Midnight Sun, page 14
part #1 of Mortal Heat Series
“Vimpiri?”
“That’s who we are, the Vimpiri. Or, at least as close as we can say it in human languages. Obviously, in our native tongue, it sounds a bit different.”
“Vimpiri, vampire…” I mulled the similarities. “It’s all starting to make sense now.”
A short, sharp laugh emitted from Mick’s mouth, which curved suddenly into a smile. “You’re right, it’s pretty close. I always wondered how they got that far, to be honest.” His face took on a more serious expression, and his tone changed to match. “You do understand, if we’re going to pretend as if we are pairing, you will have to act differently.”
“How so?”
“Well, you noticed the behavioral changes in Emily when she had been with Todd several times, right?”
“Yes…”
“So, you must behave similarly. You would say she was acting ‘in love’—you must act as if you are in love, with me. Do you think you can manage it?” His eyes were enigmatic, so bright they appeared to be glowing and catching the light in those shifting flecks of green, teal, and gold again.
“I think I can manage it,” I echoed faintly, hypnotized. I didn’t think I’d have to do much acting. I was pretty sure the hard part would be remembering that it was just an act. “But what about you? Won’t you have to act differently as well?”
“Yes, I suppose I will. As long as we both know it’s just an act, I don’t see why it would be a problem. It will only be necessary when we are around other people that aren’t in on the truth.”
His insistence on stressing ‘acting’ and ‘truth’ was crushing my enthusiasm for the idea. “I’m sure we can keep it straight.” My tone was only slightly sardonic.
“Good, then we have a plan. I will book us a flight as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow night.”
“Hopefully? Why can’t we leave tonight?”
“I have to check the weather for our arrival. It’s an eight-hour flight, and they are six hours ahead of us. In other words, we will leave during the night and arrive in the daytime.”
“Oh, that’s right, you can’t be in the sun. How does that work, then? Traveling across time zones like that?”
“I will have a car waiting for us, with darkened windows. As long as the sky is overcast, the light won’t affect me too much. The arrivals area of the airport is under an overhang, so its minimal exposure.”
“But, don’t you need to sleep during the day?”
“I will manage—I’ll still be on the time here so I will adapt. I suspect it will be harder for you since you will need to adjust to a night schedule.”
“I didn’t even think of that, but I suppose the time change will benefit me there, too.”
“Yes, most likely.”
We had a brief conversation about traveling to the airport, and he promised to text me the details as soon as he solidified our travel plans.
Before he left, Mick turned to me with a strange, conflicted expression. After a few moments of awkwardly waiting for him to speak, I prompted him.
“Mick, is everything alright?”
“This… this is wrong. I shouldn’t be involving you.” His eyes closed as he dipped his head to his hand, spreading his fingers across his forehead. They swept around his eyes and reunited at the bridge of his nose, pinching it as if he were fighting a headache.
I reached for his hand, pulling it from his face as he looked up in surprise. The heat of his hand was such a contrast from the legend of the cold-blooded vampire, it surprised me every time. “I’m already involved,” I reminded him gently. I held on to his hand, willing him to lace his fingers through mine.
Mick didn’t fulfill my wishes, but he didn’t drop my hand, either. “But you’re not in that deep, not yet,” his voice was gentle. “This is dangerous for you, that’s what I’m trying to say. Some of my people won’t be happy when they realize what you are. We’ll be careful, but it won’t be long before everyone knows. It may become… unpleasant.”
“I’m not afraid,” I assured him firmly. “Em and Todd are our friends. If I can help save both of them, it’s worth any risk.”
Mick’s green eyes were large and faintly glowing, his expression unfathomable. The hand not holding mine rose slowly and cupped my cheek, trailing his thumb along my cheekbone gently.
