Chapter 36
Leaning down, he kisses me on the nose.
Instead of playing a game, we sit on the overstuffed couch and cuddle in front of the fire, talking about everything and nothing in particular as we watch the flames lick the logs in the hearth.
It’s obvious Becks is trying to distract me, asking me questions like where in the world we should visit together, and what my ideal date night would look like, but it only works to an extent.
Every minute that ticks by brings us closer to the eclipse and the blood moon, and with it my unease and feelings of dread increase.
“You promise Locklyn’s safe?” I ask, again.
Becks pulls me closer, his solid form next to me giving me strength and comfort.
“Yes, I promise. She’s fine. They’ve had a couple of incidents with the vampires, but nothing they couldn’t handle,” he reiterates patiently.
I nod. “But you said no sign of the demon yet.”
He shakes his head. “No.”
There has been one more check-in since dinner. Becks wasn’t overly elaborative about either conversation. He just assured me and the others that no one was hurt and everything seemed to be going to plan. And yet the ball of dread continues to grow.
Maybe it means nothing. Maybe we’ll all get through the night unscathed, and I’ll be able to breathe easier in the morning.
“Getting tired?” Becks asks.
I am. It’s late, just before midnight, about two hours until the blood moon. My eyes have started getting heavy as I’ve been staring at the flames, but I shake my head.
“Hmm. You sure about that?” Becks asked, amused.
Clearly, he knows I’m lying.
“It’s late, so sure, I’m a bit tired, but I don’t think I could sleep tonight.”
“How about we try?” he offers. “Just think, you could close your eyes and when you open them again, all this will be over.”
I shake my head. “All this won’t be over until the demon is dead . . . or I am.”
Becks is silent. Probably because he knows it’s true. Our immediate goal is to get through this night, but even if we do, it won’t be over. This will be hanging over my head for two years, until I get the chance to kill the demon at the next blood moon.
“How about we just take one day at a time,” he says, and I nod. It’s all we can do.
“Come on,” Becks says, getting to his feet and taking all that delicious heat of his with him. “Let’s get you in bed.”
I let him pull me to my feet and lead me up the stairs, feeling a little guilty for the others who are out there patrolling all night.
When we get to my room, Becks tells me to get into my pajamas and he’ll be right back.
I quickly change into some comfy flannel pants and a soft t-shirt.
Becks is back in a few minutes with a steaming cup of hot cocoa for me.
“To help you sleep,” he says. “Low on the chocolate so the caffeine doesn’t keep you awake.”
He hands me the mug after I get under the covers. I take a sip and it’s delicious, warming me from the inside out. It’s exactly what I needed. He’s so thoughtful.
Becks grabs the small armchair in the corner of the room and starts dragging it to the door.
“What are you doing?” I ask, frowning at him.
“Making sure you’re safe all night.”
“But . . .” I thought he’d get into bed with me. I feel silly for assuming that now. “Never mind.”
Of course, Becks doesn’t miss the blush I try to hide by taking another sip of chocolatey goodness.
“What?” he asks.
“Really, nothing.”
I take another swig of the warm drink and then set it on the nightstand, shutting off the table lamp and plunging the room into semi-darkness, knowing Becks can see just fine with the full moonlight streaming in the window.
I start to snuggle down into the comforter, but then get hit with a wave of self-consciousness.
“Are you just going to sit there all night and watch me sleep?”
“I could sit on the other side of the door if it makes you—”
“No,” I say quickly. The thought of him leaving makes me panic. “It’s just . . .” I clear my throat, embarrassed. “I may be more comfortable if . . .” I can’t make myself say it.
“Haven, are you trying to say you want me in your bed?” I can hear the smile in his voice that I can’t see.
“Not like that,” I say, and then turn on my side, refusing to look at him.
His low chuckle curls through me, making my pulse stumble. Now I kinda do want it like that.
The springs in the chair squeak as Becks stands.
I hold my breath, as his footsteps near. The bed dips on the other side as he settles his weight.
“Come here,” he whispers as he digs under the covers and pulls me closer.
He stays in a seated position, his back against the headboard, and I turn over so I can rest against him.
“Better?” he asks softly, running a hand gently through my hair.
“Mmm,” I say, already feeling sleepy.
“Just sleep. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything hurt you tonight, or ever.”
As I drift off to sleep, I believe him, unaware of how fragile that promise is.
