Bite Shift

37

The nausea in my stomach told me it was close to sunrise and I should probably call it for the night. I didn't know about Rhys, but I had enough death and startling revelations for one night. Between my sex-capades and the confession of murder from the only person I felt like I could trust, my brain and body were fighting to be the most overloaded.

I washed my face in the bathroom sink and stared at my reflection. This time, I wasn't in awe of how beautiful I looked. Instead, I stared at that girl and thought who are you? In the last twelve hours, I had been a subservient who visited the home of the master to tell him I would do his bidding. I had been a living fantasy who put porno stars to shame. I had been a scared, groveling child who hoped her parent would not be disappointed in her. I had been a homicide detective trying to solve four gruesome murders and one vicious attack. Did I need to add predator to that? Was it true that lurking, just under my surface, was a dangerous animal waiting for the right time to come out and play?

Enough deep thoughts for one day, Kate. Go to bed!

I walked down the stairs, the fake wall in the bedroom closet closed behind me, and the nausea in my stomach turned into a cramp that rivaled any labor pain. It let go as I hit the last step and started across the jungle room to the bedrooms. Rhys stood in his doorway. He looked pale but didn't seem to have the stomach troubles I was having.

"I feel so sick," I said as I reached him.

"It is the sun. It makes us sick. As you get older, you will not feel it so strongly. You will be able to stay up during the day without feeling ill. You can even go into the daylight, if needed. But it will feel like fire on your skin. Half an hour of full sun, and you will incinerate."

"I'll catch on fire?"

"Essentially, yes."

I gulped. The rolling in my stomach continued.

"Just stay out of the sun, Katie. You will get stronger every day, I promise. Ready for bed?"

I looked next to him at the big bed. "Rhys? Is it okay if I sleep in my room today?"

The look that passed over his face made my heart hurt. He was sad. "Is it because of what I told you? Are you revolted by me now? You must hate me."

I touched his arm. "Rhys, I don't hate you and I am not revolted. I am going to have to go home. When I am home, I will be sleeping alone. I had gotten so used to it, I forgot how nice it was to have someone beside me. I shouldn't get accustomed to it. It will make it harder when I am in my house."

He smiled a little and I was so relieved to see that sadness gone. "I definitely understand that. I, too, had forgotten what it was like to have anyone, especially a woman, next to me when I woke up. Now, I remember. The bed will be empty without you but I do understand why we must not make it a habit. However, what I said still holds. If you need me, you know where I am."

He kissed my forehead and it was so gentle, so chaste. How could this man have been a killer?

I reached for his bicep, gave it a squeeze and slipped into my room. The doors to each bedroom shut simultaneously, signaling the end of a long night. There was no need for lights. I could see in the dark now. What I saw was that white shirt stretched down the right side of my bed. Before it could be stopped, a smile spread across my face. The memory of that shirt was so vivid. The shirt on the man. The shirt being ripped off of him. The shirt hitting the ground. The shirt on me. The shirt falling open as I was placed on the desk. The man stepping in between my legs.

Whoa, girl. Go to bed. There is no point in losing more time on him.

I ignored my head and allowed myself to imagine, not the shirt on my bed, but the man. He would be lying there as I walked in, waiting for me to join him in bed. In my vision, he wore nothing. His black hair framing his grey eyes and making his pale, perfect skin looked so white. He would reach for me and I would go to him. We would share the bed and devour each other until we were too exhausted to continue.

I slipped out of the yoga pants and tossed it to the corner. The shirt was next. The panties followed. I slid into the bed, under the cold comforter and sheets. The shirt remained where it was, next to me on the bed. I rolled to my side and faced it, slide my hand down the soft fabric. I could smell him. He smelled like the air deep inside the woods, just after a rain, when everything was watered and fresh.

Oh my god, Kate. You are acting like a teenager. You are molesting a shirt for goodness sake. Throw it into the corner and go to sleep.

But I didn't listen. I feel asleep and that shirt stayed right next to me, smelling like the man I would never forget.