Devil Inside, page 38
Harley eased open the bedroom door, holding herself up by the frame. She looked around the darkened apartment. It was decorated in much the same way that the bedroom was. Lots of pictures of houses were hung on the walls. The rest of the apartment was same clean-but-not-too-clean. Lots of clothes and weapons were scattered around along with maps, files and papers. Overall, it made the small apartment feel comfortable and lived in. There was a large dark green sofa in the middle of the living area and Harley could see bare feet hanging over the arm of the couch. Harley smiled to herself. Nice feet, she thought. She could tell by the sound of his breathing that he was asleep. She didn’t need any lights so she left them off as she made her way towards the bathroom. She also didn’t bother to try to cover up. What does it matter, she shrugged.
Harley shut the door before turning on the light. The bright flash of lights blinded her for a moment. When her vision adjusted she was confronted by her own monstrous face looking back at her from the mirror. She nearly peed on herself from the shock. Once she processed the fact that she was staring at her own reflection she almost cried. Her skin was a myriad of yellows, greens and blacks and the discoloration marked her entire body. She kept telling herself it would go away soon. She ran her tongue around her teeth. She was surprised that she hadn’t lost any. Or maybe she had and they had just grown back quicker than the rest of her had healed.
Turning away from the mirror with a shudder, Harley turned on the shower and waited for it to heat up. She shut the shower door and let the water beat down against her skin. She could feel the blood and grime flow off her and the pain in her muscles began to ease with the heat of the water. She braced herself against the sides of the shower stall and just enjoyed the feel of the spray against her back and shoulders. She spent a long time in the shower and her scrubbing did wonders to work away the soreness from her body.
Harley felt significantly better when she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She found a comb and worked the tangles out of her hair. Not having a toothbrush, she used mouthwash to do what she could. She turned the light off and opened the door as quietly as she could. She still didn’t want to wake Castor so she tiptoed softly back towards the bedroom. Harley froze when Castor spoke from the couch.
“Now that is a nice sunrise.”
Harley froze and tried her best to keep a smile from her face as she turned to face Castor. “Is it morning already?”
He looked towards the window. “Just about.”
He sat up and rubbed his face. He looked even more disheveled that he did yesterday. He wore a pair of gym shorts and nothing else and Harley felt her mouth go dry a little. “How are you feeling?” he asked her, carefully keeping his eyes above her shoulders.
“Much better. Thanks. I’m just tired and still really sore.”
Castor hesitated. “Do you need more blood?”
Harley’s heart started beating harder and her Nocte roused herself from her tired stupor. She debated about how to answer the question. She needed the blood and she knew that he was offering her his. Even without his saying so specifically. She had seen the reaction he had had to the feeding. He had enjoyed it as much as she did. But, she couldn’t continue to drain his life. Levi had fed on her in return and that was how he had been OK. He took from her as much as she took from him. “I don’t think it’s very safe. How did you feel after…after I fed from you before?”
Castor considered how to answer the question. “Drained. And very tired. A little queasy.” Harley’s heart sank. “But,” he went on, “that was only later. At first—it was…um, pretty awesome.” He didn’t look her in the eye as he talked instead he looked somewhere over her shoulder.
Awesome was an understatement. It had felt as incredible when Castor fed as it had when Levi fed. She couldn’t imagine how good it would be if sex was involved at the same time. At that thought heat flared through her body. “I don’t think we should risk my feeding off you. I don’t know if it could really hurt you or not.”
“I hunted that day. After you went back to sleep. After I pulled I was fine.”
“Pulled?”
“Yeah, that’s what the Lux call it when we feed.”
“Oh. OK. Well, were you back to normal after you pulled?”
“…mostly…”
“Mostly?”
Castor looked away again. “Yeah, mostly. I don’t know if it is because I’m still not 100% after the bite. Or if it is because of just the drain on me. I’m fine really though,” he quickly added. He really did seem eager for her to feed off him but Harley still hesitated. “It’s the quickest way for you to heal—and you really heal fast by the way. I’ll recover. I think it just needs some time to build back up. Besides, you really aren’t up to hunting right now are you?”
Castor was right about that. She was NOT up to hunting and probably wouldn’t be for a at least a day or so if she left herself to heal on her own. “I think I know why you still feel the effects of the feeding. I need to give you back what I take.”
“How would I do that?”
“You would need to…pull?..from me”
“No way. I can’t do that. It’s dangerous. What if I killed you?” His eyes were wide but curious.
“I don’t think you will. I would be the same as me feeding off you. You weren’t worried about me killing you when you gave me blood the other day.”
“You’re right,” he conceded. “But doesn’t Nocte feeding work the same way as Lux pulling? When we pull we pull all their life force from them. That’s where we get our energy from.”
Tired of standing around naked Harley gestured to herself. “Uh, do you mind if we continue this conversation after I’ve gotten dressed?
Castor laughed. “Sorry, no—go ahead.”
“Do you have a shirt or anything I could wear?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” He jumped from the couch.
