Mesmerized (6 page)

"Oh really? What do you think I am? An alien or a vampire?”

“Guys making fools of themselves and the girls hating you. A boy kisses you and he ends up in the hospital.” Jake turned Lily to face him. “Kiss me, Lily. We both know you want to.”

Jake placed his hands on hers sending an electrifying feeling through her body. 

Lily shuddered. “I'm scared. I like you, Jake. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jake pulled her close. “Let me prove you wrong. Give me three seconds, and if I feel weird I'll stop.”

Lily knew this was not a conversation she could win. "I warned you." 

"Yes, you did.” He ran his fingers down the side of her face and gazed into her eyes.

Lily’s heart was beating fast. She wanted to kiss him more than she had ever wanted anything. But, she didn’t want to kill him.

Lily bit her lip. "Please forgive me if I hurt you."

Jake stared down at her beautiful face. He ran his hand behind her neck. Lily shivered under his touch. He ran his thumb along her jawbone. Her mouth fell open and Jake leaned in for the kiss. She didn't try to resist him. They kissed deeply and much longer than three seconds. 

He pulled away leaving her breathless and wanting more. 

"Are you okay?" she asked.

''I'm fine. I told you. I'm different too.” 

“First, you have to tell me what you think I am?”

Jake grinned. “That was an easy one. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve heard all kinds of things, met all kinds of people. I thought I knew what you were, but I wanted to be sure. All I had to do was look up dreams and men acting crazy. Typed it into Google and got hundreds of hits on the same thing. You’re a succubus.”

Startled, Lily looked up. She didn’t know what surprised her more. The fact that he knew what she was, or that he had been dreaming of her. "You’ve been having dreams about me?”

"Yes, since before you moved here.”

"I'm sorry. That has never happened before. In fact, I didn’t think it was supposed to happen. My parents gave me this necklace to prevent that sort of thing. I’m not sure why it doesn’t seem to work with you.” Her head snapped up. “Wait…you said you’re different too. What are you?”

“Oh, I’m human,” he said with a smile. “But, I’m cursed.”

Chapter Seven

“Cursed?” Her eyes widened. There had to be a story behind that one.

“I’ll give you the short version. My father did something stupid. He had an affair with a woman who happened to be a powerful witch. When he refused to leave my mother for her, she put a curse on him. Which was really a curse on me. She cursed his firstborn son with immortality and I was lucky enough to be the firstborn son,” he explained looking into her olive-green eyes. "Thankfully I was seventeen at the time. I can't imagine if I had been stuck in the body of a child." 

“Wow…” For once, she was speechless. “You’re immortal?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t see how that’s much of a curse,” she said. He couldn’t die, so what? Wasn’t that a cool thing? At least he didn't have to worry about killing someone by a kiss. 

“It is when you’ve been around long enough. Watching everyone you care about get old and slip away.”

Lily stared up into his eyes. “So, you’re like…old?”

He laughed. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“How old?”

“I stopped counting many years ago. The last birthday I recall was my 203rd.”

“No way!”

He just shrugged, wondering what she was thinking. 

“When you say you’re immortal, does that mean nothing can kill you?”

“Nothing that I’ve found. I can get injured and feel pain, but I can't be killed. So, you can see why I knew you couldn’t hurt me. What about you? I couldn't find information on if succubi were immortal or not."

She looked away, deep in thought. "I'm really not sure. I know that my mother is much older than my father and she doesn't seem to age much. My father's hair is almost all grey and in their wedding pictures my mother looks exactly the same today as she did on her wedding day."

"You didn't think to ask her?"

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the mother in our relationship. My mom gave me a brief overview, and we never talked about it again, other then her warnings of not getting involved with anyone until I could control myself. I've never had to control myself until I met you." Lily blushed. 

"Really?" Jake reached over to grab her hand. "I like the sound of that."

Lily sat down on the bed and thought about everything he had said. Was it possible she found someone she could be with? Her head was swimming with all this new information. “So, you aren’t attracted to me like everyone else is?”

