Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) (19 page)

Willow inhaled sharply. She wanted to kiss
him. She wanted it so bad that she couldn’t breathe. Her pulse
jumped as the vampire turned her head slightly, still smiling with
his pointy teeth. Without meaning to, Willow felt her hand come up
and rub his teeth, ending at the point. The vampire smiled even
wider, opening his mouth for her. His teeth were smooth and the
point was sharper than any blade.

“Ouch,” she half whispered, half moaned in
delight, when the vampire’s jaw clenched slightly and poked her
index finger. A drop of blood landed on his waiting tongue. Scared,
Willow whipped her hand back, only to feel the vampire grab her
wrist, slowly bringing her hand back to his mouth. He sucked on her
finger and Willow leaned in closer to him, allowing his warm tongue
to caress, swirl, and flick all over the tip of her finger. It
didn’t hurt like she thought, but felt incredibly intimate as he
massaged her finger with his devilish tongue. Willow’s belly pooled
with lust at such a feeling. She wanted more. Much, much more.

His eyes never left her but widened as they
dilated again. “You’re a witch,” he said. “I can taste the magic in
your blood. Mmmm, you’re so sweet. Sweeter than any I’ve had.”
Willow’s head spun with desire and want. She inched closer to him,
bringing her other fingers into his waiting, seductive mouth. She
moaned again.

“I ask that you not touch her,” a distant
voice said above her. Willow’s eyes were transfixed on the
vampire’s face. She thought she recognized the voice, she’d heard
it somewhere before, but she forgot the name. Willow didn’t care.
She just hoped the voice would leave them alone so the vampire
could continue his tantalizing sucking and massaging. The vampire’s
head whipped up and looked at the stranger, his eyes going wide in
recognition. He pulled Willow’s fingers away from his mouth, to her
despair.

“My apologies,” the vampire said to the
stranger nervously. Who was this intruder that would interrupt
them? Willow was pissed. “I did not realize she was with you.”

The vampire still held Willow’s wrist in his
hand and she used her other hand to caress his face, wanting the
vampire’s attention again. The vampire immediately tried to pry her
hands off him and Willow huffed at his rejection. Why was he
rejecting her? She thought he wanted her!

“Leave,” the voice grew rough and had an edge
of fury beneath it, “Now.” Willow turned her head to look up at the
stranger. Her vision was extremely blurry. The boy was tall, with
Chestnut colored hair and the prettiest eyes she’s ever seen. They
were filled with anger and Willow cringed back. He was going to
take her from the vampire. No!!! The vampire flew from the seat and
left Willow alone, her heart felt like it had ripped from her
chest.

Willow jumped up just as fast to run after
him until strong arms caught her. “No, Willow Tree,” the voice said
in her ear. Willow’s face snapped back and looked at the boy
holding her, her eyes now focusing on his face. It was Declan! He
was here! Willow was overwhelmed with joy and happiness, (for some
strange reason). She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled
him closer to her, their bodies collided against each other and
Declan’s breathing increased. His eyebrows furrowed in
confusion.

“Oh, Declan,” Willow sighed in pleasure.
“Where have you been? I’ve missed you. So, so much.”

“Willow…um, are you okay?” Declan’s voice was
hoarse, but his arms came around her. Willow rested her head
against his chest, loving to hear his strong heartbeat as he held
her. “Did that vampire put you in a trance?”

She squeezed him harder. He was so lean and
tall and beautiful, Willow didn’t want to let go. “Of course not,
silly,” Willow said turning her face to gaze into his eyes. “Now
kiss me,” she demanded.

“What?” Declan asked shocked.

“Kiss me. I want you too,” Willow prompted
and looked to the girls at the bar. “Not them. They don’t want you
like I want you.” She angled her face closer to Declan, but he
pulled back.

“Willow, I think you’re confused. Come on.
Let’s go up to the room.”

“Yes,” she sighed. “We can be alone, away
from those bitches. Together. Forever. Just the way I want it to
be.”

Declan shook his head and grabbed the food
and two drinks he had on the table in one hand, and then took
Willow’s hand in his other. Quickly, he pulled her past everyone in
the Neutral Zone, gliding past curious onlookers and past the dance
floor, up the stairs and down the hallway. Their room was in one of
the corners. He quickly opened it and shoved Willow in the room,
closing the door behind him.

