Eternally Yours (20 page)

I can see a red haze through my eyelids and realize he must be looking at me, so I open my eyes. Our eyes meet and I take this chance to try and reach him. “Don’t take too much,” I whisper. “But, don’t take too little either.” I smirk.

He barely nods his head, but I feel it. He’s really lucid right now. This surprises me because last time he was in a blood-crazed frenzy, far from himself. I’m just staring at him, shocked because of how much I admire him. I feel so proud of him for controlling his hunger instead of it controlling him. But then again, the outcome of this situation still remains to be seen.

He winks at me. The boy winks at me! While sucking my blood and healing a body filled with five deep stab wounds. Will he never cease to impress me?

I have to inhale deeply, because my head is starting to spin and my chest feels tight. I feel light and jittery so I close my eyes for a second, and boy was that a mistake. If it was possible, the room spun even faster. I open them immediately and he frowns at me, from the eyes of course. His eyes frown at me is what I’m saying. Anyways, so he knows I’m in distress here. He disengages his long, white fangs and licks my blood off of his lips. I try to lift my head to see better over my chest, but my head is filled with lead weights or something of equal value. I lie here, staring at the dark ceiling somewhere up there, sort of seeing little white spots wink in and out of my vision; but then they are replaced by his face. Then I feel his pleasant weight on top of me. Of course, he is holding himself up with his arms on either side of me, so I know his strength must be back. I smile. I start to tell him how I knew it would work, and I was right. That he should have just listened to me in the first place, but not to say ‘I told you so’, of course. But he will not hear any of it, because he shuts me up with his lips. And I show him how afraid I was that I might lose him, right there with Gabe asleep beside us.

I’m startled awake by a loud banging on the metal door that we had barred shut. I realize that my head is on a blood-smeared chest with nipple rings glinting in the light. Then I focus my sleep hazed eyes
across
the sexy chest to Gabe on the other side. He starts to rouse and I sit upright immediately. I check my cheek for blood and wipe it clean using my saliva. I do the same thing with my healed wrist. The banging keeps repeating every few seconds. My first thought is that it’s the Hell Horde, but they would just kick it in because they aren’t smart or civil enough to actually knock. I stand and dust myself off, glancing at the big male body at my feet. Mmm. My stare devours him from the waist up, trying to take a mental picture of every dip, muscle, line, tattoo,
piercing
, and scar. When I finally reach his face he surprises me. He’s been watching me slowly, oh so slowly, (and
embarrassingly
, might I add) mentally lick his body from waist up. It’s one thing to do it, but another to be seen doing it. His eyes are no longer throwing red
lasers
at me though, which must be why I didn’t notice him noticing me. I’ve gotten so used to them being red that I almost forget he has dark colored eyes. Are they really black? That’s so sexy. He smirks at me, probably proud of the fact that I find him drool worthy. Gabe coughs and I jerk my eyes away from Shadows.

Shadow sits up checking his body for wounds. He is wound free now, thanks to me.

“Looks like you’re all healed up,” Gabe says, making it sound more like a question and he’s waiting on an answer.

“Looks like,” Shadow says, tersely. If he doesn’t want to answer something, he won’t. This is Shadow for ya. Gabe may be waiting a long time for those answers.

“I guess you didn’t really need to feed? You just...” he flings his arm, disbelievingly, “healed in your sleep!” He laughs, sounding creepy.

“Yeah, and I guess you don’t really need to see who’s banging on the door?” Shadow asks sarcastically. The banging is still going on. Now I can hear some voices outside too. Muffled, of course.

“Yeah, I’ll go see who’s at the door, because we wouldn’t want someone to hurt you again, princess,” Gabe retorts. He gets up and heads over to un-bar the door, looking back at me over his shoulder. I give him my best guilt-free smile.

I glance over at Shadow and he’s got a murderous expression on his face, like he wants to punch Gabriel’s lights out.

Gabe finishes un-barring the door and glances over at us before he opens it. We all inhale expectantly. He puts his body behind the door and opens it a crack, leaning just his head around to look through the small space. Then he steps aside and slings it open carelessly, stepping outside to embrace someone. Shadow and I share a look.

