Archaic (20 page)

Everyone turned and watched Jared's response to the question.

"It's
because
I care for her that you can trust me to do what needs to be done. I don't want her to become one of them," he answered them. They didn't question him further.

I continued to sit there in silence. Neve was the next one to ask a question that everyone wanted to ask. "Why is she acting so strangely?"

Jared turned back to look at me. I watched his eyes soften as his eyes met mine. There was no flutter or pull inside of me as my eyes held his.

"It's part of the change. She has these emotionless episodes where she feels nothing. She's experiencing these daily and each time they last longer," explained Jared.

"So let's stop wasting time and let's discuss what we came here to discuss." It was Catherine who now took command of the meeting. "We need to find out if there has been a case of a human surviving an attack by a Hue. It's the only way we will be able to figure out if there is a way to save her before she runs out of time."

Everyone nodded in agreement, understanding what needed to be done and how urgent it was.

"We would have heard if there had been a human who'd survived an attack," Nathaniel said, voicing what I thought a lot of them were thinking.

"We can't just write her off," Jared said fiercely. "I can't do nothing and let her die."

I watched with detachment as they all looked at each other. I could tell from their expressions that they thought it was hopeless, but they would follow Jared's instructions.

"I want Tyler and Danny to start contacting the other Archaic groups and ask around. Maybe someone knows something," Jared instructed. Tyler and Danny nodded in agreement. "I want everyone questioned."

"We'll meet back here tomorrow," he said, dismissing the group. I sat and watched them filter out of the room. A few sympathetic glances were thrown my way. They knew I was as good as dead.

Jared stood in front of me. He bent down so his eyes were level with mine.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over me. I nodded.

"Are you hungry?" I shook my head in response.

"You need to call Anne, your grandmother, so that she knows you're still okay. Can you do that?" he asked.

"Yes." He handed me my phone.

I dialed her number and she answered after the fourth ring.

"Hi, sweetheart," she greeted me, sounding cheerful. It grated on my nerves.

"Hi, Anne." I tried to sound like my usual self, but it wasn't easy to sound like I was happy to hear her voice when the truth was I didn't care.

"Are you good?" she asked.

"Yes. How are you enjoying your weekend?"

"It's been great. We've spent most of our time catching up on the last few years," she told me. She sounded so happy and carefree. I could tell just by her voice she was having a good time.

"I'm glad you're having fun. I'm tired, so I'll call you again in the morning." I kept my voice light.

"Okay, sweetheart. Sleep well, and I love you."

"Love you too," I replied automatically before I disconnected the call.

"Let's go upstairs," Jared instructed gently. He didn't try to touch me. I followed him out of the living room and upstairs to his bedroom. When we entered his bedroom, he turned and closed his door. I stood there and stared at him blankly.

"Are you tired?" he asked softly.

"Yes," I replied stiffly.

He walked out of the room and a couple minutes later he returned with my toothbrush and hairbrush, which had been left in the guest bedroom for me.

He gave them to me and said, "You can use my bathroom."

I walked into his bathroom and closed the door. I could hear him linger outside the door. After brushing my teeth and my hair, I walked back into his room to find him standing beside the bed.

"You can sleep in my bed," he offered as he pulled his comforter down and indicated for me to climb in. I just stood there, watching him.

"I'm going to sit in the chair," he explained. I didn't move. "I can't leave you alone."

I wasn't sure why he couldn't leave me alone. I shrugged and climbed into the bed. He pulled the comforter over me before I lay down on my back with the comforter pulled up to my chest. I smoothed the cover with my hands and lay with my arms straight beside me. He disappeared into the bathroom and a few minutes later he walked out wearing just pajama pants.

I closed my eyes. I was tired. I heard him move around the room. There was a click when he turned off the lights and then I heard him walk to the chair and sit down. Moments later, I fell asleep.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It was dark when I woke up. The numbness was gone and I felt my emotional self again. In the darkness I spotted the outline of Jared sitting in his chair that was angled toward the bed when I scanned the room. Slowly I pulled the comforter back and climbed out of the bed. I walked quietly over to where he sat and stopped to gaze down at him. He was asleep. I wanted to leave him to sleep, but my need for him made me reach forward and touch his arm.

His eyes fluttered open and he stirred. His gaze took me in before his arms reached for me. I climbed onto his lap and his arms wrapped around me. No words were said when he lifted me up and carried me to the bed. He lay me down gently on the mattress and climbed in next to me.

I turned to face him. I could make out the outline of his face in the darkness. My finger touched his lips and then I leaned forward and replaced my finger with my lips. His arms pulled me closer as his lips moved against mine. My hands snaked around his neck and I pulled him closer and his arms tightened around me. His tongue swept against my lips and I felt a rush of
want
so strong that I gripped him. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I gasped. I tentatively touched his tongue with mine. His lips against mine, our tongues tangling, was the hottest thing I'd ever experienced. It sent shivers down my body. My fingers raked through his silky hair as he kissed me urgently.

My heart hammered loudly in my chest. I couldn't get enough of him. He pushed me down as his lips claimed mine again. It was wonderful. He hovered over me and then I felt him cover my body with his. I didn't stop kissing him as I felt his knee spread my legs and his hips settle between them.

His one hand held me firmly behind my neck and his other hand held my hip firmly as I felt his hips press against mine. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him. I was losing myself in him. His lips trailed down my neck and I threw my head back to give him better access. It felt so right. His body fit perfectly against mine.

