After a moment of silence, he whispered huskily, “What am I going to do with you?”
Momentarily dazed, Dahlia finally looked up into his eyes, which glowed unnaturally bright as she bit her lip. “I’m sorry?” It was more of a question than a statement.
Greyson laughed and enveloped her in a hug. Frozen, Dahlia didn’t know what to do, but then relaxed comfortably in his embrace. Moving away from her, he had a serious look on his face as he stared down at her.
“Don’t apologize, Dahlia. Don’t ever apologize for who you are.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear it. You are who you are. It’s only natural for you to want to taste blood—it’s part of being lamia. I get that. Don’t be ashamed of it.”
Dahlia was quiet as she looked on at Greyson with doubtful eyes. She voiced the question she had wanted to ask since earlier.
“You don’t think I’m tainted?” With vampire blood?
“Never,” Greyson brought his hand to the back of her neck and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “I wouldn’t be feeling this way if I thought you were.” He finally admitted to himself that he had feelings for her.
Real feelings.
Dahlia shyly glanced down as she peered up at him through her hair. “And what is it you’re feeling, Greyson?”
“I want you.” He didn’t hesitate as he spoke, the seriousness in his voice apparent. “In every sense of the word.”
She continued to look at him, feeling her face get hot. “What if I don’t want to be wanted?” She raised her chin, almost in defiance as she fought off her blush.
Greyson chuckled at her response, his green eyes twinkling. “Oh, you definitely do.”
Dahlia did, but refused to admit it. “How would you know anything about that?” she muttered.
He tapped the side of her head as he slightly grinned. “I can read your mind, remember?”
She had briefly forgotten about that so she frowned, hitting him roughly on the arm. “That’s not fair and you know it.”
Greyson glanced down to where Dahlia had just hit him then glanced back up at her. “You’re really violent, you know that? I see the way you’re always hitting your foster brother, and now you’ve just assaulted me too. It’s not my fault you didn’t block your thoughts from me just now. I can’t help it.”
“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” she muttered under her breath.
“No, you can’t.” His smile was apparent in his voice.
Her mind flicked back to their past encounters and his intensity toward her. “And I’m the violent one?” she asked with a raised brow.
If she didn’t know any better, she swore she saw a blush form under his golden skin tone. “You know I apologized for that already,” he mumbled lowly.
Dahlia snickered with a roll of her eyes then looked at him with a grin on her face “So what now?”
Greyson eyes briefly glanced at her lips which caused the smile to leave her face as she remembered their intimate moment just minutes before. Then he moved away from her as she exhaled, watching him pour out his unfinished water down the drain then placed both glasses in the sink.
“The reason you were so drawn to my blood is because you’re hungry.” He smiled slightly. “Sorry, but I don’t have much to offer you. Maddox tends to eat a lot. Go home and get something to eat and replenish your energy because you’re going to need it. And don’t mention any of this to Sam or his parents, or anyone else for that matter. The lapsus after you—they’re not going to stop until they get what they want and that’s you dead.”
Dahlia walked over to him, pressing her face into his chest as she looked up into his eyes. “And what do you want from me?”
Greyson caught her gaze as he took his hand and ran it through her long, flowing hair. “I want you safe. We’ll deal with the whole Merrick thing afterwards. I’ll figure something out. But no matter what, you’ll be safe.”
As he took her into another embrace, Dahlia could only wrap her arms around him as she closed her eyes and prayed that he was right.
That she’d be safe.
Because right now, enveloped in Greyson’s arms, she really did feel safe and secure for the first time in her life.
She desperately hoped the moment could last.
Chapter 18
“You okay?”
Dahlia looked up from staring at the ground to see Sam standing by her doorway. Entering her room, he sat down beside her at the edge of her bed as he grinned enormously at her. Fingering the ends of her hair, Dahlia said nothing, but she welcomed his presence. He must have noticed how quiet she had been since she returned from Greyson. She had quickly put some leftovers in the microwave then made her way upstairs to eat alone in her bedroom.
Since leaving Greyson, she no longer felt safe. She remembered all of the attacks on her life, and these new powers she seemed to be getting. Everything suddenly weighed heavily on her, every emotion piling on top of her all at once. Without warning, tears formed in her eyes as they streamed down her cheeks.
Sam’s smile quickly disappeared from his face as he took in her emotional state. He then bumped his shoulder against hers to perk her up.
“What’s wrong, sis?”
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Dahlia quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and ran her hands threw her hair, giving her head a shake. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s just—a lot of things have been going on lately.”
Sam stayed quiet for a moment as he looked on at Dahlia, frowning grimly. “Care to share?”
Dahlia didn’t know if she should say anything, not wanting to involve him in her current dilemma. He must have seen her hesitation for he slid down and laid flat on the floor, staring up at her with knowing eyes. He motioned for her to follow his lead, so she reluctantly slid down until her bottom hit the floor. She spun around so she could rest her head against the ground, all the while staring up at the ceiling. They both remained like that, just silently looking up at the white ceiling, their heads slightly connecting.
