CHAPTER 8

 

 

 

 

 

Her ears were ringing. The scent of him trailed in her nose and wrapped around her heart, refusing to let go. Later she would wonder at the temporary paralysis in her lower body and the way her arms refused to lift. But for now, her foggy head kept her warm and happy.

Even in her teens, Lavinia hadn’t felt this kind of rush. Hadn’t fumbled in her attempt to drag his pants down to his ankles. She’d been nervous and anxiety-ridden her first time. The situation worsened when she got a vision of herself accidentally ramming her elbow into the boy’s nose and the resulting Niagara Falls of blood pouring down his shirt. Talk about ruining a mood. After that, she was hesitant to try again. Her hormones were going haywire, her gift worked two times out of ten, and it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain her sanity.

Okay, her romantic trysts hadn’t all ended poorly. Some of them even turned out to be nice people. But none of them made her feel as safe, as cherished, as Pike.

“Say something. I need to know you’re alive,” he murmured when she didn’t move.

“I’m alive.”

“Speak to me, love.”

Arms weak and trembling, she pushed herself up, smiling down at the look of bemused satisfaction on his face.

“That was…” She paused. Took a deep breath. “Wow.”

He pulled her against him, teeth scraping a line along her throat. “Mmm. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.”

“I’m not very, you know, experienced. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. I could lick every inch of your skin and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“You aren’t satisfied?” she asked fretfully.

“I never said such a thing.”

“Please don’t lick much more. I might be semi-clean because of your magic tissue, but I still don’t trust it enough. We are going to need a shower.”

Suddenly she was flattened underneath him. In the perfect position to wrap her legs around his hips and bring his collarbone into reach. She placed a kiss on him before lifting her head to grin.

“What?” he asked when she stared at him. “I can’t keep myself off of you.”

“I was just thinking about how this was worth the wait.” Her eyes continued to scan his face. “It was worth every moment I caught a glimpse of you and felt like I couldn’t have you. Even years before I met you in person.”

He groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows. “It wasn’t that you couldn’t have me. There are just certain things about me I wanted to spare you. I wanted to keep the status quo. This,” he ran his fingers in a circle in the space between them, “should not have happened.”

“Guess we kind of messed up, didn’t we?” She trailed her fingers along the planes of his back. Was it possible for such muscles to exist? Not only was she dealing with a damn six pack in the front, his back could crunch a can into oblivion.

And he wanted her. Her.

Never in her life had Lavinia felt special. Not even when she’d made the biggest mistake of her life and ended up a part-time psychic. It didn’t make any difference to her tentative self-esteem. Hooking up with him had been a mistake. Getting involved with him in the first place had been a mistake. Damn her visions. Sometimes the universe made mistakes, and when it did, they ended up being a doozy. That’s how she’d felt for years.

Then she got to know Pike. She wanted him. But she knew that it would take something radical and unexpected for the two of them to be together, especially when her gift showed her otherwise. Yet here he was, on top of her, formerly inside of her, and Lavinia felt like the luckiest person alive.

God, she loved that man. Loved him with everything she had inside of her despite knowing he would leave. It made no difference. Her mother had always called her a generous heart. Someone who gave of herself until there was nothing left. Lavinia didn’t care.

“Messed up? Yes, we definitely did. There’s not much we can do about it now, though, can we?” His chest pressed against her and his breath tickled her hair. “Fancy a second round?”

She hummed in contentment. “In a little bit, absolutely. I can think of several things I’d like to do to you. Even past my bedtime.”

“Thinking about you in bed turns me on.”

“Lucky for you, we have a bed at our disposal whenever we need. And I plan on staying here for a while.”

She’d take whatever she could before it ended. It definitely would end, she knew that. There was no way they could make it work. She’d seen the future and recognized the heartbreak in store. Her hand rose to massage the area between her breasts as though a physical ache had already manifested. Her visions weren’t always to be believed, but this one she knew was true. For whatever reason. The certainty of it settled heavy on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight.” Pike adjusted his frame to give her more room to breathe. “Second time today I nearly crushed you.”

“It’s fine.” She ran her hands down his arms. “I don’t mind the weight. I was just thinking about the first time I met you.”

“On the street? Smoking with my friends? You caught me in a bad moment.”

