Long Live Dead Reckless Read online

  “Watch out, they burn,” he joked.

  “It’s been to the edges of the universe. God, the stories it could tell,” I replied whimsically, straightening.

  Sage was quiet. He gazed up with me.

  “Is it weird I think about things like that, Sage?”

  He was watching me, enjoying my wide-eyed wonder.

  “No, it’s you.”

  I turned to him.

  “I want to hear all your stories one day. Promise me.”

  His eyes softened as he nodded.

  “I’ll tell you everything one day.”

  “One day,” I echoed.

  With that, he took out a small flashlight from his back pocket and handed it to me. Puzzled, I took it and turned it on. He put a hand on the telescope.

  “If you shine light into space, it won’t stop until it hits something.”

  I turned the flashlight towards him.

  “Really? But this flashlight is so weak.”

  He took my hands in his and turned the flashlight to face the sky overhead between us. I could see his eyes sparkle behind the stream of light, tiny specks of stars reflecting in his eyes.

  “Up there, this weak little light could go on forever in theory. Think about it: we could be on the other end of a light touching a planet or even shooting across the universe.”

  I followed the light beam into the sky, where it disappeared into the vast dark of space and stars. He took it and propped it up on the telescope so it was still beaming into space. He came over, brushing the fallen hair from my cheek.

  “So if you looked up into the night sky, the light from your eyes would –”

  He stopped. He was looking down at me, stroking a finger on my neck where he once healed it.

  “Look across time. No one can see the whole universe, you know. But I think maybe you could. The stars shine in your eyes like rain drenched in light. There’s a whole world in there I could just live in.”

  “If my eyes hold your world, your skin is my sky,” I said, touching the freckles on his neck.

  He smiled.

  “And you said you can’t write poetry.”

  My breath grew deep and heavy. I wanted him. He made me fearless. I found a strange courage in his arms and immortality in his lips. If I could only stay there, I’d be the happiest, most powerful being in the world.

  “Why don’t you sing anymore, Talor?”

  My smile dissipated. I thought about not telling him, but no. I needed to. He was trustworthy, and he was good. I could talk to him and he would say the right thing, too. I brushed my finger against the necklace on my neck. He watched me.

  “My mom. I can’t,” I said, my voice breaking.

  “I understand.”

  I just wanted to bury my head in his chest as the tears started, but he wouldn’t have it. He kissed me as I wept. I cried and kissed, sometimes sobbing and gasping for air, but always returning to him. It was probably the messiest kissing either of us had ever done. My tears were all over my face and his, and my lips were trembling the whole time. It was something that should have embarrassed me, but I felt stronger when I pulled away from the last kiss. It was slow, and I didn’t open my eyes at first. He held me close, still giving micro kisses on my swollen eyelids.

  “Talor, I wrote a song for you.”

  “You wrote a song?”

  “I want you to hear it.”

  I nodded. Maybe after he played the song he’d kiss me again. I hoped, anyway. It made everything better. He reached over and clicked the flashlight off before leading me back to into the house. When we got inside, he gestured to the carpet in front of the crackling fireplace. Wait…a fire? It wasn’t lit before.

  “Are you thirsty or anything?” he asked.

  Sage was behind me now, easing my jacket off my shoulders. He tossed it on the couch as I watched the dancing flames in front of me. I didn’t turn around and he didn’t move. He was breathing in my skin, his hands soft on my arms. I couldn’t help the words that came out next.

  “Are you?”

  He paused. I don’t know if he did it for dramatic effect or if he was really trying to decide.

  “No.”

  “Well, how often do you have to?” I asked, almost afraid of knowing. I would forever count the hours between his meals if I knew.

  Sage moved away, taking the blanket from the couch and wrapping it around me. It settled on me like snow, silent and soft. He looked down at me, emotionless. I expected some brooding before a long, drawn-out confession, but he didn’t hesitate. His answer was quick.

  “I can stave off the craving for longer than anyone else.”

