I walk out from behind the solitude of the trees a little surprised at how much better I feel. I can see every speck of life floating around me in the early morning light. I can hear every bird, bug, and animal running around in the wilderness behind me.
The chill of the early morning darkness brushes against my skin, while I may not feel coldness like a normal person I still feel the chill bumps rise on my arms. Once I walk back into downtown Aspen I finally lay my eyes on Michael again still sitting at the
cafe waiting patiently.
"Feel better Jac?"
I walk up to him and without even thinking I wrap my arms around his waist. "Yes. Thank you."
He wraps his arms around me as well as we begin to walk back towards the house.
"You already look a lot better Jac. You’re not as pale. Don't ever go that long without feeding again okay?"
I nod as we walk.
"Promise me Jaci."
I look up at him to see the real concern on his face.
"I promise."
We make our way back to the house and the minute we get through the door my senses kick in. Someone is in the house. I can smell him. He doesn't smell like anyone I know that should be here. No. This was an intruder. Every cell in my body tells me that I am right. I can not only hear him but I can sense his presence.
I look at Michael while I put my finger in front of my lips to tell him to be quiet, which of course causes him to whisper to me.
"What is it Jaci?"
I snap my head around. "
Shhh, Michael. Someone is here."
Now Michael goes completely blank. Before I can blink he is standing in front of me, like I need protecting. I am the one that can sense this guy.
From the smell I can tell he is another vampire like me. Shifters have a different smell; vampires have a sweet sultry smell mixed with the scent of blood. I would notice it anywhere. Suddenly I hear something slam upstairs and jump out from behind Michael.
"Jaci, what are you doing?"
Now irritated I turn to him. "I am a vampire. While I appreciate you wanting to protect me, I do not need it. This is a vampire, not a regular human or a shifter. I've got this."
I can hear him moving around upstairs. My entire body begins to prepare for a battle.
"Like hell you've got this."
Michael is now whispering under his breath but I do not pay attention. All of my attention is on this vampire roaming around the house. I flash towards the stairs before Michael even knows what happens. I look towards the upper floor but I see nothing. I can tell Michael is pissed but I cannot focus on him now. He catches up to me at the foot of the stairs.
"You are not doing this alone Jaci."
Screw irritated
, now I am down right pissed off. "Michael back off!" I hiss at him but he doesn't budge.
Before I can register what is happening I see something flash in front of me. I look around the room but I do not see him, however my senses tell me he is near.
I scan the room, still no sign of him but I can hear him. My eyes go up towards the high ceilings and finally I see him clinging to the ceiling like a cat trying not to fall.
"JR
, I presume?" He looks at me with hate in his blood red eyes then falls to the floor landing on Michael. Michael cries out then tries to throw him off but it is no use. I run towards them right as Michael shifts into his dark gray wolf form then reaches around himself to sink his teeth into the vampire's neck then throw him to the floor. I reach them within a second but it feels like an hour. Michael has his paw on the vamp’s chest while he looks up at us both and laughs.
"This won't be the last you see of me." Without another word he is gone, vanished into thin air. I look at Michael still in wolf form and still on the defensive as I look around the room to make sure he is truly gone.
"Damn Michael. What in the hell was that?"
Michael shifts back into human form, his nakedness and bulging muscles distracting me for just a moment before I see the blood running down his arm.
"Oh my God he bit you!"
I rush to his side to examine the wound.
"No he didn't Jaci. It's fine. He didn't bite me, he just clawed me. His nails are like razor blades."
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Come on let’s get that taken care of and see what he was doing upstairs."
Michael and I walk up the stairs we first go into his room to grab some clothes then we head into my bedroom but not before seeing that the room JR was roaming through was Ava and John's, which makes sense I suppose.
Once in my bedroom I remembered having some bandages in my bag, from what I have seen these past few months you never know when you are going to need them. We walk into the bathroom where I clean his arm and start wrapping the bandage around it.
"So this is your room while you’re here huh? Nice."
I just continue wrapping the bandage around him as I nod.
"I don't suppose you spent much time in here though." Michael looks to the ground as if thinking of something depressing.
"Actually not that it is any of your business or anything." I grin at him while I continue. "I spent most of my time here up until recently." That seems to get him
curious.
"You and Daniel just started, um hooking up?"
I am not sure how much I should share with Michael but I feel myself wanting to be honest with him. "Yes. Actually it started just before you guys got here. It was only a few days."
Once the bandage is in place Michael slips his t shirt over his head then stares right into my eyes.
