The Awakening (16 page)

“One clawed my back. It still burns, but I’ll survive.”

“You did good back there,” Boss said.

My jaw nearly dropped. A compliment from him? I had to be dreaming.

“You are one curious creature,” he said.

I half grinned. I had advanced from an abomination to a curious creature. I’d made progress.

Twenty minutes later, we were off the interstate and on another dark country road. Houses were few and far between, separated by large fields. Boss slowed the car and turned into a driveway.

“Site B?” I asked.

“And I have another house in the city in case our location here gets compromised. In our line of work, we have to be extra careful.”

Made sense to me. Who was I to doubt a person who had been in this line of work for centuries?

Boss parked the vehicle outside the detached garage. I reached to open my door and his hand touched my shoulder.

“Here,” he said, handing the keys to me. “The one with the yellow dot will open the door. Wait for me in the basement.”

I nodded.

Slowly, I slid out of the car, every movement causing my body to ache. Clenching my jaw, I headed for the house.

I followed a concrete path to the front porch. Shivering, I found the right key and slid it into the lock. A hot shower sounded appealing.

The house had a musty smell of age and wood as if it had been empty a long time. My boots clacked on the hardwood floor as I passed a long flight of stairs on the left and a large room to the right. At the end of a short hall, I found another living area, a dinner table, and a kitchen. I found the switch on the wall, and flicked the lights on.

I blinked to adjust to the brightness. Hearing heavy footsteps behind me, I spun around. Boss came in carrying several large bags from the SUV. He stopped halfway into the room and dropped them on the floor.

“Second door on the left,” he said before turning to go out again.

I opened the second door and sure enough, there was a set of steps going down. I descended the stairs, leaving the door open behind me.

The temperature dropped as I reached the end of the staircase. I hugged myself for warmth, though it did little to help. I stopped in the middle of the room and took a quick look around. There was a large, cozy-looking sofa, a desk, and mostly empty bookshelves. I longed for a hot bath, clean clothes, warm blood, and a bed. For now, the sofa would suffice. I lay down in the middle and waited for Boss.

The knot in my gut tightened while I shivered in the darkness. While I waited for Boss, I thought about the gargumen I'd shot. I'd killed them effortlessly. How was I able to shoot them so quickly, so instinctively? Instinct was the key word.

Boss came down the stairs. He clicked a button on the wall and turned the lights up to give the room a soft glow. Dark circles encompassed his eyes.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

He ran his fingers through his tangled hair and sat at the end of the sofa. “I’ll be fine. What about you?”

I shook my head. “I...I killed five people. I never thought I could do it, but I did, without hesitating.”

“They weren’t people.”

“They were living creatures with souls like us. And I ended their lives.”

Boss chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know which is more absurd, you believing they were good creatures with souls or that I have a soul.”

I glared at him. “Every living creature has a soul.”

“I’m not living. I died a long time ago.”

“Maybe
living
is the wrong word to use. You have a functioning brain. You have emotions and a conscience. You’re not some zombie, so you have a soul.”

He curled his lips as he all but laughed. “You truly believe that, don’t you?”

“Believe? No. I know it.”

“Okay. Then tell me: where will my soul go when I leave this Earth? Where did the souls of the gargumen go?”

“If you’re asking me if there is a Heaven and Hell then the answer is yes. And where you go depends on what you do during your time on Earth.”

He narrowed his dark eyes. “Is this coming from the angel part of you?”

“Does it matter?”

Boss turned his head away. Did he truly believe he didn’t have a soul because he was a vampire? I didn’t have memories, but I knew in my heart that all creatures had souls. The fact that Boss didn't believe he had a soul saddened me.

And while I felt guilty for ending five lives tonight, I reminded myself I had saved Boss’s life, and mine. No matter how much I disliked what I’d done, I had to believe I did the right thing. I’d find out later if I was wrong.

“There’s a bathroom in the back if you want to clean up,” Boss said. “Tabby comes once a week and checks on this place. She puts clean towels in the bathrooms and sheets on the bed.”

I pushed myself up from the sofa. A hot shower sounded like heaven.

I found the bathroom at the end of the hall. Unlike the bathroom at the other house, this one had plain white walls, a red rug, and red towels, nothing fancy or girlish. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the tub.

