Night

by Jessica Florence

  His face morphed into a mask of nothing. He wasn’t going to give me the satisfaction of seeing his riled-up emotions anymore.

  “We will stop you. I’ll not let mankind down again,” he vowed, and I wanted to laugh. He’d been failing in his mission since he started. Although I had a hand in that, he hadn’t ever succeeded in what he was created to do.

  “I wish you luck.” I turned to leave, but he stopped my movements with his next words.

  “Leave Esme alone before you break more than her body. She doesn’t deserve to be with a man like you. She deserves better.”

  He walked back to the room and closed the door behind him.

  Draco didn’t know who I was, or anything else about me.

  Shrugging off his last words, I handed Esme’s chart to the nurse who would document everything in the computer.

  Liam was standing by my office door when I approached. His head lifted, and his arms were across his chest. His eyes were narrowed, and his posture was completely on offense.

  “You need to leave Esme alone. She’s too good for you. You’re going to end up hurting her.”

  What was it with other men telling me what to do with a woman? It was starting to piss me off. Esme was good, and I was bad. We were fucking, not getting married.

  I didn’t need to defend myself and my choices—I was over two thousand years old.

  Instead of replying, I grabbed the handle of my office door and pushed through the entrance. As I walked past Liam, he put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from advancing.

  I didn’t spare him a glance but calmly spoke.

  “Remove your hand, or you will lose it.”

  His hand was gone, but he wasn’t done with me, it seemed.

  “You don’t see it, but that girl is capable of giving an indescribable love to the man she chooses. Don’t let her waste that love on you, a man who doesn’t care about anyone other than himself and his high-profile career.” He waited for me to say something back, to defend myself or to tell him to fuck off. But I wouldn’t. I simply walked into my office and slammed the door in his face.

  There was no fucking love between Esme and me.

  It was lust, plain and simple. I wasn’t capable of feeling that emotion anymore. Not since the days of the gods did I ever even know what love felt like. That was a long time ago, and that particular feeling had stayed in the past, where it belonged.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Esme

  Draco and Asher had walked me home after my hospital visit. Asher gave me a hug goodbye, and I made Draco give me one. He wasn’t really a hugger, but I had to thank them for helping me today.

  As soon as they left, I went straight for the shower.

  My body had an intense, all-over ache, and I was really dirty. I stayed in the shower for a half hour, and then stepped out to dry.

  My arm wasn’t too happy lifting above my head, so I slid one of my knee-length nightgowns up from my feet pretty easily without much pain.

  I was tired, the events from today were finally catching up with me. But as I snuggled into my bed, Dorian’s scent hit me, and I can admit I burrowed my nose in further to relish the smell.

  It was clear as day that Asher and Draco were not fans of Dorian, but they had dealt with him on few occasions, as far as I knew. He probably pissed them off at some point. It wasn’t hard to imagine.

  He came back to the hospital to check on me. I was trying not to read into that, but it was difficult.

  Maybe he just wanted to check on his fuck buddy. Can’t have sex if I had to be hospitalized from an explosion. That was it.

  My mind had settled with that explanation, but then my heart did a little flip as I fell asleep, remembering the warmth on my cheek when he touched my face and said he was glad I was okay.

  The next morning, my body didn’t feel any better. In fact, it felt worse. I guessed being thrown a few feet to the ground from an explosion would make you feel like shit. I rolled out of bed to take care of myself in the bathroom and swallow some anti-inflammatory pills to help with the ache.

  I called Melissa Ann to see if she could cover my shift tonight, and she said she’d be happy to, needing the extra money to help pay for baby stuff. So, I grabbed myself some fruit from the kitchen and went back to my bed, lugging my laptop along for entertainment.

  My face scrunched up in surprise when a knock on my door came at dinnertime. I left my bed, where I had stayed almost all day, to take a look through my little peephole.

  Dorian was standing there, with bags in his hands.

  I opened the door and gave him my best attempt at a smirk.

  “You’re a delivery boy, too? Is being a doctor not exciting enough for you?” I teased. Whatever he had in those plastic bags and to-go boxes would be welcomed. I had been thinking about what I wanted for dinner when he knocked.

  “I like to live on the edge,” he commented and set the bags down on the table then turned to me. In a matter of seconds, his hands were wrapped around my waist and his lips connecting with mine.

  It didn’t take long for that urgent start of a kiss to turn into a need for more. His hands roamed up my body, feeling me as if he had missed touching me.

  I winced when his hand passed over my arm.

  He pulled back instantly.

  Shoot.

  “You should ice it.” He took a step back and let his hands drop from my skin.

  “I did about twenty minutes ago.”

  He wasn’t the only one with a medical background in the apartment.

  “I’m surprised to see you here. Just getting off?” He looked like he had a long day at work, but then again, he sometimes pulled two shifts, working like a maniac. His hair was messy, and his top button was undone.

  “I was hungry. There was a buy-one-get-one special.” He started unpacking the bags. I was surprised he cared to use that free meal on me. A small part of my wall I’d erected started to shake.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t buy you a puppy—it’s food. Simple. You eat, then we fuck. I’m not your date.” And the shaking wall stopped.

