Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Xander
Don’t let me die, Xan.
Noah’s terrified voice filters through my mind as I run my fingers through his hair. He still shakes in his sleep, but his breathing is even and deep. I chew the inside of my cheek as Nyx hops up on Noah’s bed and finds a spot beside Pumpkin, who sprawls out on his back.
The past few hours have been a nightmare for everyone. Noah especially.
It wasn’t Nyx’s portal to hell in the pond that caused so much terror in my little human, but rather the fact that Tyler’s vision was hitting a little too close to home.
The way Noah clung to me like a life support had my heart thundering and every instinct within me to tear this entire town to dust just to find whatever threatens his life.
Tyler’s voice echoes in my head. ‘Someone’s already holding a piece of you. If they break it, you’ll break too.’
I’m not sure who this someone is, but I'd be damned if it’s me.
The rancid scent from the cave still follows me through town whenever the wind blows from the east. It’s no different from the first time I caught a whiff of it but something doesn’t sit right in my stomach.
I’ve scoured each corner of the magical wards that border Moonfell. I’ve checked under every stone, boulder, and fallen tree. But nothing, not even tracks in the mud, has given me any clue as to whatever killed the girl.
Penny. That was her name. A freshman at Moonfell’s college and from the town's largest coven. I can still hear her mother’s screams and her father’s whimpers as Malcolm informed them their daughter had been murdered. They still don't have the closure they seek. And neither do I.
Just the thought of losing Noah has my skin crawling and every muscle in my chest tensing. The back of my throat cuts into little bits and I swallow the thought.
I need to get back out there. I know there will be something I've missed. A clue I've overlooked that will answer my questions. But leaving Noah in my house, alone and scared for his life, has me heavily planted beneath him as he sleeps across my chest.
His room is filled with his spicy vanilla scent, and each breath I suck in is a reminder of his presence. I’ve only just found him and I can't lose him. Not to death itself. I’ll turn him before that happens. But only unless he asks.
I smooth my fingers through his orange locks and twirl a curl around my thumb.
His lips part as he breathes and his hands still grip me tightly in his sleep.
For the rest of the night, I simply watch him.
I count the freckles on the bridge of his nose and memorize the curl of his eyelashes.
He’s beautiful. He’s far more than I deserve.
As the sun seeps through the blinds above the bed, Noah begins to shift as his eyelids flutter open and he looks up at me with a concerned frown.
“Are you mad I broke the rules?” He asks, his voice raspy from sleep. I can’t help myself when my eyes drop to his plump lips.
Leaning down until my neck cramps, I capture his mouth with mine. For a moment, we both barely breathe as our lips mold against each other and our hands tighten, pulling each other closer.
Noah pulls away and blushes. “Morning breath, sorry.”
I grin and cup his chin, tilting his head back so I can kiss him again. I swipe my tongue against his lower lip and growl into his mouth. “Like I care. And no. I could never be mad at you.”
Noah whimpers as his hips press against my thigh, and I feel a small bump grows in his sleep shorts.
Oh, how I've fantasized about his body. Noah isn’t too skinny nor too plump. With the softness of his skin and the strength of his muscles above mine, he carries himself with such elegance, despite his overtly colorful socks he wears around the house.
I’ve seen the way his toned stomach tenses as he moves, how his thighs contract with each step and the sway of his hips as he walks. I want to touch every inch of him. I want to map his body from head to toe. And then I want to mark what’s mine.
Noah subtly grinds against my thigh, and another timid whimper slips from him. I bend knee, knee giving him more of that pressure he seeks, and his whimpers turn into sultry moans.
My own cock plumps up and I know he can feel it against his stomach as he audibly gasps and has me burning with desire.
I want to give him all the pleasure he can take and then some.
I want to hear him scream with rapture with his head thrown back and his throat decorated with my teeth marks. I want to taste him.
My fangs descend, and I force myself to pull away. Noah’s gaze follows my mouth, his eyes heavy with need. The sharper spice of his arousal quickly overtakes the sweet vanilla of his scent, and I inhale deeply, letting it fill my lungs and feed the fire building inside me.
“Please, Xan. I want you just the way you are.” He grinds his hips against me again and lets out a needy moan. My eyes threaten to roll into the back of my head as I grasp his waist to hold him steady.
