What Lies Beneath

Everything was different when I woke up. I wasn't on my stomach, and Landon's hand wasn't on my back. I was pressed against him, chest to chest. He was holding me, and my head was tucked under his chin. He felt warm, and my hand was pressed up to his heart. It wasn't beating, but he didn't feel any less alive.

His chest was rising and falling, pushing against me. I should hate this. Be pissed that we had to share a bed. He'd been awful to me, and I would be stupid to forgive him. It hardly mattered anyway. One more day. That was what I had with him. He would be gone, and I wouldn't ever see him again. So that made him not worth the tears.

Right?

I lightly scratched my nails on his bare chest. "Landon," I said, quietly. "Honey, I need to get up.

His grip was tight on me, and it only got tighter when I spoke. I didn't think he was awake, but he could hear me. His brow was pinched in the most perturbed-looking way.

I gently shook his shoulder. "Landon. Really, I need to get up."

Slowly, his eyes peeled open. It took him a moment to see what was happening. That I was there, all snuggled up to him. A look of comfort crossed his eyes. "Hello, love."

I struggled to get away from him. "Don't call me that."

He let go of me. "Why not?"

I sat up and glared down at him. He moved onto his back and watched me, unaffected with my look. "Because I'm mad at you. You were nasty yesterday, and I'm not going to respond to your false affection. You don't have to pretend to like me anymore. I know what I am to you. You can still take blood when you need it, but let's just leave it at that. When you leave, you can get yourself a new Familiar to eat."

I got off the bed and started digging through my clean clothes. I was running low, so I grabbed a simple little dress with buttons on the top half. It was purple and black. "I hadn't done it before," Landon said, looking at the ceiling.

My eyes went up. "What?"

"You're my only Familiar. First, actually. I move around too much to have had one. You have to actually know someone before you ask them to be your personal blood bag."

That shouldn't have surprised me. He spent so much time alone. Why would he have a Familiar?

"Well, don't you worry. I'll be dead eventually. Then you're free." I took my clothes and went into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I dressed. My hair went up in a ponytail. I slipped my sneakers on and left the bathroom.

Landon was standing at the end of the bed in his underwear. How could a monster look so much like an angel? Cruel, really. He had no right to be pretty on the outside when there was nothing but emptiness on the inside. Without looking at me, he said, "See something you like?"

"Something I'd like to hit. Yeah."

He smirked as he pulled a blue button-up out of his bag. "Cool it. I was teasing. I know you don't want anything to do with me." He headed to the shower.

I had everything packed up, and I sat on the bed, snacking on a little pink cake thing I found a box of in my bag. It wasn't a very healthy breakfast, but it would do. I had a couple, and then I just waited for Landon.

He came back out of the bathroom, his hair still wet. He ran a hand through it, and little drops fell onto the carpet. "It's going to be quite a drive today," he warned me. "The address where Jaxon is being kept is just outside of Portland." My mouth dropped open. "We were that close, and we missed it."

He started zipping up his bag. "We had no way of knowing he was there. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just come on."

We got into the van, and Landon looked up the directions on my GPS. It would be about a seventeen-hour drive, so I probably wouldn't be seeing Jaxon today. We still had a chance if we hurried.

I put music on so that awkwardness wouldn't destroy us. It was low, but it did the trick. I watched the empty highway pass us by, and for reasons unknown, I enjoyed that we were the only car on the road. There was nothing but dirt and mountains to look at, and my eyes started closing.

A loud pop made me open them again. The van swerved, but only just. Landon gained control and pulled us off into the dirt.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.

He sighed. "I'm hoping it's not what I think it is." He opened the door and got out. I followed behind him.

Landon circled the van until he found it. The back left tire was flat as a board, and a long nail was sticking out of it. He cursed, a lot.

"I guess I'll find a place that sells tires in the middle of fucking nowhere," I said as I was walking back to the front seat. I leaned in, fiddling with my phone. I'd yell at Jaxon later for not having a spare tire in the truck.

I found out Landon was behind me when he put his hand on my ass. "Find it?"

I looked back. "Don't touch me."

"Don't bend over and own a perfect ass. This is your fault more than mine."

Since it wasn't worth having to hide a body, I only smacked him instead of killing him. Then I went back to my phone. I called up the place, but no one was answering the phone. Instead, I was stuck listening to bad music while I waited on hold. After I hung up, I sighed. "Damn. The closest place is seven miles. Hell of a walk."

Landon looked at the sky as if he was trying to curse it. "One I can't take. I'd be dead before I got there."

"Fabulous. So I'm going alone." I shut the door and turned to go.

