What Lies Beneath

I woke up on my stomach with something lying on half of me. I looked over my shoulder to find my passed-out husband with his arms splayed out as he lay on me.

"Landon," I said, "get off me."

He grumbled, and his arm came around me. His arm was tucked under my chest, and I was very grateful that I no longer needed to breathe. "Sweetheart," I said, "you are smashing me."

"If you loved me, you would let me sleep." His voice was groggy and adorable.

"I love you very much. I feel like a couple things I did last night proved that. I don't see how letting you crush my ribs is gonna solidify anything."

He ran his hand down my chest. "But you're so soft."

I smiled and managed to turn myself around. Landon's eyes were closed, and I wasn't sure he'd noticed the change. He laid his head on my chest and smiled in his sleep.

I mussed his hair. "We have more people to kill today."

He frowned. "Five more minutes."

"No more minutes."

"I will take my revenge if you don't let me sleep, darlin'."

"Don't you darlin' me, mister. Ow!"

Landon bit me. His teeth were still right up against me, and he was applying just a bit of pressure. He let go and rested his chin on me. "You should have given me the five minutes." He smiled as if he'd broken a rule and gotten away with it, then he kissed me. "Good morning."

"Good morning. You are still smashing me."

He looked down at us and made a few adjustments. My legs went to either side of him, and he held himself up on his hands. "Better?"

"Sure."

"Shall we get ready for the day?"

I put my arms around his neck. "I suppose we should." I paused for a moment. "Are you naked right now?" I guess I already knew the answer to that. "Maybe."

I laughed. "You were wearing underwear when we fell asleep."

"I don't like wearing underwear to bed. You know that."

"Sorta. I've only shared a bed with you a handful of times, most of which you were dressed. A couple nights ago didn't count since we both went to bed naked."

He smirked as he came in for another kiss. "You are correct."

Yeah, he was naked. He liked to use that to his advantage, but we had things to do. So I got him out of bed and into the shower. Once we were done, I had on a pair of shorts and Landon's sweater. He had on his normal clothes, which I'd helped button. Because I am a good wife.

"Stop looking at me like that," I said, fighting a smile.

He continued looking at me like that. "How?"

"Like you wanna push me up against a wall."

His hands found my hips, and then I was pushed into a wall. "I didn't know there was a look."

"Well, there is. And Jaxon is gonna be here soon. Do you really wanna start something we can't finish?"

He thought. "We've yet to try a quickie. I bet we can do it."

I crossed my arms. "I bet we can't. You're a little into the foreplay."

He smiled again. "Are you really complaining about that?"

"No, just observing."

"Observe this." Landon picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

I couldn't stop laughing. "What is the point of this?!"

"To assert dominance when I know I'm the bitch of this relationship."

I wiggled my legs. "You are not the bitch. There are no bitches here. You are sweet and do as I say because you're smart and like sex. Big difference."

"You are correct. I do like sex. Actually getting to finish is a lot of fun. Almost as much fun as watching you finish."

I hung there. "So romantic, you are."

"I already tricked you into loving me. I no longer need to be romantic."

It was very hard having a conversation upside down, but I still tried. "There was no trickery. And you were never romantic."

He huffed. "Not true. I gave you that toy that kid gave me to give you."

"Huh?"

"Did I forget to give that to you?"

"Yeah."

A knock on the door ended the conversation. This was it. We were being kicked out. Landon carried me to the door as he opened it to a very upside-down brother. "Um, hey," Jax said, tilting his head. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all. Come in," Landon said, moving aside.

Jaxon poked my hip on the way in. "So, just hanging out, La?"

I flipped him off.

Then Landon pulled me up and dumped me in Jaxon's arms. Then Jaxon dumped me on the bed.

"Thanks," I said flatly as I rolled onto my feet, "dick."

"Language, young lady." Jaxon pointed at my face. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Filthy-mouthed devil."

Landon smirked. "Yes, she certainly does some interesting things with that mouth."

Jaxon turned to glare. "We talked about this. I am not afraid to kiss you on the lips to make a point."

"That I'm irresistible to everyone?"

I laughed, and my brother wasn't happy about it. He shoved me, and I fell back into a pile of blankets. "You're so uptight." "I wish you would be, kiddo."

Landon just smiled. "She's just the right amount of loose."

I smiled back at him while Jaxon called him a long list of names. Landon didn't seem to care. He just grinned at me.

"So," I interrupted, "where to next?"

****

"Am I the only one who's ready for sleep?" I asked, yawning and getting into the van.

Landon kissed my temple. "Almost done for the day. We're so close to the man."

I nodded and buckled up. Our whole day was spent driving and killing people. A heck of a day, really. At least we were pretty sure that this was doing what we were hoping. There was no way that Knox wasn't going to notice this trail of bodies we were leaving him. We had a couple more days at best.

We were being careful. Changing out our plates and making sure not a soul saw us. We might have been spotted, but we'd been too far gone once the cops had been called. Landon was an expert in not getting arrested for murder, so that was helpful.

