The charter plane was nicer than any other jet Reece had been on. It was spacious, with soft leather couches, a state of the art sound system, and lace curtains hanging over the small, round windows. There was no in-flight crew, but there was a bar at the back of the plane that was stocked with water, juice, soda, and top-shelf liquor. It was all very swanky and lavish. Even the martini glasses were made of real crystal.
Damn, it must be good to be Thierry Descouedres.
The only person enjoying the amenities, however, was Karissa. She sat on the couch across from Reece, her feet resting on the cherry coffee table as she happily sipped a tall glass of Sprite through a straw, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the plane.
“You know, I’ve never been to D.C.,” she said as she reached forward to pluck a grape from the fruit bowl on the table. “My class took a three-day trip there when I was in eighth grade, but I got sick the day before and my mother wouldn’t let me go. I was so mad, but now I guess it fits the whole expatriate thing I’ve got going on. Although, I suppose most expatriates go to Europe and not Canada, but that would have been too far from my family, you know?”
“What’s an expatriate?” Lindsay asked. The young girl seemed to be rather at ease for someone who, in the past twenty-four hours, had been stalked, attacked, kidnapped, and woken up in the middle of the night to get on a flight to Washington with a bunch of strangers who wouldn’t tell her what was going on. She sat next to Reece, resting her head sleepily against his arm.
“It’s an American who decides they don’t like America, so they move to another country,” Karissa explained. “But then they’re too lazy or hypocritical to actually change their citizenship.”
Lindsay yawned. “You don’t like America?”
“Oh, no, I love America. It’s a great country, but when they canceled Freaks and Geeks, I wrote to my senator and I said, “I’m sorry, but there comes a day in every girl’s life when she has to take a stand. I’m moving to Canada until that show is back on the air.”
Reece couldn’t help but smile at the confusion in Lindsay’s voice as she started to ask Karissa what in the world Freaks and Geeks was. He was incredibly thankful to have his human teammate with him at the moment. She might seem like a ditz sometimes, but he knew that her current bouncy demeanor was deliberate. She was trying to lighten the mood and keep Lindsay entertained.
“Don’t encourage her with more questions, Lindsay,” he said with a small laugh. “She left America to go to college at McGill University in Montreal. End of story.”
Karissa pouted. “That was just the practical reason,” she said primly, “but I like my version better.” She tipped her head back to call behind her. “What do you think, Nick?”
The witch grunted from his place in the back of the plane, which was the biggest response that anyone had gotten from him since Reece had told him the truth—the whole truth—about Lex. He was obviously pissed off, which wasn’t entirely unexpected or unwarranted. Reece just wondered how long he could expect this silent treatment to continue.
“My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen,” Karissa said dryly. “The King of Articulation.”
Lindsay giggled a little against Reece’s arm and then she yawned again.
“Do you want to lie down on the couch in the back?” he asked her. “Get some more sleep?”
She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “No, no. I’m not tired.”
A few minutes later, Karissa gave Reece a knowing smile. She pressed her hands together and tilted her head to rest on them, indicating that the young girl had fallen asleep.
“Thank the Goddess,” he breathed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having Lindsay around. In fact, he was surprised to find that he was growing attached to the girl. Even so, trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy was tiring.
Karissa seemed to read his mind. “You’ve got to tell her at some point, Cahill.”
His lips tightened. “No, I don’t.”
The human across from him gave him an impatient look. “I don’t mean you need to tell her everything, but she’s on to us. She saw a lot back in the church and she hasn’t rationalized it away. But she’s dealing fine. I think she’s just waiting for you to give her an explanation. So what harm could it do, telling her what you are? About Daybreak and the Night World?”
Reece glanced down at Lindsay and noticed, not for the first time, how small and fragile she looked. It was ironic because after spending the last day with her, he knew that she was anything but. So it wasn’t that he thought telling her about the Night World would harm her, exactly, but it would cost her some measure of her innocence. More than anything, he wanted to protect that.
“I don’t want to change her,” he replied.
Karissa watched him for a few seconds. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Well, just be careful, okay? She’s head-over-heels for you.”
Reece started to nod again, but then he froze. “Wait, what?”
She sighed loudly and shook her head. “Boys are so stupid.”
“She’s only ten,” he argued, aghast.
“So what? You’re gorgeous and mysterious and sweet and you saved her life. You don’t have to be an adult to appreciate that. A girl would be a fool not to fall for you.”
