Dead Water (9 page)

As I had
lain curled beneath my wings during the night, I had decided that I
would no longer fight with Potter. I wanted the little time we had
together to be happy – not fraught with bad feelings and tension.
We wouldn’t be lovers again, but we could be friends. So I wouldn’t
put upon him, I would find some of the red stuff for myself.
Reaching the treeline, I knew I could easily find a squirrel,
muntjac, or rat to feed on. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than
feeding on a human. I would never do that.

“
Are you looking for some of this?” I heard a voice
say.

I turned
around to find Potter standing amongst the trees. He was holding up
a bottle of Lot-13. I could see that it was a third
full.

“
It’s all we have left, but I saved the last for you,” he
said.

Although
I felt the sudden urge to run to him, snatch it from his hands, and
swallow down the last of the thick, sticky liquid, I stopped myself
and said, “It’s okay, I can find some of the red stuff for myself.
You have it – you need it as much as I do.”

“
Suit yourself,” Potter said, unscrewing the cap.

I
watched him lift the bottle to his mouth and drink the last of it.
He tossed the empty bottle into the undergrowth as he stood in a
shaft of white sunlight which cut through the branches high above.
The tails of his long black coat flapped about his legs. The coat
was open down the front, revealing his naked upper body. I looked
away.

There
must be some kind of woodland animal nearby. I tried to focus, set
my senses straight, but with Potter standing only feet away, I just
couldn’t concentrate.

“
Did you listen to the song?” he asked, taking a step closer to
me.

“
Yes,” I whispered, continuing with the pretence that I was
looking for food. “It was nice.”

“
Just nice?” he asked, edging his way closer, the sound of his
feet crunching over broken twigs seemed almost
deafening.

“
It was
nice
,”
I said again. What did he want me to say? Did he want me to tell
him I’d spent the night crying my eyes out at the thought of him
being in the arms of Sophie? Is that what he wanted to hear? Did he
want me to tell him how the words of that song had broken my heart?
I couldn’t tell him that.

“
So is it over between us?” Potter asked, his voice suddenly so
close I could feel his warm breath against my cheek.

I
shuddered. “It has to be,” I whispered.

“
It can’t be over,” he said, so close now that I could feel him
brushing against my back.

“
Why not?” I breathed, scared of turning to face
him.

“
We never had that date we always dreamt about,” he whispered
into my ear.

“
It’s too late for that now,” I said softly.

“
Come with me,” he said, taking my hand gently in his and
guiding me deeper into the woods.

“
Where are you taking me?” I asked, letting him lead me
away.

Without
saying a word, Potter led me into a small, open area surrounded by
tall pine trees. I couldn’t help but gasp with delight. In the
middle was a tree stump. On this, there was a glass, which had been
filled with a fistful of wild woodland flowers. I could see
beautiful white snowdrops, star-shaped flowers coloured blue and
mauve, and bunches of sweet violet. There was one more glass and
this was filled with a deep red liquid which looked like wine. A
blanket had been laid over the snow before the tree
stump.

“
It’s not much, I know,” Potter said, leading me into the
secluded patch. “But it’s the closest I could get to a date in the
middle of nowhere and at such short notice.”

“
It’s wonderful,” I murmured as he guided me down onto the
blanket. “Where did you get all of this from?”

“
The glasses I took from the kitchen in the caravan, the
flowers I found nearby.”

“
And the red stuff?” I asked, looking at the glass of
blood.

“
That came from me,” he said, covering a small open wound on
his wrist with the sleeve of his coat.

My
stomach summersaulted at seeing the glass of blood within my reach.
My throat burnt and went dry.

“
A date isn’t a proper date without some music,” he said,
holding out his hand.”

I took the iPod from my pocket and handed it to him. He
pressed the screen with his thumb as he downloaded tracks. I looked
at the glass of his blood again, my stomach cramping. Potter placed
the iPod on the tree stump next to the glass of flowers. The
song
When I Was Your Man
by Bruno Mars filled the small enclosure. Potter
could see me staring at the glass of his blood.

“
I can’t drink it,” I whispered, unable to take my eyes off the
glass.

“
Why not?” he asked softly.

“
Because I can’t have you,” I said, turning to look at him.
“You’re not mine to take.”

“
I am,” he said over the soft sound of the music.

“
You belong to Sophie,” I whispered. “The Elders showed
me.”

“
What do you mean?” Potter said, startled.

I looked
at him and said, “They showed me a statue of you and a woman. You
both looked really happy together. You looked in love. But that
woman wasn’t me, Potter. It was Sophie. The Elders said it is her
you will be with.”

“
And you really believe a single word those twisted fucks say?”
he asked me.

“
Why not?” I said, taking my eyes from the glass and looking at
him.

“
Because they are fucking with us,” Potter said. “Can’t you see
that? This whole
pushed
world – the fact they’ve brought us back – is to
punish you for not making that decision. They know how much you
care for your friends; that’s why we’ve all been brought back too –
so you can see us suffer. But more than that, they know how you
feel about me. What better way to hurt you than tell you it’s
Sophie I’m going to end up with?”

“
But what if they are telling the truth?” I said, not wanting
to have false hope for fear of being hurt.

“
They’re lying,” Potter insisted.

“
How can you be so sure?” I asked him.

“
Because I know how much I love you, Kiera,” he said, taking my
hands in his. “I love you so much. More than I have ever loved
anyone. How many ways have I got to tell you that?”

“
But what if we love each other only to find out that the
Elders are right?” I said, looking into his jet-black eyes. “I
don’t think I could bear losing you all over again.”

“
It’s my choice who I want to spend the rest of my life with,”
Potter said. “And I chose to spend it with you, Kiera, not Sophie.
It’s you I want. It’s you I’ve always wanted.”