I was dozing off in the van as we went. It was almost three in the morning, and I was spent. This last name was too important to tap out on now, so I pulled myself together.

"This is going to be a fight," Landon warned.

Jaxon scoffed. "Three against one, buddy. I think we're fine."

"You would think that. This man is paid to catch people. Three might not be an issue for him. He's a vampire, so that just hurts us in the end." "Does he live alone?" I asked.

"No clue. Most of these people don't have family. If they're old enough, the humans they had are dead. Another vampire would be hard to come by." "Well, he could just turn someone."

"He could, but there are a lot of reasons why he might not have. Some people manage to love someone without getting them killed."

I rubbed his leg. "Let's not open that can of worms, sweetheart. I'm happy like this. With both of you as vampires, I would have wanted to turn anyway."

He sighed. "It should have been your choice. You shouldn't be stuck as a teenager for eternity. In a thousand years, you're going to look like that. It's going to make things harder for you."

"And we'll deal with it when it comes. We can't undo it. And maybe it's better this way. Otherwise, one of you would have had to kill me."

They both stiffened.

"You know it's true," I added. "Please, don't feel bad about this. I want this life with both of you. I get my family forever. Also, it guarantees that my babies will all be immortal. That is quite comforting." "Yeah." Jaxon smiled. "J.J. and Jaclyn will be so very adorable."

I shook my head. "Not naming my babies after you, Jax."

"Yeah you are."

That would be a fight that never ended. I might need to throw him a bone or something. Landon might be kind enough to let me give our baby my brother's name. Still, only middle.

We parked the car a block away and got out. The only light around came from street lamps and half a moon. Landon leaned against one like a damn hooligan. If I'd had a coin for him to flip, I would have tossed it to him. Instead, I smiled. "I bet you wore a leather jacket in the fifties," I speculated.

He grinned back in a very suggestive way. "If you knew me then, I can only imagine how quickly I would have gotten you into bed."

Jaxon walked up to him and ran his hands down Landon's chest while maintaining very upsetting eye contact with him.

Landon just watched with mild annoyance until he was done.

I crossed my arms. "That is not one of the things Landon does to me."

Jaxon glanced back while still fondling my husband. "Good."

Then I looked to Landon. "And I wouldn't have slept with you just because of a jacket."

Jaxon was now softly singing "I Just Died in your Arms Tonight." Just... just right in Landon's face. He gave him nothing back.

"I'm aware. I think you would have fallen in love with me faster. I used to ride a motorcycle."

"That would have done it."

Landon stopped to glare at Jaxon. "Are you done yet?"

"Are you done flirting with my sister?"

"No."

"Then no." He started rubbing Landon's face, and I went to put a stop to that.

I pulled his hands away and put myself between him and my husband. "No!" I pointed at him. "Bad brother. We do not grope our sister's husband."

"But-"

"No." I turned to check for emotional damage. Landon had taken it like a champ. "You're okay?"

"I am." He smiled.

"Good." I gave him a peck on the lips, and Jaxon dramatically groaned.

Landon held me to him. "I almost wish I still had my English accent. I feel like you would have loved that."

My eyebrow went up. "I would have. When did you lose it? And is getting it back still attainable?"

He smiled again. "I really don't know when I lost it. I imagine if I went back to England, I slip into it again."

"Hmmm. Might need a trip across the pond." God, he would be even more amazing with an accent.

"Kids..." Jaxon leaned in, whispering. "...we have stuff to get done, don't we?"

Landon took my hand. "That we do. He's most likely asleep, so I suggest we send in Mila before you or I go in. She can handle herself just fine, and we'll be right behind her."

"I ain't sendin' my sister in alone," Jaxon snapped.

"She's quieter than either of us. We just need her to see if he's awake."

"And if he is? Then she's in danger."

"She's stronger than you at the moment. The Link kicks up her power when she's on my blood. So it's me or her and she's the better choice for this."

I kissed his cheek. "Thank you for actually trusting me."

"I trust you, La," Jax said. "I just want you safe."

"And I will be." I pulled my knife out of my pocket. "I'm quick, and I fight dirty. I'm all good."

A shadow crossed over us, and we all looked up. A huge fucking bird perched atop the lamppost. It looked around the darkness until its eyes landed on us. Huh, look at that. The freak bird had mismatched eyes. One black and one white, both being terrifying to look at.

"Okay," I said, "time to go."

We started walking, and then the boys left me to find a place to hide out. We were all in the back yard of the small house. The size only made me surer that he lived alone. I guess it was hard to find someone to love you when you were a bastard.

I found a side door that was locked. Thankfully, I picked locks. I got on my knees and pulled two pins from my pocket. I knew Landon could see me, and I knew what he would think if he saw me doing this. They would be dirty thoughts. So I smiled.

I popped open the door and slipped my tools back in my pocket. It was dark in the house, but I had no problem seeing. A nifty vampire trick, I guessed.

