Mesmerized

over her chest. 
    "You don't understand how evil these people are. Please don't leave again without letting me know. If anything happened to you, I'd lose it."
    Lily looked down at the ground. "Okay. She wants me to call her back tomorrow."
    "Fine, but you'll call from the room, with me there." Jake took a couple of steps towards her, and Lily stood up to fling her arms around him. 
    "I almost forgot to tell you. My mom took care of the police, and says I can go back now."
    Jake stiffened under her hug. "I can't go back to that school."
    "I know, Jake, we’ll get this sorted out. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere you aren’t."
    His body relaxed. "Good. I would be worried sick."
    They walked back into the condo. Jake poured them both a bowl of cereal. “Sorry it’s not more,” he said. 
    “This is perfect,” Lily responded as she scooped a big bite and smiled. 
     When she finished, she excused herself to take a shower. Thankfully, Jake had both shampoo and conditioner. Lily pilled her hair high up on her head.
    “Your turn,” she said, walking out of the bathroom. 
    He grinned and went in to take his shower. He stepped out, only his bottom half wrapped in a towel. “How about we take a walk on the beach after the sun goes down?”
    “That sounds romantic.” She stared at his half-naked body. She couldn’t stay away. Before she knew it, her hands were all over his chest and his back, kissing him. He was still warm from the shower and smelled clean. She liked that. 
    “Oh, Lily,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her neck. 
    She began to back him into the bedroom, but he stopped her.
    “Lily, that’s enough. I don’t want our relationship to be purely physical. I understand it’s a huge part of who you are, but we need to be more than that. I need more than that.”
    Lily frowned. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to control myself around you. I want to have a normal relationship too. I want to go on dates and enjoy your company. I never thought I’d find someone that I couldn’t harm.”
    “That’s just it, Lily. I don’t want you to be with me because I can satisfy your craving as a succubus. I want you to care about me for who I am, not what I am, a cursed seventeen-year-old.”
    “I do care about you, Jake. I thought that was obvious. It’s not exactly easy to be normal when we’re on the run.”
    Jake wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s order room service and watch a mindless TV show.” 
    ***
    That night when the sun went down, Lily and Jake took a walk on the beach. Lily had taken off her shoes and was enjoying letting the cold waves touch her toes every now and then. She didn’t mind the temperature of the water one bit and loved the feel of the sand between her toes.
    Jake held Lily’s hand tightly. He smiled at her youthfulness. She enjoyed simple things like this as well as the expensive things in life, and he could give her both, if he could just get rid of the people who wanted him. She didn't deserve a life on the run. He wondered if her mother really could help, but he didn’t dare get his hopes up. 
     
    Jake and Lily walked into the dark condo. Before Jake could turn on the lights, something was thrown over his head. Lily screamed. He struggled to free himself and get to her, but something hit him on the head, and he lost consciousness. 
    Lily could hear the voices of two men as they tied her hands together. She knew they had knocked Jake out, because she would have been able to hear him fighting back. These had to be the people who have been after Jake. If she could get the thing off her head and get these men to look at her, then maybe they’d have a chance. 
    The man who had her by the elbow shoved her into a car. Then he yelled out, “Throw the boy in the trunk. We can't trust that one.”
    The men got in the front seat and Lily felt the car start. She could move her hands a little bit and was able to pull out the cell phone still in her pocket. She shoved it in the seat cushion. She knew one thing for sure, if she didn’t call her parents tomorrow to check in, they’d come looking for her. She wasn’t sure that disposable phones could be traced, but if they could, her parents would. 
    Lily tried to stay alert enough to figure out how far they were going and what her other senses could tell her. 
    “Did ya see the girl?” one of the guys asked. “Pretty hot.”
    “Yeah. Maybe we should play around with that.”
    Lily’s stomach churned. The