“Ah, fuck.” His fingers were itching to rake through his hair, but he couldn’t risk moving with Lindsay leaning on his arm. “Does she know that Lex is my—”
“Soulmate, no—obviously. But girlfriend, yes.”
He let out a slow breath. “So what the hell do I do?”
Karissa winced. “Well, you might want to think about starting a trust fund to pay for her therapy. You know, the wounds of adolescence take years to heal.”
“Ah, fuck,” he growled again.
“I’m kidding,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Look, it’s just a crush. She’ll get over it, eventually. Until then, just be careful of her feelings, especially after we find Lex. Just be yourself…and not, you know, Bizzaro-Reece.”
His mouth quirked. “Bizzaro-Reece?” This was the nickname that his team had given him after the past year? He probably should have been irritated by it, but instead he found himself laughing.
“Yeah,” Nick interjected. “You know, the witch who lies to his friends and teammates and sneaks around behind their backs?”
The laugh faded as Reece bit down on a sigh of frustration. This argument was inevitable, he knew, so he might as well get it out of the way now. “It wasn’t personal, Nick.”
The other witch glared at him, his hazel eyes cold. “Really? Because in my book, trust is actually a very personal issue.”
“It wasn’t about trust,” he said evenly. “It was about probability. The fewer people who knew what Lex was, the lower the risk that she would be killed because of it.”
“Everyone knows about Jez, Delos, and Iliana. They’re all alive.” He sneered. “Or do you have some secret about them you’d like to share?”
“Nick, lay off him,” Karissa groaned.
The witch stormed over to them. “How can you defend him?” he snapped.
“Shhh. Keep your voice down,” she replied softly, motioning to Lindsay.
“He lied to you, too, Kar.” Instead of tempering it, the forced softness of his words accentuated his anger.
She held her chin thoughtfully. “You know, I seem to recall a certain conversation with a certain someone who said that, as leader, if Reece couldn’t tell us something, then he couldn’t tell us. And that’s all there is to it.”
“I said that when I still trusted his priorities,” Nick replied stiffly.
Karissa smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Baby, let me break this down for you,” she said slowly. “Wild Powers are Daybreak’s priority, yes? Well, in case you haven’t noticed, Reece is insanely protective of Lex, who just happens to be a Wild Power. Therefore, his priorities and Daybreak’s priorities are one and the same. So chill out.”
“If that were true, he would have told us about her so that we could protect her while he was off taking care of his new revenge business. Or better yet, he would have stayed with her instead of getting involved with that in the first place.”
“For the love of crap, Nick, we just went through this—”
“Enough!” Reece quietly raged. “I won’t stand for you guys fighting like this. Not now.”
Tiredly, he looked up at Nick. “I know you’re angry with me and I don’t blame you for it. But the truth is that you’ve never worked outside of Montreal. You don’t know what’s really going on in Circle Daybreak. Neither did I until I went to D.C. last year.
“Aiden St. Helen was in Daybreak for years. By the time he tried to kill a Wild Power, he was third in line to run the entire compound. His case is not even that unusual these days. The war is coming and people are cracking. And more and more telepaths like Zarek and Angie Catellini are showing up every day.”
His eyes moved from Nick to Karissa and back. “I trust you with my life,” he said to both of them. “I trust you with Lex’s life. If I didn’t, then I never would have left her side for a second—and I mean that literally.
“What I don’t trust is Circle Daybreak. Human nature. Good intentions. My luck. Random chance. Hate me for it if you want—I really don’t care—but we’re about to land in the lion’s den and I need to know here and now if you’re with me or not.”
“Of course I’m with you,” Karissa said softly.
Reece nodded, and then looked at his other teammate. “Nick?”
“Don’t be an ass,” the witch snapped. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes. And I’m grateful.”
Nick’s eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised, but he didn’t say anything else until after the captain announced that they were making their final descent into Reagan International Airport.
“So do you have a plan?” the witch asked.
“Not really,” Reece snorted.
“Okay. Can you feel Lex yet?”
“No. But I...haven’t really tried.”
“Why not?”
Reece didn’t answer. He just let his gaze slide down to the floor uncomfortably.
Karissa leaned forward and put a warm hand on his knee. Lifting his eyes to her face, he saw that she understood his reason.
“If he’s got her, then we’ll find them,” she said gently.
