"Good luck." Mason shook his head. "I think I'll stay here and talk to Genesis about steak."
I smiled — the first time in a few hours — and patted him on the back. "Don't leave out any juicy details, wolf."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he growled then leaned over the bed and grabbed Genesis's hand. "Listen, human, if you don't wake up soon, I'm going to eat all the meat, and we both know what that would do to my digestive system at this point."
I let out a chuckle and moved down the hallway, my ears sensitive to all the heartbeats in the house.
Cassius was weak, so weak. I'd never heard his heart flutter that way.
Another strong heartbeat joined the mix.
Picking up speed.
I waited as Stephanie reached the top of the stairs. Her hair was piled in a knot on her head, her blue eyes still blurred with tears.
"Remove it," I whispered.
Alex could hear my thoughts — could hear me in the house. He'd just walked in the door when I'd uttered the command. He cursed a blue streak.
"I said…" My voice edged with venom. "Remove it."
Alex's tortured heart slowed, and then the house trembled as Stephanie's hair went from light to dark, her lips from cherry to pale, her eyes — white.
She stumbled back and felt her face.
It would feel different, smoother, stronger.
Her hands shook in front of her. "What did you just do?"
"We need to talk." I held out my hand. "Trust me?"
She gulped, her white eyes blinking in confusion. "I feel different."
"Because you are."
"I don't understand."
"But you want to?"
She nodded.
"Take my hand."
The minute her fingers touched mine, she gasped. We'd always felt warm to one another, but the minute her skin came into contact with mine, frost formed across her fingertips.
"But—"
"Let's go visit Cassius. He may be sleeping right now, but I believe he'd want to be in the room."
"He hates me."
"No." I sighed. "That's where you're wrong."
"Dark Ones do not love," she whispered. "I know that now."
I tilted my head and smiled sadly. "Don't they?"
Genesis
"It's time." Sariel released my hand.
"Will I see you again?"
He laughed, his feathers ruffling next to me. "Do you really want to?"
I shrugged. "You're not so bad."
"So many compliments my head may explode."
He wasn't. It was weird. He was dangerous; he had potential for both evil and good, but he was also in a position where he had no choice but to force the rules on people — and hope that in the end everything worked out. I felt sorry for him.
Sariel tilted my chin toward him. "Don't."
Tears filled my eyes. "Thank you… for staying with me."
"Always." He plucked a purple feather from his wings and placed it in my hands. "I'm only a thought away."
I clenched the feather in my hands and nodded. "Goodbye."
His lips touched my forehead as cold spilled through my body, followed by such intense heat that I started to convulse.
I saw Ethan's warm smile… the first time he'd bitten me, our shared kisses, our mouths fusing together as if we needed each other so desperately we would die without touch.
And then Cassius — his heart of ice — shattering, breaking, and transforming into something beautiful right before my very eyes as his lips met mine, and he whispered, "Breathe."
I wanted to breathe.
But not him, not Cassius.
I tried to yell for Ethan.
Clenching the feather tighter in my hands, I fought. Fought for the warmth like it was the only way I would see him again. The cold threatened; it also offered me peace.
While the heat reminded me of the mating, of the severe pain I'd had to go through in order to be his—
I would go through it all over again.
Through the fires of hell to be with Ethan.
I embraced the heat, holding out my hands as the fires singed my fingertips. I welcomed the pain — because would it really be worth it if it was easy? If loving him was that simple?
Fire exploded in my chest, pinching, trickling down my fingertips until my knees buckled beneath me.
There was no relief.
And I was okay with it — I welcomed it. Because soon — I would be with Ethan again.
"Steak," something whispered.
I cried out. Had I heard that right? Steak?
"Lots of steak and other meat. Hell, I'll get you your own butcher… I think Belle had a butcher? Or maybe that was another princess."
What?
The fire got hotter and hotter.
"I told him it was true love's kiss, but does he listen? No, just walks off and lets me talk about food. I have a confession. I hate berries."
Mason? I tried to speak his name, but my mouth was too hot; when I opened it, more heat entered, stealing my breath.
"And pinecones taste like shit, but hey, a wolf does what a wolf does. It's not like it will kill me. Do you think I'm grumpy like the beast?"
I smiled, focusing on Mason's voice as the pain increased. Keep talking! I wanted to yell. Just keep saying something!
"Don't expect me to sing — wolves do not sing."
I smiled.
"Aw, was that a twitch of your lips, human? Alright, I'll tell you something else… something you can never speak of again. When I was a pup, I had a pet caterpillar… cried when the damn thing turned into a butterfly. Circle of life… hey, that's King Lion's song!"
A laugh escaped between my lips as I tried to open my eyes. They felt like sandpaper.
"Come on," Mason urged. "You know you want the steak."
I shook my head back and forth, and then finally, with great effort, opened my eyes.
Mason grinned. "Green. Your eyes are very, very green."
Ethan
I grabbed Stephanie by the arm and gently led her into the room where Cassius was sleeping — resting — hopefully healing.
The minute we stepped inside the door, I could see my breath leave my lips. Frost lined his body; his lips were completely blue.