He looked away thoughtful and answered, “There is something about you. I can’t stay away. I have those dreams—dreams where you keep coming to me and then run away. I guess that means I’m susceptible to that part of you.”

“Does that mean you only want to be with me because of what I am?” She looked down at her hands. 

“No.” He raised his voice. “That’s definitely not it.” He would have to prove to her that it was more than that, but he wasn’t sure how. 

He lifted her chin and with their noses almost touching, his lips grazed hers, ever so softly. He whispered her name, “Lily.”

She wouldn’t let him pull away. She grabbed his shirt and held on. Her breath coming quickly now, she crushed her lips to his. The kiss grew and before they knew it, they were on her bed. His hands on her bare back, hers tangled in his hair. 

He wanted desperately to keep going, but he knew he had to break it off. “Lily,” he said. “We can’t get carried away.” He pulled back. 

Sadly, she nodded. “You’re right. I just don't want to stop."

He lay next to her on the bed and they both tried to catch their breath. 

"Are you afraid to be with me that way?" Her eyes met his.

Jake grinned. "Of course not, but we're at school and your roommate could come home at any time. Plus, I'm old-fashioned. I'd like to get to know you better."

Lily shot up and pulled down her shirt. "I forgot about Hannah. She will be home soon.” She ran her hand through her hair trying to tame it. “Maybe we should go down in the common area. I don't want you to get in trouble for being on the female floor.” 

"I wish I could stay, but you're right. We don't need any more trouble. I should also check on Ben." 

"How could I have forgotten about Ben?" Her hand flew to her mouth. She was a horrible person. 

"I'm going to go to the hospital to visit him. Do you want to go?"

Lily hesitated and shook her head no. "I don't want to see him right now."

"I understand." Jake pulled her in for a long kiss before he headed out. 

***

Jake took a taxi to the hospital. He hated hospitals. There was something about the sterile environment that didn't agree with him. It was probably the strong smell of bleach, or seeing so many old people close to death. 

He walked down the dreary hallway to the reception desk and asked if Ben had been admitted. The woman typed his name into the computer and looked up. "He's in the intensive care unit. Unless you are a relative, you're not allowed to visit."

"ICU? Does it say why? I thought he just fainted or something?"

"I'm sorry. I can't give out that information to non-family members."

Jake thanked her and walked away. He needed to get in there to find out what was going on. Patiently, he waited until the nurse stepped away from the desk and then he slipped in through the double doors. He walked down the hall like he had the right to be there. He stopped when he saw Ben’s name on the door. Quickly glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, he went inside.

Ben lay on the bed, motionless. He had tubes in his mouth, breathing for him, and a bunch of wires coming from his chest. Jake stood there in shock. Even after reading all about what succubi do, he couldn’t believe that Lily actually did this to him. Not that she meant to. He knew it was Ben who had kissed her, not the other way around. But, still, he felt bad for the guy. 

He heard voices approaching and swiftly hid behind a long curtain. The door opened and two doctors walked in. “No change,” one of the doctor’s said. 

“His brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. I don’t know if he’ll regain consciousness at all.”

Jake peeked from behind the curtain and watched one of the doctors open Ben’s eyes and shine a penlight in them. 

“Too bad. He’s so young.”

“Was anyone able to find out what happened yet?”

“No. The police were called because of the questionable circumstances, but I haven’t heard anything else. They said they would check security cameras for foul play."

Jake waited for the doctors to leave before he snuck back out of the ICU. He ran his hand through his hair. He had this overwhelming sense of loyalty to protect Lily. 

He hurried back to campus and wandered around looking for where the cameras might be. He spotted one that definitely pointed at the area Lily and Ben had been. “Damn,” he swore. He had no doubt the police would look at the tapes and question Lily. But, what could she say? There wasn’t an answer for what she did to him. 

He leaned back against the building and thought about her options. She could wait for the police to show up, tell them she didn’t know what happened, and see where it went. Or she could leave now. He had no idea, which would be best for her.  He just knew he had to be with her.

