Chapter 21 – Under Lock and Key
Kayce shot up awake the next morning dripping in a cold sweat. She flung her body to a sitting position and she started to rub her eyes, trying to erase the vivid images from her mind. Her breathing was rapid and her heart was thumping in her chest. "Hey...hey, you're okay! I am right here," Edward said softly. His arms wrapped around her body and he pulled her closer to him for comfort.
"I'm okay. I just had a nightmare," she responded. She breathed out heavily and burrowed deep into Edward's chest. He picked her up and set her on his lap. She threw her arms around him and she cuddled into his neck. "Was it about James?"
"Yes, I dreamed that he killed you. It was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced before, it was even worse than Scott. I can't lose you, Edward."
He squeezed her a little more tightly and he grabbed her face on either side, staring right into her eyes. "Kayce, I'm not going anywhere, love! Go get ready. Alice informed me that today is going to be bright and sunny and I want to take you someplace special."
She reluctantly got up and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a loud clicking noise. Kayce showered and dressed in a blue lace bra and panties and she then slipped in a long sleeved navy ruched cardigan t-shirt. She pulled on a pair of low rise boyfriend jeans and slipped into some cute hiking boots.
They drove out of town and Kayce was anxious to see where they were going. Once the couple left the city behind, green underbrush and huge moss covered trees surrounded them on their drive. It was a very peaceful drive. Edward drove onto the One Ten. "What's on the One Ten?" Kayce asked.
He turned to her and smiled, "We are driving until the pavement ends."
"Let me guess, we are hiking, right?" she asked, winking at Edward.
"Exactly. So...do you like it fast or slow?"
"Kayce started thinking, surely he wasn't...she pushed those suggestive thoughts out of her mind. "Um...I like both, whichever you prefer."
He grinned broadly. "I was hoping that you'd say that. We have about five miles to hike," he said proudly.
When they stopped and got out, Kayce stretched out her muscles a little, readying herself for the hike. Edward took her hand and they set off into the thick forest, avoiding the trail in the opposite direction.
"So, which is it?" Kayce asked, looking directly into Edward's eyes.
"Pardon me?" he replied.
"Are we going fast or take it slow." She paused. "You know, at the beginning of our hike?"
"Oh...that. Yes, I feel an abundance of patience, so we will start out slow and steady." Kayce just nodded her head at him and she smiled at the hilarity of the situation.
He was a complete gentleman. He would move ahead of her and pull dripping ferns or a rogue tree branch aside for her. When they reached the occasional downed tree, he would help her by holding his hand out for support. Kayce remembered that Bella, in the book, was so uncoordinated that she had to be lifted over the obstacles.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Edward asked, bringing her out of her ruminations. She blushed because she remembered that he can't read her mind and she was glad for it. She certainly didn't want him knowing that she was thinking about him being alone with Bella.
"Oh, just wondering how far we have gotten?" she lied.
He smiled and answered, "Only about a mile." He kept moving, leading her further into the forest, appearing perfectly relaxed and at ease.
Kayce started to say, "I'm sorry for being so..."
"Human?" he said, cutting her off. "It's okay. I actually like our pace. It gives me more time to just be with you."
"I like being with you, too." Kayce saw a patch of sunlight and she stopped, craning her neck to look above the trees. The sun had shifted and a patch of sunlight peeked through the canopy of trees, landing on her in wispy pieces of buttery light, brightly enhancing her features.
Edward had stopped the moment he heard no movement from her. He stood watching her as she soaked up the sun's beams. "Your hair is a beautiful shade when the sun shines on it. I had no idea it was so beautiful."
She smiled and progressed forward until she reached Edward's position, taking his hand, leaving the light behind. When they had walked three quarters of the way there, he stopped walking. "Well...are you ready to ride me? You know, the fast part of the journey we talked about," he said with a gleam in his eye. Kayce wasn't lost on the double meaning of his words and she smiled shyly at him.
In a swift movement, he swept her off her feet and hoisted her on his back. Kayce grinned and held on tightly. "I promise to keep my mouth shut this time!"
Edward laughed and it echoed, bouncing off the trees, surrounding them with his voice. Kayce just enjoyed Edward being himself. He was so at ease, that she felt light, as they sped through the trees.
Eventually, Edward set her down on the spongy ground and took her soft little hand. Kayce could see a dim light up ahead. There was warmth that permeated through the trees, beckoning them to come forward. Kayce stepped forward, entering the perfectly round meadow. It reminded her of those bizarre round crop circles that you see on farms. It was carpeted with beautiful wild flowers that danced in the breeze.
