Briarcliff Read online

  “I’m probably going to regret this but…” his voice sounded pained…rough.

  I didn’t have a chance to react. His head dipped down and his mouth claimed my own.

  All thought fled my mind as he pulled me closer against his hard body, kissing me. All I could do was feel…every hard plane, every muscle, and every bit of emotion he was pouring into the most singularly perfect kiss I had ever experienced. Instantly, every crappy thing that had happened to me tonight faded away and was replaced with something else…something unexplainable. Pressing up on the tips of my toes, I snaked my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I didn’t care that I didn’t know him. In that moment, I felt like I had known him a lifetime and that was all that mattered.

  “So sweet…” he murmured against my lips. Suddenly his hands were everywhere at once. He ran them down my back, fisted them into my hair, and then skimmed them down the sides of my body. Flashes of heat spread through me. He was making me feel things I had never felt before, things that I could never have imagined. The kiss was intense, full of pent-up emotion. I could feel every ounce of his hunger…his want, which only added to the heat raging between us. His tongue delved deeper, his sweet breath rushed from his mouth as his hands cradled my face…and then just as suddenly, I was no longer touching him.

  Weightless, my body tumbled through the air. I slammed into one of the columns and slid down to the base. Dazed, I struggled to pull air back into my lungs as I tried to stop my head from spinning.

  Guttural whining sounds split through the darkness. It sounded like large animals were fighting with one another.

  Fear clung to me like a dampened cloth, dripping over my body. I staggered up and braced myself on the column.

  Dark shapes moved too quickly in front of me…a blur of shadows in my peripheral. And the awful noise …it hurt my ears. Covering my ears, I tried to block it out, but it did no good. It was getting worse and just when I though I couldn’t take a moment more of the horrendous noise…it stopped.

  I should have been grateful but the quiet was even worse than the horrible unnatural noises. This quiet was the kind of quiet that you would hear after a war ended on the battlefield and the last bullet was fired…it was suffocating, cloying, and I couldn’t breathe. My hand shook uncontrollably as I lifted it from the column. “Hey!” I called out weakly, getting my bearings. Where is he? My heart pounded erratically.

  There was no answer.

  A strangled whimper slipped from my constricted throat as I searched for him. Everything around me was touched by the strange blue hue from the moon and an awful stench hung in the air that reminded me of sulphur.

  “Oh God!” I covered my face. The thickness of the air closed in on me just like the eerie light of the moon spread across the drive, creeping forward. My body shook and my teeth steadily clicked together, chattering uncontrollably as I took a tentative step forward. My foot slid. To stop from falling, I grabbed hold of one of the statues by the door. Immediately, I jerked my hand away, feeling like I was burned. It was like touching a piece of metal in subzero temperatures. It burned not from heat but from the cold.

  Something dark was all over the stairs and a lone streak from my shoe spread out to the side. Leaning over, I stuck the tip of my finger into the dark substance. It was warm and sticky, like blood. I gagged and dragged my finger frantically on the dry part of the stone, trying to get rid of whatever it was. The trail smeared down the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

  The ground blurred before my eyes.

  “Not now.”

  Taking deep breaths, I fought the urge to pass out. I wasn’t big on gore. I always shut my eyes during scary parts of movies when the gore-fest happened. But I couldn’t shut my eyes—not now. This was real. Fear crawled over my skin, making gooseflesh rise. Hugging my stomach, I took a step around the mess on the porch. The stone stairs crumbled under my weight as I walked down to the driveway.

  A distinct thud sounded from behind me. It reminded her of Cornelius, my mother’s black cat. That’s what he sounded like when he jumped down from the windowsill he liked to sit on, except this sounded heavier, like whatever it was…was bigger. I missed Corny suddenly, that was my nickname for him.

  “Oh, no Corny”…tears clogged my throat as I stood perfectly still afraid to move or breathe. My heart slammed against my ribcage, as if it was trying to break free and run. Something I couldn’t get my feet to do. Instead my mind raced, trying to will it away or wish it away, just like when I was a kid. Please, please, please don’t be a monster…don’t be a monster…don’t be a monster!

  Slowly, I forced myself to turn around. Nothing was there—thank God! I let out a momentary sigh of relief.

  Turning back, I focused on the trail once more. “Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay,” I said over and over, trying to calm my rampant fear. I had to find him, even though I knew it didn’t make a bit of sense, since I had only just met him. And yet it didn’t stop me from feeling like I had known him for a lifetime. It was completely crazy and unexplainable but that’s how I felt.

  And even if I didn’t feel this way, I doubted I could leave anyway. I wasn’t one of those people either. I wasn’t a deserter. It just took a while for this emotion to kick in. I only needed to garner enough courage to kick fear’s butt. Sometimes it took a bit of time.

  “Move coward,” I told myself and forced my feet forward.

  I counted each step.

  It took one-hundred-and-fifteen steps but I finally made it over to the edge of the house.

  The breath I had been holding broke free of my chest. There he was…not ten feet from me, lying in a pool of the same stuff that was all over the stairs. Breaking into a dead run, I sidestepped big pieces of broken stone and dropped down to my knees at his side.

