Sapphires and Desires (The Gem Fairy Series Book 1) (6 page)

“I didn’t think you would actually shoot me.” He answers confirming my logic.

I don’t question further, afraid to hear the answers I’ll get. I’m done with questions.

“I want to go home to Philadelphia.” I say hopefully.

He sighs. “You can’t you have to help kill Jadorn. Everyone is going to be counting on you when they hear you’re alive.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I don’t know who I was back then but right now I’m not some savior. I’m a 22 year old girl who has exams coming up. I have to go back to school. Geoff is probably so worried about me.”

“Geoff thinks you’re dead. Everyone does. This is your home. School is not important. Saving tons of lives is,” he argues.

“Well I’ll explain that there was a mix up and I’m fine.”

“No.”

“You mean you won’t take me back?” I ask sadly.

He sighs. “I can’t lose you again.”

“I’m not your wife. That person died a long time ago, like you said earlier.”

He buries his head in his hands and I see him wince. ”You always were stubborn.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah you are. I will take you back to the human world to
visit
. But you can’t stay there forever. You can say goodbye to this
Geoff
and gather some of your belongings but then you’re coming back here. You are not suitable for that world anymore. You’ll only cause a threat.”

“Fine. But what am I going to tell Geoff?” I ask him confused. Like what am I going to do? Show up ‘oh hey by the way I am alive but you’re never going to see me again.’? I take one last look at the sapphire necklace in my hand and then toss it back to Damon. “Here. I don’t want this.”

“I don’t know, that’s your problem. Tell him you faked your own death so you could run away with a stud. I’ll play the part of the stud of course,” he half jokes. Yep sarcastic, goofy Damon is back.

I don’t argue because in all seriousness I don’t have a better idea. Anyhow, I’m just agreeing to this so that he will take me back home. Then I will somehow find a way to hide from him for the rest of my life. Like I’m coming back here with him.

“When do we leave?” I ask him.

“Right now. Close your eyes,” he smiles.

Suddenly the sound of busy traffic replaces the sounds of falling water and I’m standing on the sidewalk in front of my dorm building. I cuss. What the fuck? I turn around in a full circle. Where’d he go?

Oh god, please tell me that the whole last two days was some sort of weird acid trip. Like someone slipped me drugs and I blacked out and tripped out
bad
.

I look down and notice that I’m no longer wearing the hospital gown I was wearing before. I am now wearing black knee high boots, leggings, a black miniskirt that is too short for my liking, and a shirt that shows far too much cleavage. I must’ve been on acid or something if I put this on. I’d never wear this in public.

I run into the dorm lobby and use the public phone there to call Geoff. He answers on this second ring. His voice is groggy like he’s been sleeping.

“Hello?” he answers.

“Geoff, is that you? What’re you doing, sleeping?” I ask him confused as I stare at the clock in the lobby. It’s noon.

“I was up late working the night shift.” He answers with a yawn.

Nightshift? He doesn’t have a job in Philly.

“Who’re you trying to kid, you don’t have a job in Philly.”

“Uh I’m not in Philly. I’m at home. Who is this?”

“This is Laytah why the hell aren’t you at school? Exams are coming up you know and you better not let your marks slip!” God, it’s so nice to hear his voice again.

He’s silent for a moment. “This isn’t funny.”

“What? Hey, get back here to the city. I have the weirdest fricken story to tell you. I think I was drugged last night or something.” I tell him eagerly.

“Nice try lady but my cousin died a month ago in a car accident! What kind of sicko are you?” he shouts upset.

My heart nearly stops. So I was in a car accident. Maybe it wasn’t all a dream. I sure prayed that it was even though in my heart I think I know it wasn’t.

I sigh loudly so he can hear it through the phone. “Geoff, it’s me. You used to eat dog food when you were little and you’ve had a crush on Molly Hartley since play school. I’m not dead…there was a uh…misunderstanding. Don’t tell Aunty. Just get here and meet me in front of the University at five o’clock tomorrow night.”

