Page 21 of Liberty
She emerged a few minutes later with wet hair down her back and the cutest little set of matching sleep shorts and a tank top. The sight made my throat dry, and my fangs tingle in my gums. I’d never wanted to drink so badly in my entire existence until her. Until Liberty. That just added to the pile of questions that already plagued me.
I grabbed a pink fuzzy pillow and placed it in my lap, trying to hide from view just how much I wanted her at this exact moment. “That was quick.”
“Well, there’s a stranger on my couch so . . .”
I got her point. There was absolutely no trust between us, not like I expected it. I knew full well what we were; I had no illusions. The world, with all their myths and theories, spread the word like wildfire. Monsters. We were monsters, and once you’re labeled a monster, it’s nearly impossible to move past it.
“Stranger or not, if we wanted to hurt you, we would have done it by now. No use rushing because of me.” I felt her hesitate. She was still unsure despite my reassurance.
“No offense, but your comfort doesn’t feel so comforting to me.”
I watched as she pulled her long hair over her shoulders, braiding the wet strands. I’d never really cared for black hair. When you have black hair yourself, it wasn’t nearly as exotic. But as I watched her pale fingers expertly fold the hair, I suddenly saw the appeal.
I watched on, unable to take my eyes off her. “It seems like we will be spending a lot of time together until this gets figured out.” Possibly forever, but I left that part out. My hopes had no room in this situation. “Any information you’d like to share with us?”
“Do you always look at everyone so suspiciously?” She walked into her tiny kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before she closed it. Then opened it and grabbed another before tossing it to me.
“Mostly. Yes. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life. I trust no one,” I admitted. “It’s why I like to be alone, mostly.”
“You don’t get lonely?” she asked, her head tilted to the side.
“Incredibly so. But it’s better that way.” I twisted the cap off and took a drink, downing half the bottle in one sitting.
“You can’t believe that.” She scowled.
“How many people have you loved in this lifetime?” I questioned as I recapped my bottle.
She sat in a chair to my right, bringing her feet under her to relax. “My parents died when I was five. I lived with my dad’s sister after that.”
“I watched the heartbreak of my parents when I never came home. I couldn’t, not like this, so I watched them grow old from a distance. I watched them die. Then my sister, followed by my two brothers. After that, I fell in love. Four times. But how long do you think love can last when you’re like this? When you’re a monster like we are? When this lust for the consumption of blood constantly lives inside of you, even when you hope and pray it will one day just disappear? I’ve made friends. Acquittances. Connections. But it’s more heartbreak, one painful piece at a time. It’s broken trust and promises, devastation and disappointment. Then you think I’ll end it. You know, because you’ve seen it all, lived it all, and there is only so much you can take. But the funny thing about carrying a curse as heavy as this one is there is no way out. I physically can’t kill myself. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’m permanently compelled to not stake myself in the fucking heart. Two hundred fucking years, and you would think this guy could find a way around it? But I can’t. You can’t hire someone; you can’t even hint it because it’s all about intent. Magic, curses, summons, all of it is about fucking intent.”
She bit her lip. “I didn’t know.”
“I never assumed you did.” I peeled at the label on the bottle. “But to answer your question, don’t I get lonely? There is nothing lonelier than living this life.” I shouldn’t have said all that I did, but I couldn’t help it. There was just something about this girl I couldn’t resist. Something about her that pulled all my truths out of me. Now, she just watched me, and I could feel the pity pouring off her. “I don’t want your fucking pity, Liberty. I just want to go back to being alone and peaceful, like I was before this shit all started unfolding.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Fuck, but those words hit me right in the chest. Like a searing knife splitting through my flesh. I could feel her hurt and sadness, which didn’t help any. I sighed, “I didn’t mean it as it sounds, I’m sorry. It’s just the more I’m around people, the more I realize I really shouldn’t be. You would think after all this time, I would learn some people skills, but here we are, the Beauty and the Beast.”
“I may not get this whole situation, but I don’t think you’re a beast. Any of you.”
I felt the truth in her words, and I knew she believed them. But I also knew if given a few more hours, possibly days, she would change her tune. Knowing we drank blood and witnessing it are two different things. And don’t even get me started on how tempting it would be to have her partake in it with us, and I didn’t even fucking drink from the source.
As if she read my mind, her eyes flitted over me as she asked, “So, blood, eh? What’s that like?”
Let’s just hit every touchy subject while we sit here, shall we? “It sucks.” She giggled. “What’s so funny?”
“Come on; you can’t make a pun like that unintentionally.”
What was she talking about? “Huh?”
She deepened her voice to mock me, “It sucked.” When I still didn’t get it, she added, “You know, because you’re a vampire. Vampires suck blood. Come on; I know you’re smarter than this.”
I tried to fight a smirk, but it broke free at how incredibly cute she was. “Let me rephrase that; I hate it.”
“Well, I can’t imagine anyone loves it,” she replied.
“After all this time, I don’t think it bugs Sterling as much as it does Oak and me.” Not saying Sterling was heartless, but he was the more callous of the three. He always had been.