Jake rushed over to the dinning area hoping to catch Lily, but she wasn't there. He went and checked the common area incase she was waiting for him. He really needed to get her phone number. After walking around aimlessly he decided to go back to her dorm. Guys weren't supposed to be in the girls’ dorm and he was pressing his luck twice in one day. 

He knocked on the door and was surprised when Hannah answered the door. "Jake? What are you doing here? You're going to get in trouble." She yanked him by the arm and pulled him in the room. 

He looked around the room. "I was looking for Lily."

"She's in the shower. She'll be out in a few minutes."

"Can I wait here? It's important." 

"I guess so. There's really nowhere for you to sit. If you don't mind standing." 

Jake stood awkwardly by the door. "So how was your Thanksgiving?" He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Same as every year. A house full of crazy people always leads to fights and some fun. The food was great, but it made me go off my diet. Lily better be prepared to do some long walks with me."

The bathroom door opened and Lily stepped out in nothing but a towel. She looked up and screamed. "What are you doing here?" She pulled the towel tighter and backed into the bathroom shutting the door. 

Jake just stood back and waited. "Hurry up. I have to talk to you about something important." 

He didn't even seem flustered by seeing Lily half-naked, Hannah thought.

 Lily finally came out, wearing long, plaid pajama pants and a pale blue t-shirt. “I think you might want to put on something warmer than that. We have to go outside to talk.”

"Lily, you promised me it was girls’ night tonight. We're supposed to go on a long walk, watch a chick flick, and then straighten my hair." Hannah sounded upset. 

"We can still do all of that. I'll be right back I just have to find out what Jake wants.” Lily threw on a sweatshirt.

Jake was standing impatiently at the door. "Let's go." He grabbed her hand and hurried down the stairs. Lily started to talk, but he shushed her. Once they got outside, they walked around back and found a park bench that didn't have much light. Jake looked around for security cameras, and didn't see any. 

"Jake, what is going on? You’re acting all crazy."

"Lily, I went to the hospital, and Ben is in ICU. It's not looking good. They were calling the cops."

"Oh shit. My mother is going to kill me." Lily had her face in her hands and was rocking back and forth. "Do you think he is going to die?”

Jake was silent for too long. "They said the chances were slim that he would regain consciousness. But, that's not all. There are cameras located where Ben tried to kiss you. The cops will be going through the tapes."

Panic rose in her chest. "Give me your phone."

"I don't think that is a good idea. We need to think it over longer." 

Lily turned and made direct eye contact with Jake. "Give me the phone now." 

Jake handed the phone to her. 

Lily clicked the phone open and dialed her mother’s phone. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she realized just how cold it was out.

As soon as her mom answered, she blurted, "Mother, I need your help. I'm in trouble."

"What did you do, dear? I thought you liked that little quaint school."

"Mother, listen to me. I put a boy in the hospital and they don't think he is going to make it back.”

"Lily, how many times did we tell you?" 

"He attacked me for the second time. I don't think you realize how serious this is. He might die or be brain dead. The cops suspect foul play. They have surveillance cameras that show me with him when he collapsed."

"Oh dear, we are out of options as far as schools go. Maybe I can come down there and smooth things out."

"Mom, I'm scared. I don't want to go to jail." 

"You will not be going to jail. What will the camera show?"

"It shows him trying to kiss me and me pushing him away. He grabbed me anyway and shoved his lips on mine at the same time I was yelling “don't”. So he got his tongue in my mouth. I think the saliva was too much."

"It will look like natural causes. They will not be able to prove anything. Even if he wakes up, so what? He was kissing a girl and passed out. I'm sure it's happened before. You guys are overreacting. If the police come to talk to you tell them that you have to wait for your lawyer. You have his number in your phone. Call him as soon as anyone contacts you. It is your legal right."

"Thanks Mom. I'll call you if anything else comes up. I'll run before I go to jail. If I have to take off, I'll find away to let you know.”