Limerence (27 page)

I stare into his face, drowning and lost in those beautiful brown eyes that I have longed to look into one final time. His hand comes up to caress my face, cupping it in his palm.

“Baby.” He swallows as he thumbs away my tears. Red tears that I haven’t even felt slide down my cheeks. His lips are on my mouth, hot and throbbing with want and need, his greedy tongue rubbing against mine as my mouth opens and welcomes his touch.

The world is right again.

He pulls out of our embrace and exhales. His breath hits me hard, and I breathe him in. It feels like the first breath I have taken since dying, and I take great satisfying gulps of it—of him. A haze forms around us, everything turning to a blur where there is only him and me.

The urge to touch his face is bewildering; I have never yearned for something so much. Even the desire for blood is nothing compared to this. Yet here I am with a thudding in my ears that could not possibly be my stone cold heart, but is something quite close to it. As if he has brought me back to life with his love.

He sighs. Not an impatient sigh, but a sigh that has me acknowledge that we are feeling the same things. We look into each other’s eyes, and in that moment, we both know.

We are one and the same. We are both vampires.

His hand reaches for my lower back and pulls me roughly against his hard body, the pressure sending shock waves through me, and I tremble as every pore in me feels like it has been set alight.

My hands grope up and down his back, his neck, his hair—searching for more of him, needing to feel every inch of him. He leans forward, staring into my eyes, never looking away, the intensity burning right through to my very core. His lips find mine again, the heat overflowing from our mouths as our tongues clash against each other, our mouths open wider, wanting to taste every bit of each other.

I can feel his breath in my mouth. I groan and lean into him, pulling him closer, our mouths pressing roughly against each other, more urgently now.

No other thought crosses my mind but this single process of belonging to him in every sense. My body is his. My mind is no longer my own, but his. He is one step ahead of me every time, as he strokes and caresses every inch of my cool flesh that feels on fire with desire for him.

His hands probe my body further, my mind racing, sending out yet more sparks. I lean back against the wall and sigh when his mouth finds the soft shape of my throat. Gently, but urgently, he kisses up and down it, while I look up and freeze. I see sparks crackling above us. He too, in all his perfection, stops to glance upwards, tilting his beautiful face up, mesmerised by the sparks that pop and sparkle.

He chuckles as he looks back to me with a steady gaze, and swiftly strips me of my clothes. I frantically pull at his, desperate to feel his body connecting with mine.

My body heaves as I try to control my clumsy fingers working on his buttons until thankfully, he covers my grateful hands with his, and together we tear the shirt from his back in reckless abandonment.

Then he is on me, pulling and pressing, desperate for me, the fire inside ignited even stronger than either of us think possible. Our minds mingle, and I am unsure which thoughts are mine and which are his. My answer only comes when my body responds to his touch.

His lips lock on mine once more, and I’m swallowed up by his want, his need. His love for me.

The room spins and the world tilts as we slide to the floor in an erotic heap. His hard body presses against mine as it begs for entrance in to me. I open myself legs, wrapping my thighs around his waist as he pushes himself deep inside me. I cry out in pleasure, my fangs instantly releasing, as do his. Flames leap about us, heat building everywhere.

Our bodies move together gracefully, as if they were two parts of a perfect puzzle—a puzzle where one piece has been lost for far too long, and now we are binding them together before they can be lost again. Sensations vibrate through me, my body shivering as his tongue skims over my breasts, his strong hands kneading them.

A rumble trembles from within his chest, quietly at first, but getting louder. Oliver moves back to my mouth, his tongue urgently probing inside, until his rumble is a deep growl erupting from him. I pull him deeper in me, grinding my hips against his, my hands clawing at his back. The feeling of need now a volcano erupting between us, destroying every other thought process possible until there is nothing left but his strong arms holding me and his brown eyes boring into mine as his body covers me, moving against me. A rumble erupts again as his pace quickens, and he shudders the feeling emanating from deep within him, and sends shockwaves through to my own body. He pulses in me and we cry out together.

