Children of the Fallen: Bloodlines (BOOK #3)

Chapter 38: Peace

Grayson Spencer

A hint of vanilla in a crisp autumn night, a scent I hold near and dear to my heart wakes me up. I open my eyes to Morgan's head resting on the left side of my chest and her leg hooked over mine as we lay on top of a blanket spread out. Her hand lays on the right side of my chest so I bring my free hand over to gently hold it, caressing it with the pad of my thumb.

I lean down just enough to plant a kiss on the top of her head then lay back down looking up at the night sky. The crescent moon and stars shine through the trees overhead and the light from the pool in front of us illuminates the area just perfectly while the light breeze brushes against my face, making the trees around us rustle. She shuffles a little, looking up at me giving me a warm smile, "You're awake." She says putting her head back down and nuzzling closer to me.

"I am." I respond as my lips pull into an involuntary smile.

She sits up to straddle me. "What do you want to do?" She asks with an excited gleam in her eyes at my bodily reaction to her sitting on me. "We're meeting Victoria and Pierce at that den in the city but we do have a couple of hours before that." She gives me that mischievous grin.

I sit up meeting her lips with mine taking the low of her back in my hands as she places her hands on the sides of my face. She pulls back, "Forward are we?" She mocks.

"Very." I say.

She kisses me once more before standing up putting a distance between us, smiling ear to ear. With haste she removes her shirt then unzips her jeans taking those off as quickly as possible. In nothing but her undergarments she backs up slowly getting to the edge of the pool. "Are you coming or not?" She angles her head.

Hurriedly I stand taking off my shirt. "You're so slow. Where's that speed, all powerful hybrid?" She teases raking her eyes over my body. Using my speed I take off my jeans and appear right in front of her. Without a flinch she just smiles at me, I lift her up carrying her bridal style and her little squeal makes me laugh as I jump into the pool with her.

Coming up to the surface our lips meet once again. In the water she wraps her legs around me and our bodies press against one another. I take in this moment. The feel of her hands against my face, the taste of her lips, the way my heart feels like it's about to explode in the best possible way. Peace and happiness were always foreign things to me, always just out of reach but with her I experience both. We pull back breathing each others air, our foreheads pressed against each other and I gently cup her face looking into her beautiful hazel eyes, fire blazing bright in them. She closes her eyes and her smile turns more bittersweet. "We could've been like this."

"What?" I question.

"I wish with everything in me that we were," she says then finally opens her eyes revealing frigid endless voids in place of that fire.

"We are." I retort. "We still can be." My brows pull together. Her face drops turning white all at the same time, now those voids became drenched with fear and pain. "Morgan? What's wrong?" My voice comes out desperate as she pushes away from me shaking her head.

She coughs and blood spews out of her mouth. Her eyes go wide, "Help," she pleads as blood continuously pours from her mouth.

"Morgan!" I reach for her but before I could make contact I wake up sitting up straight in this bed. Pain shoots through my body like a lightning bolt. I still, finding that if I move my back feels like it's being set on fire but then I hear it. Morgan screaming.