The Dark Rising, Page 8

  “That might be true, but the difference is I didn’t want to. You gave me no choice.” I returned to the living room with my drink in hand and leaned up against a wall for support.

  “You're implying I wanted to kill you then?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow.

  “No,” I answered staring straight at him. “I know that you did. I was in your head,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  He glared at me hard.

  “I'm going to have to work on that,” he replied after a moment. “I can tell from the memories I used to be pretty good at blocking you out.”

  “Yeah, well you used to be pretty good at a lot of things that aren’t working too great for you right now,” I said watching him.

  An angry expression flashed over his face at me.

  I finished chugging down my water, before I went back into the kitchen and placed the glass in the sink. I didn’t hear a sound, but I turned to find him standing right behind me.

  He moved toward me, looking at me with an intimidating stare.

  I gave him a look of boredom in return, before I stepped around him to walk back into the other room. I couldn't allow him to realize how weak I still was, and I also knew if I wanted to keep him here I needed to play hard to get. It was all about the game to him.

  “Where are you going now?” he asked again, for the second time since I'd arrived that evening.

  “To bed,” I yawned, and he followed after me toward the bedroom. “I’m exhausted. I’ve had a rough day today, thanks to you.” I turned to face him. “I think the closet out there, has some extra linens to make the couch down into a bed. Goodnight.” I reached out and slammed the door.

  I stepped away quickly and began counting in my head. One…two…I didn’t make it to three before the door came splintering off the hinges into the room. Even though I had expected it, it still caused me to jump backward.

  “I will not be sleeping on the couch tonight!” he fumed and he stepped inside, coming right up next to me.

  I gave a nonchalant shrug. “Fine. Where are you sleeping then?”

  “Here. In this bed.” he argued, pointing down to the mattress with his finger. “And nothing you do is going to stop me!”

  “No need to shout." I lifted my hands in a surrendering gesture. "I won’t prevent you from doing so,” I said, moving to walk past him and back out into the living room.

  “Now where are you going?” he asked his eyes wide in frustration as he turned to follow me.

  “Why to sleep on the couch, of course,” I responded, innocently, as if this was the most natural conclusion in the world to come to. “You did say you wanted the bed, correct?”

  I heard him growl behind me, before he yanked me by the arm, pulling me back to him.

  “Ouch!” I cried out, almost falling. I tried to remove my limb from his grasp but was unsuccessful. “What're you trying to do, pull my arm out of its socket?” I complained, frowning up at him.

  He was glowering angrily at me now, and I could feel the heat rising quickly within him.

  “Or maybe you were trying to rip it off,” I continued goading him, my own indignation beginning to rise toward him. “Perhaps my blood wasn’t enough.” I reached down to slap one of my legs. “How would you like a thigh too, Vance? I'm not sure if an arm will hold you all night!”

  “Why are you getting so self-righteous on me?” he yelled at me. “You killed me too!”

  “I didn’t try to eat you!” I argued back. “There's a huge difference! I was protecting someone else from your rabid thirst! I did what I had to do, even though I didn’t want to! You made a conscious choice, twice! First, when you attacked Babs, and second, when you attacked me!”

  He let go of me then and stomped back into the bedroom.

  If I hadn’t been so angry, I would have laughed when the slivers of the shattered door suddenly reassembled back together and slammed onto the hinges. He'd definitely regained control of his powers quickly.

  This was going to be exhausting.

  I went over to the closet and pulled out some bedding, carrying it over to the couch. I made up a bed before I slid out of my jeans and crawled in, flipping out the light with a snap of my fingers.

  I'd most certainly not intended to spend my night this way. Had it just been this afternoon when Vance and I were making plans for a romantic liaison? It seemed so long ago.

  Now our future was completely changed, our relationship was hanging in the balance once again, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

  I closed my eyes, trying to will my exhausted body to go to sleep, but my brain couldn’t rest. I only knew one thing for sure—I wanted Vance, and I wanted him to want me too.

  I reflected back over our past together, realizing I missed the simple days when all we had to worry about were demons chasing us and people blowing up the school. Every time we thought we saw the light at the end of the tunnel there was a cave in.

  How could a healer warlock possibly become a demon after receiving the Awakening? It just didn’t make any sense. The power had been given to the white witches because of their valiant efforts against evil.

  A new thought occurred to me then.

  Vance was still a descendant of the white witches. Surely the Awakening had emphasized those characteristics too. Perhaps this was my answer. I just needed him to swing back the other direction. He should be equally capable of making a right or wrong choices. He was now just two halves of a very awkward whole.

  I had to try to figure out how to get his memories back. If I found a way to heal his mind and the emotions returned to him, I knew he would understand things so much better.

  Making a mental checklist, I decided to start researching spells. It was time to put this newfound magic of mine to the test and find out if it was all it was cracked up to be.

  I also made a note to enlist Krista’s help. She may not have her powers anymore, but she was still a white witch descendant and she had vast knowledge when it came to all things magical. This would be our own little society of the white witch.

