H.T. Night's 8-Book Vampire Box Set (73 page)

“Where’s Cyrus?” I asked.

“He went to bed.”

“How are things going with that?”

“I don’t know. He’s serviceable. He’s got a
big one. So that’s a definite plus.”

“Anyway,” I said, cutting her off.

“He’s a good guy, too good for someone like
me. I need a bad boy.” Her hand slipped up my thigh to my
mid-region. I gave her a look that pretty much said, ‘Go for it.’
And go for it she did. She placed both her hands about an inch from
my package.

“It’s like a drug,” I said, referring to her
hands that were close enough to do some pretty serious damage.

“It’s too bad you’re still in love with
Lena,” Yari said, as she took her hands off of my lap. I stared at
Yari and smiled at the power a woman had over me when her hands are
touching my midsection. She could have gotten me to do just about
anything in that previous moment. Now, her hands were off of my
thighs and stomach, I could think a bit more clearly.

“Is that what you think?” I asked. “That I’m
still in love with Lena?”

“It’s what I know, Josiah. You’re a guy, and
I know you’re feeling a little feisty at the moment, and I would
love to have amazing balls-to-the-wall sex with you. But, in the
end, you’d hate yourself because you’re not over Lena and she’s not
over you. So then, I’d have two of my closest friends mad at
me.”

“Wow, you just called Lena a close
friend.”

Yari smiled. “She is, and so are you. Plus,
it would break Cyrus’s puppy dog heart.”

“So, what makes you so certain she’s still
in love with me?” I asked.

“You don’t see the kind of things I’ve seen
and not know something as basic as that.”

“Give me one thing you see that I don’t,” I
said, hoping she’d give me a really good reason.

“Well, Tommy contacts her all the time and
gives her an open invitation to come see him at his cabin and she
doesn’t take it.”

“Really, Tommy keeps asking her to his
cabin? What a dick.”

“He asks her daily. Apparently, it’s just to
talk. He’s real lonely, but Lena doesn’t take him up on it because
she doesn’t want to hurt you any more than she already has.”

I didn’t know what to think about this bit
of information. Was I supposed to feel bad for a guy who was
blatantly pursuing a woman he knew I had fallen in love with? He
had some nerve. “Is that where he’s at?” I asked.

“He moves around. He has a lot of
enemies.”

“I know he does. Almost as many as I
do.”

“But you have all of us. Tommy doesn’t have
anyone.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“It’s his. But if Lena truly loved him more
than you—why hasn’t she gone to him? What you need to understand is
there’s very little difference between yourself and Tommy. You’re
practically the same guy. You look completely different. But once
you strip down all the superficial bullshit, you couldn’t be more
alike. When all is said and done, both you boys are good to the
core. Lena can’t go wrong with either one of you.”

“That’s exactly my point, we’re so similar
and that’s why she chose him at Flatlands.”

“She only went to him because Tommy had no
one on his side. You had a whole Mani army behind you. Tommy was
all by himself. Tommy reached out to her, but then retreated. He
told her to stay because he knew it was for her own good.” Yari
paused, and then continued, “But I believe there is another reason
why he told her stay.”

“What was that?” I asked.

“He knew she truly loves you and not
him.”

I took everything Yari said to heart. Yari
didn’t have to say anything, but she felt the need to talk to me
about all of it, and that meant a lot to me. “You gave me some
things to think about.”

“Josiah, I’m going to ask you a question and
I want you to look deep into your heart and give me the most honest
answer you can give.”

“Okay.”

“Do you love Lena?”

I paused and took the question in. I let the
question consume me and then I closed my eyes. After a moment, I
opened my eyes and stared at Yari and said, “I love Lena with every
bit of me.”

“Really?” A voice from behind me said. I
turned around and Lena was standing by the pool wearing a long
black gown. I wasn’t sure how long she had been listening.

“Is that how it is with you two?” I asked,
embarrassed. “One asks me a personal question while the other
listens.”

“I walked out when Yari was talking. I had
no idea she was going to ask you that,” Lena said.

