The Original Sin (Skye Morrison Vampire Series, #3) (13 page)

Jameson must have seen the sad but determined look on my face, because he quickly spoke up.  “You can sleep in here, if you want, so you don’t have to wake her.”

I looked up at him and shook my head.  “I can’t sleep in the same bed with you, Jameson.  We just broke up remember?  It would be too weird and confusing for me.”

Jameson’s brow furrowed at the mention of our break up.  He ran his fingers through his shoulder length, silky brown hair and sighed.  “Of course I remember.  How can I forget?  I meant that you could have my bed and I’ll take the couch.  I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

I could tell that my words had hurt him and I started to apologize, but Jameson cut me off.  “Let me just throw some pants on and I’ll be out of here.”

I watched as he fished some jeans off his floor and pull them on.  He grabbed his pillow and an extra blanket from the end of the bed and silently left the room.  I felt terrible for kicking him out of his room and tears began to sting my eyes.  He was still so kind to me even though I had dumped him earlier in the night.  I sniffed, trying to put the memory out of my head as I crawled into bed.

Being in Jameson’s bed, and smelling his scent, brought on a flood of unwanted memories for me.  I remembered all the times we laid in here and talked about life; all the times we made passionate love.

I turned on my side and cuddled up to Styvi as I tried unsuccessfully to push the memories away and fall back asleep.

*****

I awoke a few hours later to scratching at the door.  I sat up in bed and saw Styvi Nix pawing to get out.  She never did that and I figured she had to go to the bathroom, so I got up, dug through Jameson’s drawers and found a pair of his sweats to throw on. 

“Okay, girl,” I yawned tiredly.  “I’m coming as fast as I can.”  She barked and turned around excitedly in a circle.  It was very apparent she wanted out of this room. 

I opened the door and she immediately ran out and down the stairs.  I slowly, sleepily made my way down and into the family room.  I stopped in my tracks when I saw Styvi on the couch next to Jameson.  He was slowly petting her head, obviously haven been woken up by her arrival.

“Come on, girl,” I whispered to her.  “Want to go outside?”

She looked back at Jameson then lay down beside him with a sigh.  I felt my mouth drop open in shock.  Styvi Nix didn’t want to sleep with me; she wanted to sleep with Jameson. 

Jameson looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders before pulling her closer and closing his eyes.

Son of a bitch
, I thought unhappily. 
I’ve been traded in
.

I frowned as I looked at the clock on the microwave. It was 8am and there was no way I could go back to sleep now. 
So much for sleeping late on my Sunday morning.
  I was kind of hurt by her actions, but I shrugged them off and went to make myself some tea.  I quietly put the kettle on and retrieved a mug and a bag of Earl Grey from the cabinet. 

As I waited for the water to boil, I looked over at Jameson and Styvi.  She looked so content to be in his arms and I remembered feeling that way once myself. 
Did I make a mistake by ending our relationship?
  I frowned at second-guessing myself and shook my head. 
No.  He’s a vampire.  You’re done with vampires remember?
 
Trouble and pain?
 

I sighed as I went over to check the kettle.  It was just about to start whistling, so I cut the heat off and poured the hot water into my mug.  I didn’t want to disturb Jameson, so I took my mug outside to enjoy it by the pool.

As I sat down on one of the loungers, I saw Hagan across the yard on his rounds.  I silently nodded my head to him and he returned it with a small smile.

“So are you going to train with me this morning, or are you still too butt-hurt over what happened to you yesterday?” Hagan called over to me with a smirk on his face.

I knew he was trying to get a rise out of me, get me mad enough to want to fight him, so I just smirked back.  The truth was, yes I was still hurt by what they did to me, but I understood better today why they had to do it.  That still didn’t take away or lessen the pain, helplessness, and anger I experienced at their hands

“I’ll meet you downstairs in 20,” I said plainly before taking another sip of my tea. 

Hagan nodded and resumed his patrol of the grounds. 

