Rock n Roll Promises (YAE) (Rock n Roll Paraphantasy Series)

by Ambear Shellea

  “Paige… I love you…don’t ever… forget that.”

  She sprung to her feet when she heard Jaxson rush through the door. “Jaxson, get rid of these bodies, we need to call an ambulance. Ozzie has been hurt.”

  Chapter 12

  Her eyes, burned and irritated, stung with tears. Her heart seemed as shattered as the glass upon her floor. Watching her friend falling apart in her kitchen and there being nothing she could do about it made her despise helplessness.

  I can’t stand this.

  Body aching with emotional pain, she pushed herself out of the chair and walked over to the crying heap on the floor that was her friend. The wallpaper felt cool against her back as she slid her body to the floor next to Paige. Pulling the woman into her arms, she trailed her fingers through her hair and did her best to comfort her.

  There is nothing to be done until Ozzie gets out of surgery. Here goes, she will either hate me or forgive me.

  “Paige…”

  “What am I going to do? I can’t live without him, I love him too much.”

  “You have to try. Does he mean that much to you?”

  “He is the one, Anna, the one I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I can’t believe he’s going to die. I wish there was something I could do.”

  Straightening her frame, she pushed Paige’s shoulders back and looked into her eyes.

  I can’t believe I’m even considering this.

  “Paige, look at me. What would you do to save him?”

  “Anything, I would do anything, you know that.

  If I could…”

  “Stop talking and listen to me. Would he forgive

  you for doing whatever it took to save his life?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know. It wouldn’t stop me from trying.”

  “Then please forgive me and God help us both when he wakes up.”

  She got up from the floor and headed for the door. Paige’s voice stopped her before she could make her exit.

  “What do you mean forgive you? Wakes up? Anna, are you saying you can save him?”

  “In a way, yes. Well, sort of.” She eyeballed her friend and watched as her proposal sank in.

  There is the light bulb. God help me.

  “Anna, please you have to.”

  “Paige, are you certain this is right? I can’t stand to see you in this much pain, but you know what he is.”

  “He is a good man—that’s what he is. I beg you, please.”

  Lord forgive me. I see the hope in her eyes, and I can’t take this from her. I know Ozzie will hate me forever, but if there is a chance I can save him and spare her this pain…

  “He is more than just a good man. He is a hunter and not just any hunter.”

  “I know. He is an ‘anything not human’hunter.” “If I do this, he is liable to kill us both.”

  “He knows what you are, Anna, and he has never tried to kill you. He likes you.”

  “I’m a rare breed, Paige, a glitch, so to speak. There is no telling how he will turn out.”

  ”Does that mean you will do it?”

  “God help me, but yes. I will try, anyway. I have never done this before.”

  Air supply cut off, neck in a tight grip, she hugged her best friend. Tears of joy soaked her hair and noises between a sob and a laugh filled her ears. Prying away clutching arms, she put some distance between them.

  “I want you to go. I don’t want to see this.”

  “But-”

  Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she steadied herself into her vamp persona. Opening her eyes, she glared into Paige’s and hoped her friend would forgive her.

  “Meet me by the lake at dawn. I will tell you how it goes.”

  She stared into the glossed over eyes of her friend and watched her amble out the door and head for the lake.

  Lord, I hope she forgives me for compelling her, but I don’t have a choice. She would fight me tooth and nail so she could be there. I don’t blame her, I would do the same. I can’t have her in the room, in my way…watching.

  Chapter 13

  He looks so frail, which is odd considering how big of a man he is.

  His soft hair pulled through her fingers as she ran her hand down his head.

  “Ozzie, I know you can’t hear me, but I’m hoping you can. You really are one of the good guys. Paige loves you so much, and well, you have grown on me, too. I fear what I’m going to do will ruin all of that. Please forgive me for this. I can’t stand to see her in so much anguish. Please understand this isn’t just me being selfish. OK, maybe a little. I fear if you die, she won’t live through it. People can die from broken hearts. You know how she is, when she loves something or gets passionate about something, she will fight with every fiber of her being to keep it, and she has fought for you. Every doctor in the tri-state area is now afraid of her. This is liable to be painful, so hopefully you’re so full of drugs it’ll be dulled. It’s not likely. Before I begin, assuming you can hear me, focus on all the happiest times in your life. Perhaps your favorite food, animals you love, and all the wonderful time you have spent with Paige.”

  Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his throat. “Think of Paige, and please forgive me.”

  One hand still in his hair, she slid the other under his gown and rested it above his heart. As she sank her teeth into his skin blood gushed into her mouth like water through a broken damn. His heart pulsed in rhythm against her lips, and she counted the beats silently in her head. Slowly, they faded away.

  Two beats a minute, he’s almost…gone. Pulling away, she ran her fingernail across her wrist and opened the skin. His lips felt dead against her skin. Pressing harder onto his mouth, she turned her wrist sideways and pried his mouth open, letting

  her blood flow past his lips.

  Saltwater tears dripped from her cheeks as cold blood fell from her arm, both giving and taking from her. Life…strength…an unbroken connection.

  “I’m so sorry, my friend.”

