Breathless (17 page)

Leesa found herself eating more quickly than usual and forced herself to slow down. Rave would get to what he wanted to say when he was ready. He asked a couple of questions about her midterms, but for the most part they concentrated on their food. When Rave put his burger down to eat some fries, Leesa thought she saw char marks on the bun. How had he managed to get a toasted bun? Hers was cold and doughy.

Finally, they were finished. Leesa still had more than half her fries left, but she’d had enough. Rave’s plate was empty. She looked at him expectantly.

“Enjoying our date?” he asked playfully.

“Immensely. The cuisine was superb, the atmosphere enchanting, the service exceptional. Now, if I can get some delicious conversation for dessert, it’ll be perfect.”

Rave reached over and grabbed her plates, piling them atop his. He slid her empty tray beneath his and deposited them onto the adjacent table, clearing the space between them. He rested his forearms on the table.

“You wanted to know why I know so much about vampires,” he began.

“Yeah,” Leesa replied, surprised this was the subject he was so anxious to talk about.

“And you’ve probably been wondering why I kept my gloves on when I held your hand?”

“Um, yes, again.” Leesa wondered at the juxtaposition of the two subjects. Please, please don’t tell me you’re a vampire, she thought. Her fingers began twirling in her hair.

Rave smiled. “I bet your friends gave you some grief about that.”

“Yeah, they teased me some,” she admitted, embarrassed that he’d guessed she had told her friends.

Rave leaned over the table until his face was mere inches from hers. “And you’ve probably wondered why I haven’t kissed you yet, right?”

Leesa gulped, her heart racing. Her fingers twirled more vigorously. The whole room seemed to have gone quiet, but she knew that had to be her imagination. “Double yes. Triple yes.”

Rave kept her fastened in his gaze for another moment before leaning back onto his chair. “The answer’s complicated,” he said finally. “And must remain a secret. But you deserve to know. Will you promise to tell no one?”

Leesa’s brain was spinning.
Complicated. Secret. Tell no one.
Where on earth was he going with this? What did vampires have to do with holding hands and kissing? For some reason, her mother’s wild story popped into her head. Not again, please, she prayed. She studied Rave’s face. He didn’t look crazy. He looked anxious, but determined. And damn handsome.

“Yeah, I promise.”

Rave smiled. She could see some of the anxiety melt from his features.

“Do you believe in vampires, Leesa?”

Uh-oh, here we go, she thought. “Not completely. But more than when school started, that’s for sure. Professor Clerval makes a compelling case. And you talk about them with such certainty.”

“You’re not alone. Most people don’t believe they truly exist. But they do, I promise you. Have you ever heard of volkaanes?”

Leesa shook her head, frowning. “No, never. What’s a volkaane?”

“Among other things, they are hunters of vampires.”

Leesa thought back to Professor Clerval’s discussion about why there weren’t more vampires. Hunters. Helping keep the population in check. But he’d never mentioned volkaanes. “What kind of creature can slay a vampire? They’re supposed to be so strong, so fast, so dangerous.”

“They are immensely strong, very fast, and very, very dangerous.”

“And yet you say a volkaane can kill one.” She tried to imagine what kind of creature could kill a vampire, and was suddenly struck by the thought that she was now accepting vampires as fact. “What do volkaanes look like?” she asked.

A wry smile played across Rave’s lips. “They look a lot like me,” he said.

It took a few seconds for his words to register. What was he saying? That he knew so much about vampires because he hunted them? Was he telling her he was a volkaane, whatever that meant? Was that why he was so sure Stefan was a vampire?

“Are you saying…?” Leesa’s fingers busied themselves in her hair again.

Rave nodded. “Yes. I’m a volkaane.”

“You kill vampires?” she asked, trying to wrap her head around all this. “How? Wooden stakes? Chopping off their heads? And what does that have to do with not holding my hand or kissing me?”

Rave put his hand out on the table, palm up. “Touch my hand, Leesa.”

