Forbidden Touch (9 page)

Dane would have notified her parents and the Elders by now, and they had a lot more skill than even she could fathom. They would be able to find her. They had to run away from here, or they would be dead by morning. Mitch would become a fugitive. If he ran away, it would look as though he were guilty of the murders. It didn't matter. He was going to prison if he stayed. There was no way to prove he was innocent, and there was no way to prove the actual murderer guilty. She didn't think the human court system would believe there were really vampires. They would have to go away forever. What if Mitch didn't want to stay with her? The cops would eventually catch him and put him behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. If he didn't want her, she wouldn't hold him captive. She would be no better than the cops if she held him against his will.

He'd been perfectly still and quiet ever since she had informed him that she'd never been with anyone before. What did he think of her now? She could slip in his mind and find out, but she always felt like she was invading his private thoughts. She knew how she hated it when Dane did that to her. He didn't have to slip in her mind to know what she was thinking though. He could read her easily and even better if he touched her. That's what he'd been doing last night when he touched her cheek, she thought. Damn. How could she be so naive around him when she knew very well what he was capable of?

"We have to get away from here," she whispered to Mitch. The street was noisy, but someone might still be able to hear them talking.

He took his cue from her and spoke softly. "I'm being watched, Ciera. If I leave and they find me, I'll be twiddling my thumbs in a prison cell for the rest of my life. And that's if they don't send me straight to the electric chair."

She stopped and, because she was still holding his hand, he stopped to. "I know that, Mitch. We can't ever come back. My people will not stop until they find us, and when they do…they'll kill us. You wanted to know about me, and I told you only because you said that you would rather die than go to prison for a crime you didn't commit. If you stay here, you'll be dead before the human police find you. What's your decision?"

He was quiet for a long time. This was all so unbelievable, but he wasn't getting a choice to believe it or not. He really would be dead if he stayed here, and he'd thought only an hour ago about leaving with her for good, so why was he stalling now? He hadn't changed his mind about her. He wanted to be with her, but he didn't see how running the rest of his life could be much better than facing this living nightmare. He wouldn't only be running from her vampire buddies, he would also be running from the police. Everyone would always think he had committed those awful murders. He would never be able to go out in public for fear of being noticed. Even other countries had access to Americas Top 10 Most Wanted List, and he was sure to be on it by morning. 

"I don't know what to do. Maybe if I have the police lock me up, your kind won't be able to kill me. Then you can find the killer, and I'll be free. Then we can leave."

"And when I find the killer, what… turn a vampire over to the cops, Mitch? If we ever do find the killer, your human police can't know about it." She took in a deep breath. "Look, I apologize again for getting you caught up in all of this. I would change it if I could."

He was suddenly angry, but mainly because he was afraid that she'd lied about regretting anything. "And what, would you take back showing yourself to me? Would you take back the kiss? I thought you said you didn't regret anything." He felt her hand touch his cheek and he flinched, then he stood very still. This was all so freaky to him. He couldn't see her; hell, he couldn't even see his own body. He felt himself relax under her palm then something soft touched his lips. He couldn't stay angry with her if she was going to kiss him every time he got upset. His one free hand dove into her hair, pulling her closer, making the kiss all the more real to him. She opened her mouth willingly as he had hoped she would, and he teased her tongue in a game of chase. Nothing else mattered to him but her. He would go away with her to the ends of the earth and beyond, if that was what she wanted.

She pulled away, breathless, and whispered, "I don't regret anything, Mitch, but I would change it to keep you safe. It would hurt me more than you know, but I would do it if I could."

"Well, I'm glad vampires can't change the past."

She laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. Why couldn't she be human, or why couldn't he be a vampire, she thought. She almost got excited at the thought of making him like her, maybe the Elders wouldn't kill them then, but she lost her giddiness all too quickly. She wouldn't burden him with the life she had no choice but to live. She made a vow with herself, right then and there, to never suggest he become a vampire. It would kill her when she had to let him go, and it was inevitable, one day she would have to let him go. He would grow old and die the way God intended. A tear trailed from her eye, down her nose, and landed on his leather jacket, but he wasn't aware of it.

She had to get them to a safe place, and soon, but she didn't have a clue where that could be. Her kind would find her anywhere she went.

There were a few places in the world they could go where vampires, witches and humans coexisted together. Those humans knew about vampires and were sworn to secrecy. She didn't know where any of those places were though, they were secret. She didn't know of anyone who would tell her without turning her in, either.

She needed to find a witch. One strong enough to cover up her trail so her kind couldn't find them. A few witches knew about the vampires, but it was because they were strong in clairvoyance. Most of the witches that knew about them were psychic, and they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. She had to find one, and fast.

"C'mon," she said, then took Mitch's hand and pulled away from his body. "We need to find a witch."

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Chapter 1
3

A witch? So they did exist. What else did he not know about that lived in this world with him? Guess humans weren't at the top of the food chain, like everyone thought.

