"All right, what would you like to know first?"
"Why....I mean, why go to all the trouble?" I asked looking down at my arms and found the marks that Sammael had made were now gone.
"Keira, after the very first time I saw you in the forest, I did everything in my power to find out all about you. I needed to know, but of course you had changed your name so you made this difficult...even for me! I couldn"t understand at first why I couldn"t find anything, then I realised you were hiding something when you never came to work without gloves. You even slept with them on and I knew the reasons you gave were false."
"What do you mean?" I asked looking confused but he smiled as though this was amusing.
"You would always say you were cold or had bad circulation, but Keira I could feel the blood around your body and the warmth of your skin to know this wasn"t true. Just as I can feel the heat in your cheeks now with your embarra.s.sment." Of course, this made it worse even thinking about it, which just made him laugh.
"You don"t know what that does to me, every time I came near you I would watch the blood turn your soft skin into a rose I couldn"t touch...It was close to unbearable, as all I wanted was to have you for myself but I couldn"t as you weren"t yet mine to have. So I needed to find out everything. I would have Sophia drill you for any information she could get but you never gave away anything about your past. So I had to be content with knowing your likes and dislikes." His face fascinated me like he was looking back at each day and I thought back to all the times I wished I knew things about him. Of course I didn"t have the means like he did.
"So how did you finally find out?" I asked, as he looked lost in my eyes.
"After that night you got stabbed, all my fears about you working the VIP came true and I knew I would have to hurt you to protect you. It was the only way and it worked better than I could ever have imagined." His deep eyes looked like the midnight ocean as the memories came back. I placed my hand on his face bringing his eyes to meet mine.
"I understand why, you don"t have to torture yourself over it any more...not now I"m here."
"As long as you know I would never put you through that again. See, after that night I vowed I would leave you to live your life, only to watch you from afar. So if you ever needed my help then I would intervene but one night it got too much and then an opportunity presented itself when you called to make an appointment with Doctor Goff..." I frowned at the memory.
"Please don"t look at me like that Keira, I know this was a great violation of your privacy but consider that I had been doing this ever since you arrived." It was like hearing the confession of a personal stalker, one that I was more than happy to have. I couldn"t be mad, as I knew that if I had the same opportunity I would have done the same to feed my addiction.
"So when you told me the dream, I knew what you had done...well thought you had done anyway. So that night I knew after the pills I had given you, there wouldn"t be a chance for you to wake up while I was there but one thing I didn"t expect, was for you to be talking in your sleep." At this I nearly died with shame!
"Oh no!" I said before burying my head in my palms but he just laughed as he pulled them from my red face.
"Keira, don"t be embarra.s.sed. It brought a lot of comfort to me at a time that I needed it the most." His hands held mine down so that I wouldn"t hide from him and I gave up struggling.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that I thought I had pushed you enough to hate me, so when I heard you whisper my name in your sleep in such a loving way, I knew you still held something more for me. I knew I was trying to stop this from happening but I couldn"t help the hope I felt. Of course you said the name Williams which was a name I hadn"t heard before, so I started my research again."
"But I still don"t understand, even from that name how would you have been able...." He cut me off with a mischievous grin.
"I knew where you were from ever since I played Doctor the first time. I noticed the sweater you wore and that told me most of what I needed. Your father"s name was under the college logo, so that gave me the place and a name." I thought back to that day not realising what I had given away just by wearing my dad"s old football sweater.
"So when I finally had the name Williams it was the last part of the puzzle I needed. I found out that he had two daughters, one of which was called Catherine. Of course when I had your first name then the news about you followed. I cannot express the rage I was in for days when I started to read what happened to you. At first it was unclear....I found all news articles starting from when you first went missing up until they found you. Then I demanded the case file."
"Demanded?" I asked wondering if there was anything this man would be refused!
"Let"s just say that I know people in high places due to the nature of what I do, but that is another thing entirely. So once I got the case file I knew the facts but because you never gave a statement...(which I still don"t understand by the way) I didn"t know the story through your eyes. But it was no matter as I knew what HE had done to you and that was enough for me to have him killed." He said this so matter fact that I coughed and tried to clear the lump in my throat as his words hung in the air like a gas I couldn"t breathe.
"WHAT, you ordered to have him murdered?" I asked in horror!
"Yes of course...what else would you have me do....I couldn"t let him live and breathe the same air as you after what he had done to you!" He looked as if this had been an obvious choice but I couldn"t believe I was talking about murder like it was nothing but an everyday occurrence. I couldn"t help my reaction as I moved away from him making my body instantly grow cold from the separation.
