Bloody Kisses (24 page)

T
he answer
to Edythe’s question was not simple, and it could not be answered while she stood in front of him, lips blue with cold. He reached for her, swinging her into his arms. “I will show you.”

He heard a splash and a yell. “Hey!” It was a human’s voice, full of shock. He could only imagine what the human saw—a looming, black-scaled creature, sweeping a human woman into his arms.

“I didn’t think,” she said quickly, pushing at his chest as if to force him to let her go. “There were signs all over the place warning about trespassing. I just plowed right by them. I’m sorry, Linc.”

A flashlight shone in his eyes. “Holy shit!” the man said.

Instinct took over. He felt his skin change, his scales re-appearing in the places Edythe touched. He growled, feeling his muscles bunch and tense, readying for a fight.

Leave me!
she directed.
Run!

That was never happening again. He turned and ran, holding her tight to his body.

“Hey!” The voice called after him. “Let her go!”

He had one goal—Edythe’s safety. He sprinted through the water, dodging the grass and leaping across the sand dunes until they were on the beach. Her hands linked around his neck, and he could hear her heart beating rapidly. In his rush to get her to safety, he hadn’t paid attention to what she was saying. Once he stopped, her heard her.
Please, Linc. Just go. Just go.

It made his heart ache to think she didn’t want to be with him.

No, you dope! I want you safe! Please! Don’t let anyone hurt you again.
“I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.”

“Nothing will happen to me,” he growled, looking toward the ocean. He had planned on showing her where he lived, but not in the manner he now considered.

“Wait.” She stared over her shoulder, back toward the dunes and the marshes. “They may have left.”

In the distance, Linc heard the high pitched wail of sirens. He met Edythe’s eyes.

“Please?” she begged.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
You are my mate,
he thought.
I could never leave you.
He opened his eyes, pleading with her to understand, and then he kissed her.

Her lips gave way beneath his, but she was no reluctant recipient. It took only a second before she was holding onto him, swinging her legs to wrap them around his waist. She held his neck tightly, lifting herself to deepen the kiss. He tasted her then, and she was more delicious than anything he could have imagined. His tongue dipped inside her mouth, swirling around her tongue. He heard her groan, both aloud and in her head. The images she sent him unconsciously had him straining for control. She wanted to press against him, feel him against her skin, feel him deep inside her.

He slowed the kiss, knowing what would happen next. He felt the moment it did. Edythe’s head arched back, the muscles in her neck straining as she cried out in pain. Watching her, he walked slowly to the ocean, aware any jolt would feel like agony. But she had to be in the water. Her eyes fixed on his, and he felt her shock. He went inside her head, hoping to shield her from the pain that came with a transformation.

It happened faster than he’d expected. He only had ancient stories to guide him. He knew something in his saliva would change her, giving her the ability to breathe under water and protect herself, forming scales along her skin, if needed. He had hoped to explain this to her, but she was threatened, and he had to protect her.

The only place she would be safe was in his home, deep beneath the ocean.

Edythe’s teeth chattered, and he saw her clench her jaw. Her body was a riot of nerve endings, all of them lighting up at once, jolting her like a million volts of electricity.

I’m sorry. Edythe, I am so sorry.
He didn’t make excuses. He tried to send her waves of love. Her mind, mercifully, shut off, protecting itself from the pain her body underwent, and she lost consciousness.

The sirens got louder and louder, and soon he heard dogs barking and men yelling. He turned her head gently to one side. Beneath her ear he saw slits, a tell-tale sign she would be able to breathe under water.

Linc picked her up, and at the same time, a flashlight shone in his eyes. He threw up one hand instinctively, wrapping the other around Edythe. He closed his eyes tight, and listened for the sound of the waves before leaping into the water. He heard people cry out, and a gun went off. He could feel the air as it shifted, the bullet whizzing by him. He spared one last glance at his mate, praying she’d be all right, and dove beneath the waves.

E
dythe woke
up to the sound of her heartbeat. The whooshing seemed so loud that she rubbed at her ears. She felt a pressure against them, like an earache. Then suddenly she was swamped with terror.

Linc!

I’m here, Edie. You’re safe.
The lights were dim, and her body felt strange. She looked around for him. She was astonished when he pushed off a rock wall and swam toward her. He floated in front of her, sending her thoughts of comfort and safety she couldn’t process.

She watched her hand float through the water, trying not to freak out.
Linc?

He swam next to her, and Edythe saw she was drifting? Floating?