He couldn’t speak. The thought of Zarek catching Lex was terrifying, but after Thierry’s phone call, Reece knew that there was something else that he feared even more than his soulmate being in pain. It was selfish, but he couldn’t help it—he’d rather have her alive and broken than...
“And if she’s dead?” he asked hoarsely.
Neither of his teammates seemed to know what to say to that and Reece regretted the question. He didn’t want to force them into giving him baseless and meaningless assurances.
Finally, Nick spoke up. “Wouldn’t you rather know for sure?”
“No,” he replied with a humorless laugh.
After another awkward pause, Karissa said, “This is what we came here for, Cahill. If you wanted to hide from the truth we could have stayed in Montreal.” She gave his knee a squeeze. “Lex needs you right now.”
She was right, of course. He’d come all this way to get his soulmate and he wasn’t going to get anywhere by blocking himself off from her. If he wanted to find Lex, for better or for worse, he needed the soulmate link to do it.
As the plane touched down in Washington, D.C., Reece closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he let all of his walls down. His heart was pounding so loudly and rapidly that it took him a few minutes to recognize the distinctive tugging feeling on his chest.
“She’s alive,” he gasped as he opened his eyes. “And she’s okay.” Reece laughed as he reveled in the sensation of the soulmate link, even as his eyes stung. It felt as powerful and explosive in that moment as it had the first time he’d touched Lex’s skin. Goddess, how long had it been since he’d appreciated this? And how had he lived without it?
It took a small eternity for the plane to taxi to the terminal. Anxiously, he woke up Lindsay. Taking her hand in his, he hurried to the front of the plane to wait by the door. When it finally opened, he dragged her out as he darted toward the gate with Nick and Karissa at his heels.
Because it wasn’t yet 5AM, the metro rail wasn’t open and they were forced to head out onto the street to hail a cab. “Thirty-fourth and N Street, Northwest,” Reece said to the driver as he shut the door behind him.
Then he turned to his teammates. “Okay, listen. Lex has a townhouse in Georgetown. I don’t think she’s out that way, but it can’t hurt to check. Once we confirm that she’s not there, I want Karissa to stay at the house with Lindsay while Nick and I head back out to find her. Got it?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Karissa interrupted. “Lex owns a house in Georgetown? Damn...I knew she had a decent-sized savings account, but why didn’t you tell us that she was loaded?”
Reece gave her a tight smile. “She’s not. Technically, the house belonged to her last boyfriend, Tristan. After she left for Montreal with me, she gave it to our—company.” He put emphasis on the last word with a subtle glance at Lindsay. “The housing market here has gone downhill over the past few years, so when the company had a hard time selling it, they decided to hang onto it in case they needed more office space. The deed is still in the boyfriend’s name, though.”
When the cab pulled up in front of the house, Reece paid the driver and they all got out. The front door was locked, but luckily Lex hadn’t turned her key over to Daybreak when she’d left the city. It had been sitting in the bottom draw of her desk for the last year.
Of course, Lex wasn’t there. He knew that even before he got the door open and led the way into the living room. Still, with Lindsay watching, he made a point of checking every room for appearance’s sake.
It was strange to be in this house again. The last time he was here, he’d sat on the couch while Alexandra roamed the apartment room by room, mourning the loss of someone who Reece had never met, but for whom he harbored contradictory emotions. He’d been grateful to Tristan for taking care of Lex for so long, but he’d also despised the vampire for killing Beth. He pitied him for having to deal with Lex’s silence, but he was also angry with Tristan for not pushing her hard enough to help her heal. The vampire may have thought that he was doing the right thing by backing off whenever she got defensive, but that hadn’t done her any good. He had essentially allowed her fear and self-loathing to fester and grow for three years. But then Tristan hadn’t been her soulmate. How could he have known? He just hadn’t wanted to lose her.
Reece knew the feeling.
“She’s not here,” he said to his team as they gathered in the kitchen. “Nick, are you ready to hit the streets?”
The witch nodded. “Do you have any idea where to look?”
“Yeah, I think so.” He couldn’t say that he felt that Lex was just a few miles north and maybe a little east from where they were now, but he knew that Nick understood.
Crouching down on his knee, Reece put a hand on Lindsay’s shoulder. “You’ll be okay here with Karissa?”