"Keira please...he needed to be punished! Do not look badly on me for this...come back to me." He said as his hands came out to me but I moved out of the way, shifting over to the other side of the bed away from him. I just couldn"t understand. I mean, sure I had wished Morgan dead a hundred times over. But that didn"t mean when I was faced with it I would have! I had asked Draven to spare his life. Which he hadn"t done.
"Speak to me!" He pleaded "Why would you do that? I mean he was sick and in the right place for his sickness! Don"t you think that type of thing would be my choice to make?" I said but his face went stern from my reasons.
"Keira I know you are good and pure of heart but look what happened. If I hadn"t been here you might have still been a prisoner to that mad parasite! And NO it wasn"t just your choice to make! Imagine if roles were in reverse...would you look on kindly if someone had done this to someone you love...like Libby!" He said, fully making his point giving me no more reasons to be upset at the thought.
"I know you"re right." As soon as the words left my lips his hands flew out to me, sliding me under him, back where I belonged. The warmth made me smile and then my grin felt the warmth from his lips. His kiss was long and pa.s.sionate as if he was sorry in case he had hurt my feelings. However, when his lips left mine I was left wanting as his taste in my mouth made me crave something more. I ran my fingers through the back of his hair as I pulled him back to me but he stopped above my mouth saying.
"I take it, I am forgiven?" before giving me a smug smile.
"That depends," I said winking at him and he caught my full meaning as he laughed, only instead of giving me what I wanted he rolled off me and rested on his side. I did my own version of a growl, which next to him sounded more than lame. But he found it hilarious making the bed shake under his laughter.
"That was adorable," he said as he poked me playfully but I pouted making him say "Nope still adorable!" So I flicked his arm playfully back and frowned.
"OK, ok no more adorable but can I go for cute? Ok, ok I guess not!" He said as my flick turned into a little punch on the arm but considering his muscle, it felt like playfully hitting a brick so I was surprised he folded so quickly.
"So are you going to continue or keep calling me daft names...like cute?" I was going for stern but seeing as I couldn"t keep the smile from my face I doubted this was very effective.
"Anything my temptress. So where was I before you...Umm what is it you say....wigged out!" As soon as he said this he knew another punch was coming so he blocked it by grabbing my fist in his palm before putting it around his back to be closer to him.
"So by the time my men got to the hospital it was too late, he had escaped. This news got to me when you left me after our argument on Sunday. I wanted to take you that night but Sophia convinced me this wasn"t a wise move and said that she would take care of it. So she waited for you to get back off your DATE!" He said the word date bitterly and I remembered back to the guy in the diner who was giving me evil glares.....It had been Draven!
"It wasn"t a date!"
"Did he know that? Anyway I watched your house all night, making sure you were safe then I waited for you to come to the club. See, I knew I could keep you safe here and since Halloween I knew the word was out about you and it would soon start to become dangerous for you to be on your own. That"s when I decided to keep you here, even against your will! ...Of course you know how that went down." Now it was my turn to laugh as I remembered how I had done everything in my power to get away and now I would do the opposite, wanting to remain here in his strong arms forever.
"Yeah, sorry I was a little difficult."
"A little?" His hand ran up my naked sides making me giggle as his fingertips tickled my skin.
"Behave!" I warned as I nestled down into my little nook by his shoulder and neck. I let out a sigh of utter bliss at the thought of what the last few days had brought and how this still didn"t seem real. I had been wishing for this for so long that it felt like a dream that I never wanted to wake from. As I curved into his body it felt as though I had never fit anywhere as well in my life. I knew I belonged here next to him forever, till the end of my time. Then the word time had me thinking, was my one lifetime enough? I knew it wasn"t but I would take it gladly and spend every day loving him with ever fibre in my body!
The sound of his heartbeat and the gentle circles he was making on my back were making it difficult to keep my eyes open.
"Good night my Keira," his voice whispered in my ear, adding to my sleepy state.
But my happy ending wasn"t yet in my grasp as I had thought...
I was just getting ready to fall in to a deep world of bliss, as my lids were heavy after the longest night of my life... When it seemed it wasn"t quite over.
Vincent burst through the door making both of us jump with surprise. He looked horrified and for a powerful Angel that had descended from a mighty bloodline this was never a good sign!
"Dominic come quickly!" He shouted at him with an urgency that I had never heard Vincent use before.
"Brother, what is it?" Draven automatically pulled my body closer to him as if I was his first priority.
"It"s Takeshi, he has had another vision but Dom he is near death from it!" At this, Draven was up and round the bed dressed before I could register his arms leaving me.
