Fire & Ice

by Lisa Logue

  “That’s pretty cool actually. Would I be able to read them sometime?”

  “Maybe,” I looked from the corner of my eye and she frowned.

  I laughed, “I’m kidding. You can read anything you want. There’s nothing in those journals I haven’t already explained. Of course, I’m skipping through time here, but a hundred years of struggle would probably take just as long to tell.”

  “Have you ever written anything since we met?” she asked shyly. Not wanting to spill the beans quite so easily, I smirked.

  “A journal like that wouldn’t be among the others. And, no, you couldn’t read it, even if it did exist.”

  “Uh huh,” she pursed her lips. “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 12

  Colorado, 1980

  I was finally alone again, after another twenty years of babysitting. Not that I minded the company of Desi and Luthor, but I hated having to account for every second of my day. I knew they were reporting to The Council, so I bit my tongue and went along with it.

  Occasionally, I was struck with the urge to kill again, but it was short lived. Now that I knew how to feed without killing, it was senseless. Unless I was threatened, which never happened, killing a human was a sure way to die. Austin might be my friend, but he works for The Council first.

  I liked being home. Wandering between states and countries was tiring, even for a vampire. I was lonely, but welcomed that as well. I’d forgotten who I was. The Christian I knew was a blood-thirsty, sex driven vampire. I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.

  The first item on my agenda was to finally make my old home a new one. I’d sketched new blueprints for some additions, including secret passages in case I ever needed to flee. No one ever knew if a vampire would be found out, which would surely mean my death.

  I didn’t venture out much, only to feed. But, I noticed no one came my way either. There weren’t campers or hunters or anyone that trespassed on my land. I wondered if Austin had enchanted it that way or if they were really there, but Austin made it so I wouldn’t know.

  After a few days of planning, I headed into town for supplies. There was no need to hire builders when I could work faster than all of them combined. At least building would keep my mind off of being alone for a while. What I’d do when I was finished was another story.

  “Is there anything I can help you find today?” asked a very perky sales woman.

  “I’m fairly new to the area. I’m building an addition onto a house I’ve purchased and need the items on this list. Could you help me with that?” I handed it to her and watched as she melted at the sound of my voice. That never really got old.

  “Of course, follow me,” she said breathlessly. I smiled mischievously as she led the way.

  The rest of the shopping trip went well, lingering eyes and all. I asked the girl, whose name was Emily, to dinner that evening and she excitedly accepted. She had no clue what I was and I had no intention of her finding out. I desperately hoped we’d be having dinner together instead of it being a party of two with one leaving the table.

  I picked her up for our date and headed to a local restaurant. Austin’s elixir made it easy for me to seem human, even eating regular food. When I was still human, I loved eating chicken, mashed potatoes and just about everything else my mother cooked. It was time to test out the theory of eating food instead of people.

  “So, Emily, are you enjoying your dinner?” she shuddered when I said her name.

  “Yes, thank you. I’m not used to going somewhere this nice. Most guys think burgers are fine dining”, she snorted.

  “Well I’m not most guy,.” I winked and her cheeks flushed. I took the flask from my jacket and sipped gingerly.

  “Where did you live before you came here,” she asked as she eyed me curiously.

  “Nowhere in particular. I moved around a lot. I feel like I can call Colorado home, though. How about you, have you always lived here?”

  “Yes. My family owns the hardware store. We’ve owned it for years, actually. My father calls it our legacy, but I’m hoping to move beyond that,” she pushed her strawberry blonde hair to the side, revealing an intriguing Celtic tattoo on the side of her neck.

  “How do you plan to do that?” I leaned toward her. She seemed nervous and excited by my interest. It was empowering.

  “I’m studying to be an investigative journalist. I want to move to L.A. and dig up the dirt on Hollywood,” her eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “Hmm, sounds kinda sexy,” I smirked.

  She gulped and trembled a little, “It does?”

  “Sure. A small town girl goes to take on Hollywood and expose its secrets. It’s compelling,” I smiled and she almost fainted in her chair.

  After paying the check, I took her back to the cabin. It was the first time I ever had a human in my house since I’d returned. I was nervous, but more because I wasn’t sure if I could trust myself.

  “What’s your poison? Wine? Beer? Liquor?” I asked playfully.

  “Beer is fine,” she shifted on the sofa, trying to sit provocatively. I could hear her heart hammering in her chest.

  Retrieving the drinks, I settled in next to her on the couch, sitting closer that she expected. Clearly I’d have to get bigger furniture for the new rooms. I placed my arm over the back of the couch, behind her head, and she leaned into me.

  “You’re a nice guy, Christian. It’s a shame there aren’t more guys like you,” she then drank half her beer at once before setting the bottle back down.

  “It is, isn’t it?” I smiled.

  She leaned in and kissed me, which I hadn’t expected, but welcomed. It was soft and sweet. Her bottom lip quivered as I traced it with my tongue. It had been so long. She tasted good…almost too good.

