Dhampyre Chronicles: Twisted Dreams Part 13

15.

I barely knew the forests surrounding Sage Springs, but I trusted my sense of direction. Though Riley weaved the bike between the trees, often having to change his route due to a fallen log or a clump of bushes, I had a sickening sense that I knew exactly where he was going. Was I picking this off him psychically? It was possible, I was after all, physically closer to him than I'd ever been to another male-except perhaps my dad-right now. But I couldn't help feeling as though the place itself was sending me a psychic calling.

Closer, you're getting closer...

I clung tighter to Riley's jacket. I wanted to tell him to stop, to go back, but I couldn't. What would I say? That I had a strange feeling about the place I somehow knew he was taking me to?

Within half an hour, I was proven right.

Riley roared the bike into the clearing, and once again I was faced with those strange, gla.s.s-like pools. No insects buzzed around the water. Even in Riley's bike headlights, where they'd been swarming on the drive here, attracted by both the light and the blood from the body, now there were none.

As soon as we stopped, the bike tilted to one side and Jordy's body tumbled off, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. Riley glanced back at me, and must have a.s.sumed my pale, worried expression was due to the presence of the corpse.

He placed his hand on my arm, rubbing me in comfort. "Don't worry. He'll be gone soon. He won't ever bother you again."

"Unless someone finds the body."

"They won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because things go someplace else when they're here."

Gooseb.u.mps crawled up my skin. "What are you talking about?"

"I just know that when things go into these pools, they don't ever come back. Now give me a hand." He bent to the body and started to drag it toward the nearest pool.

The place was beautiful, still and majestic, and otherworldly. Yet I sensed something predatory about the place. Like the vampires I was so familiar with, the clearing of pools seemed to lure unsuspecting people in with its beauty, only to bite when least expected.

"Riley," I said, sudden panic heightening my voice. "Be careful."

He misunderstood me. "Don't worry. He's dead." I opened my mouth to try to explain, but I didn't know how to voice my concerns. They sounded crazy, even in my own head. Instead, I bent to grab Jordy's fat ankles, and, with Riley leading by lifting his arms, we dragged him closer to the nearest pool.

"Don't get too near it," I said. "You might fall in."

He laughed, but the sound was cold. "I think that's the least of our worries, Icy."

I wasn't so sure.

Riley dragged him the rest of the way, tipping Jordy's body off the edge. The corpse dropped head first off the bank, slipping into the water like a seal off a rock.

Wouldn't he float?

I voiced my thoughts to Riley, but he shook his head. "Not here. Nothing floats here. It's like the water sucks them down."

"I knew I didn't like this place," I muttered beneath my breath.

The rest of Jordy's body vanished beneath the water. I had to admit, I was pleased to see him gone.

Riley turned to me. "Now your clothes."

I gaped at him. "You've got to be kidding me?"

"You're covered in blood, Icy. You need to get rid of those clothes."

He was right. "s.h.i.t."

"Keep your panties on," he said, a smile tugging at his lips, a teasing note to his tone. "I mean that literally, of course. There won't be any blood on them."

I wore jeans, which were soaked through. The blood may have made it down to my underwear, but I prayed it hadn't. I huffed air out through my nose.

"Okay, fine. But you're lending me your jacket, okay?"

"Sure. You in your panties and my jacket sounds good to me."

I glared at him, but there was nothing else I could do. "Turn around, will you?" I snapped.

He gave me that knowing look again, and slowly turned his back to me. I glanced back at the pool nervously, half expecting the waves to start back up, or for Jordy's body to float slowly and silently to the top, his eyes gla.s.sy and staring. But the water remained still.

"Hey," I hissed at him, remembering something. "Your jacket."

He turned back to me, grinning, and shrugged off the leather coat. He took a couple of steps toward me, and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said, though my grat.i.tude was begrudging.

"Any time." He stood there, grinning at me.

I widened my eyes. "Turn around!"

He laughed, but did as I asked. Even so, I was horribly aware of his presence, perhaps even more so than the presence of the pool directly behind me. I quickly pulled my top over my head, and glanced down at my bra. Dammit. The white lace was pink with blood. I had no choice but to take it off. Before I did so, I kicked off my sneakers and yanked my jeans down my legs. The material had grown hard and crusted, and I struggled to get them off my thighs. Anxiously, I checked my panties for any sign of blood, twisting my head around and arching one leg to try to get a decent look at my a.s.s. As far as I could see, the blood hadn't made it through the thick denim.

