A/N: Aw! I love you all, my lovelies! You are all so awesome and sweet, I wish I could give each of you a hug! I've received a good bunch of reviews and that makes me happy compared to other stories with their really irksome number amounts (47 is evil!). It's my OCD going out of control, but I shall live…
Here is your update for now! Thank you lovelies and I hope you enjoy it!
OOOOOOOOO
Faith stuck close to David's side as they walked around the boardwalk, taking in the sights. His arm was around her, the tips of his fingers flirting with the opening of a pocket of her jeans. The redhead didn't seem to notice, lost in her own mind. At times, David could see her look around them uncertainly – the curious gaze of Adalyn peeking out at the modern world with a mixture of fear and interest. Yet, the modern girl made no sound of disappointment when the Southern Belle made an appearance, seeming at peace with just the occasional look that the other personality gave to the world in silence.
The oldest Lost Boy glared darkly at any male who looked at the redhead. There seemed to be a hunger in each of their eyes, something drawing them to the girl. Maybe the confidence she was carrying made her more attractive to them? Hell, it'd taken all of David's power to not grab her and take her somewhere dark to have his way with her when she'd slapped that bitch at the pizza place. It'd been very uncomfortable for him for several minutes after that little incident, something that the Boys had teased him about through their mental bond until he threatened to find a crucifix and use it on them.
The redhead sighed as the Lost Boy ordered her an iced coffee, ignoring the wants of the others. "David…can we talk? Alone?"
The platinum blonde nodded and escorted her away from the rest of the Boys, passing her frozen treat to her. "What's up?"
Faith hesitated for a moment, looking out at the ocean. "David, I haven't been around my cousin and friends for a while now -"
"Sure you have," David told her. "You were with them yesterday."
"You know what I mean, David," Faith muttered crossly. "I haven't done much hanging out with them since…for a while. What if they think I am abandoning them to hang out with you and the others?"
"They're the ones who wanted you to fall in love, Faith. And look at what you found."
"A narcissist?" The redhead shook her head. "David, I owe it to my cousin and the girls to hang out with them." David rolled his eyes at that. "Can't I find some kind of balance of time with you and them? Separately?"
The Lost Boy was silent for a long minute. "Fine…I'll be fine with you hanging with your friends. Tomorrow night. And then the next night is mine to share with you. Okay, Red?"
The girl pulled a face at the moniker. "Ugh! Do not call me that! It's almost as bad as Fire Crotch…"
David smirked, his eyes roving over her body. "But you are a -"
Faith pressed a hand over his lips, glaring darkly at him. "Do you want to be hit in the balls again, David? Because that's where you're heading if you do not stop with the stupid nicknames and perverted shit. Understand?"
The Lost Boy licked her hand, causing her to jump back in surprise. Watching her wave her hand around like some kind of toy, the Lost Boy laughed. Grey eyes turned to him and narrowed.
"Ya like having a working penis, Davy?" she asked.
"Only because you like it," David countered with a wry smirk. "And don't call me that."
"Oh, really…And why is that?" Faith questioned, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't like nicknames, hon?"
The Lost Boy drew closer to her, backing her up against the side of the pier. His hands found her hips and lifted her onto the top rail, squeezing hard enough to earn a soft gasp from the redhead. His body slid between her thighs, bringing him chest to chest with her.
"There's only one name I want to hear coming from your lips," David growled softly, cupping her cheek with his large hand.
"Like…God?" Faith asked, her breath betraying the strawberry remnants of her gum as it brushed lightly against his skin.
"Touching that you think so highly of me, but no," David said, leaning even closer. "I want to hear you say my name. To wear it out in whispers, moans as you near your peak, and screams as I drive you over the edge again and again…" His lips brushed against hers as his hands rubbed over her thighs. "Your voice saying my name in the morning, screaming it at night until everyone in the world knows my name…that's what I want to hear."
Faith smiled at him slightly, touching his chest lightly as his lips touched her neck. "Is that all…?"
"Say it," David ordered, nipping at the flesh above her choker.
"It."
"Smartass…" The Lost Boy nipped at her a little harder, earning a shudder. "Say my name…"
Faith hands tangled in his hair as he teased her with burning kisses. "David…"
The Lost Boy pressed himself even closer to her, so he could feel her heart race against his chest. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she suddenly became aware of the hard lump pressing against her and David could feel the heat of her body rise. David knew that if he kept it up, there would be a lot of scarred children on the pier that night and usually, he didn't care about that but Faith might. He slowly started to ease up on the touches he ghosted over her skin, trying to coax himself out of his own desperate need. Faith's entire body shuddered as he gave a long, slow lick up the side of her neck, soothing the burn of his bite marks.
