Crypt Keeper, page 10
“Stay away from me. I never want to see you again.” He flinched as I jerked my arm from his grasp.
“You know I can’t do that.” His tone was low and filled with pain.
Turning, I walked out of the crypt, and the entire way to the house I knew he was watching me. I could feel his eyes on my back. It wasn’t until I reached the back porch that I heard the most horrifying howl that shook the ground under my feet, and somehow I was positive that it came from Levi.
Chapter 9
“It’s better to be pissed off than pissed on.” ~ T-shirt
The second the door closed Damon was storming into the kitchen, and from the heat he was putting off he was mad as hell and I couldn’t have cared less. “Where the f—” The words died in his throat when he took in my appearance. “Shit. What the hell happened?” He hustled me into one of the parlors and onto a couch. Something stunk in here. That’s when I spied a vase of dying flowers in mildewed water. Yuck, I hated that smell. My father never would have let them die; he always replaced them the moment they began to wilt. What was I going to do? I was so out of my league here. I wouldn’t cry.
“You’re going to have to explain in every detail what the hell happened to you, but for now I’m going to treat your wounds. I’m going to remove your pants—your jeans are stuck in the gashes.” I just nodded as he was already undoing my jeans and pulling them over my hips. The pain hardly registered as he peeled them the rest of the way off. “These are serious wounds.” He knelt down and lifted one of my legs to get a closer look. Sighing, he slowly placed my leg back on the sofa. I was so tired I shut my eyes as he mumbled something about removing my shirt.
“I can’t lift my arms,” I whispered, not feeling like I had the energy to do anything right now.
“Not a problem,” Damon said, and then I felt my shirt tear down the front.
Levi had betrayed me in a way that I wasn’t sure how to recover from, but I would. A victim I was not! However, at this moment I wasn’t ready to recover. Sometimes you have to feel the pain for a while; let it make an imprint on your heart, scar you a little. This is the only way we learn. I’d completely gone into my own world. I was good at that. I could disappear in a room full of people.
Damon’s hand on my face pulled me back to reality. “Molly, are you still with me?”
“Yep,” I lied.
His face was hard; his eyes were doing that transformation thing again and I didn’t even care. “Your wounds are infected with bacteria not found in this dimension. We’ll discuss the how’s later, but now we need to clean them or the infection will quickly spread to your heart.” That couldn’t be good, I thought numbly and I closed my eyes once more. I sure was tired. Damon lifted my head and I cracked open one eye. “I’m going to clean them now. This is a procedure we haven’t discussed yet and there isn’t time.” His body was close to mine; I could feel the heat coming off him and it was welcome against my cold frame. I felt like I had a giant heating blanket against me. “There’s supposed to be a side effect but it is the fastest and safest way to remove the bacteria. Are you okay with this?”
“There isn’t a side effect worse than death,” I mumbled and shut my eyes again. I meant that, too; if I woke up and had to move on to the other dimension with all those monsters I’d freak out. Poor Jewels. If that was what the dimension was like for her no wonder she never wanted to go. The others seem so happy when I help them, at peace. I would need to ask her about that soon. God, I was so tired.
Something hot and wet hit my calf. “Ah,” I moaned, feeling fantastic as another wet stroke with whatever Damon was washing my wounds with touched me. “Whatever the hell that is, I need lots of it.” I groaned as he continued to bathe my wounds. There was no response from Damon, making me wonder if I’d said that aloud or in my head. The farther up my thighs he went the more I was thrilled that I’d been injured there. I should have rolled around on the ground more and cut up every inch of my body. This shit was some fantastic drug. I’d never done ecstasy but this had to be what it was like. I wasn’t even embarrassed to be breathing heavily and arching my back as the warmth was inches from my happy place and I nearly screamed. Looking down my eyes met Damon’s as I realized he was licking the wound on the top of my thigh. I started to push him off and opened my mouth to shout when another stroke of his tongue moved up to the wound on my lower abdomen, causing me to moan instead as heat pooled between my legs. Watching him shift I could see the bulge in his pants and realized that he was enjoying this as much as I was. This was what my life was coming to; flat-faced freaks that wanted to eat me and a guard that had to literally lick my body to help me heal. I started to laugh and then he continued, moving up higher and began working on the small wound on my breastbone. Another wave of lust struck hard and I reached down to pull him closer to me. This got a response as he took in a shaky breath and lifted his head.