He shuddered in his sleep, reaching his hand up to the ceiling only to drop it down again by his side.
"What's wrong with him?" A tear froze on Stephanie's pale cheek.
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "I have no idea."
"You mean, he's never been like this before? In all the years you've known him?" Her eyes were accusing. Then again, she was scared for him — she loved him.
"Just how old do you think I am?" I fired back. "And no." I released her hand. "I've never seen him like this. I can hear his heart… it's slow."
She slowly made her way to his side and reached for his hand. The minute she touched him, the temperature in the room rose a few degrees, I could taste it on my tongue, taste the heat of life building, boiling inside him.
"I can't explain it." Her eyes locked on him. I imagined she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. "The pull he has on me. Like I've known him my whole life — like I've waited for him—" She hung her head. "Or maybe like he's been waiting for me. It's stupid." Her laugh was hollow. "I know it's stupid, but I can't help it."
"Stephanie…" I took a seat across from her. "It's not stupid… because a very long time ago… there was an innocent little girl caught in the middle of a war that should have never been started. He saved her life and, in return, hid her true identity from herself."
"What?"
The easiest way was to show her, so I bit into my wrist and held the blood to her lips. "Drink and see."
"I've never drunk vampire blood."
"Yes, well, this is a day of firsts." I rolled my eyes. "Just know it's going to burn going down, always does for your kind."
"Sirens?"
My throat was thick with emotion. "No. D
ark Ones."
Her mouth dropped open. I took advantage and shoved what I could of my wrist past her lips. The minute the blood entered her body, her head fell back, eyes white, mouth open.
I closed my own eyes and focused in on the exact memory I needed to pull.
Cassius in the Orchard with Stephanie.
Stephanie and Alex.
Him wiping her memories.
And finally, her waving goodbye.
It broke my heart all over again to feel his sadness — to experience his loss as if it was my own.
With a gasp, Stephanie opened her eyes and stared at Cassius. "He saved my life."
"He did."
"He…" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "He promised I would never forget him." Her lips trembled. "He lied."
"He had to protect you — at all costs. Dark Ones are no longer made, Stephanie. You know that. He's one of the oldest, one of ten who were allowed to live."
"But I'm alive," she whispered, touching her fingertips to her mouth. "I should be dead."
"Yes, well… Genesis made an offer Sariel couldn't refuse."
Stephanie covered her face with her hands. "Tell me she didn't sacrifice herself for everyone."
I didn't deny it. "And when she did Cassius offered her immortality — something that only he was strong enough to give — to bring her back from the brink of death."
"And now he's cold… dying."
"We don't know that," I said in a soft voice. "But I do know he needs you… he needs your blood."
Stephanie's gaze snapped to mine. "Would it work?"
"No idea." I licked my lips and stood. "But it's worth a try." I cringed at the thought of Mason's advice but offered it nonetheless. "The werewolf seems to think a kiss does the trick."
Stephanie's lips twitched. "He never let me kiss him."
"But I thought you spent the evenings with him and—"
"Talked." A rosy hue pinched her cheeks. "I just wanted to be by him. For some reason, his touch never affected me the same way it did others. It was comforting, familiar, so I've been pestering him every night for the past few years. At first he only let me visit once a year, after I'd come of age… and then it quickly turned into once a month, once a week, every night."
"He cares for you," I said. "I'm sure of it."
"I wish that was enough… caring." She gripped his hand tighter. "But maybe I can love him enough for both of us."
"Nobody deserves to live that way, Stephanie, regardless of what he did."
"He saved my life," she said simply. "How selfish of a person would I have to be to not offer him the same kindness, regardless of how I feel for him?"
"Dark Ones have never tried to bond to one another — ever."
"I know."
"You could die."
"I know."
"I didn't bring you in here to save him… but to give you the truth."
"Then thank you," Stephanie stood and kissed me on the cheek, "for giving me both."
In an instant she turned in my arms and lunged for Cassius. The room plummeted in a blanket of cold as she leaned over him.
"I'll need your teeth, Ethan." She held her arm behind her.
I bit deep.
Pain marred her features, and then she was in my arms. "On the lips."
"What?"
Before I could react, she turned her mouth against my fangs, slicing open her bottom lip.
The tinge of angel blood hit my tongue just as she once again leaned over Cassius and kissed his mouth, breathing out the word, "Live."
Genesis
"Green?" I repeated. "Like Ethan-green or milky green?"
"What the hell does milky green mean?" Mason scowled. "And they're Ethan-green — almost creepy."
My face cracked into a wide smile. "Does that mean I'm a vampire now?"
"Does your face itch?"
"What?"
Mason shrugged. "Does it itch?"
"No."
"Do you smell berries?"
"Huh?"
"Just answer the question," he growled.
I sniffed the air. "No, I smell… wood burning."
He grinned. "Then you aren't a werewolf."
"Gee, thanks." I tried to get up, but he moved around me and tugged my body to a sitting position. "I was worried there for a second. Do werewolves really smell berries?"
