Creatus (Creatus Series) (8 page)

She sighed. “I don’t understand. How can there be more of a buildup than we’ve already experienced? What I felt was the most incredible sensation ever.”

He smiled and warmth seared through his chest at her words. “Thank you. But trust me; it’ll get better. Right now, I just want you to kiss me again.”

Kristina lifted her head and parted her lips, allowing him access to taste her again. The same feeling as before soared through his system. He couldn’t imagine ever tiring of kissing her.

He jerked his head up at a sound outside and saw a shadow pass by the window. “You don’t have a fire escape on this window, do you?”

She squinted in the dim light. “No. It’s outside the kitchen window.”

“That’s what I thought.” Derrick jumped to his feet and peered through the wood slats. The shadow moved across the roof of the next building. No way would he catch the perp. They’d heard his words and had moved for cover. Definitely a creatus based on the speed. He could only pray it was someone from his family checking on him and not the rogue.

Chapter Ten

Kris stared at her reflection in the wide chrome-framed mirror while Derrick stood behind her. “Are you sure this is okay?” she asked for the hundredth time, checking her makeup in the unnatural light of his vanity mirror. Her bathroom, though smaller, had soft natural light. Her entire apartment was warm and sunny, even in the dead of winter. It was how she preferred it.

Now, due to his insistence, she’d lined up all her plants in front of Derrick’s wall of windows in the living area of his condo. And now she was attempting to figure out if her makeup looked acceptable in his master bath, which had no windows.

Derrick touched the collar of her sweater, which rested at the edge of her shoulders, pressing his lips to her bare skin. “You look beautiful. What are you worried about?”

“I just want to make sure they think I’m good enough for you.”

He hummed out a breath, smiling. “It doesn’t matter what they think. I love you, and that’s all that matters.”

Kris gulped, tears forming in her eyes. He hadn’t said those words. He had said he’d
fallen
, but in her language, those three little words meant everything. She turned to him. “I love you too, Derrick. I always have.”

He brushed her hair away from her face. “Then why are you crying?”

She didn’t know why she was crying actually. Overwhelmed, scared, a million reasons why, she assumed, but mostly because she felt his love in an almost palpable way. “Hearing you say that… it feels real. You’re real. And I’m so scared they’ll hate me and try to tear us apart. I’ve been alone since I was eight and the thought of losing you—”

Derrick placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her softly, then moved his fingers under her chin, directing her head up to face him. “You’ve never been alone, my love. I’ve always been here.”

“I know.” She sighed. “It’s what kept me going, what kept me in Boston. But what if they—”

“They can’t,” he cut in softly. “Believe me. This is the one thing my family—all of them, even my brother—understands. Even if they are not happy, they know there’s nothing that will change. And my mother will love you. Another
woman
around...” he trailed off, as if not wanting to finish his sentence.

K
ris inhaled a deep breath and whooshed it out, appraising the cold tile and metal around her. If she were in her home, she wouldn’t feel so out of sorts. “If you’re not worried, why did you insist we pack up my house in the middle of the night and come here?”

He dropped his hands to her shoulders, fiddling with the soft threads of her sweater. “I just wanted you with me. In a safe place. Your apartment is too easy to break into. All of my doors and windows have extra security, with reinforced steel and glass. Even a creatus couldn’t break
in here.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You think one of them will try to hurt me?” she deduced. “This all happened after you jumped up last night. What did you see?”

Derrick shrugged. “Just a shadow.”

Kris
presumed he wasn’t telling her everything, but she also had a feeling he wasn’t going to either. He’d whisked her out of the house so quickly last night her head had spun. Not that she minded being with him all the time, but one minute he was insisting they needed to do something romantic before they went further, and the next he’d had all her plants in the rear of his Navigator. He had helped her pack a duffle bag of clothes and toiletries, but he’d paced the entire time, as if he were all of a sudden in a hurry.

Once they’d arrived at his house, though, he’d carried her items
into the spare room. She’d walked right into the room behind him, snatched up her bag, and moved it to his master bedroom while he watched.

After that, they’d cuddled in his bed together, but he’d refused to do anything but kiss her. She’d finally fallen asleep, but
had awoken to discover he’d left the room. Following the muted sound and flickering light of the television, she’d found Derrick sleeping on the sofa, remote still clutched in his hand.

