Blood Born (The Dark Hills Series Book 1)

by Hana Blue

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, hiding the sound of my tentative footsteps behind its creaking, slowly stepping outside. The door slammed lightly behind me and I took a deep breath. The first step having been taken.

  “Look, Dominic,” I said when he patted the spot next to him. Urging me to take a seat next to him on the stoop.

  I stood there for a moment, and then a moment longer, fighting to find the courage, then went to sit. Not really because I wanted to, but more or less to aid in the recovery between us. Something I found that I needed. I needed to clear the air; I needed him not to hate me.

  “You don’t believe that I’ve fallen in love with you.” He said thoughtfully, looking down at the bottle in his hand. His voice cracked as he spoke. The words painfully breaking from him. I hadn’t realized how much just the simplest statement derived from my own fears and insecurities would affect him this way.

  “I’ve done many awful things to you, but never once have I lied.” He added through a groan, burying his face into his hands.

  Folding my hands in my lap, I sat quietly, not wanting to speak, hoping maybe just letting him talk would help.

  I couldn’t begin to imagine what was going on in his mind. The unsettling truths that now were his to hold. No doubt our spat this morning making it even harder on him, judging by how he processed the information. How he mentioned my not believing him like I had committed a most unholy crime.

  “You are different, different from anything I had expected. I saw what you were, and I was so sure that you were a monster. But you aren’t. You are just a woman, a strong one at that. You have a heart of gold, and I don’t think you even know it.” He sighed as he spoke.

  Lifting his head from his hands, he turned to look at me. Capturing me with his piercing eyes that screamed out in uncertainty. Slowly he brought his hand to my face, cupping the side of it. Letting his thumb run over my skin, sending shivers throughout my body.

  “I can never take back the way we started, but I can try to make up for it. I’m not an agreeable man, and now it seems I’m only destined to get worse, but if you are willing, I’d love to have you by my side until the time that I become like him.”

  I swallowed hard, nodding against his hand. “I am,” I whispered. The nervousness that welled inside made me feel light-headed as I sat there.

  “I love you, I never thought I’d ever say those words, not to you, or to anyone else, but they are true. I wish you would believe me. I wish you could.”

  He muttered, pulling his hand away and facing forward again. Rolling his shoulders, he set the bottle he was holding down on the stoop and stood. Offering me his hand to help me up. Gently I placed my hand in his and let him help me, the first step to let him guide me. Lead me.

  “I need to clear my head, come with me.” He said as I came to stand straight. Looking down at me with a soft expression.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, brushing off my jeans.

  A wide smile grew on his face, and a light hit his eyes as I had never seen. Wherever we were going must have meant a lot to him, and that alone made it impossible for me not to go with him. If he wanted me to join in on whatever it was, I was more than willing to. As long as he was with me, I would be happy.

  * * *

  The air rushing past me was exhilarating. All the free feeling that I would get from the speed driving my car, amplified by the wide-open space and crushing wind hitting my arms. My hair blew behind me in waves, like a flag-waving proudly behind me. My grip was tight around Dominic as he drove, holding onto his jacket for dear life from the slight fear of falling.

  Dominic chuckled as my grip grew tighter every time he increased the speed, I couldn’t hear it over the engines roaring, but I felt it. Every time, the front tire of the bike would lift from the road slightly, jolting me with fear. But my trust in him helped quell it. Knowing if I held onto him tight enough, he would make sure I was safe.

  Once out onto the major highway he let the bike loose. Shooting us down the road at an incredible speed. I buried my face into his back to hide the sight of the world blurring around me. Tying my hardest to keep my eyes closed and only focus on him.

  As the highway curved, snaking through the hills I shrieked a little, the feeling of the bike tilting as he rounded the corners causing me to panic. I felt him shift in front of me, then felt his hand on my thigh.

  Cracking my eyes open, I saw that he had reached back, and was resting his hand on me for comfort, which is exactly what I felt. I leaned in closer to him, wrapping my arms tighter, and resting my chin on his shoulder, finally feeling at ease enough to open my eyes completely.

  What I saw around me was like a vortex, the road seeming to be the only thing that stood still around us. Unbeknownst to me, I let out a giggle, finally starting to enjoy it. I felt Dominic chuckle under my grasp again, and he leaned his head back so I could hear him.

  “I won’t crash. Let go.” He called out to me over the sound of the engine and the whining of the wind that flowed around us.

  “I can’t,” I called back, tucking my face back into his shoulder, only leaving my eyes to peek out from above it.

  “Aine. Let go.” He said again, leaning his head forward again, taking his hand off of my thigh and taking full control of the bike.

  I gulped, squeezing my eyes shut tight. Then, as I let a breath escape my lips, I pulled my arms apart from around him and lifted them into the air. At first, I wobbled, and I was sure that I was going to fly right off of the bike. Squeezing my thighs tighter, maintaining my balance, I finally opened my eyes.

  The air cut into my arms like knives but felt like heaven. The wind crashing into my chest taking my breath away. I felt like a bird ready to take flight, as though at any moment the wind would scoop up under my wings, carrying me far away from anything that ever hurt me.

