Chapter 18
Eighteen
Damien
Igot exactly what I needed, indeed. I didn’t know Jacob had it in him to be so rough. Maybe I should start causing all sorts of chaos around town, just to stress the fuck out of him. Then he can take it out on me, like he just did.
The mirror reflects my red-tinged grin. His bedroom is much brighter with the late morning sun filtering through the curtains, but still moody like every space Jacob inhabits. The deep burgundy walls make the lighting in the room seem warmer, casting a faint red glow over my pale skin.
I lick my lips and get another sudden rush of excitement from the sweetness of Jacob’s blood. My neck is all bruised from how hard he choked me, but it’s fading away pretty fast. Thank God for vampire superpowers. I love seeing the mark of his hands on my skin, though.
Somehow, I wish I could keep it, wear it like a trophy.
Maybe just as a reminder of the best fight-fuck I’ve ever had.
And I had plenty when I was still human .
. . My toxic ex-boyfriends were good for nothing, except that.
But this was different. It was a lot worse—or better, I should say.
So much so, that I found myself startled by how much further I wanted to take it.
Jacob’s reflection appears behind mine, still bloody and with traces of the wound I caused on his left cheek; a small cut on his otherwise smooth olive skin.
I didn’t get to take out my folding knife, but I did a lot of damage with my pretty fangs and dull fingernails.
His tattoos hide most of the marks, unfortunately.
He stares at my bruises with dark eyes and wraps an arm around my waist. I take my time to stare at the snake inked on his left arm, coiling around his muscles as if it crept out of the roses. His right bicep has a slightly faded traditional tattoo of two birds, framed by the thorns and roses.
“You don’t look like you regret what just happened . . .” His voice is hoarse, which turns me the fuck on.
“Regret?!” I cough out a laugh. It hurts like hell to speak and my throat is terribly sore, but I don’t care. “That was amazing, Jacob.”
He sighs and leans forward to rest his chin on my shoulder, which looks ridiculously adorable given our size difference. “How can someone as sweet as you be so wild, honey? I never met anyone with such an appetite for pain and destruction.”
Now that’s a fucking compliment.
I chuckle and raise an eyebrow at his reflection. “Am I sweet?”
For the first time since I arrived this morning, Jacob smiles. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, Damien. Being angry at you is impossible.”
“And why exactly would you be angry at me?” I turn around and kiss his lips softly, feeling his hand slide down my waist. We’re both still naked, and the warmth of his skin against my chest feels heavenly.
Jacob rolls his eyes at me and sighs. “You know why.” He takes a step back to sit at the end of the bed. “You shouldn’t encourage your brother’s behavior. He could get in real trouble. We don’t survive in human society by being reckless.”
“He wasn’t completely reckless, though . . .” I pick up my clothes from the floor and start getting dressed. I’m not going to agree just to please him. I’d rather keep him angry and have another round of unhinged violence. Fuck yes, I’d love that.
“It’s a serious issue, Damien.” His eyes follow me as I search for one of my Vans that is nowhere in sight. “He didn’t leave any evidence, and he did it in a place that wasn’t monitored. But this kind of attitude is what often leads to trouble with human law enforcement.”
“And what happens then?” I’m not trying to tease him; I genuinely don’t know. I assume it would be easy to get out of their human claws.
“A lot of things can happen. Going to jail is probably the worst option, considering how hard it would be to feed in there.” Jacob hands me my black tank top, which sat on the bed next to him, and watches me throw it over my shoulders.
“In the only case I know of, the vampire had to get a new ID to change their identity. They moved across the country too, just in case. It’s a common practice—we don’t stay under the same legal name forever—but it’s not something that should be done in a rush. ”
Honestly, it doesn’t sound that bad to me, but I still nod as I search for my missing sneaker.
The idea of vanishing with Killien to start over somewhere else is kinda cool.
It’s not like we haven’t done it before, right?
We ran away from home years ago, just a couple of innocent teenagers.
If we survived that just fine, we could easily start over now too.