The girl nodded sheepishly, blood rushing into her cheeks. Goddess, she really did have a crush on him, didn’t she? He hoped that she got over it fast. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
He smiled and drew her into a hug. And then, placing his hand on the back of her head, he silently mouthed the words to the cloaking spell. And as the power rushed out of him, he was suddenly glad that Nick had knocked him out after all. If he hadn’t, Reece wouldn’t be rejuvenated enough to cast anything.
Lindsay’s body jolted as the magick hit her and she pulled away from him.
“Are you okay?” he asked innocently.
She rubbed her arms briskly. “Yeah. I just felt cold all of a sudden.”
“Oh, sorry about that. The house is a little drafty.”
Standing up, he looked Karissa in the eye. “Take care of her for me, okay?”
His teammate smiled and brought her chin up. “You got it, Cahill.”
Reece’s pulse was racing as he and Nick headed out the front door. In just a few minutes, he was going to be with Lex. And he couldn’t wait. It felt like it had been years since he’d last seen her, but as soon as he found her, he was going to take her in his arms and never let her go.
Screw Zarek. He didn’t matter. Nothing mattered as long as he had his soulmate.
She followed him like a ghost through the streets of Washington, D.C. Even though she was a safe distance back, she didn’t want to be here. Didn’t want to be doing this. Dawn was approaching and with each passing minute, she could feel more eyes on her as the streets became more crowded. This was too risky. Too dangerous. In spite of Aiden’s assurances, she couldn’t help but think that someone would recognize her eventually. Things would be too damned easy otherwise. There was nothing fate enjoyed more than fucking you over the second you relax.
It had started to rain a while ago and now her clothes were drenched and she was shivering in the cold wind. Desperately, she wanted to let him go. She wanted to find a way out of this city and continue the journey south on her own, but something held her to him.
His rampage was escalating. When he started, his behavior hadn’t been out of the ordinary: he’d stalked a human for a few blocks, getting a taste for his or her mind before going in for the kill. Now he barely paused to take in their scent before hauling them off the street and into an alley or an empty doorway. Each kill was bolder and bloodier than the last, and the time them between had waned until he seemed to be tearing into one after another after another. The violence in him would have been terrifying if she didn’t understand it so well. And that was likely the reason that she couldn’t make herself walk away.
She couldn’t leave him. Wouldn’t leave him. She needed to see how this would end.
Physically, he was beyond sated. The blood had slowly filled the whites of his eyes until it seemed that his gray irises were islands in a sea of lava. He was dizzy—she could feel that much—and he held his arm out as he walked, letting his fingertips graze the buildings next to him, using them as a reference point. He was drunk off the blood, but his pace never slowed. He was lost in a downward spiral, gaining momentum, and on some level she knew that he was pulling her down with him.
Bloodlust surged inside of her, fierce and demanding, as she watched him work. Yet she didn’t dare join him—something told her that he didn’t want it and wouldn’t allow it. She was there to bear witness to him, not the other way around. So the only way to soothe the urge was to share in his rush. With each kill, she was drawn in deeper and deeper. Hours later, she felt her heart pounding in time with his. Even their gasps for breath were synchronized.
His eyes met hers during each kill and her power would rise, trying to thrust her inside of his mind in a way that even the soulmate link couldn’t match. But every time, his gaze would waver, as if he weren’t really seeing her, severing the connection before it was complete. As time passed, the longing she felt for that contact grew to be so excruciating that she no longer had the sense of mind to hate herself for it.
Unwilling to be denied, the power finally rose of its own accord and forged the connection even with his back to her…
And the world fell to pieces.
Or, at least that’s what it felt like.
Her eyes wouldn’t focus. She turned her head and the scene shifted frame by frame—like a movie reel. There were blinding flashes, the city before her sliced by shards of memory. Everything was broken. Disjointed. And the pieces she was left with did not fit together.
The noise was deafening. Gusting wind, shrieking voices, blaring music. It bled together into a continuous roar, with sudden spikes in sound that left her nerve-endings screaming. Her mind shattered and her body was ringing with pain.
She tried not to listen. Tried to absorb it all as one, but her mind couldn’t help focusing on single fragments of sound. Aiden’s voice, her own voice, guitar riffs, drum solos, scraps of lyrics—some she recognized and still others she’d never heard before.
And over and over again, just three words. A whisper. A hiss. A single question that she had posed. He tormented himself with it. He leapt from answer to answer, but nothing seemed right. And so the question survived. Persisted. Over and over again. A splinter in his mind…
What are you?
Blood in his mouth. Hair in his eyes. Scent of lavender and roses.