  She moved to straddle my lap, pressing her breasts into my chest. Her skin was red hot and flushed, but I relished in it. I picked her up, laying her on the couch underneath me, and kissed from her lips to her neck and the top of her breasts. She moaned loudly, squirming for more.

  If I was nothing else, I was a gentleman and a tease. I’d never take advantage of a woman if she was reluctant. But if she was willing, I’d make her want me so badly she thought she’d burst. I smiled.

  “Oh, that feels nice,” she whispered as I nibbled her nipples through her shirt. Perky, she definitely was.

  “You like that, do you?” she nodded and I moved my hand up her shirt, unclasping her bra with one hand. I tossed it to the floor, along with her shirt.

  “Wow, you’re good with your hands,” she giggled.

  “You have no idea,” I murmured against her skin as I traveled the length of her trembling abdomen.

  She grabbed my hair, tugging and running her fingers through it. I groaned and flipped her on her stomach, kissing her back while I pushed my hand up her thigh until her skirt revealed the delicious interior. She buried her face in the couch, moaning and begging for more.

  Pushing her panties aside, I found her treasure, ready for the taking. The warmth of her body was tantalizing. Teasing her was effortless and soon she was ready for me. I pulled her up to her knees and her bottom twitched as I entered her from behind.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed and repeated often as I took my time. I grabbed her hair and pulled lightly at first, warming her up. She resisted a moment, but changed her mind when I thrust deeper.

  As she climaxed, she grabbed my leg and sunk her nails in, bringing on a delicious wave of pleasurable pain. My fangs descended, but I ignored it. She couldn’t see my face and I wasn’t done yet.

  She peaked several more times before my own, which was equally as intense. I snuck a few drinks of my elixir while I slapped her bottom playfully. She gasped and bucked a few more times, before reaching again. Tired and spent, she slumped against the couch, breathing hard.

  Chapter 13

  Colorado, Present Day

  We took a break of storytelling to eat and so Lia could catch up with Austin. I’m sure he wasn’t happy w
ith wasting a day of training, but he would have to deal with it.

  While she was gone, I thought about the person I was before and what made me that way. Sure, much of it was because I was taught, but I enjoyed it. I wanted to do all those things, sometimes crossing the line and killing someone for no reason, other than wanting them gone.

  Remembering who I was before turning was a pivotal moment because I didn’t have to search for answers. I fell into the role pretty well, finally comfortable in my skin again. Yet a piece of me was still cold and hollow. Still searching for something I couldn’t find.

  Then, Lia came along and things changed. While she never asked, I promised to be her friend and help her in any way I could. What I didn’t expect was what would happen between us. There was something alluring about her from the start. A mystery I had to solve, no matter the cost. Even after finding out she was the daughter of a hybrid, I couldn’t pull myself away. I’d been trying ever since.

  Still, she was always on my mind. When I promised to stay away, something drew me back. I found if I was away too long, I grew cold again. I was terrified to admit my feelings for her, especially when she would make it harder by deliberately flaunting herself in front of me. I smiled at the thought.

  “I’m sorry I took so long. Austin was being an ass,” she said and sat on the counter like always.

  “I suspected as much. What are we doing now?” I looked her over. Her messy bun, pajama pants and ribbed tank top was incredibly enticing.

  “Um,” she caught my stare. “I, uh, I think we should finish the story. Can we go into your room this time?”

  I made a face, “I told you, my room is nothing compared to yours. Why do you want to go in there so bad?”

  “Maybe I want to make you as uncomfortable as you make me, for once,” she shrugged and hoped down from the counter.

  “Whatever you say,” I followed her to my room, trying desperately not to stare at her perfectly rounded bottom.

  “Stop staring as my ass,” she said over her shoulder. “Your eyes are starting to burn holes through my pants.”

  I smiled. What she didn’t know was that her clothes did little to hide her body from my vision. If I looked hard enough, I’d see everything I needed without her shedding a piece. It was very hard not to take advantage of that.

  As we approached the door to my room, I stepped in front of her. She huffed, crossed her arms, and waited rather impatiently. I debated whether it was a good idea, but decided it didn’t really matter.

  “It’s a mess, you know,” I said with a shrug.

  “I don’t really care. Open the door,” she demanded. Her eyes burned into my skin and I swore I could actually feel the heat.

  “Alright, alright, go in,” I said and stepped aside.

  She looked around at my embarrassingly disheveled room. I wasn’t normally a messy person, but I was too engrossed in my research to put anything away. We knew little about Lia’s shaman heritage and, with her grandfather’s direction, we helplessly searched for anything useful.

  “Still digging around I see,” she stated knowingly as she ran her fingers along the pages of a few open books.

  “We have to. I want to make sure we can help you to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, there isn’t as much information as I’d hoped.”

  “What you’re looking for you won’t find in a book. Shamanism is about more than what others think it is. I’ve learned a lot about my connection to our world and the spirit world.”

  “What have you learned, exactly?” I smirked.

  “Well,” she looked down shyly. “I’ve learned that sometimes things aren’t as they seem. The good can look evil and the other way around. But there’s always a balance to things. Where something is taken away, something else will replace it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means there’s a balance to everything. When things begin to shift off balance, it has to be righted. It’s not something we can physically touch, but we all play a part in that balance. One way or another, anyway,” she flipped through a few more pages through other books.