  “Bad day?” I sat down at the table and looked at what he got. Sushi? It was buy-one-get-one from the expensive-ass sushi place a block over from here? Methinks Dorian has strayed from the truth in his story. I loved that place, and if they ever had buy-one-get-one on sushi, I would be as big as a sumo wrestler.

  He sat down and let out an exhausted sigh that I wasn’t sure I was truly meant to hear. He sounded tired.

  “I’ve got a lot going on. Big plans and all.” He picked up his chopsticks and started eating. I guess that was all he was going to say about that.

  The first bite was heaven, and we spent the rest of our time eating in silence. It wasn’t as awkward as some of the other encounters we’ve had, which was nice. I just kept thinking about what was happening here. Why was my stomach fluttering when I looked at him? Why did he bring me expensive but delicious food?

  But I didn’t know what to say.

  “If you planned us eating and then fucking, we should have done the fucking first. I am so blissfully full.” I sat back in my chair, completely sated. No way would I be shaken up like a soda bottle with all this food in my stomach.

  His eyes narrowed and he was silent for a moment, maybe choosing his words before blurting them out.

  “That was poor planning on my part.”

  I looked at the time, and saw it was a few minutes past seven. Only thing I was thinking about was reading until I went to sleep. Should I make him leave or wait till I don’t feel so full? This whole situation felt strange, and I didn’t know how to act.

  Screw these thoughts. If I wanted something, I was going to take it. Live hard, right? Well, I’d finally been doing that, so I needed to keep it going instead of reverting back to that woman who just worked and did nothing else. I had to make the most of my life, for me and for my brother.

  “I’m going to go lie on the couch and watch a movie. You�
��re welcome to join me, and maybe I’ll be up for screwing you later, or you can head out. Won’t upset me either way.” I stood and threw my trays in the trash.

  After grabbing myself a glass of water, I walked over to my green couch, setting the cup on the end table beside it.

  I went about flipping through my DVR, looking for a movie I’d wanted to watch but never had the time. Dorian was sitting at the table still, apparently trying to come to a decision about his evening plans.

  There were a few choices: an action flick, a romantic comedy, and an emo romance.

  Truthfully, the emotional one has been on the top of my list, but I doubted Dorian would want to watch that.

  Meh, fuck him.

  Emotional romance it was.

  Dorian stood and threw his trash away and walked over.

  Was he going to stay?

  That stupid flutter in my stomach made my lips start to turn up, but then I stopped myself when I saw his face.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dorian

  I was honestly going to leave; I had too much shit to do.

  But the look on her face had me sitting down, wanting to touch those lips that smiled at the thought of me staying.

  If I stayed, I would get to be inside her body again.

  It was probably twenty minutes that I debated leaving. Being here in the moment quieted all the buzzing thoughts in my head. She’d been a balm to me before, and right now I was good with that.

  The movie was boring, and I’d never seen it before. A troubled teen and a young woman of faith who was dying of cancer. She changed him, and they fell in love. Then she died.

  Unrealistic.

  I’d seen men change for women, sure. But the unrealistic part was the love between them. Once love died, there was nothing left but pain.

  Esme started to stir, breaking up my thoughts from going down that dark section of memory lane.

  She snuggled into the couch pillow she rested upon and continued to sleep peacefully. She really didn’t know who was in the room with her. The villain.

  I stood to leave. She was no use to me asleep.

  One last glance at her, and my doctor training kicked in. She was sleeping on her injured arm. If she continued to sleep like that, she would be in all sorts of pain when she woke up, possibly even getting thoracic outlet syndrome. I ran my hands down my face. I should leave her alone. She was taking up too much of my time even when I wasn’t around her.

  But, I couldn’t leave her like that. The doctor in me refused.

  Without waking her, I scooped her body up and walked her into her bedroom. As I was laying her down, those slender arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me down with her, her lips instantly connecting with mine.

  I was surprised for a few seconds before giving in to her kiss and taking over.

  There was no rushing, just feeling, which turned to a hungry devouring.

  That slip of a nightgown she wore was gone, as were my clothes. I needed to feel her creamy skin against mine and slide inside her waiting core.

  We didn’t speak, all just dancing tongues and hot kisses while our bodies connected, finding our release in each other.

  Once we were done, she kissed me again, went to clean up herself, then crawled back into bed.

  “You can go now if you want,” she mumbled against her pillow, and was out again.

  I chuckled to myself. I thought I was going to be using her for her body, but tonight she turned the tables on me, using my body for her own pleasure.

  Staying the night was tempting, but I had been needing to leave for two hours.

  I got dressed and walked out her door, flashing back to the mansion as soon as her door closed behind me.

  “Good, you’re back. I’m tired of waiting. This city is in chaos, now is the time to take control,” Ajax grunted while sitting on the couch. Monica was sitting on the other end.

  The others were in their own rooms. They were quite the group of misfits.

  “You’re not ready, but soon.”

  “The fuck we aren’t.”