"What was the vision?" He asked and Vincent looked back at me with the same worry in his eyes as Draven"s.
"It is about the prophecy, Lucius knows about the girl and he"s started the hunt!" This sent a shiver of fear down my spine as I had heard this name before. Lucius was Draven"s equal...his only equal in power but more importantly he was his mortal enemy!
"But Dom, there is something else...Layla has escaped!" At this Draven let out a trade mark blood curdling growl and I shivered as I realised why Draven didn"t want to tell me what happened to Layla...she had been here... imprisoned!
This was when I realised that my nightmare wasn"t yet over, in fact it was just beginning, as it seemed this was my price for loving Draven, as I fully understood what Vincent meant....
I was the one that was being hunted!
Afterlife Book 2- The Two Kings.
Coming Soon.
Chapter 1- Hunted.
Draven"s eyes scanned over me checking that I wasn"t going to go into shock from Vincent"s outburst.
"I"m fine, you go," I managed to say but before I knew it Draven"s hands were touching my face making me look into his incredible deep eyes. His gaze was edged in a concern he was most likely trying very hard to hide, no doubt to stop me from panicking...
It wasn"t working!
"Keira it will be all right, you don"t have to worry!" Was he joking! Of course I had reason to worry. I mean I was being b.l.o.o.d.y hunted and images of me on a "Wanted" poster in some supernatural tavern were filling my mind. But of course instead of saying this, I just nodded and pushed his hands from me.
"Go, I will be fine on my own and Takeshi needs you." I couldn"t help but lower my face as I said this, not needing him to see the pain in my eyes nor hear the worry in my voice. After all, my acting skills weren"t ever going to win any awards. So despite my best efforts, he didn"t look convinced but he knew as well as I did that he needed to go. With that in mind he kissed my forehead and begrudgingly left with his brother, to leave me with my own thoughts of dread.
I just couldn"t understand how, just hours after my own personal nightmare that now we were having to deal with Draven"s. It was like a cruel game of chance that we just couldn"t win. We just wanted to be together but it was like every force of Heaven and h.e.l.l was telling us NO! I decided to get up as I knew I would never sleep without Draven"s warm touch on my skin. I went over to my bag which was still on the couch from the last few days I had spent here and grabbed the last pair of jeans and T shirt that I had left. At least now it would be safe for me to go home and get some new clean clothes and some other things that I might need soon. Then I stopped, thinking was I right....would it be safe or was I forever now to be in danger? I had to stop myself before I lost my mind to all the dark places it wanted to go, I mean I couldn"t live in fear forever and with Draven as my protector, what really was there to be frightened of?
Just as I had slipped into my clothes and tied my hair back there was a light tap on the door that didn"t wait for a reply. Sophia came strolling in the room looking radiant as always followed by Candra who had a plate full of food.
"Dominic thought you might need some company and also feeding," She said smirking as my face said it all. He was worried I would be sat here, freaking out on my own, so he had sent Sophia to check on me... Or more like Human sit me!
"He worries too much." I said frowning but still the smell of hot chicken soup and crusty bread had me close to salivating! She just shrugged her shoulders and made herself comfortable on the couch opposite, folding her legs as though she was ready to start meditating.
"Well at least you"re looking better, you looked like h.e.l.l....and trust me, I know h.e.l.l!"
This she found hilarious being her idea of a joke and I couldn"t help but relax at the sound. Draven had been right to send Sophia. It was just something about her that had you forgetting your worries and making you see the bigger picture or no picture at all, either way it worked. I mean she didn"t seem as worried as Vincent or Draven but who really knew her true feelings?
I sat in the big, red velvet chair and rested the tray of food on my lap before diving in.
"I take it you were hungry?" She giggled as she watched me wolf my food down. I just nodded, not realising just how hungry I was.
"Sophia... I need to know, what"s going on?" I asked not knowing whether or not she was ever going to tell the truth. Her eyes widened and her face tensed for a moment before returning back to her usual relaxed state. She flicked her curly hair back over her shoulder before eyeing my face carefully.
"Keira there is nothing that you should be worrying about, Dom will sort it out and make it right. This was something that he predicted would happen and he has taken precautions." She said all this in such a way that made me believe it had been rehea.r.s.ed. It was too "matter of fact", that I couldn"t do anything but not trust her words. I had seen the panic on Vincent"s face and then on Draven"s too, so I knew this wasn"t as clear cut as Sophia was making out. But I decided to play along and wait until I could get my answers from the one man I knew would give me what I wanted....after all, I knew his weaknesses!
"Ok then, answer me this...why is it n.o.body told me that Layla was being held prisoner right here under my nose?" I was determined that I would get at least that out of her.