Landon grabbed my arm. "Not happening. You're not leaving my side. They knew I was at that building. That means that they might have sent people after me or you. You're not safe."

"You said Knox didn't know your face."

"He doesn't, but he knows my name. You're not going anywhere."

I crossed my arms and stared up at him. "Then what do you suggest, oh pearl of wisdom?"

"Well, smart ass, we need to wait out the sun. Then we can go."

I checked the clock. "We've only been driving for three hours. I have to wait another five to go again?"

He shrugged. "Sorry."

We got back in the van, and I stared out the window, angry and annoyed. The windows were tinted, so Pointy was safe from the wretched sun. I still wanted to push him out. Instead, I just pictured it. A dozen times. After a half hour, I was fed up. I started crawling over the middle row of seats to the back spacious of the van.

"What are you doing?" Landon asked.

I settled down on the flat, empty area. I pushed the bags aside to make room. "I'm taking a nap since I have nothing better to do."

"Don't go to sleep. I'll have no one to not talk to."

I glared hard. "I'm just trying to rid you of my annoying personality." I grabbed a blanket and started folding it into a makeshift pillow. It would have to do.

Landon joined me in the back of the car. He locked his hands around my wrists and forced me to look at him. "Listen to me, Mila. You are very annoying a lot of the time." I tried to rip my wrists away, but he wouldn't let go. "Listen," he repeated. "I do not hate you. I don't even dislike you. I like you very much. I like when you look at me with all the fury your body can muster, because you still look like a kitten to me. I like how clever you are, and how you're not afraid when everything in your nature says you should be. I like that when I told you I was a vampire, you laughed in my face like it was a joke written just for you. I like that there's nothing in this world that can stop you from trying to find your brother, even when you know you'll probably die trying. I love that loyalty burns in your soul so deeply that it shines in your eyes. I like that you wake up in the middle of the night and sneak those damn snack cakes like you're doing something wrong. And yes, I know that you do that. I heard you that very first night through the door. You're not as stealthy as you think you are. I like that when you pout, your jaw sets in such a specific way. You look like a child, and it's beautiful. I like that your idea of a good time is screwing people over and wearing an innocent smile the whole time you're doing it. I like that you love it. I like how you never stop fighting a damn thing, no matter how much of a losing battle it is. I like that you made my heart beat, even with how it ended. And I like that you annoy me, because it's the first thing I've felt other than rage in two-hundred years. Those aren't even half of the things about you that I like. There isn't time for the rest, and I couldn't find the words to describe all I like about you, even if I had a hundred years and access to every poet that has ever lived. I like you, Mila Moody..." He smiled. "...or whatever the fuck your real last name is. I like being with you." I couldn't stop the words from leaving my mouth. "Not enough to stay."

He dropped my wrists only to put my palms against his face. "You know it's not about that. There are still so many things you don't know about me. I'd rather it stay like that. You, darling..." He smiled again, sadness bleeding through. "...you are so young. I don't want you to know pain like this, even if it's only a story."

"It's not your job to protect me."

He nodded. "It is as long as we're together. You belong to me until you don't. Do you understand?"

I answered honestly. "No, I don't understand." My hands left his face and rested on my lap.

"I suppose you wouldn't."

We were quiet for a few minutes before he started going through my bag. I blushed and scolded him when he found my underwear, but he was mostly ignoring them. He pulled out a deck of cards.

"Of course you have these,” he said. "Smart girl."

"Jax leaves me in hotels a lot. I have to do something to pass the time."

He moved to the opposite side of the van. "The game is Go Fish. You ready?" He started dealing. "Two makes a match. If you win, I go down on you. If I win, I get to go down on you."

I only sighed. "How is that winning?"

He smiled. "You wanna skip the game and find out?"

"No..."

Once the cards had been dealt, he told me to go. I had nothing useful. "Got any fives?"

"Nope," he said quickly. "Go fish."

I lost the first two rounds, and I was communicating mostly in sighs. Landon reached into his bag and pulled out something familiar. It coaxed a smile from me.

He grinned. "I seem to know all your buttons, huh?" he asked as he handed me a strawberry snack cake.

"You do. And I appreciate it." I opened the package with my teeth, and Landon seemed to enjoy watching that. I rolled my eyes at him and just ate my damn cake.

This went on, and on, and on. I had most of the cards he was picking out, and his little stack beside him kept growing. There was no way I could come back from this. Still, I tried. We went a few more rounds, and we decided we were playing for best five out of seven. Cuz that made sense to him.

"Threes?" I asked.

"No," he smiled. "Aces?"