Resting,
Linc offered, hearing her struggle to make sense of what she saw and felt.

Her body rocked back and forth, and she found she could turn, her body making adjustments unconsciously. She could stay upright without treading the water, and if she wanted, she could place her feet on the sandy bottom. She was buoyant, but not weightless, and moved through the water easily. It didn’t slow her; it supported her, lifted her, helped her move faster.

She was underwater, and she was alive!

How is this possible
? She looked to Linc for an explanation.

You are my mate
, he replied.
When I kissed you, your body changed so you could survive here, under the water.

Impossible,
she thought.

He smiled at her, his teeth glowing in the light. She looked around, and saw on the walls of the cave a species of marine fungi she’d never seen before.
Bioluminescence,
she realized. The fungi lined the cave, stretching from one end to the other, and wrapping around the walls. Their light was bright enough she could make out Linc just fine, but everything had a bluish-green tinge.

It’s so beautiful. Linc! This is incredible!

He reached for her, grasping her arms and pulling her close to him. Edythe could feel his fear and uncertainty. He was afraid he’d pushed her too far, and she would reject him.

She suddenly understood something she wasn’t brave enough to admit before today. Linc had always been hers. It was why she rescued him from her father, and why she stayed away from the marshes for so long. He was hers to protect, hers to love.

So, why did you leave me?
His question was involuntarily. On its heels came a series of questions he immediately sought to take back.
If your father was dead, why worry about my safety? What were you afraid of?

How could she explain her fear to him? It was so intangible, but it stayed with her, like a living, breathing thing. After the fire, she’d had nightmares. She dreamed he was trapped in her house as it burned. She dreamed her father was alive, searching for him. Her worst nightmare—the one that left her in a cold sweat—was about finding Linc, and before she spoke to him, a net trapped him and he was dragged away from her. No matter how fast she ran, she was too slow to catch him. Sometimes, she dreamed she was pulled beneath the marsh waters, Linc’s screams echoing in her ears.

She struggled to find the words to explain herself.
I never,
she began,
in my whole life before we met, believed my father was evil. He hugged me, kissed me, tucked me into bed when he was home at night. He showed me how to catch frogs and fly a kite. He was a normal dad.

Linc looked away. Edythe could feel his guilt; he blamed himself for taking her father away from her.

No, Linc.
She grasped his arms tightly.
You didn’t take him away from me. He never existed. He was always bad. He hid it from me. What he did to you, it didn’t come out of nowhere. It was always inside him, a potential for cruelty.
She needed a breath, but underwater, she couldn’t open her mouth and pull in air. Still, she felt her lungs inflate. It distracted her from her explanation, and she caught Linc’s indulgent smile.

Sorry,
she apologized,
science.

It took her a second to gather her thoughts again.
What I realized, Linc, was there was evil hidden in the world. Even the best things, the things I would never think to doubt, couldn’t be trusted. How could I return to you with that in the world? I would still be gone,
she admitted,
if I hadn’t feared for your life.

She stared into his eyes, willing him to understand and forgive her.

As much as I am yours,
she told him.
You are mine.

His forgiveness wove around her.
Yes, my mate, I forgive you.

She searched for an understanding of what a mate was, and Linc filled in the blanks. It meant children; it meant living above or below the sea; it meant knowing someone better than she knew herself. It meant forever.

Linc’s mouth came down on hers. His tongue swiped her lips before delving into her mouth. Her fingers trailed down his arms, feeling the pliant strength of his scales. It again reminded her they were underwater. She felt his amusement in her mind, and then he was pulling her toward the back of the cave.

Come here.

There was a small nook in the back, one she hadn’t noticed before. He led her around the corner and upward. Beneath her feet, she saw stairs carved into the rock. At the top of the steps, her head emerged from the water, and she took a deep breath of air.

“I don’t believe this,” she breathed, her voice echoing hollowly. The air was moist and comfortable. “Are we no longer below the water?”

He shook his head. “Imagine a bowl, turned upside down in a basin. Now imagine the basin filling with water. The bowl displaces the water around it, but it keeps the air inside. That is this place. The ocean is full of them. It is what allows us to exist on both the land and beneath the sea.”

“Now I can, too.” She trailed her hand over the smooth walls before looking around. She realized with a start that the cave was full. An antique four-poster bed rested in the back, and light glowed from holes cut into the wall. She peered inside, standing on her tip toes. “How…”

I promise to explain everything to you, my scientist.