  In my mind, I imagined every possible horror of what he meant. How many women had he seduced? How many had he killed? Would there be more? Had he fed from someone today? Yesterday? How could I feel this way for a person who had to wound someone to eat?

  “Do you like it when you do?”

  “Do you really want to have this conversation right now?”

  “Yes. No. Yes. I just think I should know some things,” I said, standing my ground.

  “Like does a vampire enjoy biting people?”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  His eyes dropped.

  “I like it if I don’t hurt the person. They like it more that way, too.”

  His honesty brought me no peace. I was jealous again. I could only think of Valerie. I was glad he couldn’t read my mind. I was glad my chaotic, childish, jealous thoughts were my own. I asked myself if I really wanted to know his past. It would be dark and long, and there would be no forgetting it once I knew. I wasn’t brave enough to know yet. I sunk to the floor with the blanket wrapped around me. Sage walked over to a corner and picked up a guitar. He settled down beside me. He ran a finger along the string, careful not to make a sound. Taking advantage of the silence, I looked at the seal.

  “Why did your father do this to me?”

  My voice was so small I wondered if I’d only thought it. But I’d asked. Sage just hadn’t answered yet. He took his fingers off the strings and put the guitar to the side. He caressed the outline of my shoulder through the blanket with care. I watched his touch move along my arm, warm, soothing. He kissed me then, sweet and desperate. He pulled away soon after, heaviness cloaking his words.

  “I wish I knew,” he said, his voice getting weaker at the end.

  I grabbed his hand.

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact.”

  He just kept running his hand up and down my arm. It calmed us both.

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  He couldn’t answer me. He just shrugged as his eyes filled up. His hand suddenly shot out, taking me by the neck and kissing me. He wrapped his hands up in my hair and sat up before returning me gently to my back. His kiss was saturating, and I could feel him seeping into my bones. My heart was conquered. I could find no fault in the inhuman hands that held me. The truth was, I wanted him deeper inside me than even the bones, and I couldn’t kiss him enough to solidify the surrender. I would try, though. When he pulled back, he took in a sharp breath and touched foreheads.

  “I want to play your song, Talor.”

  I nodded as I waited to be serenaded by a siren. His eyes looked deep with purpose, and I didn’t know then what purpose that was – or how dangerous it would be for us both. I listened to the fire crackle behind us and coat his face with a cozy glow. He sat up and grabbed his guitar, setting it on his lap. It was steel blue-gray in color and smooth. The reflective face had a curious design on it. Some kind of wrapping symbol curled to the left and the right and in the middle was a creature – something like a Griffin. I could tell he was collecting his thoughts.

  Taking a deep breath, his fingers took their strategic places on the strings. With the first strum, he looked at me in a new way. I was drawn into his gaze completely; it was like having an outer-body experienc
e. As he began the instrumental intro, I felt my body go rigid. It straightened so tight that I felt my bones would break with the slightest twist of the joint.

  Then came his voice – that melodic perfection. Every word sent a new wave of pulses through my body. I could feel every inflection in his tone. As he built to the first chorus, I felt myself slipping into a new level of ecstasy; I could control myself no more. I was a passenger on this ride now. The words to the song haunted until they were inside me, pushing through my muscles and bones to mark their territory.

  Despite my total trust in Sage, my mind panicked inside a body that would no longer obey. A cold sweat broke out across my skin. His eyes were back on me now, and they were dark. They held me hostage while his voice breathed through me like a wild wind teasing the tops of rooted trees.

  That’s when I noticed strands of my hair drifting up in front of me as though I were underwater, defying gravity. The lyrics continued until I could no longer stand the intensity. He had to stop. Something was wrong. I didn’t react this way when I heard him at the show. I felt the fragility of my own mortality and I was afraid. Words crawled from my throat.

  “Pleeease stop, Sssssage.”