“Stay here, I’ll go check it out, just in case,” he tells me. He stands up and I do too.

“I’m not staying here a second longer,” I reply firmly. He looks back at me and dips his head. I’m glad that he’s not being stubborn about this too. Maybe last night he realized I’m usually right. At least, I sure hope so!

I follow him out the door to find Gabe talking to Wraith and Kaia standing next to them. When she notices me she gasps and runs toward me. A fleeting thought to step aside when she flings herself at me, tempts me, but I decide not to. At least I hope she won’t knock me over. Next thing I know, she jumps into my arms like a spider monkey.

“Oh Lexi!” she rejoices. “You’re okay.”

“I’m fine, Kaia. I was worried about you too,” I say, relieved.

“So what hap--,” she hushes me with her hand to my mouth.

“Look,” she bobs her head to the side and I look to see what she wants me to.

Oh. My heart just sinks to my stomach. Gabe and Shadow are kneeling beneath one of their fallen comrades. A Guard, one of about five or six by the looks of it, is hanging off of the side of the building, by his neck. He’s dead of course, and he’s not the only one. There are some girls too, and Mr. Cole.

“Why would they do this? What did we ever do to make them hate us so much,” I whisper in shock and sincerity.

“I was wondering the same thing.” She shakes her head, tears spilling over her eyes.

Gabe and Wraith finish paying respect to the fallen Guards and fellow citizens. Gabe spends a little more time knelt at Mr. Cole’s feet with his head bowed and fist to his chest. Shadow takes all of the bodies down from their nooses and lays them side by side, shutting their eyes with his fingers. Kaia and I still stand next to each other, shocked and silent. We haven’t moved from out previous spot, as if we are anchored. Gabe and Shadow have been pointing at some
piece
of paper for a few minutes, talking it over. I can’t tell if they are arguing about it or not but I can tell it’s important. Probably bad from the looks of it.

“Let’s go see what that is,” I suggest.

She nods. “Yeah, okay.”

They look up when they notice us and for some reason stop talking when we join them. We all spare a look at each other, none daring to speak first.

“What’s that?” I ask.

They look to each other, waiting for the other one to explain.

“Oh yeah? Wow, that bad huh?”

Kaia whistles melodramatically.

Gabe hands the piece of paper to me. I unfold it and hold it between Kaia and I so we can each read it. When I open it, all I see is a strange language that I don’t know how to read. It must be the language the Hell Horde speaks. Do they speak the
demon
language?

“Well, if they want to threaten us, the least they could do is make it so we could read it. How are we supposed to be threatened if we can’t even read
it?
It may be an apology for all we know,” Kaia says jokingly. She examines her nails.

Gabe pointedly looks to Shadow, who looks away guiltily.

“We can’t read it. But he can.” As
usual
, Gabe’s voice is filled with acid.

Kaia looks up out of the top of her eyes at Shadow, while her head is still angled down at her nails.

“Good,” I say. I’m trying to make it a positive that someone here can read this message. Do my friends ever look at the bright side? I, for one, am not taking it for granted that we have a translator. “So what does it say, Shadow?”

He purses his lips, contemplating something. Then he snatches the letter from Gabe. “It says, ‘Tell the
Overlord
that our agreement is no longer in effect. We sense the prophecy is near and we know that means our doom, therefore we will wage war, and soon. And we will find this leader, and kill him before he has the chance to rise up and lead against us. Also, tell the
Overlord
that we won’t need his sacrifices anymore, we are full from your donation.’”

Kaia gasps and I’m too shocked to do anything.

“What donations?” I ask.

“I’m assuming the ones we just
buried
, seeing as how they were drained of their blood.” Gabe says acerbically. He glares at Shadow as if it’s his fault.

“The Hell Horde needs blood to survive,” Shadow explains to me. Our eyes lock. He seems to be expecting me to compare him to those monsters but I won’t. He doesn’t kill to survive, they do.

“Finally!” Kaia sobs. “Where have you been, baby? I couln’t mind-link you.” Wraith hugs her tightly.