“You know,” Sam began speaking, breaking the stillness in the room. His voice has a serious tone to it. “Totally off topic here, but I’ve always wanted to travel. I always felt that there was something more out there than just Cedar Oaks. You know what I mean?”
Dahlia was surprised at Sam’s words as they echoed her own past thoughts about wanting to break free. She said nothing as she let his words simmer in her mind.
“My goal in life is to live it to the fullest with no regrets. You should do the same. There’s no point in being sad about anything. And at least if I die, there’ll be no qualms about it.” He turned his head toward Dahlia who still stared up at the ceiling and said dreamily with a small smile on his face, “I’d want my ashes scattered across the ocean so the wind could do its thing and spread it wide and far. I’d get to be the eternal traveler. Morbid, but true.”
Dahlia smiled in return then turned so she caught Sam’s teasing eyes with hers. For some reason, his words brought peace to her and she desperately wanted to open up to him. Besides Greyson, he was the only person that she felt she could trust right now. She thought back to Greyson’s warning about her talking to anyone but decided Sam was the exception.
She got up to a sitting position as she loomed over Sam who was still lying on his back. “You have to promise not to tell anybody,” she started, pointing a finger at him for emphasis.
Sam frowned, realizing she was dead serious, and slowly nodded in understanding, a strand of brown hair falling into his eye, which he flicked away. “I promise.”
Getting up suddenly, Dahlia walked across her bedroom to shut the door. She turned the knob to lock it and quickly moved toward the windows to make sure they were all closed.
Sam stood up
too, looking confused. “Okay, Winters. What’s going on, and what has you acting so paranoid? It’s not like there’s anyone here.”
“I guess I’ll have to show you.” She spoke more to herself than to Sam so she didn’t respond when he asked, “Show me what?”
Walking toward her desk drawer, Dahlia opened it, rummaging through. Finding what she needed, she closed the drawer shut and turned toward Sam, letter opener in hand. She took a step forward. “Do you trust me?”
“What’s going—?”
“Seriously.” She looked directly into his eyes. “Do you trust me, Sam?”
“Yeah, of course I do. What’s that got to do with the letter opener in your hand you’re brandishing like a weapon?”
“Just watch, okay?” Dahlia brought the tip of the letter opener to her hand and pierced her palm deeply, drawing blood. She winced slightly at the pain.
“What are you doing?” Sam exclaimed, moving to grab some tissue paper from a box on the dresser. He then attempted to take the letter opener from her grasp. However, she stepped back, preventing him from helping. She stood there holding the letter opener in one hand and with the other, tightly clenched into a bloody fist. Dahlia ignored the mess she was creating, a few drops of blood splattering on the hardwood floors as she tried to get him to focus.
“Wait, Sam. Just look.” Please let this work again. She opened her hand as he watched the gash in her palm close up before his very eyes.
“What the—” He stopped abruptly as he looked up at Dahlia with wide eyes then back down at her hand.
It completely healed.
Sam’s eyes darted back to her face, a look of hesitation apparent. “What’s going on here, Dahlia?”
“I guess I’ve known deep down I was different from others but still, I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself.” She glanced up from looking at her bloody hand and stared at Sam’s shocked face. “Sam, I’m—”
Just as she was about to tell him her secret, about fallen angels and vampires, her phone vibrated loudly against her dresser. Dahlia stopped mid-speech and finally dropping the letter opener onto her desk, she reached over to the phone as she stared at the unfamiliar number on the screen. She answered uncertainly as she slowly brought the phone to her ear.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The harshness of Greyson’s voice caused Dahlia to wince.
She pretended not to know what he was talking about as she looked up, locking gaze with Sam’s still shocked face. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Didn’t I tell you not to say anything to anyone? To go home and be as careful as possible? In order for that to happen, you need to keep quiet.”
“But it’s only Sam.” Sam’s face changed at the mention of his name over the phone and he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when—
“But Sam is human.” His voice was no longer coming from the phone but from Dahlia’s doorway, the door quickly swung open by a new presence. She glanced behind Sam to see Greyson standing there with a sour look on his face.
Phone still at her ear, Dahlia slowly lowered the phone to her side as she sighed in defeat. Sam, on the other hand, managed to find his voice again as he stared at Greyson. “Who the hell are you?”
Greyson stared hard back at Sam then slowly approached him until they were a breath away from each other, Greyson towering Sam slightly by a few inches. “I’m Greyson, fallen angel at your service. I’ve also fallen for your foster sister, both angel and vampire, with the ability to heal all things. That includes self-regeneration.”
“What the heck?” Sam replied dumbfounded. Had it been any other conversation, Dahlia would be laughing hysterically at his expression.
“And now you’re going to forget everything I just said.” Greyson stepped back slightly to give Sam some space.