“Laytah?! What the hell! Is that reall-“ he starts but I cut him off.

The lady at the desk was motioning me to hand the phone back. I guess I’ve used it for long enough without paying.

“I have to go. I’m using the public phone from my dorm. See you tomorrow at 5.” I say and end the call. It isn’t until then that Geoff’s words sink in.
A month?
He said that I died
a month
ago. No way. I was away for maybe a week at very most but a month? That’s ridiculous. Then my stomach drops. If he is right, which he always is, that means that I missed every single one of my final exams.

Fuck.

I apologize to the lady at the desk and she shakes her head at me irritated.

“Excuse me. My name is Laytah Woods. I am in room 212 and I lost my key. Do you think you could let me in? I don’t have any ID on me but I can show you some when we get up to there.”

The lady grumbles something unintelligent and glares at me but grabs her master keys and nods her head at me. I pray that Geoff didn’t clean out my room or something.

When we get up to my room the lady opens my door to reveal my dorm room, just how I’d left it. I almost jump for joy.

“Thank you so much!” I shout and rush in.

“I need to see some ID.” She says bored.

“Oh right sure. Sorry.” I say and open my desk drawer and present her with my passport.

She nods and leaves.

I close the door behind her and immediately start taking off my clothes. I look like a freaking hutchey mama.

“Hey there pretty lady. Don’t like what I dressed you in or what?” An all too familiar British voice says from behind me.

I scream, cover my breasts with the skimpy shirt I’d been wearing, and whirl around to meet Damon’s eyes which were still covered by a pair of sunglasses.

“Get out! Now! How did you even get in here?!” I demand furiously.

He stands leaning against my closet door like it’s no big deal.

“Oh calm down, we’re married. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before,” he says calmly.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been married. Get out!” I shout at him.

He smirks that famous hot smirk of his. Did I really just refer to it as hot? Well I can’t really deny it. It
is
a hot smirk.
He
is hot. I admit that much. But that doesn’t mean that I want him to see me naked….or does it? Do I? Surely not. Suddenly I’m not so sure. If he was some hotty from the boy’s dorm would I have a problem with it?

He eventually turns around and I hurry and change into a baggy t-shirt and sweat pants. “Okay, you can turn around.”

He turns around. “You would rather wear
that
?” He asks skeptically while nodding at my new attire.

“Uh yes, it’s comfy. That was not. Plus I looked like a whore,” I admit bluntly.

“So I have a question…” he changes the subject eagerly and walks over to my laptop. “I’m not so good with these dumb things but I was feeling rather snoopy and started pressing buttons. Anyways…this popped up when I pushed this button.” He says and points to the mouse button. “Now I can’t read English very well but this picture was enough.”

He points at the screen. On it is one of the news articles I’d skimmed days earlier on the night before I’d supposedly
died
. The night when I’d had that first super creepy dream about that ghost.

“What about it?” I ask him nonchalantly.

He scoffs. “You told me you didn’t remember me or you past lives. If that is true, why is there a picture of me and you and Sandy and Jacob on your electric toy?” he asks and almost sounds angry.

Electric toy?
I almost laugh but his words stop me.

“What?! What are you talking about?” I ask and look more closely at the picture.

Something that in my sleepiness I’d missed is now blatantly obvious. The girl in the tiny news article picture looks nearly identical to me. And the man standing beside the girl in the picture, yeah it was definitely Damon, sunglasses and all.

“This couple adopted you in your last life. Your parents thought hiding you might work better if they didn’t raise you themselves. It obviously didn’t work so well because you were murdered at 21 years old but they did all they could. This couple was also fae.” He says. “You mean to say that this was complete coincidence that you stumbled upon this?”

“Yes.” I say truthfully.

“You’re lying.” He states bluntly.

“No. I’m not.” I try again.

He just nods and closes the laptop. His face seems to lose some sort of spark in his eyes as though he’d hoped I’d been searching it purposely.

“You say you can’t read English very well? You speak it perfectly. What is your first language?” I ask him curiously. I’d thought his accent sounded British.