I'd never experienced this before. Now I understood what all the girls were raving about. My hormones were going wild. He was intoxicating, and I wanted him, all of him. I felt his lips leave my neck and his lips cover mine. I loved the feel of his lips on mine. As his tongue trailed across my lips, I felt my stomach do a somersault. I pulled him closer and his kissing became harder, more urgent.

He pulled away and I let go of him. For a minute he just hovered above me. His eyes were glazed over with a need that I understood. I unwrapped my legs from around him as he gently moved off me and settled next to me on the bed on his back. He pulled me into his arms and I laid my head against his chest. I could hear his heart beating rapidly, and his breathing was erratic like mine. I was glad my heart wasn't the only one that sounded like I'd been running a marathon. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and I closed my eyes.

"If we don't stop now, I won't be able to," he whispered to me. I smiled. It was nice to know that I affected him as much as he affected me. He'd done things to me that I'd never experienced before. It was like he had flipped a switch in me, and I was now aware of every touch and the effect it had on me. I'd gone from my first kiss to this in such a short space of time, and it was a lot to take in.

We just lay together in silence. Our breathing returned to normal and our heartbeats slowed down. The regular beat of his heart under my ear lulled me back to sleep.

In the morning I woke up with the sunlight streaming through the open curtains. I tried to move but realized I couldn't. We'd shifted during the night; I lay on my back and Jared was lying on his stomach with half of his body pinning mine to the bed. His leg was tangled with mine and his arm was wrapped around my waist. His face was so close to my neck that I could feel his breath against my skin.

I lay there for a while, enjoying the feel of him being so close to me. It was nice, being held like this, and I didn't want to wake him up. He looked so peaceful. I studied his face as he slept. He had beautiful eyelashes: they were long and dark. His skin was flawless, which was probably a result of the quick healing. Humans took a while to heal from a wound, so a scar would form, but because the Archaic healed so quickly their skin didn't scar.

I reached out and touched his hair with my fingers. His hair looked silky and felt so soft.

He shifted while he slept. He released me as he turned onto his side, facing the opposite direction. I smiled as my heart melted. I quietly climbed out of bed. Rubbing my still-sleepy eyes, I walked into the bathroom. I shoved some toothpaste onto my toothbrush and while I was brushing my teeth I leaned closer to the mirror and studied my features.

I rinsed my mouth out and wiped my mouth with a towel. I looked at my reflection again.

There were no changes to my outward appearance, confirming the only changes I was experiencing were on the inside. It was hard to think that although I would still look the same I wouldn't be me on the inside anymore.

There was a slight shuffle of noise behind me and I saw Jared, his chest bare, standing in his pajama bottoms behind me, watching me in the reflection of the mirror. His concerned expression reminded me of the fact that my time was running out and I felt the severity of the situation crash over me like a tidal wave, making it hard to breathe.

Biting my lip, I fought to contain the tears that threatened to fall.

Jared's reflection in the mirror blurred with tears that filled my eyes. His hands were on my arms a second later. He gently turned me around and held me as I sobbed. I was losing the most valuable thing: myself.

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed as he held me close. "I won't let it happen."

Tears slid down my face and sobs racked my body as he held me close. The tears stopped immediately and I pushed Jared away. He let go of me as his eyes narrowed at the abrupt action. I touched a finger to a tear on my cheek and I studied the moisture on my finger, and then I looked at him. He could see from my expression that I'd entered another emotionless episode. He stood there for a few minutes in silence, watching me. The nothingness inside of me was like a swirling black hole.

"Ava?" he questioned.

"Yes," I replied calmly, like I hadn't just been crying only a few moments ago.

"Do you want breakfast?" he asked while he watched me closely.

"Yes," I answered stiffly. I was hungry.

He motioned for me to follow him. I followed him downstairs and into the kitchen. Catherine was sitting at the kitchen counter, cradling a cup of coffee, when we entered the kitchen. I stopped.

She looked at me and smiled. When I didn't return the smile, she gave Jared a questioning look. He gave her a slight nod of his head. I stood and watched the exchange. He kept a respectable distance from me as he pulled a kitchen stool out for me and I sat down. He made sure not to touch me because he'd realized that, with the lack of emotion, I didn't like to be touched.

"Do you want some coffee?" he asked me gently.

"Just water," I replied. He took a glass and filled it up from a cold bottle from the fridge. He put the glass down in front of me. I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked while watching me carefully. Catherine did the same from the seat beside me.

I shrugged.

"Toast."

"Do you want something on it?" he asked, but I shook my head. Usually I loved my toast smothered in butter but for some reason, feeling the way I did, it didn't appeal to me.

He put the bread into the toaster and a couple of minutes later the toast popped out.

I felt Catherine's eyes on me as I watched Jared place my toast on a plate. I wondered if it upset her to be this close to me when I was emotionless and Hue-like. Jared's father had been a Hue, and he'd raped her. Surely sitting this close to an enemy would upset her, but it didn't seem to. She calmly sipped her coffee as she kept her gaze on me.

He pushed a plate with toast in front of me. I looked at him and then picked up a piece of toast. I ate it mechanically. It really didn't taste like much. I wasn't eating because I enjoyed the taste; I simply needed to fuel my body.

I watched Jared make himself coffee and he sat down next to me. He watched me like a hawk. No one said anything. They didn't know how to act around me, but I didn't care. I drank my water and I ate my toast in silence. When I was finished I pushed the empty glass and plate away from me.

Jared put his half-empty cup of coffee down.