Amy Blankenship - Sanctuary

Skye stopped struggling but hardened his muscles to suppress the shiver that tried to rake his body. He slowly turned his head toward his captor but stilled when he felt the soft warm skin of the other man’s cheek press against his. He couldn’t stop the pain of loneliness from welling up in his eyes… the touch of this Fallen reminded him of what he’d lost in Aurora.

“Why?” Skye asked in confusion.

Dean brushed his cheek against the hybrid’s feeling the hot tear slide between them, “Because demons don’t cry… you are a Fallen. Even Misery could tell… can’t you?”

*****

Kane sighed and rolled over onto his back. Something wasn’t quite right and he turned his head to look over at Tabatha… that was when he heard it again. Frowning up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes and listened carefully. At first the sound was muffled, as though it were being heard through a mound of pillows. But slowly, the pounding became steady and strong.

His amethyst eyes snapped back open hearing the faint sound of a heartbeat in the distance.

He carefully tucked the covers around Tabatha and placed a whisper soft kiss on her forehead before sliding from the comfort of their bed. Pulling on a pair of black leather pants, he made his way through the darkness of the massive club to the security room, rubbing his eyes as he went.

As soon as he opened the door, blue light showered him causing him to blink. Kane gazed at the split screen security monitor showing him every angle outside the club, including the roof. His eyes narrowed when the rooftop cam flashed, indicating something had tripped the motion sensors… something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Touching the screen, he brought the area by the rooftop door up to full view and tilted his head to the side. Now that was something he didn’t see every day. A beautiful woman was curled up just under the overhang on the roof and appeared to be sound asleep.

“That looks comfy… not,” Kane made a face knowing the tiny rocks in the tar had to be biting into her delicate looking skin.

Tabatha had felt Kane leave the bedroom and wondered what would pull him away from the comfort of her bed after she’d spent so many hours wearing him out.

Curious, she sat up and followed his scent to the security room. Peering through the open door, she saw he was absorbed in something on the screen and tiptoed across the room in an attempt to sneak up on him. She had almost made it close enough to reach out and touch him when his voice startled her.

“We have a visitor,” Kane smirked hearing Tabatha’s quick intake of breath.

“Damn it,” she hissed and he heard her stomp her bare foot on the soft carpet.

Kane suddenly turned around and grabbed her, hauling her against him and gracing her with a dazzling smile. “You didn’t really think you could sneak up on the boogieman, did you?” he teased, nuzzling the side of her face before stealing a kiss.

Tabatha let Kane kiss her and felt her toes curl at the passion behind it but she was dying to know about the girl that was moon-bathing on their roof. She ended the kiss quicker than Kane would have liked… at least that’s what his soft growl was telling her.

She licked his bottom lip then playfully bit it. “And just think, when I was a little girl I was afraid of the boogieman.”

The sound of a little girl crying out in fear above his grave came back to haunt him… making Kane tightened his hold on her. That little girl had been lost in the woods for days… scared and alone. The thought of what Tabatha must have gone through still had the power to make his chest hurt and knees go weak… it also stirred the darkness within him.

Tabatha felt the change in him and leaned back to stare up into amethyst eyes that were growing darker by the second. She didn’t know what she’d said to trigger it so she tried to get his attention focused back on the roof.

“I thought this place was warded against demons and humans alike… unless they are invited.” She nodded toward the monitor.

“It is,” Kane remarked then had to smile when Tabatha cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Then what’s that?” Tabatha leaned across Kane to get closer to the screen, ignoring the way Kane was taking the opportunity to caress her rear. The girl appeared to be sleeping but at the same time her body was moving slightly… as if straining away from something.

She looked lost and alone like that and Tabatha felt her heart go out to the poor girl. “What’s wrong with her?”

Kane let his hand drop and turned to see what had caught Tabatha’s interest. He recognized the symptoms of a nightmare when he saw one. “She’s dreaming love.”

Tabatha’s eyes narrowed just as the girl rolled over, “Kane look… you’re right. She’s shivering and having a nightmare. We can’t just leave her up there like that.”

“What…” Kane started and growled when Tabatha rushed out of the room. His eyes widened when he heard the front door of the club softly close. He blinked realizing she was about to scale the walls in her nightie and grinned. In a flash, he was standing below her looking up at the breathtaking sight.

“So that’s what heaven looks like,” Kane whispered with a sexy smile.

Tabatha glared down at him but realized she’d inadvertently set herself up for it. Of course, Kane wouldn’t be Kane if he didn’t have his moments of perverseness.

In her dream, Aurora ran like her life depended on it. Shadows surrounded her on all sides and they were terrifying. It felt like she was running through a maze with no exit and dead ends at every corner. The terror that filled her was becoming overwhelming and she stumbled every few steps… tired of running… always running away from the powerful ones. No matter how far or how fast she ran the darkness was getting closer.

She gasped loudly and her eyes flew open in fright. The stars twinkled above her and she suddenly realized there really was something powerful getting closer to her. Fresh from the fright of the dream and her heart still racing, Aurora quickly found her feet and stared toward the edge of the roof in fear.

Exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, she was so tired… was she so wicked that even this sanctuary would not let her rest? Feeling the doorknob poke into her back, she fumbled for it and quickly opened the door. Hoping to avoid the powerful energy coming at her, she shot inside only to slam into an unyielding body and felt another strange power flare around her.

Instincts kicked into high gear and Aurora did the first thing her survival instinct told her to do… fight. With one swift kick, she sent the powerful being sailing down the long flight of stairs to the floor far below. She turned to confront whatever was directly behind her but paused in confusion, her face losing all expression when she saw a half-naked female blocking her exit.

Tabatha saw the girl’s face go blank but the look in her eyes told her everything… the girl was scared to death and ready to fight her way out of here if she needed to. Tabatha swallowed and held her hands out, palms up toward the girl in a placating gesture.

“It’s all right,” Tabatha explained. “We only want to help you.”

Aurora narrowed her eyes on the woman. Why would someone or something that powerful want to help her?

Tabatha took a step closer to the girl and held out one of her hands. “You’re safe here,” she said softly and hoped the girl believed her. However, any progress she might have just made was gone with the breeze when Kane chose that moment to come flying back up the stairs and grab the girl in a choke hold.

Her shoulders slumped and she let out a heavy sigh, “Kane please, we scared her. Let her go.”