When I finished my tea, I went to my room and changed into my workout gear.  I put on tight black spandex capris and a yellow sports bra and threw my hair up into a tight bun.  I had learned over the last few weeks to do this because sometimes Hagan liked to incorporate hair-pulling into my training when it got in his way.  After enough times, I learned to secure it tightly to my head.

I brushed my teeth quickly then left my room.  As I tiptoed past Jameson, I heard him and Styvi both lightly snoring.  That brought a smile to my face as I walked into the foyer of the house and hit the buttons on the access panel to gain entry into the basement.

I was first to arrive, so I immediately started warming up.  I stretched my muscles thoroughly using various techniques I had learned over the course of my training.  I quickly found that my standard yoga poses and hammy stretches weren’t going to cut it for this level of physical activity.

I was practicing roundhouse kicks on the punching bag when I heard Hagan speak.

“Your form has really improved, Morrison.”  I turned and saw him descending the stairs two at a time.

I stopped the swinging bag and walked over to the practice mats a few feet away.  “What’s on the agenda for today?”

“I think we’re going to work on your punches,” he said as he cocked one eyebrow at me.  “That display yesterday in the family room with Archer was a disgrace.  I was embarrassed for you.  Your delivery was laughable.”

“Hey!” I huffed unhappily.  “It was in the heat of the moment and I was beyond pissed at him.  I didn’t even know what I was doing until I was on him.  It’s not like I planned the shit nor had any thought to spare for my form.  I wanted to kill him and that’s all I saw.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he growled as he picked up the focus mitts and slipped them on.  “You fought like a screaming child who was in the throes of a temper tantrum and you’re better than that!  I didn’t teach you to fight with your emotions, Morrison, I taught you to fight with your head.  If I ever see you fight like that again I’ll kick your ass myself.”

I hung my head as I bit my bottom lip.  I was angry at his words, but he was absolutely right.  I did fight like a rabid child.  I fought wildly and without thought which went against everything Hagan had been trying to teach me.  “I’m sorry, sir,” I said, looking back up at him; fierce determination and focus in my eyes.  “It won’t happen again.”

“Good girl,” he said sternly as he stood in front of me.  “Now, remember your form and let’s go.”

Two and a half hours later, I was on top of Hagan, straddling his hips, as I delivered elbow strike after elbow strike to his head.  We were fighting for real this time.  Hagan assured me that he could take it, and I fought him as hard and as fiercely as I would have fought Archer yesterday if my head had been in the right place.

Hagan managed to get his arm up and pop me hard in the nose with his palm.  I saw stars but didn’t pay them any mind.  I screamed out with frustrated rage as I reared back and began punching him in the face, imagining that Hagan was actually Hunter helped me channel it better.

Hagan groaned as blood started to fly.  I hammered his face a few times mercilessly before he tried to restrain me.  I had just decided to go in for a choke hold when I heard someone speak behind me.

“Am I interrupting something?” 

I knew that voice well and lifted my head up to see Archer standing at the bottom of the basement stairs.  That one second mistake gave Hagan the opening he needed and I caught a wicked right hook to the jaw which sent me sprawling off of him and onto my back on the mat.

“Fuck!” I yelled out in aggravation as I cradled my jaw and tried to catch my breath.  “Nice timing.”

Hagan stood over me and offered me his hand.  I took it gladly and allowed him to pull me upright.  His nose was bloody and his bruised right eye was healing right before my eyes. 

“Never take your eyes off the enemy, Morrison.  How many times do I have to tell you?”  He sighed deeply before he continued.  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were getting stronger; a whole hell of a lot stronger, actually.”

“I just channeled my rage, like you said to,” I breathed hard.  “Mission accomplished?”

“Mission accomplished,” Hagan chuckled, wiping the blood from his nose.  “I’m going to go get some blood.  We’ll pick this up again tomorrow.”

I nodded my head as I worked my jaw with my hand; It really hurt at the moment.  I turned to Archer and raised my eyebrows.  “You needed something?” I asked, none too happy about his inconvenient interruption.  I had caught one of Hagan’s infamous wicked right hooks because of him.

“Jameson tells me you have plans with Miss St. James to go to your Krav Maga class this afternoon?” he asked as he politely handed me a towel off one of the shelves. 

