A Touch Morbid (26 page)

She slipped the tips of her fingers under the waistband of his pants, teasing. “You did say that’s proper etiquette Downstairs?”

She grazed his neck with her teeth, each tiny bite ending with the soft press of her mouth against his skin.

“Holy Hell, Kristen.” His voice was breathless.

She thought about ripping the shirt off him. How far could she go before stopping would become impossible? Already, she knew she treaded the line, the gasp that escaped him sending a tremble through her body. His hips rose, pressing against her. She clutched the back of his neck, kneading the tight muscles there as she drew herself closer. Her lips found his earlobe. Beneath her, his whole body lifted in anticipation, wanting her.

Exactly where she wanted him.

“I win,” she whispered. With a breathy laugh, she pulled back.

Luke caught her wrist.

She looked down, surprised by the roughness of his grip, the intensity in his eyes burning through her. In a flash he sat up, his hands at her waist, rolling her until she was under him. Shock stole her air. Each breath darkened his eyes until they blazed black as pitch. His hands pushed down on her shoulders, his body atop hers.

“Should I take what
I
want?” He slid his finger down to the button of her pants. It popped loose.

“Stop.” She couldn’t break away from his eyes, the darkness eating her up. Part of her wanted to let it. “Luke, I said stop!” she yelled, yanking an arm free. Her palm cracked hard against his cheek. The force of the slap turned his face from her.

He froze. And then his hands lifted away.

“It’s dangerous to lure me into games, Kristen,” he said quietly.

“No harm done.” She touched his reddened cheek. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

Luke untangled himself from her and sat up. The play was gone from his eyes.

“I want you,” he said, “to choose me this time. I’ll give you happiness. Books. Pleasure. Anything you wish,” he promised.

His mouth moved slowly toward hers and she thought for a moment that he’d forgotten the danger of her lips, but he moved to her jaw and the side of her neck, leaving a trail of goose bumps that did nothing to slow her speeding pulse.

“Why? Why me?”

He trailed his fingers down her face and then further. They lingered against the swell of her breast, the lace of her bustier. “Because you tempt me. You demand I fight for your affections instead of taking what I please.” He dropped his hand. “You tell me no. You say stop. And I listen.” He said the last words like a curse, anger bleeding through, each word rougher than the last.

Luke tilted his head, his neck tense, cracking with a snap. He rolled his shoulders.

“You’re a silly little dead girl.” He glared at her, his tone harsh. “You should mean exactly nothing to me.” He grabbed her chin, forced her to meet his eyes. “And yet I covet you more than anything else on this Earth.”

He was off the couch and across the room before Kristen could react. She rose to her knees in time to catch the opening of the door.

It closed and cut off the sound of even his receding footsteps. Left her somehow hating the silence she’d always welcomed.

E
den grabbed her gloves, reached for a scarf and decided against it. It didn’t seem very bright to put something around her neck that he could choke her with.

“Are you ready?” she asked Sebastian, coming out of her room. They’d agreed to head out to Aerie early. If they could catch Luke off his game, maybe he’d slip up a bit. Not that it was likely.

“Yes,” Sebastian said instantly. Eden nodded. From the corner of her eye she saw Az stand.

She turned to him. “You’re not coming.”

He froze with his hand in mid-reach for his coat, a perfect statue of confusion before his expression turned to disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

She kept her eyes on him. “I’m dead serious. You’re staying here, Az.”

“Not a fucking chance, Eden.” He yanked his coat down.

“Az.” She moved closer, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Listen to me, all right? Listen.” He shook his head, but she went on anyway. “Luke will do whatever it takes to get to you.” She searched his eyes, letting him see the fear in hers, not hiding it. “If you’re there, I’ll be concentrating on you. I need to be able to watch my back, right?”

His jaw tightened, the muscles working. She met his gaze, the hurt in it torturous.

“I need you here. I need someone to play the hero if this goes bad,” she said, dropping her eyes. “And I know you’ll come for me.”

He winced, then nodded. She forced herself to turn away, leave while she could. “Let’s go,” she said to Sebastian as she pulled the door open and pounded down the stairs.

“Eden! Wait!”

She wanted to keep going, but found herself turning around. Az rushed down the stairs, slowing as he got closer.

“Be careful,” he whispered. He pulled her into a tight hug, his lips on her ear. “I love you and please don’t … please be careful.”

Suddenly, he lifted his head, his eyes on Sebastian. “Anything happens, you run. First thing you do is call me.” Sebastian nodded. “Give him my number,” Az added to Eden. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Az. “Be fast,” he said.

A few early fangirls wandered aimlessly in front of the club, chain-smoking, but at an hour and a half before the opening band would take the stage, the place was fairly deserted. Sebastian grabbed Eden’s arm as they approached, but his eyes stayed on the door, eager and angry, ready to fight for Kristen. “Anything in particular I should know?”

“Yeah. He hates me.”

Sebastian’s brow wrinkled.

“Jarrod threw Luke off a roof. After I killed his girlfriend,” she finished, striding up to the door.

She tried the handle first, found it locked, and slammed her hand against the wood. Her palm was almost bleeding by the time someone finally opened it. Smears of gray ash graffitied the door. She ignored them. As long as the pain held off, she’d be fine.

“Is there a fucking problem?” the guy barked. “Doors open an hour before the show!”

“No.” The word crackled with enough quiet authority that the bouncer didn’t interrupt her. “We’re here to see Luke. Now.”

He checked her out, one eyebrow raised, assessing. Apparently, she failed the test. “That only works in the movies. Nice try, though,” he said, the door starting to fall shut.

