by K B Everly
I gave Diego a brooding look. “Go on. Tell me how you really feel.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sorry, querida, but you just aren’t very good with accents.”
“Maybe we should forget the accent entirely,” Brahm stated. “Her looks and the way she holds herself should be good enough.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Whatever. I tried,” I winced when the stylist yanked some hair at a tender spot on my head. “Is this chick almost done? I’d like to have some hair left when she’s through,” I asked them warily.
“Sorry. You had a knot,” the stylist stated. “But yes, I’m done now. Take a look.”
She swept the cape from my shoulders and moved out of the room so I could stand and turn.
My jaw dropped.
The chocolate brown of my curls was completely tainted with pitch black dye now, and the once long locks that reached just below my breasts, now only a couple inches below my ears. Surprisingly though, I didn’t hate it.
The finger wave she styled my curls into gave me a real roaring twenties vibe. It actually kind of went with the gimmick of Sassy Sanguine a lot better than what my normal hair did. I loved the brown more than the black, but Brahm had mentioned it was temporary. So, at least that was good.
All in all, I could dig it.
“What do you think, love?” Abraham asked me tentatively, him and Diego practically holding their breath as I turned my head this way and that.
“I like it. Hate the color, but love the cut. I could get used to this.” I fluffed the ends a little then turned back to the guys with a smile.
“It does suit you. It looks like you just stepped off a movie set,” Diego said with a smile as he looked me over.
“Oui, oui!” I said excitedly, batting my lashes at him in an exaggerated manner.
“Still not happening, babe,” Diego stated loudly as he turned and walked out of the bathroom.
“You’re no fun!” I shouted after him.
Abraham wrapped and arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “Let’s get you ready, so we can get this over with.”
“My French isn’t really that bad is it?” I asked him, hoping he’d at least be on my side.
“Yes, love. It really is.”
Traitor.
The drive to Delirium felt a lot faster than when me and the girls had gone. That probably had to do with the fact I was excited to go then. Now, not so much.
My throat was tight with apprehension, and I kept fiddling with my fingers the whole way there. At some point in the drive, the fiddling wasn’t doing it, and I started to grind my teeth. It wasn’t until Diego made a snide remark about practically hearing me do that from the back seat, that I even knew I was doing it.
I was just really nervous about this going badly. Something inside of me said something would go wrong.
“It’s all going to be okay, love. Diego is going to go with you and wait outside, and I’ll be here in the car. We’re not even sure if they’ll give you a job, so there’s no reason to be afraid.”
I inclined my head to let him know I heard him, but even his assurance wasn’t settling that foreboding feeling inside of me as he slowed the car a few hundred feet from the entrance to the club. He wanted to be far enough away not to look suspicious, but close enough he could grab us up quickly.
“How on earth are we gonna pull this off? They saw me faint here the last time I came. How could they not remember that?”
“It’s not the same people working tonight. Bishop and I clocked all the club staff’s schedules last week. Tonight should be a different set running the front than who was there that night.”
I nodded and took a deep breath in and out. “Okay. I can do this. I got this.” I waved the tension from my hands and undid my seatbelt. With one last deep breath, I gave Abraham a nervous smile then exited the car.
I adjusted the skin-tight dress the guys had me wear tonight to make sure everything was in place.
They’d chosen a black, tube top dress that ended mid-thigh. It was a bondage dress, so it looked like the material was actually wrapped around my body, rather than one solid piece of fabric. The material was stretchy, but had about the same firm hold as a corset. Which meant my breasts were pushed nice and high, and my ass looked perfectly toned.
It wasn’t exactly ideal for dancing, but my dancing isn’t what they wanted me to sell.
Diego stopped me just as we got to the doors. He handed me a wad of cash to bribe the bouncer with to let me skip the long line outside the club. Last time I was here, Lucy had made the arrangements ahead of time for us to surpass the line. We didn’t have that luxury this time with our small window of time to stop these vampires.
Diego kissed my cheek and held my hands in his. “Just breathe and act like you belong here, querida. All will be well.” He kissed my cheek again, then ushered me towards the door.
I plastered on a fake smile and headed towards the entrance. The bouncer gave me the stink eye as I casually swayed my hips. He was a rather large, ugly brute of a vampire, but I had a feeling he’d be easy to sway.
I lifted my hand and gave him a peek of the money. “Any chance you’ll make an exception for me big boy?” I asked him in a seductive tone.
A dopey grin overtook his face, and he pretended to shake my hand as I slid the cash to him.
“Have a nice night, hot stuff,” he said in a gravelly voice. He opened the door for me and didn’t let go of my hand until I gave it a little tug.
Gross. I wiped my hand on my dress and took in my surroundings.
Everything was exactly as it was the last time I was here, only this time heavier music played over the speakers.
I ambled my way over towards the bar, hoping I could just get in and get out as fast as possible. If anyone knew who to look for in this place, it was the bartender.
The girl behind the bar had the most seriously resting bitch face I’d ever seen, and could easily give Sawyer a run for her money.
