What Lies Beneath

My eyes opened up, and I remembered the events of last night. Landon tucking me in and kissing my forehead... and me not wearing pants... More awesome than how terrifying that was, was the fact that I was in one of Landon's sweaters. It smelled enough like him to make my heart race as I woke up.

He was on his side, facing me from his bed. He was sleeping still. So I was in the clear to get out of bed without him seeing me pants-less. Hmm. I reached my hand out to the nightstand, then I proceeded to hit the alarm button on the clock. I quickly shut my eyes and lay on my stomach, breathing evenly. I waited for Landon to make a noise before I fake-groaned and sat up.

I

I glared at the clock as I hit the snooze button. "Kind of the last people here to set that..."

Landon was rubbing his eyes, and the blanket fell from him, showing off that damn chest I kinda want to lick. "Yeah. I didn't notice it was set. Sorry."

"No problem." I threw the blanket off me and stepped from the bed. I stretched and sauntered over to my bag, taking far longer than I needed to, getting my clothes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched for Landon gazing at me. When I caught him, I made sure to look like I hadn't noticed. I just accepted the victory and waited for him to push me down onto the bed.

He didn't.

He got out of his bed, and I literally couldn't look at anything but him. The bastard lied about sleeping naked, but the boxer-briefs looked very appealing on him. Though I was sure they would look much better on the floor. "Are you showering?" he asked.

"Yeah." I looked over my shoulder at him as he passed by. "You can go first if you want."

"Thanks." Then he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I waited to hear the lock. I never did.

I set my clothes on the bed and sat against the headboard. I crossed my ankles and hiked up my sweater, just enough to show some serious thigh, thanks to my tearing off the tights last night. If Landon saw it and happen to want to do stuff to me, that was all right.

I waited, pretending to read until he came out. In just a towel. Just... a... towel. Oh, I was burning in a brand new place. Interesting. And painful. I pressed my lips together so that I wouldn't say something stupid. I just stared at my book and most certainly did not think about Landon between my legs. Nope. Not... at... all... Mmm. Oh God.

"All warmed up for you, sweetheart," Landon said, standing in front of his bag. He had to let go of his towel to get clothes, and the damn thing was tied around him. It dropped ever so slightly. Just enough to turn my blood to lava. "Thanks." I got off my bed and took my clothes, almost running to the bathroom.

I turned the shower on and seriously contemplated either making it cold or trying to figure out how to solve this little problem myself. Several problems there. Didn't really know how, being one. One of the many downsides of not having my own bedroom most of the time. And another current issue being that I didn't know how loud I might be. Wouldn't want Landon thinking I was dying and deciding to bust in here. Then I would have to kill myself. Cold shower it was.

I had on short shorts and a very low-cut top. That and a magical push-up bra that had gotten me a lot of free stuff over the years. It was an outfit meant to kill those around me. So I hoped it would work on the undead.

My teeth were chattering on my way back to my bag. I shivered and shoved Landon's sweater in. Because I was fucking keeping it.

"Your lips are blue," he said with a furrowed brow. He was dressed. And I wanted to pout.

I nodded. "Ran out of hot water."

"What? How is that possible?"

I shrugged.

He marched into the bathroom, and I sighed to myself when I heard the water turn on. "It's working now."

"Fuck ton of good that does me."

He came back out. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Huh?"

He eyed me. "Did you take a cold shower on purpose?"

I put on my best dead eyes. "Why would I do that?"

He smiled. "I don't know. Why would you?"

I held my hands up in another shrug. "You can't prove anything."

Then he tilted my head up to him and studied my face. He looked long enough to make my heart beat faster and my skin flush with warmth. His lips curled into a grin that I wanted to taste. He dragged his fingertips along my cheek. "Such a shade of pink."

I waited to see if he was gonna go anything about it. He didn't, and I was so disappointed.

I smiled anyway. "We should head out."

He let go of me. "Yeah. Stay here, and I'll load up the van." He took my bag and his before abandoning me in our room.

I lay on my bed and waited. My eyes closed, and I put my hands behind my head. My mood picked up when I got an image in my head. One of Landon coming back and just taking me like I want him to. I knew in reality, he'd laugh at me. I was still the annoying girl he had to deal with for a few more days before he took off. Still, in my head I could dream.

The door opened, and I didn't notice until Landon was nudging me. "Come along, darlin'."

I sat up and looked up at him. I felt myself frowning, but I got up anyway. Landon snagged me under the arms and sat me down on the dresser. He nudged my knees apart and stood between them. His hands held my face. "Tell me what the hell is the matter."

