Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Thirty-Seven

When I awoke, I found myself lying enveloped in Jacobi’s warmth, his body aligned against my back with his arms around me protectively and his legs tangled with mine. My own arms hugged his to my chest and I stared at his flesh in wonder. I felt higher wired than usual, a firm clarity taking place of my previous timid and fearful nature. A part of me thought it had to do with the knowledge that I had finally changed my fate; I wasn’t going to be executed. Another part of me felt it had nothing to do with my avoided execution, but rather with the feeling that I was where I finally belonged.

I squirmed against Jacobi, enjoying the feel of his skin brushing over mine and sighed contently in response. It felt different, the claim over me by Jacobi, than it had when Aveline and Xander had claimed me. I couldn’t quite identify what felt different about it, only that I knew it was. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I could still feel his spirit, a steady hum of power, thrumming in my own soul.

Jacobi’s hand suddenly began to move over my skin lazily, trailing down to my stomach and below my belly button affectionately. I bravely twisted in his arms, turning to face him before lifting my eyes up to peer into his. Those golden brown eyes which glowed with power were now tired, watching me with lazy satisfaction. I knew without him telling me that he hadn’t recovered from the massive amount of healing his spirit had done for me. I could feel the exhaustion as if it were my own, quiet but there in my bones.

I pressed myself against his body; twisting my legs between his and moving my own hand over the flesh of his chest carefully. It felt strange, knowing this was mine, regardless of the fact that Jacobi hadn’t verbally told me he was mine. Something inside announced it over and over again, like a reverberating echo that wouldn’t allow me to think otherwise. I wondered if he heard the same about me in his own soul.

We laid there silent for the longest time, basking in the warmth of our bodies. I felt as though we were waiting for something or someone; probably Noland McElroy, who no doubt was beyond pissed at what I had done. I dreaded his rage, though I knew now Jacobi wouldn’t allow me to be harmed. I worried the harm would instead be passed on to someone else and our party wasn’t a large one at this point in time.

“Jacobi,” I whispered quietly, watching as his eyes slowly open once again to greet me. My skin heated under his attention, but I didn’t look away. I figured though I did enjoy our current situation that now would be as good as a time to feed some of my curiosity before the mess with Noland went down. “You said you’d tell me your life story.”

He closed his eyes in response, ignoring my request.

“Jacobi,” I whispered again, moving against him slightly to settle even deeper in his arms. He mumbled unintelligibly under his breath, but I knew whatever he had meant to say was along the lines of: too sleepy, be quiet. “Come on. You said you would.” I prodded at his chest and side with my fingers. Then I raked my nails lightly over his skin. A resounding growl bubbled from his throat in reply, causing me to giggle pleasantly.

“You shouldn’t wake a sleeping vampire. It’s bad luck,” Jacobi muttered unhappily. He peeked at me through one opened eye and I smiled in amusement. I thought so far my luck was practically nonexistent, so adding some more bad luck to the mix would probably do nothing to affect my fate worse than it was already heading.

“Pretend you’re asleep and dreaming about telling me your life story,” I told him, causing him to groan reluctantly. I watched him curiously, becoming more intrigued by his untold story the more that he appeared unwilling to tell it. Was it a horrible story of massacres and evil deeds? Was it an embarrassing story similar to a choir boy becoming a Master vampire? Was there hidden past romances and a long lost wife involved? The thought sent a twinge of unpleasant feelings inside me, though I couldn’t identify exactly why or what that feeling was.