Chapter Thirty-Four

I was warm. So pleasantly warm. I didn’t want to move, but I knew I needed to. The day was here and we had things to do. Then something moved behind me.

“Five more minutes,” Fitz mumbled as his hand moved up my stomach under my shirt.

You have to be kidding me. I rolled onto my back, and looked at Fitz. He looked perturbed. Though his eyes were closed, his eyebrows were knit together and he was so troubled.

“Fitz!” I shoved at his shoulder, and he woke with a start.

“What the fuck?” He rubbed his face with his hand, and blinked a few times. Then he looked down at me with a raised eyebrow.

“I told you that you weren’t sleeping with me. What is this?” I gestured to us both as we laid under the fluffy covers. “You forced cuddles on me.”

“A cuddle. Just the one. You make it seem like I’m a serial cuddler.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “It was still a cuddle I didn’t want. I told you not to touch me.”

“I thought it was a suggestion.”

“If you try anything like that again, I will hit you harder somewhere softer.”

He disappeared under the comforter, and squirmed around.

“What the hell are you doing?” I laughed as I sat up on my elbows.

“Pouting.” His voice was muffled from the blanket. “Just leave me here if you insist on hurting my feelings.” He sighed dramatically.

“Jesus. You’re like a puppy. You need constant attention, or you start causing—” I stopped with a squeak when he started kissing me through my very, very thin shorts. “Hey!” I batted at his head where it was showing through the blanket. “Knock it off.”

He growled, and grabbed my legs. “Why would I do that? You just about have a heart attack whenever I touch you. I couldn’t deny you such pleasure. Now, let me take your clothes off, and show you some new colors.”

“No. Get out from under the blanket.”

“Or, you can come under the blanket. We can make it a party. Hurry before I do something filthy to you.”

“I don’t fear your threats. I’m a vampire/demon. I’m stronger than a shifter.”

“Maybe. But all I need to do is crook my finger, and you bow to me.”

I hit him again, harder.

“Ow! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to hurt me. Now, I command you to join me in my Fortress of Solitude.”

“Or?” I laughed again.

“Or I put my hand down your shorts.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh no. A hollow threat. I’m shaking in my no shoes up here, Fitz.”

“Ten seconds. I have spoken!”

“Weirdo.”

“Nine,” he warned.

“Bite me.”

He did, and I yelped. “Eight.”

“This is stupid.”

“Seven.”

“I hate you.”

“Six.” He kissed me again, and started tugging at my shorts.

“Stop.”

“Five.”

“I mean it.” Why am I not just getting out of bed?

“Four. I’m starting to think you want this.”

“I don’t.” Most likely.

“I could just make you come under here. Three.”

“You can’t.”

“Where was I? Was I at zero? I think I was. Zero.” He pulled my shorts more and I gave up.

I pulled the blanket over my head, and stared at him. “If it’s against my will this shouldn’t be fun for you.”

“Wrong.” He smiled, and gave me a chaste kiss before I could stop him.

I glowered at him. “You don’t get to kiss me good morning. That’s not part of this deal. I let you share a room with me, because I didn’t think you’d let us not share. But you need to stay in your own bed.”

“Hmm. No deal.” He found a broken button from my shirt, and flicked it across the bed.

“And why does this get to be the Fortress of Solitude? There are two people under here now.”

He shrugged. “It fit better than Batcave.”

“I guess. We need to get ready. Do you want to shower first?”

“We can keep playing, and save time by showering together.”

“We’re not playing. Or showering together.”

“This, my Sugar, is playing. Deal with it.”

Oh no. He was right. I couldn’t let us have peaceful moments. I didn’t want him thinking he was winning this. He wasn’t my friend.

“I’m not yours.”

“You are.” He moved up, and knocked me onto my back, giving him room to tower over me. Sunlight shone through the white blanket, and I could see how serious his face was. “Do you really think you can’t love me?”

“I do. You’ve done too many bad things for me to forgive. Love is a whole different animal. It would be a mad, mad love, Fitz. Not good for either of us.”

The corner of his mouth went up sadly. “I want to fix what I did.”

“You can’t cover a stab wound with a Band-Aid.”

“You’re not giving me a chance to change things.”

“You don’t deserve one.”

“So what? Give me one anyway.”

“That isn’t how it works.”

“Then let’s make our own rules.”

I moved him aside, and sat up, pulling the blanket off of me. I ran my fingers through my messy hair. “This isn’t a matter of morals or rules. It’s me still being angry with you. That won’t just go away on its own.”