She hesitated, still not sure what was going on, then pulled her hand from her hair and reached across the table, stopping when it was a few inches above Rave’s outstretched palm. Her fingers began to grow warm. She looked up at Rave’s face.

“Go ahead,” he said.

She lowered her hand slowly until her palm rested atop his. His skin was warm, almost hot. Rave let her control the moment, making no move to hold her hand.

She looked at him questioningly. “It’s so warm.”

Rave smiled. “That’s why the gloves. I wasn’t ready to explain the heat.”

Leesa closed her fingers around his hand. His heat flowed into her, made her hand and arm tingle pleasantly. “I get it…I think. You would’ve had to tell me about being a volkaane.” She grinned, remembering the charred marks on his bun. “I wish you’d told me before we ate. You could have toasted my bun.”

Rave laughed, glad she wasn’t freaking out about what he’d just told her.

A sudden thought made Leesa blush. “Are your kisses as hot as your hands?” she asked.

Rave grinned. “Hotter.” His expression turned serious. “And much more dangerous. It’s how we slay vampires.”

A puzzled frown creased Leesa’s brow. “You kill them by kissing them?”

“In a way, yes.” Rave brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. More heat surged through her, hotter this time. “Our fire draws the life breath from them—burns them from the inside out.”

Leesa remembered Cali’s story about the Mastons’ deadly kiss. What if some of the other stories were true as well? Get a grip, she chided herself. This was Rave. He would never hurt her. “I guess your kisses give a whole new meaning to ‘takes my breath away,’” she joked.

Rave laughed, then turned serious. “This is the first time I ever wished that wasn’t the case.” He glanced around, making sure no one was looking, and then held his free hand close in front of his chest where only she could see it. “Watch.”

Leesa stared at Rave’s hand, not sure what she was supposed to see. Slowly, a pale blue glow began to envelop the ends of his fingers. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but a moment later, tiny blue flames flickered from his fingertips. He let the flames dance for a few seconds before closing his fist. The flames disappeared.

“Our inner fire,” he explained. “Remember when your phone died? You were holding my hand. That’s why we don’t use anything electrical.”

“So if you kissed me…?”

“I’d have to be very, very careful. If I forgot myself for even a moment, it could kill you.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “And I have a feeling that kissing you would make it far too easy to lose control.”

Leesa’s heart sank. What were they going to do? This was so not fair. She was so drawn to him, and knew now he felt the same way. How long could she go without kissing him, when all she wanted, even now, sitting here at the table holding his hand, was to lean across and press her lips to his? Damn his inner fire—what was she supposed to do, kiss him through an oven mitt? And if kissing was so dangerous, how would she ever be able to make love to him? She felt herself blushing at the thought.

“Isn’t there any way?” she asked finally.

“There must be,” he said, kissing her hand one more time before returning it to the table. “I’ve already started looking, asking. It’s very rare, but volkaane and human have mixed before. I’ll find a way, I promise.”

“You’d better. I don’t know how long I can last.”

“Believe me, I feel the same way.”

Leesa stood up, limped around the table and sat next to him. “What would happen if I kissed you quickly?” She scarcely believed the words were coming from her mouth. This was so not like her, to be this forward. But it was not like her to want to kiss someone this badly, either. “If I just brushed my lips against yours? Would that be safe?”

“Yeah. As long as I kept my mouth closed, you’d be okay.”

Leesa leaned closer. “Then you’d better keep it closed.”

Rave swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am,” he managed to say.

Leesa closed her eyes and pressed her lips lightly against Rave’s, pulling away almost before touching him. Just that momentary contact sent waves of heat surging deliciously through her body. As lame as it sounded, she was sure she saw fireworks, too. She was glad she was sitting down—otherwise she felt certain her knees would have given way.

“Wow,” Rave said, smiling.

Leesa returned his smile. “Double wow.”

20.  HALLOWEEN

“
G
ather ye rosebuds while ye may,” Cali said to Leesa.

“Carpe diem,” added Caitlin.