Jacob crosses his arms over his chest as he observes me. The fact that he’s naked is a bit distracting. I left bruises all over him, although they are nothing compared to the damage my neck took. Not gonna complain though; it was freaking amazing. I’d do it again anytime.
He looked so hot thrusting into me like he wanted to tear me apart.
Not to mention how he held my neck with enough strength to crack a human’s spine, but not mine.
Vampire bones are much harder, apparently.
I’d never gone so long without breathing before, and at one point I thought I might actually die.
But vampires can’t die from lack of oxygen either.
It just hurts so beautifully that I came with no hands and so hard I saw stars.
That should be a red flag, right? How much do I actually like pain now? I wonder how far I’d go.
“I need you to keep an eye on your brother, honey,” he says, pulling me back to reality. “Can you do that for me?”
I chuckle, kneeling on the floor and finally finding my missing Vans under the bed. As I stand again to put it on, I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m always keeping an eye on Killien.”
How dare he insinuate I don’t look after my older brother? I’m always watching him. Always.
“Yeah, but more than ever.” He stands and closes the distance between us. His index finger traces the marks he left on my neck, and his eyes seem to darken at the sight of what he’s done to me. “Drink from me, honey.”
A grin curls the corners of my mouth. I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering if he’s up for another round already. I am, for sure. We don’t need time to recover, like humans do. Vampires can get hard all the time, such a nice little perk of immortality.
“It will make you heal faster—” Jacob rolls his eyes, as if he’d just read my mind. “Abby and Cody are coming over in half an hour, and we can’t have them seeing you like this.”
I pull him down for a deep, slow kiss, which I know now is his favorite kind.
My fingers run down his arms, tracing the slight embossment of the ink on his skin, feeling him bristle under my touch.
The way he reacts to me is like a drug I’m beginning to get addicted to.
I love how he groans into my mouth and pulls me closer like he can’t get enough.
It makes me feel powerful, and that’s something I can certainly get off on.
My lips make their way down his face, leaving soft kisses on his chin and jaw.
I lick the side of his neck while I dig my fingers into his soft hair.
Jacob sighs and melts in my hands, his thighs pressed tightly against me, his dick already hardening again.
I can’t help but smile as I keep running my tongue over the area I’m going to sink my fangs into.
“Jesus, honey . . .” Jacob moans as he grabs the back of my head. “I’m gonna have to fuck you again if you keep doing that.”
Yes, darling. Go feral for me . . .
I definitely have too much power over him. Cute. I extend my fangs and bite his neck gently, not wanting to make it hurt. He can consider it a present for fucking me hard enough earlier. If he keeps pleasing me, I’ll keep giving him what he wants.
As soon as his blood hits my tongue, I forget what I was even thinking. It makes my entire body tingle as it slides down my throat, burning its way through me. However, something else happens this time. Something I’m not expecting at all.
Images flash into my mind, bright and clear. Almost as if they were . . . memories. But they aren’t mine. I’m swallowed by them, to the point that I’m experiencing them firsthand.
A dark-haired woman sits on the end of a bed, in a place that looks like a fancy hotel room.
Everything in it is strange, though. Like the flat-screen TV that is bulky and .
. . ugly as fuck. The music video playing on it is something I’ve definitely seen before, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.
But it’s muted, no sound comes from the speakers.
Everything looks like I’ve travelled back in time a few decades, to a period I don’t remember because I was too young. The room smells heavily of something sweetly intoxicating, and my eyes can’t seem to stay away from the beautiful woman in front of me.
She’s wearing a silky black robe that her hands slowly pull over her shoulders.
Her green eyes seem to blink in slow motion as she stares right into my soul.
She’s stunning, almost perfect, like a Hollywood star.
The kind of beauty that is so extraordinary, it can’t be found often.
My experience with women is still very sparse, but this one I’d definitely fuck.
There’s something strangely alluring about her, kind of irresistible.
“Come here, Jacob,” she whispers.
Jacob?