“I know it won’t.” He scooped me up in his arms and put me on his lap. When I wouldn’t look at him, he tilted my chin up. “I’m going to win you over. I don’t care how long it takes. One day you’re not going to hate me.”

“Not hating you, and loving you are two separate things. You’re not helping your cause when you force yourself in my bed like this.”

He smiled, but not with self-satisfaction. “I missed you.”

“We were ten feet apart.”

“I know. A travesty.”

I fought my own smile as I hopped off of him, and grabbed my bag before heading to the bathroom. I locked the door to make sure he wouldn’t decide to invite himself in. The bathroom filled with steam a couple minutes after I turned the hot water on. I laid out my new clothes and got in.

I got sick of the motel shampoo and body wash, so we had picked up some nicer stuff. I got to go through the day smelling like cherries and it was lovely. The whole bathroom smelled like it when I was done.

I didn’t have a whole lot of clothes with me. Most of it was stuff Fitz bought me when I was kidnapped. A lot of dresses. I picked out a white one with short sleeves. Then I left the bathroom.

Fitz laid on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was still only in his boxers, waiting on me I guess.

“Bathroom’s yours,” I said as I put my bag on my bed.

When the bag hit the mattress, Fitz looked over at me. There was a split second where he looked like someone else. Younger, but just in the eyes. His lips were parted as he looked at me like I was the only light in the room. It was a little terrifying.

“Did you hear me?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He looked ahead and stood up, taking his bag into the bathroom.

He was in the bathroom for about five minutes before there was a knock at the door.

“We come bearing donuts, Mama Bear,” Ferris said before I let him and the others in. He held a delightfully huge box of donuts that he brought right to the counter. Pepper held two cardboard holders full of hot coco.

“You guys are wonderful.” I smiled as I picked out a donut with rainbow sprinkles. It tasted better than it looked.

“We know.” Juliet grinned before she sipped her coco. “Where’s the other one?”

“Shower.”

“Good.” Phin fell onto my bed, propped his feet up, and then put his hands behind his head. “We should just take off and leave him here.”

“No,” I said at the same time I heard Fitz call out, “I heard that.”

“I’m glad!” Phin stopped yelling to cough. “I hate you.”

The shower stopped running. “Guess what parts of me were inside of your sister last night.”

My mouth dropped open. “Fitz!” I looked to my queasy brother. “None. I promise you.”

“Tongue counts,” Fitz called, and I frowned.

“Does not! I mean…no. Just…no.”

Ferris looked the most upset of all. It was a bitter scowl on his face as he shook his head at the floor. “Not cool, Fitz. Not cool at all.”

“He’s messing with Phin,” I told him. “Don’t worry.”

“I don’t like him talking about you like that.” Ferris narrowed his eyes at the bathroom door.

“Join the club.” Phin went to sit up, and winced as his hand went to his dipped head. “Dammit.”

“What’s wrong, Babe?” Juliet rushed to him. She pressed her hand to his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

He shook his head. “I woke up this morning and the room spun. I’ve felt like I was on fire since.” When Juliet started pulling her hand away, he grabbed it and put it on his cheek. “Oh, you’re cold. So wonderfully cold.”

She smiled. “Side effect of being dead.”

“Mmm.” He closed his eyes. She put her other hand on him. He smiled and hummed again.

Juliet turned to me. “Seven times. I’ve known him for a year and he’s gotten sick seven times. Did your parents ever take him to the doctor? What if something’s really wrong?” Her fear was causing anger, but she was trying to keep calm through it.

Phin was known to get sick a lot. It wasn’t even during the obvious seasons. I don’t remember ever being sick, but I have to assume that was my hybrid power coming out. My brother wasn’t so lucky.

“They did,” I answered her as Fitz walked out of the bathroom in a black button up that he didn’t actually bother buttoning. I forced my eyes away before anyone saw me drool. “They didn’t have anything helpful to say. He just gets the flu sometimes.”

“A lot,” Juliet growled, but not at me. “Babe.” She looked at my brother. “I really don’t like this. I think you need some vampire blood. It might keep you strong.”

“No. If I drink from you it might Link us. Right?”

There was a hint of pain reflecting off of her eyes, but she shook it off. “I haven’t drunk from you in three days. We’d be fine. And you’re only human. All it would do is make your blood stronger for me forever.”

“I don’t want your blood. I’ll be fine in a few days. Just get me a donut, would ya.” He waved her away.

She popped her hip out. “If you’re not better, I’ll force it on you. I’m good at being sneaky.”

