Authors: Alicia Dean
She hesitated, but the quivering in her gut, the sparks shooting through her bloodstream had to be fear. She nodded again.
“Good,” he snarled. “Be afraid. And stay that way.”
He pulled away and before she had time to realize he’d moved, before she had time to draw air into her lungs, he disappeared.
Audra loaded groceries into the trunk of her Impala, trying to focus on the mundane task so she wouldn’t think about poor Trevor. Or Dimitri.
Dimitri...becoming human to pose as a priest to comfort a grieving mother. Big deal, right? Probably just a con.
Then, Dimitri threatening her...warning her. Or was it really a threat? She thought of his smoldering ocean eyes, the tingles he sent out...the way her breath sped up, but not necessarily with fear. Even as he menaced her, as she admitted to being frightened, some small part of her felt protected.
Ludicrous.
She stashed the last of her bags, holding onto the eggs so she could keep them up front with her. As she started to close the trunk, a wave of cloying air washed over her, heavy with energy that was almost painful. She sucked in a breath, knowing it was Gaylen before he spoke. Still, the too-smooth, melodious voice sent quivers of revulsion down her spine.
“Audra. We never finished our chat. Remember what I asked of you?”
She gritted her teeth, slamming the trunk lid before facing Gaylen. “You were the one who took Trevor.”
“Well,” he drawled the word out slowly. “That’s kind of your fault. You had a chance to stop me. I only asked for one little thing. Now, do you see how serious I am? What’s it going to take before you give in, Audra?”
“You want to suck the life from me? Maybe kill me? Right. Just
one
little thing. No way.”
“At least hear me out,” he said. “I think you’ll like what I have to say. You want me to stop taking people, right? Your patients? Co-workers? Friends?” The smile he flashed rivaled the sun shining above their heads, but now she saw the evil in its beauty. He lowered his voice. “Your loved ones.”
Loved ones...
She had no family, really. Her friends were her loved ones. Riley, Sadie, Jaxon. She had to protect them, but she couldn’t trust this monster. Tears tightened her throat. “You can’t hurt anyone else. Please.”
“Then let me taste your breath. I won’t kill you. I just want a taste.”
“You can’t. I won’t just let you—”
“If you don’t, I keep taking people. Each time, it will be someone you care about more.”
She tightened her grip on the eggs, nearly crushing them. “You’re insane.”
“Insane with wanting you.”
She tried to move around him, but he stepped in her path. Even though she knew he wasn’t solid, that she could walk right through him, she halted. She didn’t want to feel him that close. Didn’t want to experience the sensation she’d experienced with Dimitri. Somehow, she knew it wouldn’t feel the same.
She glanced around. The parking lot was crowded with vehicles creeping along, looking for a space, shoppers pushing their carts, some heading inside. Had anyone noticed she was just standing behind her car like a dolt?
“What do you want me to do?” she asked quietly.
“Let’s get inside your car. You always seem to be surrounded by people.” He glanced around. “Such a tempting array of victims. But I want you to feel free to converse with me, so we’ll talk in your car. You’ll seem less like a candidate for a mental hospital that way.”
The last thing she wanted to do was sit in a confined space with Gaylen. But then again, she didn’t want to stand out in the open, appearing, as he said, like a candidate for a mental hospital.
She slid into the driver’s side while Gaylen materialized in the seat next to her.
Staring ahead out the windshield so she wouldn’t have to look at him, she said, “So, what? What kind of crazy plan have you hatched?”
“First of all, this has to be done in a safe place. Somewhere we won’t be interrupted. I have to turn human, but I have to be sure Dimitri won’t show up and stop my…” His eyes dropped to her mouth. “…feast. I need your cooperation.”
“How?”
“Has Dimitri told you the effects copper has on reapers?”
“Copper?”
“It’s paralyzing to a reaper. If you bind a reaper in copper, he can’t move. He loses all his strength.”