A light flipped on. There was one large bed
in the middle of the small room, two side tables with lamps on
them. A small bathroom was towards the back. That bed was so
inviting and warm with a quilt and several comfortable looking
pillows. Willow hadn’t slept in a bed in days! But there were more
pressing matters. Declan. She turned to him and watched as he
placed the backpack on the ground. Noticing her watching him,
Declan straightened stiffly and went towards the bathroom. The
sound of running water followed his disappearance.

Willow followed him and stood in the doorway
of the bathroom. Declan had his shirt off already and was washing
his face and looking at himself in the mirror. Declan with his
shirt off was an amazing sight. Willow watched in wonder at how his
muscles moved when he did, the defined biceps that made his
shoulders look so broad. Slowly, a tear streaked down her face.

He turned to her. “What is it, Willow?”

Quietly, but knowing he heard her, Willow
asked him the question that had been burning in her mind for a
while. “Why don’t you want me the way I want you?”

“The way you---” Declan stopped himself and
turned his full front to her, Willow instinctively looked at his
abs. “What do you mean, Willow?”

Her head spun with lust and desire, but she
was completely coherent. The effects of the vampire’s charms were
slowly wearing away, but this wasn’t a trance. This was something
more. Willow realized she never wanted any other warlock the way
she wanted Declan. “Dec, I know we’re from two different families.
You’re the son of the most powerful warlock imaginable and I’m just
a First degree witch with strange healing powers. I get it that I
have no claim on you, okay? But hell if my heart is telling me any
different, Declan.” She sighed and then went for it. “I can’t stop
thinking about you. When you’re near, all I think about is you. I
should be focused on my task and finding my talisman but it’s so
hard because you’re here with me. I like it when you hold my hand,
and even when you take control of a situation no matter how much I
protest and fight you. I like how you defended me from Chase when
he was too flirty and pushy. Not to mention you’re so freaking
good-looking that I can barely take my eyes off you half the
time!”

“Stop,” Declan said coming up to her and
cupping her face with his hands. She didn’t realize that more tears
had fallen from her eyes as she felt him wiping them away with his
thumbs. “What did the vampire do to you? Be very specific.”

“Ugh,” she tore her face away from his hands
and stormed back in the main bedroom. Declan followed closely
behind. “He didn’t do anything to me Declan,” Willow said harshly.
“I’m not in a trance like you think I am.”

“You’re thinking is lustful,” he
shrugged.

More tears fell down her cheeks. “My thinking
is lustful!!?? Lustful! My thinking is perfectly fine, Dec! I’m
telling you the truth! This is me! This is real! Why don’t you
believe me?”

Declan ran a hand through his hair looking
uncomfortable, “How can I, Willow? You always push me away! We
argue and fight all the time. You never gave me any sign that you
liked me. You’ve never told me any of this before! What am I
supposed to think?”

“It’s just because I’m scared you don’t want
me back,” Willow whined, desperate for him to believe her.

“I thought you hated me,” Declan
revealed.

“Only because you act like a completely
different person around your friends, and you used to make fun of
me all the time. I just want to know what I’ve done to you. I want
to know why you don’t want me back!”

“Of course I want you, Willow!” Declan burst
out finally and turned away. When he looked back at her, his face
was solemn. “But I know this isn’t real. You aren’t going to
remember anything about tonight. You’re in a trance, Willow.”

“No, I’m not!” she screamed. “Please, Declan.
Please believe that I want you.” She came up to him and wrapped her
arms around him, hoping he’d melt against her. He did just the
opposite. Declan stiffened against her body and pried her arms
away. “Please don’t let me go,” she begged.

“I’m sorry, Willow,” Declan said. “You don’t
know how much I want this to be real…to be true.”

“It is,” she whispered and closed her eyes
and said with absolute truth. “It is.”

Declan guided Willow to the bed and tucked
her beneath the covers. Willow’s head spun with dizziness, and her
tears dampened the pillow. She heard Declan scrounging around and
then he flicked the light off. The bed dipped when Declan sat on
it. Suddenly, she felt Declan’s arm wrap around her and pull her
against his chest, spooning her. His body curled around hers like
it was made to do it. She fit him like a glove.