Kayce turned around to share her first impression of the meadow with Edward, and as she pulled him into the light, his hand started to shimmer. She was marveling at Edward's true form. His skin was beautiful. "Edward, you are beautiful. I had read about what you looked like, but to really experience it, I can't find the words."
There was a babbling of a stream nearby making its presence known. Edward noticed Kayce's pupils shrink down to pinpoints as they tried to adjust to the bright sunshine.
Kayce, not wanting to overstep her limits, tentatively reached for his face. When her fingers made contact, she caressed it tenderly. She wanted to memorize what he looks like in his natural state, what he feels like and his reaction to her curiosity. His face was absolutely inspiring. An artist would have killed to use him as their inspiration. His eyelids were lavender just as the book had described. He sighed contentedly when she rubbed her fingers across them. The glittering facets sparkled brilliantly, from every which way and Kayce thought that the feel of his skin shouldn't be so smooth, but it was.
"Edward this place is so beautiful, I am so glad that you wanted to share that with me," Kayce said.
"I am so happy that you came with me." They both sat in comfortable silence. Edward loved being touched by her. He leaned in and touched her chest just over her heart. It pounded in response and her breath hitched. His fingers lingered there momentarily and then expertly slid to the hollow at the base of her throat. Then he slid his fingers across her collarbone and up her neck. It was a very innocent gesture, but also sensual, somehow.
"Edward?"
"Yes?"
"I am going to stay very still for you. I want you to experiment with our boundaries; that is, if you would like."
"I would like that very much." He leaned in even closer and placed his icy lips on her cheek and then on her nose. Each touch sent icy little shocks through her entire body. His breath blew in her face, which made her moan with the delicious smell.
"Sorry," she whispered. She really didn't want to make things harder for him, but she couldn't help it, she was only human.
"No, that's okay." He resumed his exploration of her face. She decided to close her eyes in order not to inadvertently influence his actions. As his lips made their icy marks on her face, Edward wrapped his arms around her back.
His hands slowly slid down her shirt and when they reached the bottom, his hands pulled up, exposing her back to the sunlight. His perfect stone-like fingers roved over her skin, causing gooseflesh to erupt. In that instant, his lips met hers. He loved this woman with his entire being. She had given him so much in so little time. She gave him purpose in life, showed him what true depth of love felt like, the depth of love he had only been able to witness between the other members of his family. She showed him that he did have a soul. Whether his benevolent actions would atone for his past egregious ones he didn't know, but he DID have a soul. Kayce was the completion of that soul. His lips sought hers, in an effort to show her the depth of what he was feeling for her right then.
At first, the kiss was soft and sweet and then a burning desire had overcome his sensibilities. He wasn't clear-headed any longer. His entire life had been about self-control and he had reveled in his strength on that subject, until now. At this point, control was the last thing in the world he wanted and for the first time he opened himself to his undisciplined side. He wanted more, he wanted freedom. In the back of his mind, he feared his thirst for blood would rise, but instead he found that it was a different hunger that surfaced. A new energy rushed through him. While the intensity of it was frightening, he didn't fight it.
He pulled his hands away from her back and they fumbled with the buttons on her shirt. It was an awkward movement, but very fast. Kayce was so surprised, her eyes opened and she was looking into Edward's intense eyes. She wasn't looking at the boy that she had come to know, but she was looking at the animal within. It hungered feverishly and was on the verge of taking what it wants. His eyes were feral and intense, Kayce wasn't afraid, but empowered by his openness.
He risked everything to be this close to her. She felt a sudden coolness on her stomach and she wasn't exactly sure if it was the breeze kissing her exposed flesh or Edward's hand caressing her. Kayce parted her lips to breathe and that encouraged Edward to deepen the kiss. His tongue was icy and it sent shivers through her again. His lips left hers and they moved to her neck. Kayce's breathing reminded Edward that of a small animal's, rapid and shallow.
The fingers on his right hand creeped up her arm and slid her shirt off of her shoulder. In a lightning fast movement, he grabbed her and rolled so he was lying on the flowers, crushing their delicate petals under both of their weight. His hands reached down and grabbed her butt. Kayce squeaked in surprise. She opened her eyes and there was the vampire reflected back, but only momentarily. Then the man with an insatiable thirst for her, not her blood, but her body, her very essence, her soul, had emerged.