His eyes narrowed playfully. “Like Valentine’s Day when you hid in my closet, and popped out in nothing but a—”

“Ahhh!” I covered my ears with my hands. “Jesus Christ. I don’t wanna hear this.” I uncovered my ears and frowned.

Fitz— who still had an open shirt —pulled me against his side. “I’ll keep you safe, Sugar.”

Phin whipped his head around to him. “For once.”

“Forever, actually,” Fitz’s tone was challenging.

“Really? What do you think? That after this is over, you’re gonna stay with us? Be part of our family? We all hate you. You hurt my sister over and over again. When you had a chance at erasing some of that, you had us waiting on you for weeks. Once this is done, you’re done.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Willow wants me around.”

Was I supposed to confirm that? I wasn’t even sure it was true. “Stop fighting. And button your damn shirt.”

“Why?” Fitz flashed a crooked smile that made my stomach hurt. “Like what you see?”

“No.” Yes. “The sight of you disgusts me.” I really wanna touch him…

“Such a liar.” He started buttoning his shirt, but he left the first three undone. Bastard. Delicious looking bastard. He went to get a donut, and I sat on the armchair across from the bed. When he got what he wanted, he came back to me, and sat on the arm of the chair. So I ignored him.

“What are we doing next?” I asked the room.

Juliet was forcing Phin back into bed when she said, “Are we just going to attack the facility head on?”

“No,” Fitz said while chewing. “That would be a suicide mission. Though I’m willing to die for the cause, I don’t actually want to die. We need to take Felix down in pieces. Weaken him so we can take him out completely. If he dies, someone else will take his spot.”

“Like Rudy?” Ferris said, flat.

“Exactly. He’s second in command. He makes all of the little decisions. We take him out and it’s like cutting off a limb.”

Ferris smiled. “Good. I look forward to it. When do we start?”

Fitz finished off his donut, and started in on another. “We need to get them separated. If we just go in, then they can overwhelm us. There are six of us and dozens of fighters there. Juliet and I are the only ones here with combat training. I assume Felix didn’t let you train?”

“No.” Ferris rolled his eyes. “He had me learning how to be a cook. I can make scrambled eggs ‘til the cows come home, but I’ve never thrown a punch.”

Fitz sighed. “That needs to change. Itty Bitty, you, and Sugar need training.”

“What about Phin?” Pepper asked. “Doesn’t he get training?”

“No point. He’s only human.”

“Like most of the guards,” Juliet snapped. “Don’t write him off like that.”

Phin sat up with a struggle. “I’m in no shape for training anyway. Maybe you can teach the others and I can start later.”

“Fine,” she said, displeased. “Then I’ll start training them when we find a new hotel. We’ve been here too long.”

“I agree,” Pepper said. “Twix is unsettled. When do we leave?”

“Load up the car.” Fitz stood, and held a hand out for me. I didn’t take it.

“We need more food,” Pepper added. “We shop, then we move a couple counties over.”

I sipped on my cocoa, and went to put my boots on as everyone but Fitz left. That wasn’t safe at all. He sat on my bed next to me, and started messing with me. Nothing much. He pulled down the sleeve of my dress, and kissed my shoulder while he ran his fingertips along my back.

“Why are you doing that?” I asked as I tied my boots.

“Because we both like it.”

“I never said I liked it.”

“Your heart did. It’s racing. I can feel the blood rush under your skin and the heat it’s causing.”

I switched boots. “Doesn’t mean a thing.”

“It means everything. It means that I might win this.”

I arched an eyebrow as I looked over at him. “Even if you were right about my reaction, sexual attraction isn’t the same as genuine care. If I ever wanted you, that’s all it would be.”

“Hmm. That’s more upsetting than it should be. But at least I got you to admit you want to jump me.”

I didn’t even bother getting mad. “Not what I said. I was just explaining that emotion has nothing to do with it. Can you button your shirt? Three is far too many undone.”

He laughed and looked down. “Need I remind you that at any time, you’re allowed to do whatever you want to me? And at any time, I would do anything to you.” He took my hand, and put it on his chest just under the fabric. “I’m here to service you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You mean serve?”

“No.” He grinned.

I smiled against my will, and started tying my shoes again. I didn’t know how to make it any clearer that I wouldn’t be taking him up on his offers. No matter how frequent they were.

I finished getting ready, and went to grab my bag. Fitz took it first. “Let me be a gentleman here.”

I scoffed. “You’re not capable of being a gentleman. If you were, then you’d be able to go more than ten minutes without trying to get at my lady parts.”

He smiled, wide. “That’s not my fault. Your lady parts call to me. One day you’ll enjoy the attention I give you.”

