Immortal Dreams (14 page)

"What is
that
supposed to mean?"

He gives me a devilish grin before propping up on the back of the couch.

"I'll tell you if you kiss me like that again."

I really hate the fact I'm grinning right now, and I do my best to wipe it from my face.

"You're incorrigible."

"This I know.  Now, the kiss?" he muses, playfully feigning impatience.

I walk over to him, and then I almost put my lips to his before shoving him over the couch, making him fall in a toppling motion.  He starts laughing again as his back slaps the floor, and then he shakes his head while propping up.

"That's not a good way to ask for information."

"Perhaps I should call my dad and tell him you're trying to exploit me for sex."

He narrows his eyes, his smile lighter now.  "Firstly, don't call your dad.  He's fucking crazy.  Secondly, it's a kiss... not sex... not yet, anyway."

I accidentally laugh, and he stands up to walk back around to where I am before he starts his explanation.

"The council sent you to Washington, where the dark users hold the root of their power.  I found it suspicious to begin with, and then on top of that, they didn't tell you your mom had been receiving threats."

"Threats?" I prompt, expecting him to elaborate.

"Nothing deadly, they just kept saying she would get what was coming to her if she didn't return what was theirs."

That sounds deadly enough to me.

"What did she have?"

He shrugs, plopping down on the arm of my chair, and then he pulls out a bottle of red liquid I dare not watch him drink.

Blood.

"I don't know.  I haven't found out that much.  One thing is for certain though, your council is holding out."  I hear the swishing of the liquid going from the bottle to his mouth, and I shiver in response.

"Not a fan of blood, love?" he teases.

"Not a fan of blood meals."

"Well, I need less blood than night stalkers if it makes you feel any better." 
Not really. 
"So I take it you have no idea what your mother was holding either?" he asks almost rhetorically.

"No.  She didn't tell me anything about the politics or even the reality of our world.  She always tried to bring out the sunny side of my fate, since I'm constantly at odds with magic.  What about Frankie?  Does he know anything?"

I just talked to him.  Why didn't he tell me any of this?

"I haven't spoken with him yet.  He's not exactly very
honest
with me, given the fact I'm a changer.  I wanted to speak with you before he could coach you up.  It's hard to help someone when they're holding back."

True, but I don't blame Frankie for not trusting any of them
.

"Well, I'm not holding back.  Apparently I know very little about my mother's life."

He sighs, frowning slightly, and then he stands up to walk to the door.

"If you think of anything, let me know.  Also, watch your back.  If anything goes wrong, head to your next safe house.  No more hotels."

I glance at the heavy book of procedures he has drawn up.  It's resting on my dresser, making me smile.

"Thanks for the long list of places to go, by the way.  How the hell do you have so many houses?"

He lets a laugh free, and then he shrugs.

"I've been around a while.  One tends to accumulate.  So, where's loverboy?"

"Out.  I'm sure he's tired of changing places all the time."

"Then tell him to go home," he says with a devious grin.  "If you don't like being alone, I can swing by and keep you company."

His boy-next-door persona was washed away the day I met him - well, since I met the real Thad.  Now he's the wolfish bad boy who loves to tease me.

"I can't believe I thought you were such a sweet guy," I huff out with a bit of a grin.

"I'm a changer, baby.  I can look like anyone... including a sweet guy," he teases, his menacing grin emphasizing his mischievous eyes.

"Change into someone leaving," I mumble playfully while ushering him out the door.

"It's been a long time since a girl kicked me out of one of my houses."

I laugh loudly, and he jerks me by the back of the head to push his lips against mine before disappearing out the door, leaving me scowling at his quickly fading back as he blurs out of sight.

Obviously he was watching me to know Kane is gone, so I quickly go to draw the curtains shut.

The door opens again, and Kane walks in, carrying... nothing. 
Thad?

"Hey," I murmur softly, not sure if this is Kane or Thad.  "You've been gone a while."

He smiles as he walks over to me, and his arms slide around my waist as his lips find mine.  He tastes so damn good, and I smile.

