His mouth was soft on mine. His lips brushed against mine in a feather light kiss. The action vibrated through me, awakening something deep inside of me that had been dormant up to now.

I felt more alive than I had ever felt before. It made everything fall away. Death, betrayal, sorrow and grief.

I had kept my hands still by my sides, curling them into fists. I continued to fight the urge to reach out to touch him. And even though he was kissing me I didn’t feel he had completely made the decision so I kept still, my lips soft and unmoving as he kissed me.

I felt a moment of disappointment when he lifted his mouth from mine to stare deep into my eyes.

“Touch me,” he murmured, his voice husky.

My eyes shot to his. I hadn’t expected that but I didn’t need him to ask twice.

Hesitantly, I extended my hand and flattened against his chest. His heart beat steadily against my hand. I swallowed as I felt his life force in every beat against my hand.

But he wasn’t really alive. Not like me. He was somewhere between heaven and hell. Demon and Angel.

It was a reminder that we didn’t come from the same world. I had no idea what lay ahead but I couldn’t linger on it. I wanted to stay right here where none of that mattered. There was only Damien and I and what we felt for each other.

He couldn’t deny that he felt something for me.

His eyes stayed where I was touching him before he moved to wrap his arms around me. His mouth was on mine. I felt us move like he lifted just off my feet and I felt them trail across the carpet of my room and then my back was up against the wall. I moved my arms around his neck and parted my lips to allow the thrust of his tongue against mine.

I felt overwhelmed by my senses. The feel, touch and taste of him was more than I had ever experienced. I held onto him, my knees weakened.

When his mouth to trail a kiss on my neck, I was panting. My chest rising and falling with each hurried breath. My heart was racing and my skin tingled where he touched. I’d never felt this way and I didn’t want it to end.

I kept still when he stopped.

“This is crazy Tessa,” he whispered to me.

I held onto his shirt, refusing to let go for fear he would stop what he was doing. I wanted more, so much more.

“You are part angel and demon and I’m human. It doesn’t get crazier than this,” I reminded him, softly. My eyes were fixed on his mouth. I wanted him to kiss me to make me feel that fluttery feeling inside my stomach.

He searched my features.

“This will lead nowhere. You know that?” He swallowed. “No matter what we feel it won’t change the fact that we can never be together.”

I didn’t want to see the reality in this or hear the cold harsh truth that whatever we shared would be fleeting. Only in the present with no future.

I hated the reality he was reminding me of. I just wanted to shut it out and live in the moment where he could kiss me and make me feel like it was just the two of us, shutting out everything else.

“We have no idea how this is all going to unfold. Can’t we just stay in this moment? Where it’s only me and you and what we’re feeling for each other.” I sighed. “Can’t it be that simple?”

I wanted to feel. Not think. And I didn’t want to hear that we could never be together. I didn’t want to hear any of it.

He released me but didn’t move. “I don’t know.”

I was losing him, I could feel it.

“I’m not looking for forever Damien. I just want now.”

His eyes lifted to meet mine. My hold on his shirt eased. I couldn’t force him into something he didn’t want.

I stayed perfectly still and his eyes flickered to my mouth momentarily. Was he thinking about how they felt against his? Would it be enough to sway him?

“You’re right. I should have died when my parents did but you saved me. You gave me the extra time that I wasn’t entitled to. And you know what?”

“What?” he asked reluctantly.

“I don’t want to waste it. I’ve been going through each day just trying to survive. For once I want to live, I want to experience as much as I can before…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

I couldn’t talk about death or allow our future to tear apart our present.

“I’ve been tormenting you for the last seven years. How can you not hate me?” His question was soft spoken.

It was sometimes difficult to figure out which part of him was asking the question. Was it the angel or the demon? It was impossible to tell.

“I hated you for a long time. But how can I hate the person who saved me. You’re the same person who pulled me from the water when my family drowned. You were also the same person who has saved me multiple times. Hate isn’t what I feel for you now.” I let out an emotional breath.

My feelings for him had swung from one extreme to another and it was difficult to explain. But emotions weren’t logical. You either felt something or you didn’t.

What I felt for him now overpowered everything else. It smothered the hate. All I could feel was the warmth spread through my chest at the sight of him staring

He reached up to touch my face. His eyes holding mine. “This is only going to lead to more pain. Is it really worth it Tessa?”

Disappointment filled me.

“I’m going to die Damien. What’s worse than that?” I asked, feeling reckless and annoyed. “And I’ll spend eternity in hell.”

I already had the absolutely worst in my future, what was a little heartache when I could experience just a short time of happiness.

“We might still find a way to stop the reaper,” he murmured. “There still might be a way.”

I believed he was just telling me that to give me hope, in a hopeless situation. It was like when something told you everything would be okay, it was only words based on nothing.

“I want you Damien. I know how I feel and I know that we have no future.” I expelled a deep breath. “But I don’t want to live, having never experienced this.”

I want sure that anything I was saying was going to change his mind but I wasn’t going to stay silent, even if revealing my feelings would swing the power into his direction.

“You’re the first guy I’ve ever kissed. You’re the first guy to make my heart race so fast it feels like it’s going to break free from my chest. I ache for your touch and I want it all, even if there is no future and only heartbreak.”

He remained still. Neither closing the distance between us or walking away. He was still undecided.

I gave myself one last chance.

“I would rather have lived and experienced this, dying young than lived an entire lifetime without it.”

I had said everything I could, I just hoped it was enough.

He reached up to touch my face and I swallowed. I closed my eyes to allow myself to feel only his touch, shutting out the rest of my senses. I just wanted to feel him.

My skin against his. I released a steady breath before I reopened my eyes.

“Damien,” I whispered. His hand was still on my cheek.

I wanted to remember this moment. Engrain it into my memories. Everything from the dark shade of his intense eyes, to the glimmer of red in them. To the smell in the air and the feel of his touch.

“Tessa,” Damien murmured.

His face was closer and I closed my eyes and waited for his lips to touch mine. It was only a matter of seconds.

“Tessa?”

My eyes flew open to take in the sight of Parker, as a ghost. Grey and semi see through standing in the middle of my room.

“Parker?” I whispered.

He had the worst timing ever.