As her eyes fell on Linc, she felt a wave of need come off him. It left her breathless and disbelieving. How could he feel so strongly about her? It didn’t seem possible.

He walked toward her, his tread across the floor muffled by some kind of soft moss. She looked down, wiggling her toes curiously. She sensed Linc’s pleasure and also his impatience. He wanted her focused on him, not on the moss species lining his home.

This is your home?
Her eyes widened, distracted.

Edie.

She leaned down to touch the moss.
Yes?

Edie.

It’s not moist, and it doesn’t seem to be…

Two strong hands grasped her arms and lifted her off the ground. She found herself nose-to-nose with Linc.

“Remember me?” He smiled at her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He released her hands, and she dragged them over his face and neck, watching the scales disappear. It was magical. She loved the feel of the scales under her hands, but she loved his skin just as much. It was smooth and soft, but beneath that, his body was hard.

Hope he’s not disappointed,
she thought before she could stop herself.

His response was to kiss her. He cupped his hand around her neck, holding her steady and licked her lower lip, sucking it gently into his mouth. She groaned, loving the tightness in her belly his mouth caused.

He explored her. He didn’t thrust into her mouth, he nibbled and pecked at her skin. His tongue gently tasted her neck, along her collarbone and next to her lips. His kisses had her arching in his arms, trying to get closer. She touched him everywhere she could reach, feeling the scales dissolve beneath her caress. She gripped his waist, fingers digging into his sides. She’d never been so desperate for someone’s touch.

In Edythe’s life, she hadn’t allowed many people close to her. She’d stayed distant, focused. She graduated from high school early, moved out of her aunt’s house, went to college, and stayed away. She never allowed guys to distract her from her plan. The few times she went on dates, she’d faked illnesses to end the night early. The guys who did persist, trying to force a kiss or grope clumsily at her, were left huddled on the floor outside her dorm.

So what if she’d developed a reputation as a frigid bitch?

With Linc, she was anything but cold. He warmed her from the inside out, stoking a flame inside her until it ran along her veins like a wildfire. She felt something soft at her back and realized he’d placed her on the bed.

His lips left hers. She studied him. She could see, barely, the scar left from her father’s cruelty. She let her fingers trace the pattern of wavy lines left on his skin.
How could you forgive me for this?

“It was never your fault.”

She bit her lip. It was her fault. Why had she waited so long to force him to leave? There must have been something she could have done to save him. She understood, after he showed her what it meant to be a mate, the pain he felt at their separation. He endured it for years until it was such a part of him, he forgot what it meant to feel healthy.

She wanted him to feel good.

Edythe wrapped her arms around Linc, raising her head to capture his lips. His response was immediate. He caressed her tongue, running his tip along her teeth and the roof of her mouth. She tried to mimic him, but then his mouth was moving to her neck and down to her chest. He looked up at her, and she heard the question in her mind.

Her fingers left his shoulders to lift her sweater, but he was there first, stopping her hands so he could run his fingers beneath the hem, slowly revealing her inch by inch.

She watched him. Waiting to see disappointment when he revealed her soft belly, and generous hips. But nothing of what she saw on his face could be called disappointment. He pressed his lips against her stomach, licking his way from one hip to another, his hands gripping her hips and kneading the skin.

Soft,
came the echo in her mind.
Mine.

He pulled her sweater up and over her head, tossing it behind him. She was left in her sodden jeans and bra. One finger ran along the curve of her bra cup, the sensation a tease. She arched her back, her mind crying out,
more!

He heard her. He pulled her cup down, releasing her breast. He was overcome by her. Her! It filled her with joy to know her body pleased him this way.

It pleases me very much,
was the whisper in her mind.

He unfastened the bra and threw it aside before he sucked her nipple into his mouth. His tongue traced the tip, while he held her breast in one hand, plumping it, massaging it. He kept himself propped above her, and she turned toward him, wanting to feel his skin against hers. She shivered, realizing as she pressed her chest against his; he was naked.

She could feel him against her belly, but she wanted him in her hand, so she reached for him, smoothing her hand down his shaft, fingers pressing against the vein running along the underside of his cock.

Edie!
his voice cried out, and his hand quickly grasped hers.

“No?” she asked. He held his hand over hers. The heat of him searing into her. They stared at each other until slowly, he let her go. She felt his fingers searching out the button on her jeans, and then, in a flash, he flipped her onto her back and peeled her jeans and panties down her legs.