He nodded and kissed me a last time. His lips lingered over mine as I clung to him. Every instinct in my body told me not to let him go. Something bad was going to happen. I knew it. I felt it, but so did Roane.
He was the reason she was fighting. He preceded the need for power, before The Immortal became her own entity.
Davy faltered, stopping on the very top ridge of the hill. The Mori were spread before her. There were five hidden in trees a few yards away. They would see her, but she wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to go in there being detached from herself so she cloaked herself. She needed more time, just a bit more, and she needed to remember this vampire that the human inside of her loved so much.
She ordered in her head, “Take me to him.”
The air popped, a
nd she was there.
He was standing in front of her, peering out over a cliff as a war waged on beneath his feet. She didn’t care about who was fighting. There was blood, sweat, and death all over. Many already died and many more would succumb to the afterlife. She wasn’t there for any of them. She moved forward, still cloaked, as she stood beside him.
This man, this vampire, was the reason the girl inside of her lived. She felt her yelling, trying to break free. Even the sight of him, so close and within reach, had her humanity fighting like she had never fought before.
She wanted him.
The rage was whipping through her. It wasn’t rage at him or where they were. It was rage at herself. The human was raging to take control once again, but no, that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t The Immortal. She wasn’t the human. She was the in between. Davy cocked her head to the side and lifted a hand. The in-between was curious about this vampire. She wanted to touch him, and as she lifted a hand and extended it to him, the human grew silent. This was what the real Davy yearned for, to be complete with him once again.
Her fingers touched his cheekbone and held there.
He was beautiful.
His eyes were fierce. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, lips that Davy wanted to touch, and a warrior’s body. Broad shoulders. A trim waist. Fresh blood was all over him, coating of dried blood underneath, but as she looked over him, she saw it wasn’t his blood. She found herself wanting to make sure. She wanted to clean him, double-checking that none seeped from a wound on his perfect body.
As she had that thought, she realized that she thirsted for his body. She wanted to touch him, press against him, feel his arms wrap around her. Those lips—her gaze went back to them. She couldn’t look away, and she stepped toward him. Her heart began beating, faster and faster. Her mouth was suddenly parched.
She wanted to touch her lips to his . . .
As if she had cast a spell onto herself, the battle melted away. It was only this vampire and herself . . . She drew closer.
Her hand slid down to the side of his mouth, and she was directly in front of him. She stood on tiptoes—her breath held—she needed to feel this man again. Then, with her heart pounding to be freed from her chest, she touched her lips to his. It was soft. This was foreign to her, but the human inside wanted more. She demanded a harder touch, and Davy found herself answering. She pressed closer to him, and as she did, he felt her.
Her eyes widened, as she knew the instant he grew aware of her.
His hands grasped her arms. He stiffened in shock, and just as she feared he would pull away, he took control of the kiss. He caught the sides of her face and moved for a better angle to meet her. He breathed against her mouth, “Davina.”
She didn’t reply. She closed her eyes and sighed inwardly as he grasped her in his arms. Lifting her, her legs wound around his waist, and he stepped away from the fight. “Davina,” he gasped again, but then he pressed her against a tree. “My God—I don’t care.” His mouth opened, demanding hers to do the same and his tongue slid inside. The brush of him against her was a caress and Davy wound her arms around his neck. She arched her back into the tree, pushing her breasts toward him. She hungered for more. She wanted his touch in the center of her. The human was clambering to get closer and Davy answered.
Her hands went to the side of his face and held him.
He kept kissing her. He was claiming her.
Me. He was claiming me . . .
“No!” The Immortal rose up. “You cannot have her!”
The Immortal slammed her backwards.
“Davy!” Roane roared, moving with her. He didn’t know how she came to him. He didn’t care to question it, but he had her. He wanted her back. He had to have her. Whatever was going on inside of her, he needed to grasp her. He had to be her anchor. He could tell that she was losing herself. He reached out for her and Davy tried to grasp his hand, but The Immortal growled, and broke through the barrier inside of Davy.
She gasped.
The power was immense. It spilled out inside of her, coating her insides with its power. It was a burst of cold air. It felt alien, but refreshing, and then it was over. As soon the floodgates opened, she was drowning. There was no chance of a fight inside of her. The power overwhelmed her, instantly suffocating her. Davy was gone. She had lost. The Immortal was free inside of her—her body bent in half. Her back arched upward, and as it did, her body flew in the air.
She flew.
Her entire body transformed. Her body was going up in the air, flying, and her hair billowed out, turning into a black color. A white dress covered her now, and her hands flung backwards. She pushed up into the sky, going higher and higher until she was above the entire foray below.