“I need to clean the abrasions on your face.” His arms were shaking against me as he gripped the back of the sofa with one hand and a cushion with the other. He was fighting his own need.
Licking my lips, I responded whispering, “So clean them,” as I slid my hand down the front of his pants and stroked his erection. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Fuck…” The word left his lips and his lust-filled eyes rolled back in his head. A second later his eyes focused back on me and he gently removed my hand, placing it on the sofa. Feeling rejected for the last time tonight, I shoved against him and stood. As the effects of his tongue bath began to ebb I was thankful he’d stopped us. My life was way too confusing already to add this mistake into the mix.
“Molly, you need to lie back down so I can clean your face.” Feeling much better, I moved past the sofa wearing nothing but my black bra and thong.
Turning to face him I put my hands on my hips. “You cleaned all but my face. Will they heal on their own?”
His ran his hand through his hair. “Yes. But it will be less painful if you let me clean them and you won’t like how it looks in the process. Are you sure you don’t want me to clean them?”
“No thanks. I’ll put some Neosporin on them. Don’t forget to lock the door on your way out.” I turned and marched up the stairs and into my bedroom, slamming the door then fell into the bed. At least that explained why I’d attacked him on our first date. I wasn’t a total slut. I now had an excuse.
~~~
“Ouch!” I woke feeling a horrible sting on the left side of my face and realized that my wound had stuck to the pillow. Flinching, I slowly peeled the pillow away from my face and rolled onto my back, hitting something hard. Turning, I realized I’d woken a sleeping Jewels.
Scooting over she rubbed her eyes as she propped up on her arm. “Are you okay? You’re not still mad at me are, you?” she asked sleepily.
Staring up at the ceiling I thought about it for a few moments. “No. But you have to come completely clean.”
“Yes, of course I will. Listen Molls, it isn’t what you think. You are my friend first and foremost. Your stupid great aunt found me just before you moved to Atlanta.” I sat up, infuriated that she’d known about Mags for three years and didn’t tell me. She raised her hands. “You told me that you didn’t want to hear anything about the dead—that you were moving on with your life among the living. That is the only reason that I didn’t tell you then. Remember how you were when you first moved there? You barely spent any time with me, and when you did you always acted like I was one of the living.” My face fell; she was right. Here I was expecting her to accept my choices in life regarding what I wanted. Unfortunately I never afforded her the same courtesy.
“I’m sorry, Jewels. I’ve expected more of you than you have of me.” I disvalued her because she was dead. That was beyond wrong and I was ashamed of myself. “You are my best friend, of course I forgive you. You did what you thought was best at the time and I was a bitch barking orders and never listening to your side of things. Do you forgive me?”
Tears welled up in her eyes and she instantly wiped them away, nodding. “Enough of this sappy shit.” Wiping my eyes I agreed. “I know you found out that Levi wasn’t like me. He’s gone off into the other dimension.” She looked down. “Did he tell you anything?”
I shook my head. “Of course not. He shuts down any time I try to dig a little deeper.” Sighing I whispered, “Oh Jewels, I’m so confused.” My face was stinging something awful and the skin felt incredibly tight. Sliding out of the bed I went to examine my face for the first time. When I saw my reflection I screamed!
Damon came barging through the door a second later, all bowed up for a fight wearing nothing but a pair of striped pajama pants. “She’s okay, just a little upset about her face,” Jewels said from the bed.
Tears fell from my eyes, stinging the large gaping wounds in my face.
