Chapter Eight

Elijah

Hayley's soft lips brush against mine and I'm lost. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around the small of her back, pulling her closer to me. Her scent—lavender with a hint of vanilla—is intoxicating and her firm breasts are pressed against me. She sighs against my mouth and my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. I deepen the kiss, tasting the vodka on her lips, and she eagerly massages her lips against mine.

Her hands drop to my chest and I can feel her deft fingers unbuttoning my shirt. She frantically pushes the fabric off of my shoulders, but loses her balance in the process. She lets out a high-pitched squeak as she falls—and lands on top of me. My eyes snap open to see Hayley straddling my body, and the way her hips start grinding against my groin, I'm certain she can feel my hardness beneath her. Beautiful, bright eyes are shining with hunger and lust, mirroring my own, and she's grinning triumphantly. Lying underneath her, I'm helpless—entirely at her mercy. And she knows it.

Her head bends down and she traces her lips against my neck, my cheek, and finally, my lips. Her tongue flicks against mine, and I capture her mouth in another passionate kiss. At first, we kiss slowly, luxuriating in the sensation of touching, tasting—and then our kisses turn frenzied, desperate. Hayley's cool hands slip under my shirt, removing it completely. She tosses the shirt on the ground and stares at my naked chest in silence, taking in my chiseled form. I can't quite meet her gaze, so I grip her tight ass and jerk her body close to mine. She gasps in surprise and plants warm kisses from my chest down to my hard stomach.

I moan with pleasure and thank the gods for whatever I've done right in my interminable, vampire existence to earn me this blissful moment with Hayley. I run my fingers through her silky, dark hair and completely surrender myself to her feather-light caresses on my body.

Then I feel my belt buckle slide off and a voice inside me calls me back to reality, urging me to stop what inevitably comes next. And before I can register what I've done, my rough hands cover hers, stopping her from touching me further.

"We can't."

My voice is barely a whisper, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I immediately regret them.

A flurry of emotion flashes across Hayley's face—shock, humiliation…fear? She yanks her hands from my grasp and rolls off of me. Then she sits upright and stares at me, full of remorse. And there's something about the pained look in her eyes that vexes me.

"I'm so sorry, Elijah. I shouldn't have kissed you. I don't know what happened. You were hurt and I wanted you to feel better and then I had too much to drink—" Hayley sputters out the words, talking a mile a minute.

I sit up next to her and search her eyes for the truth, "You kissed me because you pity me?"

Hayley groans and smacks her forehead in frustration. "No! That's not it at all. I just—"

I hold up my hand. "It's alright. I understand."

"Urgh. You don't understand. El—Elijah?"

I walk over to the side of the bed where my shirt's piled up in a crumpled mess. I'm determined to leave before Hayley admits something else I don't want to hear.

A tugging on my arm stops me from dressing myself and I peer down to see Hayley gripping me tightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. Just…just please don't go." Hayley's light brown eyes are looking up at me with an earnestness I know I can't refuse.

"I shouldn't stay…" I hedge.

"Please…please…" Hayley repeats the words over and over again, her eyes blinking slowly until her eyelids flutter shut. Then she falls back onto the small mattress with a loud thump.

The wolf girl has passed out.

I let out an exasperated sigh. Hayley's won this round and I've lost.

I'm not going anywhere tonight.

What to do when the contents of one's refrigerator comprises of a pot of soggy ramen noodles and carton of expired milk? Pay a visit to the bodega across the street, of course.

Hayley's alcohol-induced coma left her unconscious for the night, leaving me to wonder what I should do when the wolf girl wakes. Alas, there isn't much to entertain a vampire—or anyone with or without a pulse—in Hayley's apartment.

Her room is appallingly barren. No television, no bookcases, no diversions of any kind. Her clothes are stuffed inside a large suitcase, which is useful if she ever plans to pack up and leave at a moment's notice. This isn't surprising. Hayley has nothing to keep her here. That much is clear. Still, a part of me never wants to think of the day she'll finally leave the city—the day she'll leave me.

Would she consider staying in New York? Just taking in the general emptiness in her apartment, I know it's a fool's hope. Every unfurnished, un-decorated corner of the room screams "temporary living space." This blank canvas of a room is certainly not a home.

And yet—empty nooks and crannies aside—nothing shocked me more than the state of Hayley's kitchen. Stale chips in her cupboard? More bottles of liquor than food in her refrigerator? How on earth has Hayley managed to feed herself all these months?

For me, this empty refrigerator was the last straw. How can my partner in this investigation keep up, if she has so little sustenance? Thus, I rationalized that my trip to the bodega was not only a boon for Hayley—but also for our mission. And though it was quite daunting escaping the apartment early this morning without rousing the easy-to-anger-original vampire-hating Nonna—the grocery shopping adventure was a success.

