Chapter 22: *CHAPTER 22*

I was in a room so dim that the only thing I could make out in the blackness was Malcolm’s gold head of hair and skin prowling over me in the darkness. He was glowing, his skin giving off the light of an ember—like an avenging angel or a demon hovering over me. I was vaguely aware that I wasn’t wearing any clothes, my skin sliding against the soft sheets of an unfamiliar bed. A shirtless Malcolm poised over me, gold skin and hard muscles pressing me into the mattress.

“Malcolm,” I pleaded into the dark. I don’t even know what I was asking for. All I knew was that I was desperate to be touched, and from the glint in Malcolm’s eyes he knew that. His beautiful mouth tipped up at the corner—that devilish smile of his aimed at me. He smiled tauntingly down at me before lowering his glorious face to my overheated skin. His lips ghosted over my cheek, the sensitive skin on my neck and a whimper tore from between my lips.

He made his way down my body. Slowly. Much too slowly.

The growing ache in my body was getting to be too much. Agonizing.

Painful to the point that I was pulled out of that room and to consciousness with a gasp.

I woke to the sound of my alarm on my phone going off. No hellhounds this time. Just me and my pounding heartbeat and flushed cheeks. Rolling from the guest bed, I blinked up at the early morning light streaming through the curtains, the first streaks of dawn sunshine lighting up the room.. A thin sheen of sweat had broken over my skin.

Shit, I’d just had a sexy dream about Malcolm. Malcolm.

Whatever had happened between us yesterday must have carried over into my sleep last night. With a shaky hand, I pushed stray strands of hair from my face. I reached into the part of my mind that was connected to Malcolm, the tether, and was relieved to find that it was still up. At least I hadn’t had an audience for that. Despite everything that happened yesterday, the fact that my unconscious mind and summoned that was a little concerning. Malcolm was a jerk and I wasn’t a masochist by any means.

Even still, I couldn’t get those images out of my head—they were burned behind my eyelids as if he’d scalded there by his fire magic himself. I’d had sex before, but it had never been like that. Not desperate and burning the way it had been in my dream last night. I needed to take a cold shower after that. Badly.

After my shower, I was feeling more like myself. Now, double-checking that the mental barrier between Malcolm and me was up and secure— I dug through my duffle bag, picking through it for a clean work uniform—white button-down shirt and a black skirt. The smells of my usual coconut conditioner soothed me.

Getting my work uniform on, I could hear sounds of life downstairs—unusual for me, but oddly comforting having lived by myself for the last few years. I was more than a little surprised by how easily I was adjusting to being in a new place. I'd only been here two days and already I was feeling comfortable somehow. With how much time I spent living alone, living with so many people should be uncomfortable, but it wasn't. The opposite actually. It was nice.

Last night after we’d finished our practice at making mental barriers, we'd had the pizza that Jenna had ordered and lounged on the couch to eat instead of in the kitchen. Richard had filled them in on the little information that Peter had given us--thankfully glossing over the marriage part for now. They had been shocked, but thankfully didn't dwell on it for too long. I didn't want to spend any more time thinking about it that night if I didn't have to.

Caleb had picked a movie and we sat and watched while we ate, Caleb and Jenna chatting off and on throughout the movie, pointing out different things and sharing theories about what was going to happen.

Malcolm slipped out after eating, needing to fill out reports and make phone calls for work. Once the movie was over, before I headed up to bed, I caught Jenna alone in the kitchen to ask her about going back to work tomorrow. I figured I should probably check in that it was safe for me to go with the Curse still in place.

I'd only asked my manager, Janice, for the one day off and she'd reamed me for it over the phone. I seriously didn't want to know how she would handle me calling in for the second day in a row. Luckily, I wouldn't need to find out because Jenna had been more than supportive of the idea of me starting back at my job the next day, even going so far as to offer to drive me to and from my shift.

"We don't want to displace your life any more than we already have Kassie," she'd rushed to assure me, "You should be more than safe picking back up your work schedule. Though, if you could continue staying here at our house with us when you're not working, it would probably be the safest option for you while we figure out how to remove your Mark," She'd said with an apologetic twist to her mouth.

"That's alright, I understand," I told her, "I don't have a problem staying here. You've all been very welcoming," With the glaring exception of Malcolm, I mentally amended, but at least he hadn't gone out of his way to make me feel unwelcome.

"Also, Kassie, I've been meaning to ask you," Jenna twisted her lips thoughtfully as if trying to find the right way to phrase what she was about to say, "Do you need me to call your parents and let them know you're staying somewhere safe? I don't want anyone worrying about you."

I unconsciously tensed— the same way I always did when my home life was brought up in conversation. I quickly shook my head, "I live with my uncle. He's out of town on business, so he won't notice anything unusual happening. You don't have to worry."

"Do you mind me asking what happened to your parents?" Her eyes softened, tone cautious as she watched my expression carefully.

I swallowed hard, my arms shifting uncomfortably at my sides, and said, "My mom passed away in a car accident when I was twelve," I told her, "I've never known who my father is. So I've been living with my mom's brother, my Uncle David, since the accident."

"I'm so sorry, Kassie. Losing a parent is one of the most difficult things you can go through." She murmured. "I lost my parents at a young age as well. So did Malcolm."

I blinked up at her in surprise, not sure what to make of this. My throat squeezed at her kind tone, the understanding in her eyes. My eyes suddenly felt hot. I blinked that feeling away before it had a chance to make an appearance, "So while we may not know exactly what you've been through," she continued, "we can understand pretty well if you ever want to talk about it."

"Thank you," I told her. And I meant it. It wasn't very often that I told someone about my parents who didn't look at me with some sort of pity or other afterward. Jenna didn't look at me with pity, she looked at me like she understood.

She gave me a comforting pat on the shoulder and a kind smile, the lines around her eyes deepening, "I won't pester you with any more questions, but let me know if you need anything else. And I'll give you my cell phone number so you can text me if you need a ride to or from work."

Thankfully, I didn't need to bother Jenna for a ride to the cafe. After our conversation in the kitchen and heading up to my room, I'd texted Lauren and she'd offered to come pick me up since we were working the same shift. I'd sent her the Pembroke's address and tried not to let the pang of disappointment affect me too much at seeing that David hadn't replied to the message I'd sent him earlier before the vampire attack. It's not like it was unusual by any means, but I'd hoped that some part of him still cared.

I was clean and dressed just as a text came in from Lauren letting me know she was on her way to pick me up. Snagging my purse, I made my way down the now familiar cream-colored halls and down the stairs to the kitchen where the smell of coffee drifted from, calling to me like moth to a flame.