I looked at Yari. “I knew she was there,”
Yari said, “and I also knew what your answer was going to be.”

“Is it true, Josiah?” Lena asked. “Do you
really still feel that way?”

I didn’t know what to say. Of course it was
true. But I didn’t go around loving people who didn’t love me back.
I got out of the Jacuzzi. I forgot I was wearing my
tighty-whities.

“Oh my,” Lena smiled.

I looked around for a towel and there wasn’t
one. “Is there a towel?” I asked.

“Behind you,” Lena said. I turned around and
across the pool was a white towel. I walked over to it and dried
myself off. Lena walked over to me, “Can we go inside and
talk?”

“Okay,” I said.

I finished drying off and then walked over
and threw the towel over by Yari. “Thanks, princess,” I said to
Yari. “Once again you’re a wild ride.”

“I do my best, Josiah,” Yari answered.

“I know you do. In all seriousness, thanks
for everything you said.”

“No problem. I believe in you,” Yari
said.

“That means a lot to me.” I walked inside
the house through the back sliding door with Lena behind me. My
heart was full and my head was spinning. I knew Lena and I were
about to connect in a huge way. I felt a bit giddy, like a school
boy. I made my way up the stairs with Lena close behind. I opened
the door to my room. Lena entered and didn’t say a word. She looked
up at me and her eyes were filled with so much love.

“I messed up, Josiah. I am so sorry. I love
you more than you could ever know.”

“You didn’t mess up, Lena. You just got
caught up in the moment. This whole experience is bigger than all
of us.”

“Still, I should have never let Tommy get so
close.”

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

Lena walked up to me. “Would you just hold
me?”

I looked down at this beautiful creature
that had my heart in such a giant way. I couldn’t explain it and I
didn’t want to understand it. In her presence, I was home. She was
the love of my life and there was no denying that. I stared into
her eyes and slowly wrapped my arms around her. I held her close. I
held her in a way I had never held or touched anyone. She was my
destiny. She was the person I knew I was supposed to do all of this
with. She was the one who was going to stand by my side through
thick and thin. There was a time for everything, and at this
moment, this was a time of forgiveness and looking back.

“Do you really love me, Josiah?”

I swallowed and just slowly nodded my head
and said, “I love you more at this moment than I have ever loved
anyone or anything in my entire life.”

She sighed and I held her tighter.

“This life,” Lena said. “This chance that we
have been given is more than I can bear. I need to do this with
you. I want to fight alongside you.”

“I want you to stand with me,” I said. “But
I don’t want you to fight.”

“I just want to quit wasting time. It’s time
for us to celebrate what this is between us.”

“I completely agree.” I walked Lena over to
my bed. I sat on the edge of it and Lena sat on my lap. All the
sexual desires I’d had earlier were replaced by an overwhelming
love.

Lena sat on my lap and looked me in the eye
and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay.”

“Did you find the answers you needed?”

“Yes…”

“And...”

“And it led me back to you,” I said,
lovingly. “It led me back here. I realized I couldn’t move forward
without you.” I leaned in and gently kissed Lena on the lips. She
cupped my chin with both of her hands. Tears were dripping from
both of our eyes.

“I am so sorry,” she said. “I am so sorry
for hurting you in any way.”

“I know you are,” I said comforting her.
“From this moment forward... no more ‘I’m sorry’s.’”

“Okay.”

I scooted back on my bed and placed Lena’s
delicate frame next to me and we laid down. I slowly brushed my
hand across her face. Her eyes were as beautiful as I ever
remembered. Whenever she laid next to me, she seemed fairy-like.
She was so tiny and delicate, and one thing I knew in the core of
my heart: I would always take care of her.

We laid there holding each other until we
both fell asleep.

Chapter Fourteen

I woke up with Lena pressed tightly against
my body. We were fully clothed because last night was about
reconnecting emotionally, not necessarily sexually. The night was
one of the most outrageous nights I had ever experienced. It
started in a hotel in Tijuana, then in a bunker, then an
underground fight club and then ended back here in Victorville with
Lena and I falling asleep in each other arms.

