Chapter 20

She presses her lips to mine, the lightest of touches. My body responds with a mind of its own. My hands fly to her hip, gripping tightly. I press my lips harder against hers. The movement knocks her backwards. Her back presses up against the large tree trunk. 

Strong electric currents run through my body. Fire spreads through my veins, making me feel feverish. 

Her hands run through my now overgrown hair as she meets every kiss. The fire burns hotter. 

I run my tongue over her lips. She lets out a soft moan, making my desire run deeper. She willingly parts them, allowing me entrance. Her sweet exotic taste explodes in my mouth, pushing me to deepen the kiss. 

Her legs become unsteady. I lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist tightly. Her tongue runs in rhythm with my own. Her hands lock securely around my neck. 

We draw apart, both of us gasping for air. Reality hits me like a ton of bricks. The lingering darkness vanishes in an instant. 

I have just broken an ancient law, a law I have sworn to abide by. 

Slowly I place her on the ground, every intention of stopping what has just started. Then I meet her gaze, and the look of desire in her eyes only intensifies my own. 

All rational thoughts leave me, the burning, and the longing, too strong to fight. I claim her lips with mine, kissing her more gently. She runs her hand through my hair, and each stroke, each touch, sends shock waves of pleasure through me. I relish in the feeling of her warm body pressed against mine. The taste of her fills every fibre of my being. 

She pulls back, her eyes cloudy. 

“You do know I still haven’t brushed my teeth right.” I laugh. She can worry about small things. I press my forehead against hers. 

“Why did you kiss me? You have no idea what you have done.” 

Sadness quickly fills her eyes. “It always works in the movies,” she shrugs. “See, your eyes, their blue again,” 

“You kissed me because you saw it in a movie?” My heart drops a little. 

“Yeah, I didn’t think you would go that far,” she responds, pushing me back with little strength. 

“Then why did you kiss me back,” I snap. I need to tell her the rules, the danger that we are now in, but the fact that she did it as a last resort and not because we share the same feelings bothers me more than I would like to admit. 

“I thought it was that or get strangled again.” 

I puff my chest out, ready to give her a piece of my mind, when she slumps to the ground. I rush to her side, all the irritation leaving me replaced by worry and concern. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurting?” I ask, my instinct wanting to heal her, to take her pain away. 

“I’m so tired.” 

I sit beside her. She rests her head against my shoulder. A stray hair falls in her face over her right eye. I gently push it behind her ears. Her big blue eyes investigate mine. Sincerity shines brightly. 

“Why did you kiss me?” she asks looking at me shyly with her now faint green eyes. She absently bits her lower lip. A cute nervous habit I have noticed. 

“Well, it was either that or I was going to kill you.” I state, knowing deep down that was not the case. The feelings she stirs in me are hard to fight at the best of times. 

She looks away, out into the vast array of trees, but not before I saw the hurt in her eyes. I have never been good with the touchy feeling stuff like the rest of my family. But the hurt in her eyes pains me, prompting me to say something, anything to take it away. “I couldn’t stop.” 

She turns to me her eyes questioning. 

“You couldn’t stop what?” she asks, pushing me for more. She always wants every detail she never settles for a simple explanation. 

“I couldn’t stop kissing you, you have no idea how you make me feel. I love you. I always have.” The words run freely. 

“But I just met you, and you’re always mean to me,” she whispers. She is right. When I am around her, I want nothing more than to take her in my arms and hold her, kiss her senseless, the fact that I cannot touch her frustrates me to no end.

I wish she could remember me. Remember her childhood, but each time I saw her again I had to build a new friendship with her. Her mind always wiped. 

“We have to move; we need to get out of here.” I say more to divert the conversation than anything else. 

She is right, she doesn’t know me. She was never allowed a chance. 

I pull her up to a standing position. Her body falls forward her hands rest on my chest, her legs weak and unstable. My heart races as a swarm of butterflies gather in the pit of my stomach. 

She gathers her bearings and stands on her tip toes, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. 

“I wish I could remember,” she whispers. 

I pick her up and cradle her in my arms. Her body instantly relaxes as her eyes begin to close. 

We are in deep trouble. There is only one thing left to do. Although it pains me, I know it is for the best. When we reach the portal, it should lead us to Mexico. There I must purchase a potion from the black market. The potion will rid her of her memories of the last twenty-four hours. Her mind has been toyed with so many times before, but I have no choice. No one can know. 

The price of our actions is too big for her to face. She does not know the rules or understand. 

Owen is the only supernatural that I know of that can rid one of certain memories. To ask him I will be putting both of us on trial before the elders. A risk I am not willing to take.

Never have I heard of anyone breaking through the darkness. Yet she pulled me back, her light and warmth guiding me.