Mmm.  Definitely Kane.

"Yeah," he says pulling back.  "I decided to go for a run after I went into town.  I was going to bring you back something nice to eat, but I thought we could go out instead."

"Like a date?" I say too excitedly, quickly masking my giddiness with a more respectable composure.

"Yes," he snickers out while pulling me closer.  "Like a date.  Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming you've been wanting a date for a while."

I blush lightly while feigning nonchalance, making him laugh a little more.

"Go get ready, and I'll make us some reservations."

I tug at his hand, suddenly a little too turned on to simply walk away.  I've never been this enthralled by anyone.  At the same time, I feel guilty for dragging him around the country.

"Do you want to go home?  I know you weren't expecting to be gone for so long, and I'm sure you didn't plan on living on the move."

He strums my lips with his, and then he shakes his head.

"I'm not leaving you.  I'm perfectly fine bouncing around.  Now, get ready, I'm taking you out."

I tug at his hand again, and he looks at me curiously.

"Actually, I sort of feel like ordering in now," I seductively release while leading him to the bed.

A smirk begins to play on his lips as he plays along, and he picks me up to gently toss me on the bed.

"Oh really?" he asks with a low, sizzling hot tone.

"Mm hm."

His lips find my neck, his teeth lightly grazing my skin as he sends the most delicious shivers all over my body.  His hand slides between my legs, pushing aside the shorts as his finger rolls across my aroused center.

I moan lightly when his touch stimulates the insatiable beast inside me, and he starts pulling my shorts down slowly, drawing out the torture.

"I'm starting to think I've created a monster," he teases when my hand rubs across his erection.

"Maybe.  Let's find out how vicious I can be."

He lets out a laugh, and then he pulls my shirt over my head just before his lips find my chest.  I moan more, and then I rip his shirt over his head to offer me skin on skin.

His body still astounds me.  Each line is carved by perfection's hand.  It's surreal how amazing he is. 
All of him.

My hand slides under his jeans, finding his desire for me, and he moans as his lips find mine.  He flips over, bringing me with him as I sit astride his gloriously perfect body.

I bend down, bringing my lips to his, and he grabs my ass to grind my center against his, making me all the hotter.

I start pulling at his pants as my lips start trailing down, and his breath hitches in his throat when he feels my lips on his perfect piece of firmness.

"Alyssa," he breathes in a hoarse whisper, making my head move a little faster as I take him deeper into my mouth.

Then suddenly I'm ripped up and his lips are crushing mine as he thrusts in from underneath.  A loud breath falls through my lips in a grunt when he slams in a little harder, no longer taking it easy on me, and I sit up as his hands grip around my ass to aide my rhythm.

I pull his hands to my breasts, and he moans as his head falls back.  I push against his chest for balance as his hips buck harder, pushing me to the edge, and then I cry out as I find that incredible release only he has ever given me.

He shudders inside me, releasing his force, and I fall forward to collapse against his chest.  My ragged, tired breaths fall free as I work to steady my thudding heart, and his arms wrap around me as he kisses the side of my head.

"You're amazing," he murmurs with a breathless tone of his own.

"I've had an incredible teacher," I playfully retort, making his laughter break free in an expected spurt.

I rise up, a smile on my face, and then I kiss his neck.  I tilt my head to the side when I see a faint scar - his lone imperfection.  It's something I've never noticed before.

"Where'd you get this?" I ask while running my finger over it.

He tenses, and I feel like an ass for asking now.  Apparently it's not something he likes to talk about.

"It happened a long time ago.  It's not something I like to talk about though."

"Sorry," I murmur regretfully, and then he kisses my head, warming me through my hair.

"It's fine.  We're still learning about each other.  Right now, I want to learn what you look like in the shower."

I laugh a little, but I willingly cede to his request as he pulls me from the bed and leads me into the bathroom.

The bed is empty, and
I start looking around the dark room for the warmth I'm missing.

"Kane?"

I'm met with silence, so I get up to start my search through the large home.  Each turn is another empty room, no sign of the man who has seemed to abandon me in the middle of the night.