Ciera stopped at a mid-sized, late model sedan. She looked around briefly then pulled the locked door open.

Mitch shook his head as he closed his eyes. Let's add being an accomplice to grand theft auto to his list of criminal acts. She held his hand when he crawled through to the passenger side. They switched the hands they were holding and she sat behind the wheel. She made quick work with disarming the alarm that was blaring, and then hotwired the car with one hand.

"What's the plan?" he asked in a normal voice when she was on the interstate. She didn't scold him for talking normal, so he guessed they were relatively safe.

She released his hand and they both became visible. Someone would report a car driving itself down the interstate. "We get out of this city and go to one where psychics are more common. There are a few here, but I don't know if they are the real deal or just trying to scam people for money. The further away from the city we go, the harder it will be for my family to track me."

"How is a witch going to help us?"

She shrugged and tried to obey the traffic laws. She couldn't lose time getting stopped, and if she made a run for it, it would be like plastering a bull's eye on her head for her family to locate her. They had to be inconspicuous. "If we find one strong enough, she'll be able to mask us so we can't be sensed by vampires. A spell is only temporary, but I'm hoping to find one who knows where we can go to be safe, permanently."

"Where would that be?" he asked as he played with her hair.

"There are a few places in the world where vampires, witches and humans all live together. They co-exist, but they are hidden very well. The witches have spells on those places where not just any normal Joe can enter without being detected. You have to know people in high places, and the only people I know in high places are the ones who want to see me dead for what I've done."

Mitch sighed. "I'm sorry that I made you tell me about what you are. I didn't know the amount of trouble you would be getting into." This was his fault. He'd wanted to see her and touch her so badly, that he had risked her life.

"It isn't your fault. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. I knew the risk I was taking and I took it anyway."

"Because you love me?" he said with a sly smile.

She glanced briefly at him, her expression telling him nothing, and then looked back to the road. He didn't have to know she loved him. It would only complicate things more for them in the future.

He lost his grin and moved his hand away from her hair. Her unspoken words left his chest aching. He was in love with her, and she was supposed to love him. That's how love was supposed to be. Two people fell in love with each other. It couldn't be one sided. But he knew as soon as the thought crossed his mind, that was how it was in this cruel world. His mother and father were a prime example. She loved him, but he didn't love her. Or he would have stayed with her and supported his child. He looked out his window. The city was behind them now. Very few lights were visible from houses in the far off distance.

Ciera glanced at Mitch. She could tell he was upset, but she refused to give in to her temptation. She would have to let him go someday soon. And if she told him how she felt about him, it would only make it harder for him to let go. She would get him to a safe place. He may have to live with vampires and witches, but he would be safe. They would protect him as if he was one of their own. And then she would leave him and go back to her family, and let them destroy her. She couldn't watch him die, and she couldn't live without him either. It was the only way to keep him safe, but he didn't have to know about her plans until she was already gone.

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Chapter 1
4

She'd been driving for about eight hours. Mitch had gone to sleep not long after he'd asked her the question she had chosen not to answer. Sunrise was coming fast, and she would fry when it came up unless she made herself invisible. She couldn't do that and drive. Humans couldn't comprehend a car moving without a driver behind the wheel.

She felt him wake up. She hadn't entered his dreams. He needed to be well rested, and she knew he didn't get the rest he needed when she visited him in his subconscious. She couldn't have done that and driven the vehicle anyway.

Mitch yawned, then opened his eyes, blinked a few times and sat up quickly. "Oh God, it wasn't a dream."

She glanced at him with a hurt look on her face. "Did you want it to be?"

He sighed and relaxed in his seat. "Not you, just the part where I'm being hunted by the police and creatures of the undead."

"I am one of those creatures, you know," she said shortly, and then looked back to the road. She didn't want to hear his response. What he had already said had hurt enough. "You're going to have to drive soon. The sun is about to come up."

He leaned back in his seat and stretched. She couldn't help but admire his perfect body. He had taken his leather jacket off before he fell into his slumber, so he was only wearing his white under-shirt and his slacks. "Where are we?"

"We just crossed the Arkansas line. I was thinking that Louisiana would be our best bet to find a reputable witch with all the hoodoo and voodoo down there. Maybe we can stop at a few psychic reading places if we pass any along the way to see if they sense us. If they don't, then they aren't strong enough to do what I need them to do anyway."

His body gave an involuntary jerk and his eyes shot around to look at her. "Arkansas! How long have I been asleep?"

She shrugged. "Eight hours or so," she said as she pulled into a convenience store. "I'll go in and get you something to eat and drink. The bathrooms are on the outside of the store, so you'll be able to go if you need to without being seen. I'm not positive your face isn't all over the news. We don't need to chance it."

He nodded, got out of the car and headed for the men's room.

The store sold Hunt's Brothers Pizza, and she knew the love Mitch had for pizza. She told the cashier that she wanted the large all meat pizza on top. She grabbed two twenty ounce cokes from the round ice bin in front of the counter, paid and exited the store.