His hands are on either side of my face as he pulls my eyes to meet his, and his soft lips touch mine. A tingling, burning sensation throbs through our mouths as they touch, and I feel him flinch, and know I didn’t imagine the feeling. His eyes search mine as our lips press together with persistence.

Trapped in our own bubble, I can’t imagine a better place on earth to be but locked in his arms with his body on mine, like this, forever.

My face is flushed with the effects of…well, everything. Oliver reaches across and picks up some strands of my hair, which have fallen across my chest. He brings them up to his face and takes a long, deep breath, as if trying to burn the smell of me into his senses for eternity. He lets it fall gently back in place.

As my breathing slows to a steady pace, he rolls off me, to the side. An arm drapes, languidly across my belly. I realise with a slight flush that we are on the floor and my cheeks lift in a grin.

“
What’s so funny?
” A voice, strong and deep inside my mind, speaks and I spring up to my knees and away from Oliver with a yelp.

“What did you just say?” I stutter, staring at Oliver. “How did you…” I can’t even finish my words. He leans up on one elbow, his torso stretching handsomely, and looks at me almost shyly.

“We’re connected now, Mia. Forever. From what I understand of it, my thoughts are yours, and yours are mine.” He says…with actual words from his mouth this time. “There’s a lot more to learn, things you don’t know yet.” He says guiltily.

He reaches a hand out towards me. Like a balancing magnet to him, my body responds by leaning forwards, both needing, and wanting his proximity. I flinch, confused and yet mesmerised by the thoughts that flash through my mind. Thoughts which aren’t mine, and yet somehow belong to me now.

I see Oliver, talking with Mr Breckt. A dingy prison cell. A tall man—Donovan, I think his name is. A young woman, sweet and serene looking. She’s biting Oliver. He’s dying.

I look to him, feeling nauseous.
Oh, baby!

There is blackness…and then there is me: my face, like a shining beacon of light, pulling him out of the darkness.

I watch his face closely. The images flash through me, almost painfully. He covers his face, knowing what is obviously coming next.

Another woman is in front of him, her mouth open in horror as he tears into her throat, the vision turning red as her blood spills.

I shake my head and pry his hands away from his face and try to look at him.

“Don’t Mia.” He shrugs me off him, but I wrap my arms over his shoulders, holding him close, our skin on skin contact sending shivers through us both.

“Ollie. We’ve both done things that we aren’t proud of…”

He stares at me, his eyes wide. “Aren’t proud of? Mia, I slaughtered that woman!” Red tears brim in his eyes, threatening to fall. “I see her. Every day I see her face.” His eyes squeeze shut and he bangs a fist against his head making me back away in shock. “Shut up, just shut up.” He murmurs to no one.

I watch him feeling more confused as he battles something or someone I’m not aware of.

“The way she screamed…Oh god, it just won’t go. She begged me, Mia.” He looks up into my eyes. “Begged me not to, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was her blood.” He looks away, shaking his head.

I think of the woman that I killed. I search for the image of her pale, dead face, but I feel no remorse when I find it. There is nothing. I don’t feel a thing. Now I am the one to cry, and I frantically try to cover up my wicked thoughts. He can’t know. Ever.

“Oh, Mia. I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you. I’ve had longer to come to terms with all this.” Ollie’s arms are around me as he hugs me, holding me tight to his cold chest. I snuggle in as close as I can, needing him.

The ache starts slowly at first: a low throb, deep down in the pit of my stomach. It always starts the same. I feel Oliver’s shoulders freeze, and then he pulls away from me, looking into my eyes.

“We need to feed you, sweet cheeks.” I can see pale pink streaks left behind on his cheeks from his tears, and I finally feel guilt. Guilt that I am hiding the horror of who I am from him when he feels so much pain for what he has done. I bite my lip upon the realization that he can read my thoughts if he chooses and so quickly banish my guilt to the back of my mind.

I pull away. “Feed me? On what? I won’t kill anyone.”

“What?” His eyes widen.

“I think I’d hurt someone if I went near them now. I can’t do that, Ollie.”

