The man's smile makes my stomach churn. "You're beautiful, but not my type." The redhead says. Felina snickers, and I roll my eyes. He takes a deep breath, and his eyes start to glow. Aren't supernaturals supposed to be more inconspicuous?! "Do you have a sister?" He grabs my arm and practically stares into my soul.
I elbow the man on his upper forearm, which jerks his hands off me. "No, I don't have a sister. Don't touch me again." I glare at him. "You're lying to me." His mouth slightly opens, and I can see the tip of his fang. My eyes bulge, and fear seeps deep into my heart. "Hey, man. If the woman says she doesn't have a sister, then she doesn't. Even if she did, why would she recommend her to a creepy guy like you." His pal nudges him playfully, and the red-haired guy calms down. "I'm Princeton. It's a pleasure to meet you." The light-hearted guy says and reaches his arm out to me.
I don't grab it. I can see why the girls were disappointed when I told them not to approach these guys. Princeton is one hot guy. His tan body pairs beautifully with his dark brown hair and green eyes. He wears a plain shirt and cargo pants with boots. One of his ears is pierced, and his smile is to die for. "And we're leaving," I rudely say before turning my back and signaling the girls to get up. They make haste, but Felina stays where she is. Once again, we're interrupted. "These girls don't seem to like you much," A group of mean-looking guys strolls up to us, and Alysia's face pales.
The leader of this group drops his hand around Alysia's shoulder and grins. His black hair is cut short and tattoos can be seen wherever there's skin. Everywhere except his face. If the vampires were an idol group, then these guys were thugs. They have two completely different aesthetics. Alysia completely stiffens, and so do the rest of the girls as they stare at the men in horror. "They don't seem to like you much either," the red-headed vampire says. "Now that we've gathered that none of your presence is desired, we'll take our leave." I pull Alysia from the man's grasp. He quickly becomes annoyed with me.
"She's coming with me," the thug leader says, referring to Alysia. "And she's coming with me," Redhead says and drags me to his side. "Then it's a done deal," the thug leader says. "Like hell it is! Who the fuck do you guys think you are to stake your claim on us?" My fear is quickly replaced with anger, and I hit the vampire in his jaw with my elbow. His face is blown back, and I take Alysia by her hand. This seems to snap her out of her trance as she steps on the thug leader's foot and head butts him. "RUN!" Alysia shouts, and all of us, including Felina, start to sprint. We hop over couches and shove people out of our way. We burst through the doors of the club and left the crowd in confusion and anger.
The thug leader and his men aren't far behind, but the vamps are quick and make it to the parking lot before we do. I rub Delilah's necklace like a fucking genie lamp. "I need you," I whisper. "You're coming with us," the redhead hisses. He walks towards me, but is halted by something. Surprised that he can't get near me, he hisses. "You can use magic?" He questions out loud. I trust my gut and run to the car. The girls follow as Mr. Thug comes barreling through the door. I hop into the driver's seat, and the girls open every door and rush in. I take off before the doors are closed and floor it. "Who the hell are those guys, and how were they so fast?" May questions in shock. "I don't know. What about Mr. Thug leader?" None of the girls question my nickname for the guy or need clarification as to who he is. "An enemy. He and Keagan have been at each other's throats for years. He always had this weird obsession with me. They get violent and don't care who gets hurt. They're barbaric. We have a bad history with them. Very bad history."
I check my review mirror to see Tasha shivering, terrified out of her mind. I glance at my side view mirror and see a heap of cars tailing us. I look at the buildings around us and see the vampires racing across them from a distance. "Fuck!" I shout. "Hold onto yourselves!" I warn everybody. Everybody grabs a ceiling handle except for Tasha as she's sitting in the middle.
I speed the car up above the speed limit and weave through multiple cars. I run multiple lights that not all of the thug members can cross, so they end up separating. "If you make it back to the base, they won't be able to attack us there. It's code and could start a war. They wouldn't risk it. LEFT!" Alysia shouts. "That's great, but that's not going to stop the other group of guys that we have tailing us."
I make a sharp turn that has everybody crashing to the right side of the car. I'm taking instructions from Alysia since I don't remember how to get to their base. "We seem to have lost them. They never even got into a car." Alysia tries to assure me, but the shadows jumping from building to building don't console me at all. Quite the opposite, really. My phone rings and I tell Alysia to put it to my ear for me. "Hello?" I say.