  I could see why this was special to him, why he enjoyed it. What made it even more special was that he wanted to share it with me. He wanted me to feel this with him. He was giving a piece of joy he found in his life to me. Letting me see some of life through his eyes.

  I looked to him, taking in the face of concentration that he wore, watching the road like a hawk as I soared behind him. Then, I saw him look back oh so subtly, watching me from the corner of his eye, and smile. It was enough to make my heart stop. Seeing him smile genuinely and almost lovingly at me from inside his own element filled me with so many emotions and feelings. Many of them I couldn’t recognize, but I liked it.

  Turning back to the road, he hit the gas again, the front of the bike lifting again, causing the bike to bounce as it landed back onto the pavement, the increased speed making my heart feel as though it would crash out from my chest, but I didn’t put my arms down. Looking back to me again, he continued to accelerate, until all noise around us seemed to dissipate.

  From the corner of his eye, it was almost like he was studying how I would react. Seeing if he could scare me by speeding up. Observing how I handled myself once, I felt sure he wouldn’t kill us both.

  He looked pleased, excited even, as he saw me adjust with the speed, but never cowering back down to where I was before. He looked proud of me, and suddenly I realized that he was doing. He was testing my trust for him. He was proving if I believed in him.

  He was putting my safety and life in his hands, not in the way he had before, because this time, there was no intent to hurt me but to show me. And I trusted him. Completely, and unequivocally, I trusted him. Leaving no question in my mind if he would keep us safe or not. I was completely at his mercy because, with one wrong move, he could kill us both, but I trusted him not to.

  Finally, he slowed, coming to a turnoff to the beach, and I brought my arms back down, but this time, not around him. Comfort and ease now surrounded me as we rode.

  Pulling up along the shore, he brought the bike to a stop. The rushing air now just a slight breeze around us, brisk and cool from the now setting sun. My hair lightly danced at the ends fro
m the cool wind. Getting off the bike himself, Dominic’s eyes never left me, and I felt like my soul was being sucked right from my body.

  Like a hunter stalking his prey, his eyes trailed over my body and my face, taking me in. Proudly, I stood there, making no show of discomfort. Allowing him to hunt me if he so wished.

  “You’re beautiful.” He murmurs, just loud enough to hear from the distance between us as he walks around the bike to come over to me.

  “Come on, let’s walk.”

  Taking me by the hand, he intertwined his fingers with mine and lead me down to the shoreline. The smell of the salty water filled my nose, and the small misting of cool water around us cooled my face. Never letting go of my hand, he walked by my side along the water’s edge silently. Both of us soaking in the moment while we had it.

  “I’m cursed.” He finally muttered through a hollow laugh.

  “It will only get worse, it seems. Lucky me.” He added, squeezing my hand for reassurance.

  “You know, it doesn’t have to get worse Dom, it really doesn’t,” I uttered, looking out onto the beach, seeming far calmer than I would have expected.

  I looked over to me, stopping dead in his tracks, causing me to jerk as I stepped forward.

  Stopping at arm’s reach, I looked back with confusion, tilting my head at him. Uncertain as to why, he had suddenly stopped.

  “What did you just call me?” He asked through bated breath.

  I shrugged at him. “Dom. Why? This is your name, right?” I replied, unsure of what I had said wrong. It seemed I had a destructive habit of saying things to him that ultimately upset him.

  He let out a slight laugh as he shook his head. “You always use my entire name.” He said, taking a step forward.

  “Yeah, I guess I do.”

  He took another step closer, leaving us toe to toe, his face leaning down towards me. “But you didn’t.”

  I nodded.

  Placing his hand on the side of my neck, he sighed. “You addressed me as a friend.”

  I swallowed hard. Nodding again.

  “Aine, am I your friend?”

  “Yes,” I muttered softly.

  Placing his other hand on the other side of my neck, he lifted my face to his. “More than a friend?”

  I nodded, letting a deep breath escape me, the rise of my chest pressing it against his, sending my entire body into a daze.

  “Tell me again.”

  He wet his lips, his eyes glossing over. A needy look filled his face. I knew what he was asking. There was no explanation needed.

  “I love you, Dominic,” I whispered. Looking up to him with almost fear, until.

  “I love you Aine.” He returned. His voice serious and powerful, each word said so clearly and matter-of-factly, making sure I heard it. No doubt trying to make me believe him, and I did. This time, the way he said it, the way he looked at me, there was no question in my mind. I believed him.

  Neither of us moved, a silence now settling on us. My hands resting on his chest as he cradled the side of my neck. Both of us just standing there, taking in the ultimate moment that crossed us over the line. The line that divided hate from love. Lost in each other’s eyes as we searched for the answers to what would happen now.

  The longer I looked, the more captivated I became, the closer I felt to him. Like for the first time, our souls truly connected. They were speaking even when we were not.

  “Even when I become a beast like my father?” He finally asked me.

  I gave a soft smile, scoffing a bit. “Yes, even if you become like him. No matter what you become, I’ll still have a part of me just like you.”

  He threw his back laughing before looking back to me with a grateful nod. “I suppose you do.”

  “I have to ask. Is that my father tattooed on your neck?” He asked calmly, but still obviously bothered.

