Aven's Dream (22 page)

“Thanks.”

Suddenly the thought of doing homework was so absurd after his revelations that I laughed.

“This is surreal,” I mumbled to myself.

W
ill and I had been working on our outline for the paper for at least a couple of hours when I finally remembered poor Darcy, who hadn’t eaten since the morning.

“Darcy,” I groaned, standing up from Will’s sofa. “I need to get home to give him dinner.”

Before I could get very far, Will reached out and pulled me back onto the couch and into his arms. For a second, I snuggled closer to him, craving as much closeness as I could get. I had the distinct feeling that I was about to wake up from a dream.

“I fed him two hours ago,” Will said proudly.

“You
did
?”

“I’ve been keeping you well fed, haven’t I? I brought food for him as well.”

“I looked at my phone. Well, it
is
getting close to my dinner time,” I pointed out. “I need to get home to feed myself.”

“I’ve taken care of that as well.”

I frowned as he got up and began walking toward the door. Shaking my head, I went back to my homework and had just started correcting my Trig problems when Will walked back in carrying a large paper bag. I sat silently, in shock, as he began taking out items and arranging them on the table in front of me. It was a complete dinner—and it looked amazing. Like fancy-restaurant amazing.

“How did you do that?”

“Delivery,” he said with a smile.

“Uh, not way out here in the middle of nowhere, and definitely not food this good,” I said, picking up the spoon and tasting the soup. I nearly moaned. “Oh my god, this is good.”

“Lobster bisque.”

“Seriously—this isn’t takeout.”

“It is. For enough money,” Will said dryly.

“How did you know I was about to get hungry? I barely know when I’m about to get psychotic.”

Will laughed.

“You’re very easy to read that way. You get very angry immediately before hunger sets in. But it does take some getting used to, remembering what it’s like to have to eat so many times a day, how much you have to sleep at night—all your little idiosyncrasies.”

I stopped and raised an eyebrow.

“You do sleep …
right
?”

He shook his head.

“No.”

“Are you serious?” I gasped as I reached for the crusty French bread.

“I don’t require food either, remember.”

“So? What do you
do
at night?”

I held up my hand, rethinking my question.

“Wait. Do I want to know?”

“Probably not. … Have you heard any legends of the incubus and succubus?”

“Vaguely,” I said as I started on the pasta, which was insanely good.

“
According to a number of myths and legends, a male—or female—demon would sneak into the sleeping chambers of unsuspecting people in order to seduce them and drain their vitality.”

“Creepy,” I shuddered.

“But based in truth.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

I swallowed.

“Does that mean you’ve been sneaking into my room at night—I mean before I found out about it?” I asked, setting down my fork and trying to pull away from him.

He kept me still with one hand and used the other to catch my chin in a blindingly fast motion.

“Yes. But it was to keep you safe.”
He paused. “I also find it rather peaceful watching you sleep, Aven.”

I pulled away and shook my head, jumping up from the sofa.

“That is seriously
wrong
!”

“Why?”

“Lots of reasons!” I sputtered.

“Which are?”

“That’s a huge invasion of privacy! You did it without my permission! Plus … My
dad
! He’s just down the hall!

“Do you think your father could catch me off guard?” Will asked with a crooked smile.

“No,” I grumbled.

“I apologize for watching you without your permission, but I couldn’t think of a rational explanation to give you for why I was watching you. Can you think of one?”

I laughed suddenly, surprising myself.

“A rational explanation for you sneaking into my house and watching me sleep? No, I can’t think of one.”

Then something else occurred to me.

“Why did you come to my house on Friday then?” I asked, changing the subject, if not to a more comforting one. “I mean, wasn’t it risky?”

“It was a calculated risk. I thought it was better to watch over you even in my compromised state rather than leave you unprotected.”

Reaching out swiftly, Will pulled me back onto the sofa with him.

“But you could have done that from outside my house,” I said before I could stop myself.

“Yes, but I also wanted to be near you, not only because of the craving, but because … I was drawn to you in a way I couldn’t comprehend. At first, I thought it was merely your energy. I had never given much weight to the emotion of love, having always attributed people’s heightened emotional response to lust. That, or purely a human delusion. But watching you, listening to you, talking to you—I felt something that I had never experienced before.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t lust?” I grinned cheekily.

He smiled.

“Equal parts lust and love? And does this mean you’re done with schoolwork for the evening?”

Will closed the book he had been studying, and I realized it was one of the many from his shelves, not our U.S. History textbook.

“Yes, all finished with schoolwork,” I said, imitating his cadence. “Now I have a million questions for you.”

“Because you enjoy hearing of scary monsters?”

I gave him a withering look.

“You are
not
a monster. Stalker? Definitely.”

“And has it occurred to you that I might want to know more about you?”

I blinked.

“There’s not much to tell.
I
haven’t existed for more than two centuries,” I pointed out.

Will took one of my hands in his and traced the skin lightly, making goose bumps appear.

“My turn for questions.”

“Fine,” I smiled. “Ask away. I told you, there’s not much to tell.”

“When did you first realize you were different from other people?”