I had one. Wait... "I asked you for an ace three turns ago, and you haven't drawn since then. Are you cheating?!"

His face was so innocent. "I would never..."

I held my hand out, "Show me your cards."

"No way, cheater."

"How am I the cheater?"

"You just wanna see my cards."

"The game is over anyway. Show me what you have."

"Never."

"Do it."

"No."

"Landon."

"Mila."

"I will hit you."

"I will do something very dirty to you if you try."

"Ha."

His eyebrows went up. "Don't believe me?"

"No, I don't. Show me your cards."

He folded them neatly in his hands. "No. Now come here so I can prove you wrong."

"What are you gonna do? Brood?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to put my tongue between your legs and see how long it takes for you to scream out every bad word you know."

I ignored the comment that was only meant to throw me off. I didn't believe him about the cursing anyway. Then I crawled over to him, reaching for the cards. He held them out of my reach.

"The dress will only make it easier," he commented.

I shoved him. "Hand them over!"

"No!"

I pushed him to the floor of the van and got on top of him. He still held the cards out, but now he was using his free hand to push me away.

I started laughing. "I'm going to get them!" I was straddling him then, trying so hard to get what I was looking for. I was leaning down, and Landon ended up face first against my chest. He didn't seem to mind. Especially when he nipped at

me.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Knock it off." I finally got the cards and held them high in triumph. "I WIN!"

I remained straddling him as I looked at the cards. He had his eyes on me. "You... are very distracting," he said.

I wiggled on top of him. "Sorry."

He groaned in frustration. "You cruel, cruel girl. Just a little lower next time."

"Yeah right."

When I looked at the cards, I noticed how many of them were ones that I'd asked for that he said he didn't have. Most of them. "YOU CHEATER!"

He didn't look guilty. "How did I cheat?"

I threw the cards at him. "You were lying!"

"Oh, is that against the rules?"

I smiled even though I should be hurting him. So I started trying. Then we started rolling around. I shoved at him, and he was attempting to stop me, calling me an amateur for not playing the game right. He held my arms so that I had to stop, and he ended up on top of me.

He looked down at me. "I mean... really, you should have known better than to trust a vampire."

"All the same, you are," I stared with narrowed eyes.

"So..." He smiled. "...I guess I won."

"You cheated. That means you lose."

"Okay, you won. That means I go down on you. Would you like to be totally naked, or do you just want to lose the panties? Might be hotter that way."

My face burned. "Not happening."

"Totally naked then. Got it. Now, feel free to pull my hair if you feel the call to it."

"Get off of me," I said with a more serious tone.

He applied just a bit of pressure. "If you say no, you won't get the offer again."

"Good. I don't want it. I bet your tongue is cold anyway."

Such a look he had on his face. "It's been in your mouth. You know what it feels like."

True... so true. He tasted better than he should have. Not like anything in particular. He just tasted like Landon. And I liked it. Not cold at all.

Before I could give him the okay, I said, "I am formally declining any and all sexual acts from you in the future."

He took the cards from my hand and dropped them on the floor before taking my wrists in one hand. He pinned them over my head, slowly moving closer to me. "Define sexual."

I shouldn't be playing this game. "This, for one."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my legs are apart, and you're lying between them."

He rocked forward once. "Am I?"

"Yes." It came out sounding too much like an invitation.

He noticed. His eyes changed, becoming softer and more focused as his lids dropped halfway. "Mila." He sounded like he was begging me.

So I begged back. "Stay."

He moved against me then, but I don't think he was going for something to get me going. It felt as desperate as our tones. "I can't."

He let go of my wrists, and my hands immediately went to his sides. "Why can't you? I don't want you to be alone anymore."

He lowered his head to my neck, and for a moment, I thought he was going to bite me. All he did was kiss me. His cool lips lingered on my throat, and all I could do was not cry. For him, for me.

"I'm nothing but hate, Mila," he said, almost against my skin. "There's nothing there to stay with you."

I held him as he laid over me. "That's not true."

He moved off me, breaking the hold I had on him. He pulled my skirt back down after it was pushed a little too far up. "Thank you."

I sat up. "For what?"

His eyes were on the window. "For almost making me believe that."

I moved to his side, doing nothing but sitting there. We were hip to hip, and we were staring out the window at the nothingness before us. I took his hand because I needed to. I needed him to not feel all alone in this. It was all I could do, since I was unable to make him see it all. What lies beneath the anger and the hate. I can't make him see all that he is.

We watched the sun go down, and it was time to leave. We got out of the car, and I locked it up before we started our long walk.