“I’m Freddy Krueger!” I screamed, turning to face them.
“Quit being so dramatic. Freddy is a bit extreme.” Jewels came to stand in front of me taking in the appearance of my face; cocking her head to one side she examined me with a critical eye. “It’s more Leatherface than Freddy. I’m hungry? Can I get you anything?” I stood there gaping at her as she left the room; she pointed at Damon then winked at me before shutting the door. So she knew all about his abilities.
Embarrassed with my appearance I dropped my head, not wanting Damon to see me this way. No wonder he’d been repulsed by me earlier. I wondered why Levi hadn’t been. I mean, seriously; who’d want to get it on with Leatherface? “Please fix it,” I whined. Damon was instantly in front me, pulling me to his warm chest. Wrapping my arms around his chest I sobbed. It was painful but I couldn’t help it. Call me vain, but seeing my face was the last straw. I couldn’t hold the emotions back any longer.
“It’s okay. I’ll fix it,” he cooed soothingly as he stroked my hair.
“How can you stand licking these gross gashes? Looking at me is bad enough,” I whimpered against his bare chest.
His chest shook. then the sound of his laughter filled the room. It was infectious and I couldn’t help laughing along with him. “Ouch. Don’t make me laugh, it hurts too much.”
He chuckled a little more, “Sorry, it’s just I’ve seen some gruesome things in my time. The few deep gashes on your face are nothing in comparison.” Well, that was comforting even though it had to be a lie. I was a walking freak show. They could sell tickets and make a fortune. “Come on. Let’s get you onto the bed and I’ll make it all better.”
The memory of how his tongue affected me began to make my body hum in anticipation. I crawled back onto the bed and realized that I’d just given him an eyeful since I was still in nothing but a thong and bra. Clearing my throat, I decided to just put it all out there. “This is weird. I don’t know what we are to each other and you have um, well… licked me all over.” Steeling my nerves I pushed my hair back to face him.
“Yeah.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “This is the reason I wanted you to get to know me before all of this began. Frankly I never expected to have to clean any injuries this early so I didn’t think we’d have this particular issue just yet.”
“You act as though this is common practice.” I pulled the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed up and over my body.
He nodded. “It is. I told you that Keepers and their Guardians develop extremely intimate relationships. Usually they are introduced years before they are required to take their roles in the fight. With us it’s been unique.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t decided that I even want the job. I’ll need to hear the employment requirements before I decide anything. And so far I’m not even sure I’m suitable.” He didn’t respond, but the smirk upon his face told me that I was utterly naïve. “You don’t think I have a choice.” I sat up.
“Molly, the crypts are the only entrances from which the forces of hell can pass through. If they aren’t protected and kept secure none of us will survive. Mags is a tough old broad but she isn’t going to be in this dimension long, and as much as she’ll try and cross back and forth to protect your crypt should you run from this she will never be successful. If you don’t step into the role they’ll replace you.”
Allowing his words to sink in, I now understood his meaning. “So the crux of this is if I don’t step up they’ll kill me to pass the birthright on to the next in line.”
His face hardened. “This is serious, Molly—the state of everything rests on those of us that protect the safety of those in both dimensions. You wouldn’t have been chosen if you weren’t the one for the job. Your father crossed the line trying to perform a task he wasn’t chosen for and there is a lot of cleanup that will have to be done because of his failings.”
“Wait a minute. Did ‘they’ kill my father?” I made the quotations with my fingers when I said the word they.
“I was supposed to handle that.” I slapped him hard across the face. He didn’t even flinch; he simply grabbed my hand and held it. “I didn’t do it. How could I? You didn’t know me or the way things worked in our world. We would have never recovered from that. He was informed of the threats leaking through crypt under his watch and decided that he would end his life here in this dimension. He couldn’t live with himself after he understood the danger he’d put you in.”
