Page 35 of Blood and Magic
The loud rumble shot through me, and I forced myself to focus on my breathing to steady my heart rate. But after he took off, I couldn’t contain the pure adrenaline-laced joy racing through my veins. I squealed as we went faster, the rush of the wind on my cheeks amping up the thrill in my blood. The combustion thundered under me, vibrating the soft spots between my legs, which was as scandalous as it was mesmerizing.
He kept it slow until we got to the main road, and then he let loose. We sped through the back-country streets, and when he took turns, I hugged him tighter to ensure I didn’t fall. Tingles spun through my stomach, and my pulse pounded, but it was terrific.
Life was meant to be all about this: the heat of the moment, the unrestrained pleasures that stifled the monotonous boredom, the magic of the world whipping by. Minutes raced like seconds, and I enjoyed every single one to the fullest.
Mill drove us into the mountains, and when he finally stopped the bike, we were at an overlook that gazed down on all of Helena.
I climbed off the back, removed my helmet, and walked closer to the edge. The sun was nearly set in the distance, casting the town in vibrant blushes and tangerines. This was my favorite time of day, when everything was liminal. Not quite awake, but not quite asleep.
“This is beautiful,” I said as Mill walked to stand next to me.
“Yeah, it is,” he murmured, but when I glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at the town. His gaze was set intently on me, his focus going to my mouth like he planned on leaning in to close the distance between us. I wanted him to. I wanted to push up on my toes, taste his mouth, and relieve some of the tension. But I hesitated. I didn’t want to scare him off, and other than a few compliments and some chaste flirting, he hadn’t given me any reason to think he’d welcome such a thing.
Cheeks burning, I looked back at the view and smiled.
“Thank you for this,” I said. “It’s easy to forget why we’re alive, and then you see something like this and…it all makes sense.” I closed my eyes and let the heat of the dying sun radiate across my skin, relishing the reinvigorating warmth. “Doesn’t it?”
He didn’t answer, and when I opened my eyes, he was still staring at me, his eyebrows furrowed, his lips pulled into a thin line.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. He looked so forlorn and depressed, and after that amazing ride and this incredible view, I didn’t understand what could possibly have made him so upset.
“Nothing,” he said, finally turning his attention to the valley. “You’re right. It’s quite the view.”
We stood there in comfortable silence until the urge to do something else…something reckless…finally took over.
“C’mon,” I told him, nodding back toward his bike. “I’ve got an idea.”
Holding on to him as best as I could, I directed him to a spot not too far away. This had been my refuge growing up, the secret I didn’t share with anyone, not even Ava. Why I was sharing it with him, I didn’t know. Maybe I had relaxed into an easier comfort in his presence than I ever could with my family. Maybe I felt like I owed him something for the bike ride.
He parked at the edge of the tree line, and we climbed off, removing our helmets.
“Where are we?” he asked. “I’ve never been this far up before.”
I didn’t answer, just grinned and nodded ahead. “Let’s go.”
He followed me for a bit, glancing around for any signs of danger, but when he decided things must have been okay, he walked by my side.
“Maeve, I don’t like being in strange places without scoping them out first.” He moved with a stiff, predatory gait, like he expected a Bloody Scorpion to jump out at us any second. True, that could happen, but no one ever came up here. Just me and my adrenaline-junkie self.
“Do you see any signs of them?” I asked, pausing to check in for reassurance.
He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “No. I just…” Mill looked around again. “The sun is setting. We need to head back.”
“We’re okay, Mill. Besides, you’re a big, strong motorcycle man. You’ll protect me.”
His cheeks turned a brilliant shade of rose, and I knew I had him.
“Hey,” I said, giving him a quick nudge. “Race ya.”
Then, I took off into the woods, the pads of my feet bouncing off the undergrowth like I was made for sprinting.
“Maeve, wait!” he called from behind me, but I’d done enough waiting. I’d been trapped in that mansion-sized prison for weeks. This was my first time off Vanderbilt property in almost a month, and I couldn’t stand it. My skin felt too tight, my muscles yearning for more, almost like this ferocious energy was trying to burst from my skin. I knew these woods like my own mind, and I wouldn’t be contained any longer.
The sounds of his boots behind me thundered off the trees, but I kept going, pumping my arms, giggling with delight. Joy burst in my chest as my heart pounded, and when we cleared the other side of the forest, I stopped only long enough for him to catch up.
“Goddamn it, Vanderbilt,” he said. “Don’t fucking do that.”
“Such language.” I pretended to be shocked. “But what about this view?”
