The Forbidden: A Huntress Novel (The Huntress Series Book 1) (20 page)

“I was beginning to worry you ran off.”

I opened my eyes and there was Lucas standing in the most beautiful scenery I have ever laid eyes on. He was standing in a golden wheat field and the most unusual looking trees weren’t that far away. The trees leaves were different colors, there were red trees, and magenta colored trees, even blue and purple. They were all around me and it was mesmerizing. Birds took flight as they flew farther away into the purple and pink sky, but there wasn’t any clouds and no sun, and it was still daylight out. How could a world as beautiful as this belong to the most foul creatures I know?

“Welcome to my world.”

“It’s beautiful.”

He grabbed my hand and tugged. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

I walked through the wheat field with my free hand gliding over the tips of the wheat below me. He had a red and white plaid blanket laid out underneath the blue leaved tree. There was a picnic basket in the center of the blanket with a white and orange cat rubbing against it.

“So I get a picnic and a cat.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “The cat’s not a present…well he’ll be yours also if you make the right decision about us.”

I leaned down and scratched behind his ear. “What’s his name?”

“Chester.”

“Athena, what do you think that is?” He pointed to a small red fruit on the tree.

In fact, the tree was filled with these fruits, but they weren’t a fruit I could place.

I furrowed my brows. “Uh, cherries?”

“Reach up and pick one off.”

I pulled one off a tree branch and held the tiny fruit in my palm.

“Yeah, definitely not a cherry.”

Right before my eyes the small fruit began to grow until it took form into a big red apple. I gasped. “How did it do that?”

He laughed. “My sister made all of these trees. She made the sky purple and pink, she turned the sun away and was still able to give us light. She is the reason this apple will grow only after being plucked.”

I smiled. The apple had me thinking about how Eve ate fruit from the garden.

Eve and I both have one thing in common; we can’t resist what is forbidden.

“I am Eve and you are the forbidden fruit.”

He smiled and grabbed the apple. “I will be your forbidden fruit anytime.”

“So she’s a witch, huh…I thought she was an immortal.”

“She’s half witch and half vampire.”

“And you’re not?”

“Nope.”    

“You don’t give much away,” I mumbled.

His brows raised. “Neither do you.”

He bit into the apple and immediately the apple began to bleed red.

“Is that-?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat as my stomach turned. I knew exactly what was inside that apple and the funny thing is, I didn’t expect it. Pretty stupid of me considering I know that blood is what they feed off of.

As he closed his eyes and savored the taste, I backed away afraid that he would want my blood next.

Chapter Twenty-One

His eyes were dark and filled with hunger as he reached out to grab my hand.

I smacked him away. “No.”

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath shaking his head. He opened his eyes and all of the bloodlust that was once present washed away. He does have good control over his urges, he has to keep it under control for me.

“I’m sorry. I should have known better.” His voice was hoarse.

He looked down at the apple as he cleared his throat.

Holding the apple up, he shrugged. “Blood apple.”

He spun around and threw it into the nearby tree where it exploded.

I crawled on the blanket and opened the picnic basket. I decided not to dwell on the blood apple, I was vulnerable and dependent on him here so I didn’t need any heated arguments while in the enemies territory.

He sat beside me and ran his hand over Chester’s back.

There were at least ten sandwiches stuffed in the basket, not to mention the many snacks he packed also.

“Good to know I wasn’t going to go hungry.”

I opened up a soda and took out a chicken salad sandwich.

“My sister prepared the food, I didn’t know what you liked so she made everything she could think of.”

Human food in an immortal world…I never would have thought. “Let’s see, there’s a B.L.T, and a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato on it. Oh and there’s cookies, and chocolate cake and plenty of other deserts. I really can’t eat all of this.”

“You don’t have to. I wanted you to have a variety that’s all.”

“So, Mr. Comedian, I want to know how you managed to sneak inside my bedroom twice without the hunters feeling your presence.”

“My sister.”

“That’s it. That’s all you’re going to say?”

I bit into my sandwich and leaned against the tree.

“I told her my situation with you and how I needed to get inside the manor so she helped me appear as a human.”

I smirked. “And it worked like a charm. Is she the one that knows of the dreams?”

He nodded. “She can see into the future when she wants to. She especially likes to dabble into mine, that’s how she discovered you. She knew about you before I even did but she didn’t tell me of your existence until after I started dreaming of you. She told me that my soul was calling yours and was determined to have you, so it sought you out in a dream.”  

“Has it happened to a lot of vampires?”

“It only happens when we need a push to find our life-mate. It happens when certain situations are complex and keep us apart.” 

“Your sister must be a very powerful person to be able to tap into a person’s future.”

“We shouldn’t talk about her; she is able to sense when her name is being said and she will show up.”

I sipped on my soda and shrugged. “So what’s wrong with that?”

His brows raised. “She’s not a fan of your kind. She doesn’t support my decision to be bound to you. It’s not like I have a choice anyway, when I’m away from you I can’t get you out of my head.”

“I know that feeling.”

He crawled over to where I sat, pushed me on my back, and laid on top of me. He smiled as he ran his hand through my hair.

“What?”

“You didn’t shove me away, or scold me for touching you.”

“I know,” I mumbled.

“Why is that? Could I be growing on you?”

I tore my gaze from his breathtaking eyes. “I didn’t handle the separation between us well.”

“You do it to yourself. If I had it my way, you would already be mine.”

I shook my head and sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“You are strong enough to beat them. If you decide to be with me, you will win against the reapers.”

“The reaper’s are my family.”

“But I’m everything you need.”

He sat up and took me with him pulling me on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“At this very moment, are you happy?”