"Time to go back to your friends," David said softly.
The redhead pouted, gripping the collar of his outer jacket. "I see how it is…I get you hot and bothered and you get satisfaction…Me, if you get me hot and bothered, then I just have to deal with it…"
David smirked as he looked into her eyes. "Ya gotta have something to look forward to," he said in a gentle growl. "And…by the time I have you alone again; it will be fierier and longer…"
The girl narrowed her eyes at him and glanced down. "Tell your little friend to cool it then," she ordered when her eyes met his again. "It ain't getting anything tonight."
"It is not little," David growled.
Faith rolled her eyes and slipped off the pier railing, her body rubbing against his. "I know…David."
The Lost Boy watched her walk away, merging into the crowd with a slight sway in her hips. She didn't look back and for that he was glad because he had something to deal with.
OOOOOOOOO
Faith moved through the crowd, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. Her body tingled with the desire to throw David on the ground and go wild, but she couldn't let herself do that. Not in public and definitely not back at the hotel-cave where people would be witnesses. Taking a slow deep breath, Faith forced her body to relax and banished the thoughts of her sexual fantasies into the way back of her mind.
Auntie would bend me over backwards and slap my ass into Kingdom Come if she found out what I've been doing…thinking. A shiver went down her spine and she hugged herself. Then again, she might approve of David…and the Boys. Maybe the girls and I can take them to New York with us when we leave? There are plenty of places for them to find a home and…they'd be far away from Max.
"No matter where you go, there will be vampires," Adalyn's voice poured out of her lips. "Some are even closer than you think…others, farther…"
Faith rolled her eyes. "Like that makes sense…"
She stepped onto the carousel, a place she always seemed to return to. The redhead sat on the back of a white horse and draped an arm around the faded golden pole. Resting her head lightly against the pole, she closed her eyes.
She ran towards the sound of screaming, the sound putting fear into her as much as staring into the face of the Devil would. She couldn't back down or call for help because no one was out there. Not a soul moved on the dunes of the sand. Only she could be seen running towards the screams of young women and men.
Puffing with exhaustion and from the exertion, she reached the crest of the tallest dune and released the light skirt of her nightdress. Lifting her eyes from the ground, she drew in a gasp of fear…
Monsters – monsters were ripping innocent humans apart below where she stood. Blood poured freely from the wounds and stained the faces of the demons that were killing. The blood in her body went cold as she recognized two of the people below. One was the stranger who'd come to town earlier that year – before the murders started. And the other, she didn't want to believe was capable of this atrocity.
"David…" the woman gasped as the man's feral eyes lifted towards her.
Faith's eyes snapped open the moment she saw the fangs in David's mouth in her mind's eye. She visibly shuddered and pushed herself away from the pole, sliding off the horse. The redhead raked a hand through her hair and bit her bottom lip as she stepped off the carousel.
Why do I keep seeing David as a vampire? Max, I understand because he is an actual vampire. But David? He can't be. I felt his heart race against my skin. His breath touched me – so warm and…Faith shuddered again. David wouldn't lie to me – not about something like this. He hates vampires after what they did to his family, to the Boys' families. David is not a vampire.
"I hope not," Adalyn's voice slipped out as the scars burned. "But you know what you saw, what I felt…there is something wrong here. We need to leave. And leave soon…with David."
The redhead shook her head. "I'm not leaving until the season is over," she uttered under her breath to the other personality in her body. "Or whenever Uncle tells Pru to bring the brood back to the Big Apple…" She shrugged. "Maybe I could stay? It's not like I have anything to look forward to back there besides stoners of parents and Lit tests…"
"Faith…" a soft voice whispered at her side as she watched a woman dance off to the side. "Faith!"
The redhead turned and saw that Laddie was looking up at her. A half-eaten ice cream cone was pressed against his lips and he held out a newer one to her. It was greenish in color with dark chocolate chips sprinkled within. A smile spread across her face as she crouched down to his level, gently taking the offered ice cream.
"I haven't talked to you in a while, Mister," she said, taking a lick of ice cream. "Whatcha been up to Laddie?"
The little boy shrugged, turning his gaze to the dancer for a moment. "Staying out of the way…" he muttered. "My brothers…they don't want me to cramp their style."
Faith put a hand on his shoulder. "You have my permission to cramp everyone's style. And if they have a problem with it, you send them my way. Okay?"