I sat down at one of the barstools and got her attention. She rolled her eyes and walked over, setting down the glass she was cleaning hard against the bar.
“What can I get you?” She asked with a bit of attitude.
I didn’t know what the hell possessed me to take on the accent I did the moment my mouth opened, but I blamed the nerves.
“Well hi there! My name’s Delia Ray,” I said in a chipper southern drawl. Diego was going to kill me. At least this accent wasn’t too hard. I’d watch the movie Sweet Home Alabama so many times, I could recite it verbatim. Unfortunately, my accent was really cheesy.
“Uh huh. Don’t care. What do you want to drink?” She asked blandly.
“Oh! Well, I’m here looking for a job. Who should I talk to about that?” I asked, dialing back the chipper tone a little.
She threw a thumb over her shoulder at a guy in a navy-blue, button-down shirt and tight designer jeans that was leaning against the bar watching the girls dancing.
“Thank you!” I said to her and moved towards him.
When I got to him, I cleared my throat to get his attention. His head whipped around to look at me and a wide smirk spread across his thin lips.
To some, he may have appeared to be an attractive man. But even with his perfect golden hair, obviously toned body, and chiseled Adonis face, I still got the creeps from him.
“Well, hello there, gorgeous. You looking for a good time?” He purred out to me as he gave me the most serious case of elevator eyes, then leaned way too far into my personal space. Instinctively, I stepped back, but then gave him a seductively slow spin to cover up the retreat.
“Actually, I’m lookin for a job, darlin. You got an openin for a dancer?” I asked with that same horrible southern accent. I came to a stop, then popped out my hip and rested my hand on it.
He licked his lips as his eyes again roved up and down my body. I held back the shiver of disdain.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any openings right
now. But if you leave me your number, I can guarantee you the first available spot.”
I wanted to vomit at the hungry way he kept looking at me. Keep it together, Claude. Sell yourself to him.
I stepped close to him, and against my better judgement, I traced a finger from the middle of his chest all the way down to his belly button. All the while, keeping my eyes planted firmly on his. “You’re sure you have no openings? I promise I bring in quite the clientele. I even go the extra mile, if you know what I mean.” I flashed my fangs at him, showing him my tongue as it ran along the edges.
He took a deep breath in like he was smelling me, and closed his eyes. I made a gag face, but quickly fixed it back to seductive when his eyes snapped open.
“I’ll give a word to my boss to fit you in,” he replied with a bit of a growl.
It was as good as I was going to get. I was confident I had him now, so we’d only have to wait for him to talk to his boss.
I slipped the card Diego had given me with a number on it out of my bra. It wasn’t my number, but a secure STF line that couldn’t be traced by anyone but them.
“Call me, sugar,” I said, giving him a wink before turning on my heel to head for the exit.
I let out a shaky breath as I made my way through the crowd. But it wasn’t until I met Diego outside that I felt like I could truly relax.
That was, until he stepped out from a car that had pulled up directly in front of the entrance.
The second my brain took in his appearance, I felt my world begin to cave in around me.
Oh god. No.
I had just enough time to give Diego a panicked expression, before I felt my body give out.
Chapter Fifteen
“H-he’ll be back. In just a few days.” I tried to sound confident as I backed away from the man of my nightmares, but the hunger in his eyes caused my voice to give just a bit.
His thin lips twisted into a smile that only made his angular face far more terrifying.
Rogue was a haunting looking man. With his slanted eyes, sharp chin, and slicked back fiery hair, he reminded me of a snake. The deep crimson of his irises only added to the fearsome look.
His tongue flicked out to wet his lips as his eyes roved up and down my body. I held back the shiver and slowly tried to slide past him back into the club. Only, his hand snapped out and grasped my hip, effectively stopping me instantly.
He leaned in close; his lips a hairs length away from my ear. “You’re going nowhere unless I say so, little mouse. My friends and I are hungry.”
Nothing could stop the scream that tore from my throat. His other hand had grabbed the back of my neck, and I was lifted off my feet then thrown. My body smashed into the tables and chairs that were in my path. My body ached, and blood leaked from the split lip I received when my face hit the floor.
I rolled off the broken table and sat up on my side, whimpering helplessly as he and six other vampires closed in on me.
I was going to die...
I want to die. I want to die. I just want to fucking die.
I just kept repeating this to myself over and over. All of my emotions were gone, except for the glaring fact that I no longer wanted to live.
Three days straight of torture.
For three days, I was passed around like a party favor. First, they tore the clothes from my body and made me walk around everywhere naked. Then, they began to touch me. After the touching didn’t satisfy, the forceful kissing. But still, that wasn’t enough for them. Finally, they took my body. I no longer felt human. I was raped repeatedly over the course of those three days, then used as nothing more than a blood bag to satiate their final need; hunger.
At first, I had fought back, but it only earned me beatings and other forms of torture.
A belt to my back. Choked with a chain until I passed out, only to do it again. Shallow cuts between my fingers and toes. Cigarette burns on the inside of my thighs. All of this alongside being punched in the face, ribs, and knees.