For several minutes, I stood under the spray, the hot water soothing my aching body. I used the shampoo on the shelf, not concerned about the scent. After my skin shriveled, I shut off the water and swept the shower curtain aside.

Boss stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were dark and his expression frozen, almost distant.

I quickly pulled a towel from the rack and covered my front. “Spying on me?” I stepped from the tub, clutching the towel in my hands.

“I need to see something.”

“I'd say you just saw plenty.”

His lips twitched as he lowered his arms. “Turn around.” He stepped closer to me.

“What for?”

“I want to see where the garguman clawed you.”

Oh, right.

I turned, keeping my eyes on the mirror. Boss studied my back and slowly glided his fingers down my wet spine. His soft touch tickled, yet aroused me. He slid his fingers lower, and my heart fluttered. I wondered if he enjoyed touching me as much as I enjoyed it.

“Amazing. There’s not a single mark on you.”

I turned around and faced him. “You saw mine. How about you show me yours?”

Boss raised an eyebrow, then he lifted his sweater over his head with a smile. I gaped. Red and pink slashes along with bite marks covered his arms, shoulders, and chest.

“Oh my God.” I dropped my towel.

“I’m over fourteen hundred years old. I heal fast. Yet somehow, you have already healed.”

I swallowed. How could I heal before him? There was no way I could be older than he was. I lifted my hand and touched one of the deeper gashes on his chest. The skin was rough and his flesh cold.

He caressed the side of my face with the back of his fingers. “Do you still question your actions tonight?”

Seeing his battered and scraped body, the answer came easy. “No.”

He smoothed his thumb over my lips. “Do you honestly think I have a soul?”

There was doubt in his eyes. He wanted to believe, but something prevented him.

“Yes,” I said, placing my hand over his silent heart. “You have a soul.”

He took me in his arms and crushed me to his scratched body. He covered my mouth with his and slipped his tongue between my lips. His kiss was needy, and demanding. I enjoyed every bit of it.

He sucked and stroked my tongue while one hand held me tight to his body and the other groped my ass. Desire poured from him in soft waves and I breathed it in, sharing my own in return. His hard erection pressed into my stomach, held back by his pants. I wanted to feel him inside me, wanted him to touch and explore me.

Boss began to trail kisses down my chin, as if he'd heard my thoughts. Maybe he had.

“You are so warm,” he said as he traveled down my neck.

Tilting my head back, I lifted my leg and rubbed it along his. I kept my hand curled around the nape of his neck and my other on his solid chest, careful not to irritate his wounds. His hand moved from my back and slid between our bodies. I lifted my leg higher, curling it around his thigh and leaning into him. He squeezed my ass while his other hand slithered between my legs. His fingers delved into me and I gasped.

“Do you want me to stop?”

I placed my hand over his, keeping him between my legs. “No,” I said. “Don’t you dare.”

He claimed my lips. My body blazed with desire as our tongues frolicked. He slid his fingers in and out of me, massaging my sex. I whimpered. Every time he touched my core, I wanted so much more of him. My breasts ached with anticipation. Damn it, I needed more.

I moved my hand and pressed it against his stiff erection. Slowly, I rubbed my palm along his length. He moaned softly and sucked my tongue with greater vigor. He pushed more of his fingers deeper inside me. My body quivered with lust. I was riding the edge of an orgasm, wanting it badly, but not until I claimed him first.

I unzipped his pants and pushed them down along with his boxers, breaking off our kiss. Boss gripped under my arms and lifted me up. I curled my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He carried me out of the bathroom, leaving the light on, and our clothes scattered over the floor.

My breasts rubbed against the abrasions on his chest. I wanted to ease his suffering and make all his pain go away.

He brought me into another room. The light from the bathroom spilled in, revealing a mirror above a dresser. The reflection in the mirror showed a bed.

“Do you hurt?” I asked, gently touching a bite wound on his shoulder.

“Not in the way you are thinking,” he replied as he kneeled on the bed.