"Oh no, I"m not falling for that trap again....these are things that only Dom can tell you, it is not my place." She held up her hands as though I had a large pistol in my possession and was about to mug her. But the only thing I needed from her was the truth, which just so happened to be the one thing this family had difficulty in disclosing. I decided to admit defeat; I mean, Draven couldn"t keep what was going on from me forever. I knew he didn"t want me to worry but not knowing was far worse than the truth.....wasn"t it?
"Keira can I ask you something?" Sophia"s voice was as soft as petals blowing in the breeze and she knew that with this seductive tone, I would never be able to refuse her anything. But instead of showing just how willing I was to give Sophia anything she asked of me, I restrained my answer to just a shrug of my shoulders.
"I guess I am just curious but how does it work? I mean when you see us in our true form." She was edging forward in her chair and she eyed me as though ready to judge my response. This was something I didn"t want to be talking about but she was clearly waiting for my response and I was clearly stalling for time.
"I"m not sure I understand what it is you want to know exactly?" I said hoping that she would want to drop this conversation. Of course from the look on her face this wish wasn"t likely to be granted.
"Well...Can you see me now, you know... in my Demon form?" It was still hard to believe that such a beautiful creature as Sophia could ever be such the powerful Demon she was. I still thought of her as this pretty little doll that captivated everyone around her. Of course seeing her lay a punch so hard on Draven"s face, it sounded like bone cracking, well that did shed a little Demon light her way. I looked down at my now empty bowl and brushed off the crumbs of bread that lay on my top. It wasn"t fair, they had all their secrets but the one thing they didn"t understand about me they wanted a fully explanation on how it all worked.
"To be honest Sophia, even I don"t fully understand how it works or why for that matter but to answer your question, no I can"t see you in your Demon form, not at the moment." She sat there unmoved but I could see the faint flicker of red in her eyes and normally this would have given me a reaction of my own but after tonight, I was starting to think I would never be the same again. After all the horrors I had seen in my life and the even more horrific kidnapping years ago, I thought I had experienced enough for one lifetime but I knew now that it had only been the beginning. This thought did make me shudder. What else exactly did fate have in store for this little Liverpudlian girl?
"I"m sorry Keira, please forgive me, I sometimes forget that you are human. I can"t imagine what it has been like for you to find out your world was not as you thought.....You must love my brother very much." By the time she was finished I couldn"t help the tears that fell down my cheeks and before I could look away in shame, Sophia was knelt at my feet, leaning up to wipe the tears from my skin.
"You are truly an amazing being Keira and never let anyone tell you any differently." She kissed both my cheeks before getting up off the floor and before I could thank her she was gone.
I curled up on the couch and waited till my tears ran dry. I couldn"t help it and I knew I was being silly but I think that without Draven"s secure arms to keep me safe, I felt vulnerable from my emotions. It was a mixture of relief and dread. I was happy that I had finally found closure to a nightmare that had been haunting me for years. Morgan was dead and you couldn"t get more closure than that! But now I was in a world that I didn"t fully understand and I was way out of my league.
I got up and gave myself a shake determined to bring myself back to reality, I knew why I was doing this, so there was no reason to feel sorry for myself. I was alive and I still had the most important things, my family and friends were all safe and I had Draven, that"s all that mattered. I looked down at my bare arms and ran my fingers over the scars of my past, knowing that for the first time, seeing them like this didn"t bother me anymore. I had waited for so long to move on and get over hating myself for what I am, but now I knew my purpose and if I had never had this sight, then things with Draven would have gone quite differently. He was my reason.
I went over to Draven"s huge oak desk and looked for something I would look at for the last time. I found my case file and took out two pictures before walking over to the double gla.s.s doors that lead onto the balcony. I placed my warm hand in the middle and the gla.s.s responded as though it was alive, disappearing back into the wall. The cool air hit me and my body responded by covering my skin in Gooseb.u.mps. I only had a t-shirt on and for once no gloves, so the feel of the night air on my scars was a feeling I was not used to but for some reason, it made me smile.
I walked over to the edge and noticed my blood was still on the floor in little droplets from where Draven had set me down before realising my feet were in such bad shape. I hope the rain would come soon and wash it away, as I didn"t want Draven to have any reminder of what had happened tonight.