  Noticing the spark of hope as it formed, I didn’t extinguish it, instead letting it grow until it filled my whole being with light. I let my mind relax, and I drifted off to sleep.

  I was unsure how I knew he was there next to me when I abruptly came out of my deep slumber sometime later. Maybe my body had recognized the scent of a predator as he approached.

  His glowing eyes stared at me through the darkness, and my senses were on full alert. I could feel the power rolling off him in waves now. I wondered how he controlled it. He seemed to be getting stronger with every passing hour, and it was both amazing and scary to behold.

  “What do you want, Vance?” I questioned him warily, sitting up a little, becoming nervous at his intense stare.

  “I want you to come to bed,” he said flatly.

  “This is my bed,” I replied with a tired yawn, and I tried to clear my head.

  “I want you in my bed,” he said point blank.

  “Why? So you can drink me dry again? I can’t do that Vance.” I stared at his eyes, the rest of him cloaked in darkness.

  He watched me closely for a moment, and I knew he saw me much better than I could see him.

  I knew what he wanted, and that he could force the issue if he felt the need to. He was wrestling with that very fact, right now, in front of me.

  I decided to make it easier on him.

  “I will come with you, but only under one condition,” I said trying to find some ground with which to bargain with him.

  He didn’t say anything, waiting for me to continue with my terms.

  “You have to lose the demon features.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” he replied with some measure of frustration after a lingering moment.

  “Well, you'll just have to try because that's my deal. Take it or leave it,” I told him, wanting him to understand I wasn’t going budge an inch on this discussion.

  He stood up and paced aw
ay from me, and I knew this was almost an impossible request for him. His blood lust had always been tied to his physical feelings for me. Each one caused the other to react.

  I heard him pacing out in the middle of the floor. It was a signature trait of his. Whenever something was difficult for him he would begin moving like a caged animal.

  After a few minutes, he came back over to me, the red eyes still blazing, but he reached out and took my hands in his, placing them on his face.

  The rest of his features felt normal to me. This was good. It meant he could exercise some measure of control over himself.

  “I’m sorry about the eyes,” he said into the stillness. “This is the best I can do right now.”

  He'd made an effort to please me, and that thrilled me. Maybe there was hope for us after all.

  “Portia, will you come to bed with me?” he asked me, his voice thick with restraint.

  “Yes,” I whispered, looking back into those all too familiar eyes, happy he'd asked instead of demanding.

  He slid his arms beneath me, picking me up with ease and carried me against his bare chest into the bedroom. He laid me gently on the disheveled surface of the mattress. It appeared he'd done some tossing and turning in here.

  “Been having a rough night?” I asked him.

  “Very,” he replied, and he climbed in next to me, pulling the covers up over both of us.

  “What’s upsetting you?” I inquired curious. I looked up at what I could see of him in the dim filtered moonlight from the window over the bed.

  “Shhhh,” he whispered, and he leaned over my face, nudging my nose with his. “We'll talk later.”

  He kissed my lips softly, barely brushing them with his.

  I felt my body tremble in reaction to his tenderness. Some of his thoughts washed over me, and I understood he desperately wanted to be gentle with me.

  “I don’t want to hurt you again,” he said, against my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  Mentally, I realized he was just going through his regret phase, but I didn’t care. He was everything reminiscent of my Vance, the kind and thoughtful lover, who I had been missing with all of my heart.

  I was amazed to find he seemed nervous to be with me, but then I knew he had no personal memories of his emotions of when we had been together in intimate situations like this. This was all new to him, so to speak.

  “What do you want, Vance?” I asked him, reaching up to touch his chiseled face with my fingertips, before I trailed them lightly down his neck, over the bunched muscles in his shoulders, and down to the sculpted ridges of his chest.

  His breath quicken at my movement.

  “Just you,” he replied before he kissed me again.

  His hands slid behind me, cradling me up to him as he deepened the kiss.

  My arms wrapped around him of their own volition, and a moan escape from his mouth into mine.

  He shifted his weight so he was lying partially on top of me and I moved my hands up into his thick messy hair, trying to push him closer still.

  He stiffened in reaction to that, pulling back from me.

  “Portia, I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said, his eyes flaming to a degree I'd never seen before. “Everything is too tangled up together in my head. I don’t know if I can keep myself under control.”

  I ran my fingers over his lips to quiet him.

  “I want this Vance,” I spoke in a hushed tone. “What happens, happens. I don’t want you to hold back.”

  I was setting myself up for another possible blood draining, but I didn’t care. He was my husband and I missed him. I didn't know what our future held, but I wanted this moment with him. I would never take another second with him for granted ever again.

  I knew exactly when all of his demon attributes flushed to the surface, because suddenly his skin felt like fire, so hot to the touch. He moved over me with an intensity I had never received from him before. It was as if his powers were seeping out of his flesh and into mine, causing a reaction I couldn’t comprehend.

  “What is happening?” I questioned as he trailed his kisses down my throat to my collar bone.

