Fierce Dawn (14 page)

Sadie smiled and inched a bit closer. The wide neck of her shirt slipped down, baring a shoulder. Elijah kept his focus on her face. Her scrutinizing gaze darted over every part of him.

“
Different?” he asked, even though she’d already explained, feeling like he should keep her talking. “How?”

Though he liked it, he knew she shouldn’t be this calm. She should be rattled by his presence. She’d mentioned his wings. She should be at least a little freaked out by seeing wings. Granted, his magnetism had inspired worse. But simple acceptance? Too easy.

Though, if he could make her curiosity hold out, perhaps her suspension of disbelief would allow time to explain things. Immortal beings, prophecies and changelings would be hard for her still
-
human mind to accept. Even if she really could see his wings.

“
You’re not as blue,” she murmured seemingly talking to herself more than to him.

Her eyes shone so bright, his chest tightened. “As blue?”

Sadie nodded. “And you look more like your real self now. Interesting. Taller, I think.” She paused long enough that Elijah began to worry. She reached her hand out and poked him. She inhaled sharply. “Whoa. You even feel real!”

“
I am real.” Did she realize she was awake? He braced himself. “The drug may have affected your senses. You aren’t dreaming, Sadie.”

“
No. I’m not dreaming. It feels a little odd explaining it all to you, but I suppose I’m really explaining it to myself.” She pressed her palm to his chest then let her fingers traced downward.

He caught her hand in his, ignoring the warm trace it left behind on his chest. “Sadie, you don’t understand,” he said. “You were drugged. At the club. Your drink was laced.”

“
Mmm hmmm.” Her gaze roved over his body.

Had to be his magnetism. He stepped back, trying to gently repel her. She followed, her intentions plain. She wanted him.

“
Damn it. At the club, your cousin, you and she were both drugged. She recovered the next morning. You’ve been recovering ever since.” Some sign of alarm should register on her face. But she simply nodded again. “You’ve slept in and out for three days.”

“
Three days? Really?” Her eyes widened. “Wow.” But she seemed unperturbed. “Why aren’t you naked?”

“
Why would I be naked?” Why did he ask? Worse, why did the words sound so delectable on her tongue?

He had no business wanting a mortal, even a changeling one, for reasons that went well beyond laws and incompatibility. He backed up again, coming up against the wall.

She stepped close to him. Her eyes closed as she reached up on her
tiptoes
and pressed her lips to his. Pleasure shocked through Elijah, stunning him. Her fingers laced into his hair. And damn it if his body didn’t clamor for more. Her soft, full lips caressed his, her tongue begging entry.

Heat gathered in a rush in his groin. Her breasts grazed his chest
,
sending quivering sensations through his muscles. Were her nipples hard? They were. Rock hard and pressing against his chest. His palms itched to cup each breast, bare under that shirt.

He hated that he knew that. That he wanted that.

What was she doing to him? It was all he could do to not react. Sadie sucked his lower lip into her mouth, making a tiny mewl that sent his attraction reeling. His blood rushed, his senses drank her in, and he began to get hard.

It was all too much on his fatigued senses.

He gathered her close, bringing his wings around to touch her. Broken fragments of thought slipped through. He shouldn’t be doing this. But he wanted so badly to taste her. He needed to know how her warm, lithe body felt against his. Her clothes were in the way. He groaned, slipping his hands up the back of her shirt, and splayed his fingers over the slope of her back.

She pressed her hips into his. Her kiss grew demanding.

On a groan, he gave in. He delved his tongue into her mouth. She gasped, huffing her minty breath into his. The scent and taste drove a shudder through him. He wanted her naked skin against his. He wanted to feel her slick heat clenching around his stiff prick.

He cocooned his wings around them and reached both hands up the front of her shirt. In his mind he replayed the way each breast moved as she’d stepped closer, their round, full flesh draped in loose material. Slowly, he trailed up her shirt, over her ribs, until each heavy mound filled his palms.

Sadie arched into him.

He groaned again, pressing his hips as well. He thumbed over her nipples, aching to suck each hard tip.

Her vibration spiked higher. Its urgency pierced the haze clouding his rational mind. What in the world was he thinking?

Elijah pushed Sadie back, rapidly retracting his wings.

“
What is it?” she asked, reaching for him again.

It took all his will not to succumb to more. But he wanted far more than kissing and touching. He wanted to feel every last inch of her. He wanted to bury himself into her depths and drive the world away. She couldn’t realize what she was doing. “Sadie, you don’t understand.” His voice was hoarse. “This is no dream. I am real.”

“
I know,” she said and stepped forward again.

He caught her wrists. She let them go slack. Confusion drew her brow tight. “You are not dreaming this.” Elijah reached over and firmly, pinched her arm.

“
Ouch.” Sadie rubbed the spot he’d offended, scowling harder. No anger. No alarm. “I never thought I was,” she said. “Why don’t you adore me any more?”

This brought him up short. His desire
-
laden frustration sidestepped, confusion taking over. “Adore you?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Yes, adore me.”

The drug couldn’t still be in her system
,
which left one conclusion. Her mind had been seriously injured by
the
drug’s effects. Or transporting her had damaged her. Disappointment careened down into his gut.

“
If it’s my delusion, shouldn’t I be the one to say stop?”

With a ragged exhale, Elijah closed his eyes. “I’m not a delusion. I’m very real and so help me, I would love to prove just how real.” But he refused to. Not like that.

She crossed her arms and examined him a moment. “If you aren’t a delusion, what are you?”