She turned to stare at him incredulously. “You want me to somehow immobilize Dimitri with copper?”
“Exactly. That way, I can safely turn human, take your breath.” He stopped and his eyes glazed over. He seemed to zone out momentarily, then he shook his head as if breaking a trance. “When I’m finished, I go away. You release Dimitri. Your patients and loved ones are safe. Happily ever after and all that bullshit.”
As if she was even considering his insanity, she said, “How do I get the copper...
on
Dimitri?”
“That’s a tricky one. He’d most likely have to turn human first. A human applying copper to a reaper would be a nearly impossible feat.”
“I can’t get him to turn human.”
“He’s done it for you before, when he posed as a priest. I don’t think there’s much Dimitri wouldn’t do for you.” He lifted a brow. “You could use your womanly wiles, seduce him.”
Her cheeks heated. “I don’t know. Even if he were human, I don’t know how I’d bind him in copper. This is all too much.” She pressed her palms to her eyes and shook her head. “I just can’t.”
“At least think about it. You know, it won’t be so bad for you. What’s that song? “Take My Breath Away?”“ He grinned. “Makes it sound…pleasurable.”
She drew her brows into a frown. “Oh yeah. Having you suck the breath from me would be the ultimate pleasure.”
“Thing is, your choices are limited. I don’t think you like option two, am I right?” He leaned toward her across the console, and she scrunched against the driver’s door. “I tell you what. I’ll give you a little time to think about it.
Very
little time. I’m not a patient reaper. I’ll lay off your people for a brief while, but I’ll need an answer soon. The only reason I’m giving you a window is because I know it’s a big decision. I know it’s a lot to take in. You don’t make the right choice, however, you, and everyone around you, will wish you had.”
~*~
The air was cool, but the sun was bright in the sky, shining through the sparse trees above Audra’s head. She leaned into the crook of the fallen oak and closed her eyes. Now,
this
was the way to spend a day off. Away from people, away from problems, away from death. Too bad she couldn’t also get away from her thoughts.
She had a decision to make and either option made her stomach clench with terror. Gaylen. As a human. Being at his mercy while he sucked the breath from her. She shuddered. He promised he wouldn’t hurt her, but she didn’t trust him. God. What do to? Whichever choice she made, she had a feeling it wouldn’t go well.
A shadow passed over her, and she blinked her eyes open. “Ah, hell.” She sat upright. “It’s you.”
Dimitri stood above her, wearing a charcoal grey Henley and faded jeans. Her seclusion was shattered. She was going to have to find a different getaway spot. This one was becoming entirely too populated.
“What do you want?” She shaded her eyes as she frowned up at him.
He lowered himself on the tree, straddling it as Jaxon had. Only so many ways one could sit on a fallen tree. Somehow she couldn’t picture Dimitri doing the criss-cross-applesauce thing.
Before he could answer, she said, “Are you here to threaten me again? Because it’s not necessary. I get the message. Reapers are badass.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
She shook her head and let out a snort. “You know, I don’t get it. Almost since the day I met you, you’ve done everything you could to convince me you don’t harm people. Then you terrorize me, try to convince me how dangerous you are. Really? You should make up your mind.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She snorted again. “Too late. Upset has been my constant companion since you came into my life.”
“I
am
dangerous. We all are, to a degree. I just don’t want you to get too complacent. I’d never hurt you on purpose, but I can’t be trusted when it comes to taking your breath. I would hope I could stop, but I can’t guarantee that I could.”
“I don’t recall offering you my breath.” The words sounded so strange coming from her mouth. But that was her world now.
“No, but I’m afraid when Gaylen comes to you with his deal, you’ll think it’s a good idea. I need you to understand that it’s absolutely not.”
She shifted her gaze away, afraid he’d read in her expression that Gaylen had already come to her with a plan. She didn’t want him to know just yet. Especially since the plan involved an attack on Dimitri himself.