I shake my head, pulling myself out of my reverie, and focus on my next important task: breakfast.

I crack several eggs into a small bowl, seasoning them with plenty of pepper and a pinch of salt, and mix the ingredients together. Once the eggs are sufficiently whisked, I pour them onto a hot pan on the stovetop, which I've placed next to a pan of crackling bacon. On the kitchen counter, a stack of fluffy pancakes rests on top of a large white plate. The breakfast feast is nearly finished.

I divide up the bacon on two different plates and scoop up the eggs—sunny-side up—and place equal amounts on the plates as well.

And then I hear it—two feet padding lightly on the hardwood floors and stopping near the kitchen. Perfect timing.

Hayley clears her throat and I turn around, almost taken aback by her stunning features. Even with her frizzy bed-hair, her flushed cheeks and sparkling brown eyes are enough to drive me insane with lust.

"What's going on? Where did you get this food!?" the wolf girl exclaims.

I grin and point to the refrigerator with the spatula in my hand. "There's more where that came from."

She walks to the refrigerator door with trepidation, opens it, and gasps.

"Holy hell! There's…food! In my refrigerator!"

A chuckle escapes my lips as she starts inspecting each item the fridge one by one—fresh strawberries, assorted cold cuts, blocks of cheese, sliced bread. Her eyes are shining with surprise and her full lips curve into a shy smile.

She closes the refrigerator and steps closer to me, her head bowed down bashfully. "Elijah, I don't know what to say…"

I drop the spatula on the counter and grasp her shoulders with my hands.

"You don't have to say a word. It was my pleasure."

We stand there gazing into each other's eyes, basking in the warmth of the moment—until I hear Hayley's stomach rumble with a low growl.

Horrified, Hayley's face turns red and she covers her face with her hands.

"Damn it! So embarrassing…"

I bark out a laugh and hand the starving wolf a plate. "Make sure to grab some pancakes too."

She sheepishly takes the plate from my hands, adds a generous helping of pancakes, and then claims a spot on the hard floor between the kitchen and her bed.

"You really should invest in a table one day," I say, gathering my own plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and sitting down next to her.

Hayley winks in my direction and responds, "With you as my personal chef, I'll definitely consider it."

With a trusty fork in her hand, Hayley inhales a piece of pancake and closes her eyes as she chews, savoring each bite. Next, she stabs a strip of bacon with some egg, shoveling it in her mouth as well. There are no other words except Hayley's chorus of 'Mmms' and 'Oh gods', which assures me she's thoroughly enjoying her repast.

Then Hayley drops her plate on the floor to give me an enthusiastic thumb's up sign. I incline my head slightly in appreciation, but inside, I'm utterly euphoric watching Hayley devour my food. I would cook for this woman every day to see this glimpse of pure delight on her beautiful face.

I'm about to convey how flattered I am by her praise when I notice Hayley's suddenly turned serious. I can see it in her downcast eyes.

"About last night…Elijah, I'm so—"

I cut her off before she has a chance to finish the thought. "Let's not discuss it. Emotions spun out of control, consumed us…"

Hayley arches an eyebrow questioningly, but says nothing. And for that I'm grateful. The last thing I need to hear from Hayley's lips is that she only kissed me because she thought I was pitiful.

Sensing I've put the issue to rest, I continue, "Furthermore, it's in the past. I propose we focus on the present—which is far more pressing. What to do about our mutual adversary, for example?"

The wolf girl merely shrugs—and although I see a bit of annoyance flash across her face—she doesn't challenge me.

"Well, Zack and the bar was my call. And considering that someone I considered a friend is now a mind-controlled zombie, I'd say it's your turn to come up with a Plan B."

I smirk at Hayley's sauciness and set my plate on the floor next to hers before obliging her command. "I do, in fact, have a plan: one which would render Katherine absolutely powerless."

"Oh yeah? And that would be…?"

"Taking away Katherine's mind-control ability," I reply confidently.

"As simple as that, huh?" Hayley says sarcastically.

"If Katherine can control so many individuals—humans and werewolves alike—there's only one explanation."

"Cue the drum roll?"

Brushing off Hayley's trenchant remark, I answer, "Witchcraft."

Hayley's eyes widen. It's clicked. "Of course, why didn't we just investigate the witches? Katherine must have an ally in one of the covens in the city. But where do we even start?"

I flash Hayley a wide smile, pick my plate off of the floor, and fork a large helping of room-temperature pancake into my mouth.

"I have a fairly good idea where we need to go."