I was still trying to catch my breath from the lack of warning I'd had. "Nothing is the matter. You always just assume."

"You're a liar. You moody little thing. Is that why you picked this last name?"

I still didn't smile. "We picked it after we watched Harry Potter."

Landon's hands moved down my face and rested on my shoulders, his thumbs brushing my throat. "Just once, I wanna see you in a good mood."

"Once Jaxon is safe, I will be in a very good mood."

His lids fell halfway down. "I'll be gone then."

"Yeah, you will."

He took me in. "I wanna see you in a good mood now. What do I have to do for that?"

My thighs tightened around his legs. "Well, strawberry snack cakes can do the trick but... I don't know. What are you offering?"

He was smirking. "I could tickle you, if you want. Or, I can whisper things in your ear."

"What kind of things?"

Slowly, his eyes moved down my body. "Would you like to find out?"

I nodded.

He moved in, lips tickling my ear. "Your fly is undone."

When he moved back, I looked down. It was fine, so I shoved at him while I laughed. "You're so mean, you giant tease."

He moved just a little closer to me. Enough that he was pressed between my legs. "I will need more blood tonight." He wasn't asking me anything, but it felt like he was waiting for permission.

"Okay." My hands went to his sides, holding him to me. "Would you rather take it now?"

He drew in a slow breath. "No. Not when it'll weaken you before we go. If this turns into a scuffle, then you might need all the strength you can get."

I was disappointed, but I'd let it go for now. I'd get what I wanted later.

My attention snapped back when Landon's hands drifted down. Slowly they went down my sides, pausing to let his thumbs caress the front of my breasts. They ran over the tips, and my breath hitched. My legs opened wider, and Landon ground his pelvis into mine. The friction dragged a sound out of me that was desperate and soft.

My shirt was thin enough that the evidence of my arousal was painfully clear. As if the moan hadn't done that already. Landon smiled and let his hands glide down my back. In a quick movement, he gripped my ass and pulled me forward. My arms went around his neck, fusing my body to his.

His chest pressed against mine as he caught his breath, and I saw two little points behind his parted lips.

I arched up, rubbing myself against him. "Do it," I whispered. "Please."

"Do what?" He smiled.

"You know what," I growled, growing less and less patient.

He cocked his head, and his lips went to my ear. "Tell me. I want you to tell me what to do to you." He dragged his fangs along my skin, never applying enough pressure to break it.

"I want you to stop teasing and just do it already." My voice was thick and husky as I felt my resolve weaken.

Landon moved me from the dresser to the wall. My back went against it, and Landon pressed into me, grinding again. He didn't stop.

My hands laid flat on his chest, and I noticed something. His heart was beating. His skin was warmer, but I hadn't noticed until then. He pushed his hard-on against me again, and I decided to worry about the heart-thing later. Priorities. My legs tightened around him, and his teeth met my skin. I didn't even feel pain that time. Just joy that, in some small way, we were connected. Landon made a rumbly noise, and I felt it vibrate against my neck. He pushed into me, and I grabbed at his sides.

When he was done, he pulled his head back from my neck. His eyes were only half silver. He hadn't gotten enough.

I thought he was going to set me down, but I remained against the wall. His eyes bore into mine and, very deliberately and harshly, he thrust against me. I made a sound, and my lips remained parted. He did it again. And again. And again. He did it until I felt something entirely new. It was desperate and pained, and I thought I would break into a billion little pieces of myself.

When it was over, I was left panting. Landon watched me with something that looked like gratification. He set me on the floor, and his hands lingered on my hips. "That do anything for your mood, love?"

I laughed, but it sounded strangled. "A little."

He smiled, and his laugh was light. He took my hand and started pulling me away from the wall and out of the room. His skin was already cooling down, and his eyes were fading to hazel again.

I was dazed as I got into the van. Landon opened the door for me and almost had to push me inside. I managed to buckle myself as he was getting in. The ride passed like a blur.

****

The first house we broke into didn't have a thing. We found pictures, and I was able to confirm that it wasn't the same man that took my brother. So there was that. I also learned how to walk on my own again, and the burning between my legs stopped. Everything's coming up Mila.

Landon managed to act as if absolutely nothing had happened earlier today. Nothing at all. I went along with it because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to bring it up and have him laugh in my face. It apparently hadn't been for him what it had been for me. He hadn't even kissed me. Sure, we'd been a couple layers of clothes away from having crazy hot hotel sex, but whatever.

