Things That Go Bump At Night Part 15

"Maybe it was Marla."

Jake thought for a moment then shook his head.

"Don't know a Marla either."

"Darva?"

"Yep, know a Darva."

His tone hadn't changed when he said her name, either Darva wasn't all that memorable or the memory of her wasn't all that great. He certainly hadn't a.s.sociated her with names that had been similar to hers.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, now that I knew for certain there was nothing left there for him. He swiveled in his chair to face me.

"Do you?"

I shrugged. "I've never been to a party before."

"Then we should go. You'll like it."

"I don't think I drink."

"I don't too much either. A beer or two at most if I'm driving that night, sometimes I'll have a few more if I'm not. Is that okay with you? I mean, I know Bob..." His voice trailed off, he let the silence finish his sentence for him.

"The world doesn't have to stop drinking just because one man can't handle his liquor." I laughed.

"True. But this one man was your father."

"Only biologically." I didn't miss the fact that Jake had used the word "was", like Bob was my father in past tense. I think he hated Bob on levels that I couldn't even begin to relate to.

"If you'd like to go Remi, then go ahead and tell Darva yes for us."

"Okay, maybe I will." I wondered over to the window.

"Whatever you want. I think you should always be open to trying new things."

I smiled over my shoulder, I didn't miss his sly meaning behind that particular statement. I turned back to the window, and my breath caught.

"Jake." I said on a gasp. He was on his feet in a heartbeat at my tone, and to the window in another. Several large shadows stood just at the tree line, their red eyes stood out against the blackness of the woods behind them.

"s.h.i.t." He grabbed my hand and hauled me downstairs. "Dad!" He went to the library, his dad was already standing. "Four out back." He went to the library window which faced the front of the property. "Four or five more out front."

Jake's dad went for a big safe at the other end of a room. He pulled two rather large guns out and gave one to his son. He then called up the stairs to Ana and Ryan, who wasted no time. Ryan came shirtless and Ana was in slippers.

"Stay here." Jake ordered me and went out the front door, his dad headed down the hall to the back door, once armed, Ana followed Jake and Ryan went after Mr. Wagner. I went back to the library and peeked out the window, my heart raced. I saw Jake and Ana moving across the gra.s.s, I couldn't find the red eyes, but apparently Jake and Ana knew where to look, because they kept going, beyond the yard, beyond the protections and into the woods. I rubbed my sweaty palms over the hips of my jeans and paced. They went into the woods. Jake is in the woods with demons right this very second.

I knew where he went when they left for their hunting nights, but for some reason seeing him actually step into the woods right where demons had been standing just minutes before seemed so much worse. I wish I could go after him, I wanted to help. I wanted to do something other than pace and worry.

I was sitting in the library an hour later when the front door opened. I did not jump up to run into Jake's arms this time. I sat in a chair and let my head fall into my hands with relief. Jake came to me, knelt before me.

"Hey, are you okay?" He reached out and pulled my hands away from my face.

"No, Jake. I can't do this. I cannot just sit here and do nothing while you are out there."

"You won't have to much longer. I promise. Just stick it out with me a little longer, Okay?"

When my chin quivered he reached out and touched my cheek.

"Please Remi, trust me."

8.

So, here's the thing, this whole time I had been thinking about me, about what I wanted, what I didn't want and what my feelings were. And Jake, this whole time he had been thinking about me, about what I wanted, what I didn't want and what my feelings were.

Who was thinking about Jake?

I stood near his bed that night, after everyone had discussed the impromptu hunt. Three had been killed, Jake had gotten two, Ryan one. The rest had disappeared. The protections around the boarders were holding, but Jake's dad was reinforcing them as a precaution. His uncle was reinforcing the house. I watched Jake as he leaned over his desk to shut down his computer. Homework was forgotten. I didn't care.

"Jake." I said softly.

