Kiss Me Deadly

Chapter Twenty Four

My voice leaves me. I gape at the green eyed hybrid, opening and closing my mouth. I try to find the words to explain myself but I come up short. I can't lie myself out of this one. I can't hide this side of me from him because he's already seen it. There's a vulnerability in the way I stand, awaiting his judgment. 

I hate it.

I hate how my heart is open and bleeding in his hand.

I expect him to hate me; to call me a monster for threatening this girl so violently but he doesn't.

He doesn't yell.

He doesn't kick me out.

He just takes my bloodied hand, claws and all, and guides me out of the cafeteria. Not one word escapes his perfectly kissable lips. He leads me carefully and silently through the halls of the facility. Without a glance at me, he opens the door to his room and I can't help but be afraid. He's not looking at me. That's not good. If I can't see his eyes, I don't know what he's thinking. If I don't know what he's thinking, I can't prepare myself for his reaction.

The door clicks shut behind me, marring the silence. Archer's shoulders slump as he lets out a long breath. I stare at his back, heart thumping erratically in my chest as a million thoughts and worries flit through my mind.

Finally, finally, he turns around and places a gentle, warm hand on the side of my face where dark blood is slowly drying. His green eyes are soft, not accusing; worried, not hostile. I nearly shatter under his gaze; break apart into a billion quivering pieces.

"Are you okay?" he breathes, looking over me as if to see if the blood that covers me is my own. His concern is unnecessary. If the blood was mine, I wouldn't be conscious. Nevertheless, I nod to reassure him, so very glad that this incident hasn't changed his opinion of me.

Archer smiles, relieved. Putting his arm carefully around me, he guides me to the bathroom where he turns on the shower. His hand moves into the water, testing the temperature. He adjusts it slightly, then, satisfied, he hands me a fluffy white town.

"Get cleaned up. I'll wait outside." 

He smiles a tiny half smile before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Not wasting any time, I strip off the ruined t-shirt and toss it to the floor. It lands in a heap at my feet. When I step into the torrent of water, the pooling at my feet turns pink from the blood soaking my skin.

I shower quickly, a little nervous that the shower head will spout blood again, bringing with it painful memories that I'm not ready to face.

When I re-enter Archer's room in a borrowed pair of sweats and a much too big t-shirt, I find him sitting on the edge of his bed, head bowed.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I move to stand in front of him.

He rubs a hand over his face and looks up. "Another intruder was seen lurking around the entrance to the facility. When Dax and I went to check it out, he was long gone. From what we could tell, he wasn't a shifter like the others. Possibly an incubus, but the scent was too faded to tell for sure."

My stomach drops. 

Another one? I thought it was over!

Archer must sense my budding panic, because he takes my trembling hand in his.

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

I don't know if he's asking about what happened with the shapeshifters or if he's referring to my confrontation with Alonna, but, either way, I shake my head. I'd rather just forget all of it.

He doesn't push the subject anymore. Instead, he stands and rests his forehead on mine. Those spectacular green eyes of his gleam as they stare into mine. His lips are moving and it takes me a moment to understand what he's saying.

"It's okay, Viridian. I know that you had to do what you did. The shifters and Alonna forced your hand. . . Like I said before, nothing will change my love for you," he whispers softly, his warm breath fanning over my face. His hands rest on my hips and his mouth moves dangerously close to mine.

At this moment, there is nothing I want more than him to close the distance between us and kiss me.

His lips are a mere inch form mine. Oh, so very tantalizing. I wet my lips, knowing that I can't touch but wanting to so very badly. In his luminescent eyes, I can see that he wants me every bit as much as I want him. Old habits, however, die hard. I begin to push him away, though unwillingly.

"We can't," I whisper, though every instinct within me is screaming for me to shut the hell up and kiss this godly being.

This time, however, Archer isn't willing to let the moment slip away.

"The hell we can't," he growls, fisting his hands in my hair tightly. He pulls my face to his and, for the life of me, I don't want to stop him.

His lips crash down onto mine with enough force to stop a train, devouring my mouth as if he's never wanted anything more in his whole life. Passionate. Mind-blowing. Breath-taking. None of these words are enough to describe out kiss. There isn't an adjective good enough in the world.

My powers awaken withing me and, like serpentine tendrils, they leave my parted lips and soak into Arcer, connecting us. Unaware, Archer pulls me closer to him, relishing every moment, every touch. Unbeknownst to him,  my powers duplicate his own powers, transferring them into me. My body ignites with new power, leaving me breathless. Soon, though, my powers slither back into me, having done their job, leaving Archer and I alone with our passion.

With renewed energy, I push my lips even harder onto his, wanting, no, needing to feel something more than the constant guilt that has been threatening to grind me into dust. Now that I've had a taste, I know I'll never have enough.

Archer's suddenly kissing me harder, deeper, like he never wants to stop. His kisses are urgent, like this will all be a dream if he pulls away and opens his eyes. Hell, maybe it it. I couldn't care less. The only thing that matters to me is the feel of his lips on mine.

His mouth moves away from mine for a moment and I take the chance to gasp out the words that have been forming on my lips for weeks now, "I love you."

Archer smiles against my lips and runs a hand through my wild, damp hair. "I was hoping you'd say that," he says simply, his elation shining through his broad smile.

Then he's captured my lips again and I lose all will to stop ever again.