Mesmerized

by Crane, Julia; Jager, Talia

  Jake wrapped his arm around Lily and pulled her close. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m so glad I found you.”

  Chapter Ten

  They gazed into each other’s eyes. Jake jumped at the chance to make the first move before Lily could. Not holding back, he kissed her passionately. His hands rubbed her back. He wouldn’t let her have the chance to take over; he laid her down and kissed her neck.

  She let out the tiniest moan as he breathed in her ear. His lips met hers again. Slowly, she lifted up his shirt and he sat up to take it off. His bare chest made her heart speed up even faster. She wanted him. She needed him.

  He kissed down her neck as her hands played in his hair. Her whole body tingled. “Jake...I won’t be able to stop if we go any further.”

  He stopped kissing her and met her eyes with his. “I know.” He pressed his lips against hers again. “I don’t want to stop this time.”

  She stroked his face and ran her fingers over his lips. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I have protection too.”

  She felt something inside her snap and before she knew it, she was all over him. Kissing him, touching him, loving every inch of him. She had never felt so accepted for who she was until that moment. When they were together, there was nothing else, nobody else in the world. It was just them. When it was finally over, she collapsed next to him on the floor, in front of the fire.

  Peeking over at him, she asked, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  Out of breath, he answered, “I’m fine.” He chuckled. "You are incredible."

  They fell asleep right there, curled up on the rug, with a blanket over them.

  ***

  The next morning, Lily turned to face Jake in bed. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We wait.”

  “For what?”

  “I don’t know. I’m still working on that.” He gave her that adorable grin of his. “We’ll be fine here. If anyone comes, we’ll hear them way before they get here.”

  “When we...ya know...last night, did it feel weird?”

  “No. It felt perfect. Why? Was it weird for you?”

  “No, a little uncomfortable at first.” She blushed a little. “I just wondered if you felt anything different at all because of what I am.”

  Jake grinned. "If by different you mean the most amazing sex I've ever had in my centuries of life then yes, it felt different." He stared into her eyes. "I'm falling in love with you, Lily. I never thought I would love anyone again."

  "I'm falling for you, too. Will you tell me about her? The girl you once loved?"

  Jake turned onto his back and grimaced. "I don't like to talk about Laura. It was a long time ago, and I'd rather not think about it."

  Lily furrowed her eyebrows. "That's not fair. I told you everything you wanted to know about me."

  Jake sighed. "What do you want to know?"

  "How did you meet?"

  "We met in London. I've traveled a lot over the years. She was selling cloth at a market."

  "What did she look like?" Lily was surprised to feel she was jealous of a dead woman.

  Jake got a faraway look in his eyes. "She was tiny and had long blond hair and blue eyes. Her smile could light up a room."

  Lily pulled on the hem of her shirt and looked at the floor unable to meet his eyes. "You were right. This was a bad idea. I don't really want to know anymore. I'm sorry you lost someone you loved. But, I'm glad you're mine now."

  "Lily, you have nothing to worry about. In all this time, you are the first woman that I've been drawn to. I really feel like we were meant to be together."

  "I hope so. I've never felt this connected with anyone before." Lily leaned over and Jake's lips met her halfway. They spent the rest of the day entwined in each other’s arms.

  ***

  "I need food." Lily grasped the sheets and pulled herself up to sitting position. She grinned playfully. "I guess we can't order a pizza?"

  "Probably not the best idea. There should be some meat in the freezer. I'll cook us up something. I'll give Sampson a call and ask him to bring some supplies such as milk and bread to hold us over."

  "How long do you think we will be here? I guess we can't stay forever." Lily threw the sheets off and grabbed Jake’s t-shirt to put on. "Maybe, running wasn't the best idea."

  "We’ll give it another day or so and then you can call your mother and find out if there have been any changes. I have the means for us to escape forever if we need to."

  Lily thought of her parents and Hannah. She really didn't want to drop off the face of the earth. She had just started to feel like it was possible to have a normal life. "I'll call tomorrow. Let's just enjoy the time we have alone together."

  They were sitting at the little wooden table in the kitchen. Lily looked across at Jake. "Have you almost died any other time other than the fall? Before you said you hadn't found anything that could kill you."

  Jake clenched his jaw. "It's not something I'm proud of. After Laura died and the years kept passing, I felt so empty. I didn't want to be in this world any longer. I tried to take my life." He dropped his fork and looked at Lily. "I tried everything, and the curse wouldn't let me go. I eventually gave up and accepted that I had to make the best of what I had become. I started going to different schools, or getting jobs to learn new trades. If I was given an immortal life, I was going to live it."

  She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "I'm glad nothing worked."

  "Me too."

  Lily took a bite, and then asked. "Where is your favorite place in the world?"

  "Hmm, there are so many beautiful places in this world it's hard to pick just one. I guess it would be Ireland. The rolling, emerald-green hills that go on forever are breathtaking. It feels like you entered another world when you step foot on the ground." Jake had a faraway look in his eyes. "I want to take you there someday."

  They heard a car approaching around dinnertime. Jake peeked out the window. “It’s just Sampson.”