Yeah, it was some night.

I looked at the clock in my room and it read
5:00 p.m. The best sleep I seemed to get is when Lena is lying
beside me. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled out of
the corner of her mouth.

“You awake?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.” She rolled to her back
and exhaled.

“Why the sigh?” I asked.

“Well, where do we go from here?”

“You and I?”

“You and I. Me and you. Yes, Josiah,
us.”

“I think it’s fair to say we need to just
try to exist.”

“Exist?” Lena laughed. “I think we got that
part down pat.”

“We need to try to exist together—to be by
each other’s side.”

Lena looked at me and smiled. “I’d like
that.” She then reached her arm out and placed it on my lap.

“I’d like that, too.”

“So, what’s on your agenda for tonight?”
Lena asked.

“Wow, already keeping tabs on me,” I said,
joking.

“It’s nothing like that. I was just
wondering if we could go on a real date.”

“A real date?”

“Yes, a real date. We have never gone on a
date, Josiah. Think about it.”

“You mean like dinner and a movie?”

“I mean like anything; bowling, miniature
golf, pizza, a picnic, nothing. We have never been on a real
date.”

A Tandra date. I thought about it for a
second and Lena was absolutely right. “Well, if we’re going to go
on a date then we need to do it right.”

“How do you suppose we do that?” Lena
grinned.

“Go get your cell phone,” I said.

“My cell phone?” She was now confused.

“Just do it.”

Lena left my room and I immediately reached
in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone and dialed Lena’s number.
It rang a couple of times and then she answered it.

“Hello,” I said.

“Yes, may I help you?” Lena asked.

“Hey there. This is Josiah,” I said, as cute
as I could. “How are you?”

“I’m good and you?”

“I’m great. Well... any who.”

“Any who?” Lena laughed.

“Yes, any who,” I said adamantly. “I was
wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight?”

“Go out where?” Lena yawned, teasingly.

“I was hoping that you could accompany me to
dinner and a show.”

“A show? Who talks like that?” Lena
teased.

“Cut me some slack,” I said. “I have never
done this before.”

“Okay, sweetie, what kind of show would you
like us to attend?”

“The theater,” I pronounced, proudly.

“Wow, the theater. You mean like the
Shakespeare Globe Theater—kind of theater?”

“More like Andrew Lloyd Webber Evita kind of
theater.”

“Wow, that does sound divine,” Lena said,
still teasing me. What did I expect? I pulled the biggest
cheese-ball move of all time by calling her for an official date,
from the same room.

“Okay. Let me grab some tickets and I’ll
pick you up at 8:00 p.m.

“Where do you suppose you’ll pick me
up?”

“At your house.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Me, too,” I said.

I pressed ‘end call’ after saying goodbye
and decided I better plan this night right. I went online and saw
that West Side Story was playing at Ahmanson Theater in Los
Angeles. I didn’t want to fly. I actually wanted to drive like a
normal person on this date, so I needed to push the date up to
picking Lena up at 6:30 p.m. I called her back and she pretended to
be annoyed, but still couldn’t hide her excitement.

I went to my closet and pulled out some
slacks, a white button-down shirt and a slick black tie. I had a
casual dinner jacket that went well with the outfit. It kind of
gave me a Reservoir Dogs look, with a bit of hip-hop.

I took a shower and avoided seeing Lena, so
we wouldn’t see each other getting ready. It was now late September
and sunset was around 6:00 p.m. in Southern California, which was
perfect for the time we planned on leaving.

After a day of relaxing, it was getting
toward evening. I decided it was time to put on my clothes and
cologne up. I could hear Lena getting ready downstairs. I combed my
hair and did some final touches to my appearance. Once I felt I
looked as good as I was going to be, I went over to the trap door
in my bedroom. I opened it up and jumped out and landed on the
ground. I made my way to my white truck that had been parked in the
driveway for months. I had hardly driven my truck since being able
to fly.

I started my truck and it put-putted a bit,
and then started up nice. I decided to drive off the property to
give it the whole
pulling-into-the-huge-house-to-pick-up-my-date-bit.