"What's the danger?" Delilah asks. "Fangs!" I say, since saying the word vampire would tip the girls off or at least earn me a bunch of crazy stares. "Repeat after me while holding the necklace." I take one of my hands off the steering wheel and give Delilah the go-ahead. "Resilire detone es repeele," I try my best to remember and repeat it word for word. "RIGHT!" Alysia shouts, and I nearly crash. Between this incantation and Alysia's instructions, I'm overwhelmed.
"Incinerate ignis decarnte," once again, I repeat. "What the fuck are you saying?!" Felice shouts, clearly weirded out by whatever is happening. I don't know what that spell did, but after an ear-piercing shriek, the shadows on the buildings cease to appear, and my heart gets a little lighter. That doesn't last long. "Watch out!" Felina screeches as we're slammed from the right. My head hits the glass, and I'm left with a blurry vision. Another large car comes in from our left and boxes us in. I speed up the car and hope the car ahead of us sees what the hell is happening.
Thankfully, they switch lanes in a hurry, which gives me more leeway. I swerve in between lanes that a car this big shouldn't be allowed to push through. My vision starts to clear, and I speed to run another light at an intersection. A truck that isn't as big as this car, but can still rival its size, grazes behind our back tires. It furiously honks as it gets sent off course. Our luck isn't too hot as our car spins around, so that the back of the car is where the front was. I quickly switch gears and put the car into reverse as I steady its course. We start to drive backwards, and I lift myself in my seat and look backwards as I'm not used to looking into the camera. I swivel through the many cars on the road as I try to find an opportunity to turn this car around.
The situation gets trickier as bullets start to fly. "Holy shit!" Alysia yells. I'm forced to look into the camera for guidance, and I duck my head at the wheel. Thank God for the bulletproof windows. "Why did we go to a club an hour away again?" Felice cries out. I hear rummaging in the back, and Felina passes Alysia a pistol. Alysia takes it with haste but hesitates. "We can't fire back. We can't have any more documented deaths on our hands, and what are we going to say to the police?" She panics.
"The police won't know!" Felina argues. Her argument isn't supported by the red and blue flashing lights. "Son of a bitch!" May shouts. Most of the thug gang has dispersed as they try to evade the cops. Felina pulls out her gun, rolls down the window, and fires at one of the tires on a police car, and doesn't miss. The car spins and crashes into a building. Oh my god, that could've killed so many people!
"Felina, why would you do that?!" Alysia screams. The two of them go back and forth. Felina calls Alysia a coward and Alysia retorts by saying Felina is too young and inexperienced to understand how all of this works.
"Would you two shut up! Gosh, I see why only the guys are allowed on missions." I quickly turn into a public garage as the entry pole starts to lower after letting one car in. It chips the top of the car, but I ignore it and the people running out of the building that manage the electronic security. I go around the car that came in before us and speed through the entire garage. "Repeat after me," I hear Delilah say from the other side of the phone. I forgot about her. I tell Alysia to bring the phone to my ear once again.
"Invisiblis escet," I park the SUV, take a breather, and repeat after her. "Look at a security camera, swipe your finger and repeat this, vim extermina," I do as she says and repeat the words. "The cameras are down and their memory from the past thirty minutes has been erased. You guys, plus the vehicle, are invisible. This will only last for about ten minutes. The necklace's power drains fast, so hurry and get to wherever you're going." She hangs up the call. I lay back in my seat, and take a deep breath. "Why the hell have you stopped?" Felina angrily yells. "Just shut up. Everything is handled. We're good from here. A friend of mine has already handled it." I say, exasperated. My head hangs on the wheel and my hands only slightly release their tension. I wait for the police cars to speed past us before pulling out.
Nobody says anything, and the drive back to the base is quiet. By the time we pull up, the guys are back and not happy to say the least. Okay, livid is a better term. There are dents and scratches on the car from bumping and cramming into things. "What the fuck were you girls thinking?!" Keagan rushes in hot. Some of the guys look like they were about to take off in search of us but, upon seeing us, get out of their car and run up to us. Keith included. None of us says anything. Keagan quickly embraces Alysia, much to her surprise. She quickly hugs him back, and I can't help but miss Jason.
Keith rushes towards me and embraces me in his arms. "Why wouldn't you tell me where you were going?" His voice is stern, but it waivers a bit, showing his concern. "Because she knew it was wrong. All of you guys did." One of the guys says from behind. He cups May's face and caresses her. I assume that's Owen. "What the hell happened out there?" Keagan demands to know. "We were attacked by Crease and his group, and by another group of weird guys. They were..." Alysia trails off, not knowing how to describe them. "Beautiful. They were fucking gorgeous." Felice says in an almost dreamy manner.