The wind had picked up now and I looked at the first picture. It was Morgan"s mug shot. I had never seen a face so evil in all my life, not even after years of seeing humans one minute and then them as Demons the next. I had never met someone that emanated so much pure hatred. His twisted love for his sister over took his senses and when he found her loving someone else, his love just fuelled his rage, killing them both in the most brutal of ways. I don"t know what it was that he saw when he looked at me... Was it his sister incarnate or his guilt? Whatever it was, it was over now and I doubt that his fate would have led him to the same place his sister was. She was now at peace. I ripped up the face into as many pieces I could and threw into the night, letting the wind take his face away from my nightmares.
I looked down at the last picture I held in my cold hand. This one was me, broken and afraid. It was when I was in the hospital, so soon after they found me outside, where Morgan had dumped me, slowly bleeding to death. This was the one thing Morgan had done with the last shred of humanity left in him. I had cut my own wrists hoping he would believe the Demon that was torturing him had made me do it. It was my last hope of escape and my last chance to save my family, who he had been talking about getting rid of. I still thank G.o.d daily that it had worked and perfect smooth skin on my arms had been the only thing I had lost.
The picture was still painful to look at. Bringing so many terrible memories back but none as bad as when I saw my family"s faces, when they first saw me. My mother had crying so hard she couldn"t breathe, my dad screamed out in an anger he couldn"t control and my sister couldn"t even look at me, which had been the hardest response to take. Of course I didn"t blame her, I would have probably been the same but from there on, I became I different person.
I was bitter at the world and hid away from everyone"s stares. I was convinced that everyone around me was thinking, "Oh dear, there goes the girl who tried to kill herself just to get away." But they were all wrong! I didn"t want to die, I wanted to live but I knew one way or another, this was my only chance at saving my family. After all, if Morgan hadn"t done the right thing by taking me to hospital then he wouldn"t have needed to go after my family, if I wasn"t around any longer. But when everyone around you, even those closest to you, all believe you"re a suicide case, then no matter what you do, you will always be cla.s.sed and viewed in that same, sad light.
I looked at my old self one last time before bringing the picture to my lips as I kissed that bitter, bruised me goodbye before ripping it the same way I had done with Morgan"s and I let the wind take away my past forever. I fell to my knees and cried with happiness until my legs went numb in my last cold night of being afraid.
I went back inside once the tears of my past had all dried up. I was close to freezing at this point and the only thing keeping me from realising sooner was my goal. I was hoping to find Draven back because not only was I bubbling over with a million questions but I needed his touch again so badly. I felt like a junky needing another fix. It made me wonder if Draven had this effect on everyone or was it just me because I was so madly in love with him, that it physically hurt when we were apart.
I decided the only way I was going to warm up without Draven was to take a warm shower. I was so tired but I was fighting against it, as I wanted to wait for him to come back. I hadn"t been in the bathroom since my nightmare when I first saw Sammael but I knew I didn"t have anything left to fear when it came to that Demon, as I had witnessed Draven send him back to the underworld.
I got undressed and let the warm shower caress my skin, making my muscles ease and relax. I loved water and loved it even more when it washed away my troubles along with cleansing my skin. By the time I was finished my hair was squeaky clean and my fingertips looked like raisins but I smelled great thanks to some luxurious bathroom products. Once I had dried myself off, I got dressed back into my clothes and went to sit on the couch hoping Draven wouldn"t be long.
When I next awoke it was dark and I was still half asleep but I was aware that I was being carried towards the bed. Strong arms gripped me tightly to a hard chest and I sighed taking in the tremendous scent. This was one of the things that always took my breath away with Draven. He always made my bones turn to jelly at just the smell of his skin. I still had my eyes closed as he laid me on the bed gently but I felt the covers move back with one swift movement. His arms left my body leaving my skin feeling cold in their absence. He then pulled the covers back up over me.
I was waiting for him to get in next to me but he didn"t. I could still feel him lingering over me before a hand came to my face. I felt fingers softly trace my cheek, running up to move the hair that had fallen over one side of my face. Then before his hands could leave me, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to me. I lifted up my face to his before he could pull away. I didn"t understand why he would want to pull away from me but before I could think about it in depth, my lips found his and everything stopped.
At first his lips wouldn"t respond and I was doing all the work but as soon as this thought hit me his lips parted, letting me in. His mouth was warm and so soft but his kiss tasted different. However my mind was still filled with an intoxication that I couldn"t break from and this is where I found my drug of choice.
His hand held my face and just before his kiss got even more intense he pulled back suddenly, causing me to open my eyes. I was about to protest and try to pull him back to me as my body was screaming to be touched but then the faint moonlight touched the side of his face, making his perfect features light up like the Angel he was. I gasped and bit down on my lip so hard I thought I would taste blood. Of course it was a Draven just not the one I was used to.
It wasn"t Dominic....
It was Vincent!