Mesmerized by Julia Crane Read Free Book Online

talk later.”
    Lily knew he meant it; although, she had no idea what to say. She hurried back to her room and threw herself on the bed, sobbing. 
    Hours later, there was a knock at her door. Slowly, she walked to the door. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. “Who is it?” 
    “Jake.”
    Lily hesitated and then opened the door. Jake stood there with his hands shoved in his pockets. “You’re not supposed to be on this floor.”
    “Nobody’s watching.”
    She moved aside to let him into the room, and closed the door behind him. “Thanks again…for earlier.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “Is he going to be okay?”
    “They took him to the hospital. I haven’t heard anything else.” He walked to the window and looked outside. “What are you, Lily?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “What you did earlier to Ben…it wasn’t self-defense. You didn’t touch him. There wasn’t a mark on him. It was something else…” his voice trailed off. He spun around and looked her straight in the eyes. “You’re not human. I’ve been around long enough to know that.”
    She never felt less human than standing there close to him. Images of what she wanted to do with him filled her mind. She saw herself kissing him, holding his hand, caressing his body. But, none of that could happen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lily looked away. She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t tell anyone. Being alone with him like this was dangerous. 
    “Damn it, Lily! Look at me!”
    She couldn’t resist. She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes.  They stared at each other for a minute. Slowly, she lifted her arm and carefully brushed the stray hair out of his eyes so she could see them clearly. Oh how she wanted to melt into him right then and there. 
    He stepped closer, not taking his eyes away from hers. Inhaling her scent, a mixture of vanilla and chamomile, he placed his hand against her cheek. She rested her face in his warm hands and closed her eyes. Then his lips were upon hers, and her eyes popped open. “No,” she mumbled, but she couldn’t stop her lips from responding to his. Her body tingled and she reached up and grabbed the back of his head, knotting her fingers in his hair. She had never felt this good before. 
    NO! Something inside her screamed. As she pushed him away, she realized he was still standing. After a kiss like that, he should have been on the ground. Maybe even dead? “Why are you still standing?” she wondered aloud.
    “What?”
    Lily shook her head. She had to get out of there. “Sorry,” she muttered and took off out of her room down the dark hallway.  
    He followed after her. "Lily, wait!" He grabbed her hand. In a hushed tone, he said, "You can't hurt me. Whatever you are, I promise you can’t affect me."
    She looked up at him. 
    He brushed her hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. "You can trust me."
    Lily closed her eyes and tried to think. Could she really trust him? She hardly knew him. Her mother had obviously trusted her father at some point. "Okay, come back to my room and I'll tell you everything. But you’re wrong, Jake. I can kill you."
    Jake laughed. "Not possible."
    Lily opened her door and wondered why he was so sure of himself. Probably just normal macho bravado. "You might want to sit down for this."
    He gave her a weird look, but sat on the bed.
    Taking a deep breath, she began, "You’re right. I’m not human. I still can't believe it myself most of the time. I feel human, at least I did until I met you." She looked away. 
    "What do you mean?"
    "It's hard to explain. I've always seen the way others have reacted to me because of what I am, but I've never felt the pull in the other direction,” she paused. "I'm sorry this was a bad idea. You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 
    "It can't be that bad." 
    "You saw what I did to Ben. He could be dead for all we know." Lily wrapped her arms tightly across her chest and paced around the room. 
    "Earlier