Keagan looks at Alysia, expecting a better response, but she only shrugs. "She's not wrong, they really were gorgeous. We were going to approach them before Soren stopped us." All eyes are on me except for Keagan's. His jealousy is palpable, and his face would be enough to make me laugh if we weren't just gunned down. "They gave me a bad feeling." I give a simple explanation. My heart squeezes as the thought of Jason appears again. I itch to call him and hear his voice. "Did he touch you?" Keagan frowns and refers to the bruise marks on Alysia's arm from Crease's tight grip on her.
Alysia shies away from Keagan before Keagan places his thumb underneath her chin and makes her face him. "Don't ever do this again. I can't lose you," It's obvious that all he wants to do is kiss and hold her. I look at Felina and to my surprise, she actually looks heartbroken. I figured she just wanted the title. I made a jab at her never having Keagan emotionally just to talk shit, but I never would've thought she was actually in love with him. "Now that Crease knows how you look, you need to watch your back, Soren," Owen says with May at his side. I almost don't recognize her meek demeanor. It's so unlike her. "Don't worry, I'll protect her," Keith says. He and Owen exchanged a guy stare. I don't know what it means, but they nod their head in understanding.
"We should get inside, and you guys can fill me in on everything," Keagan says and walks to the house with Alysia at his side. "Can we go?" I ask Keith. He nods his head. "Ke, we're going to take off. Soren isn't feeling well." Keagan nods, and Keith and I take off. After a few moments of silence, Keith speaks. "Are you okay? I know that was a first for you." A small grin spreads across my face. "Are you actually concerned? I thought I was just a means to an end."
Keith rolls his eyes and covers his worry. "I'm just making sure you're good for the rest of the mission and aren't thinking of backing out on me." I scoff and slowly shake my head in amusement. "Right, I'm fine. The only thing I'm concerned about is this Crease guy affecting my personal life."
"He won't get to you, trust." His words slightly reassure me, but something in my gut tells me that this will not be the last I see of Crease. "Can I take you somewhere?" Keith asks me. "Will it involve any activities?" He shakes his head. "Then sure."
"We'll have to make a pit stop at my place first to get something." I hum in response and rest.
---
"Hell no," I cross my arms and glare at Keith. He chuckles and grabs my hand. "Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you." I look at him skeptically. "You can't control what other people do, Keith." He nods his head in agreement. "You're right. I've never been good at comforting, so I'll give it to you straight. Several things could happen with more damage than if we were in a car. You could become paralyzed, die, become comatose, lose a limb, maul your face, etc. Or you could close your eyes, shut the fuck up, and enjoy the ride."
I can't help my smile. "That made me feel a little better, but the answer is still no. Why can't we go in a car?" I stare at the death contraption with disdain. Keith rolls his eyes. "I brought you to my house, Soren." I sigh. A secretive man like Keith bringing me to his humble abode is a big deal. "And I love that you trust me enough to do that, but I'm not getting on that thing."
"You were literally gunned down not too long ago, and were involved in a police chase, but you won't get on a motorcycle." He uses what I told him in the car to enhance his argument, but I still nod my head. "The place will be worth it." His tone is softer. "Why do you want me to see this place so badly?"
"Because it helps. I don't want you to come out of this mission fucked up. You don't deserve that." I waver at his genuine tone. "Trust me when I say it's not this mission that'll fuck me up. But fine. Let's do the damn thing." Keith smiles big, and the action takes my breath away. He hands me a helmet, and I roll my eyes but put the damn thing on anyway. He puts his own helmet on and sits in the front. I sit behind him and wrap my arms around his waist like I've seen in the movies. I squeeze him tightly as he pulls out, and practically squeeze his intestines out of his mouth when he actually starts going fast.
"Oh my god, I'm going to die!" I scream until we stop at a red light and try to catch my breath. "Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up beforehand?" Annoyance laces his voice."Oh, hush you. This is terrifying," I pout and tears actually sting my eyes. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing," The light turns green and he's back to weaving in between cars again. I clench my eyelids close and repeat the words 'in and out.' My body slowly becomes less rigid. My heart rate picks up every time he makes a turn, but I can tell he's going easy because of me. I keep my eyes closed until the bike completely stops and Keith pats my hand, signaling me to let go.