“That sounds like him.” I felt ill. He’d checked out. He ran and left me here to deal with the mess he’d created. Coward. “Who makes these decisions? God?” I was perturbed that my ass was on the line and the situation was made worse by my father’s attempts to help. I’d never been privy to any of this.
“Yes, we answer to God. The Night Guard are his foot soldiers—we handle the security between the dimensions. We are the good guys, Molly.”
“I thought angels were the foot soldiers.”
He snorted. “Obviously you haven’t met any angels. They are messengers at best.”
“Yep, The Twilight Zone is where I was.” I slowly laid back down. “Damon, I feel so lost. I hate that feeling. I need to be in control and my face hurts.”
He smiled at me and stroked my arm. “That’s why I’m here. I’ll help you if you’ll let me.”
“You said Keepers and Guardians were intimate. I’m not sure how to deal with that right now. I don’t want to become Suzy Slut and jump on your cock every time I get injured. And with the side effect…” My voice trailed off. He looked surprised that I’d been so bold. He better get used to it. I don’t pull punches. Ever.
“I understand.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “The side effect happens to me too. I’ll do my best to keep it at bay. That’s the best I can do. You know that I want you, and not because I’m your guard. I wanted you the first moment I laid eyes on you. However, I will respect your wishes.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Are you ever going to be completely straight with me about everything?”
He looked me directly in the face. “Your strange connection to Levi is the only reason I’m withholding some information from you.” Swallowing hard, I figured he’d say something like that. Men and their jealousy. “Levi has been part of your life for sometime, has he not?” I nodded. “You and he are intimate and he hasn’t revealed his true nature to you?” His eyes pierced mine and demanded the truth. Even though Levi and I had fought I couldn’t betray him. Levi was a part of me. A part that I was afraid I was going to have to rip out by the roots.
Taking a deep breath, I held his gaze as I responded so he could read me. “Levi has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. He saved me when I was child—I wasn’t sure how to live or even if I wanted to until he came along. Yes, we were together for many years, but I decided three years ago that he and I needed to go our separate ways. And tonight solidified that I had made the right decision.”
Damon’s jaw clenched; I could feel the fury rising off of him. “Was he the cause of your injuries tonight?”
For a split second I considered not explaining further, then decided to go ahead. I’d come this far. “When I left the house tonight I intended to walk off my anger. Levi snatched me up and the next thing I knew we were in the asylum. We had an argument and he stormed off, leaving me there alone.” I shook my head. “That’s kind of his MO—when he doesn’t like something I say or disagrees with me he storms off and I don’t see him for a few days.” I was suddenly incredibly thirsty. “My throat is incredibly dry.”
Damon rose. “I’ll be right back. Molly, please don’t clam up now. You and I need to completely trust each other.”
“I won’t.” He gave me a quick nod of approval and left the room. Sitting up, I pulled my knees to my chest. When that didn’t ease my nerves I got up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. I walked over to the window, knelt on the window seat and peered out, wondering where Levi was. I sat down and rested my shredded face against the cool glass. Movement off to the left caught my eye. There he was, standing in the shadow of the trees like he had for so many years of my youth, my dark hero. Our eyes met and I wanted to cry. Why had he withheld so much from me? I could handle anything but lies; he understood that better than anyone. A hellhound walked up beside him and he reached down and stroked its head. Even now in this light he was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen and I was still drawn to him. He began backing away into the darkness until I could no longer see him, the hellhound in tow. Sucking in a sharp breath I stood and closed the curtains.
“You okay?” Damon came back into the room with a glass of water. Hurrying away from the window I took the glass from him and took a few sips.
“Thank you.” I needed to feel connected to somebody desperately. What had I gotten into? Levi had in his own way been trying to show me something, perhaps give me insight on who he was. “Damon, do hellhounds hunt you like they do Keepers?”
“Yes, hellhounds hunt all of us. Why, have you seen some?” I took another sip of water from my glass. He lifted my chin when I’d finished. “Have you?”