"Sometimes." He chuckled, brushing a kiss across my forehead. "To vampires we smell like burning wood… outdoors, warm."
I nodded and leaned in. "I like the way you smell."
"Care to keep your paws to yourself, Mason?" Ethan said from the door, his grimace turning into a grin as he strode in and practically threw Mason off me and pulled me into his arms. "Your eyes are green."
"Why do people keep telling me what color my eyes are?"
"Because," Mason said from his spot behind Ethan, "it's a sign."
"Of what?"
"Greatness." Ethan's mouth found mine; his tongue tasted like sugar.
With a moan, I threw my arms around his neck and tugged him harder against me.
Mason coughed.
Ethan waved him away, moving onto the bed, pulling my body tightly against his.
Our mouths were fused together. I never wanted to let go — never wanted to breathe if it wasn't heavy with his taste, his scent.
I forgot about the feather in my hands, pushing it against his chest.
Ethan flinched and pulled back with a hiss. "Sariel?"
I nodded. "He was with me… when I closed my eyes."
"Well, I'll be damned," Mason muttered under his breath. "The archangels rarely visit immortals, and now you're saying you spent actual time with him?"
"After my kidnapping," I muttered.
"Doesn't matter." Mason's eyebrows shot up. "Time is their currency, to spend time with any being — when you're an angel — is a gift."
I lifted the feather to my face, the purple shining in the light of the room.
Ethan reached out and touched the edges of the feather. "When an angel gives one of his feathers, it's like wishing on a star. Tell me, what did Sariel say to you?"
"He said to choose," I whispered, and he gave me the feather.
"The desire of your heart." Ethan's eyes shone with green. "Cassius may have saved you — granted you immortality — but it was Sariel who let you choose how you'd return."
"I just…" I gripped Ethan by the shoulders. "I just wanted you."
"You have me," he vowed, kissing my mouth hard, "for an eternity."
Mason coughed again.
"Then leave!" Ethan growled over his shoulder. "Nobody's asking you to watch."
A loud male scream pierced the air.
"Cassius," Mason and Ethan said in unison.
In a flash, I was in Ethan's arms, being carried into the room next to us. He set me on my feet just as Cassius jerked up from the bed, his eyes white, veins in his neck pulsing blue.
Stephanie braced herself over him protectively.
He reached for her arms, gripping her shoulders so hard I wanted to flinch on her behalf. "What have you done?"
"What needed to be done," she whispered.
With a groan, he touched his forehead to hers gently, something that seemed odd for him to do. He was always so abrasive, big, looming, scary.
It was then I noticed that Stephanie didn't look the same. Her hair was black, her eyes matching Cassius's.
Alex entered the room.
The temperature rose a few degrees. I felt like a fight was about to break out. But instead of Alex lunging for anyone, he simply gripped the wall and watched as if fascinated by what was taking place.
"What did she do?" I whispered in Ethan's ear.
Ethan's eyes narrowed, searching.
I followed his gaze and nearly fell to my knees when I saw the blood drenching Stephanie's chest.
"She gave him… her heart." Ethan's hoarse voice pierced the silence in the room. "The only good a Dark One possesses."
"Wa
it? What does that mean?" I asked.
Right before my eyes, Stephanie's glow faded. Her eyes turned blue, her hair stayed black, but her skin was no longer glowing.
"It means," Cassius's voice rumbled, "she gave her essence, her immortality, to me."
Alex sighed from the door. "It means she's now human."
Stephanie nodded slowly and whispered, "It was worth it."
Ethan
I'd never seen it actually done before — an immortal giving essence to another. Only Dark Ones were fully capable of doing it. They were the strongest, after all.
And now. She was nothing.
Stephanie swayed toward Cassius.
He caught her body with his hands, his eyes swirling white. "Why would you do this?"
Stephanie squinted as if she was having trouble focusing. "Because a long time ago, you saved a little girl who should have died. It was the least I could do."
I watched the scene unfold. Something was off. Stephanie wasn't dying, not that I thought she would, but Cassius was—
"Cassius!" I yelled. "Stop touching her!"
Cassius frowned and looked down at his hands. They were still touching her skin, but Stephanie wasn't acting like a typical human being touched by a Dark One. Usually they were filled with so much lust that they attacked, and their arousal was so evident you could smell it in the air.
I smelled absolutely nothing but my own mate and every other person in that room.
No lust.
"Well…" Alex chuckled from the door. "How's that for a fun twist to the story? The great Dark One has no effect on Stephanie as a human."
I was relieved.
Cassius looked irritated.
He moved his hands down her arms then back up again, his face twisting with curiosity until he finally cupped her chin. "You feel nothing?"
Stephanie shrugged. "You feel a bit cold, but other than that, it's nice to be touched."
"Nice…" Cassius repeated. "Nice?"
"Bad answer," Genesis said under her breath.
I wrapped my arm tighter around her, tugging the warmth of her body against mine.
Cassius continued inspecting Stephanie as if he couldn't understand why she wasn't affected by him.
"You would know if she was lying," I finally pointed out. "And Stephanie, you should rest."
A Kiss For You Page 19