Forbidden Touch (23 page)

"What?" she demanded.

He put his hands up. "All right, all right…" he said, then mumbled something so low that she couldn't make it out.

"Come again?"

"I didn't tell them anything, okay? They think you are still monitoring Mitch without him knowing that we exist. I knew it wouldn't be a problem for you to get him to fall in love with you, but I never anticipated you falling for him. I was upset with you, but I never wanted you dead."

Before she knew what she was doing, she had flung herself at him, and was giving him a huge hug. He seemed surprised at first, then laughed and hugged her back. "I ought to lie to you, and then tell you the truth more often. I've never had you this close willingly before."

She pulled away from him. "I'm glad you didn't really tell them, but why did you lie to me about it?"

He shrugged. "I knew that you would never be able to go back there if you thought the Elders were hunting you. I was willing to go with you wherever you needed to go. Besides, it's where Lazarus took Mitch and the plan was to keep the two of you apart." He looked back at her. "I still think we should stay here ... together," he said quietly, hoping she would change her mind

She thought about Mitch for a moment, then sighed and said, "I understand why you did it. I wouldn't have gone about it the same way, but I suppose I would do anything to be with the person I love."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. He only nodded before walking into another hallway. She followed him. They only walked a little ways before he opened another door and led them into an underground garage, then over to a black Lexus that had windows so blacked out that even she couldn't see the interior.

"You want to drive first?" he asked, and she could tell that he wasn't as happy as he'd been a few minutes ago. What had she said?

"No, I'm fine with riding for a while. You can drive first. I don't know the way out of here, remember?" She caught a small glimpse of a smile before he unlocked the doors and got in.

She stared out the window as he drove. He said it would be quicker to go up and hit I-80, instead of going back to Vegas. She didn't care; she only thought it was really nice to not have to make herself invisible during the daylight. She felt her body tingling, and she went very still in her seat. So still that Dane noticed.

"What is it?" he asked, clearly concerned for her.

"I don't…" She blacked out, and when she opened her eyes again all she could see was white fog or smoke all around her. Then she was staring at the interior of the Lexus again. Her breathing was labored. Dane had pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road and was shaking her.

"Ciera!…Oh, thank God. What the hell was that about?"

She shook her head in confusion. "I don't know. My body was tingling all over, like my hand does when it goes to sleep. Then it was like I was being forced into a dream."

"Whose dream?"

She focused on the brief memory. "I don't know. I didn't see anything except for fog ... or smoke. It looked like that's what it was."

"Are you okay now?" he asked.

She waited a few moments then finally nodded. "I seem to be."

"All right," he nodded, then put the car back in drive. "What do you want me to do if it happens again?"

"I don't know that there is anything you can do. I don't know what it is. I didn't get a bad vibe from it, so maybe it doesn't mean me any harm." She thought for a minute, then said, "It may have been Alice or Nellie trying to tell me something from the other side."

His brow drew together. "Who is Alice and Nellie? And what the hell are you talking about?"

She slumped in her seat and looked out the window, her anger and grief boiling just below the surface. "Alice was the psychic, and Nellie was the witch that you killed to find me."

He was silent for a long time, so she looked over at him. He looked at her and shook his head. "I didn't kill them. I only got the information that I needed from them, and then I left. I haven't done as many bad things in my life that you think I have. Well, not since I have met you anyway. You make me want to be…I don't know," he sighed, and looked away from her.

She knew what he wanted to say, but she wasn't going to make him say it. She knew that he wasn't good with emotions. And she had never seen him pour out his heart before. She was definitely experiencing a lot of firsts with him. "It's all right. I'm very glad you didn't kill Alice and Nellie, but I don't have to hear how I make you feel. You said you want me in your life even if I choose not to be with you. I'm not friends with many liars, so if you could be honest with me from here on out, I would appreciate it very much. I wouldn't mind having you around either."

He nodded. "I am sorry…for everything."

"I accept your apology. Now, since we are not in a stolen car, and if we happen to get stopped by a cop, you will be able to get us out of it with your expert compulsion, do you think you can drive a little faster and get us there before next week? You drive like a grandpa."

Dane smiled, and pushed the gas pedal to the floorboard.

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Chapter
36

Mitch shook his head a few times to clear it. Everything he had discovered since he'd woken up as a vampire was all real fascinating, but he couldn't seem to get Ciera out of his mind. He wanted to be angry with her. Had she really murdered all those people? He didn't think Lazarus was lying, but the guy had been lying to him several years without him knowing. There were still a few missing pieces to the puzzle, but why had she gone with Dane if her intentions had been to be with him? She had invaded his dreams, almost driving him to the brink of insanity. She didn't make him fall in love with her. He'd done that all on his own, but he would blame her for that as well.

He had never been naive before, and he wasn't going to start making a habit out of it now. From this moment on, he wasn't going to trust anyone. He would listen and watch, but trust ... he would not.

Lazarus had shown him to the room he would be staying in, then said he was going to turn in for the day. He was going to brainstorm on how to get him out of all of this mess with the cops, and suggested that Mitch should do the same.