We were headed back to the van, and Landon bumped his arm into mine as he brushed past.

"Excuse you," he said sarcastically.

I cocked an eyebrow and put my hand on my hip. "Really?"

He turned to face me. His arms crossed. "Yeah. Really. What are you gonna do about it?"

I smiled. Then shoved him.

He didn't budge. He just looked down at me and lightly shoved back.

I did budge. I stumbled back, but not enough to fall. I came back and shoved at his shoulders, as hard as I could. Then I ran. I got around the van and looked through the windows at Landon. He was eyeing me with amusement and a little disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making sure I win this. I was the last to shove you, so I win."

He laughed condescendingly. "You think you won. You've won nothing."

I glared through the window. "Not according to the rules of the playground."

He smirked. "Rules of the playground... we'll see about that." He started walking around the van, and I went around the other side.

Landon was walking so slowly, and I was moving fast. Every time he was close, I would turn and take off in the other direction. He walked carefully, and it was as if he was trying to make me think he had a plan.

I turned again, ready to make a break for it. Landon was nowhere to be seen. I looked all around, and he was just gone. There was a moment of panic where I assumed something awful happened.

Arms came around me, and I was in the air. My legs kicked, and I giggled, trying to get away.

"I think I've won this," Landon declared.

"Not even." I squirmed around more, but I couldn't break his hold on me.

He sat me on the hood of the van, and it put my knees level with his chest. I pouted at my loss and sighed, looking at the sky.

He patted the side of my thigh. "Don't feel bad that you lost, sweetheart. You're simply no match for me."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Whatever, old man."

"I may be old, but I still make you so hot that you need to take cold showers." He let his hand travel up the top of my thigh. His fingers slid into my shorts.

I lightly shoved his shoulder. "You do no such thing."

His look was patronizing while still having an edge of playfulness to it. "Did you know you stop breathing when you're having an orgasm? Kind of cute, really. Like you need to focus. And you look just a little surprised. Oh, and you curse." Christ. My eyes widened so much that they hurt. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He smirked. "Make fun of my age all you want, but I turn you on."

"No you don't."

He just eyed me. "Don't be shy, Mila. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction to what I was doing to you. I would have been a little upset if you hadn't gotten off."

I nodded. "Ah..." I cleared my throat. "So that's what that was."

He pulled his hand out of my shorts. "I think you knew that. And I think..." He leaned closer. "...I think that you knew what you wanted."

My arms slipped around his neck. "What if I did?"

He pulled my legs around his waist and lifted me off the hood of the van. He didn't look anywhere but my eyes as he pressed me against the van.

I took a risk, speaking again. "What if I want you to do it again?"

There was a split second where I didn't know if he was sure of what he'd heard. "Do you?"

I nodded. "Do you wanna do it to me again?"

His hands tightened on my hips. "It's not that simple, baby."

I dropped down, and my feet hit the ground. "I think it is." I ran my hands down his chest then up the front of his pants. "I think it's really simple."

He watched me carefully. The lightness was gone from him. "What is it that you want from me, Mila?"

There wasn't any hesitation. "You."

"But how do you want me? Tell me." His line of questioning was cold, as if the prospect of my answer was bothering him.

I was suddenly nervous again. I wanted to take off and never look back. But I had nowhere to run. "Sorry," I said quietly. "Clearly I was misreading a few things. I thought you wanted me, but I'm just a stupid kid, right?" "Don't do that to me."

I took his hands off me. "Well, you're not correcting me, so I assume I'm right."

He sighed. "You're barely eighteen years old."

"So? Tell me if I'm right. You had to be at least a little attracted to me, considering what you were sporting this morning. And you were pretty insistent on me feeling it. So, what do you want, Landon? Do you want me?" I took a step to him. My hands went to the button on his pants. "Do you want me to do for you what you did for me?" I rose to my tiptoes. "I can do whatever you want me to." I couldn't read his face, but it wasn't what I was looking for. So I fell flat on my feet. "Unless you don't think you'd like being with me. Is that it?"

He smiled briefly. "No." He put his hand on the side of my face, covering the entirety of my cheek. "That's not the problem here."

"Then what is?"

He breathed out. "You've never been with anyone before. Am I supposed to just fuck you and take off? I'm a bastard, but even I wouldn't do that."

I blinked at him.

"Unless that's not what you want."

I stayed quiet.

"You didn't tell me. What do you want from me?"

I took a few seconds before I answered, and I moved back against the van. "Where are you going after you leave me?"

