Page 47

He groans again, increasing his speed and I feel a familiar sensation rising inside me. My legs begin to tremble as I throw my head back into the wall, crying out his name as I climax onto his hand. As my orgasm crashes through me, he rips my shirt and bites into my breast. My cry turns into a soft moan as he drinks again from me. The high of his bite in combination with my release is a delectable pairing that I know is quickly turning into my most favourite feeling in the world. Something I’m going to crave again, and again, and again.

He rears back, my blood smeared across his mouth as he stares at me, the corner of his mouth twitching. My entire body is shaking as I stay held in place, breathing heavy, my mind only now catching up with what the hell just happened.

Slowly, Theo lowers me to my feet and I pull my pants up, brushing my hair back from my face. My heartbeat is so loud, I can hardly focus on anything around me. Placing a finger under my chin, he dips my head back and kisses me, but this time, it’s soft and careful, unlike the hungry kiss that felt like he was devouring my face only moments ago.

‘You are so damn beautiful, Cupcake,’ he murmurs.

‘You too, vampire.’

He smiles at that, pushing my hair back behind my ear.

‘Come on, let’s find a place to crash for the night. I think we could both use the rest.’

Our eyes catch as we push away from the wall, and I wonder for a second whether we’re going to be able to keep our hands off each other, but when we get to the hotel room, after a quick shower, I fall face-first into the bed.

‘Goodnight, Tara,’ he murmurs, voice deep and quiet in the darkness.

‘Goodnight, Theo.’

14

THEO

The Captive

Tara walks beside me, releasing a low sound of frustration.

Her boots crunch against the gravel as the app on her phone keeps rerouting. Every time she glances down, the little blue dot stutters in the wrong direction.

‘I swear it said it was on this block,’ she mutters, slowing her pace. ‘Maybe we should ask someone.’

‘There’s no one around,’ I reply, scanning the deserted street. It’s unusually quiet, but it is getting late. I don’t even know what town we are up to now – the names of them are blurring together as we pass through so many.

Tara frowns and tucks her phone into her pocket. ‘Maybe we’ll see a sign.’

We keep walking. We’re here looking for records. Articles. Anything about the fire that maybe took place years ago. It’s a wildly long shot that I personally think is a waste of our time, but Tara thinks it’s worth at least looking at public records to see if there is anything she can find. Since we don’t know if it really happened, and if it did, when or where it actually was, I am not hopeful we will find anything, but I didn’t want to shut her down. She has a frantic energy about her that is making me nervous. I think everything that has happened recently is starting to catch up to her and she might not be coping too well. Tara senses magic here and seems to think this place holds answers. All I can feel is the cold, but she would be more intuitive to it than me.

Exhaling, I roll my shoulders as I continue scanning the area. A flicker of something catches my eye and I snap my head to the side, looking at our reflections in a storefront window. She and I, walking side by side, and something lurking just behind me. Tall. Pale. Wearing something dark that moves like smoke. I stop mid-step, but when I blink, the window shows only the two of us again.

‘Did you see that?’ I ask.

‘See what?’ Tara asks, looking up from her phone.

Narrowing my eyes, I turn to look behind me, but there is nothing there. Shaking my head, I face her again. ‘Nothing. Never mind.’

‘Oh!’ Tara exclaims, pointing ahead. ‘This looks like a library. Hopefully they’re still open.’

She hurries forward and I easily catch up to her, digging my hands into my pockets as we approach the building. I glance at the window once more as we pass, and I pause, seeing the flicker of a presence again, but then it’s gone so fast, I question whether anything was there or if I’m just paranoid.

Tara doesn’t notice. She’s scanning the buildings, trying to find the entry.

‘There,’ I say, pointing to a small door, the paint peeling off it. We step inside and the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I swear I feel the hot breath of someone on my skin. I glance over my shoulder, but I already know nothing will be there. This is exactly how I felt down in the cell. Like there was a presence around me.

The library is colder than it should be. It’s stuffy, like it hasn’t breathed fresh air in a decade, and the dust from old books coats my throat with each inhale. We step inside and the door shuts behind us with a deafening creak that has several heads turning in our direction. I feel a little relieved at seeing people, since I was beginning to think this was a ghost town.

The library is small and cluttered, lit by the flicker of overhead fluorescents that buzz annoyingly, like someone has left the radio on static. The shelves are uneven, leaning like they might fall over at a gentle touch. Dust lies thick on everything. No music, no chatter. Just the low hum of a ceiling fan, spinning so slowly that all it’s doing is dropping dust.

Tara heads toward the history section without hesitation. Her fingers trail the worn spines of bound newspapers and the spines of books, as if whatever she is looking for might jump out at her. I wish it was that simple. It’s hard to find answers when there seems like no logical place to start.