Second Life

by Emily Reese

  I hissed a curse when his tongue found me in one long stroke; Convinced I’d fall apart any second, my body shuddered of its own volition. My breathing sped up, craving the control I felt gradually slipping away, fingers bunching the sheets so hard I felt my fingers puncture them. Then he was there, Ben’s fingers linking in mine, his thumb making slow circles on my wrist. Stay with me, it said.

  Never ceasing his decadent attention at my core, he brought one hand and then the other up to rest on his shoulders. Wanting him to feel his effects on me, I ran my fingers through his hair, stroked his temples, and when the heat building between my legs was almost more than I could bear, pulling him closer.

  “Not yet,” he breathed, biting the inside of my thigh before pulling back. Missing the feel of him so desperately, I could only whimper.

  “Please…”

  My breath rushed out and I sat half way up the moment he slid a finger inside of me. A moment later Ben’s lips were crushing mine, gently returning me to the mattress. A few thrusts and I was back to feeling akin to liquid fire, arching up when he slipped a second finger inside, wanting more of him, even deeper.

  Breaking our kiss with an agitated sound, Ben pulled away long enough to remove the rest of his clothes, before falling back on top of me. His hips worked between my legs, causing me to open for him.

  “Look at me,” he whispered. I met his eyes, biting my lip so hard it bled as he pushed his way inside me. The man staring back at me consumed me with his eyes, and I felt sure I’d die all over again if I didn’t kiss him again.

  Wrapping an arm around me and pulling me tight, he flipped us over. The new position buried him deeper, the feel of him inside me exquisite. I rocked back and forth slowly finding my rhythm, relishing in the strain of Ben’s muscles, the pinch of his fingers while they dug into my hips. Craving more of him, I pulled him up towards me; his mouth fit onto my breast, just as I’d wanted him to. A ragged moan tore from my lips before being silenced by his own. Our chests pressed together, Ben increased the pace, his breath coming in harsh gasps.

  “Christ,” Ben stopped suddenly and swore. A moment later, I felt it too: dawn was coming.

  “Don’t,” I begged, “don’t stop.”

  Crushing me to him, Ben was back to our rhythm, working a hand between us, making small circles around my most sensitive spot. The pressure building so fast, I barely had time to register what was happening, I found myself tightening everywhere. Just when I thought the balance between pleasure and pain couldn’t get any stronger, I felt Ben’s teeth pierce my neck, taking great, deep pulls from my vein.

  I screamed out as I climaxed, holding him to me, loving the feel of his teeth in me. When the wave began to subside, Ben pulled back. Eyes hooded, a drop of my blood trickled down the side of his mouth; it was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. Feeling another tug from the rising sun, I didn’t think. I bit into his neck as he had mine, feeling him tense up the moment I swallowed him into me.

  My name was spoken through gritted teeth when he found his release, and the knowledge that I gave him this, paired with the feel of him still moving inside of me put me over the edge again.

  Spent, we both fell over, Ben’s arms wrapping around me. Just before the dawn pulled us under, I heard him whisper.

  “I love you, my darling.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It took me a few seconds to realize where I was that evening. I woke comfortable and warm in the darkness… and sleeping next to someone.

  Oh God. Ben. I’m in Ben’s bed. This morning we… oh shit.

  “Good morning, love.” Ben’s sleepy voice held a satisfaction in it that made my head spin.

  “Um, hi,” I answered lamely.

  “You sleep well?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then can you explain why you’re as stiff as a board right now.” He poked my shoulder for added emphasis.

  How cruel can you be, Claire? You might go to jail in a week, and you had to go and mess things up. Nothing like falling for a condemned woman to screw with your head for the rest of eternity.

  “I can’t…” I pulled the covers up to my chin and tried to convince myself he couldn’t see my panic in the dark.

  “No,” Ben’s voice snapped and I could no longer pretend I was invisible. “Out with it.”

  “This… I… we shouldn’t have done this. This was a mistake.” If I’d had anything in my stomach, I would have thrown it up. How could I have been so careless? “I’m sorry, Ben. This just isn’t a good time for me. Elliot and I have something… important to take care of, we’ll be leaving soon, and I swear, as soon as I get back we can talk and—”

  A crash from the opposite side of the room made me jump, and I reached for the table lamp out of habit rather than necessity. Of course, in Ben’s room, there was no lamp. We didn’t need them.

  “Goddammit, Claire!” His voice broke with anguish, coming from the same area across the room.

  “Ben? Please, turn on the light.”

  A second later the room was illuminated. It only made what I saw worse. Ben had his back to me, shoulders heaving. He’d punched a hole in the wall the size of a medicine ball. His fists were at his sides, shaking. The right one was dripping black blood.

  “Ben! Your hand!” I went to leave the bed and go to him, but his other hand flew out stopped me cold, the tone in his voice freezing my heart.

  “Don’t. Just don’t.”

  “Ben… I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry?” he laughed. “You’re sorry? Funny, I wasn’t. In fact, when I woke up a few minutes ago, here with you in my bed, I was anything but sorry.” He turned to face me and the pain I saw written on every tense muscle, from his temples to his jaw, all the way down to his waist, all of it made me wish I was already gone. Death is better than causing this.