Deep inside Edward, he worried if he had pushed this experimentation too far, but he couldn't find it in himself to remove his hands or to stop kissing her. He knew that she saw his true essence behind his eyes, but she didn't pull away. She wasn't afraid. He has been around fear so often that he knew. Her rapid heart rate was due to her equal desire for him and his touch.
"Edward, wait," Kayce finally said in a breathless whisper. Immediately, he let her go and she looked so beautiful in a wild and carefree way. She sat up on his stomach, trying to catch her breath. Her hair was a wild mess, her cheeks were a bright healthy pink and her swollen lips were pouty and delectable.
When Edward finally panned his gaze down to her chest, he finally saw her in her bra. Her shirt was haphazardly hanging behind her from her arms. He could see her heart beating under her chest, the skin twitching with a small vibration that only he could see. But what really caught his attention were her breasts under the lacy blue, his favorite color, fabric. It wasn't lined and left absolutely nothing to his imagination, which in this instance was a good thing. She knew he was admiring her and he liked that she wasn't self-conscious.
"Okay, I'm ready, I caught my breath," Kayce said to Edward. He pulled her back down to a lying position and he resumed right where he left off. He kissed her with abandon. He wrapped his arms around her, holding firmly to her back. She unconsciously moaned into his mouth while she was running her tongue along his lips. In response, his hands involuntarily twitched.
Edward let a growl emanate from deep down in his diaphragm and in one swift movement he flipped Kayce over on her back. He held her arms down to the ground above her head. She was in a submissive position, frozen in place, breathing heavily. He was staring right into her eyes. Kayce noticed that his eyes changed color; they were almost entirely black, leaving a golden ring around the outside.
"We...have to be...careful..." Edward said huskily, in between kisses.
Kayce nodded slowly giving them both time to breathe. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest as he hovered above her. "Are we okay?" she asked.
Edward nodded himself, then shook his head, and then he laughed, "The things you do to me, I've never felt so out of control, yet free at the same time. It's scary and exhilarating. I have spent my entire existence reminding myself of how dangerous it is to be out of control, but I am finding that this is one aspect in my life that I WANT to be out of control."
Kayce searched his eyes and said, "I trust you. You are capable of greater control then you give yourself credit for."
"You give me more credit then I am due," he said quietly as he kissed her lips in quick successive pecks.
"Do you want to eat me?" she asked innocently.
Edward's eyes darkened and his voice grew even deeper than his usual, "Yes, but surprisingly not the way you would normally think. I know that you can see the monster behind my eyes...there is hunger, but I can feel a difference in this hunger. It's like I can feel the blood lust, but it's locked in the back of my mind instead. This monster is craving...touch." Edward noticed something deep within himself, a powerful strength of will. His desire to be intimate with Kayce was, by far, drowning the thirst for her blood. He felt like his blood lust was under lock and key and that he could control when it came out or not and that surprised him.
He pondered whether his new found knowledge of his being an incubus was the cause of this new found ability or if this was coincidence since he has never felt this way about a woman before. He knew that before Kayce, he was unable to ever be this close to a human being. He had always been to afraid to lose control. He would need to speak to Carlisle about this and see what his theories are.
"Kayce, being with you has caused my thirst for blood to wane. My desire to be close to you in an intimate way is so much more profound. I can't explain why that is, but it is amazing." He kissed her lips again and then he spoke, "Do you trust me?"
"Are you in control now?" she asked with a hint of worry.
Edward lifted an eyebrow suggestively, "Would you like me to be?"
Kayce blushed and giggled, but her breath caught when she realized there was a double meaning behind his words. She bit her lip as she gazed into his eyes. He leaned closer, his cool lips just brushing her ear, sending excited shivers down her spine.
"Would you like me to be in control of you?" he asked, his voice deep and filled with the only word Kayce's foggy mind could grasp; sex. She moaned quietly, her body unconsciously rising to meet his. She nodded, but that wasn't good enough for Edward. He growled again, his nose running the length of her neck to her ear again. "Say it, love. I want to hear you say it!" The tip of his tongue swept over the edge of her earlobe and she sighed with the contact. Fighting to find her voice and coherent thought to speak, she nodded again.
