Craved

“Gwen?” Micah said. I looked back at him and arched my eyebrows in a sort of “Hmm?” response. My head was a cloudy, foggy mess, thanks to Micah and Aiden. Now was not the time to figure out my love life.



Micah leaned down slowly so that his lips were right in front of mine and I froze with surprise. When he pressed his lips to mine, I melted right where I stood. His tongue darted into my mouth and claimed my own as it swirled around and sent fire to erupt within me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his body, his warmth soaking all the way to my core.



“Stop…we have to stop,” I said, pulling away from him. The nausea that floated through my stomach was enough to make me want to vomit. I pushed away from him and walked a couple feet before bending over and sucking in deep gulps of fresh air. I was ashamed and pissed at myself for ever letting something like that happen. I cared about Aiden, possibly loved him and had just betrayed him with a man he hated.



“Gwen, I know you want to be with me. I can see it when you look at me. Are two people not supposed to be together because of the other people in their lives? I’ve never stopped wanting you.” Micah spoke against my back but I couldn’t turn around to look at him or speak to him. If he wanted me so much then why had it taken him a year to mention it, did his phone stop working within that time? Was seeing me again igniting old feelings that were causing him confusion also? Working with him again had been a mistake.



“I don’t want you, Micah,” I said quietly, like I was testing how the words tasted on my tongue. “That was a mistake I won’t ever repeat.” I turned to face him and searched within myself for the courage not to cry. The realization suddenly dawned on me that what had been between me and Micah had been false. Werewolves were primitive in their thinking and I had fallen for what I thought was love, when the only thing between us was attraction. I couldn’t deny that the sexual tension between us went through the roof, but looking at him now, I knew it hadn’t been full blown love. It wasn’t what Aiden made me feel. With Aiden, I was smitten with the anticipation of his glance, or the sensation of his skin on mine whenever his fingertips brushed against my hand accidentally, the light in his eyes when he watched me or the sporadic beating of my heart whenever he was close. All of the little things that give you hints of internal emotions that can’t be expressed through physical contact. Micah was comfortable to me, familiar, but he wasn’t what my heart wanted. And, even if he didn’t realize it yet, I wasn’t what his heart was looking for either.



“You love the vampire.” He said matter-of-factly. I grinned at the blatancy of the statement and nodded my head.



“I’m sorry,” I told him.



“I do love you,” he said softly. “I almost gave it all up.”



“If you did love me, you would have.”



I didn’t think Micah completely grasped the difference between “almost” and “doing”. It was a big step for him to even consider giving up expansion of the pack for me; no werewolf would do that. The bond that through a were pack is stronger than anything I’d ever seen and, if he had given it up for me, he wouldn’t have been happy.



In the end, I could finally see that the hurt I had gone through had been the best thing for the both of us. Micah would go on to have little were babies with Jamie and possibly fall in love with her, while I would give myself wholeheartedly to the man I had loved for two years. And although Micah isn’t a frog by any means, the kiss between us had made me realize who the real prince was. Aiden.



**********



After our nice little chat and my revelation, we finally made our way to the warehouse. I magically unlocked the door and waited just outside as Micah checked the inside. A lot of witches had learned to fight with their magic but I wasn’t one of them. I could conjure a bat and hit someone upside the head, but I doubt I’d be quick enough against a vampire. Seeing how the vampires had become our number one enemy, maybe the NAWC should require magical fighting techniques as part of our public education.



“All clear,” Micah said, peeking his head out the door. I stepped inside the warehouse, already knowing what it looked like. The broken down refrigerators I’d seen the night before sat in the far corner. Two cots occupied the middle of the floor and off to the left was the office area. I walked toward the office, like I’d been here a millions times and knew what I was doing. Micah followed and looked over my shoulder as I picked up the clipboard I’d seen previously. I scanned the list of names and my breath caught as my eyes found Aiden’s name. I had been hoping that I imagined that part of my night.



“Clients?” Micah asked.



“Yeah, I think so,” I told him and magically made Aiden’s name disappear from the list. I didn’t need the FPD knowing my vampire beau was on a suspicious list of brew users. Out of curiosity, I searched for Ian Despereaux’s name but it wasn’t on the list. I handed the clipboard to Micah and searched the area for any other information. There was a computer sitting on the desk but it was password protected. Finding nothing else useful, I left the office and walked around the corner where I had seen the men sitting at the table. The table was right where I expected it to be but there weren’t any supplies atop it. There were a few built-in cabinets along the wall but nothing of interest inside them.



