Davy Harwood (The Immortal Prophecy) (7 page)

“Oh. I thought…” her eyes jumped to Roane, but to my shock, Shelly didn’t say a thing.

When I turned, I saw that Roane stared long and hard at her and I recognized that look. They did that when they wanted the other person to shut up. Craig had turned that look on me enough times. I couldn’t tell him to stop, not with Adam there, but I needed to do something. I might really hate Shelly, but even my enemy didn’t deserve to be on the other end of one of those stares. They just held a person immobile, like their thoughts were frozen in time. In my opinion, it violated their right and so I did the only thing that I could. I violated Roane’s right to privacy. I narrowed my eyes and I pushed through his shields. He had a lot of them, too many, but I got through and I read the first emotion. He was annoyed and exasperated, but I didn’t think it was with me or Shelly. I pushed further and found the same fierce determination to stand and stare death down.

I blinked, belatedly, and wondered where he got his motivation from. It might come in handy with a new diet I might need… I shook my head slightly and pushed even more. Vampires were a mass of swirling emotion. I’d been in enough to get a general feel, but this felt different. There was something… I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something different inside of him. He ran by a different set of codes than the others. I felt that and in that moment, I understood why he was the one to call. Blue hadn’t said it, not directly, but Kates respected this one. There was a reason… and then I felt a cold firm hand grasp my arm and I was wrenched out of him, physically and mentally. I gasped and blinked back abrupt tears—it happened sometimes when an empath was too deep. Then I looked up into Roane’s coal eyes.

He was furious. He’d been unemotional before, but he let me see that fury free and clear now. I gulped and my hand clamped onto his hand. Intending to try and yank his hold free, I couldn’t. I just wrapped my fingers around his arm. He was stronger than me. He wasn’t moving and I couldn’t make him move. We were deadlocked and then he said tersely, underneath his breath, “Stay. Out.”

“Davina?” Adam called from a distance. He was five feet away. I was the one far far away, still locked in a battle of wills with the vampire. “Davina!” Adam called again, more insistent this time.

Roane held my gaze captive. He held a dark promise in his if I didn’t adhere his warning. Well—two could play at that game. “Then don’t use your eye radar thing on my friends.”

He blinked slowly and released my arm, but it felt like some force still held me close. If he moved his arm an inch we would’ve been in an embrace. He murmured, almost sensually, “She’s not your friend.”

“I know that. It doesn’t matter. You don’t do it.”

His eyes judged me, like he wanted to call me a liar. “Fine. It’s your back for her knife.” Then he moved back, just an inch, and I felt like I could breathe.

“Davina!” Adam called again.

When I looked at Adam, I think my heart stopped. He looked utterly and completely concerned for my welfare. Shelly looked pissed off with her arms folded. Her eyes darted from Roane, to myself, and then to Adam.

“Hey…” Adam gentled his tone, but he stepped forward and touched my arm. “Are you okay? I mean…” He raised cautious eyes to Roane and quieted his tone. Little did he know that there was a vampire five feet away. “That didn’t look friendly. You know?”

“I’m fine.” I patted his arm reassuringly. “I promise. That was… it was just a little misunderstanding.”

Roane snorted behind me.

“So, you guys are going to the Shoilster? I haven’t been there. I’d like to come!” Adam exclaimed suddenly and a little bit shrilly.

“What? I mean…” Shelly was startled, but she recovered instantly. She linked her elbow through his and turned a charming smile towards us. “I mean, that’d be great. Let’s go. It could be, like, a double date?”

“A double date?” Adam asked, confused, as he shook his head. “No. We’d just be… hanging out, right?”

I sent Roane a helpless look, but he just smiled tightly and turned his back. Bastard vampire. “Well… okay, but I don’t know. I think. I guess, I—um—we could go for a little while?”

“Great.” Shelly was all for it.

“Great.” I echoed Shelly’s sentiments and surprised both of us when I slammed a hand on Roane’s (very) chiseled chest. We both jumped under the contact, but I gritted my teeth and grabbed his hand.

