Shattered Skies - Night Waves (9 page)

             
I waited for the pain to start. Numb or not, burning from the inside out would have to hurt. Besides, I was sure that Drake wouldn't be standing there watching so intently if he knew that I would be too numb to feel pain. I really did hate that cocky son of a bitch. Then and there I made the same vow. I was going to kill him one day; big promises from a dying chick.

             
I was still looking into my bed mate’s eyes when I saw his euphoria start to slip away and confusion take its place. I am sure the same look was being reflected back at him from my face, too.

 
“Why the hell isn't she dying?” His voice was much stronger than I thought it would be. He was talking to Drake like he wasn't afraid of him, like he could care less that Drake could pick him up and tear him in half in one swift move.

  
I liked this guy. I was still waiting. Maybe it was the fact that my mixed blood was slowing down the process. That sounded believable. Yeah, I would hold on to that hope as long as I possibly could.

  
“My God! You worthless useless human! I all but hand you one of us to kill, and you can’t even do it?” Drake was pissed and that made me happy. “Damn it. You idiot! I even comatose the bitch and you still can’t do the job. How pathetic are you people?”

  
I would have given anything to be able to speak just then. I would have pointed out the fact that the useless human was about ten times the man in bed Drake was. I really didn't know that, but it would have been great to see the look on Drake's face

  
Drake was still pissed. “Get him out of here,” he shouted at some guards. “What is your name again vermin?” Drake’s voice seemed far away again, even farther than the voice of the man that had just been in my bed.

  
“It’s Jace, pretty short and easy to remember. Think you can handle that, you big ox?” I heard the wind from the punch. It had to have hurt him bad. In fact, if the blow hadn’t broken a bone on contact, I would have been surprised. Yet through the pain and the fact that he was being dragged out of the room, he managed to continue to dig at Drake. “Yeah, I thought maybe it would be, you can call me J if you want, you know like the letter,” and then this Jace character actually chuckled, he actually laughed at his own joke! Despite everything going on he was chuckling and laughing and it sounded so genuine and so real.

             
But Drake wasn’t amused. “That’s it, white trash, go ahead, and laugh at me. We’ll see if you have the balls to keep laughing when I stand over you and rip your pathetic throat out at the Hunt.” Drake was losing control. It should have scared the hell out of me but I loved that the other man had shaken Drake’s cool. I didn’t know who the man was, or even if I was ever going to see him again, but the fact that he was taunting the most vindictive beast going? Well hell that earned him more respect from me than he knew.

             
I guess I was smiling at the thought and that didn't make the temper prone Drake very happy. His hand shot out. The slap was sobering and my eyes flew open. “I don't know what it is that you are smirking about there, kitty Cat. But I assure you that man, and I use the term loosely, that man will pay the price for talking to me like way. But right now we have more important things to figure out.”

  
I would have done most anything to be able to ignore those important things. I didn't want to figure them out. I didn't want to think about what Akia's blood had done to me. If I thought begging Drake to keep his thoughts to himself so I didn't have to face reality would help, I would have been on my knees and pleading in a second.

  
They couldn't kill me, neither monster nor man, and I wasn't sure where that left me. In fact, it scared me more than anything I’ve ever faced. How was it possible to be a hybrid of a hybrid and still be human? There was no way. The Vampires made sure that nothing like this could ever happen. And if neither human nor Dominus could kill me, did that mean that I was now more of an immortal being than the Dominus themselves? This was too much to try to figure out on my own. For the first time in a long time, I wanted my father; a concept that had been very foreign to me of late. I knew Doctor Walker, the old Doctor Walker, would be able to explain to me what was happening. He might even be able to make me feel better. But the old Dr. Walker was long gone, replaced by a power hungry, hot looking Vampire, one that cared more about himself than taking care of his family.

  
I couldn't close my ears and avoid hearing what Drake was on about, but I could close my eyes. I didn't have to put up with watching him look at me like I was some new toy for him to dissect and play with. I knew that look way too well and I hated it more every time I saw it.

  
“Open your eyes now kitty,” he said. I want you to look at me. I need you to know that not matter whatever it is you turn out to be, I am going to destroy you.” I didn't want to believe him but he sounded completely hell bent on doing just what he promised. “In my opinion you have lived through something that would have killed any Dominus and fascinating as that may be, I don't really like it. You bedded both a human and a Dominus and you are still here to tell about it. That screams different to me, and let’s face it, you are different enough already, and that means that you are way too risky to keep around alive. As much as I would love to play with you, to pull you apart and slowly rip you limb from limb, I am not sure I should do it just yet.”

  
I knew what was coming. I knew that I couldn't fight. I couldn't even argue with him because as well as my brain was working, my mouth was refusing to open.