I wiped my face and was surprised to see blood on the towel.  “Is it mine?” I asked, looking up at Archer and turning my face each way to give him a good look.

“Yes,” he nodded.  “Your nose is bleeding.”

“Dammit,” I sighed as I held the towel to it again.  “Yes, I do plan on going to my class today.  I assume you won’t have an issue with it if I take one of The Faithful with me, am I correct?”

Archer’s muscle worked in his jaw as I saw him thinking it over.  “You are correct,” he said after a few moments.

“Good,” I smiled.  “Just to clarify, I wasn’t really asking your permission and your answer wouldn’t have mattered.  I planned on going anyway.”

“Were you now?” he smiled wickedly and my breath hitched.  It was the same sexy smile he wore in my X-rated dream I had of him last night.

Oh dear
, I thought as my lower abdomen clenched tight.  I remembered the feel of him sliding into me and the delicious pain his girth brought.

“I’ve got to go,” I said hurriedly as I walked past him.

“So soon?” he whined playfully.  “But those memories were just getting good.”

“Stop reading my mind!” I huffed as I ascended the steps to the first floor.

“Stop projecting your dirty fantasies so loudly!” he countered and I couldn’t help the grin I felt spread across my face.

Nearly everyone was in the kitchen or the family room and I said a quick hello as I went to the refrigerator.  I got out a big bottle of water and the breakfast that Gunnar bought me every morning.  Today’s meal was a vegetarian egg white omelet with a croissant and a half a grapefruit.  I popped the omelet into the microwave and hit start as I nibbled on the buttery croissant.

“Someone toss me a bag of blood,” Archer called out from the doorway.  “Miss Morrison is positively begging for a bite this morning with all that bleeding she’s doing.”

I heard a few chuckles from the poker table as Hunter, Lochlan, and Seamus nodded in agreement.

I gave Archer an unamused look and watched as he prowled into the kitchen. 

“My blood is indefinitely off-limits,” I said loud enough for everyone to hear.  “Don’t even think about it.”

Aoife got up from the kitchen table and politely fetched Archer a bag from the refrigerator.  “That’s a crying shame, Skye.  You are pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.”  She licked her lips as she winked at me.  I know the action was supposed to be playful, but it just freaked me out.  I looked around at all the vampires in the room and realized that I was a walking food source for them. 

I shuddered as I moved to the microwave to take my food out, allowing Aoife to heat the bag up for Archer. 
The quicker he has that in his stomach, the faster I can relax
, I thought nervously.

“Where’s Styvi and Jameson,” I asked, noticing they were absent from the gathering.

“Outside,” Trey spoke up as I took a seat across from him at the table.  “Styvi Nix guilted him into a game of fetch over an hour ago.  They’re still going at it,” he said, nodding to the backyard. 

I looked out the window to my right and saw a Frisbee fly across the far part of the yard.  Soon after, Styvi Nix frolicked out and fetched it up, bringing it back to Jameson.  “I wonder who’ll get tired first.”

“Definitely the dog,” Aoife said as she sat back down beside me.  “Jameson is having too much fun.”

Archer took a seat beside Trey and across from Aoife.  He smiled at me as he bit into his bag of blood.  I swallowed thickly as I turned my attention back to my breakfast.

After I cleaned up the kitchen, I made my way to my room and took a hot shower.  As I wrapped up in my towel, I took a good look at my face in the bathroom mirror and blanched.  I had two small black eyes developing and a big bruise on my chin from Hagan’s right hook. 
This’ll be fun to explain to everyone,
I thought unhappily.

I sighed as I grabbed my brush and began detangling my hair.  After the tedious task, I parted it and braided it into two low pigtails.  I quickly made my way to my closet and threw on a short pair of black spandex shorts, a white sports bra and a tight white spaghetti-strap tank top.  My black Reeboks were still in my closet at home, so I made a note to pick them up when we picked up Nikki.  For the time being, I slipped on my black flip-flops and grabbed tonight’s work outfit, my phone, and messenger bag as I turned to go back into the living room.