  “When did you even call him?” Lily asked.

  “It must have been one of the times you were in the bathroom.” He smiled and went to the door.

  “Hello, Sampson!” Jake opened the door and Sampson walked in. He was an older gentleman, large and intimidating with a full head of white hair. “Please come in.”

  Sampson walked into the cabin and his eyes quickly settled on Lily. He placed the brown paper bags on the kitchen counter.

  “Sampson, this is Lily.”

  Lily stayed on the other side of the room. “Nice to meet you, Sampson.”

  He eyed her suspiciously, but he nodded. “You too, Miss.”

  Jake handed Sampson some money. “Thank you.”

  “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” Sampson shook Jake’s hand and walked to the door. Glancing back at Lily one more time, "A succubus, Jake? Are you sure that's safe?"

  "Don't worry Sampson. We can trust her."

  He grunted and nodded at Lily before he closed the door.

  “How did he know?” Lily's mouth gaped open.

  “He’s an old friend, and he has been around a long time. Sampson has seen a lot of unusual things in his time.”

  Lily tried to accept that answer. It still seemed odd to her. She walked to the window and watched as the car drove away. “It’s snowing,” she said, as she saw huge snowflakes fall from the sky.

  Jake joined her at the window. He put his arm around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “It snows a lot up here in the winter.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re from the south. Have you ever seen snow before?”

  “Not falling this heavily.”

  “C’mon.” Jake took Lily by the hand and led her outside. There were already a couple inches of freshly fallen snow on the ground.

  Lily lifted her head up to the sky and
stuck out her tongue to catch a snowflake like a child might do. She stood there long enough to have a couple drop on her tongue and she giggled.

  Jake smiled watching her. He picked up some snow and made a snowball. He tossed it at her gently and hit her right in the shoulder.

  She looked surprised, and then started laughing. She reached down and made a ball of her own. He ducked as she threw it at him. She made another one and chased after him. He didn’t run fast—he let her catch him and smash the snowball on his head. Turning around to face her, his lips met hers for just a moment.

  He lay down on the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Lily asked.

  “Making a snow angel. Join me.”

  She grinned and lay down next to him. Together they spread out their arms and legs and moved them back and forth. Jake jumped up and helped Lily up. They looked down at their impressions and Lily grinned. This was perfect. Playing in the snow with the guy she loved.

  After a few more minutes they went inside and warmed up by the fireplace. "I wish we could stay here forever." Lily warmed her hands over the fire.

  "That would be nice. But, I can never stay anywhere too long."

  "I don't think anyone would notice this far in the woods."

  "You'd be surprised. Do you want some hot chocolate?" It wasn't the neighbors he was worried about.

  "I love hot cocoa." She watched as Jake strolled to the kitchen and filled up the kettle. There was no denying it. She was crazy about him. He looked up as if he could feel her eyes on him and smiled.

  The evening went by in a blur. Every moment that she spent with Jake was wonderful. She loved falling asleep in his arms.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next thing Lily knew, Jake was shaking her awake. "Lily, get dressed we have to get out of here now!"

  "What? Why?" She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She looked over to find Jake was tossing things into a bag. She looked out the window and it was still dark.

  "Hurry up! They’ll be here soon."

  "Who? The police?" Lily stepped into her jeans and threw on a sweater.

  "I'll explain later. We don't have time now."

  "Okay. I trust you. Let's go."

  "Thank you." Jake reached over and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm sorry I brought you into this mess." He hurried down the stairs with her close behind.

  Lily's head was reeling. She was still half asleep, but what Jake was saying made no sense. He didn't bring her into anything she was the one that dragged him into her problems.

  Jake stopped and looked at the cabin as if he was seeing it for the last time. He grabbed her hand and they headed out the back door. Lily followed him to the shed, where he moved around some boxes and then lifted a floorboard. Underneath was a satchel. Jake grabbed it and tossed it over a shoulder.

  "What's that?"

  "Enough money to keep us on the run for awhile. Lily, you have to try to keep up ok? We're going to have to take to the woods for awhile."

  "Okay.” She grabbed her gloves out of her pockets and slipped them on as they took off.

  "Damn it, why did it have to stop snowing?"

  "Maybe we should just turn ourselves in?" Lily’s voice quivered.

  "That's not an option anymore. We need to keep our voices down until I'm sure we’re safe, okay?"

  She nodded her head and he reached for her hand and they ran. Lily had a hard time keeping up; she was worried she was going to fall on her face. Jake kept a firm grip on her hand, which gave her the strength to go on. They ran for hours. Lily was freezing and tired. The sun was rising and she wished they could stop to enjoy it, but he pulled her on.

  Lily looked up at the sky. The snow started falling again and it was coming down heavier than before. She shivered and pulled down her hat even lower over her ears. "Jake, look at all this snow. I'm scared. What if we're lost out here?"

  "We're not lost. The falling snow is actually a blessing. It will cover our trail for us. We'll find a place to rest soon. You're doing great."

  "My feet are killing me, and I'm getting hungry."

  "When I see cover, we'll stop." Jake reached in his bag and pulled out a protein bar. "This will hold you over for now."