"Yeah?" He looked to me over his shoulder and did a quick double take. He straightened and turned slowly. He stared as I pulled my shirt up over my head and let it fall to the floor. I felt a little light headed as I considered what I was about to do. What I was ready to do. Jake came to me and cupped my face in his hands, forcing me up to my tip toes to meet him in a kiss. I met him readily and that was all he needed. He backed me to the bed, lifted me to set me back on it and angled himself over me, he took in my face again, I don't know if he was just drinking me in, or looking for any uncertainty, but he wouldn't find any. I reached up to pull him down to kiss me. And I kissed him with everything I had just to make sure there was no uncertainty in him either. His lips moved from my lips, over my jaw and my throat. When he sat back to take his own boxers off he hesitated there.

"Are you sure?" He asked, for the one and only time I hoped.

"I trust you Jake. I've never been so sure."

It had been what I was looking for every time we kissed. This had been it; it had been what I had needed. I had nearly groaned at the absolute perfection of it and everything that had built inside me since meeting him had come pouring out in a such a rush that it had made the room spin.

Jake leaned his forehead against mine, our heavy breathing mingled for a time. I watched in fascination as the muscles in his arms next to my head flickered under his skin. Jake let his weight settle on me and my arms went around him. I ran my hands slowly, lazily up and down his back.

"Am I crushing you?" He asked, his head resting against my chest.

"No. I like it." I whispered.

"Good. Me too."

We stayed like that for a time, I'm not sure how long, but I could have stayed there all night. Eventually though Jake moved off of me, he pulled the covers back and I crawled literally, my energy was drained- under, he pulled them up over us and settled me against his side. My head rested on his chest and I wrapped my arm around his middle. He laid a hand over it, as if to anchor me there. He rested his lips against the top of my head.

"You okay?" He asked into my hair.

"Mmm. Perfect." I murmured, sleep pulling me under. "You?"

"You have no idea."

Jake woke me with more than just kisses the next morning and when we'd finally settled and our breathing was somewhat normal, he held me tightly against him and nipped at my shoulder, kissed my neck, bit my earlobe. I turned my face to him and he gave me a hard kiss. He seemed so relaxed and content, but excited and ready to start his day all the same time. It was a rather inspiring combination and I found myself ready to start the day as well, wondering if it would be different if I was different- than the day before.

"I'm going to shower. It's early yet, so you stay, sleep some more."

I could only nod, after what had happened and how exuberant I was feeling right now, falling asleep again was not an option.

Eventually I just had to get up. I stretched and every muscle I had and even a few I didn't know I had screeched in protest. I was so wonderfully sore. A hot shower would be a blessing. I pa.s.sed Ana in the hall, her scowl was fierce, like her hate for me had renewed. She put a shoulder in me as she pa.s.sed.

"Ow." I muttered and watched her retreating back. What was that about? Had she heard us? Or was she just a really grumpy morning person? My question was answered when I found her at the breakfast table, half ignoring half scowling at Jake as well. Like she'd found a newfound hate for him too. Yup, she'd heard us.

I couldn't stop looking at Jake on the ride to school, wondering if he looked different to me. Something had definitely changed, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but we were different. Eventually he laughed at me.

"You find all of this very fascinating don't you?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"I can't help it." I said and decided to look out the window for a while. He reached over and linked his fingers with mine, it drew me to look at him again.

"I'm glad you've never done that with anyone but me." He admitted.

"Me too." I said, and I really, really meant it.

Kendra called me out at my locker, we hadn't been there for more than thirty seconds and she was gaping at me.

"Oh. My. G.o.d. You totally gave it up." She said.

"What?" I asked, genuinely surprised. How could she know that? Did my virgin light go out or something?

"You look smug, and I can tell by the way Jake's looking at you right now."

"Like what? Like he doesn't like me anymore?" I joked, digging around for a pen.

"Oh honey, if that's the way a guy looks when he doesn't like you, then I really wish I could find a guy to not like me even half that much."

