RockScars

Twyla yawned as she stirred reaching for Shadows, but her hands came up empty. She smoothed a hand over the spot on the bed where he was laying with her when she fell asleep, but all she felt was a cold sheet under her hand.

“I’m over here,” he whispered leaning over her and kissing her cheek. “I ran a hot bath for you.”

“Thank you,” she said as she slowly sat up. “This isn’t my room, though, I don’t know where your bathroom is from here.”

Shadows slipped an arm under her legs and the other around her waist as he lifted her off the bed. “I gotcha covered.” She smiled and put her head down on his shoulder as he carried her to the bathroom. “Same set up as your bathroom.”

“On purpose?” She asked as he set her down in the tub.

“I guess you could say that.”

Twyla smiled and wrapped her arms around her legs. “A little over confident, were you?”

“Hey,” he said slipping a finger under her chin and turning her face towards him. “I never had any expectations when I brought you here. I only wanted you to trust me.”

“I know, and I do trust you.”

“Good, so long as we are clear on that.” He kissed her head and stood up. “Have your bath, I’m gonna go order the pizza.”

“Ok.”

When Shadows left, Twyla relaxed against the back of the tub and began recalling the events of the night before. Every time she thought about it, she would think of a question for Shadows. She’d had sex with him, but not with him and part of her wondered what it would actually be like with the real Shadows.

Thirty minutes later, Shadows returned to the bathroom to find Twyla stepping out of the tub with a towel wrapped around her. “Pizza’s here,” he said taking her arm and helping her out of the tub.

“I’m starving,” she said.

“You’re freezing,” he noted after seeing her shivering. He grabbed his robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door and slipped it around her. He tied the belt around her waist and lifted her up in his arms again.

“You don’t have to carry me everywhere.”

“I know, but I can and I want to!” He brought her back into the bedroom and set her down gently on the bed. After handing her a slice of pizza, he sat behind her so that she was sitting between his legs.

“Matt?”

“hmm?”

“Are they all like that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know, your needs, are they all overgrown cavemen with big hearts and heavy hands?”

Shadows chuckled to himself. “No. They have personalities all their own. Gates, for example, he can feel everything his need feels, but that comes along with his gift. So, if his need is having sex, he knows it, because he can feel it. Then you have Christ, his need is hardly ever seen, which makes it all the more dangerous when it actually does come out because it’s been sequestered for so long. After it’s gone, poor guy has nightmares for weeks. We think that’s why he has so many girls around all the time, but he denies that.”

Twyla set her crust down on the plate in front of her and leaned back against his chest. “What about Jimmy?”

“Ah The Rev, yeah his is a little more complicated. He’s actually seen it.”

“Huh?”

“Up close.” Shadows put his arms around her waist and held her against his chest. “His need leaves his body. It’s kind of like having an evil twin that comes out to play once in a while.”

“Wow,” she whispered.

“Believe me, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds.”

“and Vengeance?”

Shadows sighed. “That’s classified.”

“What?”

“I’m serious, we don’t talk about Vengeance’s gifts or his need. Ever.”

“umm Ok…” Twyla didn’t understand what the big deal was, but she didn’t push the issue either.

“So, how about you tell me about the stallion you spoke of before we fell asleep.”

Twyla laughed. “It always comes back to sex.”

“I am but a man,” he laughed.

Twyla turned sideways and rested her head on his shoulder. “I want to ask you something.”

“Go for it,” he said noticing the seriousness in her tone.

“Are we…you know…I mean are you and I…”

“A couple?” he asked finishing the sentence for her.

Twyla sighed. “Well, since you were so bold as to say it, I guess that’s what I’m wondering.”

He smiled and squeezed her in his arms. “Is that what you want?”

“I know that I want more, so I guess that’s what I want.”

He kissed the top of her head softly. “Me too.”

“We did this backwards.” She laughed.

He laughed with her. “We sure did.”

“Are you allowed to…you know have a girlfriend that’s not like you?”

“Yes,” he laughed. “We can have human girlfriends.”

Twyla smiled and touched the side of his face. “Are you going to drink from me?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Last night you did. Well, not you, but you know you kind of.”

He smiled and kissed her lips. “The thought does appeal to me.”

“I should warn you then, my blood must be awesome because your inner friend couldn’t get enough.”

Shadows leaned back against the wall and laughed heartily. “Kitten, I’m sure I will enjoy it very much.”

When she frowned he titled his head to the side. “What’s that face for?”

“It’s gotta suck for you to be stuck with the blind girl.”

Shadows leaned forward with a growl and grabbed the collar on her robe. “Don’t you ever say that again. Ever! I’m not stuck anywhere and you should know by now that I don’t pity you and I never will.”

Twyla’s eyes glassed over and shook her gently to get her attention. “Hey! I’m with you because I want to be, got it?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I got it.”

“Good.” He pulled her by the collar of the robe closer to him and kissed her full on the lips. She sighed when he pulled back. “Now, about that stallion you were going to tell me about.”

Twyla laughed and opened the belt on her robe then let it slide down off her shoulders. “I could give you your own demonstration.”

Shadows swallowed hard. “What?”

“I wouldn’t want you to feel left out,” she ran her finger over his neck just under his jaw. “It is only fair, since I did use your body last night and you got no pleasure in it. Don’t you think?”

“I…yeah…um…I guess that makes sense.”

She kissed his throat and he growled lowly. “I’m so glad you agree,” she said before bringing her lips up to meet his.

They spent the next few hours learning about each other’s bodies and forgetting everything else. All that existed was the two of them. Later, after laying there in the afterglow in silence, Shadows finally spoke.

Twyla was lying on her side with her head in the crook of Shadows arm. He lay behind her with an arm around her waist and the other came around the front of her shoulders holding her close to him. “There is something I have to ask. It’s kind of personal.”

“Ok, what is it?”

“Well, it’s more out of curiosity, but I don’t remember you ever having a boyfriend.”

“That’s because I didn’t.”

He seemed a little surprised by her admission and even a little confused. “Well here is where it gets personal. You are not a virgin and you weren’t last night either, I would have known that even though it wasn’t the real me with you. I guess I’m just a little surprised given you’re so young.”

Twyla yawned and rubbed a hand over his forearm. “I wasn’t a big deal really. It was just one time. One night it just kind of happened.”

Now that was something that peaked his interest. “So, it was one of the others in the house?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

Was that your heart that I just heard crash down to the floor? Yup, yup. Pretty sure it was.

“It was Gates, wasn’t it?”

“No, not Gates. If you really have to know, it was Vengeance.”

If there was ever a time when Shadows was glad for Twyla’s blindness, it was now. His eyes flashed red with a mixture of anger and jealousy.

She yawned again. “It was just sex and it only happened once. I’m kinda tired, do you mind if I sleep for a little while.”

“Yeah sure, go ahead.”

“Are you going to be here when I wake up?”

“Can’t think of anyplace else I’d rather be.” Shadows kissed her temple softly and she closed her eyes allowing herself to drift off. He was pissed at Vengeance and in his mind he knew a confrontation was coming between the two of them.