I swallowed and looked down. I hadn’t expected
that
kind of question.

“I had a funny feeling for years,” I smiled bitterly. “I had a lot of problems in large groups of people. It always felt like I knew when people were lying. I would get physical symptoms when other people got sick even if I wasn’t.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “But the first time I
knew
there was something wrong with me was night my mom died.

I looked up at him.

“That night I woke up … and I
knew
something had happened. I felt her pain. Later, they said she died instantly, but I knew the truth.”

I didn’t realize I was crying until Will pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in his shirt and let the emotion flow out of me, stuff I had kept bottled up, never showing anyone—not even my dad. A sob escaped my throat as Will rocked me gently. Finally, after several minutes I turned my head and looked out the window. All I could see was blackness—no trees. I hiccupped and then gasped.

“What time is it?” I mumbled.

I pulled back, swiping at my cheeks and nose as I looked around for a clock. Will handed me a cloth handkerchief, and I wiped my face.

“It’s half-past ten.”

I jumped out of his arms.

“It’s ten-thirty at night? We have school tomorrow! I should have been home getting ready for bed an hour ago. Sean’s coming to pick me up in the morning!”

Will paused.

“I thought perhaps you would stay here tonight.” My eyes widened. “I’ll have you to school on time. I promise.”

He flashed a blindingly white smile.

“Spend the night?
Here
? With
you
?” I glanced wildly around the room—like I was going to find an invisible witness to this ludicrous suggestion.

“I’ll behave myself. I promise,” Will said, his eyes burning with an intensity that made my resolve weaken.

“My dad would kill me if he knew.”

There was actually a growing list of reasons why my dad would never let me out of the house, if he knew about them.

“I’ll have Darcy back at your house before your father comes home tomorrow. Please. Just for tonight,” he said.

His voice was low and seductive, his eyes continuing to burn away any capacity I had to make a cogent argument.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” I said, but my voice trembled.

“You don’t trust me?”

“I don’t trust
me
! I mean, I thought that last night was some kind of crazy dream when I woke up with you in my room. … A lot has changed in less than twenty-four hours.”

My entire life has changed
, I realized.

“Yes,” he conceded.

I frowned, knowing I wasn’t going to say no, because right now I couldn’t even imagine going back home. I sighed and shook my head, resigned.

“I give up.”

“Thank you.”

Will’s eyes were an endless, liquid blue as he stared down at me. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him what I would wear to sleep, but he had already disappeared into a walk-in closet. He returned a moment later with a T-shirt, which I guessed would reach my knees—and a pair of pink panties from my dresser at home.

“Did you take these from my room?” I squeaked, my cheeks probably the same shade as my hair as I snatched them from him.

“I did.”

“Were you
planning
on keeping me here all night?”

“Perhaps I was hoping,” he smiled. “Does that make me an optimist?”

“No! Like I said, more like a stalker,” I growled before stomping toward the bathroom.

When I looked back before closing the door, he was arranging himself fluidly on the couch with the copy of
For Whom the Bell Tolls
from my bag.

I shuddered and thought:
Nothing ends well
.

In the bathroom, there was a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste on the vanity. I brushed my teeth diligently before washing my face, and after changing into Will’s ridiculously long T-shirt, I stepped back into the bedroom and stopped cold. Reclined on the couch like he had never moved, Will was wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms—and no shirt. When he looked up from the book, I scowled at him.

“I thought you were going to behave yourself,” I accused.

“What did I do?”

He looked truly puzzled by my agitation.

“Don’t you own any shirts?”

“I do, yes,” Will said, laughing. “Shall I put one on?”

“Yes, please.”

I felt excessively prim, but the sight of Will sitting there shirtless, his perfection staggering, was more than my nerve-endings could take, given I was about to sleep … in his bed, which he didn’t use. Will crossed the room and returned wearing a shirt like the one I was wearing. It fit him much better than it did me, straining across his broad shoulders.

“Better?” Will smiled.

“Much.”

My heart rate was still through the roof, and it was distressing to know that Will could probably sense my heightened agitation as he glided up to me, stopping just a breath away. Even worse, I was afraid he could sense my attraction to him, which felt like it was coming off of me in waves. I wanted him to kiss me again, and I knew that it wasn’t a good idea.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice revealing the slightest amount of tension.

I nodded and walked quickly—and nervously—to the bed.

“Do you mind if I stay with you while you fall asleep?” Will asked, his voice momentarily uncertain.

I shook my head and felt my stomach flipping like I was on a roller coaster. He appeared beside me and pulled back the covers. Then he lifted me into the bed before getting in and pulling me against him. I shivered at the otherness of his skin. He didn’t feel hot, he didn’t cold—he just felt perfect and
other
.

“Are you cold?” Will asked.

“No,” I whispered.

My skin burned anywhere it touched Will’s, and the house remained very warm.

“Aven, if you wake up and I’m not here, don’t be frightened. You will be safe here.”

I nodded against his chest. How odd it was to be here in Will’s arms. Again. It was more than I had ever imagined possible. It felt like we were the only two people in existence, but we weren’t. A shockwave went through me as I remembered something he had said.