"It's so sad. The guy who owned it closed the shop and moved to St. Bart's. At least that's what my mom said." Cindy opened a drawer and pulled out a teal scarf.
"That's awful," I agreed, watching Christopher watch Cindy with an amused expression.
Warehouse Video, better known as "our house" had been around forever. Cindy and I started going there years ago. All the high school kids went for coffee, videos, and snacks. Mainly though, we used it as a hang out... a place to call our own. Our house.
"Dang. What else did I miss?" I was struck by the knowledge that life continued on. It didn't matter whether I was around to witness it or not. Two years. It felt like a lifetime. I forced back my sadness.
Cindy tied the scarf, and adjusted it while watching her reflection in the mirror that ran the length of a wall. Finally she said, "Nothing too important. I missed you though. Terribly." She sighed and hugged me. Unwinding the scarf, she placed it back in the drawer. "I've got to get to work. Come by the restaurant when you get a sec."
"I will, if it isn't too late."
She squeezed my hands. "I'm working all day tomorrow too."
"Okay." It always surprised me-impressed me really, that Cindy worked so hard even though her family had money. Her other friends thought working as a waitress in an Italian restaurant was beneath her-certainly beneath them. Cindy seemed to enjoy it.
When she reached Christopher, she punched him in the arm. "Be nice, or you'll regret it. I'll conjure warts on your nose, and other places, if you catch my drift," she said pointing to the front of his jeans.
Christopher snickered. "Got it."
"I'm not kidding, vampire Hunter. I've got skills."
I raised an eyebrow. Apparently Cindy knew all about everyone, including Chace aka Christopher aka my Hunter. And she was threatening the vampire Hunter with genital warts. So charming.
Gabe probably filled her in, I thought.
Christopher pointed his first finger at her, like his hand was a gun, and made a chk-chk sound with his mouth.
Cindy gave me one of her looks. This one said, 'I can't believe I ever thought this idiot was hot.'
I shrugged.
She kissed her middle finger, flipping him off, and left.
Chapter 6
When I heard the bedroom door close, I slumped into the chaise. I was suddenly, overwhelmingly tired, and... thirsty. It didn't matter my body had been in a prostrate position for two years or that I drank from Dorian not too long ago.
Christopher still wore a smirk on his sexy lips, and I wondered what he was thinking. Pushing off the wall, he sauntered over and casually lowered himself to a spot next to me on the chaise.
For some reason I imagined him and I in Sharra. Me in the heavy dress. Him dressed like a fairy-tale Prince. The way he'd talked to me about kusala and akusala-balance in all things. Perception, and how good and evil depended upon it. The way we kissed and drank each other's blood. He'd brought out feelings-of lust, of hunger, of need. I enjoyed it very much. The memory sent heat to my cheeks.
His smile grew bigger. "What are you thinking?" He brushed his fingers along my elbow, sending tingles through my arm.
Blood. More blood. And, more blood, my inner voice chanted.
"You," I answered boldly.
He moved closer, grabbing my hand. "Really?"
"Yes." I tried not to let him hear me gulp on my need. He smelled delicious, and his blood sang to me. "It's good to see you with your eyes open, and out of that box."
"Ditto," he said softly. His eyes raked me over, and landed on my neck. I realized he was feeling the same way about me-my blood.
"Want some?" he asked, tilting his neck.
"Y-Yes," I breathed, flinging myself into his arms, sinking my fangs into his neck. Warmth, from his body and his blood surged through me, making my skin tingle.
Hunter blood. Magic blood, my inner voice clucked happily.
Christopher groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist. I shifted, so I was on my knees, my hands on his shoulders. He kissed my neck, letting me know what he wanted. I pressed my body closer so my chest touched his, and my legs found their way around his hips.
We stayed like that a long time, our bodies moving to a rhythm only we heard. When I was thoroughly filled, I withdrew my fangs, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
"You owe me," he said, his voice hoarse.
I was surprised. "You don't want some now?"
"I do, probably more than you can imagine."
I doubted it. I wanted his blood so bad I'd flung myself at him-literally.
Christopher continued. "First, I want to know what happened to you?" He skimmed my jaw with the back of his hand.
I bit my lip, hoping I didn't look too much like the cat that swallowed the canary. "You mean why did I fall asleep for two years?"
He chuckled, his eyes still on my neck.
"Exactly."
I gave him the abbreviated version, ending with the pain I felt, and seeing life through Silindra's eyes. Christopher listened, nodding and commenting when necessary, but I perceived he was preoccupied.
I paused and asked, "Have you heard of the pixilette, Ryden?"
He cocked his head to the side as though thinking. "No, I haven't. If she's alive, she wouldn't hang out with Sharra. Especially if she was a friend to Silindra."
"True. I just hoped maybe you saw her in Sharra's land."
I was sitting on the chaise next to Christopher, my legs tucked around his hips. Every once in a while he touched my legs, and tingles flew through my body.
Something was bugging me. "Why don't magical creatures dwell outside Sharra? There seems to be a lot of them. At least during Silindra's time there were. They roamed the earth freely then. What happened to make them stay in Sharra?" I thought about the little pixilette who came to me in the library. She turned to dust after a short time.
Christopher folded his hands in his lap. "I wondered if you might notice."
I played with a string on the end of my shirt. "Only just," I said.
"Once Silindra was destroyed, Sharra went crazy. Some say it was because of her overzealous craving for power. Others, like myself, believe grief from the loss of her sister got the best of her." He sighed. "Her magic combined with her paranoia grew so strong she created the land of Sharra, and imprisoned all magical creatures within. That's why very few people see pixilettes, elves, or even vampires. For the most part we dwell in the Vampire Queen's realm. We have to or we'll die." He pressed a hand to my cheek. "If one of us leaves, it's guaranteed we'll die."