The highway was still empty, and it scared me. Some cars was fine. No cars was a horror movie. There was no light but the moon, and I didn't dare step more than a foot away from Landon. Plus, it was still kind of warm out, and he was cool. I'd have held his hand if he would have let me.

"So," he said. "Can you answer something for me?"

"Sure."

He waited a moment. "How do you see your life playing out?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think you'll still be doing this in five years? Scamming and roaming."

What a question. "I don't know. It's a lot of fun sometimes. But there are a lot of things I don't like. I just want my own bed, in my own house. Maybe a dog or something."

"A family?"

I smiled at the ground and nodded. "Yeah. I've kinda always wanted a baby boy. Tiny and squirming in my arms. Big eyes looking up at me. I picture him like a little ball of fire. Pure life and joy. A smile that could get you to tell him all your secrets. A little devil, really."

Landon's smile was sadder than mine. "So you want to settle?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

He was quiet again for a second. "I very much hope you get that life."

Me too. I could see it so clearly in my head. That baby. The house. The damn dog. Because I felt like it was obvious, I stuck Landon's face on the previously blurry spouse figure. And then everything changed. The baby's features became clearer. Hazel eyes. Curly brown hair and a crooked smile that no baby should be sporting. Then I pictured Landon holding the baby. It didn't feel wrong, and I knew it should.

I forced the image away and was left with pain. We'd been walking five miles, and my feet were killing me. "I need a second," I said, stopping.

Landon stopped too. "What's wrong?"

I shifted on my feet. "I don't normally walk this much. I'm getting sore."

Without asking, he scooped me up in his arms. I gripped his shoulder for balance. "I can carry you."

He started walking again as if it was no big deal that he was holding me like this. He had a hand under my thighs, keeping the wind from blowing my skirt up. His other arm was around my middle.

"You're kind," I said, "but now you're going to get tired."

"Vampire. I'm stronger than you. Though I might need blood later, if you don't mind."

"I don't."

He was smiling after that. As if it was somehow me accepting him, letting him have blood. Why he wanted me to accept him, I didn't know.

We made it to the little gas station some time later. There were four pumps and a small building, another attached to it. I could see into them both. One was a typical gas station, and the other looked like a mechanics shop. So at least we hadn't make the trek for nothing.

Music was pouring out loudly. "Carry on Wayward Son."

Landon set me on my feet as a man in a jumpsuit came out of the building. He was cleaning dirty hands with a dirty cloth. "Can I help you?"

The man was scruffy-looking, but in an oddly comforting way. His face was covered in stubble and oil. His hair was a brown mess on his head. He couldn't have been older than forty. He wore a wedding ring, gold, and also covered in oil. His nametag red Colin.

Landon spoke for me. "Me and my Missus..." He gestured to me with his thumb. "...popped a tire. We were hoping you could help us out."

"You know what kind you need?"

Landon chatted with him about what we needed, and I did my best to stay out of it.

The man nodded. "Be right back." He turned and went back into his shop.

We stood in the dirt for a few minutes before the song changed. This one was "Sweet Caroline." I guess the guy liked the older stuff.

Landon grabbed my hand and whirled me around before I knew what was happening. He spun me to his chest and started swaying me.

I smiled. "What are you doing?"

He didn't stop. "I'm dancing with you."

"Why would you go and do a thing like that?"

He put my hand on his chest and held it there as he leaned down to my ear. "Well, you're in a dress, and you look beautiful, and it's a slow song, and the moon is the only light around. It seems fitting."

We were only dancing for a few seconds before the man came back. "Got it. I had an old rim and tire that will work, it will get you where you need to go. At some point you will want to fix the other and use this as a spare.'

Landon stopped moving, and his lips were no longer on my temple. "Great, how much do I owe you?"

The man looked around. "Where's your car?"

Landon still had my hand. "About seven miles out."

"Oh, well, I can give you a lift if you want. Not safe out here at night."

"Thank you." Landon smiled politely.

We followed the man into the little store, and he walked around the counter. There was a woman standing there. She looked a few years younger than he, and her hair was up in a blonde ponytail. He gave her a peck on the lips and told her how much to ring up. She started, and the machine dinged.

Landon was getting his wallet out, and he nodded to the ice cream machine that was going behind the woman, Ruby, as her tag read. "And a shake, please."

"What flavor?" she asked as her husband grabbed a cup and his keys.

Landon turned to me. "What flavor, baby?"

"Huh? It's for me?"

"Of course."

"Um, strawberry?"

The man made it up and handed it to me. I thanked him, and Landon paid. Ruby kissed her husband again. "Be safe out there, Col."

He nodded. "You too."