"What?" I looked over to Jake. There was an intenseness about the way he gazed at me that wasn't there before. And when he so very blatantly eyed me very slowly up and down in front of everyone, stopping at my eyes with that c.o.c.ky smile I couldn't help but to blush and turn back to my locker. Wow.

"I'm so jealous." Kendra whined. "Remind me again why we're friends."

"Because you love me. You can't live without me, and your life would be over if I ever left you." I told her.

"Um, no. You just described how Jake feels about you."

I couldn't help that that statement made me feel tingly inside. I tried to play it cool though and I threw Kendra a version of Jake's c.o.c.ky smile.

"Oh, you feel the same way about me. We're just not sleeping together."

Kendra sighed.

"True that." She said and pushed away from my locker. "I'm going to get to cla.s.s. See ya later." She skipped away and I couldn't help but to smile after her.

After school Jake caught me leaving art.

"So, I called Ana, since you don't have choir practice today I was hoping she'd come pick you up so you could go work out while I'm at football practice."

I wrinkled my nose up at him at the thought of Ana picking me up from school. He chuckled.

"She said no. I think her exact words were I would rather be eaten by sharks."

I had to laugh too. "Nice." I said.

"So...you're coming to watch me practice."

"Sounds like a blast." I said wryly.

"Some of the other girlfriends come watch."

I eyed him suspiciously.

"You want me to come watch you?"

"Yes." He admitted without hesitation.

"Then I'll come watch."

There weren't just a few girlfriends in the bleaches when I came around the corner, there were a dozen, and I knew some of them didn't even have boyfriends. It became blatantly obvious a few were here for Jake when they started cheering him on.

Kendra spied me and skipped up to the fence that separated the bleachers from the field where she and her squad was practicing.

"h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo." She sang. "Are you here to watch me, or Jake?"

"Well you of course." I sang back.

"Hmm." She smiled and flipped her little skirt at me before skipping off to rejoin her squad. I had to giggle. I sat by myself several feet away from Jake's fan club and watched him practice. He was good. But then, they all were and maybe I just thought he was the best because he was the only one I was watching. And he was mine. At one point his coach blew a whistle and he and a few others jogged off the field, but while the rest sat on the metal bench that ran parallel to the field, Jake jumped it and kept jogging to the fence where I sat not far behind it.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"I'm having the best time." I teased and he laughed.

His coach called to him, Jake looked over his shoulder, but then back to me.

"Kiss me quick." He put his lips up to the chain link, I smiled and kissed him through it. He threw me a wink before turning and rejoining his team.

I knew the groupies were staring at me, the heat of their glares should have set me on fire. I turned to them and gave them a sweet smile before sitting to watch the practice again. Kendra caught my eye and smiled proudly.

Yeah, my confidence was definitely on the mend.

But it shattered again when Jake had to leave for his hunt that night. Another night of intense worry and pacing. I hated this. I hated it with the power of a thousand suns. I was explaining my intense displeasure in those exact words to Maria as she was trying to watch a movie around me- when we heard a window in the kitchen shatter. My eyes widened at Maria before we were both running down the hall. We raced into the kitchen, I came to a skittering halt, a gasp barely made it out of my mouth as the demon just on the other side of the swinging door reached out for me.

"They're inside!" I screamed to Maria.

My first instinct was to push away as the demon grabbed at me, but Maria was still behind me and I slammed back into her. The demon was able to grasp a hold of me and threw me over the island, I slid across it and fell to the floor on the other side, my head smacked the cabinets; dazed, I reached up to the counter for support as I lifted myself off the floor. The demon was on me then, its mouth gaped wide and I felt it sucking the life out of me. Felt my body start to weaken, I couldn't catch my breath as if the air around me was being sucked out as well. I could see it, my spirit as Jake had called it- leaving a shimmering blue trail from my body to the demons mouth as it sucked the life out of me. I whimpered and reached behind me for a weapon, any weapon. Please G.o.d, let there be a weapon behind me.