  I saw him put aside his guitar, but a ghostly echo of the music played in my ears. I didn’t know why. Sage came resting on his elbows over me. His chest lay against mine as his hand traced the curve of my hips all the way up to the length of my arm. He extended it up and it obeyed his will. He watched me shiver before closing his eyes and kissing me. This kiss was relentless. There was no restraint. When those eyes tore open again, his fingers curved inside my own, and my wrist started to burn as bright as the fire itself.

  Producing its own light, the seal cast an eerie smudged LLDR over his head. My skin began to burn as though my entire body was on fire from the inside out. It was like no pain I’d ever felt before. Like dying with no final moment for relief. It was a cycle of pain, circling, radiating, ceaseless. My body lingered on the edge of unconsciousness, and I could only whimper, looking to him for relief. His fangs extended, and even in that hallucination of suspended reality, I knew what he was going to do. One of his hands released my fingers and slid under my head, gently turning it to the side to expose my neck. Our eyes locked.

  “Forgive me.”

  His fangs were smooth going into the skin. I gasped from shock, not pain. His hand continued to hold mine tenderly, serving as a silent affirmation that he was not in some feeding frenzy. I didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing, but I could trust that it was Sage doing it, not some bloodthirsty beast. It gave little comfort once I began to feel the effects of being bitten. A potent weakness took me as though I’d been drugged.

  Reality ebbed like a wave from my conscious mind. I couldn’t tell what was real from what was imaginary anymore. I didn’t know if I was dying or sleeping. It felt euphoric, and I wondered how dying should be so pleasant. He kissed my neck before bringing his head up and cleaning his lips.

  “Hurry,” he encouraged, quickly biting his wrist and bringing it to my mouth.

  The moment his blood spilled onto my tongue, his skin started ripping apart as though invisible wild beasts were tearing at his flesh. His eyes dilated as he screamed in agony. I never heard anyone make that sound before. I watched his skin try to heal, but the vicious rips were repetitive and violent, accompanied by a red-hot ornate seal searing the skin on his neck. He pushed up on his palms, but his arms were shaking like all his bones were broken. Tears bled down his face, soaking me. I wanted to scream, but I was too weak. It got caught somewhere in my lungs. Suddenly, he collapsed, motionless. The entire world faded out with him.

  26

  When I awoke, we were both still on the floor. My hair was matted with my blood, his blood. I felt for puncture wounds on my neck, but I didn’t find any. I almost thought I was dead, hovering over the scene of my demise. I felt alive and dead – odd, but it’s the only way to describe it. I shivered and sat up, reaching out to touch him. He wasn’t moving. I turned him on his back to see what damage had been done.

  Dried blood lingered around his eyes. He was pale, but still breathing. When I tried to wake him, he didn’t respond. I noticed the guitar lying on his left and tried to recall what happened. The only thing I could remember was the last few seconds before we both went unconscious. While the memories were hazy, I remembered one thing – the passion between us. How much I wanted him. How I didn’t care if he bit me. And how ashamed that made me. His phone vibrated on the floor beside him. I reached over and saw that it was Tom, so let it go to voicemail. The call log showed four missed calls. Odd.

  I knew I needed to make sure Sage was ok. He hadn’t moved. I didn’t know how normal it was. Did they sleep? I looked at the time on the phone. It said 2:54 am. Confused, I tried to stand up so I could go to the window. My legs were weak, like I had climbed a mountain the day before. It hurt to move.

  When I saw it was still dark outside, I felt sick to my stomach. We didn’t get to his house until after eight. Had we been asleep for seven hours? I found my phone and checked the time. It said the same. I went back to where he was lying and touched him on the shoulder. I was hoarse, but I forced the words out.

  “Sage,” I groaned, touching my throat. It felt like I had a cold.

  He didn’t move, so I started to panic. What if he never woke up? What if I killed him? What if –

  A loud knock came at the door. I froze, and listened to a muffled voice on the other side. The male voice called Sage’s name and I hurried over. It was Tom.

  “He won’t wake up,” I cried, pointing like somehow he’d missed the body lying on the floor.