I take my helmet off and slide off the bike. "Be careful. The metal is still hot." I quickly retract my leg away from the bike. The smell of fish rolls into my nostrils. "The beach is 'the awesome' place that is going to make the ride worth it?" I say, unimpressed. "Follow me," Keith jumps from the railing and onto the sand. "You do realize that I'm wearing heels."
"And?" He shouts from afar. I huff and hop over the low railing and onto the sand. I cringe at the feel of sand between my toes. I quickly figure out that it's futile to keep these cute heels on. I walk barefoot with my heels in hand. I finally catch up with Keith, and we walk side by side by the water. "Isn't the beach closed at this time?" I ask. "This beach is owned by me." I make an O-shape with my mouth. "Of course, silly me." I roll my eyes. A shiver runs up my spine after a cool breeze passes by. Keith takes his jacket off and throws it at me.
I put it on and we continue to walk in silence until we come upon a cave-like rock. Keith turns into it and grabs my hand. "Watch your step, it's slippery." The hole doesn't lead far, but it's enough to not feel the cold draft or get hit by the waves. He sits down and pats the area around me. I sit and cuddle up to him. He wraps his hand around my waist and allows me to lie on him. The sound of the waves, Keith's heat against the cold breeze, and the stars lining the sky make a beautiful scene.
"How do you deal with all of this?" I ask him in a low volume as if speaking too loudly will shatter the atmosphere that's been created. "I accepted the kind of person I am a long time ago." He starts to stroke my arm and it makes me hum. "Why did you choose this career?" I test my luck and ask another question. "What is this, 21 questions?" He says with a bit of humor and defensiveness. "Just go with it. You can ask me questions if you want." After a deep sigh, he answers my question.
"It started off small. I'd do the dirty work for big corporate dealers such as spying and giving them information on another company's plans. After I got really good at what I do, somebody who was into more dirty business found me through someone else. It paid more, and I was at a low point in my life. So I took the job and never left. It's not like I can't quit whenever I want, and it gives me connections in life."
"So you don't want to settle down and live a peaceful life?" Keith scoffs before grinning. "Peaceful is boring. That's not the kind of woman or life I want."
"Oh, so you are interested in love. You seem like you've already found your kind of woman."
"Isn't this supposed to be a two-way conversation? How is your future brother-in-law doing?" My heart pangs. "Let's not talk about him right now." My voice is heavy and sad. "How is your family doing? They seem like nice people."
"They are. We're kind of dysfunctional, but we all care in our own way. I'm just not a family kind of gal. I'd rather do things for them than spend time with them, and they're the opposite. They value family time and meet whenever they can."
"Hmm, so that's why they barged into your house without warning. You guys will be fine. The moment you all accept who you guys are and make a plan, the unrealistic expectations will die down."
"Family is draining. I love them I really do but sometimes I wish that I could crawl into a hole where nothing exists."
"That's exactly what this place is." I laugh at the realization. "Yeah, I guess so. Thank you for showing me this place. It really does help. You know, you're not a bad guy, Keith."
"Where'd this come from?"
"You're not malicious or striving to hurt somebody. You're a good person who does bad things sometimes. I doubt you've killed unprovoked and you care."
"Don't make excuses for me. I've accepted the fact that I'm not a good person. I do what I do for money and the thrill. I'm no good, Soren, so don't expect much from me."
"The fact that you think that shows that I'm right. I'm not going to expect anything, but you were about to put yourself in danger to save me, and you made sure I didn't sustain life-changing injuries. That proves that I'm right. And you're helping me get more information on Jason. How is that going by the way?" I sit up and put my chin on his shoulder. He puts his far hand on my cheek and caresses my face, and I lean into his touch. "I found Trevor's wife and the last known location of Jason's parents before the crash. I usually don't present information that isn't complete, but I'm sure anything helps." I nod my head.
He turns his head and faces me. "You look great, by the way." I smile and put my hand over his. "Thank you. Before everything went down, it was a fun night. By the way, I think you should look more into Alysia. Call it a hunch but I think Felina has something over her and that's how she's controlling Keagan."
"Hm, how intuitive," My face slightly lifts as I smile. Keith leans down and plants his lips on mine. The kiss is slow, but meaningless. It's a kiss that describes our relationship. I can see this man being somebody I confide in after all of this is said and done. He slowly lays me down on the ground. The rock's cold surface makes me shiver, but it's quickly replaced with Keith's warmth. Surprisingly, Keith is never rough with me. He's tender with the way he caresses my body and lines my curves, but the kiss never turns passionate. It's relaxing and comfortable, something that I need right now.