“Life is short,” chimed in Stacie.

Leesa sat on her bed, her back propped comfortably against two pillows, while her friends took turns trying to persuade her to wear something sexy and sleazy to tomorrow night’s big Halloween bash. That she had even agreed to go to what was billed as the biggest and wildest party of the year was a big enough step for her. No way was she going to wear some slinky costume that would invite way more attention than she wanted or needed. Besides, there was only one guy whose attention she craved, and she already had Rave’s full interest.

Cali had pulled the desk chair close to the bed—the better to pressure her, Leesa knew—while Caitlin hovered behind Cali’s shoulder. At least Stacie had the consideration to sit across the room rather than loom over her, though that didn’t stop her from urging Leesa to choose a sexy costume.

“C’mon, Lees,” Cali continued. “This is the one night of the year even good girls get to dress slutty. What do you wanna wear, a gorilla suit or something?”

Caitlin and Stacie laughed, and Leesa found herself smiling. “Hmmm,” she said, “that’s not a bad idea. Know where I can get one cheap?”

Cali slapped at Leesa’s feet, grinning. “Stop it! You are not going as any kind of animal, you got me? Unless it’s a
very
sexy cat or something.”

Leesa laughed. Cali was going as a dominatrix and had wanted Leesa to go as her slave, in a costume that was little more than a chrome-studded black leather collar and belt. With a leash, yet! Even Caitlin had turned down that offer, and she was going dressed as a hooker.

“Stacie’s gonna be a nurse,” Leesa protested. “So how come I have to wear something slutty?”

“You haven’t seen her nurse’s uniform,” Caitlin said, smiling. “It’s cut down to here and up to here.” She indicated two very out of the ordinary spots with her finger.

Leesa looked across at Stacie, who shrugged and gave a “what the heck” expression. “How about I go as a pirate?” Leesa said, knowing there would probably be lots of pirates to blend in with at the party.

“A pirate might be okay,” Cali said, “as long as I get to help with your costume. Just so I know there’ll be at least a bit of wench factor.”

“Ha! But I still get final say,” Leesa said, grinning. “I’m not going to let you push my boobs up to here.” She indicated the middle of her neck with the side of her hand.

“Good call, Leesa,” Stacie said, chuckling. “Cali’s idea of a pirate wench might not be all that far from the sex slave outfit.”

They all laughed.

“Oh, c’mon, you know I’m much more subtle than that,” Cali said, bringing another round of laughter.

“What’s Andy wearing?” Leesa asked.

“I’m not sure,” Cali deadpanned, “but it might involve a collar and a leash.”

The ensuing laughter was the loudest and longest yet. Caitlin plopped down on the bed beside Leesa, laughing too hard to stay standing.

“Is Rave going?” Stacie asked when they all stopped laughing.

Leesa smiled. “He said he’d see me there. I don’t know what he’s gonna be wearing, though.”

“Gloves, I bet,” Cali said, triggering yet another round of boisterous laughter.

Leesa felt herself blushing, but could not help joining in the laughter. She wondered how they’d react if they knew why he’d worn the gloves, but of course she couldn’t tell them. She hadn’t told them about the kiss, either, because that would lead to too many questions. “What do you think some of the most popular guy costumes will be?” she asked, diverting the subject away from Rave.

“Pirates again, like last year, probably,” Cali said. “You should have lots of company, Leesa.”

Which was exactly the plan, Leesa thought, but of course she didn’t say anything.

“Vampires, I bet,” Caitlin said. “They’re definitely the thing this year.”

“Even with that girl getting killed on campus the other night?” Stacie asked. “I heard all the blood was drained from her body.”

Leesa stiffened. She hadn’t heard that part of it. Rave said vampires were real, and she believed him, especially after his little fire display. Was there a vampire on campus? Of course there was, she realized—Stefan. Rave was certain Stefan was a vampire, and if everything he’d said was true, he would know. But Leesa could not believe Stefan could do such a thing. She was going to have to talk to Rave about this.