Micah pulled out his cell phone and rambled off the address to one of his co-workers. If the distribution team showed up, the FPD would catch them. I walked over to where I had seen Bridget’s body and sat gently on the cot. I placed my hand on the pillow that had absorbed her tears and my own eyes welled up from the sadness. I’d never had experience with junkies, but I had heard that they would do anything for their next fix, even kill innocent witches. It was an entirely different matter when the drug in question ran through my veins. Magic was a truly fantastic element that no one completely understood; but what separated us from the other supernatural species, could also get me killed.



“Ready to head back?” Micah asked.



I nodded my head. “Yeah.”



The ride back to Flora was quiet. Micah was either embarrassed or pissed at what occurred between us. I knew a small part of my heart would always be occupied by Micah but it was more of a fossil from my history, than a sore spot.



Once back at Micah’s house, I thanked him for going with me and got into the driver’s seat to head back to my apartment, leaving what had happened between us in the rearview mirror.



14



Spending the day with Micah had left me exhausted, the effects of Ms. Ozland’s tea having worn off. I was happy with the fact that I was able to lead Micah to the warehouse where Amy and Bridget had been drained. If the bastards stepped foot in there, they’d be ambushed by the FPD. I smiled at I thought of the case finally coming to an end.



I was curled up on the couch watching reruns of I Love Lucy when Fiona…and Ian, walked into our apartment. What the hell was she doing with him? I must have dozed off during Lucy because I hadn’t even realized it was nightfall. Fiona messed around in the kitchen while Ian made his way into the living room. He was dressed in jeans, a navy thermal, and a black leather jacket. His blonde hair was perfectly gelled and his blue eyes sparkled against the faint glow of the lamplight.



He sat on the arm of the couch and after observing what I was watching, smiled down at me.



“Good evening, Gwen,” he said, his tone light and a grin on his lips. I quashed the attraction I felt towards him and gave him a tight-lipped smile.



“What are you doing here?” I asked, sounding ruder than I’d intended. He hadn’t done anything to me, per se, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything wasn’t all it seemed with Ian Despereaux.



“Do you fault me for wanting to see you again?” he asked in a low voice so that Fiona wouldn’t hear. I wondered what exactly was going on between him and my best friend, especially since he was showing interest in me. I made a note to track down Aiden later on and ask him about his so-called friend, even if he had been ignoring my calls and texts.



“And why did you want to see me again?” I asked with indifference. There was a glint in his eyes that sent butterflies erupting into a whirlwind throughout my stomach. Whether I trusted him or not, he was hot! Vampires aren’t gorgeous like some ridiculous books portray them to be. In reality, they look just like they did before vampirism. Aiden and Ian had been dealt a generous hand when it came to the looks department, although I preferred Aiden to Ian.



“How serious are things with Aiden?” Ian asked out of left field.



“How serious are things between you and Fiona?” I retorted, reminding him that he had come waltzing through the door with my best friend. It was obvious enough that Fiona liked Ian, too much for him not to notice. I didn’t appreciate him leading her on if he didn’t share her feelings. I mentally wondered what Ian had said to Fiona about our kiss. Thinking about the kiss left me feeling cheap. In the day I’d been away from Aiden, I had kissed two different guys. I cringed internally at the thought of Aiden thinking I was a whore. The butterflies Ian had figuratively placed in my stomach disappeared into a cloud of nausea.



“Fiona is a wonderful woman but we’re friends. I find myself enamored with her roommate.” He winked and I wanted to throw up. I was spared having to come up with a witty comment because Fiona walked into the living room and stood next to Ian as if she were struck with anxiety from being away from his side for even a few minutes.



“What’s going on?” she asked, looking between Ian and me. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded toward the television.



“Watching I Love Lucy,” I said. “What are you two up to?” My voice held a curious edge that I hoped Fiona wouldn’t decipher as jealousy. I wanted to know if Ian had led Fiona on into thinking that they were more than friends, and then, when her back was turned, planned to start making advances on me. I had enough to deal with, I didn’t need a vampire playboy stomping all over my and Fiona’s friendship.