Into the Darkness

Chapter Seventeen

I awoke with a glorious stretch. "Ow." 

"Serves you right." Charles sat in a chair off to the side, his knitting needles clicking. 

"I'm sore." Which was an understatement. Every single muscle felt like it'd been stretched. 

Speaking of stretched... My lady bits ached, as if I'd been violated in the most pleasant of ways. 

A dream came back to me, of Stefan moving over me, crushing me to the mattress, my body entwined with his. It had been the best dream I had ever had, equipped with the absolutely best orgasm I could imagine. 

"Did..." This was going to sound really dumb. "Did the Boss...hang out in here? At all?" 

Charles didn't even look up. "Yup. He gave you more blood, pissing off that super bitch Darla to no end, and saved your life, yet again. Not that you deserved it." 

"How long are you going to be mad at me, exactly?" 

"At least another day, then I'll see how I feel." 

"You didn't have sex with me, did you?" 

I got a scathing glance. "As it stands, I will only consent to screw you because it would be a waste to refuse, but I will still be pissed." 

So no, then. "Huh." 

Click, click, click. 

He tilted his head marginally, as if he couldn't help asking, "So, does that mean you're offering?" 

I scoffed at him as I sat up slowly, my body feeling strung out and my lady bits sending shooting remembrances of pleasure to my body. "The Boss didn't..." 

The glance was sardonic this time. "He barely screws people of his own caliber, let alone dumb humans that ditch their faithful, loyal guards for a ridiculous human boyfriend that always manages to need a woman's help. Talk about thinking highly of yourself..." 

Right. That's what I'd figured; but still, I was sore. Maybe it was just an effect of the magic. The rest of my body felt beat to hell, why not that part as well?  

I tossed it out of my mind, stowing that delicious dream to the back of my head for later remembrance when I had some alone time to take matters into my own hands. My mind drifted to Jared. I cringed. 

"How's Jared?" I asked in a tiny voice. 

Click, click, click. 

"I'll blow you for information..." I kept my voice even. He was just young enough to believe me. 

"Lies."  

Or not. 

"Jared has made a full recovery. This time. What's going to happen next time...? I wonder. It isn't him they're after. For some stupid reason..." 

I sighed. He'd hit directly on the problem. Since my infatuation with Stefan, and more so when I went searching for the living shadows, he'd been in danger constantly. I'd had to try and save him just as often. For a girl who could barely walk in a straight line without getting sidetracked by moving objects in the darkness, I wasn't the best person to hang his hope on. Oh yeah, and I had no fighting skills, no arsenal besides a whistle and a letter opener, and no muscles. Jared was in the wrong hands. 

I loved him, but I couldn't play this game with him anymore. I didn't know what my life held in store for me, but I had a feeling that, with that knitting oaf following me around, and my wires constantly crossing with a guy that tugged at the fibers of my being every time I saw him, it wouldn't be normal.