  “What happened?” he asked, the words barely making it out of his throat.

  “I’m trying to remember. He was playing this song he wrote me.”

  He was at Sage’s side so fast I felt dizzy. He looked him over and tried to wake him.

  “He sang for you again?”

  I stiffened.

  “Tom, is he ok?”

  Tom shook his head as tears filled his eyes.

  “No, he can’t…you, the seal…oh God, I think he’s dying.”

  He cried out in pain or anger, maybe both; it wasn’t clear. With that, darkness started to spread and thicken across his skin, forcing him down on all fours. His body twisted and heaved in such desperate, unnatural contortions that I was afraid he was going to break his own back. My blood ran cold as it hit me – this is what the evo looks like. He was becoming something right now. He pawed against his skin in hysterics, trying to stop the process. I watched in suspended belief. I couldn’t even scream. But when those cold, black eyes fixated my way, I knew it was time to go.

  A rush of adrenaline flooded me all at once and filled my ears with a high-pitched hum. I took off at a full gallop, completely unaware of where I was heading. My arms pumped as my spinning legs had me running on air in a leap over the porch steps. I barreled across the empty yard in the dark, hair flying madly behind me. My only light was the full moon above and while it was bright enough to see by, it was no friend of mine tonight.

  I bolted, giving no thought to the fact that I didn’t drive. A heavy rhythmic, repetitive thud charged after me. I didn’t look back. I knew who it was, but not what it was. I gulped in air, nearly choking on the breaths. With each step, I silently begged my body to go faster than was physically possible. Faster, faster, please go faster!

  Nothing motivated my muscles to risk ripping apart so I could escape. I realized my mistake too late. There were no other houses on the isolated street to run for help. I had a split second to decide on taking the dirt road or the forest. I made my way into the tree line at the edge of the property. It was the longest hundred-yard dash I’d ever run, but it was probably my fastest time. Still, I never felt so slow.

  I couldn’t say what prompted me to seek shelter running into a dense pine forest, but I wasn’t me in those moments. I was the survival instinct inc
arnate. The panic clouded my concentration long enough for my shoulder to halfway slam into a tree, the rough bark of the pine leaving its revenge on me in a long red scrape down my arm.

  It spun me around in wobbly circles as I stumbled and tried to catch my balance in motion. During a turn, I saw billowing black fur and teeth and eyes shining as the creature pursued. The sight jolted me with a fresh batch of adrenaline.

  I looked for a tree to climb or a light somewhere in the distance, but only dark pines and thorn bushes surrounded the path. Glancing up at the treetops, I could feel them watching, but they took no pity looking down on me. Weary, I weaved through the thickening trees of the forest until I looked back to see him closing in.

  The sweat poured down as I made one last ditch effort to outrun the creature chasing me. My next step found me without footing as I came upon a huge drop off at the edge of the Flint River. Instinctively, I reached for a tree branch when a massive, vicious claw came swinging at me. Falling back, I closed my eyes, expecting a blow. A blow from the claw, a blow from the water, something. But nothing came. Quiet. Just the sound of labored breathing. Mine. His. Its. Instead, I felt a tight grip on my forearm and a sudden, jerky stop.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was suspended mid-air by a hand reaching out from the darkness of the woods. My feet bounced involuntarily against the ledge as my legs trembled from exhaustion. I looked to see what was holding me. The hand was human. The rest was not. When I screamed, the letters on my wrist grew visible and flashed with lightning-like illumination. It was so bright I started seeing spots. Next came a sharp throb from the seal like a wave.

  With a whimper, the creature submitted. I watched as Tom’s body quickly changed from a massive werewolf into a man. It was like seeing animation unfold. It started from just above the hand that held me and moved up his arm to his shoulders, chest and face. The coarse, black fur flattened and dissolved into the rich olive tone I was accustomed to seeing. Once bristling wild animal hairs shortened and retracted into soft, human hairs against his skin.