We part for air, and Keith tucks a few locks of hair away from my face. "You're a good person. You deserve love, Soren."
"And you deserve to live the most unpeaceful life with the woman of your dreams."
He slides his hand behind my neck and lower back before lifting me off the ground. "Are you ready to go?" He asks. I nod my head in content.
---
The ride back was actually...fun. I wasn't crazy enough to let go of him, but I did one holler for fun which is enough for me, and apparently a big win for Keith. "You know we're riding this bad girl from now on, right?" I groan and shake my head. "No, this was a one-time thing. My heart can't take this," he laughs and kisses me goodbye. "Keith I swear to god!" I shout out to him. A hardy laugh is all that's left in his wake and the sound of his engine. I go inside my house with a smile, but it fades as a memory of Jason runs through my head. I remember our moment in the kitchen when we were living together for that short period of time.
After everything you went through tonight, Soren, this is what gets you? Seriously? Gosh, I need to get it together, but I can't help it.
I change into my PJs and wipe all of my makeup off. I fall onto bed and debate whether I should call Jason or not. I feel like if I do, I'll have an urge to drive to him which isn't out of the realm of possibilities. I give into my temptations and video call him.
It rings for a few seconds before he picks up the phone. His face shocks me. He looks terrible and...aggressive. His face slightly softens at the sight of me. He's shirtless and there are claw marks on the wall behind him. "Hey," I say with a hoarse voice. "Hey," he sounds exhausted. "Are you okay? You look awful," A light laugh leaves his lips. "I've missed your voice. Ace and I haven't been getting along. We've been arguing. After that, one of us seems to take control over my body, and it's a literal inner battle."
I can't help but laugh. "You think this is funny?" His words are threatening, but there's nothing scary about his tone. "Yes, I do. You guys will get there. Stop denying yourself. And even if you don't always agree with Ace, let him in. It doesn't hurt to see things from both sides. Accepting him doesn't mean throwing who you are away. You still are who you are, you still like what you like, and you still love who you love." I know Ace's feelings for me are playing a big role in Jason not being able to accept him.
Jason gives me a small smile before it drops into a frown. My eyebrows crease in confusion. "Who hurt you?" He growls. I look farther down along my body and see a bruise on my shoulder. I never noticed it before. It must've been when that vampire grabbed me. "It's nothing. Tonight was eventful, but I'm fine. By the way, we have some new information on your case. You know that teacher who looked out for you for a few years? Turns out she and Trevor got married or at least they did on paper. I have her address and the last known location of your parents before they, quote on quote, died."
I try to distract him with some hopeful news. "That's great, so who put their hands on you?" It doesn't work. "Some guy at a club." I leave out the part about him being supernatural. Who knows what kind of instincts will show as a result of his anger? Suddenly, Jason's eyes swim with gold and his natural dark blue hue. It's a beautiful combination. "Did he touch you?" I know where he's getting at. "No, I dealt with him. I gave him a nice head butt," A proud grin stretches across Jason's face.
"I miss you," I tell him and to my surprise, tears prick my eyes. Jason literally whines, and it hurts to not be with him. "I miss you too. Just a few more days," he reminds me, but it does little to comfort me. A few more days seem like a few more years, and it's harrowing. "Tell me about your day," I say. Anything to hear his voice. "After you left I can barely remember anything but anguish and pain. Soren, this feeling is unlike anything I've ever felt. It feels like somebody is ripping my heart out and stabbing it over and over again, and I don't know how to address it without betraying Saiya."
I sit up in bed and wrap myself in my blankets, trying to recreate the warmth that Jason gave me. It doesn't work. "It hurts right here." I stab my chest with my finger as I point to my heart. "I can't go a single second without thinking about you, and it's driving me nuts because I so desperately wish that I could hate you. That I could stop feeling what I'm feeling because it would make life a lot easier." I can practically see Jason's sadness.
"But what I can never find myself feeling is regretting any of this. Because I would do it all over again. And I'm afraid of what that means." His previous sadness is gone, replaced with hope. "Tell me about your day," he tells me. I laugh as a tear falls down my face. "You don't want to hear about my day. You'd go insane, and I can't tell you yet. I'll tell you when it's all over." I smile.
"I hate that," he says in defeat.
"I know," It doesn't take much before my body succumbs to the physical and mental exhaustion today has brought, and I fall asleep to the sound of Jason's breathing.