I have been nothing but miserable since our fight and now that I have him here with me the hole that was present in my heart is no longer. He is right, I do need him...I need him more than my reaper family.

“Yes, because of you.”

He slowly trailed his fingers up and down my back sending shivers throughout my wanting body. The tips of our noses touched as I closed my eyes savoring the feel of his hands.

“You want me?” He asked.

My eyes snapped open as I gazed upon him with my brows pinched together. I do want him, I always have and he knows it…he just has to hear it.

“You don’t have to be afraid to want me, Athena.” He whispered.

He parted his lips and brushed them against my own before taking my bottom lip in his mouth and gently biting it. I gasped as pleasure shot through me. My heart began to race as the lust inside of me intensified. I wanted him to bite my lip again, in fact, I wanted his bites all over my body.

“Choose me and let yourself love me,” He whispered.

When we stopped meeting up and I refused to talk to him after his stunt I fell into a depression. I didn’t like being without him, I felt like a part of me was missing and I didn’t know how to fill the hollow spot in my heart. When we finally saw each other again, the sorrow faded and I felt complete. I felt the connection we shared again and I realized then that he was meant for me and that I was so in love with him. I want to be happy and being with him is the only way I will truly be happy. I’m finally ready to love him…it’s time that I let my heart win. He is mine and I will forever be his. It doesn’t matter that he is a vampire or my enemy anymore because I will fight anyone who dares try to stand in the way of spending the rest of my life by his side.

I placed my hands on either side of his face. “I love you, Lucas.”

His eyes widened in shock. He didn’t expect me to give in so easily and I’m sure he was ready to fight me on it.

“What about your family?”

“I love being a huntress and I love my reaper family but if I gave you up I would forever be miserable. I already tried to forget about you and push you away once but all I succeeded in doing is hurting myself. I need you by my side always.”

I took his bottom lip in my mouth and gently bit him, just like he had done to me. His breath hitched, he grasped my hair tilted my head back and claimed my lips. His lips were soft but cold, chilling my lips as they moved against mine. His lips were urgent and hard against mine as if they longed to touch my own after I had deprived him of me for so long. Now that he could finally claim me, he still wasn’t fully satisfied.

I started to unbutton his shirt when he grabbed it and ripped it open. The buttons came flying off of his shirt and landing in the grass. He was too eager and impatient for this moment so he was rushing it, but I wanted to take it slow. I wanted to savor my first time with him.

“Hey, don’t rush.”

He let out a breath. “It’s not easy when I’ve wanted you for so long. It’s your fault.”

“It is my fault, but now that I am giving in to you I don’t want it to be over far too soon.”

He ran his fingers down my arms as he kissed my lips. “Okay, you want slow, then I’ll give you slow.”

I smiled. “Good.”

I leaned down and left a trail of kisses on his chest, his neck, until finally reaching his lips. He ran his hand through my hair grasping it tightly as he deepened the kiss.

My heart raced and my body grew warm and needy as the lust and excitement built up inside of me.

“Sweet enough for you?” He teased.

I smiled. “I don’t know it could get sweeter.”

“Your wish is my command.”

He leaned in and gently nipped his way across my neck as he slowly unzipped the back of my dress and pulled it down to my waist. He picked me up and laid me on my back placing a kiss on my lips before moving downward. He left trails of kisses over my chest going down to my stomach.

I gasped as he ran his tongue over my stomach gently nipping at my hipbone.

He slid my dress down my legs and threw it to the side before stripping off the rest of his clothes. I grabbed him and pulled him to me. I shivered as his cold body covered my warm one. Our lips met and this time his kiss was slow and gentle and sweet…just how I wanted it. I closed my eyes letting myself get lost in the feel of his lips, his hands, and his body all over mine. I was finally free. I wasn’t holding back anymore and it felt so good to let myself finally feel his love. My desire to have him was finally satisfied and because of that every kiss and every caress was magic.

****

I laid in his arms as we gazed up at the night sky. The pink and purple that painted the sky before was taken over by a midnight blue. The stars were big, bright, and beautiful.

“When did you become a huntress?”

“I started my training when I was ten years old, but I wasn’t allowed to go hunting until I was fifteen.”

“And the powers, how did that come about?”

“My Uncle Nolan and Livi are scientists. They are obsessed with their jobs and it took them forty-seven times to make an experiment that turns humans into super reapers. Basically the goal was to give our hunters the strength and agility to go up against an immortal.”

“Well it worked because you guys have been our main fear when we step into your world. Every day more and more of my kind leave and they never return. You can do a lot of damage with your powers.”

“Well your kind sure did do a lot of damage to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I was a baby a vampire killed my mother. Your kind took away any chance I had of getting to know her and experiencing a mother, daughter bond. She is the reason my father formed our society.”

He scowled. “He didn’t tell you?”

My brows pulled together as I turned my eyes to him. “Tell me what?”

He turned his gaze back to the sky. “Never mind.”

“You’re hiding something from me. You always seem to hide something from me.”

“It’s not my place to say anything. If you want answers about your mother, then you need to ask your dad.”

I shrugged and averted my eyes away from his, focusing on the stars. “He made it a priority of his to completely forget about her. I wasn’t a loud to ask any questions about her, the only thing I do know is that I look a lot like her.”

“I’m sorry you lost your mother.”

“It’s okay. She was gone before I even had a chance to get to know her. I just wonder what it would be like if she was still here.”

“You wouldn’t be a reaper, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

He sat up and pointed to the sky. “Look.”

A shooting star flew across the night sky.

“Make a wish.” I said.

He leaned down and cupped my chin. “My wish already came true.” 

As my heart melted; he claimed my lips.