  Carefully, I lifted his head and placed it on my lap. My teeth chattered and my stomach hurt. Leaning forward, I placed my ear against his chest. It was hard to hear anything over the clicking of my teeth and my own thundering heartbeat.

  “OH, no, no, no.” I couldn’t hear anything. Sitting up, I clamped my teeth down and held my breath and lowered my ear back down to his chest.

  Thump…thump…thump…

  Deep down, I could hear his faint heartbeat. I sat back up, ran my hands back and forth across his chest, and patted him.

  “Thank you, God!” I looked upward towards the sky. Tears rolled down my face steadily and I wiped them away. “You’re going to be alright, okay,” I assured his still form. Running my hands over his arms and legs I checked to make sure they were intact and not broken like all the bits of debris around him

  “You’re going to be just fine,” I repeated, sniffing back another rush of tears and pulled out my phone and punched the keypad.

  Nothing happened.

  It was dead.

  “Shit!” I threw the phone down in frustration. Leaning down, I cradled his head in my arms. Tears streamed down my face as more sobs tore from my throat. I felt useless and so alone. Fear was creeping back to get me. I fought it, not ready to give up. I choked back another swell of tears.

  I would figure this out…I had to.

  “You’re going to be all right…You’re going to be all right…You’re going to be all right…” I said over and over, hoping that saying the words would somehow make them come true.

  16-ENCHANT

  “What time is it?” Moriah asked.

  “I don’t care,” Kingston murmured huskily as he moved her hair and lowered his mouth to the sweet spot just below her ear.

  “Kingston…” she moaned and bent her head to the side so he could have better access. The top was down on Kingston’s Aston Martin. The trees swayed above their heads as the air whispered by. The wind was brutal further up, closer to the house, but they were parked down in a little cove tucked near the base of the bluff. She could hear distinct rumblings of thunder in the distance and random flicks of light lit up the sky, sporadically.

&nbs
p; “Kingston, it’s going to rain.” She moved a little. “We should really get going.” Even as she said this she ran her hands through Kingston’s thick, dark blonde hair, holding him closely as he trailed kisses down her neck.

  Not missing a beat, he hit the button for the top to close. Soundlessly, the cover moved back over them, blocking out everything else.

  Moriah climbed over the center console and straddled his lap. Her back butted up against the steering wheel.

  Kingston reached under her t-shirt and kneaded the soft curve of her breast. “Damn,” he breathed. “I love your tits, baby.” He slid his thumb over her already taut nipple, eliciting a soft moan of pleasure in response.

  “Come on babe, slide your shorts off,” he coaxed, adjusting her ass on his lap.

  “Ow!” The steering wheel scraped her back. “It’s too cramped in here,” she complained and pushed his hand down. “This isn’t going to work with the top up.”

  “I can reopen it.” He slid his hand back under her shirt.

  “But it looks like it is going to rain.” She pouted.

  He chuckled. “Baby, you won’t melt,” he assured her.

  “I know that!” She smacked him lightly on the chest. “I didn’t bring that many clothes with me and besides it would ruin my hair and makeup.”

  “We can always go back to town you know.”

  “Ah…no we can’t,” she said. “I told my mom I was going to be with Evie all weekend.”

  “So we’ll go to Evie’s place,” he said. “You got an extra key, don’t you?”

  “I do,” she said and adjusted her shirt. “But what about Evie?”

  “What about her?” he sighed. “She’ll probably thank you for leaving her alone with Colton longer.”

  “I don’t know.” She bit her lip nervously. “Maybe we shouldn’t have left her.”

  “Why?” He pulled back to look at her face. “He is what she wanted for her birthday…right?” Dipping his head down, he nibbled on her neck again.

  “Well maybe, maybe not,” she said. “I don’t know.” She blew out a nervous breath.

  “Wait…” He leaned back. “She did ask you to hook her up with Colton, didn’t she?”

  “Not exactly.” She plucked at his shirt.

  “What did you do?” He leaned back so he could see her face, again.

  “Well,” she sighed. “It was kind of a surprise,” she answered evasively. “I’m just second-guessing my decision.”

  “What decision might that be?” His brows rose.

  “Um…” She chewed on her lip. “Colton was…is…going to be Evie’s first.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He looked appalled. “Moriah?”

  “I know,” she said, but quickly added, “She said when she lost her virginity that she would want Colton to do the honors.” She suddenly felt like the worst friend ever.

  “Damn!” He pushed his hair back. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes…well, I think so.”

  “When did she tell you this?”

  “The night we came back from horror-fest after dark in the park.”

  “Was she drunk?”

  “Not really.”

  He exhaled and raked his hands over his face. “Well, I guess she’ll be okay. She can always say no.”

  “But will Colton be okay with that?”

  “Well,” he sighed. “He’ll probably be a dick but…” He shrugged. “You never know, maybe he’ll really dig her.”

  “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

  His lips curled up. “Maybe.”