"I want you to be in control. Control me Edward." Edward moaned and in one fluid movement, he was in a sitting position, Kayce's legs wrapped around his waist. His lips moved hungrily against hers, one hand at the small of her back, the other at the base of her skull, holding her tightly against his body. Suddenly, he noticed she was clenching her fist, being careful to not touch him. He realized that he didn't like that, not at all.
"Touch me," he ordered his voice rough with desire. She paused, pulling away slightly, wanting to get visual confirmation.
"Are you sure?" He pressed his lips back to hers, silencing her concerns.
"Touch me Kayce. I need to feel your touch. I crave it," he said in between kisses. Kayce instantly caved, her fingers running slowly and gently through his hair, before grasping it urgently. Edward released what could only be described as a purr; it sounded exactly like a cat, a very large and dangerous cat. She smiled against his lips, her fingers running down the side of his neck. She slid her hands up and under the front of his shirt. She enjoyed the feel of his cold, hard muscled chest under her palms. "I love you Kayce, so much."
"I love you too, Edward!" she murmured breathlessly against his mouth, as she pulled back enough to catch her breath. She gazed into his eyes, when suddenly; she gasped and pulled back. For a moment Edward was afraid of what she saw in his eyes that caused her to pull away, but looking in her eyes, he saw only wonder and shock. "Edward...your eyes...they're green."
Edward started laughing, unsure where this joke had come from, but his laugh stopped short when he realized she wasn't joking. "What are you talking about?" he asked, then started to protest as she began to rise from his lap. She laughed, shaking her head, as she raised just enough to pull a small round compact from her back pocket, before settling back into her previous position. Opening it, she held it up to his face so that he could see. Smirking, he decided to humor her and glanced down into the glassy depths. What he saw was completely unexpected.
His pupils were dilated largely, so only a rim of color remained, but he expected that. What he did not expect was the forest green rims of color, with flecks of golden amber reflected there. Grasping the mirror, he held it closer, his mind desperately trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. The green eye color from his human life, how was this possible? Even as he thought of these things, his eyes began fading back to their natural golden vampiric color.
Looking back into Kayce's eyes, he sighed, as much as he hated to draw their date to an end, these new developments demanded attention and further examination. Kayce smiled, understanding showing through her eyes. Pulling her shirt back up on her shoulders, she stood. Edward's hand extended to her, grasping her's. He rose gracefully, pulling her close, resting his forehead against hers. His fingers began to slowly and sensuously re-button her shirt, his hand lingering over her heart when he was finished.
"Thank you for understanding," he murmured. He smiled kissing her softly on the nose, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Moving around behind him, she quickly jumped on his back, causing Edward to gasp before whispering in his ear, "Love you."
"Let's get you home, love." Gripping her thighs gently, he ran them to his waiting car. His mind was full of questions, his body still thrumming with this new found energy and his heart full of love.
It took a matter of minutes to drive home. "I need to talk to Carlisle. Will you be okay here alone? It looks like everyone decided to go out on this beautiful day."
He rolled his window down and leaned forward. Kayce was out of the car and she had walked to the driver's side. She bent down placing her hands on her knees, kissing Edward's lips and smiled at him. "I think I will be just fine, but how will you find Carlisle?"
"I know where he likes to go on a nice day. Don't worry, I'll find him." He took her hand and kissed the back of it before backing out of his driveway and speeding away.
Kayce waved until he was out of sight and then she went up to the house and let herself in.
Edward drove on Hwy 101 to State Route 12 and then connected on I-5 driving north, turning onto WA-539, continuing on to the Aldergrove Bellingham Hwy in British Columbia, turning right at the Fraser Hwy, turning on the ramp at Hwy 1-E driving even further until he was inside Sasquatch Provincial Park. That was where he would find Carlisle and Esme. What would normally be an 8 hour drive only took him about half that time. The entire drive he was thinking of Kayce and how he had been different with her, how he felt more human. He inspected his eyes in the rearview mirror, but only saw the rapidly darkening golden color looking back. He headed to Bridal Falls deep in the forest.
When the pavement ended, he parked his car on the shoulder and disappeared through the thicket of trees. He ran for about a mile and a half and abruptly stopped. He closed his eyes and opened up his mind, listening to everything that was near or far. The saying, "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, would it still make a noise?" popped in his head. Yes, it does make a noise because the animals that he encounters get really upset and scurry when that happens. Edward can't exactly hear the animals like he can the humans, but he hears their primal instincts, when they are hungry, afraid, content or angry.