He crushed me under his body. His erection pressed against me. He was ready and able. So was I. He kissed my lips, then my chin, and slowly glided his tongue down the center of my neck. I tilted my head back, enjoying the feel of it. He squeezed my breasts with strong hands, rousing the deep ache inside me. I craved more from him. Forgotten were his coldness and harsh words. None of it mattered anymore.

Boss flicked one of my hard nipples with his tongue, once, twice, and then nipped it with his teeth. I gasped as the pleasure zinged from my breast to my core.

“Don't stop. I like that.” I raked my fingers through his hair, brushing it from his face.

The corner of his mouth twitched before he pressed his lips around my hard nipple and sucked on it with the same aggressive need as before. The same need burned within me. Every tug and nip exited me, made me crave more as if I had been starving for this my entire life. Maybe I had. I didn't know.

He slid his fingers between my legs, rubbed my core, and pushed them back inside me. God, every movement felt so good. I gripped the sheets of the bed. He moved to my other nipple while his fingers continued teasing my sex. My body pined for him. Damn it, I wanted to scream at him. Why couldn’t he just fuck me?

“Boss, please.” I whined.

He withdrew his fingers. I bit down on my lip to stifle a moan. He gazed into my eyes as he lifted his body. Holding his stiff erection in his hand, he guided it into me. I quickly understood why he spent so much time stretching me with his fingers. He was huge, and I loved how he filled me.

He withdrew, then plunged into me. I gasped for air, feeling pain and tightness. His mouth covered mine while he lifted his hips, sliding his cock out almost all the way. Then he drove into me again, sliding deeper. My body yearned for more, craved it as if life depended on it. I splayed my hands over his firm ass, one of the few places free from wounds. He thrust again and again, each time with added zeal. My body matched his movements, taking him all in. Pleasure consumed me.

“Yes, yes,” I said softly.

I writhed underneath him, rubbing my breasts against him and savoring him inside of me. He held my head in his hands, thrusting into me with greater force and gently sucking on my neck. Our bodies slapped and molded together, climbing to the peak of ecstasy. Almost...almost.

Sharp teeth penetrated my neck, and my orgasm exploded. Pleasure rippled inside me as blood rushed up to my head. Boss continued driving into me, harder and faster. Within seconds, his eruption came with a throb and a moan against my throat.

His movements slowed with the aftershocks of our releases. He rested his body on mine while his mouth remained glued to my neck. My heart slowed while I lay in a state of bliss.

Yet, something didn’t feel right.

The room spun. The walls and ceiling shifted. I felt as if I were floating. I shut my eyes, hoping the dizziness would go away. Boss held my head with his fingers entwined in my hair. His teeth sank deeper into my neck. A clicking noise alerted me and I opened my eyes. Through my clouded vision, I saw Jonas pointing a gun at Boss’s head. A second later, everything faded to black.

Chapter 17

I woke up on my stomach with my head resting on a pillow. Blankets covered my naked body. My mouth felt dry and my body ached, especially between my legs. The scent of sex and blood lingered. Memory came back as I rolled over, and I smiled.

I sat up and listened for sounds. There was no hum of electricity, clicking of keys, or voices. But I did hear two heartbeats.

I tossed the covers away from me and hopped out of the bed. Dizziness overcame me and I quickly sat back down, holding my hands to my head. I took in several deep breaths until the spinning stopped, then I rose slowly.

Though the room was dark, my eyes adjusted quickly. Spotting a closet along one wall, I went to it and opened the bi-fold doors. A few shirts hung inside along with pairs of slacks. Boss’s clothes I presumed. I took one of the button-down shirts and slid my arms through the sleeves. The big garment hung loose, but at least it covered me.

The soft carpet felt good under my bare feet as I strolled through the basement. The cool air made me shiver and I wondered if the sun had come up yet. Finding myself alone, I ascended the stairs.

The door opened silently and I stepped onto the hard wood floor. Sunlight from outside spilled in from the patio, illuminating the kitchen, dining, and living areas, which were open to each other. Appliances were on the left. A half-wall separated the kitchen from dining room. In front of the patio door was a large dinner table. Farther to the right were two sofas and a television. Jonas was sleeping on the larger sofa with his clothes on. Trying not to disturb him, I walked to the patio, opened the door as quietly as I could, and stepped outside.