“Let’s… we’ll meet you there.”

“Uh…” Adam muttered.

Shelly locked her hands with his. “We’ll meet you there! Sounds like a plan.”

They were out the door before I could blink, literally. Once they were gone, it was just me and Roane. I gulped painfully. My hand was still on his chest and I felt him laughing. “Wha…?” I turned, dazed, when I saw an actual smile on his face.

I think I just wet my pants. “Stop!”

Roane just laughed harder and shook his head. Did I mention that my hand was still plastered to his chest? I didn’t think I could move it. “A double date? We’re on a date? I thought you were all about keeping your friend safe, but now I don’t know what’s more pathetic. You and this boy that you’re infatuated with or… the fact that I actually came here?” He chuckled again to himself and moved away.

My hand abruptly fell to my side. “Really? I’m pathetic?”

His laughter dissolved quickly and he sobered while he studied me a moment. Then he shook his head, almost gently, and chided, “No, it’s just your pursuit of being normal.”

My mouth went dry and my body went numb.

He added, impervious, “You’re not normal, but you’re so blind to who you are that you’re willing to do anything for that boy. And he is a boy, trust me.”

“I’m not blind.” I didn’t say anything about the ‘boy’ factor. “I
am
too normal.”

“No, you’re not.” He stepped closer, unnervingly so. Then he murmured and this time it was fully sensual, “You’re above normal. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“I have a roommate. I go to college. I skip classes. I volunteer at the hotline and I hate it! That’s normal. How can that not be normal?”

“And the fact that you’re telling a vampire all this?” Amusement flared in his depths, but it mingled with something else, something that sent a shiver down my spine and not one of those good ones.

“You’re not normal. When you accept that, you’ll accept your destiny.”

My destiny?

He turned to leave, but he seemed to glide from the room. I was left behind to echo, “I’m a college student. That’s my destiny… what destiny? I’m like everyone else.”

But there was no one in the lounge.

“Hey!” I called out, sharply.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Your boyfriend thinks I’m the bad guy,” Roane spoke up when we parked outside of the Shoilster.

I didn’t even spare him a glance. It wasn’t worth it. “You are. You’re a vampire. You’re evil.”

“He’s clueless and he’s in danger.” Roane turned to look at me and this time I met his gaze, but my eyes quickly filtered over his shoulder to where Shelly and Adam waited beside the front entrance—talk about an imposter nightclub. It was one of those clubs that had the nicest décor, but the food wasn’t cooked properly, never tasted good, and hardly ever filled a person. Yet, they arranged it nicely, complete with a garnish on the very tip of the plate so it seemed like it was worth the lavish price. It was Shelly’s wet dream. It had all the trimmings, but none of the quality.

“Watch it. You’re broadcasting again,” Roane warned with a hint of amusement.

“Shut up!” I lashed out, harshly. “You’re evil and get out of my head.” I reached for the door handle, but Roane slapped a hand over mine.

I froze. I didn’t dare move because his hand had a cemented hold over mine. His body brushed against mine and if he’d been human, I would’ve felt his breathing against my cheek. I kept my eyes down, anywhere but his. Then he remarked, “I’m not in your head and that goes both ways, Empath. You stay out of mine and I’ll return the favor.”

“If you call me that again, I will…” I threatened, but I caught my words.

‘
Don’t let them know you. Don’t explain anything to them!
’ That had been Kates’ first lesson to me when I confessed I was worried a vampire was stalking me. The other lessons… I hadn’t been the one to think of setting Craig on fire, but I’d been the one to throw the match. And this one—this vampire…

“Vampire,” I snarled in return and turned to let him meet my stormy eyes. “I didn’t want to call you, but your name popped up in my magic eight ball. There’s a reason, and I’m thinking you know what it is, so let’s figure out a few ground rules.”