“Sweetheart, I haven’t been this close with someone in a century.
I won’t be able to stop myself, especially not with you.
” My voice drops an octave, and my jaw aches with the need to bite.
I long to taste his blood, to drink directly from his jugular and let my venom seep into his arteries and fill his body with euphoria.
With pleading eyes and a pouting lip, Noah pushes, “I don’t want you to stop.”
I smile down at him, feeling my fangs scrape my bottom lip. “I can’t. Not until I know you’re safe.”
“But I'm safe with you,” he whines.
I sigh, feeling the heat within me slowly fade and my worries flood my mind. “You know I have to go back out there and find what killed that girl.”
Grumbling to himself, Noah sits up and straddles my thighs, his fingers tweaking at the hem of my shirt. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“What?” My brows furrow and my fingers trail up his sides, dipping beneath his shirt and feeling the way his skin pebbles beneath mine.
“I’m safest when I’m with you. So I won’t leave your side,” he snips.
My heart leaps in my chest, and my stomach tightens. “No.”
“Yes.”
I groan to myself. I hate the idea of leaving Noah behind. To be stuck inside this house all day, and alone. And the idea of him by my side at all times is rather rousing. It’s been over a week since finding the girl’s body and nothing has come up on my radar. The forest hasn’t changed a drop.
“Fine,” I hear myself agree, and Noah giggles, jostling himself up and down. Right on top of my dick.
I hiss and clutch his hips. My own thrust upwards, and Noah gasps. “Such a tease.”
I grin and sit up, giving him a soft kiss, feeling him melt into me. “Get dressed, sweetheart. I’ll make you something to eat.”
Noah simply nods and lets out a tense sigh as he climbs from the bed and ambles with bare feet to his wardrobe. I can’t stop myself from watching the way his ass sways beneath his sleep shorts, and I groan when I spot the crease of his left cheek poking out from the material.
His milky white skin is the perfect canvas for me to color. I tamp down my raging hunger for the little human as I climb from the warmth of his bedding and race to get changed.
With my vampire speed, I'm dressed and in the kitchen making Noah a ham and cheese sandwich before he’s even making his way down the stairs. I smile up at him as his orange hair sticks up in adorable spikes, clearly caused by my fingers.
Noticing, Noah smooths out his strands but doesn’t hesitate to give me a sly grin.
I fold the sandwich together and pass it to him over the counter, watching him take a bite and another until it’s been completely devoured.
“I didn’t realize I was so hungry,” Noah huffs, wiping a stray crumb from the edge of his lip, but missing another from his chin.
Forgetting the cutting board and ingredients on the bench, I reach for him, pulling him to my side and cupping his jaw. “I’d be happy to make sure you’re fed and hydrated for the rest of your life, sweetheart.”
I swipe the crumb from his chin and lick it from the end of my finger, enjoying the way Noah’s green eyes darken as he watches me.
Swallowing, he replies, “You make me sound like I’m some houseplant you’re trying to keep alive.”
“Good thing I have a green thumb, haven't you seen my garden?” I grin down at him; his little body against mine has my heart racing. I could easily pick him up and toss him over my shoulder. I’d take him right back upstairs, but to my room instead. And then I'd never let him leave.
Noah simply giggles, his cheeks turning a faint pink. “Let’s get going, old man.” He playfully smacks my chest, and I feel the rumble of a pleased growl filling my ribcage.
He’s perfect.
I watch in silence as Noah puts on his sneakers and gives the cats a few pats as they lazily wander through the living room. Pumpkin closely follows Nyx until she manages to jump up onto the dining table and watches him with an amused look in her red eyes.
I shake my head and open the back door. Taking my hand in his, Noah leads me into the garden. I watch with bated breath as we pass the pond where only hours ago he was shaking like a leaf and begging for safety.
But with the light of day now glistening across the surface of the water, Noah simply hums a happy tune to himself.
“We’ll check the western border,” I say, helping Noah over the fence before following closely behind. “It’s only a mile or so and then we’ll turn back.”
He nods. “And if we find something?”
His question weighs heavily in the air, and I feel my shoulders tense. Not noticing my sudden shift, Noah tramples through the thickening brush and deeper into the forest. I’m close behind him, my senses on full dial and my heart leaping in my chest.
If we find something, then what?