My eyes locked on his, once again surrendering to the powerful magnetism of his gaze. His irises began to shimmer with the mysterious gold and teal tones I’d noticed before. They entranced me; I couldn’t look away if I wanted to, and I certainly did not want to. Without making a conscious decision to do so, I leaned towards him. I wanted to see if his eyes were actually flickering like green and blue flames, as they appeared to be, or if it was just a trick of the light. I was subconsciously giving in to the desire to be closer to him. I hadn’t recognized it for what it was, at first. Now that I understood, I had no idea what I would do about the fact that I was falling in love with a vampire-alien.
“Lucy,” Mick’s voice was rough and low. He still hadn’t blinked, and neither had I. His hand came to rest on my neck, his thumb on my jaw and the hot skin of his palm pressed just below my chin. I could feel my pulse beating against his fingers, elevated with excitement at his proximity and the electric sensation of his touch.
“Lucy, I…” he began again. Abruptly he closed his eyes and released both my hand and my neck, leaving the skin cold from the sudden absence of his hand. “I should go.”
I blinked several times, trying to regain control over myself. My arms folded to brace against the sudden chill that rose goosebumps on my skin, and I regarded him with what I hoped was a cool expression. “Okay, then I guess I will hear from you later tonight about when we are traveling?”
“Yes, I’ll text you the details before sunup.” His endearingly unbalanced lips offered a small smile. “Try to get some rest. It may be difficult after tonight.” He opened the front door and stepped onto the porch. “Goodnight, Lucy.”
“Goodnight, Mick.”
After the door closed and I heard his footsteps retreat from our stairs, I sagged against the wall. Now, besides finding a way to save both Emily and Todd, I had a new mystery to solve: How was I going to keep Mick from finding out I was falling for him?
A RESTFUL TRIP
MICK’S BREATHING WAS slow and even in his sleep. I watched his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm where he lay sprawled on the seat next to me.
Well, ‘seat’ was a bit of a stretch. When he texted me details of our flight that night, I had expected to be climbing into the crowded economy section of a transcontinental flight with hundreds of other people. Curiosity pinged me with questions about how he would avoid exposure to the sun, riding in a metal tube permeated with windows controlled by a hundred other individuals. I should have known he would have a better plan.
Our tickets were First-Class, and Mick had booked the entire row. He gave the other two seats to a young couple with Coach tickets, the only stipulation being that they had to keep their windows closed. They were eager enough to agree and gushed over every luxury, issuing repeated thanks to Mick until he pleaded with them to just leave him alone.
Internally I was in awe over the luxury myself, but I tried to be more nonchalant about it. I’d never had so much space on a flight, let alone a seat that literally became a bed. I was curious how a stage manager at a bar in Philly could afford tickets like these, but I suspected it had something to do with his real identity, not his cover story.
We chatted pleasantly after takeoff about the trip and our destination, Innsbruck, Austria. Once those topics dried up we ran out of things to discuss in public, so we settled in to watch a movie with our provided headphones. Occasionally I glanced at Mick from the corner of my eye, certain I felt his gaze on me. However, his eyes were always studiously focused on his television screen, and I sheepishly returned to studying mine. After dinner, the flight attendants converted our seats into beds, complete with pillows, sheets, and blankets. It was more comfortable than I expected, and I drifted off to sleep easily.
When I woke I was disoriented, and a swift check of my watch told me I’d only been asleep for an hour. Mick’s eyes were closed, and he appeared asleep. We were barely five hours into our ten-hour flight, so I pulled on the complimentary eye mask and attempted to go back to sleep. The couple across the aisle were talking softly together, giggling occasionally, and I was not tired enough to drown it out. I missed my sound machine.