"So you don't love him?"
Something about the way he is looking at me is making me weak and unable to breathe.
"No Michael. I do not love him."
Michael bends down to kiss me but I swiftly avoid his grasp and move into the bedroom.
"I am not so sure about this Michael."
Michael turns towards my voice. I am sure I surprised him.
"What do you mean
, Jac?"
What do I mean? I have no idea what am I saying at the moment.
"I...I don't know what I mean right now. I am just thinking that with everything with Daniel and they should all be back soon, maybe you and I should..."
Before I can finish Michael is in front of me pressing his soft lips against mine making all reasoning flow right out of my brain.
"Jaci, let’s just go into my room. I don't know what is going to happen, I don't know what will happen between you and Daniel or you and me but all I know right now is that I want you. JR was here which means he was not where John thought he would be so, yes, they should be back very soon. If that is the case then I want you tonight. It may be my last or it may not but damn it I want to make love to you like I will never be able to again."
How can I say no to that?
He leans down and kisses me once more before releasing me then pulling my hand towards him as he walks out of my room and into his. Once in his room he closes the door and locks it as he saunters towards me.
"Michael...I..."
He places his index finger under my chin and lifts my face so that I have no choice but to look into his crystal blue eyes.
"Don't talk Jaci. Just feel. Feel me."
He places his hand over my heart.
"Feel me here."
Then he moves his hand and places both hands around my neck very gently.
"Feel me here."
He rubs his thumbs across my now parted lips.
"Feel me here."
He then places his lips against mine, soft and sweet but full of need.
I have no choice but to open to him allowing our tongues to meet once more. He explores my tongue with his making me lose my breath. As he is kissing me he is walking me backwards towards the bed. I decide to give in. I can't help it. I am lost to him. My body wants him; it screams for him, I have to be with him again. Michael moves his hands into my hair.
"Feel me Jaci?"
I am short of breath but I am able to answer.
"Yes, Michael."
He slowly pulls his hands from my hair then runs them down my body as he squats down to get on his knees. He lifts my shirt up to my breasts then squats back
down to place a kiss against my stomach.
"Feel me here."
My entire body is melting. I feel like I could be a puddle on the floor. He unbuttons my jeans then pulls down the zipper and slides them down my legs along with the black thong I had put on earlier. He gently blows against my core. I can feel the wetness that has pooled at my center begging him to be inside me.
"Feel me here."
He licks my clitoris and my knees give out. Luckily he is there to catch me. My knees are on the floor, we are face to face, and he pulls my shirt up over my head then unclasps my bra and lets it slide down my long arms.
"Do you feel me Jaci?"
I am breathless, weightless, and dying inside.
"Yes Michael. Yes."
He kisses me but this time I place my hands in his hair pulling tightly trying to deepen the kiss. I press my body against him feeling his rock hard cock against my flat stomach.
"Michael. I need to feel you inside me."
Michael doesn't flinch but lays me backwards against the soft floor.
"As you wish my dear."
He places his long hard body against me then enters into my wetness slowly. He pulls out then enters again. It is like he is savoring every moment. He continues for what seems like hours exploring my body with his hands, feeling every inch of me, and thrust after thrust my body becomes more and more his until we collapse beside each other.
*****
I awaken later to realize it is still morning although it seems later since the sun is now out. The curtains over the window only cover so much. I look over to see Michael still sleeping soundly. I don't know when he might have moved me to his bed but I am glad he did.
This time with Michael has been amazing but confusing at the same time. I have loved our time together but what if I'm only feeling this way because Daniel isn't here? I loved being with Daniel
, too. Well, actually, I liked being with Daniel but Michael is something different.
Oh God
, Daniel! They should be home any minute! Daniel cannot find me in here like this, not like this. I roll to the side of the bed noticing my clothes lying there on the floor. I pick them up and slide out from under the blankets careful not to wake Michael. Once I stand I realize my legs feel like rubber bands, they are wobbly and threatening to betray me. I lean against the dresser as I slide my jeans in place and throw my shirt over my head. Once decent enough I attempt to make my way out into the hall and into my bedroom. With every step my legs feel like they may give way. What did that man do to me? I feel as though I am drunk and I haven't felt like that in ages.
Finally I make it into my bedroom and fall onto the bed spreading my arms out wide as to take up as much space as possible. It feels good to stretch my body out. Every muscle in my body feels like jelly. I would like to take a shower but I know I shouldn't risk it. The way I feel right now I will probably fall over in there. Instead I curl up in my bed and drift back to sleep.