  
“But fuck it, maybe I will,” he snarled suddenly losing control, and with one quick move he was at my neck. I felt his breath break through my numbness. I heard him sniffing the scent of my skin; would he be able to control himself? I waited for the bite. If I felt his breath his bite would definitely be next. I waited and waited and nothing at all happened. “God damn it! I can imagine how sweet your blood is and how great it must taste, but there are tactical reasons I can't savor it.” I felt myself release a breath that I had been unaware I was holding.

  
Drake was lost in logic mode now. “Reason one, if I kill your mutant ass, Akia will definitely take vengeance and then I will be finished. There is no doubt in my mind that I could kill him before him kills me but I would still be executed for offing the precious King.” His breath was getting hotter and I could feel the rage vibrating off his words, and still I shuddered sensually as the promise of danger that he carried with him ignited everywhere he touched.

  
I almost wished that he would keep touching me and more and I hated my body for betraying me and wanting him. For the first time since I woke up to his torturous game, I was glad I was unable to move, because I wasn't sure that I would be able to stop myself from reaching for him.

  
“More importantly, reason number two,” he continued. “What if whatever it is that is wrong with you is contagious? Not that I don't think it is cool that I could screw everybody, but whatever it is that you are, I am sure there is a lot more downside than perks.” How was it possible that whatever I was now was more offensive to him than the thought of me being nothing more than a human?

  
“This was supposed to be easy. Akia would believe me if I told him I saw you fucking another guy and you burst into flames. Of course, being the good friend that I am, I had to kill the rodent that took his love away from him, didn’t I? Now what in the hell am I supposed to do?” Sensation was returning to me inch by inch. Drake was beginning to feel heavy on top of me. My feet were tingling. I tried to move my legs but my body wasn't there yet.

  
“How about you let me go and we pretend this didn't happen?” My voice surprised even me. For a second I figured maybe I had just thought those words and not said them out loud? It wasn't until Drake let out a sarcastic laugh that I realized I had spoken and my voice had returned.

             
“Well kitty Cat, welcome back to the land of the living. I am sorry to tell you, but you won't be staying long, so feel free to enjoy the little time you have left. You want to be a snotty little bitch, go ahead!”

  
“Can't blame a girl for trying.” Not very imaginative, but it was a classic retort.

  
“I’m just going to go back to pretending you are mute sweetie. I can't kill you and I sure can't let you live either... So that means one thing. I have to get creative.”

  
Drake looked at his minions and barked some orders. ”Put her in the cage with that pathetic excuse for a human male and leave her there until I can figure out what to do about this mess.” And with that he was gone, marching out of the room with a clack of his boots. I am not sure why I took solace in the fact that I was causing him trouble, but I did.

       My cell was tiny, but still much better than being tied to a bed. At least I could put up a fight when the time came to do so. My roommate however, seemed less than pleased to have to share his space with me.

      “You just stay away from me! You should be dead! What the hell are you?” Hmm, he was more afraid of little old me than he was of Drake.

              I have to admit, I took a second to let that thought roll around in my head. I really couldn't blame him for acting that way. I didn't know what I was either. Besides, it wasn't fair of me to expect that a human that had seen more people die that he cared about than I hoped I ever would could accept me. Matter of fact, it made me feel a little bit better about myself because he hated me. I hated me too just then so it felt good to add him to the list of people that were disgusted by the mess I had created.

       “I don't know what I am,” I said more softly than I intended.

       There was something freeing about saying it out loud. The look on his face told me that he was shocked by my softness. I felt connected to him for a second and it was great not to feel alone. I was just as surprised and as clueless as he was, we shared that, even if he’d never believe it.

  
“What?” he said turning around and looking a lot less scared than he had when I first got shoved into the cell. Well maybe we would be having a conversation after all. Interesting, I thought. I hadn't expected conversation at all, I had braced myself for a lot of name calling, some shouting, maybe even a fight. I didn't expect civility or understanding at all. I studied him for a second. I wondered if he understood that he was almost as much of a puzzle to me as I was to him? I had never been alone with a human that I didn't know. How was I supposed to act? Did I treat him the way I would treat Darien or Jaden?  The only other humans in my life were ones that I had known from the day I was born. And yet, here he was, a stranger.

  
He was handsome. Not drop dead gorgeous, more like a boy next door type. The one in the neighborhood that all the girls had a secret crush on, but none of them would admit it, because he wasn't the best in the class. Short black hair, green eyes a shade that I couldn't describe, a mix between emeralds and mud maybe, and full pouty lips. There really wasn't anything petite about his features. He was all male. There were fresh cuts and bruise that marked his strong jaw and a few laugh lines too.