He let go of my hand and a rush of blood swept through it. I could’ve sobbed from the release of pressure, but my eyes hardened. “I will not ‘feel’ you. You will not listen to my thoughts and after we’ve ditched Adam and Shelly you will help me with Kates. After that, you and I go our very separate ways.”

“Gladly.” It was the second time he used that word with me and the same acid dripped from his tone.

“Fine.”

“Fine.” Then he reached for his door and was outside before I could blink.

I took a deep breath and muttered to myself, “Okay. Calm down. Be cheerful. And just fake your way till the end.” That’d been another lesson from Kates, but it hadn’t pertained to vampires. I liked to be adaptable and as I strode out into the cold air, I found I could breathe a little easier. Adam gave me a tentative smile. He moved away from Shelly and stepped close. “Are you okay? You don’t look like you’re up for this tonight. We could always…”

“Double date some other night?”

“It’s not a date or a double date, not for me anyway.” Adam frowned and stepped even closer. The air was cold enough to block his body heat, but I shivered as I imagined myself pressing against him. I felt a flush in my cheeks and ducked my head. I didn’t want him to see how red I was, but I caught a movement from the corner of my eye. Roane shook his head with a flash of scoffing amusement. He made a point of turning his back to me.

My cheeks were aflame now, but not from eager anticipation. I could just… I held my breath and focused hard. I wanted to piss him off, I wanted to… I only knew one way to do it, but I’d just made a promise. I couldn’t sneak my way inside again or I’d have to suffer the consequences.

“Davina?” Adam distracted me when he reached out to touch my arm.

I jumped from the cool touch, but exclaimed immediately, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Adam. I wasn’t… I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he started to say, reassuringly, but he looked furtively at Shelly and Roane. He stopped as his eyes caught and held with Roane’s.

Oh god. Roane was doing the same thing with Adam that he’d done with Shelly. He had the eye radar thing going and I could feel Adam’s body freeze, immobile, as the vampire took his leisure time searching through Adam’s thoughts.

I only had a few options, but I reacted without thinking. I covered the space between myself and Roane before my brain had time to scream ‘Be rational!’ As if I had no control over my actions, I watched my own hands grasp the front of his shirt roughly. Roane didn’t have time to react before I pushed against him and slammed my lips over his. After that I felt like something unlocked inside of me. Adam was released from Roane’s distraction. My eyes snapped shut and I pressed harder against Roane. As kisses went, it was forced and impersonal.

Then I felt Roane’s hand slide around to the back of my neck and he took a breath before he took over the kiss. After that, all force and impersonal formality was gone within an instant. Roane’s lips opened over mine and he parted mine expertly. I felt his tongue sweep inside and I gasped from the molten intrusion. He switched our places. I was lifted up and pushed against the wall as his head tilted us so our backs were partially hidden. His hand cupped the side of my face and his thumb ran over my lips as he pulled away to nip at them gently. My eyes were still closed, but I couldn’t control my body. Every time he leaned close to nip at my lips, I arched into his touch, begging for more. When I heard a soft chuckle resound from him, I opened my eyes bleakly and saw a smug vampire staring at me.

All the heat, the passion that I didn’t want to admit to myself, was instantly replaced with coldness. I snapped and shoved him back.

Roane went, but he went slower than I’d wanted.

I swung horrified eyes to Adam, but I saw that he was gone. Shelly must’ve gone with him. “They’re gone.”

“After that display, I doubt your boyfriend is going to show his face again.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I had really wanted him to be though.

Roane said smugly, “You kissed me in front of him. You can’t explain that away, Empath.”

Empath! I swung my fists at him. My hand was two centimeters away from slapping his face when it was caught and held in his powerful grip. The smug smirk was replaced by cold anger. “Don’t do that again.”

I felt a slow shiver from his words, but I was beyond caring. “Don’t ever call me that again!” I waited in thick silence before he released my hand. It dropped with a thud to my side, but I still fought from swinging my other hand.

“Fine, then you can stop calling me Vampire. My name is Luke, not Roane.”