  Lily was confused. She was cold, hungry, and didn’t understand why Jake looked so worried. She bit off a piece of the protein bar. She trusted him, but she didn’t like not knowing what was going on. She continued to follow him, not saying another word. He wasn’t going to talk until they got to wherever they were going.

  It was another hour until Jake said, “We’ll stay in that motel.” He pointed down the hill. I’ll go get the room. You wait here.”

  Lily nodded uncomfortably. She watched Jake make his way down the hill and disappear into the motel. She waited, rubbing her arms for warmth. It felt like it was forever until he emerged and waved her down. She went slowly, fearing that she’d slip and fall.

  When she finally reached him, he took her hand and led her into the motel room. Closing the door behind them, he started taking off his wet clothes. He didn’t speak. She decided she better do what he was doing.

  Soon, they were in their underwear, and nothing else mattered to Lily. The lust took over. She put her hands on Jake’s cool chest and began to kiss him.

  He grabbed her hands and pressed them to his chest. “Not now.” He felt bad seeing the look in her eyes. Avoiding them, he dug in his bag and yanked out his dry clothes. “Why don’t you get dressed?”

  Lily glared at him. She couldn't believe he had turned her down. “Fine.” She unzipped her backpack and pulled out dry clothes.

  After she was dressed, she looked in the mirror. She was a mess. Her wet hair was matted to her face. Her nose was bright red and cold. But, she didn’t care. She turned to Jake and said, “What is going on?”

  Jake took a deep breath. “Sampson came back after you fell asleep. He’s a seer, do you know what that is?”

  Lily nodded. “Someone who can see the future. I wasn't born yesterday.”

  “Right. He saw people coming for me.”

  “You? I don’t understand. Aren’t we on the run from people looking for me?”

  Jake shuffled his feet. “A long time ago, someone found out that I was immortal and came looking for me. The man was obsessed with finding out how I could live and not age. He was filthy rich, and wanted to stop the hands of time. He sent his goons after me." Jake met her eyes. "They wanted to know my secret, as if I had one to tell. I got away from them, but they keep coming after me. It’s like an unsolved case to them. It gets passed down from generation to generation.

  "They took Laura from me." His jaw clenched and he looked away. "They tortured her. There was nothing I could do to stop it."

  Lily sucked in her breath and lifted her hand to her chest. "Did they..."

  "Yes, they killed her in front of me. Trying to get me to talk." His fists were clenched at his side. "They won’t accept my answer, that I’m human and cursed and I have no idea how it works. They killed her because I don’t have the answers. I won’t let them do that to you.”

  Lily was dumbfounded. She had no idea how to respond. She swallowed hard. "How did you get away?"

  "I killed them." Jake's voice sounded detached.

  "Oh."

  "Not that it mattered. They never come after me themselves, they just send hired help."

  "I'm sorry, Jake." She couldn't stop thinking of Laura and what she must have gone through. Or how hard it had to have been for Jake to watch the woman he loved being tortured to death. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “How do we avoid them?”

  “We move around a lot, stay under the radar. I can usually go a decade without seeing them. I can't believe the timing." Jake moved towards her. "I can't let them get to you. It would break me if something happened to you."

  "Hush, don't worry about me. I always have the compulsion if they come after me. It might actually help, maybe I can send them back with a false message."

/>   Jake shook his head. "I don't want you to go anywhere near them." He pulled her close and ran his hands through her hair. Just being near her made his heart feel like it was going to explode out of his chest.

  The next morning, Jake woke Lily up early. They needed to get far away. He had a condo in Florida where they could stay.

  "Have you ever been on a train?"

  "Only once when I was little. I don't remember it. I've always thought it would be romantic to ride cross-country." Lily smiled. "Are we taking a train?" she asked hopefully.

  "Yes, we can pay with cash. We'll get the tickets under different names."

  "Sounds exciting. Can I pick my name?"

  "Sure, you can even make up mine if you want."

  "Ok, I want to be Emma Gray, and you can be..." She put her finger to her lip thinking. "Gavin Stevens."

  "Um…okay. Do the names have any significance?"

  "Just names from romance books I've enjoyed."

  Jake shook his head. "Let's get out of here. Grab your bag."

  "Right behind you, Gavin." She giggled and grabbed his hand.

  The train ride was even more beautiful then she had imagined. She loved seeing the little towns as the train rolled along. It was cool to see the ground go from snow covered to alive and green.

  Jake put his arm around her and kissed her head. "This is nice. I wish we weren't running, but I'm glad to have you by my side."

  "I'm glad to be here. Do you think we should call my mom and check in?"

  “We can do that when we get to Florida. We'll get another phone."

  "Thanks. I feel bad not letting them know where we are."

  "Lily, if you are going to stay with me, you will often have to run and not see your parents for long stretches of time."

  She turned and stared out the window. "Maybe we can take care of your problem once and for all, and you won’t have to hide anymore."

  "If it were that easy, I would have taken care of it years ago." He clenched his jaw and looked away.

  "I'm not very strong, but my mother is. You have never seen her in action. I really think she might be able to help us. She is very powerful."