  “I’m going crazy with desire for you,” he muttered against my skin. “I think the magic running between us must be magnifying everything though.

  I pulled his mouth back to mine, unable to get enough of him. “Whatever you're doing, don’t stop.”

  The two of us experienced something together we never had before. I hadn’t thought our physical relationship could get any better, but I was proven wrong.

  Everything about this night was magical. Our powers began to dance together in unison, wrapping us in our own little cocoon, where every touch, breath, and movement was heightened to a level of extreme intensity. In the end, when he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, he bit into me once again.

  For some reason the bite didn’t hurt me this time. I didn’t know if it was just the heat of passion, but it almost felt good as he fed on me, and I held him close to my neck until I grew too weak to continue.

  He pulled away then, as my arms fell to my sides in exhaustion, leaving me surprised that he'd been able to stop.

  He looked at me, his demon face full of concern.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m more than okay,” I replied breathlessly. My eyelids drooped heavily, though I tried to keep them open.

  He leaned down to place a kiss on my cheek.

  “Thank you, Portia, for everything,” he whispered and he nuzzled closely to me his breath hot against my face.

  “No. Thank you.” I mumbled with a sigh, and he chuckled slightly.

  “Go ahead and sleep, baby,” he encouraged me. “Your body needs to regenerate.”

  “I don’t want to,” I muttered, unable to keep my eyes open. “I want to spend every second I can with you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He moved to shuffle our positions, rolling me over so my head was lying on his chest, and he picked up some of my hair, letting it spill over him. He began running his fingers through the thick strands, and the motion relaxed me even more.

  “You are so beautiful,” he spoke quietly.

  “Vance, I love you,” I whispered, before I faded away into unconsciousness, never knowing if he said anything in reply.

  Chapter 10

  I awoke in the morning wrapped in Vance’s arms, my back against his chest. I didn’t know if he was awake yet or not, so I chose to lie motionless, trying not to disturb him.

  It spoke volumes that he was still here with me, and I wondered if having my blood twice yesterday was helping with his control.

  I needed to reconsider things due to the circumstances. I was the obvious choice for him to feed on. He couldn’t do any long term damage to me, and I couldn’t be changed into a demon. If I continued to let him drink from me at regular intervals, it would keep him from searching blood out from a different source—possibly killing, or turning, another witch or warlock.

  Originally, I abhorred the idea of doing this, since all of my past experiences with demons revolved around the fact that feeding on blood was bad. But now, because we'd received the Awakening, I'd become the perfect candidate.

  I also wasn’t too keen on experiencing the pain of his bite over and over again. Last night, though, was different. I almost desired the sting instead of fearing it. Maybe there was something to the aspect of allowing him to feed in the throes of passion.

  A slight flush crept up over my skin when I remembered the night prior. The experience had been wonderful, for both of us, and I figured we had our recent increase in powers to thank for it. I was greatly anticipating any repeat of the performance he might want to give me.

  Putting my mind back to task, I realized Vance and I needed to have a serious talk with each other. I hoped he would be in a good mental place when he woke up. I really wanted to work this situation out between us.

  If he were willing, we could perhaps try to stave off the demon te
ndencies that threatened to drive him crazy by training him to bring the white witch and Awakening qualities to the forefront.

  He had to be on board with it though. I knew demons enjoyed showing their powers and proving their superiority to others. That would be a hard trait to overcome, but then again, there had never been a demon like Vance before … ever. He'd become a magical race unto himself.

  He stirred slightly next to me. I waited for a moment, wondering if he would say anything, but he didn’t. I took a chance and carefully rolled over so I could look at him.

  He was staring at me through half lidded, red eyes.

  “Good morning,” I whispered into the air, trying to gage his mood by feeling for his emotions.

  He didn’t respond, continuing to stare at me.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, and I reached up to touch his face.

  He suddenly moved, reaching up to grab my hand in a vise-like grip and my breath caught at the action. His gaze never left me while he twisted my arm, bringing it toward his mouth, sinking his teeth into the artery at my wrist.

  I winced in pain, closing my eyes and clenched my jaw. I didn’t protest though while he drank, hoping he would have some sense of restraint. Recovering from blood loss took a lot of energy, not to mention the amount of time.

  To my surprise, he only fed for a moment before he released me and I opened my eyes, watching my skin heal over like he had never been there.

  I looked at him in question.

  “Good morning,” he replied, watching me closely.

  “Is it hard for you to stop?” I asked him, wanting to learn about him.

  “Yes, it's very difficult.” His eyes flitted over my face.

  “Why did you then?” I continued to question him.

  “Because I don’t want to make things harder on you,” he responded. He ran his hand over my hair and down my back. “Plus, I would like to have you awake for other activities I’ve got in mind.” He smiled at me. I was happy to see his normal teeth, instead of the demon ones.

  “What kind of activities?” I grinned back at him.

  “It's easier if I show you,” he replied, moving to kiss me.

  Vance followed me into the kitchen about an hour later after I'd declared myself too famished to go another minute without feeding my lethargic body.