“Okay, the second time, when I finally got a good look at you. It was at that party on Thirtieth three years ago. You remember? And every glimpse of you I caught, I wanted to swallow you whole. Enigmatic and dark. Dangerous. You weren’t like any other man I’d ever seen. Then you turned to me, watching me with those black eyes until I was so confused and turned on I had to leave the room.”

“Oh?” He arched a brow.

“You didn’t even know who I was. Beyond the crazy girl who ran up to you on the street going on and on about being psychic. But you were staring at me from across the room. And not like I was out of my mind. Like I was somebody worth knowing.”

“Because you were. You are. I remember, you know,” he said, tapping her on the nose. “You were wearing some horrible little button-up shirt with those short pants. What do you call those calf-length slacks? Britches?”

Lavinia shuddered. “Worse. Gauchos.”

“Ah yes, the gauchos. Hideous things. I saw the shape of you beneath them, thin, streamlined, perfect. I noticed your amazing head of hair, full and black and thick enough I wanted to tangle my hands in it. I tried not to think about what might be underneath the buttons on your shirt.”

Her smile was slow to come. When it did, it refused to leave. “Are you serious? I thought you were staring because I’d spilled mustard down my front.”

“Well, the mustard was more like a homing beacon. It drew my eyes in the right direction. But you, my dear, you are the one who captured them and held them. I couldn’t stop watching you. Then you had the terrible run-in with—”

“The harpies. Ugh, don’t remind me. But I didn’t know you were really looking at me, actually seeing me. I can’t explain how it makes me feel to know that. I’ve felt like such a fool, wanting you yet thinking I couldn’t have you.” Lavinia let her eyes close, let her head drop back, and giggled. “Wow! It’s amazing! Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Never thank me.”

She didn’t want these feelings to stop. Not when Pike sat up, drawing her onto his lap and seducing her all over again.

“I have a crazy idea,” he murmured through kisses. “How about I grab a bottle of something bubbly and we get drunk. Piss-ass drunk. Then we can have each other until we can’t walk.”

As long as their night didn’t end so soon. Her stomach rumbled and she jumped at the chance to spend more time with him. Did it make her pathetic? Probably. She wasn’t about to hide it.

“That’s an idea I can agree with. Wait, what are you doing?” She stared after him, laughing when he sprang to his feet and jogged into the kitchen, naked as the day he was born. A hint of a smile flashed over his shoulder.

“See anything you like?” he called.

Lavinia shook her head, propped up on her elbows to watch him saunter toward the refrigerator. She felt exactly right. Sitting in the opulent living room, surrounded by modern furniture and windows open to the night skyline. Cool air caressed her overly heated skin. She took a moment to appreciate the absurdity of it, her body delectably sore. Arms wide, she flopped onto her back, a sigh caught in her throat.

“This is insane,” she muttered.

Pike kissing her. Pike tasting her, touching her, and running to grab a bottle of champagne. She could see him in the kitchen, rummaging about. He looked impossibly handsome, the dark chestnut of his hair silvered by moonlight. His skin golden and face lit up with a smile. Then his gaze fell on her across the room and magic passed between them. A power so confusing and intense it robbed her of the ability to breathe. For a split second, she could have sworn she saw the air sparkle between them.

With the uncorked bottle in one hand and two champagne flutes in the other, Pike walked back to her, set everything on the nightstand, and then lowered to his knees. “I want to kiss you. I can’t resist, and I’m not even going to try.” Then he claimed her mouth in a touch that burned.

The heat turned gentle the longer they held contact. It became something sweet. Something tender. Something she knew she would cherish long after their night ended. Pike swept her up in his arms, her head cradled against his shoulder while still balancing the bottle.

Lavinia wondered how many other women Pike had brought back to his place. How many others he’d caressed and seduced. That thought brought a bitter taste with it.

“Champagne,” she demanded.

“As you desire.”

There would be no more thoughts about others. Only his warmth, his weight. The delicious bubbles pouring freely.

Later, she told herself as she became lost in Pike again, later she would think about how crazy it seemed. How it felt to be a psychic, a part-time prophet, who hadn’t foreseen falling in love with an unnamable supernatural creature.

Falling in love? Yeah right.

She was well beyond the falling stage, Lavinia admitted. She’d loved him from the first night they met. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

 

**

 

She woke at dawn, a sound from outside jolting her out of one of the snatches of sleep Pike had allowed them. He was beside her, chest rising and falling evenly, his body warm. For a long moment she just gazed at him, memorizing the picture for later.

