Free The Fugitives, A Dystopian Vampire Novel: Book Four: The Superiors Series by Lena Hillbrand

flashlight.
    “Shhhh,” he said, his voice warm and gentle. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you. Calm down, little rabbit.”
    “I didn’t—,” she began, then broke off. She wanted to say she didn’t see anything, but he had to know that wasn’t true. How long had he been awake? Only at the end, or the whole time? “I wasn’t—,” she tried again, then stopped. Wasn’t what? Doing what he thought she was? That’s exactly what she’d been doing.
    “It’s alright,” he said, still holding her hand. “Don’t be afraid. You can look if you want. You can touch it,” he said, moving her hand slowly towards him as he spoke.
    Cali lay there, wanting to pull away and not wanting to, so nervous she could hardly swallow. Her heart was still skittering all over the place. Draven pulled her hand against him, pressing it against his shorts. “See, it’s nothing to be frightened of,” he said, moving her hand as he spoke. “It’s simply another part of my body, like any other. Completely indifferent. See? Look at me. Are you frightened?”
    Cali gripped the flashlight in her other hand, but she didn’t dare to move it, to draw his attention. She held perfectly still, watching her hand move. When he released it, she didn’t pull away. She was both captivated by what her hand felt and scared he’d change his mind. And he was right. It wasn’t so scary. But not like anything else, either—soft and warm and squiggly. And then…
    “Is that supposed to happen?” she asked, drawing her hand away. She looked at him, startled, as a huge smile spread across his face.
    His dark eyes shone. “Perhaps indifferent wasn’t completely accurate.”
    Cali rolled away from him, kicking at the blankets, angry and confused. He was laughing at her for not knowing. She’d thought he was being understanding, but he’d been pulling a trick on her.
    She scrambled out of the bed and glared at him. “Why’d you do that?”
    He pushed himself up, leaning back on his palms with his legs stretched out in front of him. Cali jerked her eyes away from the tented area where they met. “Me?” he asked. “If you wanted to look at my penis, you could have asked. I only wear shorts to bed out of respect for you.”
    “And next you’re going to tell me to turn around and let you lie on my back, and that we’re just keeping warm? Do you think I’m stupid? I know what that is.” She drew back and threw the flashlight as hard as she possibly could, straight at his smiling face. He caught it without even looking.
    “Do you think I took advantage of your innocence?” he asked, looking a bit curious, but he still had that triumphant sort of smile on his face.
    “Of course I think that,” Cali said, “because you did!”
    “Perhaps you took advantage of me,” he said. “You seemed quite interested when I awakened.”
    “What’s wrong with you? Are you some kind of pervert?”
    His smile vanished so quickly it was like it had never been there. Even his eyes lost their amused shine. He looked so stunned, so stung, that she almost felt bad for what she’d said. He was right. This was her fault. But she was too humiliated to back down.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, slipping from the bed in that graceful way of his, and that made her hate him a little more, that she’d stumbled from the sheets and he just slid out like water through a streambed. He came towards her with his hands held out, palms toward her in a gesture of peace, but when he had almost reached her, she stepped back. “I meant no harm,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you, and you’re right about what I am. I’m sorry…something is wrong with me…say you’ll forgive me.”
    Cali took another step back, more scared of him now than when he was harsh to her.
    “Please,” he said, and he went down on his knees in front of her and gripped her hand and kissed it.
    “Stop,” she said. “Get up. You can’t do that to a sapien. Stop.”
    “Forgive