I couldn’t take it anymore. My body was no longer my own. It was no longer Brahm’s. It was trash. Used up, disgusting, violated trash. And I wanted to die.
I waited until the sun was about to rise to finally set myself free. The wait felt like forever, but I finally felt hope as I crawled brokenly up those steps leading to the roof. Feeling something after feeling nothing was what kept my body going up. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.
I quietly opened the heavy metal door, careful not to let it wake Rogue and his men resting just two floors beneath me. I needed to do this. There was no other way to find peace.
I dragged the rope I’d found in one of the back, storage rooms loosely at my side. My feet scuffed across the gravel of the roof, scraping up the bottom of my bare feet as I made my way to the edge. I looked blankly at the bustling world around me, not really seeing it at all. This was my end. I would never feel right in that world, even if I did escape. Escape wasn’t in the cards for me. Loving Abraham had been a fool’s choice. What was the point of it all? Why give me a man to love, only to make it impossible for me to look at him ever again for what he was; even if he did come back.
He wouldn’t though. I was alone.
I bent down, gasping through the pain of my broken ribs, and tied off the end of the rope to pipe. I eased myself back up and checked the knot on the other end, making sure it would hold my weight. I needed it to hold my weight.
After being satisfied it would hold, I eased the loop around my neck and stepped up to the edge. I waited. I wanted to feel the sun on my skin one last time before I jumped. I wasn’t sure what afterlife awaited me for doing this, so I’d take the sun one last time just in case.
I closed my eyes just as the first rays of light peeked out from behind the buildings in the distance. I brought my hands up and out to my side. And then with one final deep breath in...
I jumped.
I fell for only a split second before I heard my name. My descent was stopped by a hand grabbing onto my bicep. I was dragged from the edge and embraced.
“Claudia! Oh my God! My love, what were you thinking?” A familiar voice wailed.
I could only open my eyes up enough to see the face of Abraham. His skin was burning and peeling away along his cheekbones as the light touched it, but it didn’t stop him from holding me. It didn’t stop the bloody tears that poured from his eyes.
“Claudia...” he whispered as he held me in his arms. “I will fix this, my love. I will fix this.”
I felt the wave of emotions that had been absent the last few days come crashing into me so hard, I blacked out from the trauma.
Abraham was back, and I was broken. I’d never be the same...
Diego
I didn’t know what it was that had set off such a violent memory seizure in Claudia, but I was glad I was there next to her when it happened.
I’d rushed her to Abraham before anyone could see what had happened.
Something was different about this time. She shook and bled, like what normally happens when this gets triggered, but this time the bleeding didn’t stop until thirty minutes after she already stopped seizing.
Abraham had driven like a bat out of hell back to their place as I held her head in my lap, doing everything I could to wipe the blood as it kept coming.
My hands shook with fear and worry at what was happening to her. I kept trying to talk to her to pull her out of it. Yet, nothing was working.
When she finally did stop bleeding, nothing we did woke her up. Both of us began to panic after that. We couldn’t just call a doctor to come look at her. We knew in a basic form what was wrong; we just didn’t understand why this time was so different from all the rest.
Abraham feared the worst of the memories had finally hit, and that her brain would take longer to recover from such an explosion of emotions. If that were the case, it was possible she wouldn’t wake up at all.
For two days, we took turns at her side. I’d called out of work, and Abraha
m left someone else in charge of the club.
But still, no change. She stayed asleep and our fears were beginning to look like a possibility.
Finally, on the third night she awakened. Only, it wasn’t exactly how we imagined it would happen. Instead, it was with a sound I doubted I’d be able to wipe from my own memory no matter how hard I tried.
A blood curdling scream…
Chapter Sixteen
Three days and still Claudia refused to leave her apartment.
I tried the first night to convince her to come out, but it was useless. Abraham was at a loss on what to do, and even ended up calling in the big guns, aka Lucy. That didn’t work either.
I didn’t go back the next night. Instead, I called Abraham to see if there were any changes. There wasn’t. My mind reeled on what she could have remembered that made her feel like she needed to hide herself away. Abraham mentioned trying to coax her out several times, but the moment he tried to touch her, she lost it. She would immediately start to scream and fall to the floor. She’d cradle her head in her hands and repeated ‘don’t touch me’ over and over again. So, he stopped trying that as well.
She barely even left her room, refusing to get up to get a ration of blood. She moved her coffin into the corner of the room and would just sit there for hours, staring at her hands, her feet, and sometimes the wall. She barely spoke. When she did, Abraham could never make out what it was she mumbled.
She wasn’t our Claudia anymore, and we had no idea what to do to help her. We felt hopeless. My mind raced with the things she probably saw when she blacked out. I didn’t dare ask Abraham the gory details. I wanted to be there for her, but what could I do? Abraham had been there for her for years, yet his presence didn’t seem to help. He didn’t want to leave her alone, but it seemed him being there only made things worse. I could imagine it was probably due to the fact he’s a direct link to that god-awful past that whizzes around in her head on repeat.