The Darkest Song (The Eternal Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

W e drove further into town and there were people everywhere. I watched them as we drove past and though I didn’t feel an uncontrollable need to feed, I was definitely wound tight. I felt excited and alert.

“This must be how a cat feels, watching birds through the window,” I murmured as we drove past a group of people.

Adam parked on the side of the road and came around to open my door. He took my hand as I climbed down and I gripped him tightly. A couple of guys were walking towards us. They were talking and laughing, totally unaware of the danger they were in.

“Look at me,” Adam said. I turned away from the men and met Adam's eyes. “Don’t make me give you another lesson in patience.” He slid his free hand down my hip and grabbed the fabric of my dress in his fist, bunching it up, raising the hem several inches.

I leaned forward and lifted up on my toes to press my lips to his. He deepened our kiss, sliding his tongue into my mouth, and I moaned against him. He stepped closer, pressing me back with his body until I was pinned between him and the side of the truck.

“Yeah buddy! Give it to her!” One guy shouted as they walked by. His friend burst out laughing.

Adam lifted his head and looked down at me. “I intend to, but first we’re going dancing.”

When we approached the club, it became obvious that I was underdressed. Adam fit in with his navy button-down shirt and dark jeans, but I stood out like a sore thumb in my new sundress. The women waiting to get in were all wearing tight mini dresses with dangerously high heels.

Adam led me to the front of the line, handed the bouncer some cash, and we went straight inside.

We’d been able to hear the music from outside, but inside, with my vampire hearing, it was deafening. I raised my hands to cover my ears, but Adam grabbed them and lowered them, leaning close to speak into my ear.

“Focus your senses,” he said, his lips grazing my earlobe. “Focus on my voice and let the rest fall to the background.”

I nodded, even though I had no idea how to do that.

He let go of my wrists and placed his hands on my hips. He pressed his body against mine and began to sway to the music.

“You look absolutely delicious in that dress, by the way,” he said against my ear. “Later I'm going to bite every one of those little buttons off, and feast on what's underneath.”

He began moving, guiding my body backwards until we were in the middle of the dance floor. “I'm going to bury my face between your thighs and finally do what I’ve been dreaming about ever since I met you.” He pressed a thigh between my legs and I rocked against it. His hands grabbed my ass and pulled me tighter.

“I’m going to lick you, so slowly, until you beg me to stop.” He nipped at my earlobe again and I rocked harder against his thigh. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tight. The noise from the club faded away until it was just us. It was just his voice in my ear, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

“I’m going to push my tongue inside of you,” he continued, as I rocked against his thigh. “Just for a taste, before I fill you with my cock.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. Pressure was building inside of me. Was I seriously going to come in the middle of the crowded dance floor?

“That's it, Sarah,” he whispered. “Let go.”

I rocked against him faster, my hips moving in rhythm with the music. Fuck, I was close already.

“Adam-”

He growled against my neck and my orgasm hit me so hard my legs gave out. He held me up, with his hands still gripping my ass, and rubbed his thigh back and forth against my throbbing pussy.

I gasped, letting my head fall back, then I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His eyes were black but his parted lips revealed no fang. He stepped back just enough to move his thigh from between my legs and slid his hands back up to my waist.

“How are you so in control right now?” I asked, my body still throbbing.

“My control is an illusion,” he said. “I’m a breath away from ripping that dress off you and taking you right here.”

Oh. Damn.

“Is the noise level okay now?” he asked.

It was. When did that happen? God, he was amazing.

“You’re incredible!” I laughed. “I think I lo-” I froze, staring at him with wide eyes. I’d almost said I love you, which was crazy.

Adam stopped moving. He stared at me with such intensity that I couldn’t breathe. Then he slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine. It was as though time stopped and we were the only two souls in the universe. He raised his head and looked down into my eyes. Then one corner of his mouth curled up, and he gripped my hand and spun me around so fast that I shrieked. He caught me again and started swaying to the music.

We danced for hours. For hours without getting tired, without my feet hurting, or without me having to stand in line for the ladies room. I was beginning to see the perks of being a vampire.

Eventually, Adam told me it was time to go, and we left the club with his arm around me. I was leaning into him, laughing at something he’d said when someone bumped into me.

“Excuse me,” the man said.

“No worries,” I replied, even as I felt Adam’s body go tense. He stopped so suddenly I stumbled. I glanced up at him, but he was staring at the man who’d bumped into me. In fact, they were staring at each other.

“New in town?” The stranger casually asked, his eyes on Adam.

“Just passing through,” Adam replied, his face blank.

“You should stay awhile.” The stranger turned his gaze to me. “There are many pleasures to be had.”

Adam’s arm tightened around my waist almost to the point of being painful. My heart was pounding. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew it wasn’t good.

“I’d love to show you around,” he said, still looking at me.

I looked down, avoiding his gaze.

“I’m afraid we have a prior commitment,” Adam said.

“That's a shame,” the man said, finally looking back to Adam. They nodded to each other, and the man continued into the club.

I looked up at Adam. “What just happened?”

“I’ll explain in the truck,” he said tensely. He started walking, pulling me alongside him. He was moving as fast as possible without drawing attention, and I had to jog to keep up. We got back to the truck, and he was peeling away from the curb before I even had my door closed.

“Shit! Adam!” I slammed the door shut and turned sideways on the seat to face him. “What’s wrong?” His jaw was clenched, and he had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. “Was that a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“Are we in trouble?”

“Yes.”

I waited for him to continue but he fell silent. “You need to tell me what's happening, Adam, ‘cause I’m starting to freak out. Was he part of the Strategoi?”

Adam shook his head. “He knows you're a newborn.”

“Which is… bad?”

“Yeah. It's bad. The Strategoi only hears requests for changes once a year, at an annual gathering that takes place in November. So right now he’s wondering how he just met a newborn in May.”

“How could he have known I was a newborn?”

“Newly turned vampires have a distinct smell, half human, half vampire. Over the first few weeks, the human scent gradually wears off until all that’s left is vampire.”

“Maybe he won't tell anyone,” I whispered fearfully.

Adam reached over and took my hand. “He will, Sarah. He’ll do it to prove his loyalty to the Strategoi. To earn their favor.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We run.”

We got home an hour before dawn. It was too late to run. Adam told me we’d have to stay for the day and head out as soon as the sun went down. He sent me up to bed, telling me there were a few things he had to take care of.

I lay in bed, too alert to sleep, jumping at every sound. After a while Adam came in, and I sighed with relief.

“We’ll leave as soon as the sun sets,” he told me as he took his clothes out of the dresser and stuffed them into a large, black duffle bag. “There’s a place in Tennessee. We’ll stop for a night, then move on. We need to get as far from here as possible.” He zipped the duffle bag and kicked off his shoes before climbing onto the bed fully dressed. I had changed out of my sundress into leggings and a t-shirt. I snuggled close to him and he wrapped his arms around me.

“I promise I won't let anything happen to you,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting tears. I should never have stayed with Adam. He was in danger because of me. I needed to find a way to leave him, to keep him safe, but I had no idea how to survive on my own. Where would I even go? My apartment was out, since I was getting evicted. Going home to Allie was out of the question. I’d probably end up attacking her. I racked my mind, trying to form a plan, until I eventually drifted off.