Then my eyes fall on a note, and my heart drops as I read it.

Alyssa,

I'm sorry.  I had to head back home to take care of some business.  I'll be back tomorrow, I swear.  Please don't be mad.

Kane

I huff, and then I walk over to pick up my phone to call him.  It rings for a while before going to voicemail, so I hang up.

Who leaves in the middle of the night without saying anything? 
Someone with secrets.

I can't be mad at him for having secrets though.  It's not like I can ever tell him who or what I really am.  This can just be fun while it lasts... as long as I don't fall in love.

A chill spreads through the air, and I move over to the window to see a shadow flashing from place to place.

I get sick when I see several pairs of glowing blue eyes in the distance, their bodies swiftly moving across the sands as they head toward me.

"Shit!"

I grab my phone and dial Thad as quickly as I can, praying he's still close by.

"Mmm, I love a late night call."

"Good, because I'd love a late night hero."

"What's going on?" he asks more seriously, slightly panicked.

"Night stalkers - at least twenty.  Please tell me you're close by."

"I'll be there as fast as I can.  There's a weapons room in the master.  Press the lever above the fireplace disguised as the head of a sparrow.  Shoot anything that gets too close with the silver gun.  The bullets have been blessed by your kind."

Thank fuck.

The phone goes dead, and I rush over to the mantle to press the button, praying it will hurry up and open.  My phone starts ringing just as it does, and I look down to see Kane's name.

Too late to talk now.

I'm actually glad he took off in the middle of the night now.  The last thing I need to do is drag him into a centuries-old war.  I rip two guns from the secret compartment, and then I start firing through the window while using my magic and scattering the shards of glass away from the frame for me to leap through it without getting ripped to shreds.

Hollow, shrill squeals erupt from the death-seeking, bloodthirsty bastards, and I force the power from my body to blow them back, praying Thad hurries the hell up.

"What the hell do you want from me?" I scream while spinning a circle of power around my body, a force strong enough to keep them away from me... for now.

"Just you," one hisses, fangs out, bloodlust in his eyes as he lunges at me, but the protective circle I've spun deflects his attacks, throwing him back.

"It's going to hurt worse next time," I bluff, knowing I'm not strong enough to keep this shit up against so many.

"Stupid witch."  He snarls while climbing to his feet, and the headlights in the distance make my stomach tense up.

Please don't be Kane.

The lights disappear, but my distracted mindset has left me vulnerable.  The eager bloodsuckers quickly take advantage.  The stinging pain in my side knocks the wind out of me as I go sailing backwards.

I fall to my face, splitting my lip and making blood taint my taste.  I cringe, feeling the grit sliding down my throat as I cough up the remnants of the intrusive earth.

"Bastard," I growl, barely defending myself from the next attack in time.

Then I grunt and wheeze when I feel a hand around my throat from behind, lifting me high into the air and turning me to face the glowing blues on the pretty face.  As long as he's touching me, I can't use my fucking power.

"Now, where the hell is it?" he demands, his tone dark, ominous, and scary as hell.

"I... don't... know... what-"

A shrill screech rings out as a hawk zooms down from the sky, growing in size as it nears us.  I scream as the talons grip my arms and rip me away from the monster who can't hold back my powers anymore.

I sling my arms out as the hawk carries me off, and I deliver one last blow to the vicious bastards below.  I struggle against the piercing, sharp claws, and I look up at the hawk intent on getting us out of here.

"Too tight!" I squeal just as slithers of blood drip free from my arms.  "They'll find me if I'm bleeding every-damn-where."

He can't answer in changed form, but he swoops low, almost slapping the ground before releasing me.  My feet run to fight the built up momentum, and the hawk changes into the white wolf, his head motioning for me to hurry up.

I run and leap into the air, and he grows under me after I land on top.  I hang on for dear life as he charges ahead, deep into the desert.  The wind slaps me in the face, along with desert bugs, and the chill of the night creeps down to my bones, fighting against the heat of my adrenaline.