Forbidden Touch (4 page)

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Chapter 4

Mitch walked to his bedroom, but she stayed in the living room and felt for the couch with her eyes closed. She sat down and put her head on her knees as she took in several deep breaths. Her breathing was loud, but Mitch had already turned his stereo on in the bedroom. This was a nightly thing of his, and she had no clue how the hell he slept with the thing up so loud. He actually had it set to shut off when it was time for him to get up the next morning. It was a little backward, she thought, but if it worked for him, and it seemed to, then she couldn't really give her opinion.

That had been a little too close. Mitch had definitely sensed her presence. She had to make up her mind what she was going to do about him. She would try one more thing. She would actually talk to him in his dream, and let him know what she wanted him to do about the killer. Which was nothing, but if he quit the case then she wouldn't have an excuse to pursue him further. Not that the excuse she had now would be a good one if the Elders found out what she was doing.

She walked to his bedroom and waited patiently for him to fall asleep. It didn't take long, he really was tired. She feared the dreams weren't letting him get the deep sleep that his body required.

His breathing became heavy, and soon he fell into R.E.M. She laid down beside him on the bed and just looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to do this. She was almost positive of the outcome. She knew him inside and out, and she had done what was illegal here in the states, for her kind anyway. She was almost positive that she loved this mortal. There were other places in the world where vampires and mortals could be together, and she closed her eyes briefly and imagined that she and Mitch lived in one of those places.

She felt sad as she opened her eyes and looked at his sleeping form. She did know that he slept nude, and there were numerous times she had stripped down to nothing and laid beside him, wishing they could be together like that for always. She'd even been brave enough once to touch his cheek with her hand. His features had softened and relaxed under her palm, like her hand belonged there. She swore she would never do it again. It was too much of a temptation. She would only want to touch him more and more. And she was right. It was almost more than she could bear to only lay there and not touch him.

She closed her eyes and sighed, then entered his brain waves.

It surprised her when she opened her eyes in his dream. There was an image there of herself. He'd conjured up his own dream about her. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand as her eyes misted over again. She didn't have to do this tonight. She could sit back and watch what his subconscious wanted to do with her.

She watched as he touched her so tenderly. It was the first time, she thought, that he was getting this privilege. She had never allowed him to touch her in his dreams. It was clear that he wanted to. He moved slow, maybe afraid that she would disappear, or maybe he thought she would all of a sudden be covered in blood.

She didn't enjoy making him suffer, but they couldn't be together. She couldn't pretend to be mortal anymore than the sun could pretend to be a moon. She missed the sun. Being invisible in the daylight wasn't the same as feeling the heat on your skin and the light on your face.

"What's your name?" he asked her. "I need to know who you are."

She smiled up at him but didn't speak a word. He didn't know her name, so his subconscious wouldn't know it either. She couldn't stand this anymore. She was either going to have to tell him the truth and suffer the consequences, or get out of his head. She couldn't stand here and watch him touch her, knowing that it wasn't really her he was touching. It was maddening.

She decided to go through with it. She would always wonder what would have happened if she didn't.

She took a step forward, then she heard a beep. It was her cell phone on her body lying beside Mitch's. She'd forgotten to silence it. Damn it! She was glad it hadn't rung earlier, when he was awake and paranoid. He would have really thought he was going crazy then. He looked up and saw her. He had heard it too, and was puzzled by the sound. She knew he was thinking that he should wake up, but seeing that he had two of her in his dream, made him want to stay here. She could see the seductive look he was giving her. She had seen that same look in many of his other dreams, and that was always her cue to shower herself with blood. She couldn't let him touch her for real. It would be too much. She wouldn't ever be strong enough to leave him after she felt his touch.

The phone beeped again, letting her know that she had an urgent message from someone. Damn! "I'm sorry Mitch. I have to go."

He reached out for her. "No, don't!" he shouted, but she was already going, leaving his mind.

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Chapter 5

She opened her eyes and jumped off the bed. As soon as her feet touched the floor, Mitch shot upright. He looked all around him as she struggled to find her cell phone. She was just about to press the button to put it on silent mode when it beeped again. She went ahead and silenced it, then went perfectly still in the dark corner of his bedroom. She wasn't breathing, but his eyes were on her, or where he thought someone was.

"Who's there?" he asked.  He got out of bed, pulled on some gym shorts, turned on the light, then hit the power button on the stereo. He was positive that he'd heard a cell phone notification. His phone didn't sound like that, so it couldn't be his. He stared at the corner where he'd heard the noise, but there was nothing there that he could see. It may have been the music from the radio, but he didn't think so.

He walked closer to her and she tensed. He couldn't see her, but he would be able to feel her if he touched her. She wouldn't hurt him, but he had her cornered. Her breath hitched with the sob that was threatening to come out, and he froze.