This day, he heard fear and an urge to hide. A smile played on his lips and he turned east, heading toward the quietest spot in the forest. Edward pulled the ferns aside and entered a snow dusted meadow, where Carlisle and Esme were sitting on top of a rock just talking to each other. They both sensed him and smiled in his direction.
"Edward, I thought you were spending the entire day with Kayce," Esme said.
"I was, but a...complication arose and I thought it best to discuss it with you guys," Edward said with a hint of confusion and fear.
"A complication? Edward you didn't!" Esme asked, jumping to conclusions.
"What? NO! I didn't bite her, but..."
"Did you hurt her?" Carlisle asked with deep concern.
"No!" Edward said in frustration.
"Well, what else is there?" Esme asked.
"It's uh...in the intimacy dept." Both of his parent's jaws dropped open. That was the last thing they expected to hear from their son.
"You...did you two?" Esme asked.
"NO! But I wanted to. It was close."
"Uh...I think we had better take a step back and start at the beginning," Carlisle said. "You aren't being very coherent right now and I want to make sure we aren't coming to false conclusions here."
"Well, she woke up to a nightmare this morning about James killing me. It upset her very much, so I decided to take her somewhere special."
"To the museum of natural science? That's a personal favor," Carlisle said, with a playful teasing look.
Esme slapped Carlisle's his arm, giving him annoyed, but loving glare. "Stop interrupting. Sorry, please continue, son."
"Thanks, Alice said it would be a nice day, so I took her to my meadow. We had fun walking there. We passed back and forth some explicit bantering." He ducked his head, slightly embarrassed when Esme raised her eyebrow.
"Nothing too crude, Esme." She smiled and urged him to continue. "Well, we were sitting in the clearing and well...she encouraged me to open myself up to exploring our boundaries if I was comfortable with that."
"I said I would like to try...I really want to make this a normal relationship for her, at least as normal as a vampire can be with a human. Anyways, so, we began kissing. I started to think about how much I love her, how she has completed me and given me hope for my soul."
He paused when Carlisle smiled widely while Esme firmly grasped his arm, her other delicate hand covering her mouth. He smiled shyly, looking at his hands before rushing on. He knew how exciting that particular bit of news was to them, but he didn't want to discuss that at the moment. He needed to get this out before he chickened out.
"Anyways, when I was thinking about all of this, I just...I let go."
Esme and Carlisle watched him in confusion..."Let go of what exactly?"
"I let go of my fears. I have always been afraid to let myself be free and allow my emotions to come out. Since Kayce has come into my life, I have found that I have wanted to release my worries, release my fears, and just be free to express my love for her...fully and I did. When I let go of that fear, something happened to me."
"What?" they both asked, sitting at the edge of the boulder in full anticipation; if he hadn't been so frazzled, he would have laughed.
"Honey, what happened? You know you can tell us anything!" Esme said gingerly. "We won't judge you."
"Something deep inside me was unlocked...released." When he saw that they didn't comprehend his words, he leaned forward and using his hands to help create a better picture of his thoughts. "You know how you can feel the vampirism part to you? You can feel it in your mind all the time, just at the edges lurking, well this was something different, yet similar." Edward ran his hand through his hair not sure how to address this. "It is connected to my vampirism, but completely separate at the same time. I think it has always been there, but I've been too afraid to go near it because I was afraid to lose control. This time, I didn't run from it and when I allowed it freedom, it coursed through me. It was strong and ran through me like wildfire. I was afraid I had released a new portion of the blood lust, but this was nothing like the blood lust. It was just plain...lust."
Esme, anticipating Carlisle interrupting Edward's painful admission, smacked his arm again. "Let the boy talk sweetheart. Go ahead Edward dear."
"Thanks, I am just having a hard time understanding how to put this into words. It was unlike anything I have ever felt. It was sheer raw power, but this power was not like the usual vampire power. It was like a completely separate entity. This one craved something, but it wasn't blood, it was touch, intimacy, sex. When I opened myself to it, it was frightening, but I didn't fight it. We began getting more deeply intimate and I felt human to some degree. I felt like a man again. I could still feel my dangerous side, but the blood lust was shoved to the farthest corners of my mind, under lock and key and I felt that I could call upon it any time I wished or hide it away, as well. I felt that my heart was no longer under lock and key, but my vampire side was. I have never felt so much control over the blood lust. For the first time, I did not feel a prisoner to it. I felt as though I had mastered it. Kayce and I were able to be together just like a normal man and woman should be." He paused, seeing Esme's shocked expression. "No Mom, we didn't go THAT far."