“Shh, it’s okay baby. I had to help move the rubble around and rescue some of the kinds because they were stranded in the building.” He kisses her forehead, and a tear leaks out of his eye. “A few didn’t make it,” he whispers.

Wraith glances over at us and frowns. “What’s wrong now?”

Gabe sighs, slumping his broad shoulders. “This,” he commands, handing Wraith the letter. “You can’t read it, it’s in written in the
demon
tongue,” he spits.

“So if you don’t know what it says then why do you already have your panties in a wad?”

Gabe scoffs. He jabs his thumb in Shadow’s direction. “He can.”

“Gods, I can’t stand this elementary conversation any longer! How boys communicate at all is beyond me,” Kaia whines. “Baby, it’s bad. It basically says that the
Overlord
made some kind of deal with the Hell Horde and now it’s off because they think the prophecy is about to happen. They said they are going to wage war because they want to kill the leader that’s prophesied to rise up, apparently soon, and kill them.” She takes a breath and her voice becomes softer. “Oh...and it also said that they don’t need his donations anymore, because they are full from...the ones we
buried
...” her voice hitches.

Wraith’s lips are in a tight line and his eyebrows are too. He glances at Gabe. “Do you know about a deal that your father made with them?”

“Hell no! He doesn’t tell me crap like that. We don’t talk much, period.” Gabe crosses his arms and kicks the dirt. I feel like I should be offering him comfort of some kind, but it’s just too hard to do with Shadow around. The most I can get myself to accomplish in the form of comfort is a pat on his back, follow by a little rub.

“Don’t worry about it, Gabriel,” I coo. “We know you’re not like your father, he was just curious.”  He inhales nervously and rubs his temples. He’s stressed and upset and this is a bad combination for a boy to be in because they don’t handle emotions well. However, I think Gabe handles them better than Shadow, who is now standing as still as a statue staring at the
buried
bodies. Now I know he needs my comfort and I’m not allowed to do it with Gabe around. Apparently, each boy has a hold of one half of my heart and they are each tugging as hard as they can. It will be a sweet relief if one day I can give just one, the whole thing, and not have this ache constantly.

“So, what leader are they so afraid of?” Wraith asks?

“The half-blood in the prophecy,” Kaia replies.

My eyes dart back to Shadow. He’s the only half-blood I know of; could he be the one in the prophecy? The one that’s going to lead an army of free kinds against the Hell Horde and
Overlord
?

When I turn my head back to Gabe, who hasn’t said much in the past few minutes, I am caught. He is watching me intently with a look that is pure disdain. For the first time, I am scared of him. “What?” I squeak innocently.

He pointedly looks at Shadow for a second, making a point, and then back to me, making another point. So he’s suspicious, and mad. At this point, it would be awesome to just give up and leave. To not have to go back with Gabe and put up with his attitude or hide my feelings for Shadow and sneak around all the time to look or talk to him.

“Let’s get out of here, go back to the condo and try to figure some of this crap out,” Wraith suggests. Gabe finally looks away from me, and turns to walk leaving me behind, with not a care in the world. So maybe his feelings are hurt, but I’ve never been anything but nice to him. This is the first taste of pain I’ve had with him. I don’t know what I am going to now. If it is starting to hurt when Gabe doesn’t want me, then how am I going to let him go? Arg! I cast a longing glance at Shadow, whom I still want to run up and comfort. He must feel me looking at him or know that I am leaving because he turns his head and gives me a very sorrowful look. I frown and try not to panic as I wonder if he’s going to do something crazy in his depressive state of being. Why would he be sorry? Before I can answer my own question, Lillith enters my line of vision, running up to him and jumping into his arms. I look away. It hurts, of course. It hurts more knowing that she is going to give him the comfort that I can’t. And eventually, it’s going to be what he needs, and he will have to let me go, for both of our sakes. I can see it in Shadow, that he is the kind of boy that needs a girl, needs a mate. He was just wasn’t born to be alone. He’s too virile of a
demon
, with strong
angel
blood
running
in him too. Both
demon
s and
angel
s have a strong character to mate and bond to someone. Anyways, he won’t last long denying her and not having me, being in between and out of reach.