“
But you don’t understand,” I said, tears burning at the
corners of my eyes. “I won’t be coming back with you, Potter. I
have to stay here.”

“
Then, I’ll stay with you,” he said, gripping my hands tighter
in his, as the music continued to sweep all about us.

“
If you stay, then I think you’ll die,” I whispered through my
flowing tears. “You’ll die just like me.”

“
If I can’t be with you, Kiera, I would rather be dead,” he
said, pulling me close. “My life has no meaning without you in it.
I’m not going back without you, and that’s a promise. We live
together or not at all.” Slowly, Potter gently placed his lips over
mine and kissed me. I kissed him back.

Chapter Fifteen

Kiera

Pushing
me gently down onto the blanket, Potter covered my neck in kisses,
which were so gentle and tender, it felt as if my skin were being
caressed with a feather. With my eyes closed, I ran my fingers
through his hair and pulled him down on top of me.

“
I love you, Kiera,” he murmured between kisses.

“
I love you, too,” I said. I couldn’t lie or hide my feelings
for him. I had never stopped loving him.

Slowly, we peeled each other’s clothes away, casting them
aside so we were free of them. Potter arched his back, releasing
his wings in a fine spray of black shadows. Naked, he knelt over
me, leaning down to cover my breasts in kisses. My wings unfolded
beneath me like a soft bed of feathers. I wrapped my arms around
his back and held him. Turning his attention from my breasts,
Potter kissed my mouth again. Locked in each other’s arms, we
floated up into the air above the secret clearing. With our wings
rippling gently in the wind on either side, we turned slowly around
and around in the air like two angels dancing. The song
The Power of Love
by
Gabrielle Aplin filtered up from below. We turned slowly, around
and around, locked in each other’s arms, our wings beating softly
like a heartbeat. Snow fell from the branches of the nearby trees,
swirling through the air, glittering in the early morning light
like falling stars. We kissed each other slowly, our tongues locked
together like our arms and legs. I felt Potter ease himself gently
inside of me, truly making us one. I shuddered with pleasure,
groaning out loud as we continued to turn in the air just above the
secluded spot. Hidden by the trees, it felt as if we were the only
people alive in this
pushed
world.

Opening
his eyes, Potter looked into mine and said, “I’ll never leave you
again, Kiera. It is you who I want to be with, not
another.”

Kissing
me again, we slowly dropped out of the sky, landing softly on the
blanket. Hidden beneath our wings, Potter slowly eased himself in
and out of me. I drew my knees up and arched my back, as he worked
his strong hips up and down. I ran my claws up and down the length
of his back. He moaned as my sharp nails pierced his skin. The
sudden smell of his blood heightened my desire for him. I broke our
kiss, as my fangs slid from my gums. He looked down at me and
smiled, his fangs glistening wetly just inches from my face.
Without saying a word, he tilted his head to the right, offering
his neck to me. Jerking my head forward, I nipped at his skin, the
smell of his blood racing through his veins turning me wild. Unable
to resist him or his blood for one more moment, I sank my teeth
into his flesh. Potter’s blood gushed into my mouth. It was hot,
and hit the back of my throat like a shot of strong whiskey. I
ravenously sucked at the wound I had opened in his neck. His blood
pumped into my mouth in thick, sticky waves. A warm sensation
fanned out inside of me, across my chest, stomach, and between my
legs.

Potter
moved faster and faster above me, his breathing getting deeper and
quicker with every thrust of his hips. With his blood running from
the corners of my mouth, I pulled my lips away, gripping his arse
and clawing him deeper into me. I threw my head back against the
blanket, as Potter sank his teeth into my neck. I felt a sudden
burning sensation as my skin broke. With a seething excitement
flowing open in the pit of my stomach, I let him feed off me, as he
pushed into me faster and faster. With my head feeling light and my
skin tingling, a warm, throbbing pulse flooded through my entire
being as a swell of unimaginable desire erupted deep within me. I
cried out, wrapping my legs about his back, keeping Potter locked
deep inside of me as my body trembled and rocked.

Potter
withdrew his fangs from my neck and cried out, as he jerked inside
of me. Then, just when I thought he was going to collapse, spent
and out of breath above me, he suddenly picked me up in a burst of
energy and threw me into the air. With my wings fluttering, I
crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree. Snow showered down, as
Potter lunged at me. I grabbed for him with my claws, fangs on
show.

“
I want you so fucking bad,” he snarled, his wings pointing out
behind him, fangs razor-sharp and protruding from his gums like
white daggers.

“
Take me again, then,” I hissed, raking my claws up his back
and over his shoulders.

Gripping
my thighs with his powerful claws, Potter pushed me back and up
against the tree. Once inside of me again, he wasted no time in
building up to a frantic rhythm. With my eyes half opened, I looked
down into his face, and it was the first time while making love, I
think we had both truly given in to the animal instincts deep
inside of us. I was no longer scared of those feelings; I gave in
to them. I gave in to Potter and he gave in to me.

Snarling
at him, I pushed him backwards. He flew across the clearing,
landing on his back. A wake of snow shot up into the air. Even
before it had settled again, I was on him. With my wings arched
high, shielding us from the rest of the world, I slid down on top
of him. Potter grabbed my breasts, my throat, anything he could get
hold of. He pulled me forward, covering me in kisses. He nipped at
my flesh with his fangs and I groaned with pleasure. I moved up and
down, and when I felt the muscles in his stomach and thighs
contract, I pushed myself fully down onto him. Potter arched his
back and cried out as if it was an involuntary act – something he
could neither control nor keep locked inside. A fiery hot gush of
pleasure suddenly gripped me, making my whole body shake like I was
undergoing some violent seizure. With tears of sweat covering my
body in a silky gloss, I collapsed into Potter’s welcoming
arms.