’t we attacked? They are sitting ducks.”

  The dark-haired white woman, dressed in an all-black, tight-fitting leather jumpsuit and shiny black thigh-high boots, stood beside a tall, pale-faced blond man dressed in a sweeping long black leather trench coat and pointed-toe black boots. They watched four others fight with swords. The woman’s arms were behind her back as her eyes traveled along what appeared to be a makeshift battleground.

  “You have trained them well, Calum,” the man said, rubbing the bottom hairs of his blond goatee.

  “Thank you, my love,” the woman said, accepting the compliment. “I have been working with them day in and day out. While Kesh is letting his clan live like they are normal humans, I am training ours for war. A war that they are anticipating and wish to engage in once you give the order. Why are we waiting so long?”

  “Because the time is not right,” the man told her calmly.

  “It has been two months, Tulum. If not now, then when? Kesh could very well be planning to uproot today. If he does that, we will waste another six months trying to find him.”

  “He will not leave. I see how in love he is with the mortal girl. He hasn’t told her the truth. Therefore, she will not go with him. So, he will not leave.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “He is in love,” Tulum answered matter-of-factly. “He will not leave her behind.”

  “Love means nothing!”

  “Calum.” Tulum turned his head to look down at her. The struggle between admiration and anger rippled across his features. “Do you know why I chose you as my queen?” he asked.