  “When I woke up,” he continued, “I thought that finally, after all my long years, I would be part of something… part of a whole.” His voice cracked at the end, but as much as I wanted to go to him, his earlier warning kept me still.

  “This — whatever this is between us. It’s like fucking magnets.” He moved toward the bed, gesturing as he explained. “Some magnets, you put them together and boom. They just stick. But us, it’s like one of us is flipped the wrong way. Every time we’re together, there’s this Godforsaken space between us. And nothing I do can make it smaller. So you leave, always with these promises. Promises to come back sooner, or more often, or hell. Last time you promised to come back to me.”

  All I could do was sloppily wipe my eyes and nod for him to continue.

  “Every damn time I believe you, and I watch you walk away. That’s the only time we’re facing the right way, when we stick. At least, I stick to you. Following where you lead, waiting… always waiting.”

  Ben turned toward the door.

  “I don’t know how long you expected me to keep waiting, but I’m done. I’m fucking done,” he added bitterly. “I’m through watching you walk away from me. I’m through hoping you’ll keep the promises you make every time you do. I’m through hoping and waiting for something that’s never going to happen.”

  He was almost through the door before he added, “I just wish I’d figured it out sooner.” With that Ben left, not only his room, but possibly my life.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  After a few minutes of self-indulgent tears, I practically ran to Elliot’s room, not even bothering to knock. The man sat cross legged on his bed, wearing only pajama pants and an undershirt. Whatever he saw on my face clued him in pretty quick.

  “We leaving?” he asked.

  I nodded in response, eyes darting everywhere, too keyed up to fill the space with words.

  “Taking a plane?”

  “Yeah, Virginia,” I told him and slumped in the doorway, glad to be making progress on at least one of my issues. I received a nod as well, and watched Elliot pack with supernatural speed. Doing so with a
heartbeat, one that barely accelerated while he zipped around, was just plain weird.

  “You’ll get used to it,” he replied to my thoughts, further creeping me out.

  About three seconds later, he was packed and ready to go, having slipped in and out of the bathroom to change faster than I could register what he was doing.

  “Did you inform your Elder?” he asked and slipped past me into the hall.

  “Uh, no…” No doubt Khale already knew about my other problem.

  “I’ll do it. Why don’t you get us a cab?”

  Avoid more awkwardness? Don’t mind if I do.

  *****

  Given the last minute aspect of our travel plans, we had no choice but to travel commercial. I’d never been so happy to have a pair of headphones and an iPod to block out the masses and my manic thoughts. Gotta love modern technology. Thankfully it was only a three-hour flight.

  I led the way to the rental cars, nice, mundane activities enabling me to tune out the part of my brain screaming at me to go back home and fix things. Again.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Elliot asked, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. I earned more than a few dirty looks from other travelers forced to dodge me.

  “What?”

  “You seemed pretty anxious to leave your home and family, with barely a lead to go on. I just wanted to see if you wanted to…” he shrugged. “You know, share.”

  This man, or whatever he is, reads my thoughts entirely too well.

  Elliot bit his bottom lip in a failed attempt to appear contrite.

  You sonofabitch! I thought at him. Stay out of my head!

  Raised hands in surrender once again confirmed my theory.

  “How do you do that?” I tossed over my shoulder and started off again.

  “Something I picked up over the years,” he answered vaguely.

  “Can you talk to me?” I’d meant it as a snide remark.

  You said to stay out, his voice brushed through my mind, causing me to nearly trip.

  “Is there anything not disturbing about you?”

  “I’m sure there are a few things,” he said pointedly, eying the curious stares we were beginning to attract. “We can talk more in the car,” Elliot informed me, taking my elbow and steering me toward the rental desk.

  Fifteen minutes later I stared across the hood of our rental at my partner. “So, talk.”

  “In the car,” he said tersely, eyes constantly on the move, searching. That was enough to get me moving and keep my questions to myself for a few seconds longer.

  Turns out a few seconds were all I had to wait. We barely made it out of the parking garage when Elliot began his explanation.

  “I don’t spend my time eavesdropping on your every thought, honest. Sometimes people just think things so hard, it’s as if they’re yelling them at you.” Even as he talked, he kept checking the mirrors, always aware of our surroundings.

  “And I what was I yelling?”

  “It’s hard put into words. It was more emotions than anything.”

  “Sounds familiar.” I wondered if this was how humans felt when we did the same to them. “So tell me.” I crossed my arms and waited.

  “Out,” he said irritably as he checked the mirror again. “There was regret, guilt, a little panic… but mostly just out.”

  More correct than I would like. The instant I thought it, I searched his face for any indication he’d been listening. On the contrary, Elliot stared so hard at the rear view mirror he hardly watched the road.

  “We’re being followed,” he announced.

  “By who?” I couldn’t stop myself from looking back over the seat. A rough hand grabbed my chin, turning it forward again before I slapped it away.

  “I don’t know. Eyes front, Claire. And put your seatbelt on.”