Knowing he wasn’t going to confess any more than he had last night, she stepped out from under his hands. “I’m ready.”

“Good. Let’s go,” he chirped, drawing her toward the door.

Derrick’s trek away from the city surprised Kris. She’d assumed his family—as he continually referred to them—all lived nearby. Instead, they drove north then headed west on 495 toward the city of Harvard. She’d been through Harvard a few times. It was a quaint, but beautiful town. They passed the town hall on their route, and Kris couldn’t help but giggle. It looked as though someone had torn the building out of a Norman Rockwell painting and planted it on the main thoroughfare next to the general store and fire department.

With its whitewashed exterior, front porch, and even a crow’s nest on the roof, Kris wanted to pull out her charcoal and tablet and draw for the first time in years. Several apple orchards and farms with riding stables lent a down
-home feel to the small town. It was hard to believe such a place existed so close to Boston.

About a half an hour after they’d left his apartment, they turned north again. After several miles of rolling hills, he finally turned onto a dead-end street as indicated by the no-outlet sign. They passed six chalet-style houses on large plots of land. When he reached the end of the road, he turned off to the left, traveling down a gravel driveway. Derrick finally pulled to a stop in front of another
tri-level house, nestled between several species of evergreens. A large barn sat off in the distance adjacent to what looked to be a vacant vegetable garden.

Kris lowered her head, gazing out the window to absorb everything. “This place is enormous. Whose house is this?”

“My parents,” Derrick said simply, opening his door and hopping out of the vehicle.

Her hea
rt thrummed in her chest, her earlier nervousness returning, only worse than it had been as she was now here.

Derrick opened her door and took her hand. “It’s okay, Kristina. No one’s going to bite you.”

“Are you sure?” she fretted, gnawing on her bottom lip. “Maybe we should just go. Give them a few years to get used to the idea of us being together.”

He stepped in front of her, lowering his head to her
eye level. “Everything will be fine. You’re strong, independent, and feisty. Feel free to be yourself. Don’t let them scare you, especially Vic.”

“Who’s Vic?” 

Derrick kissed her quickly, then taking her hand, pulled her into the house. He opened the door and stepped inside. The area they walked into was a den of some sort, with an older, seventies’ style brown sofa and console television. Derrick walked through that area and up a small flight of stairs, passing a hallway leading to several rooms. When they reached the first landing, Kris could see another living area off to their right, only more modern than the room below them. Derrick ignored that area too and walked out a door leading outside again.

As soon as they stepped onto the porch, Kris saw a hundred or so people
—creatus, standing in loose circles. Everyone stopped to look—and glare—but then, other than one group of four people, most went back to their subdued conversations, as if not the least bit concerned. She released a short breath of relief as Derrick took her hand and led her down the steps. Her previous nervousness started to melt away at the warmth of his hand wrapped around hers. He wasn’t embarrassed of her, so what was the worst thing that could happen. Even if his brother or parents didn’t approve, it didn’t mean he’d leave her. He had said he’d never leave her and he’d never let anyone take her away. So she had no reason to fret about losing another person in her life.

Derrick made his way to the smaller group
, but the entire time they approached, a woman shook her head, her beautiful face contorting with every step they neared. Her hair was long and raven black. Her features, like Derrick’s, were striking, and Kris realized immediately where the myth of Wonder Woman must have begun. She, along with most of the other women, looked like Amazons, tall and utterly beautiful. Kris hoped that she was a sister Derrick had failed to mention. Because if this woman had a romantic interest in Derrick, she might just kill Kris on the spot by the look of things.

The Amazon took a step forward. “I can’t believe you’d bring that tramp—”

“Victoria!” Derrick barked, causing Kris to cringe behind him. So much for being strong and feisty.

A man standing next to the woman patted her arm, whispering something Kris couldn’t hear.

Victoria’s lips drew back, and if Kris wasn’t mistaken, she growled. “You bitch!”

The man, who Kris noticed looked more like Derrick than any other of the men around her, clamped his arms around the woman, and Derrick rushed them, taking the woman’s other arm. Both men dragged the woman away, kicking and screaming obscenities, before Kris could even blink. Kris stood there with tears stinging her eyes, wanting just to seep into the ground.
What had she done? She didn’t even know the woman. A chill started at the base of her neck and rushed through her body, immediately making her shiver. Wrapping her arms around her body, she attempted to calm her nerves before she bolted up the stairs to the safety of the Navigator.