“You want to tell him Eden’s here. Trust me,” she called through the crack. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall, waiting. On the sidewalk, a pair of girls giggled, whispering about her behind their hands. She gave them a satisfied grin when the door opened again thirty seconds later.

“He’s finished sound check,” the guy said sheepishly, leading them across the empty dance floor, headed to the backstage door. Eden stopped halfway there.

She’d be damned if she was going to be locked in the tiny room with Luke again. She remembered it well, where she’d first met him. The stench of cigarette butts and spilled beer. The only door led to a back lot that offered no escape. “No. Tell him to come meet us out here.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re a pain in my ass,” she heard him mutter as he went on to deliver her message.

“He
can
die, correct?” Sebastian said suddenly. “Because I will kill him if he’s harmed her.”

“I don’t know,” she said, flashing back to the nights she’d seen him onstage. His mere presence stoked crowds to a fever pitch. He fed off it, reveled. She wondered if he took his strength from those screams. “He might be weaker before a show.”

“Eden?”

Sebastian startled at the voice, staring over Eden’s shoulder. Eden heard the backstage door slam. She spun around in time to see Kristen’s eyes go wide. “Sebastian, what are you doing here?” She balled her hands into fists. “Leave,” she commanded. “Leave me alone. Now.”

“Kristen, what on Earth are you doing? Come with us. No one has to know about any of this.” Luke was nowhere in sight. A few more minutes and they’d be out the door. It was almost too easy. “We can set you up at my place. Obviously not your whole crew, but you and Sebastian.” Her eyes flicked back to Kristen. “I’ll do what I can to help you.”

Kristen’s face steeled. “Help? The way you helped Gabe?”’

Eden opened her mouth. No words came. Kristen knew about Gabe, and from the blaze of her eyes, she knew it was Eden’s fault.

Sebastian stepped forward. “Kristen, come with us.”

“Oh? You’re giving orders now?”

His bravado seemed to break for a second before he recovered.

“Thank you,” Kristen said, “for your offer. I won’t be taking you up on it. You can leave now.”

Eden snapped. “He’s the fucking devil, Kristen. Gabe’s Fallen and you’re shacking up with Lucifer when we should be working together. Like we did before. Your Touch helped me stop Luke from taking us all on the roof. Don’t let him take
you
now.”

“Hello, Eden.”

A gasp slipped out of her before she could stop it, stole away whatever edge she’d managed to carve out. The soft baritone shredded her anger, left her unraveling. He was directly behind her, so close that she trembled. Still, she turned. Faced him. “We’ve come for Kristen,” she said.

Luke had healed since the last time she’d seen him, bloody and broken from his fall off the roof. If anything, he looked stronger, more confident. “I figured. You were a little early for the show.” He moved and Eden staggered back, realizing too late that he only moved past her to stand beside Kristen. “I don’t believe she wants that.”

“Kristen.” Sebastian smiled when she turned to him, as if he needed proof she remembered who she was. “I know things must seem confusing right now.” His voice took on the soft lilt of a therapist, fake comfort words. “Perhaps it’s best if you come with us. There’s discord at home. The Siders need your leadership.”

Kristen scoffed. “Have you learned nothing from me, Sebastian?” She clasped Luke’s hand as if for backup, though she looked unbreakable. “Keep them in line with cruelty, reward them with your kindness. If you can’t manage a few Siders for a week, then I’ve wasted my time training you these years.”

He winced at the blow.

Eden glared at Luke. “Did you force this on her?”

He laughed, the sound bouncing around the empty club. “You throw around orders and for once someone doesn’t jump, so it must be a conspiracy. Kristen does have a mind of her own.”

“Yes,” Eden said, keeping her voice even. “A sick mind. She’s not well right now.”

Luke cocked his head, offended. “You say these things, talk to me like she’s not right here, can’t hear every word, and wonder why she hates you so?” She saw Kristen stiffen beside him. Luke raised her hand, kissing the knuckles, a clear flaunt of his prize, though Kristen’s weak smile showed she didn’t view it that way. “Let’s go. You don’t have to see them again.”

“Wait!” Eden called as they headed back toward the stage. “What would Gabriel say, Kristen? How badly would it hurt him to see you with Luke?”

“He knows,” Kristen said quietly. “He told me what he did to you. What Az was too weak to do himself. Gabe gave up everything for the two of you.” Kristen shrugged, but emotion battled in her eyes. “Why would he ever care what happens to me?”

Eden shook her head. “Kristen, it’s not—” The words caught her. “My God, you saw him? Where?”

“Stop it!” Kristen’s outburst left her face scarlet. “I can’t save Gabriel. No one can. And it’s
your
fault!”

“So you’re whoring yourself out to the Fallen?” Eden screamed back.

Luke charged, his face suddenly an inch from Eden’s. “It wasn’t enough for you to take Gabe from her? You’ve decided to take away the only other person who bothered to help her. You think I’m going to stand aside?”

Luke’s shoulder twisted as Sebastian grabbed it. His hand shot out, shoving Sebastian to the floor.

“Luke!” Kristen strode back to them, fearless. Eden flinched, waiting. Kristen would give the command, have Luke take her. “Leave them.”

Luke’s eyes stayed on Eden, his face close enough that his angry breaths hit her cheek. “You gave up on Gabriel the moment he Fell. You hate her for doing what she needed to stay healthy without him. Tell me, Eden. Will you turn your back on Az soon? He’s struggling. Have you even noticed, or are you really that wrapped up in yourself?”