After giving up on sleep, I pushed the mask onto my forehead and settled for admiring Mick while he slept instead. His hair was loose, the golden strands fanned on the pillow with one small piece draped across his forehead. That one messy detail was endearing, reminding me he was real and not an airbrushed image from a magazine. The hard expression he often wore was gone, faded into a smooth state of relaxation in his slumber. My eyes roved the planes of his face, his high cheekbones and square jaw. He lay on his back with his face turned toward me, away from the windows with the shades firmly drawn. His lips were slightly parted, and I studied the perfect double curve of his cupid’s bow shamelessly until the memory of his lips on mine rose unbidden. The remembered sensation sent a thrill of arousal spreading through my belly that clenched in my gut. The moment was surprisingly intimate, in the darkened First-Class cabin of a jumbo jet.
My head pillowed on my hands, I studied him with open admiration. It was easier, while he was awake, to look past my attraction to him in light of the infuriating way he behaved. At rare moments he seemed open, vulnerable. His eyes drew me in with an expression very much like desire, seeming to glow from within. Then he would close off, his jaw locked, his eyes cold. I wondered if his vulnerable moments revealed a desire for me, specifically, or just a desire for the mate he could never have. Maybe he was just lonely, giving in to his need for companionship until he remembered that what he truly wanted was out of his reach.
Seeing Mick like this, softer, my heart ached with the need to comfort him. I was so close I could hear his low breaths. Heat radiated from his skin; I could feel it where his hand rested inches from my elbow. My hand, firmly planted beneath my cheek, itched with the desire to reach out and push the strand of hair back from his forehead; to run my fingertips down the side of his face, across his cheek, and trace the soft curve of his lips. I bit my lip instinctively, remembering the incredible softness of his mouth.
Mick’s eyes opened slowly, catching me studying his face. His gaze held mine, the gold and teal striations in his emerald irises gleaming. The moment was interminably long, and my heart pounded in my chest in response. I took a deep, shuddering breath, suddenly realizing I hadn’t inhaled since his eyes met mine. As if reading my thoughts a moment before, his hand rose and lightly stroked my forehead, freeing a rogue clump of hair that was caught on my eye mask and gently tucking it behind my ear. His fingertips, hot on my skin, trailed the curve of my ear and down my neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His hand continued to stroke slowly down my shoulder and along my arm. When it reached my elbow he withdrew it, turning on his side to mirror my curled up position. His hand tucked under his cheek like mine and he continued to watch me silently.
Blood coursed through my body, every inch of me electrically aware of his presence just inches away. We continued to stare quietly into each other’s eyes. Heart hammering, I lifted my hand and reached for the strand of hair on his forehead I had just been fantasizing about touching. His eyes never left mine, but when my fingertips trailed along his cheek, his breathing grew heavier. My hand shaking, I drew one fingertip gently along the curve of his lower lip.
Abruptly Mick’s hand slid out from beneath his head and grasped my wrist, his eyes shifting to my hand. Disappointment flooded my chest, and I began to pull my hand back, embarrassed by the rejection.
Instead of releasing my hand he brought it to his mouth and placed a warm kiss on my palm, his luminous eyes closing. Still breathing deeply, he dragged my fingertips down across his mouth, allowing them to tug at his soft lower lip as they passed. Then, he used his chin to curl them under into a loose fist, pressing another kiss across my knuckles.
Butterflies in my stomach replaced the disappointing feeling from a few moments before. Mick still grasped my wrist, holding my hand lightly to his mouth. His eyes flew open again, his hot breaths rapid and shallow on the back of my hand. There was no mistaking his lustful expression this time; I was not the only one reeling with desire, and that was vaguely reassuring, whatever it meant.
It was at that moment the lights in the cabin slowly brightened. The flight attendant announced she would serve breakfast shortly and would come by to take our orders.
Mick sighed and released my hand. The spell broken, I turned onto my back and sighed as well. That was intense, but did it mean anything?
I bustled to the restroom to clean up and allow the flight attendants to turn my bed back into a seat. By the time I returned to my spot, my emotions were firmly in control again. I smiled at Mick, who looked up at me over his coffee cup when I returned.
“Good morning,” I said brightly.
“Good morning,” he replied in an equally light tone. “The breakfast looks good. The coffee is excellent if you like coffee.”