This was a new experience, she mused. Not the kind of dream she’d expected to come true. She’d never experienced a desire like this before—the kind of desire that grew inside of you until you knew, with absolute certainty, that you’d found the person you’re meant to be with for the rest of your life. Instead of the weak-willed woman she’d always thought herself, an animal had sprung up in her place. A passionate, uninhibited wanton.

She hoped to have the experience frequently.

The searing sex she’d anticipated. One look at Pike had assured her of that. What she hadn’t expected was the tenderness. He wanted her. What a thrill! She refused to let her visions of the future put a damper on her happiness. Not when she already knew their end was inevitable.

She slid from between the sheets and grabbed a towel to cover her nakedness. Then she went to pick up the clothing that they’d scattered across the living room.

Yuck! Everything was stiff with dried and caked muck and grime that smelled of something putrefying. She shuddered and tugged the towel closer around her. Maybe he had a washer and dryer somewhere? The kitchen was a good place to look.

She hummed a little tune, peeking into the refrigerator for something to eat. “What the hell?” Her perusal turned up a number of bottles containing a range of alcoholic beverages and little else.

“You being up this early is ridiculous.”

Lavinia swiveled at his voice, shocked to see him standing buck-naked against the counter, his eyes half-closed and his voice sleepy.

“You should go back to bed,” she told him. “You need all the sleep you can get after our all-night marathon sex session.”

His eyes opened at the mention of sex. “Come here.”

Again, calling her like a damn dog. Only this time there was an undercurrent in his voice. A craving lacking before. She tiptoed closer, her fingers curling into his chest hair. “Maybe I’m the one who’s sleeping. Because if I were awake, I would see how crazy this situation is. I can’t be here in your kitchen trying to find something to eat.”

“Can, and are.” He gently tugged her fingers away from his chest and stretched them out until her palms lay flat. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

She shook her head, eyes closing. “Mmm, your bed is so comfortable. I could lie in it for days. I feel like I ran a marathon. Maybe two.”

In fact, her body trembled the longer she stood upright. Her head felt heavy, which she attributed to the lack of sleep.

“I see. You only want me for my bed.”

A few romps on the California king-size beauty with satin sheets had been a perk. But not the highlight of the evening.

“Tell me about the spell book.”

“Hmm?” Her response was sleepy and soft.

“I want to know what happened. The night you got your powers.”

“I’m sure I told you before.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’ve always managed to dodge the subject.”

“Well,” she began slowly. “It was a prank. All the kids in school went to the magic shop and touched something.”

Pike laughed. “You became immortal from a prank?”

“It was…like being born again.” Her pitch deepened and became wistful. “The book drew me in. I can’t read Latin, Pike, but there I was. Mouthing these words I didn’t know from a spell on crumbling pages…” she trailed off, and her next statements were rife with disbelief. “There was light. I was sucked backward through a vacuum. All the air rushed out of my body and it felt like my blood turned to stone. I woke up with a clerk screaming over me and accusing me of shoplifting. I didn’t have my first vision until a week later.”

She didn’t tell him the first vision she saw was him.

“Pretty potent for a prank,” he insisted.

“Tell me about it. Sometimes the smallest things can change our lives. I’m still trying to figure out what you see in me,” she continued. “I hate to say it, but the only time men throw themselves at my feet is when they’re dead. You’re not a ghoul in disguise, are you?”

She felt his head shake before Pike murmured, “No, love, definitely not a ghoul.”

“Then you must be alive.” She stared up at his hard, handsome face. Happy he was holding her upright. She wondered what kind of products he used that gave his skin such a healthy glow. While she felt like she was about to topple over, Pike looked positively vibrant. The month-long-vacation-with-a-massage-every-day kind of vibrant.

His arms snaked around her to pull her against him. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, which curled up into a grin at the contact. What she wouldn’t give to be wide-awake to enjoy it.

“So what are you?” she couldn’t help but ask again.

If she hadn’t been tangling tongues with him, she might have missed the flicker of stiffness. The slight backing off even when his arms stayed around her.

“Sorry, I’d rather not say.”

“Aw, come on. I think we’ve gotten to a point in our relationship that I deserve to know who I’m sleeping with.”

Pike leaned in. “Don’t you mean what?”

It bothered her, she realized. Like an ant crawling under her skin. She was an open book for him, answering questions when he asked and baring her soul for his scrutiny. But she knew nothing about him.

“You won’t give me an answer?” she pushed.