I was in a kitchen. There were two empty bowls on the floor and a cat lying flat, staring at them. Well, I had my priorities straight, so I raided the kitchen until I found the cat food. I poured it in the bowl and filled the other with water. The cat went to it as if he hadn't eaten in a week.

I rolled my eyes and started checking the house. I was silent as I moved through the hallway. There were three rooms. Two of them had open doors and were filled with either gym stuff or storage. The last door was closed.

Quietly, I pressed my ear to it. I focused as hard as I could. I could hear gentle and even breathing on the other side. I thought about slipping in and just stabbing him in the heart, but Landon wanted this one. He's earned it, since this dick is one of the men responsible for his capture. If I was lucky, I might get a hit in.

I tiptoed back to the side door and motioned for my boys to come in. They appeared quickly, and we all went inside.

"He's in his room," I whispered.

Landon pushed me behind him as we started walking. Jaxon grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter. The cat meowed at him for it.

"Hush," Jaxon hissed.

Landon led us down the hall, and I pointed him to the closed door... that was now open.

Fuck.

I was pulled backward, and an arm came around my neck. I reacted instantly, throwing my elbow back. It made contact, and a man huffed in pain. I turned as quickly as I could, getting closer to Landon.

The man was awake and ready for us. In his hand was a knife that was bigger than the one Jaxon had. But it was still three against one.

Landon grabbed Jaxon's knife and threw it at the man. It landed in his leg before he could move. He just pulled it out and tossed it aside.

Okay then.

The vampire went in for a swipe at Landon, but Landon grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him into a wall. You'd think that would have given him pause, but he came back harder. He threw a punch that Landon couldn't avoid. Then I got mad.

My knife came out in a moment, and I sliced the man across the stomach. He seemed surprised I had it in me, so I was his next target. He came at me, and Jaxon kicked him in the knee. There was a snapping sound, and he dropped. With a smile, Landon went around him, putting his hands on the man's head and twisting. He fell, and his head cracked on the tile when he landed on the floor.

"May I borrow your knife, darling?" Landon asked me. I handed it over, and he knelt down. He sank the blade into the vampire's chest and wiped the blood on the dead man's jammies. "Thank you." He handed it back. "Who's up for ice cream?" I smiled.

****

I was comfy and in my own jam mies as I was eating my ice cream. I offered Landon a bite with extra Oreo in it, and he let me feed it to him. He smiled and offered me some of his cookie-dough ice cream. I accepted. Landon was nice enough to let me lie on him while I enjoyed my frozen treat. He was playing a game on my phone that he said made me evil for introducing to him.

"Not my fault it's addictive," I said.

"But what is your fault is you showing me the game."

"You can stop anytime you want."

"You'd think."

I finished my ice cream and turned onto my stomach, making my face heart-level to him. I kissed his chest - because he was fun to kiss and he set the phone down. He pulled me up until he could reach my lips with his.

He rolled us so that I was on my back, and he was over me. My leg went around his waist when he rolled his hips forward. He already felt warmer than before.

He kissed my cheek and lifted up, just a bit. "Oh, I have something for you."

I smiled. "Yeah, I can tell."

He leaned over the bed and grabbed his bag. Huh, this evening might be getting a lot more interesting.

"Whatcha doin', honey?" I asked.

"Getting a toy for you."

I clicked my tongue. "A little early in the relationship for you to be bored already..."

I popped back up with a little action figure of the Joker. "We won't ever get to a point when I'm bored with you, or when I'll need help." He set the toy's feet on my chest. "I met a little boy named Damian that night I left. I told him about you, and he wanted me to give you this."

I took it. "That's so sweet. Gotta say, little surprised you struck up a conversation with a kid."

He shrugged above me before relaxing his body on mine. "He was nice, and I was miserable. He asked me what comic characters I liked, and I started talking about you. I don't really know why, but I told him you were my wife. I think he might have been some of the reason I came back to you."

I ran my fingers through Landon's hair. "Then I owe that little boy a thank you, don't I?"

"That's how I felt. Some bastard tried attacking him and his mother, so I killed him. I left his body in the street. I imagine some poor soul found him..."

I shrugged, and my hand went to his side. "He deserved it."

He smiled sadly. "You're so jaded about death now."

"This is our life, so I have to get used to it. No point in getting shaken up at every little thing."

"I know. But if you're scared or worried, I want you to talk to me about it."

I kissed him again. "I will. But I'm fine. I've never had a great moral center, so why would I care if a few bad people die?"

"Because I know you better than that. You're a kinder soul than I. You've killed a couple people now. You have to feel something about that."

I sighed. "I don't like it, but I'll do what I need to if it means keeping my family safe."

"I understand."

"Good. Can we go back to happy things now? Like maybe Disneyland or that dog you're eventually getting us."

He smiled at me. "Disneyland might be tricky. We'd have to go on a cloudy day."

"We can do that. We can go on all the dark rides, and I can do stuff to you without anyone knowing."

"Hmm," he said against my neck, "not a bad idea. I have an idea too." He left kisses along my neck, trailing to my throat.

"Gosh, I wonder what that might be."