"How far DID you go son?" She looked excited at the prospect, yet motherly at the same time.
Edward ran a hand through his hair again, embarrassed to be discussing something so intimate with his parents. He picked up a rock and threw it in the trees letting off some steam, but he also knew he needed all the help he could get, and Carlisle was the best source for that help. He had to tell them everything that could be important. "There was a lot of touching and groping and kissing, which led to me taking her shirt off," sighing he sat on the ground. "The effect she has on me is just, well, it's nothing I've ever known and it makes me only want to know it, memorize it and master it. I wanted her so badly, that it almost hurt to stop."
"I understand son, continue, please," Carlisle said.
"There was just a whole other side to me, but it wasn't bad, it was romantic and intimate and I was incredibly gentle with her. Like I said, I felt like a normal man with her. Kayce is always so careful to not put me in a situation I will no longer be able to control. She holds a great deal of herself back in order to help me keep control, but I had no fear of losing my control and I told her not to hold back anymore. After some coaxing, she agreed. When she did, the power rushed through me even stronger than before. I told her I loved her and she pulled back to look in my eyes, telling me the same. When she looked in my eyes, she was shocked, not afraid, but shocked. She pulled out a compact and showed me my eyes. They were green Carlisle. Green! My human eye color, it wasn't a trick of the light or anything of the sort. The pupils were highly dilated, as they are when the blood lust takes control, but this time, my eyes were green with small flecks of the gold left. As I watched and calmed down, they slowly faded back to my natural color."
"Are you sure Edward? Were they really green?" Esme asked.
"Why do you think I came all this way, interrupting your day together? I think it is the incubus in me that Kayce has told us about. I think that it has some sort of humanizing effect on me when I am sexually aroused. It didn't come out with some minor flirting, but when we started to get really carried away, almost...almost on the verge of crossing that line and making love, that is when the incubus side of me came out."
"Well son, I have talked to Kate and told them about Kayce's knowledge of your being an incubus. They being succubi have given me some insight into what you are speaking of. It isn't exactly the same as your situation, but very similar. I just want you to be really careful son. This whole 'experiment' could end badly. You need to walk that fine line with your eyes open."
Edward regarded his father carefully, nodding in return. "I understand, but what should I do?"
"Well, I think you should keep doing what you are doing, son. She makes you happy and the whole family has noticed. You aren't shut down anymore. She has told you about your ability to father a child and live a happy, full, rich life. I think you can have that with her, Edward. Don't throw it all away because you are afraid. Be careful, but you need to explore this side. We need to know what it is you are dealing with. I am sure that you won't have any objections to exploring your...hmm...romantic side!"
Eventually, he left Carlisle and Esme and he went hunting. He wanted to make certain that he wasn't going to hurt Kayce when they get romantic with each other. He really wasn't hungry, but he couldn't take that chance with his beloved's life in that way.
When Edward arrived home it was late. He stepped out of his Volvo and he could hear Kayce's deep breathing while sleeping. He walked slowly to the house and let himself in. He walked upstairs to the third floor landing. He paced the floor in front of her bedroom door. He wanted to let her rest. He wasn't sure how she felt about what she experienced today and didn't want to scare her.
Edward ran his hands through his hair and he put his hand on the door knob. He couldn't bring himself to go inside. He pulled his shirt off and headed in his bedroom. He thought that taking a shower may clear his head enough to allow him to stay in his bedroom overnight. He stepped in the shower and turned the valve to the coldest point. He let it soak him, but it really has no effect on him at all. Although, he prefers the warmth from a hot shower, cold doesn't bother him. He stood there completely naked wishing that Kayce would get up and join him.
He shut the shower off and dressed quickly in a pair of sweat pants after drying off. His hair was disheveled as he padded out of the bathroom. He approached her bedroom door once more and decided to go in, just to check up on her.
He entered the darkened room and he quietly walked to her bedside. He looked down at her tucked under her comforter and his heart melted. Edward couldn't resist stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. When she sighed, he crawled in next to her.
"Mmm...I thought you would never get home," Kayce said groggily, as though her mouth were stuffed with cotton. She cuddled with him and immediately fell back into a deep sleep. It was then that he knew he could never be away from her for very long. He craved her company, as well as her touch. He felt the vampire being locked away and the incubus being released from its dormant state.