  I shook my head no, letting out a giggle. “No, I thought it was originally but as it turns out, it was you.”

  Tilting his head to the side, he looked at me with questioning eyes.

  Clearing my throat, I smiled at him. “I had a dream where a beautiful grey wolf with black eyes saved my soul, standing on the shoreline it rescued me from my hatred. It brought me back to life. It moved me, I felt its importance, and I didn’t want to forget. I always assumed it was Damien because he saved my life, but it wasn’t. It was you. It was here. Tonight. You are the wolf that saved my soul.”

  Looking deep into my eyes, Dominic took in my words, letting a smile peek through. Almost like he knew exactly what I was talking about, like he could see into my mind and see the dream from behind my eyes. Then with a knowing nod, he sighed.

  “And you saved mine.”

  Twenty Six

  Freedom

  DOMINIC~

  The entire mood between us shifted, and I was left to wonder, was it really was me? I had no choice but to assume so, and I was happy to do just that. The look in Aine’s eyes told me she fervently believes it to be so. Who was I to question it?

  I couldn’t quite understand how I could have possibly been the one to save her soul, but I knew for a fact she had saved mine. Whereas I have caused her nothing but grief, she has opened my heart and soul up to look past all past notions. She stripped away the hate that I had been harboring, but what have I done? Nothing.

  For a moment we just stood there, looking into each other’s eyes, holding on to each other like the past never happened, and the future didn’t matter. Like this moment together was the only, and possibly the last. We were just still. The cool breeze and the brisk misting from the shoreline being the only thing surrounding us. Leaving us in a chilling cloud of silence and nature.

  I felt at peace, and I knew it was because of her. Because she wasn’t a demon or a monster. No. She was a woman with a pure heart that had this uncanny ability to render me speechless. Drawing me into her, not because she was my mate, but because of who she was as a person. A woman who I couldn’t be prouder to call mine.

  “Well,” She hummed. Breaking the silence and breaking our embrace as she stepped backward. A mischievous look on her face. Looking like she was up to no good, about to do something I would not be a fan of. I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me curious.

  Pulling on her jacket, she shrugged it down off of her shoulders, and let it fall in a leather heap in the sand. Her arms were bare and immediately flooded with a peppering of goosebumps as the air hit them. Causing her to shiver slightly, but never ceasing her giddy smile.

  Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she tugged it off and dropped it onto the jacket. More goosebumps flooded and her smile grew wider. Almost like she was getting a thrill from the glacial air surrounding her now uncovered flesh.

  “What in the world are you doing?” I asked her, trying my best not to chuckle, and she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground as well. Exposing her upper half completely. Her nipples hardening quickly in the cold. Her excitement and refusal to explain was amusing and I couldn’t help but shake my head at her, smiling ear to ear.

  “I’m going to swim.” She remarked plainly, like it should have been obvious as she tugged off her jeans. I widened my eyes at her, startled that she would want to skinny dip in that water, this late when it was this cold.

  Next thing I knew, she was stripped down to nothing and was running straight for the freezing chilly water. The icy wind making her long hair sail behind her as she ran with no hesitation towards the freezing depths.

  “You will freeze!” I screamed to her as she ran straight into the soft rolling waves, then dived in. Completely submerging herself into the icy water. Showing no sign of discomfort.

  Like she couldn’t even feel the cold she finally rose to the surface, peeking her head out from above the water. She moves her arms about her in the water, her hair floating around her like a black shadow. I couldn’t help but laugh as I wondered how she could float there in the water without shrieking.

  She looked so beautiful f
loating there. She looked free. Like the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders, and there in the deathly chilly water, she soared. Weightless, both figuratively and literally. Her body moving with ease with the soft rippling of the water. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight.

  The stars now visible in the night sky twinkling on the water and her skin, letting a soft blue glow surround her like an angel. The glowing red of her eyes offsetting the mystic aura around her. Damnit if she wasn’t the most incredible woman I had ever seen.

  “Come here.” She called out, splashing the water out in front of her. A beautiful beaming smile gracing her lips. How could I tell her no? How could I look at this woman and deny her any request?

  I shook my head, realizing I was about to freeze my ass off all because she called me to her, as I removed my jacket. I could hear her giggle softly and the sound warmed my heart as I took off my shirt. Making it easier to withstand the winds stinging on my skin.

  Treading water in the same spot. She looked at me with eager excitement as I finally removed the last of my clothes, leaving them in a pile next to her own there on the beach. Slowly I approached the water, dreading the cold that was about to come. Knowing far too well the minute the water hit my skin, it would burn like a thousand knives slicing into my skin.

  Gently I stepped one foot into the water, and she waded closer. “Come on.” She almost wined.

  Sticking her lower lip out at me almost like she was pouting. A sweet, cute gesture I could have never imagined from her. Innocent and childlike, the complete opposite of the magnificent force of a woman that she was.

  Stepping in completely, I winced and eased my other foot in. The stinging pain rushing my legs and I cursed under my breath. Wondering why I was compelled to do this when I could have easily just watched her swim naked in this icy water alone. I wouldn’t have minded just being a spectator in the least.