I feel someone's arms sneaking their way around my waist. My mind is still foggy and I can't open my eyes just yet. I smell a manly scent but it's not Michael's.
Daniel! I strain to open my eyes. I ease them open enough to see light shining through. It is still daylight. I open them a little more but all I see is the ceiling fan going around and around. I finally get them open enough to realize I am still in my room, it is definitely still daylight although it is probably early evening, and as I stretch my body feeling all the soreness from my time with Michael and turn my head Daniel is in my line of view. The smile on his face is hard to ignore and suddenly I feel guilty. Although I don't understand why I should feel guilty. It isn't like Daniel and I made any kind of agreement or commitment to one another. We just slept together a few times.
"I missed you Jaci." He leans over to place a soft kiss against my lips. The memories of being with
Michael start flooding my mind.
"Were you terribly bored while we were gone?"
I decide right now it is better to just lie.
"It wasn't too bad. Michael and I did dinner and explored a bit of the wilderness. I did miss everyone."
That last statement wasn't exactly a lie. I did miss everyone, just not too badly. I definitely missed Avalon given how I need to talk to her. I need to tell them all about JR making an appearance. I figure now is better than later.
"JR was here."
I probably shouldn't have blurted it out but I just wanted to change the subject and fast. The smile on Daniel's face disappeared immediately.
"What do you mean JR was here? What happened?"
I sit up, bringing the sheets up with me to cover my body as to not distract Daniel.
"Well, Michael and I went out so I could feed and once I was finished we came back into the house where I sensed someone here.
After a few minutes JR comes flying through the living room. He tried to attack Michael but he morphed into a wolf and threw him off and into the floor. Before we knew it JR had vanished, into thin air. It was like he was never there."
Daniel sat up immediately. "We have to go tell the others."
I get out of bed, grab my clothes, and begin to get dressed. While Daniel’s eyes went straight for the boobs he quickly recovers given the circumstances. Now feeling a little self-conscious, I have to say something.
"So did anything happen while you all were gone? I mean JR was here so was it basically a wasted trip?"
The expression on Daniel's face goes from concerned to somber within a second. Then, as he looks up at me, I can see the tears already in his eyes.
"We got to where JR was hiding; he must have just left because we saw no sign of anyone. We broke into his run
-down shithole not knowing what to expect but we certainly didn't expect what we found. Jaci, it was terrible. We found the five women that had gone missing but four of them were dead, just lying in the middle of the floor, and drained completely dry. The fourth woman was chained to the floor in the back corner of the house. We thought she was dead as well but Avalon went over there to check on her and found her breathing and with a pulse. She was barely hanging on. We unchained her and took her with us. Avalon didn't have the heart to leave her; she was in too much trouble."
Yeah, that sounds like my Ava. I walk over to Daniel to wrap my arms around him. He looks almost traumatized.
"Wait. Is she here now?"
Daniel looks down at me then places another soft kiss to my forehead.
"Yes she is here. We could have taken her to the hospital but from what John could find out she has no family anyway and Ava didn't have the heart to leave her alone, so we brought her back here. That is what took us so long. Avalon was hoping you could check her out."
"She is sleeping in the next room."
I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this just yet so I started making my way towards the door.
"Alright Daniel, I will check on this girl after we talk to everyone else. Let’s go."
We make our way downstairs and my eyes immediately find Michael. The look on Michael's face is undeniable. He is disappointed. Disappointed that I wasn't in bed with him when he woke, disappointed that everyone is back, and I'm sure disappointed that I am walking down the stairs with Daniel right behind me. This is becoming a mess but, then again, I knew it would be before it all started.
Once I am down the stairs I grab Avalon
and pull her into a hug bear hug.
"I missed you Ava." She hugged me back then pulled away to look at me intently.
"I missed you too. It was only a day or so silly."
We made our way to the living room where everyone took a seat just as before.
Daniel sits right next to me on one couch as John and Avalon sit directly in front of us on the other couch and Michael sits on the chair next to me. I am literally in the middle of these two men. I need a distraction which thankfully John provided rather quickly.
"So
let’s start at the beginning."
John begins telling us about the trip along with the gory details about the women they found. I feel horrible. I can almost feel the bile rising in my throat. How can anyone do such a thing?