His brow pinched. "What do you mean?"

"Do you have a home? I know you're all alone. So what are you going back to?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm not staying. I was never staying, Mila."

I flinched. "I know."

"Do you?"

Anger flared at his tone. "Yeah, I know. I know that even with all I tell you, you won't give me back just a little. You don't want me to know a thing about you, and I don't have a clue why. What's so bad that you can't tell me?"

He moved away from me. "It hardly matters. I don't know you. Why would I tell you about me?"

He'd answered every question I had. I opened the van door and climbed in. I didn't need more to this conversation. I slammed the door shut and looked forward.

Landon waited a few moments before getting in the other side. He slammed his own door when he got in. "You're not allowed to be pissed at me for this. You knew the deal from the start."

"Was part of that deal letting you round the bases? Because I don't think it was. The deal changed, and you know it."

He started the car. "It doesn't matter. I'm not staying with you, and I don't want from you what you want from me."

My stomach dropped, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He wasn't telling me something I didn't already know. But at least I'd tried. I could avoid a lifetime of thoughts poking at the back of my head, wondering what could have been. I know what could have been. Nothing at all.

That didn't mean I couldn't be annoying about it. "Why was your heart beating?"

"What?"

I looked over at him as he pulled out of the street. "Why was your heart beating when we were..." I looked for a word. "...fooling around?"

"Oh. Happens. Our hearts start beating when we need it. Or when we're about to die from sun poisoning. In moments of great stress. When adrenaline would normally kick in, our hearts beat. And for the girls, during a pregnancy." Hmm. "So you needed your heart beating this morning?"

He sighed. "I didn't need it, but my body thought I did."

"Thanks..."

"Don't get offended. If you really need the confidence boost, you did get it going."

But I couldn't keep it going.

I stopped my line of questioning, and Landon drove on to the next house. I didn't say a word as we parked, and I followed him up to the door. No cars, so it was probably empty.

Landon led me around back and hoisted me up and over the fence. I waited for him to drop on the other side. He did, and he walked past me to the back door. It was made of glass. When it didn't open, Landon shattered it with a rock. "One way to do it..." I mumbled under my breath.

We walked in and started checking for signs that this was the place we were looking for. We were in the same room, and we weren't talking. I wasn't finished yet.

"I mean, why the hell would you get me off if you weren't interested?" I snapped. "Pity? Do you think I couldn't find a guy if that was all I wanted?"

Landon turned his head slowly to me. "Are we back on this?"

"Yes," My arms crossed over my chest. "Answer the damn question. Why did you do it?"

He sighed and shrugged. "It was the heat of the moment."

I nodded and pressed my lips together. "Fine. Then why did you only take a little bit of blood from me? It couldn't have done anything for you, and I already said I would give you blood later."

"What do you want me to tell you?" he shouted. "Do you think I'm going to say that I wanted you? That I want to stick around? That's not happening. I'm not staying for you, and if that's what you think you want, you're wrong. I'm a killer. I lead a life that you can't join me in. You fell into this situation by accident, and all you want is to go back to that safe place you lived in before. Where you didn't know about monsters like me. You can have that if you just let me do what I need to do. I wanted blood from you, Mila. I did what I had to do to get it."

I couldn't breathe as my heart broke. He'd thought he needed to treat me a certain way to get what he needed. He should have known better. I was a scammer for a living. If he needed something from me so he could help me, I would have given it to him. I had invited him to drink from me. That hadn't been a trick.

I didn't even want to look at him anymore. I'd embarrassed myself beyond hope of recovery by literally offering up whatever he wanted from me. Not only had he turned me down, but he'd pretty much told me I was a moron for thinking he might take me up on that offer.

I started walking down a hallway so that he wouldn't see me cry. He called my name as I went, but I didn't stop until I was in a different room.

I ended up in the bedroom. Another empty space with cold surroundings. I started going through the homeowner's things. His nightstand was useless in most aspects, other than making me a little sick. Five boxes of condoms and more than a couple sex toys. Jesus... There was even a decades-old Playboy that I was willing to bet had more than a couple pages stuck together.

I moved on to the dresser. I found much the same as before, but I stumbled on something else. Three passports. All with different names but the same picture. It didn't take more than a glance to recognize him. The man who'd had me against the van. The one who had mocked me, told me that I should be grateful to him since Knox wanted me dead, and he'd kept me alive. This was it.

I marched back into the living room, holding the passport. "It's him."

Landon looked at what I was holding, and he presented a little notebook. "And I know where he is."