  Retracting her arm, she stepped away from him and the bloody scene. Body in motion, she darted across the room and wet two small towels. Warm water sloshed across her cold skin as she rung the excess water from the fabric.

  “What have you done?”

  Her body stiffened at the voice. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets and every hair on her body stood tall and unwavering. Sweat beaded on her brow and ran down her face. Her heart and breath stuck in her throat as the warm, soft cloth fell from her hands.

  No, no, no. Not him…I’m staked for sure now.

  “I asked you a question, Anna, now answer it!”

  His body pressed into hers and his nails dug into her skin.

  Breath dislodged, she replied, “Why are you here? You know what I have just done.”

  “Is he the first or are there others?”

  She spun out of his hold and faced him. Ocean blue eyes, hard with fury, stared back at her. “He is the only one, Sebastian.”

  “Why didn’t you call me? I assume you know what you’re doing?”

  “I was unsure you would show if I had been able to get a hold of you, and I’m playing it by ear.”

  “Playing it by…What were you thinking?”

  “Please let go of me, Sebastian, I have to finish. It’s too late for you to stop it.”

  She jerked out of his hold once more and went back to the sink to retrieve the warm towels. Wet, warm fabric in hand, she walked back toward Ozzie. His superior tone filled the air.

  “It’s never too late to stop it. A stake through the heart would stop it.”

  “What do you want, Sebastian? Have you come to help me or stop me?”

  “Maybe both, I haven’t decided yet.”

  Wiping the blood from Ozzie’s skin she said, “I see you haven’t changed much, although, your style of clothing has changed.”

  He’s still as handsome as ever…focus.

  Her eyes moved up and down h
is figure. She sighed as she took in his dark hair, white T-shirt, black denim jeans and a smirk the devil himself would be proud of.

  “I see you traded in the trousers for denim and silk for cotton. Looks like same old boots, though.”

  “Don’t forget the jacket.”

  “Oh yes, black leather in place of blue velvet… nice touch.”

  “Thanks.”

  Rolling her eyes, she worked to keep her patience under control. “Which is it? Help me or kill me?”

  “First, one question. How far into the process are you?”

  “The taking and giving of blood has been done.” She yanked the dirty sheets from the body and the bed in order to change them.

  “Have you spelled him?”

  “No, why would I do that? Better yet, how could I do that? He was barely clinging to life when I started.”

  “So this is a saving mission, so to speak?”

  She crossed the room and gathered fresh linen from the closet. “Yes.”

  “You realize he’s a hunter?”

  Yanking the sheets into place and covering Ozzie as if nothing happened she replied, “Yes, and I’m sure he’ll hate me for this. Now back to the spelling.”

  “Hold his eyes open and bespell him as you would any human.”

  “Why would I do that?” “I have found if you spell them during transition, you can keep them from feeding on humans.”

  She faced him fully. “You mean…is that why I feed off music?”

  “Yes. You were my first experiment. I have tested on several since you and it worked the same. They all feed off something else. As I didn’t intend to turn you, I chanced an idea in hopes it could help you.”

  “So, why rock music? Why not love or tree bark or something?”

  “As a human you loved music, you manifested the genres. Rock feeds you, gospel heals you, and all others just keep you healthy.”

  “So, you didn’t choose what my craving would be?”

  “No, I just spelled you so that human blood wouldn’t be what you fed on. The rest is up to the human.”

  She turned her frame and looked down at Ozzie. With two fingers she pried open his eyes and spelled him. She repeated the words Sebastian spoke, just as he instructed. When she finished, she removed her hands from his face and moved to whisper in his ear.

  “What did you whisper to him?”

  She leaned up and kissed Ozzie on the cheek. “It’s the best I could do for you.” She turned and smiled at Sebastian. “To answer your question… hopefully my saving grace. Help me get him out of here and back to my house. Paige will be waiting. Oh, her I did spell.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ll explain on the way, just help me get him out of here.”

  “Fine. You push the bed and I’ll spell the folks in our path. I will even tell the doctor to put in his report that he made a full recovery and sent him home.”

  “Great! Now get moving.” Chapter 14

  Her footsteps were light as air as she quietly crept along the waterfront searching for Paige.

  I hope for all our sakes this works. If this doesn’t work the way we planned, I’m not sure we would survive the domino effect of bad events that will follow if he turns out to be an uncontrollable monster.

  She spotted her friend, in human form, sitting on the bank and staring off into the sunset. Her hair was still a mess and salty sparkles were upon her cheeks from tears. Her athletic jumpsuit looked just as troubled, ripped, shredded, and covered in dirt.

  “Paige.”

  Blonde hair and bright eyes looked her way. It was the look of hope. She couldn’t help but smile while her heart sank deeper into her chest. Anna had to take a few steps back to keep her balance; the sudden force from the hug caught her off guard. She quickly returned the it and stepped away.

  “Did it work? Thank you, Anna. I knew you could do it.”

  “Paige, wait. We need to talk.”

  The look of fear in her friend’s eyes almost floored her. More of her heart shattered in pieces.

  Lord, please don’t let me lose them. If he dies, she will, too.

