Page 14 of To Love a Vampire
I laugh a little too loudly at the remark, surprising even myself. Warm and slightly petty revenge settles in my chest at her words. Declan laughs with us and finds the target of our anger within the crowd.
“And here I thought fish analogies were below you two,” Declan says, smirking at me from over his cup, his silver gaze once again painful for me to look at. Luca rolls her eyes at his remark.
“You know what they look like in the water. Those hybrids are in for a surprise if she ever lures them back to the sea,” Luca says with a huff.
Across the fire, Asher looks at me for the first time since I brushed him off. The pain that soars through me plummets into the pit of my stomach like a comet obliterating the earth, and the smile on my lips falters.
He looks from Declan to me. A question dancing in his fire-lit eyes. Guilt presses in, crowding my already swarming emotions. Does Asher think there’s something between Declan and I? I watch as Asher chugs whatever’s left in his cup before tossing it into the soaring fire and walking away, leaving Nerissa mid-sentence. The beautiful fae doesn’t waste any time pulling her attention back to Gabriel, who also appears confused about his friend’s departure.
At my side, my hand jerks as Asher walks away. I want to correct him. To correct all of this. Us. I want to touch him. Hold him. I want what we no longer have. My chest is heavy with the weight of everything pressing within the walls of my ribs. Lead fills my lungs with each labored breath.
I bit my lip hard to surface pain that isn’t related to my emotions.
Declan takes a step closer to me, clearly watching Asher as well. “You’re thinking too much, love,” he says against my hair.
* * *
I sway slowly against Declan’s chest, the beat of the drums flowing through me. I swallow down the last of the alcohol in my cup. It’s empty again. It’s one of many I’ve finished. Luca continues to hand drinks to me and Declan continues to help me balance on my own two feet. Neither of them mentions Nerissa, Gabriel or Asher but I know they’re still here.
Occasionally I can hear Nerissa’s intrusive giggle linger into the night, grating against the melody of the drums. But every time I hear her, Luca pulls me farther into the crowd. The three of us have danced nonstop for the last hour.
I usually don’t dance. Especially with Declan and especially when I know Lord Raske can see me with someone who is not his son. But tonight I don’t care. Or should I say the abundance of alcohol drowning my system won’t allow me to care.
Declan’s fingers dig into my hips to hold me up and he pulls me closer against his chest as I sway to the music and I rest my head back on him. My head feels so weighted. The mass of people doesn’t allow any air to flow over our sweaty bodies but Luca hands me another drink to cool me down a little. It doesn’t seem to help.
Cracking my heavy eyes open, I give a lazy smile, she tilts her cup up at me, sloshing the drink over the edges of the cup and smiles back at me. She so rarely smiles, the gesture reminds me of how unearthly beautiful she is. Almost approachable even.
I feel Declan’s head lean against my own as his fingers rise over the top of my dark jeans and brush lightly against my damp skin. Something tugs at my mind as he starts brushing a circle pattern over my bare hips with his fingertips. The feeling is hypnotic but I start to pull away out of reflex.
As I lean out of his grasp, I collide with something hard. I push my hands out in front of me, my fingers arching against solid muscle.
Opening my eyes, I find I’m face to face with Asher. His bare chest rises and falls visibly, his dark jeans almost disappear into the night, aside from the glint of the new Crimson Sword at his side. His skin is now clean, mud and sweat no longer cling to his body as it did when I laid eyes on him hours ago but without the dirt, the deep white lines of scars etching his flesh are easily seen.
The muscle is strung tight beneath my fingers. My drowsy eyes make their way slowly up the touchable lines of his chest, and meet his steely gaze. He looks down at me, his brows pulled low and his jaw strung with anger, twitching beneath the surface. He searches my face like a book that has no translation. My hazy mind offers nothing to him.
He takes his eyes off me for a moment to look up at Declan who stands a step behind me. The firelight reflects in Asher’s crystal eyes, highlighting his fury.
“Why don’t you go get some water?” Asher says softly, meeting my eyes again, hesitantly touching the hook of my arm. His fingers feel like a shock of electricity against my skin, bringing me to life after a year of numbness.
My palms have flattened against his chest now, making themselves at home in the divine crevices of his perfect body. My mind flutters to keep up with its surroundings. I fight to think rationally but I’m too tired to complete the effort. Besides, Asher’s here. He’s looking, speaking and touching me. Why find rationality when it isn’t needed? Nothing needs to be rationed. I need this. In an abundance.
Wait, what?
He’s still waiting for me to reply, for me to respond, I think. I smile up at his beautiful face, the only reply my mind allows me. An ache settles into my chest. Has he always been this good looking? How could my memory forget the light flecks of crystal amongst the gray in his eyes? My fingers push lightly against his pecs before tracing down the lines of his hard stomach, my index finger drifting off course to trail the length of the smooth scar, which matches my own, against his ribs. His muscles tense beneath my touch.
How has he gotten even sexier since the last time we touched?
My fingers are still traveling when he stops my hands at his lean waist. He’s still breathing heavy but his expression is no longer filled with anger.Why was he angry? Why was I angry?Confusion crosses my face just as a look of pain fills his.
“Do you want Luca to take you back to your bed?” he whispers for only me to hear.
A tingle feathers over my skin as his breath sweeps over my warm neck.
My eyes fall shut. Sleep. Yes. Nothing has sounded more fantastic in all my life.
Nodding up at him, I watch him call over his shoulder and speak with Luca. They talk in slow motion for what feels like an eternity, but I don’t mind. I could listen to his husky voice for hours, even if his words aren’t registering in my thoughts. My fingers flex back and forth against the hard muscles of his abdomen. He holds my wrists lightly in his hands, like a puppeteer with a wandering puppet.
Their conversation of making sure ‘Fallon has enough water to drink and isn’t left alone tonight’ is dragging on. My head grows heavy so I lean into him, resting my forehead against his chest. I breathe him in, a familiar scent of dirt, woods, and soap fill my nose.