Laddie nodded and held up a hand. Faith was a little put off by the stickiness of the little boy's skin, but held his hand as they walked through the crowd. For some reason, she felt safer with company even in such a small form. There was a slight feeling of protection welling up inside her. She never had a little sister or brother, but Laddie seemed to fill the position so well – without the being blood related that would have cursed him to a life filled of drug addiction. Faith squeezed his hand gently and enjoyed the simple companionship the boy offered.
"Hey Laddie," Faith said, coming to a stop near some trashcans. "Do you think that David and the others would move to New York if they had the means?"
One of Laddie's eyebrows lifted. "Where's that?"
"Way, way across the country to the northeast," Faith said, crouching down to his level. "It's a little chillier there than here with lots of snow in the winter."
"Snow?" The boy looked confused. "What's that?"
A wry smile curled up the corner of Faith's lips. "The Boys have really kept you under a rock all your life, haven't they? I bet you don't even know what a TV is…"
"Do too!" Laddie said proudly. "It's a box that shows moving pictures and plays sounds. TVs are real. Snow is something you made up."
"Oh, snow is real. Very real. It piles up to three feet sometimes in New York. Big, white flakes of frozen water on everything." She shrugged. "I guess it's never really made it to California in your lifetime. Otherwise, I'd help you make snowmen, and throw the harder stuff at the Boys in a snowball fight."
Laddie looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you want us to leave? I like it here."
"But Max is here," Faith reminded him quietly. "And he's only going to terrorize you guys more if you continue to live here. In New York, you can do whatever you want."
"I can do whatever I want here," Laddie countered, crossing his arms. "No school. No bosses. No rules and all the food I like. Why can't you stay here?"
"I can stay here for a while longer, but – how do I say this? If I stay here for the rest of my life, Max is going to make everyone's lives a living nightmare. He may even eat me before things get settled down."
The little boy made a face. "Nu-uh! My big brothers will protect you from him. He isn't going to eat you as long as they are alive. And if they die, I'll protect you."
A soft smile crossed Faith's face and she hugged him. "And I'll protect you…"
OOOOOOOOO
Faith didn't return to David's side after separating from Laddie. Instead, she wandered past the Boys' bikes and headed away from the boardwalk. The town seemed less scary with Brett gone, but she knew that there was a very high risk of getting hurt. That vampire gang that the Boys had talked about, she was sure that they wouldn't hesitate to rip her to pieces with the knowledge she now had. She wondered what Max would do since she'd pointed out his undead state, that the other part of her had recognized.
This is so stupid! Max is a vampire and I just met him a couple weeks ago, but he's so familiar. Adalyn recognizes him from some long ago period of history and yet, she can't be real either. She's just a figment of my imagination, a cruel creation of my mind that was bored. There is no such thing as reincarnation. No such thing!
"Faith," someone called out from behind her.
Turning, the redhead saw that familiar Surf Nazi she hadn't seen in a while. "Terri? What are you doing here?"
Terri shrugged, stepping up to her. "I live here….and your cousin asked me to keep an eye on you the other night." His eyes became haunted and downcast. "Obviously I didn't do a good job…"
Remembering the night of the attack, Faith awkwardly turned her gaze away. "Oh...you were there when Brett…um…"
"I didn't do anything to stop him," Terri muttered. "I didn't do anything to save you or keep you safe like your cousin told me to."
Faith reached out and lightly touched his arm. "You did help me; you did stop him from getting too far. Weren't you the one who found David and the others and told them where I was and what was happening?"
The Surf Nazi nodded, running a hand through his dark hair. "I did…and they believed me, something they never did before…" He lifted his gaze to meet hers. "They've really changed because of you…it's kind of spooky."
"Spooky?" Faith smiled slightly. "That's something I never associated with them. Creepy, jealous, and overprotective, sure, but I've never thought of them as spooky." Her hands found a spot on her hips. "I guess I owe you for helping in saving me from Brett…"
Terri stepped back. "You don't owe me anything…I just did what any normal person would do if they witnessed the crime…"
Faith could tell that he had somewhere else to be or would if the conversation continued to spiral around the attack. Both were uneasy about communicating with each other, so she decided to spare him the pain. Glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the street the motel was on, she sighed.
"I should go…" she muttered, taking pity on the Surf Nazi. "I'll tell the girls that you said hi. And Terri, thank you for everything."
Terri ducked his head in embarrassment and Faith walked away. The redhead sent a silent prayer up to the heavens that someone would keep Terri safe on his journey to somewhere. And she asked for God to keep the girls from pouncing on her with desires for all the details.
Lord, she thought, turning her gaze up. Please protect David's heart…
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: Well…Whatcha think about this? Leave a comment or critique in the little box – flames can come too because it is getting cold out here. Thank you for your support and I hope you have a wonderful week! -Scarlet