Tired.
Shudder. Shudder. Fingers in his hair. Hips in his hands. Their knees weaken in unison. Predatory and prey. But which is which?
Doesn’t matter. Pay attention. The edge is in sight. Close, so close. Adjust his grip to caress her neck. Her moan vibrating against his lips. She hovers on the brink and then he pushes her over.
What are you?
Final breath caressing his ear. Dead weight in his arms. Body falls to the ground.
World spins. Vision hazy. Equilibrium diffuses.
How many so far? No way to tell. Gravity pulled them all down. No, don’t cry. No guilt now. Just humans. Just death.
Wasted.
Slip on the sidewalk. Rain in his face. Brick at his fingertips. Which way is up? Which way is home?
Dangerous to gorge like this. Intoxication a given. Delirium imminent.
Laugh. Laugh.
Know your limits.
Screw your limits.
Bloodlust building. Again and again. Teeth sharp. Hunger burning. Human ahead.
Ground under his feet. Step forward.
The hunger inside given to me makes me what I am...
Surrender to the free fall.
What are you?
Lex’s footsteps behind him. Always behind him. Feel the steadiness of her gaze on the back of his head. Unflinching. Unwavering. Unafraid.
Accepted.
Are you watching, Eve?
Hush now, you’re insane.
McPherson Square. Man in the overcoat. Briefcase in his hand. Reeks of money. Power. Corruption. Slighted virtues, but without them, the world would be nothing.
Tackle him to the ground. Cashmere and silk against his skin. Blood thin and acerbic, betraying a life of stress and frivolities. Heart gives out too fast.
What are you?
Grab a cuff. Tug the coat. The body rolls, silk shirt in the mud. Slip his arms in the sleeves. Cool, smooth cashmere falls about his shoulders. Wind blows the tail back.
Shudder. Shudder. Laugh.
Free.
Killing and stealing. Oh my, what would his darling soulmate say?
Do you love me? Tell me honestly.
Take a step. His head swims. Black spots and white streaks. Sight dims. Roar in his ears.
Woah. Easy, easy. Take a break. Ride the buzz. Don’t look down. Just keep walking.
Don’t close your eyes.
Don’t see that love in the last glimpse of shining violet eyes.
Block after block, the city passes by. Marble columns, domes, and arches fall behind. Monuments fade. Memories warp. Rain falls. Time stretches. Ceases to mean anything.
He had walked this way once before. His body knows the way. It takes control.
Instinct.
Silence behind him and he glances back. Is she still there? She had asked for this. Had wanted to know. Was she paying attention?
Meet her eyes. Polished sapphire. Door slamming shut. His own reflection staring back at him.
Not her, too. Not yet…
Anger emerges. Impatience. Why was she here if she wasn’t really here? Why was she with him if she didn’t really care? Why did she fuck him if she didn’t feel anything?
Sudden flicker there—something he recognizes. Her power at the surface. She doesn’t fight it. Lets it happen. She wants to pierce his soul. Wants to know.
Tear his gaze away.
What are you?
Be careful what you wish for.
Heels clicking on the sidewalk ahead. Blonde woman. Thin. Poor. Pathetic.
Going to give myself up, up to the truth of what this is…
Lunge at her. Tip her head back. Blood over his tongue. Full-bodied and rich.
She struggles and screams. Scratches and strains. Fights.
Ride her like a bull. No pity. No mercy.
Fade out again…
Flash in his mind. Boy with white-blond hair. Toothy grin. Musical laugh.
The woman’s son. Her reason for fighting. Her reason for living.
One murder. Two lives destroyed.
Look over her shoulder and see blue eyes staring into him. She sees what he sees. Feels what he feels. Knows what he knows.
The killer in me is the killer in you, my love…
Doesn’t speak. Doesn’t stop him. Doesn’t move at all. No compassion. No emotion.
Nothing, nothing, nothing…
Drop the woman. Skull cracks against the sidewalk. Step on her hand and her bones crunch under his heel.
Lex doesn’t flinch. Eyes burning, yet empty. Razed. Set of her mouth familiar, but not her own. Expression inscrutable.
His skin crawls. Stomach cold. Take a step back. Was this acceptance or apathy? Was she this soulless?
No. Her soul dripped with guilt. He’d seen it. Felt it. Sometimes she knew nothing else.
But why not now? She was a witness. An accessory. A single word would stop him. She damn well knew it.