An older woman with lighter hair than the rest approached and Kris quivered, knowing Derrick wouldn’t be able to protect her. “It’s okay, Kristina.” The woman wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Her warm chocolate eyes instantly soothed Kris, making her feel as though she were gazing into Derrick’s eyes. Her features were soft and round, nothing like the other women now gawking at the commotion she’d caused. “Welcome to the family, honey. Vic will get over it; she doesn’t have a choice and she knows it.”

Kris gazed up into the kind woman’s eyes, noticing there was something different about her. Though Derrick had said there was no way to tell, every one of the persons around her looked as though they were related to one another, other than this woman. “You’re human, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m Sabrina. Derrick’s mother.”

Chapter Eleven

“What is wrong with you, Vic?” Derrick roared, wondering if it was safe to release his grip on her arm. “Was that you last night? Huh? You think you can scare her away?”

Victoria lifted her head, ignoring his question. Tears trailed down her cheeks. “I loved you, Derrick. How could you?”

He closed his eyes to break off the pain of her declaration. He’d always known that she loved him, and he loved her too, but they’d never be anything more than friends. Well, maybe not anymore, which made his heart hurt for her. She’d always be his confidant; he’d hate to lose her friendship. “You know I tried. We both tried. I’ve been trying for fourteen years. It wasn’t ever going to happen, Vic. You know that.”

She dropped her head to her hands, and Michael patted her
shoulder. Sometimes Derrick wished she would just leave. He had a feeling that if he could have fallen for her, she would have instantly reciprocated. It was his hang-up, he knew; his love for Kristina wouldn’t allow it to happen.

“I’ll stay with her,” Michael said. “Go take care of your woman. She’s probably scared to death.”

Derrick stared at his brother in disbelief. Again, Michael’s actions baffled him. Even though they had a human mother, he’d never hidden his distaste for humans. Even their mother knew how Michael felt. Michael knew if the military ever found out about the creatus, especially him and Derrick, they’d use them as guinea pigs. He and Derrick were an anomaly among the group, but no one dared mess with them. As strong as the creatus were, they were stronger. For some reason, a human and a creatus didn’t make a half-anything. Derrick and Michael were twice as strong as their full-bred cousins were. Neither his grandfather nor his father could explain or come up with any rational explanation, even with their combined medical expertise.

Derrick glanced at Victoria, feeling horrible, but he had no choice. He was in love with Kristina, and he
finally understood that he’d been in love with her for the last few years, the reason he could never fall for another woman.

As if she’d read his mind, Vic’s eyes smoldered with hatred. “How could you? You’re supposed to protect us. As the overseer, you’re supposed to keep the humans away, not bring them inside.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Careful, Victoria. My mother happens to be one of those humans.”

“Your mother’s not a drunk!”

Derrick sprang across the barn floor, landing in front of her, fuming. “Back off.”

Michael bounded between them, both hands held at arm’s length. He turned to address Victoria, “Vic, he’s fallen. End of story. Nothing you can say or do will change that. You need to set your sights on someone else for once.”

“You’re right, Michael. But the only other man I had an interest in left. Maybe I’ll hunt down Jonas.”

“Vic,” Derrick cautioned. “You know better than that.”

She glared at him. “Really? Why shouldn’t I, Derrick? You don’t like anyone around who questions your rules.”

“They’re not my rules—” Derrick shook his head, not wanting to revisit this same argument. A woman scorned was a woman scorned; it didn’t matter if she was a human or creatus evidently. “Do what you want, Vic. Just stay away from Kristina. She’s one of us now.”

“She’ll never be one of us,” she sneered.

Derrick decided he’d better leave before he did anything he’d regret. “We’ll discuss this, along with your appearance last night, at the meeting. He charged toward the door, needing to get as far away from her as possible. He’d always cared deeply for Victoria, but the moment she’d threatened Kristina, he felt as if he could kill her without a second thought. As he’d told Kristina repeatedly, nothing could ever come between them after they’ve fallen. Not even a lifelong friend.

