Page 27 of To Love a Vampire
Him.
Thirteen
Mine
The boards creakin protest under the movement of new weight behind me, interrupting another clawing nightmare. My eyes flutter open in the darkness, the shadowed forest greeting me, but I don’t turn to him. He pulls himself up onto my pallet as quietly as possible, the boards whining, the woodlands silent in the presence of an age old predator. The warmth of his body sliding against mine wakes me in an instant.
Over the last couple of weeks, it’s become our introduction to the hours of words to come. These hours are the most we ever speak to one another. The night eats up our words in the warm breeze, words that are lost to us by the following dawn. Passing each other as strangers during the day among the other Wanderers.
“How was your day?” he asks in a hushed tone, slipping his hand easily around my hip. The hard board bites into my side as his gentle fingertips caresses my other side.
His touch settles into my body. A chain reaction of warmth, tingling, and near lightheadedness flows through me.
“Uneventful,” I reply, waiting for his next words, hanging on words unspoken. A feeling of intoxication spreads through me from our few minutes we’ve had together already.
His hand shifts slowly from my hip to my stomach, resting flat against my navel. His strength pulls me closer to his hard body. I feel his breath on my neck before he speaks.
“Kaino pulled me aside today.” He leaves the statement hanging between us for a moment. “He asked if I knew you from somewhere. He said the two of us appeared to be conspiring and asked if there was anything he should worry about.”
My body tenses against him. Kaino noticed us noticing each other? How is that possible? We barely speak in public. Not that it’s a major deal. Raske seems to accept Asher and Gabriel and that’s all that really matters. Would he still accept them if he realized my lack of interest in Kaino and my overwhelming interest in Asher?
Asher’s long fingers start to massage and dance along my stomach.
“What did you say?”
His hand pauses for just a moment before restarting, his touch distracting me from the topic.
“Hmmm, whatdidI say?” His deep whisper vibrates against my back and into my chest. My eyes close, enjoying the feeling for just a moment.
“Don’t tease, what did you tell him?” I ask in all seriousness.
A low laugh brushes against my hair, rumbling through me in a delicious and unique way. The feeling tumbles through my body and settles low in my stomach.
“I didn’t break his heart, don’t worry so much.” His fingers travel down my stomach, lightly skimming my skin and playing with the top of my jeans. “Why? Would it bother you if I told your prince that I held you in my arms every night? That I wrap myself around you like I used to before.” His voice is even quieter now but with more confidence, his warm breath whispering over my flesh. “That the only happiness I feel every day is the few hours I get when my hands are on your body. That the sharp breaths you take when I touch you are the only indication that you care for me at all.”
I open my mouth to speak, his surprising confession startling me. But I don’t know what to say. His hand stops toying with my body and pulls on my hip until I’m flat on my back, looking up at him leaning over me, the bright stars glistening behind him, once again the archangel within the heavens.
I breathe in the dry, salty air and take in his clean scent. His crystal eyes search my face. His jaw strung tight, like the day I first laid eyes on him in the compound. He leans against one arm while his other drifts low over my hips, his fingers lightly digging into my skin.
“Are you jealous of Kaino?” I ask in a speculating whisper.
A small smile tugs at his serious face. His eyes narrow and his breathing accelerates just slightly. Just enough for me to notice in our close proximity.
“Kaino, no. Declan…” He pauses looking into my eyes for any signs I might give him.
I give him nothing.
“Maybe.”
I smile shyly at his confession. I make him jealous? The idea of it flutters happiness through me and guilts me all at once. Asher’s so perfect, even his imperfections are perfect to me. He’s hurt, and our past has hurt me. We’re both pained and jagged but together we’re almost smooth again. Our fates have been mixed together so much it’s strange that we are where we are right now. Side by jagged side. Together.
He has nothing to be jealous of. But a question still swarms my mind.
“Why not Kaino?”
He gives a deep and knowing laugh. It’s loud in the silence and fills the forest, scattering a few birds from their quiet hiding spots. It breaks across his face and his rarely seen dimples even make an appearance. Why is that so funny? I understand Kaino may not be the most… affectionate person towards almost anyone. But the idea of Kaino and I together is really this laughable to him?
My brows lower in annoyance and I shift slightly away from his warmth. There’s limited space on the pallet but I still put the effort into disconnecting my body from his side.