Look at her. Porcelain skin in the light of the rising sun. Alabaster beauty.
Why doesn’t she speak?
What are you?
She wants him to want to stop.
Laugh. She doesn’t know him after all. Just like his soulmate. Doesn’t know that this is a cakewalk for him. Just a warm-up. Drop in the bucket. What he lives for. What he loves. Never want to stop. Never want…
Lost.
Gazes locked. Game of chicken. Battle of wills.
Scent in the air. Powder and innocence.
You want to play? Let’s play.
Turn away. Forge ahead. Raise the stakes. Her maker’s work will seem like child’s play when he was finished.
How can I learn to let go now that you have shown that you are strong enough, but I am not…
Then he would be the one who invaded her dreams. Who had no rival. Who she couldn’t shut out. Who tore through her walls as if they were tissue paper. The one she saw every time she closed her eyes.
Just like Eve.
Skin prickles. Been on this street before. Don’t know when.
Little girl on the sidewalk. Dark hair. Green dress. Pearl earrings. Powder and innocence. Backpack. On her way to school so early? Dawn twilight still reigned.
Glance back at Lex. Eyebrows raised.
And indeed there will be time to wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
No, no time.
Run to the girl. Seize her collar. Haul her up. Pin her against the wall. Fangs bared. Hiss just like the stereotype. Revel in her whimper of fear.
What are you?
Glance back at Lex. Eyebrows raised.
Cakewalk. Warm-up. Child’s play.
Eyes glazing over like a door slamming shut.
Fine, then.
Turn to the girl. She whimpers again. Single tear spills down her cheek. Doesn’t struggle. Utter acceptance.
Evil.
Skin prickles. Been in this alley before. Don’t know when.
Heart constricts. Pay no attention. Just get it over with. Get it done.
Lean in. Lips on her throat. Fangs graze her skin.
Has he ever killed a child before?
Do it already.
Wait.
Just wait.
Take a breath. Gather your nerve.
Already have the nerve, damn it.
Lex’s gaze on him. Watching. Waiting. Silent. Here but not here.
Like his fucking soulmate.
Nothing, nothing, nothing...
Blood boiling. Release the girl. Whip around to face Lex. Rosy light from the rising sun mixes with her blue eyes. They become violet.
“Say something.”
Nothing, nothing, nothing...
Stride up to her. Throw her down on the ground. Kick her in the side.
“Say something!”
Nothing, nothing, nothing...
Been in this alley before.
Kick her in the ribs.
Her eyes were open, crystalline violet. Porcelain skin. Alabaster beauty.
Close his eyes. Careen on his feet. See yellowish bruises around her throat. Thumbprints.
“Damn you to hell.” Kick. “You asked me. You wanted to know.” Kick “What did you expect me to do?” Kick. “Holier than thou, always right, always good, always sure!”
Kick, kick, kick.
Collapse next to her. Beat her with his fists. “Do you think it was easy for me? Do you? Answer me. Say something!”
She doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Dead. Dead.
I wished your love away...
Grasp the fabric of her shirt. Lay his head on her stomach. Scalding tear burns his eyes. Soaks into her shirt.
Dead.
Not her, too. Not yet.
“Don’t leave me. Please.”
Slightest lift and fall of her chest. Fingers lacing into his hair. She sits up. Cradles his head.
“Don’t leave...”
Touching his face. Lifting his chin. Brushing his cheek.
What are you?
Scared to look into her eyes. Can’t help it. Gravity. Magnetism.
Flash.
Spark.
Explosion.
Not empty. Not apathetic. Not dead.
Yours.
Reach up to stroke her skin. Pure satin. Thumb caresses her bottom lip. Her breath hitches.
All of her smiles, gasps, tears, moans, laughs coalesce. Contradictions and complications. Beauty, such beauty.
Sapphire and violet.
Immerse your soul in love.
Sit up. Cup her cheek. Watch her eyes.
You’re everything she’s not…
And vice versa.
You’re everything.
Lean in. Draw her closer.
Yours.
The edge is in sight. Close, so close.
On the brink, she stiffens. Goes rigid. Her eyes drift upward. Her breath comes faster.
Pull back slightly.
Something hard stabs into the back of his head.
Unmistakable click.
Gun being cocked.
Voice behind him. One he knows. One he scorns. “Get up.”
What are you?
Hellraiser.
Part 12
Part 14
Until It Sleeps Main Page
Home