“Not likely.”

He took his bag while I followed behind him out the door. The others were already loading up our luggage. Fitz put the bags in the truck while the others were getting in the car. For whatever reason, I stayed next to him.

He closed the trunk, and smiled at me. “Ready to go, Sugar?” His hands went to my hips, and he dragged me over to him.

I immediately looked around to make sure no one could see us. Everyone in the car was looking forward, and in the middle of a conversation. No one paid attention.

“Calm down,” Fitz said. “I wouldn’t want your little group of Lost Boys to think less of you for letting me touch you.”

I felt my face twist up in confusion. “Is that what you think the problem is? That I’m ashamed of you?”

“I know what the problems are. And they’re one of them.”

“They’re not. If I loved you, then I wouldn’t care what they thought.”

His lips twitched as he nearly smiled. “I’m not sure I believe you. You hold them at such a high place. I think if they didn’t want us together, you’d kick me to the curb.”

“I’d kick you to the curb for a lotta reasons, but they aren’t a factor. You are the only factor.”

He shot a quick glance to the people in the car. “Interesting that true love would beat out your obnoxious care for them.”

I snorted. “True love? You’re aiming pretty high, sweetie.”

He grinned like I made his day. “I only get one shot here. One and done, remember.”

I squinted my eyes. “Maybe not bring up your policy on girls when you’re trying to get in my pants. It won’t work.”

He opened his mouth, no doubt to say something clever, when he was cut off. Something yanked him backwards, and he was forced to let go of me. I just barely caught sight of a man holding a knife to his side when my mouth was covered by a hand. I screamed anyway.

I heard doors opening while I thrashed around in someone’s arms. I bit down hard on his hand until I tasted blood. He yelled out in pain, and I didn’t let up. He dropped me to the ground, and I landed on my hands and knees. My family swarmed the man, but I couldn’t see them anymore.

Then I could. I heard Fitz calling my name, but…everything was wrong. I could see Juliet standing over me, but she wasn’t next to me. She was next to the man. Then I saw Ferris. Phin. It was like a thin sheet of a picture over my vision. Overlapping what I was supposed to be seeing.

Then the voice came. It was screaming out in pain at the same time I heard the man yelling. He was begging someone to stop. Bargaining, but I didn’t know who with.

I shut my eyes, and everything sharpened. All I could see was my family, as if they were standing over me as opposed to the man trying to hurt me. But I heard him. In my head, as clear as if he was talking aloud to me. Incoherent, but it was there. In between the actions of my family, I saw pictures. Not of us. Of a woman. She was short, blonde, and young. I didn’t know who she was, but I felt love for her. Not my own. His. I felt him love her, and I felt him saying goodbye.

Fitz came into view again, but my eyes were still shut. Fitz was holding a knife, and I saw it slide into my heart. No. Not my heart. His again. I heard a death rattle and the picture went out.

My eyes opened and I could see again. Well I could always see, but now I knew I was seeing the right thing. Fitz rushed to me, and his eyes were full of worry. He was on his knees in front of me, and he dropped the knife he had so that he could check me over.

“Did he hurt you?” It sounded like an echo.

I shook my head, and put my hand on the side of his face. There was blood flecking his cheek. I looked at him for the answer I didn’t ask for out loud.

“Not mine.” He smiled and I felt relief.

“Jesus!” I heard Phin shout. I turned to see him inching away from the body. “Did anyone but me see that? His hand moved!”

“He’s dead,” Juliet said. “Like dead, dead. His heart was destroyed.”

“I don’t care.” Phin waved his hand and coughed. “I saw it. His right hand moved up and dropped.”

Fitz hauled me to my feet. “Yeah, he’s more important than Willow. Let’s all stare at a dead body while she’s freaking out. Great plan.”

“I’m not freaking out,” I grumbled, and stared at the ground, wanting to walk away from him.

“Oh my god!” This time it was Pepper. I turned to see her clutching at Ferris’s sweater, and staring at the body. “His feet moved.”

“Thank you.” Phin threw his hands in the air.

When Ferris put his hand on Pepper’s back, it was like she was snapping out of a trance. She flinched away from him, and mumbled an apology. He just stared back at the body.

Fitz held on to me tight enough that I couldn’t get away. “I saw that one. I know I got his heart. But we should leave.”

“Wait,” I said. “Who the hell were they? And where’s the one that attacked you?”

“Got away,” he said indignantly, looking in the direction they must have gone. “I got him in the side with his knife, and then you fell. He took off when I was calling for you. But they’re not from the base.”

“Then who are they?”