The robe finally slides down her arms and hangs from the belt tied around her small waist, revealing her naked breasts. My heart is pounding in my chest, my body completely foreign. I lick my lips as I stare at her, trying to fight the urge to jump on her like an animal in heat.
She spreads her legs, a seductive smile curling her lips when my eyes linger on her silky, pink core. Her sweet scent overwhelms me, and she has a pull on me that is almost magnetic. Like I’d do anything for her.
I gently climb onto the bed, her smile widening as I get closer and closer, until our lips meet in a slow kiss.
She’s warm, so damn warm. Her arms wrap around my shoulders, fingernails scratching my back playfully.
Her wet core rubs against my thigh, almost burning hot.
A deep groan climbs up my throat, my voice much deeper than I expected.
The sensations dissolve and disintegrate as I’m pushed away from Jacob’s neck, but the phantom feeling of her skin against mine remains. I gasp for air, stumbling until my back meets the wall. Small shocks of pleasure run through me as the powerful blood makes its way through my veins.
“What the fuck?” I wipe away the burning drops that remain on my lips. “What was that?”
Jacob stares at me with tears in his eyes and a hand covering the side of his neck. Why is he crying? Did I do something wrong? My lips tremble as I try to understand what the hell is going on.
“That was my maker . . .” he whispers, with a sad smile.
“How did that happen?”
“I’m sorry, honey.” Jacob fights the tears in his eyes and swallows hard. “I didn’t mean to push you away—I didn’t think she’d be in my mind again.”
“What did I do?” I suddenly feel guilty. Which I never do. It’s like whatever came with Jacob’s blood shifted my feelings. I’m overtaken by a lot of emotions I don’t understand.
“Nothing—” He closes the distance between us to caresses my cheek. “You didn’t do anything, honey. It’s my fault. I was thinking of her and the memory slipped away.”
“Was that one of your memories? It felt so . . . real.”
“Yes, I know. We can share a lot of things with each other like that . . .” Jacob closes his eyes and leans forward to press his forehead against mine. A lonely tear slides down his face as he takes in a deep, ragged breath. “I’m really sorry, Damien.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you to think I’m dreaming of someone else when I’m with you.”
“But you were.” My words aren’t bitter. I can’t seem to get angry at him when he looks so vulnerable, almost . . . broken. My heart skips a beat, painfully so.
“Unfortunately, I was. Just now.” Jacob pulls back and looks away from me, his face twisting in a grimace I can’t quite understand. “It’s just that—God, why am I like this?”
I stare at him as he bites his lower lip and another tear slides down his cheek. I’ve never seen Jacob cry before. He always seems so strong, like he has his shit together, like he’s a natural-born leader or something like that. My heart aches seeing him like this.
I don’t have feelings for him, do I? There’s only one creature in the entire world I love, and that is Killien. But right now, I feel connected to Jacob’s sadness. Did it come in his blood?
“Fuck—” Jacob hisses, before meeting my gaze again. “The way you kiss me makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time. She was the first person I truly loved. Being with you just brings it all back, Damien. I haven’t been in love in years . . .”
Oh, shit . . .
There are no words I could possibly say. My lips part while I try and find something, but there’s nothing. My mind is almost blank. I knew I had Jacob wrapped around my little finger, but I never thought it could get this far.
He can’t love me. He shouldn’t. We don’t even know each other that well, and I’m a cold, manipulative brat. I have no feelings whatsoever—other than the ones I have for Killien, of course. He’s my one and only exception.
Jacob takes a step closer to me and wipes more blood from my lower lip. “I’m sorry, honey. It won’t happen again.”
I smile and shake my head, but I’m panicking inside. “It’s okay.”
Jacob’s gaze travels down my face and settles on my neck. “See? The bruises are already fading away.”
Thank God for the change of subject.
I look in the mirror beside us. Yes, the bruises are disappearing a lot faster now, turning my pale skin back to its pristine state. I can feel Jacob’s blood working its magic on my wounds, and I also feel stronger, just like I did last night when I woke up. But my mind is an absolute wreck.