  The small smile that had been on my face from Esme’s stunt was gone, and now I was annoyed. Before he could even blink, I was in front of him, hands around his neck, and then I flashed him to the wall. My grip was the only thing keeping his body up against the wall. He tried to pull my hand off his neck but like I had said before, he wasn’t ready. He needed to become one with his borrowed powers. Until then, we would wait. Seahill was going to destroy itself no matter what. Draco and his crew were powerless to stop that.

  I pulled my fingers off of his neck, and he fell to the floor with a loud thunk.

  “I’ve been alive since the days of the gods. You’re ready when I fucking say you are. You want the future I’ve promised? Then you follow my lead. Until then, learn to control your powers.”

  He looked at me and nodded. I understood his impatience, but we had time.

  Nothing was going to change the future I’d set into motion. I’d seen it, and so far everything had passed that led to my chosen outcome.

  I walked out of the room without another word. All the energy I’d expended with Esme was back, and I was restless.

  My room in this compound was simple. I preferred to keep it that way. A rolled bed on the floor, and the rest was for training. Nothing was personal here. I knew the others wouldn’t double-cross me, but I didn’t want anything that could be used against me in any way.

  I stripped out of my clothes, standing in the middle of the room in just my boxers. Calming my mind, focusing on every beat in my chest, expanding with every sound in the room, then the rest of the house.

  At first, I moved slow, flexing every muscle, feeling the air beneath my fingers.

  Over the centuries, I’d attempted to calm my taste for revenge with the masters of Asia, learning the Shaolin Kung Fu from the monks themselves, among other martial arts. Patience was the key to all of them.

  For hours, I moved across my training floor, fighting invisible men. I grabbed my sword from the wall and worked on my form.

  I was sweaty, and my muscles were aching from the training, but I finally felt like I could let my mind rest when I fell asleep.

  Shifting my weight back, I raised my sword over my head and threw it like a javelin at the punching bag in the corner. It hit the bag dead center, and I smiled. My aim had always been a gift. I never missed.

  I showered in the bathroom attached to the room and then passed out on the bedroll.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Esme

  “Are you going to use that extra syrup?” Mina asked, and I shook my head. AJ’s sister was adorable but feisty.

  Everyone at the Hero Society was sitting in the kitchen area, eating a glorious breakfast that Janie had made. Echo had saved Janie when she was kidnapped because of her power to instantly remember things that she’d seen. It turned out okay, but she hadn’t wanted to go home. Instead she made herself comfy in one of the apartments above the restaurant and started using all that knowledge to try new hobbies. Cooking was the one she enjoyed the most, so she would cook everyone meals when we were around.

  This morning happened to be such a day.

  The crew was looking tired and slightly run-down.

  I knew the feeling.

  It was hard living in a city where everyone hated you. I wasn’t out about my powers, but I still felt their pain. This group was quickly growing from friends to family, and they’d welcomed me in with big, open arms.

  Mina was chowing down on her extra sugary waffle, I had French toast and some eggs, and others were digging into their own delicious breakfasts that Janie had made to order.

  “I don’t know how you always eat that much and stay so thin. Maybe you do have powers after all,” Leon commented, and Mina stuck out her tongue at him in a sisterly way.

  “So, is anyone else going to address the elephant in the room?” Rose asked, and my fork paused midway to my mouth. Did I do something wrong?

&
nbsp; “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Phillip grinned, and everyone else was looking in different directions like they weren’t ready to talk about what Rose was bringing up. Okay, this was weird.

  “Uh-huh. So, there isn’t anything you want to…ya know, get out in the open?” She was egging him on, so at least now I knew it wasn’t about me.

  “I’m boning your brother.”

  All heads turned to Mina, who was sitting next to me in a long-sleeved purple shirt with a hoodie that had cat ears on the top of her head.

  She continued eating like what she just said wasn’t a big deal.

  “I knew it! My girl is tapping that!” Lilith clapped and smiled, clearly excited. Everyone else laughed, including Draco.

  Rose shoulder-bumped her brother, and he just smiled at her sweetly, making my chest hurt a little. Being around Phillip and Rose reminded me so much of my brother, Eli. They had such a close relationship that one would think they shared that twin connection, like Eli and I had.

  All but Draco and AJ—who I’m pretty sure was trying to block out this whole conversation— were congratulating the couple and busting their balls about trying to keep it a secret. Obviously, Phillip was okay with this all happening because he was the only one who had the means to know it was coming and do something differently.

  Mina, being a woman who didn’t hold anything back, told us that Phillip had set it up to be this way all along. He found AJ, but knew AJ needed the time to grow into his own, and Mina to look for him. Mina was Phillip’s soul mate. He knew that by helping AJ, he’d also help the woman he was destined for. She was pissed at him in the beginning because he could have reunited them sooner but came around quickly. It’s hard to hold back when someone knows you are their future and will do anything for you.

  Phillip must straddle the right path to make sure the best possible future happens for us. It must have been hard for him to stay away and not rush to the girl of his dreams as soon as he knew. He’d been in pain too, by staying away.