“Lavinia, drop it. Enough. How about we go back to bed and I’ll show you the man you’re sleeping with. No more questions.”

“I’m going to start getting a complex about this.”

“Get whatever complex you want,” he retorted.

“You really aren’t going to tell me?”

“No, I’m not. Sorry, but there are some things that are better left unsaid.”

“Fine.” She moved out of his embrace and snatched up the nearest piece of clothing that wasn’t ready for the trash heap, which turned out to be Pike’s leather jacket. With a soft curse, she yanked her arms into the sleeves and let the towel slide to the floor. She headed into the living room, where the carpet was warm and clean beneath her bare feet. A stark contrast to the mud and sewage they’d been trouncing through the night before. The contrast was almost sublime.

Nevertheless, she began pulling on her disgusting pants and boots.

Pike followed her own, hands on his naked hips. “What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving,” she stated. Whirling around in a circle, she searched for her own jacket and wallet. She’d need money for another cab. And where the hell was her pepper spray? “Anything is better than staying here with you.”

“You can’t run out just because I refuse to tell you what I am.”

Pike said it with a laugh. As if the very idea amused him. And that had Lavinia seeing red. He found this funny? He found her emotional torment amusing? No wonder he kept her around. She was good for a laugh.

“I’m not running out because of that. I’m running out because…because I can’t stay here. There needs to be honesty between us. I tell you whatever you want to know, and many things you don’t even ask.” She paused and shook her head at that little absurdity. “It’s the principle of the matter, Pike.”

“The principle, Lavinia? Is learning what I am going to make a difference in how you feel?” He followed her as she stomped back into the kitchen.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

His hands framed her face, urging her to look at him. “Why don’t you tell me, then? You’re an observant woman. In some cases. Surely you’ve spent enough time staring at me.”

The admission cost her little. “I do stare at you a lot.”

“You do.” He tweaked her nose. “Now come, sit. If you’re so determined, then I’ll help you figure it out.”

The muscles around her heart compressed at the prospect. He’d been around a long time. That was painfully clear from the moment she first saw him.

“You obviously have had a long life,” she said, leaning against the kitchen counter. She dragged the jacket closer around her torso.

“True. I’ve lived for centuries.”

“So you’re…what…some kind of supreme, mythological being?”

“Exclude the pantheon of gods. It will make this easier.” His fingers tapped against the counter. He was nervous, she realized. He didn’t want her to find out. Why had he agreed, then?

“I’ve never seen you shift.”

“Because I’m not physically capable of doing so,” he answered.

“A phoenix?”

“Never been fond of fire.”

“How about a dragon?”

Pike gestured around the room. “Do you see any piles of gold?”

“You’re definitely not an angel,” she teased.

“More of a demon, if you will.”

A demon soul. Her mind scratched against its confines trying to determine Pike’s origin story. She thought about what she knew, what she’d seen over the years. The soul of a demon…?

“I’ve never seen you drink blood.”

“Means nothing.”

She scoffed. “You can’t be undead.”

He stared at her. Was he disappointed? “Can’t I?”

“Oh. Oh, God.” Lavinia sucked in a deep breath, her gaze darting between him and the floor. “It can’t be.”

Pike slid closer until his nearness sent her blood pressure spiking. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pushed against her. “Say it.”

“What?”

“Lavinia. What am I? Say it.”

The heat rushing through her body evaporated, replaced by cold. “You’re…a vampire.” Her voice was a whisper of sound. Barely audible. Taken from her lips and strewn far the moment it was birthed. The moment she said the word, she was overtaken by the sensation of cords. Silken cords. Wrapping in and around and binding her to the creature in front of her. She rubbed her arms against the feeling even though she saw nothing. Yet the bonds were there.

Pike smiled with what looked like relief and even resignation. “You figured it out. Took you long enough.”

“But you don’t… I’ve never… You walk in the sunlight!”

“That I do.”

“And you eat garlic!”

“In small doses,” he agreed. “Great for the digestion but not so good for the breath.”

“You…you don’t drink blood,” she continued in an undertone, her eyes on the floor. “I would have seen it.”

“Ah, love. There are more things under heaven than you understand. I don’t have to drink blood to survive. I’m not that kind of vampire.”

“Then how do you…feed?”

“The one thing you haven’t managed to figure out.” His voice was full of bitter triumph. “I’d think it simple. Love, my dear Lavinia. I feed on love. And yours has been a delicious feast.”