  “Really? You want me to put a seatbelt on?” His answering glare had the belt buckled, my eyes forward, and my mouth shut.

  “Hang on,” he said barely an instant before everything went sideways. Literally.

  We shot across three lanes of traffic, taking an exit we should’ve, would’ve missed if not for Elliot’s crazy driving skills. More honks and squealing tires behind us told me that our tail did the same.

  “Anything in your bag irreplaceable?” he asked stiffly as we blew through two lights in quick succession.

  “Yeah! My clothes, my —”

  “I’ll buy you new ones. You have your wallet on you, your phone?”

  “They’re in my purse, but —”

  “Put them in your bra.” He took what seemed to be random turns, leading us further and further away from civilization.

  “O-kay.” I complied with his strange request. Far be it for me to argue with a crazy person.

  “What about my sedatives? You know, the stuff I need to eat.” I had no intention of feeding from conscious victims in enemy territory; I might as well show up to Regulus’ front door with a bow around my neck.

  “I’ll handle it. This should be far enough,” Elliot muttered to himself. “Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to crash the car. Once we stop —”

  “You’re going to crash us? We can’t just lose them or something?”

  “Not if they are who I think they are.” A quick look at me and he added, “You’ll be fine, Claire.” I didn’t have to see the eye roll; I heard it just fine. “Once we stop moving, get out and run, as fast you can.”

  “Where do I go?” My voice shook, hating this plan more with every second.

  “North for twenty minutes, west for ten, then north again for fifteen. If you’re not being followed anymore, stop and wait for me.”

  “What if I am? Still being followed that is?”

  “Then don’t. Keep running until you’re safe. I’ll find you,” he said grimly.

  “Are you sure? What about you? I’m the immortal one, remember?”

  I never got an answer.

  “Here we go!” he yelled, the only warning I got as Elliot pulled the wheel left. The car swerved, hit the small median, bounced and begin an endless series of rolls.

  It’s going to be fine Claire, Elliot’s voice echoed in my head, drowning out my screams. Just remember what I told you.

  Our momentum began to slow, until finally we tilted and stopped. My airbag popped, and was almost immediately deflated. For a moment, I could only stare and the dash and breathe.

  “Go, Claire,” Elliot said through gritted teeth. Looking over, he was already cutting through his seatbelt with a pocket knife. He also bled from both the temple and the stomach.

  “Oh my God, Elliot.”

  “Hurry the fuck up!”

  “But what about you, I can’t —”

  “MOVE!” The command echoed in my ears and my mind. Before I even registered it, I leapt from the car and ran, jumping over what was left of the median and heading for woods about a half a mile in the distance.

  North. North. Gotta run north. I chanted to myself. Please let this be north.

  Behind me I heard car doors slam, yelling, followed quickly by gunshots. Reaching the edge of the woods, I turned back, hoping to see signs of Elliot following behind me.

  Then the car exploded.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I stopped running a couple of hours before dawn.

  I am so screwed.

  Trees surrounded me, the woods seeming endless. I hoped I was at least still somewhere in Virginia. Somewhere without phone service, the thing informed me when I checked it for the millionth time. The area must be a national park given all my running. I waited where Elliot told me to for an hour, but he never showed. After that I’d gotten twitchy.

  In what seemed like pure genius, I’d taken a rock and carved an E into a tree, followed by an infinity sign. I hoped Elliot would find it, understanding that I would keep running in the same pattern: north, west, north, and repeat. Every time I stopped, I’d make the same mar
k before continuing on.

  It made sense at the time! Dammit.

  Unfortunately, no one was around to hear me whine, mentally or otherwise. Now I was lost in the woods, preparing to dig myself a flippin’ grave in the dirt. I was done marking trees like a bear. The big mound of dirt would be sign enough of my location. I could only hope whoever followed us was gone, or at the very least too dumb to figure out my secret code.

  Sighing, I kicked the dirt with my toe; it appeared to be pretty dense.

  I hate my life.

  *****

  Waking up roughly six feet underground is just as awful as it sounds. I could only claw my way back to the surface, keeping my eyes and mouth closed tight, thankful breathing was more of a habit than actually necessary.

  Straight out of a horror movie, I breached the surface. Gasping and sputtering I wiped at the dirt caking my eyes furiously.

  “Here.” I felt something wet touch my hand. Jerking, I opened my eyes only to shut them again with a curse and continue scrubbing at the stupid grit.

  Just me, Elliot’s voice whispered in my mind.

  “Oh, thank God!” I extended my hand and was met with one of the most beautiful inventions ever made by mankind: a wet wipe. “You saw the trees,” I said, now quickly divesting myself of the wretched sediment attached to my face.

  “Sure did.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.

  My face clean, I prepared to give him what would surely be the most scathing remark of his life, but stopped when I noticed the pile at his feet. A shopping bag, full of women’s clothing and a giant tub of wet wipes.

  “I think I love you.” I said, Elliot’s answering laugh echoing through the trees.

  “Let’s see if you change your mind when you see the motel room. My choices were pretty limited.”

  An hour later found me showered and dressed in my new clothes. They were even the right size. Now I sat on the worn turquoise bedspread, fidgeting.