I then explain to them how JR was here instead of at that nasty house. Nobody really understands why he came here but it doesn't seem as though he was
there to kill anyone, or the people he was there to kill were not home, which just leaves Avalon and John. They are the only two people that make sense. JR must be after them. Why? We don't really know. I continue to sit patiently while we decide what to do next, which really just sounds like sitting around this house some more while John has people watching for JR. Stuck in this house for days with Daniel and Michael, kill me now.
Once every one had said their peace I pulled Avalon aside to talk to her about Michael as well as this girl they brought back from JR's house. The men decide to go into the game room while Avalon and I make our way into the kitchen. I definitely need some coffee. While I am pouring both of us a cup I look over to see Avalon grinning like a little school girl.
"What Ava?"
Avalon takes her cup and walks over to the couch that is in front of the fireplace.
"So what happened while we were gone?" She beat me to it. I sit down not really knowing where to start.
"Well..."
"Oh come on Jaci. Did anything happen with you and Michael?"
I take a couple sips of my coffee
, glaring at her over my cup. "Yes things happened with Michael. Just like I knew they would."
Avalon looks positively giddy now. "Oh my God Jaci! Tell me everything!"
Her reaction is something I should have expected but it still leaves me confused. "Why are you so excited about this Ava?"
Avalon takes a sip of her coffee then places it on the table in front of us.
"I don't know really. I just have a feeling. I know you were with Daniel before we got here but even before Daniel came into the picture I felt as though you and Michael would be great together. I don't know."
Well this is news to me. I watch Avalon grab her coffee cup and sit back ready to hear all the juicy details.
"Well, I tried to fight it Ava, I really did, but we were running and let’s just say there was an accident. Michael morphed back into human form and I could not help myself. Once I saw him lying there naked it was like my body was not my own. We came into the house and just could not help ourselves. It is like a force stronger than we are."
I look over to see Avalon with her eyes locked right on me. I bet high school students don't pay attention that well.
"How was it, Jaci?" She gives me a wink and I couldn't help but laugh.
"It was amazing Ava. I mean mind
-blowing, body-shattering, heart-going-to-explode amazing."
Avalon's eyes were wide like she was shocked at my response. "And how is it with Daniel?"
There is no comparison.
"I like being with Daniel. I do but it is so different with Michael. Sure it's great with Daniel but it doesn't feel like we connect like it does when I'm with Michael. Michael completes me. What do I do Ava?"
Avalon puts her cup down once more then takes mine and places it on the table next to hers.
"What do you want to do Jaci?"
Now that is a hard question.
"I don't know. I really don't know. Daniel makes more sense! There would be no real problems. We are the same. Michael and I are two completely different people to say the least. Michael can be a normal human whereas I cannot. I would have to go out and feed every night or every other night at least. Daniel understands that."
Avalon takes my hand in hers.
"Michael will understand that as well."
I look down at our hands. I really missed my friend.
"I know Ava. I'm just confused. It doe
sn't help that I feel like I owe Daniel. I mean he taught me everything and yet I still feel as though there is so much to learn still. He is my mentor. I don't know how I would be right now had it not been for him. I could be like JR and lose my damn mind. I can't hurt him like this." Avalon leans over to hug me then pulls back to look me right in the eyes.
"You listen to me Jaci. Daniel deserves more than that. He deserves more than a woman staying with him just because she owes it to him. He deserves love as do you. I have a feeling that you and Michael belong together. You are meant for one another like John and
me. The way you describe Michael is how I felt with John. You owe yourself happiness."
I'm totally screwed so I decide to change the subject. "Tell me about this girl you brought home."
Avalon walks back over to the couch after refilling our cups with more coffee and sits down next to me.
"Well, I am sure you heard most of it when we were all talking earlier but like we said we thought she was dead at first. The other four girls were but they weren't chained up. This girl was chained and completely
naked curled up on the floor. I checked her pulse and it was faint but it was there. I could not just leave her there for JR to finish the job. We took her to a hotel, washed her off, and tried to feed her although she wouldn't eat much. Lucky for us we bought clothes before we went to JR's. We all had to take a private plane back here because she was in no shape for anything else. I don't even think she knows what we are. We brought her back here hoping maybe you could help her and we need to figure out what she knows and maybe have you or Daniel wipe her memory before we send her back home."
I sit listening to Avalon but my mind keeps going back to that house.
I just cannot imagine how someone can just take lives like that. He has to be completely heartless. I feel a tad guilty because while they were gone trying to find JR and saving this girl I was here enjoying every minute with Michael.
"Well Ava, let’s go check her out. I need to make sure she is okay."
Avalon smiles like she knew that was coming.
"Follow me Jaci."