Harley followed Castor into the bedroom and he pulled a long tee-shirt from his closet and handed it to her. When she sat on the bed to continue their conversation he sat in the fluffy chair that had been pulled to the bedside. She pulled the shirt over her head and breathed in the smell of the fabric. Even through the detergent it still smelled like him and heat flared through her body again.
“When we feed off Ignis we drain them out through the blood.”
“Do you normally feed from other beings than Burners?”
“Well…I don’t know of any other Nocte who do.”
“So, have you only fed from Burners before this?” His question was loaded and she knew it.
Harley hesitated. “Just another Nocte.”
Castor nodded knowingly and refused to meet her eyes. “So, you can feed without killing the person you are feeding off of?”
“Yeah. But they—Levi—feed off me too.” Harley said, decided to stop pretending they didn’t both know who she fed off of before.
Castor’s jaw clenched. “You aren’t strong enough for me to pull from.”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
He started shaking his head. “It’s not worth the risk. Not if you think you are going to California.”
Harley tilted her head at his words. She didn’t doubt the logic of his words. But she also didn’t doubt the nagging that her Nocte was giving her. She was practically hopping up and down urging her to go through with it and feed from Castor. She felt sure that she was strong enough to handle the exchange. The closer she got to the idea the hotter she became. Her pulse was pounding against her throat and her breathing had quickened. Castor seemed to notice because he shifted uncomfortably. She could practically feel her Nocte shouting at her to go for it.
Levi. The thought of Levi cooled the heat that flowed through just a little bit. She pictured his blue eyes and remembered the fire that burned through her when they were together. How is Levi going to feel if he finds out about this? Then she remembered her Nocte telling her to stop thinking too much. Harley slammed down any thoughts of Levi. She didn’t belong to him. They were friends, partners and teammates and lovers. But Harley had a higher agenda here. She needed to recover and Castor could do that. And besides, her Nocte really wanted more of Castor. A lot more. OK, OK, and I do too, she admitted to herself. And that’s OK. Levi and I have never made any promises, I can’t get pregnant and I can’t get a disease. Fuck it! She laughed to herself making up her mind. She knew that she wouldn’t regret the decision and if either Levi or Castor got upset—that was on them. She needed to stop worrying about other people and do what she needed and wanted.
Chapter 35
Castor watched the wheels turning in Harley’s mind quietly. He looked somewhat worried—and more than a little excited. Without warning him what she was going to do, she stood from the bed and leaned over him as he sat in the chair. He looked up at her wide-eyed but still at a loss for words. She smiled down as Castor and he, seeing her eyes turn black, unfroze and put up a hand to gently push her away.
“But—,” he began. But Harley stopped him by catching his hand and pinning it against the back of the chair. She felt her fangs slid out of her gums and her Nocte burned with excitement. She cut off his words with her mouth and caught his other hand in hers as he raised it as well. He kissed her back even though she could feel the tension in his body. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and slowly eased herself into the chair with him—one leg on either side of his. All of the tension began easing its way out of his body as he sighed against her mouth. When she knew that he wasn’t going to do something stupid like try to push her away, she let go of his hands and pulled the tee-shirt over her head. He looked at her body as if she was something to worship, running his hands over her skin with the lightest of touches. As she looked down at him his eyes faded to pure white. She tried not to shudder at the eeriness that shone through them. She felt the gooseflesh rise up along her arms and back. Shuddering, she gripped his hair and kissed him harder.
Harley could feel him growing harder beneath her and she didn’t waste time in reaching beneath her and pulling his shorts off. He raised his hips to help her and when he was free she lowered herself onto him. Her eyes rolled back into her head with pleasure. All the soreness from her body was forgotten and she felt the ripples of pleasure roll through her. As Castor kissed across her neck and chest she pulled him to her. His kisses and movements were slow and soft and it only made Harley want to take him harder. The desire for Castor’s blood made her body ache. She couldn’t hold back any longer and dipped her head to Castor’s neck. After running her tongue over his skin softly, she sank her teeth into the artery that throbbed beneath her mouth and he cried out softly. She knew from experience that it was from both pleasure and pain.
Again, light exploded inside Harley’s head when Castor’s blood hit her tongue. It felt like sticking her finger inside a light socket—not that she had ever done that before—but that was what she imagined it would feel like. She managed to stay in the moment long enough to put Castor’s hands on either side of her head. She didn’t know if he would go through with the pulling or not. But she was giving him the go ahead. Moments later she realized that he must have given in because some of the intensity of the light and energy lessened. It still felt like ecstasy but it was much more bearable. Now it was a pleasurable hum that spread all throughout her body. The pleasure and energy surged through her causing her body to contract in blissful release. As she came she broke away from Castor’s neck and threw her head back crying out. She could feel blood dripping down her chin to her chest. When Castor came she could feel his rush of pleasure inside her head and she felt like she was on drugs wrapped in the greatest euphoria imaginable.