“I do, actually,” I answered, surprised. “I didn’t think you drank coffee.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, I guess I just thought of coffee as a morning drink, and since you sleep during the day…”
“I still have to get up and function like everyone else,” he chuckled. “My mornings are just darker than yours, that’s all.”
“Huh,” I responded. The flight attendant arrived with my tray of beautifully prepared food and left with a cheerful smile. I went straight for my steaming coffee cup and after a sip, I had to agree with him. “You’re right, the coffee is great. Surprising for airline coffee, but then again maybe it’s just that everything is better in First-Class.”
“Is it usually bad?”
“I suppose you’ve never had the joy of flying in Coach, but yes, airline food is usually notoriously bad.”
He seemed to consider this for a moment. “No, I haven’t, given the… limitations. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to subject myself to that, truthfully. Did you see how many seats there are in one row back there? They’re practically cattle.”
I couldn’t help laughing at his indignation. “Well, most people can’t afford this kind of luxury.” That reminded me of my earlier curiosity. “Speaking of, how can you afford it? Midnight Sun can’t pay that well. If they do, I’m applying for a job as a cocktail waitress as soon as we get back, journalism degree be damned.”
“Oh, no Midnight Sun isn’t a job so much as a hobby. It gives me something to do and I get to interact with people. It can be a lonely life, only living in the night, so working in a bar is the perfect excuse to hang out there all night without being a drunk.”
“I see… so how did you afford this, then?”
Mick glanced across the aisle quickly, then spoke in a low voice. “My… family… have accumulated wealth over the years. Because of the recent technological progress, we could introduce a few small pieces of technology that sustain us comfortably. Those of us that live away from… home… receive a regular stipend deposited to an account. Some live lavishly since they can afford it. Others, like myself, live more humbly… aside from certain necessary indulgences.” He grinned.
“Technology like what?” I was fascinated. So they were wealthy vampire-aliens now? This kept getting better.
“Well, you don’t really think humans invented the atomic bomb or figured out how to leave the surface of the earth on their own, do you?”
“I thought it was German scientists escaping the Nazis that developed the atomic bomb?” I regarded him speculatively. His eyebrows rose, taunting me to think about it longer. We were flying into Austria to his ‘hidden’ community and secret spaceship. Duh.
“Anyway, we occasionally feel the time is right for another technological nudge to the world, and plant someone with the right idea in the right place at the right time. It sustains our needs for life and privacy.”
“That’s… amazing. I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” I considered his words further. “What about the people you said lived lavishly? Would I know any of them? Like, are they celebrities or something?”
Mick glanced around the cabin again and I did as well. The young couple in our row had grown quiet and were staring straight ahead at blank screens, clearly eavesdropping. He leaned in close to me, his breath hot on my ear, and whispered a few names I recognized from the tabloids.
My eyes grew huge. “No way, really?”
Mick nodded, smiling, and sipped from his coffee. “Ever notice how they’re never photographed outside during the day?”
“I can’t say that I have, but now that you mention it… that’s crazy.”
Our conversation trailed off as we focused on our food. When the trays were cleared we began our descent into Innsbruck. The swooping and diving in my stomach was only partly caused by the decreasing elevation; mainly, it was excitement. I was about to meet more people like Mick, to see his spaceship and learn more about who his people are and where they came from.
Also, the prospect of spending the next several days ‘pretending’ to be in love with him had my skin tingling. I wondered if I’d be brave enough to hang on him, toying with his hair and touching his body possessively as if I were under the same spell Emily was with Todd.
I tried not to think too hard about whether it would be difficult for me to separate reality from pretend. Instead, I allowed a small smile to creep across my lips.
Pretend or not, the next few days I would spend in very close quarters with this ridiculously attractive person. Despite the scary reason for the trip, to save Todd and Emily from their suicidal romance, I knew I would still somewhat enjoy myself.
And despite everything, that thought didn’t scare me at all.