His smirk returns. “Not English. I have an accent if you didn’t notice.”

“It sounds British.” I tell him.

“It isn’t.” He says with a shrug ending the conversation.

“Why do you always wear those dumb sunglasses? We’re in doors you know.”

His face turns serious. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“You’ve told me a lot of screwed up shit and I’ve believed it.” I admit.

He starts smiling like a mad man. “So does that mean you believe that your fae? That you love me?” He asks.

He’s got me.

“I believe that something fricken weird is going on. Maybe I’m dreaming or maybe I died and am in some weird alternate reality thing or maybe…just maybe you’re telling the truth and this is all real.” I say cautiously. Do I believe? “But I highly doubt the latter.”

“There are different types of fae. Some are born and some are made. The ones that are born are stronger and their power comes from within them, pixies, witches, whatever. It does not run out. Those that are made, their power comes from others. It isn’t unlimited. You know they have to uh get their magic from others. In a sense they’re all vampires.” He explains.

“Ew they drink blood?” I ask disturbed.

“No, well not all of them. But vampires as you would know them do in fact exist. Other types survive by taking essence, they are called succubuses. Others, live off emotions. Tenagies live off of happiness. Langeries live off of sadness. There are many different kinds.” He answers awkwardly.

“What happens if they run out of
power
?” I wonder.

“Eventually they go crazy and will do anything to get it. Then if they don’t, they die. Imagine it like a heroin addict running out of heroin and time it by ten.”

“I’m guessing you are one of these fae that are made and not born?” I ask him interested.

“Yes, I am.” He nods. “I was made almost 300 hundred fae years ago to date.”

“What is your accent?” I ask him curiously, to me it sounds British.

“It’s a fae accent. You wouldn’t recognize it.”

“Well what kind of fae are you?” I ask him curiously. I secretly hope he isn’t the blood sucking kind but I don’t see any fangs and bet that I’m probably safe.

He hesitates for a moment then says, “I am a Zanxoi.” He grits his teeth.

I can tell he doesn’t want me to question him further but I am not about to stop with my questions. “And that means what?”

He nearly seems to blush but not quite. “I live by surviving off of
sex
.” He says quietly while gaging my reaction. “Or rather the emotions and feelings given off others while they are having sex.”

Sex? Like he was a sex addict? So I was supposedly married to a sex addict in my past lives? Lovely. That has to be almost as bad as being a porn star.

“So what does that have to do with your glasses?” I ask him confused.

He smiles a fake smile. “My body is designed for survival.”

He slowly removes his sunglasses. His eyes are closed. When he opens them my body is filled with need. I suddenly don’t just think that Damon is hot. I think that he is the hottest person on the planet. My body aches with need and I nearly drop to my knees. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, it does. Suddenly I am on my knees gritting my teeth and breathing heavily as though I’ve just ran a marathon. My hands fly up to my head as it feels like it’s about to explode. He takes a few steps closer to me, squats down and places his hand on my cheek. Instinctively by body hurls into his and suddenly my lips are on his.

My breathing quickens and I wrap my arms around him tightly. He kisses me back as if he needs me as much as I need him. My breasts ache as they rub against his hard chest. He places another hand on the back of my head and pushes himself on top of me gently. I open my eyes to meet his and even more need fills my body. His eyes are
so
blue. Like sapphire. An unintelligible sound escapes my lips and I bite his lip. He moans with pleasure. His body presses against mine harder and I feel him hesitate for a moment before kissing me again letting the rest of his weight rest against me. I try to take off his shirt and he lets me. I so badly want to remove my own shirt as well but he doesn’t let me go that far. He doesn’t stop kissing me though. His lips press against mine as though… as though he loves me. It dawns on me vaguely then through all the need that he
does
love me and that only makes the need worse. No one has ever loved my before. He kisses my neck and for a few seconds I think that I’m in heaven. Then he pulls away and stands up. The feeling of such intense need disappears. Of course I still feel need as it was not satiated but most of the feeling is now gone.