  “Kingston!” She smacked his chest and he grabbed her hand.

  “Evie is a big girl you know. She can say no,” he reassured her and moved her hand down his chest. “Besides, Colton may be an ass, but he isn’t that big of an ass.”

  “You think so?” she asked worriedly.

  “Yeah babe, she can take care of herself.”

  “You’re right.” She exhaled. “I’m sure she’s fine,” she said, even though she wasn’t so sure.

  “Besides,” he added. “She has her car. She can leave if she wants.”

  “Well not exactly.” She frowned.

  “What now?” he sighed.

  “I told her to let Barnaby take it so she could be alone with Colton.”

  “Shit.”

  “Right, I know.” She bit her lip again.

  He exhaled. “Babe, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he said. “We can drive back up and check on her if that will make you feel better,” he reasoned.

  “What if they’re, like, in the middle of something? I don’t want to ruin it for her by showing up.”

  Kingston placed his hands on either side of her face, and looked her in the eyes. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Let’s get out of here. We can go to town, get you another shirt, and pick her up some food, too. We’ll be back in no time.”

  Moriah pulled back to see Kingston’s face. He was right. Colton was Kingston’s cousin so he should know…right? Evie was probably just fine. She let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, let’s go back to town, but we need to make it fast,” she said and climbed back over into the passenger seat.

  Kingston smiled and his dimples deepened in his cheeks. “Yeah, I’ll be fast,” he said laughingly and started his car. The engine roared to life. He pulled out of the little cove and sped off down the winding mountain towards town.

  17-WAITING

  The wind blew harshly, frenetically twisting the limbs of the few trees resilient enough to remain standing on the ridge. Simon climbed up on an outcropping of rock and laid back. He lifted his shirt up and exposed his muscled chest to the illumination. Letting out a sigh of contentment, he stretched lazily, pillowed his head on his arms, and closed his eyes.

  Alistair walked up to him. “What are you doing?” he snapped.

  Simon slanted one eye open and looked over. “Catching some beams.”

  “Beams?” repeated Alistair.

  “Yeah, moonbeams. It makes my skin tingle,” Simon said. “I feel the energy from it, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but I am not lying out under it like a damn bathing beauty.”

  “Well you should.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it feels incredible,” Simon said and shut his eyes once more.

  “That’s not how it works, you know.”

  Simon sighed. “Yes, I know.”

  “Then why are you doing it?”

  “I’m enjoying the moment,” he said. “You should try it sometime.”

  “What’s there to enjoy?” Alistair sniped angrily.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Simon sighed happily. “I’m just glad my ass isn’t crouched on top of a mortared column guarding a gate anymore.”

  “You and I both know we weren’t guarding the gate,” Alistair deadpanned.

  “Weren’t we?” Simon sat up, pushed hair from his face, and gave Alistair a pointed look.

  Alistair exhaled and walked forward. “I don’t even know anymore. It’s been too long.” He sounded defeated.

  “That’s true,” Simon said and absently rubbed his thighs, his palms started to warm from the friction. “How long do you think it’s been?”

  Alistair shrugged. “Got me.” The cool air stung his face and arms making his muscles bunch reflexively across his chest. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down into the clearing in the trees. “Where did you get these?” he asked and pulled at his shirt.

  “What?” Simon asked.

  “The clothes we’re wearing?”

  “Oh, I took them from the car when you disappeared into the woods.”

  “Where were the humans?”

  “Obviously not in the car,” Simon snipped. “What were you doing, anyway? I could have used some help.”

  “Remembering,” Alistair said simply. He turned away and went back to the ledge. He looked down at the lights now shining through the trees from the house. He had thought all the humans left,
but apparently some remained. He looked up to the sky and tracked the moon. It was moving pretty fast, which meant they would be gathering soon. He let out another deflated sigh. He wasn’t ready yet.

  Simon shook his head in understanding. Alistair was different. He remembered what some of his life had been like before all this. Simon wasn’t as fortunate…or perhaps it was a blessing he did not remember what he was before. Sure, he could recall snippets from other times they had been awake, but only fleeting visions that blurred, like scenery would if you were moving too fast. At first he envied Alistair, but not any longer. He was glad he remained oblivious to everything from his past. If he did remember, he wasn’t sure he would be able to bear what he had become.

  18-CONFUSION

  “Evie…”

  The sound of someone calling my name whispered its way into my subconscious, waking me slowly.

  “EVIE!”

  I jolted awake and instantly pushed whatever was in front of me—hard.

  “Shit!” Moriah dropped the tray with food and drinks. Soda splashed over the front of her shirt.

  Bright morning sun glared down through the windows. I squinted up at Moriah. Her shirt was drenched and completely see-through.

  “Babe, you all right?” Kingston asked. He looked like he was biting back a laugh.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she sighed. “What’d you do that for?”

  “I didn’t mean to,” I defended. “You scared me.”

  “You scared me too.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she said and turned toward Kingston.

  “You look good wet.” He smiled.

  “Yeah right,” Moriah said, lifting her wet shirt.