“
I’m Elijah Stokes. We almost met at the University library two weeks ago and I have some things I need to tell you.” He couldn’t leave without trying. “We can wait for Jen to return if you’d like. She promised to be back within the hour, but there are things I cannot share with her,” he said, enunciating each word with care.

Dust particles swarmed like gnats in the sunlight filtering through the blinds.

She pressed her temples. “If you’re you and you’re not a delusion, how in the hell did you get here, why do you have wings and why did you let me just kiss you?”

“
Do you recall any of the last three days?”

She shook her head. “You’re the same Elijah from the library?”

He sensed panic’s high pitch. “Yes. Look. I’ll be as straight with you as I possibly can. Do you recall seeing me at the club?”

“
Yes, but I thought…I thought I was seeing things.” She gestured at his wings.

He retracted them in entirely so they lay under the slits of his jacket and shirt. Not that it would change the facts. “You weren’t seeing things. Aren’t seeing things.”

“
Okay,” she said, sounding doubtful. “But you have—
”

“
I followed you there.”

Her eyes widened. “Whoa. Okay. Why?”

“
You are in danger,” he said, fearing he was telling too much, too fast. He concentrated on holding her gaze, on listening for a rise in her panic.

“
From who?”

“
Before I can explain, I need you to tell me something.” He waited for her to nod. “You can still see my wings?” he asked, opening them wide for a moment.

Slowly, she nodded again.

“
Good. They are real. I’m as much living, breathing and feeling as you are, only a bit different.”

“
Oh, man.” Sadie whirled around to her bed and sat upon it. “Heather is going to love this. She was right. I got off the meds and now I’ve totally lost my marbles.”

“
No,” he said forcefully, pulling her back up by the shoulders, making her stand. “Not crazy. Changing.”

Sadie’s voice rose. “Jen called Heather, didn’t she?”

“
Who’s Heather?”

“
My sister.” She paced the room.

“
I don’t know. I brought you home from the club. Jen and I took care of you,” Elijah said, avoiding the gross details of the drug’s effects.

“
You brought me home?” She shook her head, paced more. “No, you—you hate me.”

Here was the alarm he’d been expecting. “Why would I hate you?”

“
Okay, maybe not hate
,
but seriously dislike. I didn’t miss the look on your face when I trampled you with my cart. You were flat out pissed. And now you’re telling me I go from that to you taking me home and taking care of me? Oh and by the way
,
you have wings. Hi, Crazy. I’m Sadie. Nice to meet you.”

He liked her anger. Anger meant fight. She’d need fight in her to survive this. “Well, put like that, yes. Crazy sounds logical. Would it help if I told you I was trying to protect you? Never mind. Do you follow what I’m saying?”

“
I’m crazy, not stupid.”

Her anger like a zap, zinged in the air. Elijah stepped back.

“
I need Jen. Go get Jen, please.”

“
I can’t.”

“
Then leave. I’m a grown woman and I’m okay now. I don’t need your help.”

Her anger sent another shock at his skin. Elijah knew he was staring, gaping at her, but couldn’t stop. Of all the reactions he’d anticipated, this he’d never imagined.

“
Now!” she screamed, jabbing her finger toward the door. A
pulse wave
shimmered off of her, slamming into his body. It sent him crashing against her bedroom wall. The picture hanging there fell to the ground, the glass shattering in a burst.

Sadie screeched, covering her mouth.

Dazed, Elijah righted himself. He held his hands up. “I’ll leave if you really want me to, but before you make me go, please consider this. I can answer every question that is forming in your head right this second, if you will just give me the chance.”

~ ~ ~

Chapter Ten

“
No.” Sadie’s heart slammed in her chest. The broken glass. Elijah. What the hell had just happened? “I want you to go now.”

She didn’t want to hear any of it. If he was the real Elijah and now he had wings—sharp pain stabbed through her skull.

Sadie pressed her temples, shut her eyes.

“
How bad does your head hurt?” he asked.

Hurt didn’t cover the blinding pain. “You said you would leave if I asked you to,” she grit out.

“
I will. If you insist.” She could feel him approaching her very carefully. “But you shouldn’t be alone either.”

Nausea crept into her belly. “Get Jen.”

“
I can’t. She swore she’d be back soon.”

“
You can’t stay,” she said, her voice growing shrill. Her head felt like an ice pick was being jammed into it over and over again.

“
I’ll go. Who else could come?”

Sadie winced. What was happening to her? How could she have kissed him? How could she have believed he was some hallucination? “I don’t know what kind of twisted game this is but, so help me, I’ll scream if you don’t just leave.”

“
Stay calm, Sadie. Let me get help. You mentioned a sister. Can I call her for you?”

“
God, no! She’s the last person I need right now. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. Can’t you see that?” But the pain hammered. Her eyes burned when she opened them to stare him down.

Elijah stood his ground. “There must be someone else.”

Sadie shut her eyes against the pain. There was no one else. No…wait. “Call Ben.” Would he come? They weren’t exactly at emergency contact levels of friendship
,
but she didn’t have anyone else. She squinted at Elijah.

He held his phone out ready to dial. Sadie didn’t know the number, though. Elijah dialed anyway. “Lyric,” he said. “I need Holly to locate someone.” He looked at Sadie expectantly. “Last name?”

Sadie frowned. “I can’t remember. Give me a second.” Jesus. Elijah meant it. He’d go as far as to locate Ben? Would Ben actually come here? “Forget it.”

“
Sadie, I’ll go but I won’t leave you alone.” He hesitated, as though searching for the right words. “You’re in pain.”

“
Okay, okay. Forget it.” If Ben came here, he’d devour every minute
,
then tell her she was crazy not to give the ‘tasty treat’ a chance. “You can stay, alright? Just hang up!”