Well, he was trying, but he couldn't get Ciera out of his mind long enough to come up with how to put a toilet seat down, much less frame someone for murder.

His body had tingled a few times a little earlier, and he had wondered what had caused it to happen. Maybe it was one of the skills that vampires possessed. Lazarus had many, and he said he would show him how to use them tomorrow. Mitch wondered aimlessly if Lazarus had tried any of his tricks on him when they had worked together.

He shrugged, then grabbed the clothes Lazarus had given him off the bed. He had to get her blood off his body. Lazarus had shown him where the bathroom was when they had come up to the upper level. He was glad that he was still going to be able to walk in the sun. He smiled. Wouldn't Ciera be freaked out about that?

He gritted his teeth together and punched a hole through Lazarus' sheetrock wall. Fuck! He had to stop thinking about her. She was dead to him. He made his way to the bathroom and flipped on the light. He put his hands on the vanity and leaned into them. "God, help me, please. Tell me what to believe." A memory of Ciera flashed through his mind again. He thought about picking the toilet up and throwing it through the bathroom window.

He took several deep breaths, and then took his clothes off and threw them in the waste basket.

He turned the water on and stepped under the hot spray. Memories of when he and Ciera had been in the shower at his mother's house, crept into his mind; he didn't fight it this time. He could already see it was a battle he wouldn't win anytime soon.

He let her naked body enter his mind. Then her hands were on him, and his were on her. He sighed as the warm tingly feeling began to happen again; it was stronger this time. It actually felt kind of nice. He still didn't know why it was happening, but he was guessing if he went ahead and let it happen instead of fighting it, he would eventually realize what it was. Maybe it happened to all the vampires, and Ciera had just failed to mention it.

He closed his eyes, letting his head fall under the spray. He thought of her. It seemed he could do nothing else. The tingling was getting stronger and stronger, and the urge to say her name was almost too much to bear. He gave in.

"Oh God, Ciera. Not again!" Dane said, and pulled over on the shoulder of the road.

She was actually convulsing in her seat. He hoped it wasn't some bad side effect from the elephant tranquilizer he'd injected her with. He shook her violently, and shouted her name the same time that Mitch did.

She opened her eyes to fog again, but it was different this time. It was clearing away, and she could hear rushing water. She could see a form standing in front of her, but through the fog she couldn't make out what it was. She took a step forward, and that was all she needed. She gasped as she saw Mitch in a shower, hot water running down that gorgeous, naked body of his. He heard her and his eyes shot open.

"Oh my God, Mitch!" she went to hug him, but her body wasn't really there in the shower with him, so she fell right through him. It seemed that somehow her spirit had left her body and gone to him, but how?

He jumped out of the shower without turning the water off. His eyes were wild and pissed. "What the hell are you doing here? You never wanted me, and now you want to torture me?" He was breathing hard, and he turned his head from her. He couldn't let her see that she meant enough for him to cry. And dammit, that was exactly what was about to happen. He was pissed, and he was shaking. Tears would flow next.

He reached in the shower and shut the water off, then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist and his damn boy that always seemed to pop up whenever he thought about her. There was no use in telling him that now was not a good time. The guy thought anytime was a good time when it came to Ciera.

He walked out of the bathroom and down the long hallway to his bedroom. He turned on her when he walked through the door, because he knew that she'd followed him. "How are you here?"

Her eyes were full of tears as she stared at him, shaking her head. "I don't know," she whispered, and then finally gathered herself together enough to think. "Whatever he has told you is a lie."

"Really? So you didn't murder those people?" he asked, and watched her expression closely. She didn't seem to be lying, but hell, he didn't know who to believe.

"No. Dane told me last night while you were going through transition that your father murdered all of those humans because he knew you would be assigned to the case. He knew the Elders would assign Dane to hunt him down, and he made Dane an offer he couldn't refuse. He knew if he turned you into a vampire that you would hate him, so he needed me to do it so he could have you, and you would hate me. Your father and Dane thought if you hated me, I would run to Dane for comfort. He is in love with me but I don't love him, Mitch. I love you."

"You lie!" he shouted.

She shook her head and shiny translucent tears fell down her face. "I'm not. I promise I love you. I didn't know anything about all of this until last night. I swear. Dane realizes that I'm never going to love him, even if you've stopped loving me. He's coming with me to get you."

His eyes grew wide. "Do not come here," he said slowly, and his voice was full of menace. "If you come here, I'll kill you."

She covered her mouth and nose with her hands and shook her head slowly as she cried. "Mitch, you have known me longer than your own father. He is lying. Why can't you see that? You know I couldn't do something like this."

He raised his voice. "If you come here, I will kill you, Ciera!"

She dropped her hands to her side in defeat. "Fine," she nodded. "I won't even put up a fight. I guess our souls weren't meant to be together after all." She smiled through her tears, but it wasn't a happy smile.

"Yeah, I guess not. Why are you still here?"

She stomped her foot. She loved him. Oh, God, how she loved him, but he was pissing her off. "Because you haven't sent me back to my body, you bastard! I don't have the skill to do this, but evidently you do," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe I will just go sit on the front porch and twiddle my thumbs until Dane gets here with my body."