Wakefulness doesn’t come as quickly as it should considering the direness of the situation. At first, I have a vague recollection of Becks leaving the bed. Then murmurs filter into my awareness. When I blink my eyes open, it takes a few moments to adjust to the low light.
I sit up sleepily to catch Becks and Ensley standing in my doorway, talking in rushed but hushed voices. Realizing I’m awake, their faces turn toward me, and my stomach jumps into my throat. Even in the darkness I can see the blood dripping down the side of Ensley’s face.
“What’s happened?” I ask, flinging the covers off.
“Stay here with Haven,” Becks tells his sister, and then hands her something. “These are the keys to the SUV. If you need to, take her and run.”
“It’s been snowing for the last two hours,” Ensley says. “Those roads are going to be crap right now.”
“I know. It’s just as a last resort.”
“Wait. What’s going on?” Becks’ gaze is hard when it lands on me, and cold as a winter storm.
He must realize he’s frightening me, because his face softens. “Some vampires seem to have found us. The others are fighting them off. I’m going to help. Stay here with Ensley. She’ll protect you.”
“You’re leaving me?” I ask, panicked.
“I don’t want to, but they need me. You’ll be safe here. For now.”
His last “for now” hangs in the air ominously.
As I’m processing, he comes over and gives me a hard and fast kiss. It’s over before it’s almost begun. “If something happens, you run. You hear me? You don’t wait for me or any of the others, you just get out of here.”
“But, Becks, I-I can’t just—”
“I’ll be fine. I’m hard to kill, remember. You need to look out for yourself. For your sake, and for both worlds.”
He waits for my reluctant nod before taking off.
Ensley grabs a hand towel from the bathroom and presses it to the side of her head, staunching the flow of blood from her injury.
“Let me take a look,” I offer, but she waves me off.
“It’s not bad, I swear.”
I cast my gaze out the window to see red starting to encroach on the moon. About a quarter of the orb is tinted.
“How much time until totality?” I ask, dread swirling in my gut.
“About thirty minutes. Then the window is forty-eight minutes.”
She means the window in which the demon has to steal my power and kill me.
“But we haven’t seen the demon,” she’s quick to add. “It’s just a group of vampires.”
“It’s here somewhere,” I say, fear churning inside, making my muscles weak.
Somehow, it’s found me. And it’s not going to leave without what it came for.
Ensley frowns but doesn’t contradict me. She goes over to my dresser and starts rifling through it. She pulls out some clothes just as a scream pierces the night, making me jump. I go to look out the window, but she grabs my arm and yanks me away.
“We have to get to a more secure room.” She tugs me into the hallway and then into the hidden surveillance room across the hall. It’s as good a hiding place as any because it doesn’t have a window and the entrance is concealed.
Just as she closes the door behind us, glass breaks somewhere below, followed by the telltale thud of footsteps pounding on the hardwood floors.
She turns to me with a finger pressed over her mouth. I nod, letting her know I understand, and she hands me a bundle of clothes. I throw the sweater on over my sleep shirt, but before I can get the pants on, there’s a commotion in the hallway outside the room.
I flick my gaze to Ensley, my eyes wide with fear as whoever is in the cabin starts ransacking the rooms. They’re not even bothering to be stealthy as they call to each other, asking if they found anything. From the different voices, it’s at least three vampires, if not more.
Ensley darts to the computer and hammers a few keys. The monitors flicker, then silently flare to life, bathing the room in cold light. The exterior feeds show nothing but darkness, no movement anywhere outside.
Inside is another story.
Four vampires prowl through the cabin, their figures ghosting across the screens: two moving on the upper floor where we are, two sweeping the rooms below.
Bending down, Ensley takes off her boots and then hands them to me, gesturing for me to put them on.
I give her a confused look and she cups her hands to one of my ears and whispers, “If they find the room, I’ll distract them and you run. Take the car and get as far away from here as possible.”
I shake my head. I can’t just leave her outnumbered and at the mercy of our enemies. But Ensley gives me a stern look, and mouths that she can take care of a few vamps.
My heart is pumping faster than ever before. I don’t know what to do.
Outside the room, the vampires are getting agitated that they haven’t found us yet. I hear one tell another to start looking in the closets and for hidden doors, and my fear spikes.
Ensley gestures again for me to put on the boots, and then positions herself between me and the door, her hands raised as she creates a ball of faelight.