He stood there and looked at empty air for a long time. He knew there was something there that his eyes couldn't see. The sound had been feminine, and that person he was hearing had been lying in his bed beside him. It hadn't hurt him yet, so maybe it didn't plan on it. He wondered if it was the woman from his dreams. His features changed to eagerness. He had to know if it was her.

"Talk to me, please," he whispered. "Are you her? Are you the woman in my dreams? Why are you scared of me? I won't hurt you," he pleaded.

He was only a few inches from her now, but she actually had to smile with what he'd said to her last. He couldn't hurt her physically. She lost her smile.
But he will crush my soul if he looks at me the way he does when I'm covered in blood in his dreams.

He brought his hands up slowly. If she moved, he would know she was there. If she stayed there in that spot, he would also know she was there, because he would feel her with his hands. Damn. Why didn't she think to silence her phone before she came here? She was caught, and there was nothing she could do about it. She could get by him and run out of here. He would know she'd been there, but he wouldn't know who or what she was. There wasn't another option.

She dropped to the floor a half a second before he touched her shoulder. She rolled a little, then was on her feet, down the hall, and out of his front door before he knew what had happened. She had left the door open, and she knew that he would come and close it. But what would the look on his face be like? She had extraordinary hearing, and she could hear him in his bedroom still. She wished she could just appear back in his room to see what expression he wore on his face, but she didn't have the skill to dematerialize her body.

She heard him growl, and a few moments later it sounded like something broke against a wall. She put her hand to her forehead. She had done the right thing. She hadn't revealed herself to him, so her kind would still be safe; her family wouldn't have to kill her.

Mitch was on his knees in his bedroom, and he was so full of rage he couldn't see straight. He knew she was there, and if it wasn't her, it was something. Something was the right answer. Humans couldn't make themselves invisible like that. That thing had been in his apartment when he felt he was being watched earlier. What the hell was it? Was it the serial murderer that had been draining people of their blood in the city?

He jumped to his feet and grabbed his Glock from his bedside table, then walked cautiously down the hall. He peered around the corner. The door of his apartment was wide open. He knew he'd thrown all the locks after Brad had left. So this is how it had gotten out. But how had it gotten in? Had it come in when Brad had?

He glanced at the clock on his stove. It hadn't been long since he'd gone to bed. It was only 10:33 p.m. He peeked around the edge of the hall wall again. There was no one there. Well, at least there was no one there that he could see.

He pointed his pistol toward the door then walked toward it slowly. He couldn't hear any noise coming from the hall, but then again, he couldn't hear anything while in his room until the thing had moved either. He still felt like he was being watched, so he carefully walked out in the hall. "Are you here?" Nothing but silence. He lowered the gun. If the thing had meant him harm, he was sure he would be hurting right now. He took a few deep breaths then spoke again. "Look, I'm putting my weapon away." He slowly placed the gun at the small of his back, half in, half out of his shorts. He held up his empty hands. "I only want to talk to you. Please, just show yourself. I won't hurt you. I promise."

She stood only a few feet in front of him, but he was unaware. He was saying that he wouldn't hurt her again. If he only knew the things she could do to him.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "If you don't show yourself now, don't come back in my apartment. It's really creepy when someone is watching you and you can't see them."

She still said, or did, nothing.

"Fine. Leave me the hell alone then. I have enough problems without having to deal with a ghost, too." He turned, walked in his apartment, and slammed the door.

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Chapter 6

Mitch walked back through his kitchen, took his gun out of his shorts, and laid it on the kitchen counter. He rubbed his face with his hands, then ran his fingers through his hair. "Damn it!" He swung at the empty air in front of him, realizing what he really needed was a punching bag. He needed to hit something, and if he went to the bar
that something
would end up being some guy's face. But if he stayed here…God, he would go crazy. He shook his head and grabbed his white t-shirt off the living room floor. After throwing it on, he grabbed his keys to his unmarked. The motorcycle would be too cold with shorts on, but his blood was so hot right now, he didn't think he would notice it much. Still, he didn't need to be on only two wheels with the shape his head was in. He grabbed his pistol and stuck it back where it had been in his shorts.

He locked his door on his way out, but he didn't, for one second, think it would keep the thing out if it really wanted to get into his apartment. Well, it would keep the burglars out, hopefully, he thought as he took the stairs instead of the elevator. He needed to blow off some steam, and standing in a fucking box, even for a minute, wasn't going to let him do that.

She watched him come back out and hit the stairwell door with a little too much force. He was angry with her. She had heard him swear when he went back in his apartment. She wanted to follow him and show herself and make everything better. She wished she hadn't been such a coward. Why didn't she just show herself to him? Nobody was going to find out.

Just then her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She had forgotten to check the text that blew her cover. It had better be damn important, she thought as she opened it. It was from Daneian, her Brother. It was short, but certainly not sweet. She read the text that made her heart skip a beat and shatter her whole world. "
Asabel followed you. Mom and Dad know everything. Come home now. They are pissed. Love you, Dane.
"