His eyes grow softer. “It’s fine. We can go back to Mr San, he has blood. It’s from donors, it’s okay. He looks after us, Mia. I understand why you ran, you were frightened…” His arm trails a reassuring pattern up my arm.

“Ollie, I ran because that vampire, Shauna, was going to kill me. She’s working with Mr Breckt, and the Queen. She wants to go back to them.” I suddenly feel the need to get dressed, but looking about us, I can’t see our clothes anywhere.

“No, Mia. You have it wrong. They all hate Mr Breckt, and the Queen. He explained everything to me.” He smiles now, as he sees what I’m looking for. “You won’t find our clothes, sweet cheeks.”

“Ollie, you’re wrong, she loves Mr Breckt. Trust me on this; she made it very clear what she wanted to do to me.” I stand up, continuing to look about the room, ignoring his comment.

He stands up next to me. Concern is etched on his perfect face, but he also can’t seem to keep the amusement away.

“Our clothes are gone, Mia.”

“Gone?” I realise that since Ollie has been near, my thoughts have been clearer. I can’t hear next door, or anyone else inside my head for that matter. It’s as if he has settled my mind. However, my stomach is getting increasingly more painful. My arms clutch around my middle as a stabbing pain reverberates through me.

“Sit down. I’ll be back, Mia.” He pushes me backwards gently, until I’m sitting on the bed, and then leaves. I see his retreating backside as he goes out the door, and despite the anxiety I feel, I can’t hide the smirk from my face.

I look around the room for our clothes. I still don’t get where they have gone. In a less than a minute, I have examined the entirety of the room, taking in more than any human would see. I see everything: the cracks in the skirting board, the beginnings of a silky spider webs in the corner of the room, the curling of the wallpaper over a small, damp patch near the leaking radiator. However, our clothes are still at a loss. There’s a patch on the ceiling, as if there has been a fire at one time or another. Dust gathers underneath the burnt patch.

I grab the duvet off the bed, my brow furrowing at the contact. I can smell the dirt on it. Nevertheless, I wrap it around myself tightly. The burn on the ceiling is round. Like a blowtorch has been lit, and held, on this part alone.

Oliver strides back in. He’s dressed now, much to my annoyance. He chuckles as I frown further, and comes towards me, handing over some clothes. I can smell other people on them, but only faintly. There’s an overwhelming smell of perfume on them.

“Where did these come from?” I ask, pulling the jumper over my head.

He grins. “Don’t ask.” Oliver tries to busy himself around the room, but there really isn’t much for him to do. I catch him watching me as I bend over to slide black leggings up my long legs.

“You have seen me naked before you know, Ollie. It’s okay to look at me.” I stand back up and look at him.

He looks coyly at me. “I wasn’t looking at you, Mia. Did you want me to?” He feigns shock.

“Funny, Ollie,” I laugh back. My heart feeling lighter than it has done in a long time as we slip back into our old ways. Our familiar rapport a deep comfort.

He moves towards me, his hands hesitating above my shoulders, his lips part. “It’s so much more now than it ever was before.”

I know what he means. The feelings are heightened by hundreds—a million, even. The love I felt for him before is nothing compared to what I feel for him now. The lust inside bubbles away continuously.

“I don’t think I would ever leave this room if it weren’t for the whole mortal danger thing.” He says trying to be playful. He bites his lip, his eyes skimming over me. My body clenches deep down in expectancy.

“We have to go, Mia.”

“I know.” Neither of us makes a move from our positions. His handsome face looks into mine, his hard jaw clenching as he struggles to control himself. He rubs his thumb gently across my shoulder.

“If you could just see what I see…” He huffs out a breath and looks away, closing his eyes. My hand reaches up and strokes his cheek, the desire building in me, egging me on. I stroke a finger across his mouth and feel him shudder.

“Don’t Mia, we have to go. They will be coming for you—for us.” He swallows loudly.

I lick my lips, unable to stop the longing in my body. He turns to look at me.

“Stop it, Mia.” He pulls my hand away from his, taking a step back. “I can’t resist you. Not now.”