Sam blinked, his gray eyes gleaming bright for a split second before it quickly disappeared. He shook his head slowly. “Whoa, I must have nodded off.” He looked over at Greyson, who was still standing in front of him and nodded his head toward him. “Where did you come from? Have we met before?”
Greyson smiled calmly as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m a friend of Dahlia’s.”
“A friend, eh?” Sam looked from Greyson to Dahlia, who had a stunned look on her face. He eyed them suspiciously then shrugged nonchalantly.
“Alright, friend.” Sam smiled playfully as he looked over at Dahlia. “I’m outta here…you two have fun.” At with that, he left Dahlia and Greyson standing in the room alone. She stared after Sam, unable to look Greyson in the face.
“Now you don’t have to feel bad about him not knowing. He knows, somewhere inside his brain. Just can’t remember.” Greyson sounded so matter-of-fact with his words.
Dahlia’s eyes quickly darted toward him as she looked at him with a frown on her face. “How did you even know I was going to tell him?”
“When a lapsus is as open as you are, it is easy to track your thoughts, your actions, your whereabouts.” He gave her a smirk. “You make my job very easy, baby doll.”
She bit her lip to prevent herself from sticking her tongue out at him then just shook her. She turned her head toward her window as she focused her gaze on a brightly lit star.
She knew it was for the best, Sam not knowing. Frankly, she had other thoughts on her mind. She no longer felt conflicted as before and was happy Greyson was back in her presence. She thought about what he just said to Sam. Almost in a whisper, she spoke as she continued to look at the star that caught her eye. “What you said earlier…did you mean it?” Are you falling for me?
“What did I say earlier?” He was suddenly right behind her as he spoke quietly in her ear.
Exasperated, Dahlia turned around and roughly hit him on the arm. Greyson just smiled in return. “There you go again being all violent. You should know one thing about me. I only say things I mean.” Then he gave her a serious look and she knew he was going to kiss her again.
She closed her eyes as she waited for his lips to brush against hers but startled at the feel of his mouth against her neck instead. She immediately felt a shiver run through her body at the contact and she opened her eyes, only to close them again as he continued to rain light kisses against her throat, her pulse beating rapidly in return. She wrapped her arms around his body as she delighted in the feeling of his mouth on her skin, Greyson altering from soft kisses to playful bites to leisurely licks. Running her hands against his strong back, Dahlia trailed her hands lower as they caught the hem of his shirt from behind, his skin instantly sizzling against her fingertips.
She jumped back in surprise as she looked down at her hand, which still felt as if they were tingling. “Greyson. What was that?”
“Hmm?” He ignored her state and brought her back in his arms, inhaling the side of her neck.
“It burned,” she whispered as she looked at her fingertips. “Where I touched you, it burned.”
Greyson lifted his head as he cleared his throat and looked at Dahlia hard. All of a sudden his beautiful green eyes glowed unbelievably bright as he grabbed her hand and brought it back to his back where again, it burned to the touch.
“When the lapsus uses their power,” his glowing green eyes looked at her directly as he continued. “Or when they feel too much emotions, the energy needs to be released. It’s shown through our eyes and from the marks on our back.”
He grinned then moved closer to kiss her again.
“Greyson,” Dahlia managed to grab a hold of his face and she looked him straight in the eyes. They were still glowing unbelievably bright. She glanced toward her mirror on her left and realized hers were shining equally bright too.
She sobered up completely, her eyes turning back to her normal hazel as she blinked a couple of times. She l
ooked back up into his face and confided, “This is going a little too fast. My mind’s still trying to catch up with these new feelings.”
Greyson stayed quiet for a moment then nodded his head. “I’m sorry.” He let go of her slowly then walked over to the other side of the room, sitting on her computer chair. Dahlia sat down on the edge of her bed as she crossed her legs and then stared over at Greyson, finding it slightly strange that he was actually in her room.
His eyes finally began to dim, going back to their normal color.
Greyson cleared his throat. “So…” he seemed at a loss for words. “Where are your parents?”
Dahlia bit the corner of her lip then answered. “They decided to go a cruise for a week. They tend to be spontaneous at times.”
It was strange. When Sam had mentioned that Deb and Glen were going on a cruise, she didn’t know it would be so soon. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye—just a note that was left on the refrigerator door when she got home last night.
The tone in Greyson’s voice slightly changed. “So it’s just you and Sam in the house?”
Dahlia looked up at him out of the corner of her eyes, eyeing him slyly. “Yes. What of it?”
Caught off guard, she was surprised when he more or less stalked back toward her and ran his hand through her hair. His fingers twirling the ends for a while before he glanced up. “Be good.”
With that, he disappeared from view, the only trace of him ever being there the distinct fresh scent of the forest and wild flowers that Dahlia had come to know as Greyson.
Frowning, she spoke aloud to the empty room, “I’m never going to get used to that.”
Chapter 19
Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) Page 16