“If that’s where he is,” I whispered, my voice gurgling with blood.
She bent her head lower, to my throat, her hair feeling like wisps of silk as it fell on my face. I closed my eyes, hoping it would be fast. I felt the teeth and fangs cut through my skin, like a knife slicing into a tomato— slight resistance at first, then an easy slide through the soft flesh. Then she sucked. My blood seemed to gush through my body, rushing through my veins, looking for that outlet into her mouth, as if it wanted to be drained.
Good-bye, Dorian. You’ll be safe now. Mommy loves you.
Just as everything went nearly black, I no longer felt her weight on my shoulders and thigh. What happened? Owen? I couldn’t move, could barely see, but I could hear the fighting sounds clearly. Hisses and growls and thuds and screechy, scraping sounds, like metal against stone. It had to be Owen. And others. Too much action went on for Owen to be alone.
I wanted to yell at them to stop, to let the Daemoni have me, to not sacrifice their lives to save mine. That this was what I wanted and what they all needed. But I couldn’t do anything but lay there and listen. Then the sounds and movement suddenly ceased. All I could hear was heavy breathing. I tried to move, to see what was going on, but I couldn’t. My body felt numb, lifeless.
“You’re really doing this?” Vanessa shrieked. “You’re still choosing her?”
She heaved the last word.
“You’re damn right. Until death.” The silky, smooth voice still lovely, even in anger.
“If you think I won’t kill you, you’re wrong!” Vanessa screeched.
More fighting sounds. All I saw were flashes of darker black against the gray of my vision.
“Get them both!” one of the male vampires yelled.
“I can’t!”
“He’s too strong!”
Several Pops! And then silence.
Except for my raspy, gurgled breaths.
It was over. They were gone. I was left here to die. And I welcomed it. I welcomed the final darkness so I would never have to feel the pain again. I was ready to sink into it, looking for the relief of death.
Blood filled my lungs and throat. My vision blurred and darkened. It went black. And there he was. My Knight in shining armor, my hero. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“Alexis,” he said softly, his voice more sublime than I remembered. His hand lightly brushed the hair out of my face. Tiny grains of glass scratched across my skin. “My beautiful Alexis.”
He bent closer, his face filling my dim vision. Through the dark blur, I saw my sweet love. The hazel eyes had the same gold sparkle, even in the anxious expression. He picked glass off my face and each time he touched me, ever so gently, I felt a small electrical pulse. Then he carefully slid his arms under me and lifted me off the ground. Everything went black.
I felt a sudden change around me. I heard the water nearby and crunching of feet on gravel. We seemed to be going up steps and then the light shone brightly. The air smelled like our beach house…or Heaven.
And I knew. This was it. I’d been wrong all along. He was dead. And now I had joined him. We were finally together again. He’d carried me up the stairway to Heaven.
But wait.
Something wasn’t right.
It wasn’t exactly his face. This one was distorted. Wouldn’t he be perfect in Heaven?
And the pain. Excruciating pain shot through my ribs and back. How come there’s so much pain in death?
Am I not dead?
But if I’m not…
I tried so hard to not let the pain overcome me again as I looked into the scarred face for my answer. But I fought a losing battle. I could barely breathe through the fluid in my lungs. I let my eyes close, unconsciousness tugging at me, but I wouldn’t go yet. As he carried me, he bent his head down to mine, his lips in my hair.
“Ah, Lexi,” he murmured. “Ma lykita.”
My eyes flew open and I gasped loudly, painfully. No! Oh, no, no, no! I tried to fight the blackness. I have to know!
My mind screamed, but I couldn’t get any more out than a weak whisper. “Tristan?”
“Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you now, my love.”
Blackness overcame me. The last thing I remembered was the smell of a summer’s day—mangos and papayas, lime and sage and a hint of man.
Chapter 8
I ran through a golden meadow, the grass as high as my waist, the sun bright and warm on my skin. I didn’t know this place and I didn’t care. Snow-capped mountains surrounded me and a lake spread out before me. My body felt light as happiness filled every cell. I burst through the meadow’s edge and my feet sunk into soft sand. And I couldn’t stop laughing. As the image faded, one word floated lazily in my head like a feather drifting on the air: “Happy.”
When the image disappeared completely and consciousness returned, I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. The soft and plump pillows cradled my head. The sheets felt smooth and satiny against my skin. I felt so comfortable and relaxed, I was sure my body, feeling nearly numb and weightless, still slept. Or, perhaps, it just no longer existed.
I sensed bright light on the other side of my eyelids. I heard waves in the distance. I also heard someone breathing close…very close. The scent of mangos and papayas, lime and sage and a hint of man filled my head, coating the back of my throat. Mmm… I smiled in my mind. Am I still dreaming or am I in Heaven?
I sensed someone watching me. Mom? Owen? Angels? Jesus?! I shifted slightly, wishing the feeling would go away. Son of a witch! Ouch! So lying still felt very good, but moving did not. And the pain confirmed I was, indeed, awake. And alive.
Then the events of last night flooded into my consciousness. The scene played out against the back of my eyelids. Walking up to the Daemoni, handing myself over to them. The beautiful, blonde vampire. Crashing through the glass table. The bite…. My hand flew to my neck.
“Am I a vampire?” I asked aloud, my voice husky so it sounded more like a croak. If I’d been turned, I wanted to be prepared. The world would be a different place for me.
A familiar chuckle nearby. Oh, how I love that sound. “No. Definitely not.”
Ah. That silky, smooth, lovely voice, like honey mixed with butter. And I remembered the rest…including what he called me. My eyes sprang open.
And there he lay. Looking like an angel. Perhaps he was.
Right in front of me, on the pillow next to mine, rested the face I’d been dreaming about. The one I’d nearly forgotten and held onto so tightly so I never would. Even more sublime than I ever allowed myself to remember. But…not exactly the same. Ugly scars marred the perfection. Yet still breathtaking. The most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
He couldn’t possibly be real.
I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally cussing out Swirly for pulling this ultimate head job on me. Just when I thought I’d finally pulled myself away from the edge of the abyss, that I was safe from falling in, I had apparently plunged all the way to the bottom. And Swirly ruled this place, creating impossible aberrations that hit all of my senses. But why? Had my mind created a safe place because what truly existed was too horrible for me to handle—being held captive by the Daemoni? Or had they brainwashed me? Or was I right about Swirly playing her most cruel game ever?
I shook my head, denying it all. I have to face this. Whatever it is, I chose it. This is what I wanted. I inhaled deeply and slowly, ignoring the protest from my ribs, and slowly peeked out of one eye. Nothing had changed. Still in my bed in the Caribbean room. Still the beautiful face watching me. Those hazel eyes—green on the outside,