  She motioned for Paige to join her as she sat in the grass. “I did just as I said I would. I bit him, and he’s in the transition process.

  “So, he’s alive?”

  “Yes, he’s as alive as I am. I still don’t know how this will turn out, so you need to prepare yourself.”

  “You’re over thinking this, Anna. He will be fine. Where is he?”

  “He’s at my house and you need to stop that right now.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Ignoring the possibilities. You need to face the facts, all of them. Yes, Ozzie was one of the good guys, but he’s also a hunter…”

  “No! You stop. Just because he has killed things, things that have threatened human life, doesn’t make him a murderer! You’ll see, Anna, he’ll fight his way through this supernatural disaster his own way and come out the other side, just as he always does…as my Ozzie.”

  “Paige…Fine, you’re right. It could just as easily go that way. I’m not saying it won’t, I’m just saying this could go either way and you need to be prepared for both.”

  “I understand that, I do, but I just can’t focus on that right now.”

  “Fair enough. Let’s go. I don’t know how long he’ll be out.”

  “Three days, right? That’s how long you were out.”

  Putting her head in her hands, she took in a deep breath and tried to keep her tone. Her patience was wearing thin, as was her energy. She needed to feed, and she needed to rest. It had indeed been a long day. Her body still ached from the fight with the wolves even though her scratches and wounds had healed. She pulled herself together and looked in her friend’s direction.

  “Yes, but Sebastian knew what he was doing and was two hundred years old. I had no clue and no instructions. You know I have never done this before. I abhorred Sebastian for years for the very thing I did to Ozzie. I won’t blame him if he hates us all!”

  “Anna, you look tired. Have you rested at all since yesterday?”

  “No, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Come on; let’s go back to your house. We both could use a good hot shower and some rest.”

  She reached out and grabbed Paige’s arm, preventing her from standing.

  “Promise me you won’t hate me for how this turns out. I did the best I could, and I’m hoping for the same results as you.”

  Paige engulfed her in a hug, and smiled back at her when she pulled away.

  I don’t know what I will do if I lose her. She is more than just my friend. She is like my family…as close as a sister.

  She got off the muddy ground and walked to the car, Paige by her side. For the moment, she joked, talked, and nettled the girl next her, as if it were any other day, hoping her life would never change, yet fearing the worst.

  ****

  “I need to feed, so I’m going to turn on the radio and blare some music.”

  “Fine by me. You and Ozzie have the same taste in music, so you won’t even need to change the channel.”

  “Great. By the way, I love this car. I’m even thinking of buying one.”

  “What? You’re going to trade off that cherry red 350 that you baby for one of these? I never thought you jump from Ford to Dodge. Oh, I can’t wait to tell Ozzie.”

  “No, I’m not getting rid of my ‘stang, but I’m still going to buy me this car! Lovin’the Hemi.”

  Seatbelt in place, she turned the key and the Challenger roared to life. Man, I love the sound of the engine. She reached over and pushed the button to turn on the radio. “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant boomed through the speakers and out the windows as she drove away. With each aggressive beat thumping the speakers, she pushed harder on the accelerator.

  Music swam in her veins, wind blew through her hair, and her energy rose. The song hit the final beat as she turned the corner. She glanced at her passenger who sat si
lently crying.

  She turned down the music.

  “Paige, why are you crying? If you’re not ready to see him, I can take you home and call when he wakes up to tell you how it turned out.”

  “No, I want to be there when we wakes up. It’s just that song is one of his favorites.”

  An idea hit her just as she was turning onto her street. “Does he have any mix CDs here of his favorite songs?” “That’s what you’re listening to. I made this CD for him. It has all his favorite rock songs. Why?”

  “I’ll show you when we get inside.”

  Sebastian and Jaxson rushed toward the car as she pulled into the driveway.

  I hope this isn’t bad news.

  She pulled the keys from the ignition, unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car, her eyes darting from Jaxson to Sebastian. Paige’s voice sounded the question in her mind.

  “What happened, what’s wrong?”

  She hugged Jaxson when he got close. She wrapped her arms around him and turned her eyes to Sebastian as he spoke.

  “Nothing is wrong…that I know of. I’m glad you’re finally here. I believe he’s starting to wake from the transition.”

  “What? How can that be? He was bitten less than twenty-four hours ago.”

  “It won’t be real soon. It could be another few hours yet, but that is still very, very soon.”

  She snatched at Paige as she ran by, surprisingly, she missed. Staring at her hands for a moment, she was dumbfounded.

  How did I miss? I never miss.

  She noticed the CD in her hand.

  Oh, right. Whew, thought I may have been

  slipping in my skills.

  A wet kiss on the cheek from Jaxson put her quickly back into reality and she rushed into the house.

  Hunter green paint and pine panels covered the walls, which were separated midway down the surface by cedar trim. The top half was green and the bottom half was made of pine wood. Ozzie laid limply on Paige’s king-sized bed, covered to his chest with a sheet. His skin tone was a few shades lighter; a beginner’s tan.

  He looks like Paige at the beginning of summer when we were in high school and she first started laying out. Of course now she just uses a tanning bed.