Harley leaned back away from Castor as he leaned back in the chair panting to catch his breath. She was mystified as she looked around the room. The light shifted and flowed in a glittering array as if it were alive. She felt dazed and high and her body still surged with residual energy. The beauty of the light was overwhelming and she found it hard to breathe. She slowly became aware of the white noise that she heard when she watched Cas feed before. As Harley tired to focus on the sound she realized that it was coming from Castor himself. She studied him carefully. His pure white eyes stared at her and she felt herself being sucked into their void. She felt like she was wandering, lost, in a snow storm. With great effort, she tore herself away from his gaze thus silencing the noise and breaking the spell. She clumsily climbed off Castor’s lap and stumbled backwards landing on the bed. She heard Castor laughed softly as she lay on her back and watched as the colorful lights finally began to fade away.
“Wow,” she mumbled, coming back down a few minutes later.
“I have never felt anything like that before,” Castor agreed. “How do you feel? Are you OK?”
“I’m great,” she answered weakly, still trying to regain her senses. She propped herself up on her elbows and met Castor’s eyes again. “Are YOU OK?”
“I’m fabulous,” he laughed. “I feel like a million bucks.”
They both sat in blissful silence for a while longer. The sun light was having more effect than normal on Harley since she wasn’t totally recovered yet. It was making her tired despite how much she had slept lately. She could feel her Nocte nodding off in both agreement and contentment.
“So,” Castor finally broke the silence. “What exactly did your Nocte tell you about California and the Rogue?”
Harley took a deep breath. “The Rogue is a Lux.”
Castor didn’t have any problems believing her and he looked grim and disappointed. “OK. I know we all assumed it was, but knowing for sure—well…it just sucks.” Harley agreed with that.
“I need you to find out what you can about the Rogue.” Castor looked at her apprehensively. “We need more information.”
Castor sighed, “I’ll see what I can do. But don’t expect too much. I don’t have access to a lot of information.” Harley nodded.
Harley hesitated before continuing. She knew he wasn’t going to like this part. “I have to be the one to stop the Rogue.”
As expected Castor began to argue. “Why do you have to fight him? And do you mean you alone? Or just you leading the fight?”
“I think it needs to be me alone.”
Castor gaped at her. “Why?”
“It’s complicated,” she said simply.
He sputtered some more. Harley held her hand up. “Just stop. I can make my own decisions. And this is something I am sure I need to do. I alone. There are reasons it needs to be me.”
Castor looked at her expectantly. “And those are…?”
“Something that I will explain in more details when I figure them out.”
“Argh,” Castor threw up his hands and Harley tried not to laugh at his frustration. Now she knew whey Nya hadn’t explained more. Dammit! Nya knew about this! Harley would bet money on it. She knew that Harley was a stronger Nocte than normal and that there was a reason why.
Castor stood up and pulled his shorts back up. Harley felt herself drifting back to sleep. He sat on the bed next to her and ran his hand through her still damp hair. She cringed away from the touch and climbed to the top of the bed to rest her head on a pillow. Castor watched her with a sad look on his face. “I don’t like this,” he said finally. Harley wasn’t sure what exactly he was referring to so she didn’t respond.
“I’m going to go hunt,” he said running his hand down her back despite the fact that she stiffened when he did so.
“OK.”
He paused before he left the room. “Will you be here when I get back?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. If not, I will talk to you soon. You’ll talk to the Lux about the Rogue, right?”
“Of course.”
“OK. We’ll talk soon either way.”
Castor started to walk away and paused. “If, um, anyone knocks or comes into the apartment and it’s not me—well, it would be bad for you to be here.” He didn’t look her in the eye and his shoulders slumped.
“Excuse me?”
He took a deep breath. “The Vigilum doesn’t know that we are…friends. They wouldn’t…look too highly upon it.”
Harley could feel her hackles rise. “Well, Cas, if anyone other than you shows up I’ll go out the fire escape.”
Castor got defensive. “It’s kind of against the rules to become involved with Nocte—well anyone really. But Nocte are pretty high up on the forbidden list.”
“Forbidden?!”
Castor shrugged. “How would the Praesidio feel if they knew about you being involved with a Lux?”
“Probably not happy,” she admitted. “But they sure as hell don’t forbid it. And you wouldn’t have to be worried if they showed up at my apartment while you were there.”
“I’m sorry,” he said and she could tell he really meant it. She rolled her eyes at him in response.
After he left Harley retrieved her cell. She had seen it lying on top of the dresser along with her knife and chain. It was fully charged and she sat on the bed before sending Levi a text.
“When will you be in NYC?”
She didn’t expect an answer soon since Levi slept like the dead—ha ha—but she wanted him to know that she contacted him as soon as she could.
The thought of Levi brought back the small wave of guilt. It nagged at her until she forced it away. She didn’t have anything to feel guilty for. She was enjoying herself, taking care of herself and again—no one had a claim on her. She never told either Castor or Levi she wasn’t seeing anyone else. In fact, Cas KNEW she was involved with Levi. And she realized that Levi must now at least suspect she was involved with Cas. She knew that the main source of her guilt stemmed from the lingering concerns of how society would judge her and it was time to let that go once and for all.