Willow sighed in pleasure when Declan began
messing with her hair. He ran his fingers through it and down the
length of it, massaging her scalp. It felt so good. More tears
dripped down her face.

“Sleep now, Willow Tree. You’re safe.” Declan
whispered to her. She felt herself drifting quickly, but she longed
to stay awake to savor this moment and burn it in her memory. “Our
journey will be over soon.”

“Declan,” Willow said thickly through her
tears. His words were hurting her more than he knew. It was like he
was saying good-bye to her, like he knew they didn’t belong
together, just as she knew it.

“Yeah?”

“Just hold me. Don’t let me go…” she pleaded
groggily.

“Never,” he whispered in her ear.

In the darkness of the bedroom, in a cabin in
the middle of the dangerous Everwild, Willow felt safe in Declan’s
arms. For tonight, she imagined that he wanted her as much as she
wanted him. He held her close, and she took comfort in his embrace.
But Willow cried harder when she realized that tonight was all she
would ever have.

The next morning at breakfast, Willow sat
across from Declan. They didn’t talk. They didn’t look at each
other. Last night was awkward enough for both of them. Willow was
upset after she realized she went to bed with an empty stomach, so
she didn’t feel guilty about indulging in a full stack of chocolate
chip pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. Willow topped off the
delicious meal with a large glass of orange juice. When she finally
stopped eating, she felt energized. She jealously eyed the
remainder of the food, wishing her stomach was bigger so she could
eat more.

The Neutral Zone was quiet this morning, only
a few people were in the lounge or at the bar. It was a lot emptier
than last night. Chase came down the stairs in brand new jeans and
a snug dark gray t-shirt. His black hair was still damp from a
recent shower, and was pushed back away from his pretty face. The
intoxicating smell of cologne reached her nose. He cleaned up
very
well.

Willow and Declan had already showered and
cleaned up for the day. Being in the same room this morning was
really uncomfortable for her, but once she jumped in the shower,
her worries and fears all drowned in the hot water. Chase had
bartered for new clothes for them, (Willow didn’t even wanna know
how), and so she had a fresh pair of jeans and a plain, but
flattering white t-shirt. Declan was dressed in faded designer
jeans and a rich brown polo shirt. He had shaved and put on cologne
as well looking every bit the pretty boy warlock he was.

“Morning,” Chase said and stretched lazily in
front of them before sitting down to dive into the food. Chase
looked up after a while and regarded Willow and Declan curiously.
With a mouth full of food he asked, “Interesting night?”

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” Declan said
gruffly and picked around his eggs with a fork.

“Oh, so she snubbed you, huh?” Chase said and
winked at Willow. “That’s my girl.”

Declan ignored him, which was odd. Willow
expected some kind of smart remark to Chase’s comment. Chase
shrugged and went back to eating like the world was ending
tomorrow, scarfing food down and making weird “mmm” noises.

Declan’s mood really bothered Willow. Last
night, lying in his arms, she had fully accepted and admitted to
herself that she was in love with Declan. No other person stayed in
her thoughts like he did, no other person made her infuriated and
cared for all at the same time, and no other person gave her
butterflies or made her want to stare at him all day “just
because”. But one thing Declan said to her last night stuck in her
thoughts: Declan wanted her. Oh, he could deny it all he wanted
now, but Willow remembered every single detail of last night. How
she pleaded with him to kiss her and how Declan admitted he wanted
her but didn’t think her reactions were genuine. Declan was still
oblivious to the fact that it wasn’t an act. Willow really did want
to kiss him, hold him, and be with him. The trance the vampire put
her in was not at full strength last night. She was completely
coherent, which made her even more embarrassed.

Acting dumb and playing along with Declan’s
crazy idea that she was under some sort of lovesick desperate
trance, Willow decided to shelter her feelings about him until he
admitted his feelings for her. Call her stubborn, but she wanted
him to be the one to make the first move. He always approached
other female Firsts, so she figured she would just bid her time and
wait. She looked over at Declan and quietly asked, “Are you okay,
Declan?”