He stepped outside again to get away from her and his brother.

The moment he saw his mother’s arm draped around Kristina’s shoulder, introducing her to everyone, his irritation moved to the
recesses of his mind. Kristina did the obligatory nodding and smiling, but he could tell it was forced. She was rightly nervous. All of his assurances that she was safe and she’d nearly been attacked within seconds after their arrival.

He darted to the other side of her, kissing her cheek. “Hi. Sorry about that.”

Kristina turned her head, glaring at him. “You should have told me,” she hissed in a low whisper.

He didn’t want to embarrass her, but he had to remind her. “Um, Kristina, just so you know
… Everyone heard you. There’s no such thing as whispering in my world.”

Kristina’s eyes widened. As she looked around the property, her eyes filled
with tears, but she lifted her head to restrain them. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s a lot to take in, I know. And you’re right; I should have told you. We’ll talk about it later though, okay?” He wiped away a tear. Knowing Victoria could hear him, he stated clearly, “Vic won’t bother you again, I promise.”

He heard Victoria harrumph from inside the barn, but suppressed a snarl in front of Kristina, since she obviously couldn’t hear her. He never imagined that Vic would turn violent. Upset, yes, he assumed that. But if Michael hadn’t restrained her when he did and she’d launched across the lawn, she could have killed Kristina with one blow, and then his life would be over. Creatus didn’t recover after losing a partner. They usually ended up moving away from the family, wishing for death. Suicide wasn’t common, but they begged death to take them.

Kristina nodded and
attempted a smile. “Your mom has been introducing me to everyone. How come you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t want to influence your decision in any way.” He picked up his mother’s hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to introduce you properly. Mom, this is Kristina Heskin.”

His mother released an airy laugh, squeezing her arms around Kristina’s shoulder. “Sabrina Ashton, as you already know.”

“Actually…” Kristina laughed, pink tinting her cheeks. “I didn’t know your last name was Ashton. I like that.”

“Oops.” Derrick shrugged as his mother glared at him. As a distraction, he glanced over his shoulder for his father, who stepped toward him immediately, a smile on his face. He didn’t think his father would be upset once he saw Kristina. Their only concern was her drinking, but he assured them she’d want to clean up. Derrick knew she wasn’t an alcoholic; she’d just been looking for a means of escape. And if she hadn’t said anything about him all these years, why would she start now? “And my father Lynford Ashton, but everyone calls him Lyn.”

Kristina flashed a genuine smile. “Nice to meet you. Both of you. And didn’t you mention you had a brother?” Kristina asked.

“Yes, well… Michael’s—”

“Right here, Bro,” Michael called, landing in front of Kristina, not concerned with showing his ability, which most of the group rarely demonstrated. Of course, Derrick had shown off the previous evening too.

“Oh!” She recoiled, but then seemed to catch her bearings. “Um… is everything all right? I didn’t mean to cause derision in the family,” Kristina offered, beaming at his younger brother. Derrick felt a pang of jealousy surge through him because of her words about being with another of his kind yesterday, even though he knew nothing could ever come between them. But his brother was a good-looking,
and younger
, man. He actually looked the same age as Kristina, since he was five years younger than Derrick was. And he looked more human with his slightly rounder cheeks and lighter shade of hair with just a hint of curl. More natural anyway than the hard sculpted faces and raven straight hair most creatus had.

Michael lifted her hand to his lips. “Everything is fine, Kris. Welcome to the family. I hate to do this to you, but Derrick and I have to talk. Do you mind if I steal him away for a moment?”

Kristina retracted her hand, subconsciously wiping it on her jeans. Derrick couldn’t help the laugh that threatened to escape. Michael would be devastated that his charms hadn’t worked on her. He was obviously testing whether she’d actually fallen. Few women were able to resist his brother’s magnetism. Even though he supposedly didn’t like their species, he had no problem taking what he wanted from a human woman.

“Kristina, why don’t you and mom take a tour of the house and get to know each other while I talk with the family?” Her face dropped. “We’ll be fifteen minutes at best,” he rushed his weak explanation.

She inhaled a breath, turning to Sabrina. “Okay, I guess. I would actually love a tour of the house. It’s lovely.”

