Page 43 of Into The Light

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I shook my head.

“Come on, I trust you. Something funny. I’ll try to resist you.” She baited me with her eyes and leaned forward, staring into mine.

“Very well,” I said, and I closed the distance between us. I fixated on her pupils while I pushed into her mind. “Emilia, you will bark like a dog and scratch your head until I say stop.”

Emilia began barking and scratching her head. She looked adorable sitting there yapping away. “Stop.” She stopped immediately.

“Whoa. Okay. So that power works,” she said, her eyes wide. “That was amazing. I didn’t even question it.”

“It comes in handy.”

“I’ll say! Wait, you can mind erase as well, right?”

“Yes, that’s a little more complicated but essentially I can wipe out your memory and tell you what to replace it with. Your own mind fills in the blanks. It’s necessary to keep the secret that there are vampires out in the world drinking people’s blood. We drink and erase quite regularly. Well, I did until I got donors.”

“Have you ever wiped me, and I just don’t know it?”

“No. Your mind is entirely your own.”

“Good.” She sat back against the side of the hot tub. “So you have money because you just tell people to give it to you and then you can make them forget the whole thing?”

“That about sums it up. Although, now I have money because of the stock market and changing out my identity every few decades or so. I often need to do some compelling of the folks at the IRS when they get curious.”

“You’re amazing,” she said. “Well I’m glad you spent some of it on this pool area. It’s incredible. Ready for a swim?”

The casual words set me back. I wasn’t a monster or a creature to her. I was... amazing.

I nodded, and she slipped over the edge of the hot tub and into the connected pool. When she slid beneath the surface, ripples of the glowing water’s reflection washed over her figure and illuminated her perfect curves.

Her head popped up, and she wiped the water from her eyes. “You coming?”

I followed her lead and dove into the water, shocked by the cool temperature after being in the hot tub. When I emerged just beside her, she was lying on her back, hands outstretched while she floated over the soft waves my presence had created.

“Lay back, try it,” she said as she reached for my hand. Sensations so far gone I had forgotten they existed washed over me when she tugged on my hand. I squeezed hers back before it slipped from my grasp. I lowered myself backward beside her and let the water lift my body and float me to the top.

We floated side by side, and her fingers brushed mine. It took every ounce of my willpower not to slide her small, fragile hand back into mine. She tipped her head toward me and her eyes met mine. The lights reflected in them and caused beautiful blue ripples to dance across her irises. We lay side by side staring at one another, and I could hear her heart racing as she looked past the wall centuries of pain and agony had constructed.

She saw me. All of me.

Her gaze drifted to my lips for a moment, and when she looked back up, I saw the desire in her eyes. When she noticed it hadn’t gone unseen, she cleared her throat and looked away. “I love swimming; I find it therapeutic. I’m glad you joined me.”

“Yes, I can see why. This is quite wonderful, I must admit. You have good ideas, Emilia.”

“I’m glad you think so.” She flashed me a quick smile, and the tension between us eased. I saw mirth flicker in her eyes just before she rolled over and disappeared beneath the water. When she popped up a few yards from me, she rose with a wide grin and slid her arm across the water as she twirled, causing a waterfall of spray to wash over my head.

Her laughter echoed around me as I sputtered water out of my mouth and wiped it from my eyes. When I opened them, I matched her mischievous look and I used my strength to push a blast of water that enveloped her completely. With a squeal, she splashed me back.

We choked out laughter through mouthfuls of water with every playful attack. I whooshed behind her and splashed her again. She turned to respond, but I was already on her other side. Again, I splashed her and continued the dance as she giggled and tried unsuccessfully to hit me.

“No fair! You’re too fast!” she cried between splashes. Laughter rolled effortlessly from my body, a pure joy I had forgotten was possible. I flashed through the water and grabbed her by her waist, tossing her with ease high into the air. She screamed her surprise as she arced through the air, her arms bracing for impact as she came down. I appeared beneath her, catching her in my arms before she plunked back into the cool liquid.

Her face glowed with delight and she ceased her struggle in my arms. Wet hair clung to her face, and she pushed it aside. Her gaze dropped to my lips before she looked up at me, and my smile faded as her eyes locked with mine. The weight of her look consumed me.

No strength existed in the world that could stop the pull from her lips. Resistance proved futile, and I felt myself give in. My hand slipped behind her head as her arm slid behind my neck. I allowed my lips to close the distance to hers, a spark igniting between us when they touched. Her tongue slid past mine, hungry and curious as it tangled with my own. My stomach twisted as long-forgotten pleasure radiated through me while I devoured the lips I’d been so desperate to kiss. I grabbed her hair, pulling her in tighter as we clung to one another. All my agony, all my fear, it all melted away with the softness of her touch.

As if frozen for centuries, my heart started up again. It rattled against my chest, racing faster with every brush of her lips against mine. Like a light breaking through my eternal darkness, Emilia reawakened me and enveloped me in her warmth. I inhaled her breath and felt her breathe me back to life.

And once again I felt... alive.