  
How were laugh lines even possible? How could this man have laugh lines? What in the world did he have to smile about? He was living on borrowed time. By looking at him, I guessed he was of the labor class. He looked too strong and in shape to have been caged constantly for food. Maybe they were frown lines and my first impression was wrong. Yeah, that made more sense.

  
“I know you can talk, I just heard you do it.” He smiled at me and it broke my trance. He had a really sincere smile. I shook my head a little trying weakly to clear it.

  
“I said I don't know what I am. I know that I am not going to hurt you, if that is what you are worried about.” I saw him relax just upon hearing the last part of my statement. “I know that I am not one of them. I don’t drink blood. I am a human.” I said human like I was clinging to it with every last bit of hope that I had.

  
He looked me over for a minute and then he said the words that I knew I was going to hear sooner or later, the words that I have heard myself say over and over in my own mind, words no one has ever said out loud to me. Surprisingly though, they didn't hurt like I thought they would.

  
He shook his head looked at me and said, “You are no human.” I waited for the proverbial shock to hit. I waited for the floor to drop out from under me, or for the earth to shake. I waited for something, anything. Something had been said that should change everything, some reaction had to happen. I was really hoping it was the scenario that I pictured most often, where the earth opened up and swallowed me whole.

  
When nothing happened I went cold. I have felt that cold one other time. It wasn't a good time. It was seconds after I killed my sister Jewel, as she looked at me like I was her savior. I didn't need those moments to come back right now. I had too much going on as it was. I reverted to argument mode.

  
“Yeah, then you tell me what I am!” I shrieked. That was the voice he was waiting for, the one that he expected from the beginning. It was the voice of a woman that had a monster lurking just under the surface.

  
“How come you are still alive, then? That Dominus screwed you and then…...I screwed you.” He stopped and turned red, looking down quickly. Awww, had he really just blushed at that? That was almost flattering. How was I going to argue with him when he was playing the embarrassment card?

  
“It is OK you know. It wasn't your fault. He made you do it.” I wanted to make him feel better. I am not sure why. But something about him made me want to get closer to him.

  
He wasn't looking and I moved quietly, reaching out without a second thought. I grabbed his hand. Now it was my turn to blush. I did it without wondering if it would be OK to do it. He didn't pull away, so I knew it was acceptable to touch this stranger.

  
“I said it was OK, it wasn't your fault,” I repeated. He looked at me with an unfamiliar embarrassment. I was used to men that thought they were the king in the bedroom, no pun intended. I didn't know how to handle this situation. I wasn't sure what to say next, so I was really relieved when he started talking again.

  
“Can I tell you something that no one knows?” It was an odd question all things considered, but there was nothing at all normal about anything that had happened all day.

  
After all, we were sitting in a dark cell, two complete strangers that had just had sex, talking to each other. We were waiting to die and yet wondering if it was OK to be free and open. I guess it wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to me in my life, hell it probably wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to me that week.

  
I sat down beside him and let go of his hand. It surprised me how I sat so close to him without thinking. How I trusted him enough to let my guard down, something that I seldom did with anyone in my life, and how trust was an odd but welcome feeling.

  
“I want to know everything that you want to tell me,” I said. He was quiet for a long, long time. I was starting to get a little worried. How bad could it possibly be that he suddenly got this quiet?

  
My imagination began to run wild and that was never a good thing. The longer he was silent the more “what if” scenarios played out in my mind. Finally, the worse scenario that I could think of settled in and wiped out all my other thoughts. Was this going to be one of those scary human diseases? One of the diseases that had completely devastated the characters that were in those stupid films that me and Darien used to watch? Did this man have something seriously wrong with him and now I could have it too? How ironically great would that be?

  
Imagine fighting off the people that stole my normalcy, just to be brought to my death by some stupid pre-invasion illness? And no life prolonging medicines available. Great! I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to get him to talk soon or I was going to panic.

  
“OK, not to be pushy here, but the suspense is killing me.” That made him smile sheepishly; he really had a great smile.

  
“That was the first time I have ever had sex.”

      His statement fixed everything and complicated the situation times ten all at once. That statement
had ended what I had thought was an unbearable silence, only to create its own brand of unbearable silence. One of those the world stops silences. I knew he was waiting for me to say something. But what could I say? I didn't know much about the old human culture but I was pretty sure this wasn't the time or place for me to offer congratulations, or way to goes. A high five maybe and a playful punch to the shoulder? None of those options seemed right from my side of the fence.

  
I was the first person that he had ever been with and it wasn't because he wanted to be with me, it was because either he screwed me
or they killed him.

   “I am sorry.” It was the only thing I could say, and still that didn't feel like enough.

  
”What do you have to be sorry for?” he asked. I didn’t know why he sounded so ashamed. He had done nothing at all wrong. He had only done what he had to do to live through another day of hell.