debating what to do, then spoke in a nervous rush before she could change her mind. “You don’t have to use the couch. It’s about three feet too short for you. You can lie on the bed, so long as you keep to your side of it.”
He turned toward her slowly, his brows arched. “You sure that wouldn’t bother you?”
She nodded, but the way he was staring at her made her fidget. “What?”
“You’re just not acting like I’d expected,” he said carefully, pushing his big hands back in his pockets. “You’re much calmer.”
It wasn’t easy, but she forced a casual shrug. “I know you won’t force yourself on me. So as long as you don’t try anything stupid or accidentally touch my hair, I won’t panic.”
His eyes got that soft, hot glow that always ramped up her pulse. “And what if I lose my head a little and try to kiss you again?”
“Then I’ll lay you flat,” she drawled, moving off the bed and setting her laptop on the bedside table. “Just like the last time.”
“Just for a kiss? You’re a bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea,” she muttered under her breath, slipping off her socks and then climbing into the bed with her jeans and T-shirt still on. “We vamps are as bloodthirsty as it gets.”
He came closer, and she turned her head on the pillow, thinking he looked even taller when she was lying down, his shoulders even broader. “You know, I might be a lowly human,” he teased, one of those crooked grins crossing his mouth, “but I’m not a weakling.”
“Neither am I. Not anymore.” She rolled over, giving him her back, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then the mattress sagged under his weight as he sat down on the other side of the bed, no doubt removing his boots,and she reached out to turn off the lamp, before softly adding, “So try not to forget it.”
R AINE KNEW SHE WAS dreaming, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was keeping more of this feeling, because it was too good to just give up. Too comforting and warm, easing the tight knot in her chest. Turning her muscles to jelly. No tension…no stress. Just an easy, exquisite sense of simply being.
She stood looking into the window of a house, watching a teenage boy play a board game with a little girl who looked like she was his sister. The boy was probably around fifteen or sixteen, well into the age where girls and cars were the only things that mattered. He should have been in hell sitting there on a pink carpet with a laughing little girl who couldn’t have been more than six, but amazingly, he looked as if he was enjoying himself, his green eyes shining whenever he said something that made the child erupt into another fit of giggles.
While the little girl rolled the dice, the boy lifted his hand, shoving his golden hair back from his face, and the casual gesture made Raine gasp, her own hands lifting, pressing flat against the chilly windowpane as she tried to get a clearer look. The gesture was so familiar, she suddenly knew exactly who she was watching. This was a teenage Seth. But what did it mean? Had she managed to slip into his dreams while they were sleeping? Or was she simply seeing one of his memories? A memory from his childhood, when he’d played with his little sister. A sister he’d lose not long after this moment, judging byhis age in the dream. Raine quickly spun away from the window, unable to watch anymore. All those warm, cozy feelings had just been destroyed, a cold, sharp ache left in their place.
“I don’t want to see this,” she croaked, knowing she had to leave. She had no idea where she was going, but she started to run down the moonlit street. The trees swayed with the violent breeze, pulling in closer at her sides, until the road became little more than a path, the wind and leaves whipping against her body with stinging bursts of pain. Stark howls began to sound in the distance, reminding her of the Casus, and she cried out, afraid,
He turned toward her slowly, his brows arched. “You sure that wouldn’t bother you?”
She nodded, but the way he was staring at her made her fidget. “What?”
“You’re just not acting like I’d expected,” he said carefully, pushing his big hands back in his pockets. “You’re much calmer.”
It wasn’t easy, but she forced a casual shrug. “I know you won’t force yourself on me. So as long as you don’t try anything stupid or accidentally touch my hair, I won’t panic.”
His eyes got that soft, hot glow that always ramped up her pulse. “And what if I lose my head a little and try to kiss you again?”
“Then I’ll lay you flat,” she drawled, moving off the bed and setting her laptop on the bedside table. “Just like the last time.”
“Just for a kiss? You’re a bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea,” she muttered under her breath, slipping off her socks and then climbing into the bed with her jeans and T-shirt still on. “We vamps are as bloodthirsty as it gets.”
He came closer, and she turned her head on the pillow, thinking he looked even taller when she was lying down, his shoulders even broader. “You know, I might be a lowly human,” he teased, one of those crooked grins crossing his mouth, “but I’m not a weakling.”
“Neither am I. Not anymore.” She rolled over, giving him her back, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then the mattress sagged under his weight as he sat down on the other side of the bed, no doubt removing his boots,and she reached out to turn off the lamp, before softly adding, “So try not to forget it.”
R AINE KNEW SHE WAS dreaming, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was keeping more of this feeling, because it was too good to just give up. Too comforting and warm, easing the tight knot in her chest. Turning her muscles to jelly. No tension…no stress. Just an easy, exquisite sense of simply being.
She stood looking into the window of a house, watching a teenage boy play a board game with a little girl who looked like she was his sister. The boy was probably around fifteen or sixteen, well into the age where girls and cars were the only things that mattered. He should have been in hell sitting there on a pink carpet with a laughing little girl who couldn’t have been more than six, but amazingly, he looked as if he was enjoying himself, his green eyes shining whenever he said something that made the child erupt into another fit of giggles.
While the little girl rolled the dice, the boy lifted his hand, shoving his golden hair back from his face, and the casual gesture made Raine gasp, her own hands lifting, pressing flat against the chilly windowpane as she tried to get a clearer look. The gesture was so familiar, she suddenly knew exactly who she was watching. This was a teenage Seth. But what did it mean? Had she managed to slip into his dreams while they were sleeping? Or was she simply seeing one of his memories? A memory from his childhood, when he’d played with his little sister. A sister he’d lose not long after this moment, judging byhis age in the dream. Raine quickly spun away from the window, unable to watch anymore. All those warm, cozy feelings had just been destroyed, a cold, sharp ache left in their place.
“I don’t want to see this,” she croaked, knowing she had to leave. She had no idea where she was going, but she started to run down the moonlit street. The trees swayed with the violent breeze, pulling in closer at her sides, until the road became little more than a path, the wind and leaves whipping against her body with stinging bursts of pain. Stark howls began to sound in the distance, reminding her of the Casus, and she cried out, afraid,
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