  “I still don’t follow,” my brow furrowed.

  She sighed, “Think of it this way, when you were turned it seemed bad, right?” I nodded. “Yet, for some reason you survived it. For possibly that same reason, you’re helping me now.”

  “Okay, so?”

  “So, by something bad happening to you -your human life ending-you are now able to project the good. You know, one door closes, another opens?”

  “So you’re saying that becoming a vampire was something bad that happened because there was an imbalance?”

  “It’s possible. I can only say that in theory,” she shrugged and twirled a stray curl around her finger.

  “Your theory seems a bit flawed. I’m not the good guy here,” I smiled.

  “If you say so,” she said as she shook her head.

  I watched her investigate my room some more, undoubtedly seeking the journal she so desperately wanted to read. Smiling, I walked to my closet and dug it out from behind several other books.

  “Is this what you’re looking for?” I waved it at her.

  “I thought you said I couldn’t read it,” she challenged.

  “Oh, you can’t. At least not right now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m not done with my story yet,” I chuckled.

  She sad oddly on the bed and hugged herself; nervousness spilled off her skin. I tucked the journal under my arm and sat beside her.

  “Why are you so nervous?” I asked sincerely.

  She scowled, “Like you don’t already know.”

  “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”

  “I’m always this way around you.”

  “Not all the time. Why are you nervous now?” she looked anywhere but at my face as she struggled with her answer.

  “It’s been a few hours that we’ve been alone. I’m waiting for you to make a break for it and leave me here alone again. I can almost feel it creeping up on me,” she whispered.

  “I stole you away for the day both to give you a break and to try to salvage what pieces of our friendship still remain. I don’t have any reason to run away.”

  “Not yet. Something will happen. It always does,” she smiled sadly.

  I draped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her into me. Her anxiety immediately kicked up a notch, but she then relaxed a little. I pulled us up to the pillows and lay with her in my arms a while. Neither of us spoke, enjoying the silence.

  “I’d like you to finish that story now, if you don’t mind?” she said into my chest.

  “I’m not sure I remember where we left off,” I nuzzled her hair.

  “You regained your memories after coming back home,” her voice shook. Sparks began dancing between us and I pulled her tighter to me. Not this time.

  “Right. There’s not a whole lot of excitement thereafter. At least not until I met you,” I chuckled.

  “Excitement? I think torture is a better word for it,” she wound her hands in my shirt.

  “Is that what you think?”

  “Isn’t it what you think?” she stared up at me with those big brown eyes and I melted.

  When she looked at me that way, I was mesmerized. No amount of fear or will power could take away what I felt in that moment. It was raw, unshakable even, as molten flames surged through her gaze capturing me irrevocably. I welcomed the swell of heat as it radiated through my entire being, washing away the frozen hollowness that had consumed me for so long. My breath came faster as her magic took hold and, for a moment, I swore I felt my heart beat again.

  “No,” I swallowed hard. “I know what torture feels like. I’d take this any day.”

  “And what is this exactly?” she breathed in a shudder.

  Words failed me. I didn’t know what it was. That’s not true, I knew exactly how I felt and how she made me feel. I knew I didn’t want to be without her and also how te
rrified I was to say it all out loud.

  Locking my eyes with hers, I hoped she would see the answer. The question mark was almost evident on her face as she failed to understand my vague confession. Just as she began to speak, I placed a finger to her lips.

  “No more talking. I think we both know that words never get us anywhere,” I smiled and so did she.

  Slowly, I bent and placed my lips on hers, allowing the flames to engulf us completely. No matter what happened, I wouldn’t be able to let her go. We couldn’t be together yet, but when the time was right I would make her mine in every way possible. All along I was seeking to fill the void; to feel like my old self. I never thought the answer would be her. She was the fire to make me come alive.

  And I’ll never stop loving her…

  Lisa Logue has written everything from poetry and short stories to her debut novel Cursed Secrets. Originally from Long Island, NY, she now resides in Tennessee with her family including her two sons.

  At the age of seven, Lisa began writing short stories depicting dramatic scenes of abusive relationships and murder/mysteries. After several calls home from the teacher, Lisa made it clear that while the stories seemed real, her imagination created the drama. But it didn’t stop there. After the short stories came poetry, with which she received many awards and won several contests. Her earlier poems were published in coffee table books and various online websites, proving she’s no stranger to the written word.

  After a long two years, the first edition of Cursed Secrets was finally published in February 2012. Lisa is constantly working to improve and adapt her writing to intrigue and entice readers. As an avid reader herself, creating “real” characters has been an important part of the project. While Cursed Secrets encompasses a variety of supernatural characters, the human element is prominent and relate-able.

  When Lisa isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family, working, or attending classes for her degree. She also loves to read and often finds herself curled up in a snuggie with a glass of wine. Spending time with her boyfriend of almost five years and their friends is another enjoyment and break from crazy daily life.