When she turned back to him, her breath stalled in her chest. His eyes were...magnificent. They’d somehow captured the sunlight, shining like brilliant blue prisms with a light of their own.
Impossible
. No one could have eyes that color. She swallowed against the dryness in her throat.
He squinted. “Are you okay?”
She nodded jerkily. When she could speak, the words came out strained, as if the pounding of her heart hindered their release. Searching for a topic to take her mind off his knee-buckling good looks, she said, “You know, there’s an old wives tale about this creek. It’s called Fertility Creek. They say if you bathe in the water, you’ll have a dozen kids.”
His mouth crooked in a grin. “I think if you bathe in it right now, you’ll have hypothermia.” His expression turned serious. “Is that what you want, Audra? A dozen kids?”
She gave a small smile. “Well, maybe not a dozen. But, yeah, I’d like children. I’d like the whole corny package...kids...two-car garage...growing old with the man I love while we sit on the porch together, watching the neighborhood go dark.” She shook her head. “Wow. Did I just say that? Corny as hell.”
“Not so corny.” His voice lowered. “Is that why you come here so often? Why you have since you were a child? Because of the old wives tale?”
“No, I just like it here. It’s peaceful.” She looked at him sharply. “How do you know I came here as a child? You watched me back then?”
He hesitated, clearing his throat before speaking. “I’ve observed a lot of people over the centuries.” He stared past her shoulder. “I remember one time you came out here, your Walkman hanging from your ear. You stood right over there. All by yourself. Dancing.”
Her face heated. “You saw that?” She laughed to cover her embarrassment. “I was listening to Elvis Presley music. It made me feel better somehow. I guess that makes me a dork.”
He shook his head. “No. Your goofy dancing made you a dork.”
“Hey!” she said with mock indignation. Then she shrugged. “It
was
kind of goofy.”
“Elvis, though. Not a bad choice. He was a talented guy. Nice guy.”
“You knew him?” A horrifying thought struck her. “Did you...”
“No. No, I didn’t take him. I took someone at one of his concerts. Afterward, I was curious. I followed Elvis around for a few days. I was awed by the effect he had on people. They were so drawn to him.”
“I can see why.” She cocked her head. “I bet you’ve met a lot of famous people. I never really thought about that. You can go anywhere, can’t you?”
“I’ve met—well, been in the company of—most of the U.S. Presidents. During the civil war, I was with Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee. In the 1920’s, I watched Babe Ruth play baseball.”
Her brows rose. “Really? Oh my God. That’s amazing. I can’t imagine what a thrill it must have been to actually see him play.”
He laughed. “You’re impressed that I saw Babe Ruth? The presidents...nothing?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s cool too.” She grinned.
He grinned back, and they sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound the wind rustling through the trees. Maybe because things were going so well between them, maybe because at that moment, he seemed almost human, almost trustworthy, she blurted, “Gaylen came to see me with his plan.”
His jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed to slits. “Did he hurt you?” She shook her head. He studied her for a moment as if trying to gauge her truthfulness. “And what was this plan of his?”
She didn’t dare share the details of what Gaylen wanted her to do to Dimitri. “He wants us to find a safe place, somewhere he can taste my breath without being...interrupted.”
He laughed without humor. “Gaylen’s playing it from all angles. He asked me to help him taste your breath. Promised he’d quit taking people before their time.”
Her heart crawled into her throat. “What did you tell him?”
“I refused. He would kill you.”
“Kill me? He said he just wants to taste my breath.”
“He wants both. If he gets a chance to sample you, he’ll be satisfied for a while, but ultimately, he’d like to be the one who takes you.” Dimitri closed his eyes, and she momentarily felt cheated, robbed of the opportunity to view their beauty. “I have to destroy him. No one is safe until he’s annihilated.”
“And how can you do that?”
He opened his eyes. “The only way I can destroy him is if he becomes human. The only way he’ll do that is for you.”