A breeze stirred around me, ruffling my hair.

"Throw the clothes in the water," Riley called out to me.

My heart almost stopped. Had he been watching me after all? But no, his back was still turned.

"s.h.i.t," I said again. I gathered up my clothes and dumped them into the pool, being careful to keep my toes away from the edge, still worried something would reach out and grab me, or else the water itself would suddenly rise in a wave and wash me in. The jeans and shirt quickly sank into the still depths. I hesitated and then reached around my back and unclipped my bra. The cool night kissed my skin, making my nipples pucker. With one arm covering my chest, I threw the bra into the water to join the rest of my clothes.

I s.n.a.t.c.hed Riley's jacket up from where I'd let it drop. It was big on me, thank goodness, big enough to hang just past my b.u.t.t, and cover some of my thighs. I zipped it up, covering my exposed b.r.e.a.s.t.s, thankful for my return to modesty, and comforted in the feeling of being covered by Riley.

I blushed at the thought. "Okay, I'm done."

He turned back to me and smiled, his gaze traveling up and down my body. "Looks good on you, Icy."

"Oh, shut the h.e.l.l up."

I glanced down with sadness at my much loved sneakers. The soles were covered in blood, the canvas tops saturated. They wouldn't be coming back with me. I sighed and bent to pick them up, before slinging them into the water to join the rest of my clothes, and the man I had murdered.

"Come on," said Riley, jerking his head toward his bike. "Let's get out of here."

Barefooted, I ran back toward his bike. Riley swung his leg over the seat and kicked the bike into gear. I hopped on after him, able to scoot closer on the seat this time, and wrapped my arms around his waist to hold on. The position made the jacket ride up, so it sat at my hips, and did nothing to cover my thighs or panties. I couldn't worry about that now, though Riley glanced down to give my naked thigh an appreciative stare.

The bike jumped forward, and Riley turned the machine in a tight circle, before heading back the way we'd come. We were able to make faster progress this time, and we b.u.mped and lurched across the uneven terrain, causing me to hold on tighter. I couldn't help myself. I pressed my face against his back, feeling the heat of his skin through the thin t-shirt he wore, the only item of clothing covering his torso now that I was in possession of his jacket. The roar of the bike through the otherwise silent forest sent nocturnal animals skittering for cover. The bugs were back again, flitting in the headlights of the motorcycle. I took comfort in their return. We had moved beyond whatever strange realm of power the pools held.

It was the early hours of the morning by the time we made it back to campus. I didn't want to have to go to my room, but I didn't want to go to the carnival with Riley either. People would start to notice Jordy missing. In fact, I was amazed the other two men hadn't already reported his murder, if not to the police, then to Bulldog Mackenzie. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if a gang of the carny guys were laying in wait for me.

Riley pulled over the bike, and the engine died. I climbed off the back, my heart dipping at the s.p.a.ce my movement had created between us.

"Well, thanks," I said, glancing at the ground, shuffling my feet. Did thanks' cover it when someone helped you cover up a murder?

Riley swung his leg over the seat, to stand beside me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Taking you back to your room. What do you think?"

"I can get back to my room just fine."

"c.r.a.p. You've been through a trauma. You're not fine, even if you keep pretending you are."

How could I tell him I wasn't fine, but for all the wrong reasons? I'd proven to myself that I could lose control, and I worried now I'd unleashed the beast, it would be harder to rein back in when the urge took hold. What if Riley stimulated my bloodl.u.s.t again, as he had in the past? What would happen if I hurt him? I would never forgive myself.

"Please, Riley. Just let me go."

"No. I'm not letting you be on your own right now."

"My roommate, Brooke, will probably be there. I won't be on my own."

He frowned. "Brooke? As in Brooke Squires?"

"Yeah," I said, my unease deepening. "Why?"

"Then I'm definitely not letting you back to your room on your own." He took me by the hand and started to head toward my building, half-pulling me with him. This time I let him, my mind too jumbled with thoughts to protest. What about Brooke? Was her denial about what I'd seen, and her disappearance the night before, nothing to do with blocking out her memory, and everything to do with her lying her a.s.s off?