Sabrina wrapped her arm around Kristina again and strolled off toward the house.

Derrick walked toward the barn. “Let’s get this over with,” he called to the rest of the group.

His father, brother, and every other creatus, men and women, except those who remained with young children, followed Derrick inside the barn. The barn, which was actually an office, served as the center for all their meetings.

Victoria balanced on a rafter, but dropped when he rolled his eyes. She made a wide loop around him, plopping down on one of the chairs closest to the door. “First off, Derrick, what is it you keep accusing me of?”

Derrick ignored her while everyone found a chair or an empty railing to sit on or leaned up against a post. Derrick perched on the edge of his brother’s desk, while Michael stood beside him.

Every eye focused on Derrick. Even though they knew Michael would discuss news of a possible rogue, it seemed they all had more interest in a new human family member. “So, I assume you all met Kristina,” he started. Heads nodded, most respectful, a few not so much. “This should come as no surprise as I’ve discussed her with you several times.”

“You also said you’d wait until she was older, more mature,” Dean, an elder he’d always thought of as an Uncle, reproached. “She’s a liability, Derrick. You should have talked with us before bringing her here. If you want to endanger yourself and
your family, that’s one thing. To have her see us without our consent is another.”

Derrick pursed his lips, nodding in assent. “Fair comment, Dean. And I apologize. In hindsight, I guess I should have met you alone.”

The group glanced around, nodding in agreement, and Derrick noticed the overconfident grin spread across Vic’s face. Did she think they’d banish him or Kristina because of it? That wouldn’t help matters. He’d always gone with the idea that it was better to beg forgiveness than to plead for mercy.

Dean leaned back in his chair and jutted his chin in Derrick’s direction. “That said
… Kristina seems like a wonderful girl. If she hasn’t mentioned any of your peculiar antics in fourteen years, I’m certain she won’t start now.”

Victoria’s arrogance fell flat and she twisted in her chair as if wanting to make her escape.

Derrick tore his eyes away from the woman who used to be his best friend. He’d told Victoria everything, had always been upfront with her. They’d shared stories, experimented with life and love. He shook the thoughts from his head, feeling as if he’d been using her. “Kristina won’t talk to anyone. She has fallen for me, as I have for her.”

A few surprised gapes and audible grunts traveled throughout the barn, echoing in the rafters.

His father stood up and approached the front. “It’s over. You all act as if this doesn’t happen. Might I remind you I married a human. Sabrina has lived beside you, prepared food for you, adjusted her entire life to be one of us.” Lyn glared at his youngest son. “And still, we treat humans as though they are a subspecies. Just because we are stronger, doesn’t make us better.” He shrugged. “Besides, we have more important things to discuss than my son’s love life. According to Michael, we have a rogue on the loose. And that, my friends, is more dangerous to our way of life than one young girl.” Lyn walked back to his chair and plopped down, crossing his arms in finality.

At a hundred years old, his father was still a force to be reckoned with. No creatus, himself and Michael included, would dare challenge him. Yes, Derrick was stronger, but his father had seen more life. He’d met his mother when she was twenty-two and had fallen within days, he’d said, ignoring his parents’ concerns. Now his mother was seventy-three, and his father looked to be in his early fifties. His father would live another fifty years. But more than likely, his mother would survive another twenty at best. The creatus’ diet of all whole and natural foods made her appear younger than her years, but facts were facts. And nothing they could do would change the reality that his father would spend roughly thirty years alone, something he’d admitted on numerous occasions that he accepted fully.

Derrick knew he too would be in the same situation, but also identified with his father’s avowal. Nothing would cause him to regret his decision to spend his life with Kristina.

Michael stepped forward and took his father’s place at the front of the room. “I’m sure you know the reason we asked for you to be here today.”

Nods and sniffs among the family assured they understood, even though there were no comments.

“The police are being careful,” Michael continued. “Nothing has been leaked to the press, which is unusual. They’re keeping a tight lid on this one, as they are baffled.”

Derrick scanned the room, watching for any indication that someone they knew could be committing the crimes. If it were someone in the family, they’d still come to the meeting he was certain. The news Derrick had watched last night revealed nothing that hinted at a creatus attack, but if Michael believed it was true, that was good enough for him. And he always had an inside track on this sort of stuff.