My body quivers for his touch, begging for it, for him. I lick my lips in hungry anticipation of him.

Looking into my eyes, his sounds out his words as if speaking to a child.. “I. Can. Not. Resist. You. Stop. It. Woman!” he laughs.

Images wash in front of my eyes. I don’t understand what I’m seeing. My forehead creases in frustration as I see the image of a woman. I gasp at her beauty.

“Beautiful Mia, you are a goddess to me. Don’t you know anything by now?” I understand that the woman I’m seeing is me. How Oliver sees me. I look at him uncertainly as he shakes his head. “No, this
is
you.”

The woman in Oliver’s eyes takes my breath away. Her beauty—my beauty—is insurmountable to any I have ever seen.

“What…”

He chuckles. “You see so much, and yet you are blind to something so obvious.” He gestures to the floor. “You were beautiful before, but now…” He holds me at arm’s length. “The ash, baby. That was our clothes.”

“What? How?” I look at the pile of ash in horror.

“I don’t really understand it myself, Mia. I don’t understand any of it, really. Definitely not the whole vampire thing, but I know that you are very powerful, and both Mr San and Mr Breckt want you.” His teeth clench together. “They both want you for very different reasons though.”

“But,” I gesture to the ash again, not caring about Mr-Damn-Breckt right now.

“That, I don’t know, I just know that you’re powerful.” He sees my face crease with worry and carries on. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Mia. I’ll die first.” I realise now that he already did die for me. He died trying to protect me.

At that thought, we both listen intently. A sound downstairs in the hotel lobby catches our attention. Someone is here for us. For me.

“We need to go, Mia. Now.” He grabs my hand and we climb out of the window. The drop is huge, but Oliver gently tugs my hand. “Jump, baby.” He pulls me with him when he jumps, and I don’t even have time to scream out before we land—albeit me with a little less grace than him, but we land—and nothing seems broken.

I stare up at the window we just jumped from in shock, and then look back to Ollie.

“Let’s go, sweet cheeks.” He grabs my hand and I feel that magnetic rush between us again. Smiling, he pulls me up to stand, and we set off at full speed into the forest.

*

The night has closed in around us. It makes no difference to either of us now though. The cold, the dark—none of it matters. But the lack of blood does.

“Ollie, I can’t go any further.” I pull on his hand.

“We have to, Mia. They’re too close. I can smell them.” He continues to pull me along, even as I drag my heels.

I can smell them, too, though. I know why he’s scared, but my stomach is creasing up with pain, scorching my insides with every step I take. The flames leap in me, all-consuming, until I cry out.

“I can’t, Oliver. I can’t.”

He turns back, stoops down, and picks me up off my feet. He continues to run at full speed, carrying me in his arms. I sag against him, barely able to hold my head up.

It’s no good. Every movement burns through me. I’m whimpering, sobbing into his chest, but there is no blood. My tears have dried up, there is no spare blood left in me for the tears I’m trying to cry.

I need blood. Now.

We have been running for hours. I have no idea where we are, or how close our pursuers are. Hell, I’ve no idea who our pursuers are. Mr Breckt or Mr San, and I realise how ridiculous this all is, how pointless. We can’t run from them, all we’re doing is delaying the inevitable. They’re older and stronger than us, we stand no chance…

“Stop,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. Oliver glances down at me in his arms, but continues regardless. “I said, stop, Ollie.” I cup his face in my hands, and pull it down to look at me, feeling his momentum slowing down.

“We can’t, Mia. We have to keep going.” He looks defeated. His shoulders slump dejectedly, his eyes dull.

“There’s no point, Ollie. You can’t carry me forever.”

“I can!”

“You can’t. Even if you could, they’re too close. I’m too weak, and they are too strong. It’s no use, don’t you see?” I hang my head, wanting to cry, but still nothing comes.

Stupid vampire, I can’t even cry.

Oliver finally stops. “I can’t lose you again.” His voice cracks on the last word. I reach up and press my lips to his.

“You won’t.”

We both look behind us at the sound of crashing. They’re nearly here.