Something else occurred to me. "Hey, how did you know something had happened with me? Did the other two guys tell you?"

"They came back, and I overheard them talking. They seemed scared, but they wouldn't admit why. I knew something had happened."

We snuck into the building. Most people would be sleeping, but the chance a couple of students would be hanging out remained. We moved quickly, taking the stairs, me running almost silently on my bare feet. Riley followed me, though he knew where my room was-after all, he'd been there before.

I reached my floor and ran down the corridor toward my room. The door was closed so I pushed it open. The room was in darkness, though moonlight slanted through the window, offering enough light to see. I frowned at Brooke's bed. The bedcovers lay flat, the pillow still plumped. No one had slept in that bed tonight.

"She's not here," I hissed to Riley, lurking outside the door.

He stepped through and shut the door behind him. "Good."

I could barely believe Riley was in my room again, only this time he'd been invited. My breath was shallow with nerves, and I fiddled anxiously with the cuffs on his jacket. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with him now.

"You'll need your jacket back," I said, simply trying to fill the silence between us. But then I realized that doing so would involve me taking it off, which would once again mean I'd have to stand, almost naked, in front of him.

He moved forward, closing the gap between us, and caught me by the shoulders. "Hey, it's okay."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't need to be nervous around me. I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to."

"I'm not nervous," I bl.u.s.tered. I didn't want him to know he was getting to me. He reached out and caught the collar of his jacket, using it to tug me forward slightly. He looked down at me, his hair falling forward, his hands still on the lapels so I could feel the warmth of him melting through to my collar bone. The expression in his eyes was intense and unmistakable.

He was going to kiss me. My first real kiss. My world spun, like a tornado encased us while we stood at its center. He leaned into me and his lips met mine, soft and warm, and instantly my mouth opened to him, our tongues meeting.

Fire raced through me, and I experienced a surge of desire. I was lost in him. I'd never felt this way around anyone before, like he recognized me so completely, like he knew me before we'd even spoken to one another. His hands moved from the lapels, to the zipper at my throat, and he slowly lowered the zipper. The rasp filled the room. My arms had found their way around his neck, and I arched myself into him, pressing my b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his chest. Only his t-shirt was in the way of our skin touching. His hands ran down, slipping beneath the back of the jacket, his palms cupping my panty-clad b.u.t.tocks, to press me against him. I was breathing hard, our pa.s.sion intensifying. I didn't want to break this moment, but I felt as though I was losing control. I was frightened of what happened when I lost control.

I broke the kiss, moving away.

"I can't," I stuttered. I didn't want him to think badly of me, or think of me as immature or a tease, but I needed to stay true to myself. "We can't ... It's too soon."

He took my rejection graciously, though I could see the disappointment on his face. "Of course. Whatever you want."

He went to my dresser and pulled open a couple of drawers, before pulling out an oversized, white and blue, Los Angeles Dodgers t-shirt. I clutched his jacket closed with my fist at my sternum, but he removed my hand and slid the jacket from my shoulders. He pulled the top over my head, covering my body, and then kissed me on the nose.

"There. I can't say I've ever made a girl wear more clothing before, but you're worth waiting for."

I smiled, while my insides twisted with jealousy at the idea of him undressing another girl. I hoped he wouldn't think I was a total prude. I didn't want his nickname for me taking on a whole new slant. But I was still a virgin, and while I hadn't exactly been holding onto my virginity, or guarding it like something sacred, I still didn't want the day I lost my virginity to be forever tied in my mind with the day I'd killed a man.

But if I was going to lose it to anyone, I would want it to be Riley.

"I don't want you to go," I admitted.

"I don't want to go."

"Will you lay with me a while?"

A smile tugged his perfect mouth, a mouth I'd been kissing only moments before. "Of course."

I climbed into bed, and he got in after me, still wearing his jeans and t-shirt, though he kicked off his boots. He held out his arms to me, and I snuggled down into him. His arms enveloped me. My cheek pressed against his chest, my arm slung over his body, and my thigh hooked over his jean-clad leg. He ran his fingertips lightly along the length of my arm, up and down.

Riley stopped, and I felt him shift slightly as he looked down.

He held my arm by the wrist and lifted it up.