by Kiahana
I could see a group of about twenty being led out of the main room by Quinn, though I quickly diverted my gaze, not wanting to get stuck obeying anyone else.
“So put your hands together! Keep your fangs in your mouth! Enjoy the show, and get ready to start the bidding in a few minutes.”
Sam winked, then stood in front of me while fluffing the wig again.
“Dance to this song. Last song, I promise.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek, rousing huge cheers from the crowd.
There were three poles spaced evenly across the stage that was only four feet off the main dance floor. I grabbed onto the closest one and started swaying slowly, trying to go back into my fantasy world of just me and Parker, but it wouldn't happen.
A man came on the stage and grabbed me, pulling me against his practically naked crotch before Sam was there, flicking her hand and sending him sailing across the stage into the far wall, shattering the plaster and exciting the rest of the watchers.
Great. If they like violence, I'm for sure a goner.
NINETEEN
As soon as the man was mixed back in with the crowd, a new man took hold of me with his right arm around my waist, his left clad in a heavy black glove that covered up to his elbow with a thick silver chain wrapped around, slack dangling from his fingers threateningly.
The music stopped and my muscles gave out altogether as I sagged against my support, the earlier effects of the drink I'd had completely vanishing. I got the strength to lift my head to see it was Parker, looking out at the crowd with a deadly glare. My body zinged with awareness again as I was finally released from Sam's hold. Francis must have been the one to brush up against me earlier because I felt no ties holding me in place and no weights in my mind.
“Everyone not involved or doesn't want to join a fight to the death, I suggest you leave now!”
The crowd looked around, stunned, before most of them shrugged and turned to leave the club while chatting, seeming to choose life more preferable.
I wrapped my arm around his waist to help support my weakened body to remain standing.
By the time all was said and done, about twenty men and women stayed inside, all of which seemed to be on Parker's team, taking a defensive stance around us. Everyone in the room had their fangs extended, still on high alert.
I’d never seen this side of Parker. It scared me. And also excited me more than it should. Waayy more than it should.
“Are you alright?” Parker's voice remained strained, looking down at me with hard eyes, making me gulp.
“I'm fine.” He nodded and glanced back out while tightening his hold. “We need to get Gunner.”
“I'm here.”
I turned to see him entering the room followed by Francis and a few others.
Relief flooded through me. Everyone was safe and nobody was killed.
“Let's get out of here.”
“Couldn't agree more.”
Francis and a few others joined us on the stage before our attention turned back to a voice near the bar.
“I'm so happy you could finally join us, Parker.”
In front of the bar stood Sam, Quinn, and a man I'd never seen before. He was average height, almost orange hair, thick with muscle and donning an evil smile giving me the feeling Parker and him knew each other personally. A skinny but deep scar started at the top of his right eye brow and curved under his deep red eye before curving back out and disappearing close to his ear. A fat nose centered perfectly on his plump face.
Two rows of silver bars shot up out of the ground into the ceiling blocking our path to leave on both sides of the room. Well, damn. I guess they weren't going to let us go without a fight.
“You've brought a lot of your friends.” The man took two tiny steps forward then stopped, letting his eyes roam over everyone as if seeing if he recognized anyone. “If you want them to live, I suggest you have them do exactly as I say.”
A few rushed the man but flew backwards, an invisible shield stunned and then threw them back.
“Stop!” Parker's grip remained tight against my hip, my adrenaline kicking in strength I didn't think I had left. “There is no need for bloodshed, let us leave and I will forget this ever happened.”
Francis stepped closer to me and glared back at Sam with nothing but hatred. She remained straight faced, but it didn't take super heightened senses to be able to tell she was nervous.
“You're right. There is no need for bloodshed, Parker, if Francis breaks the blood oath he holds over Quinn. It's as simple as that.”
My eyes widened at the amazing deal this man was offering, silently asking Parker to take it before the man spoke again.
“Oh, and we get to keep him too of course, and you can take your human.”
“No!” I gasped out loud before I realized what I was doing.
There's no way I'd let Parker take me from here but leave Francis to be tortured. Or worse.
“Deal.”
It was Francis who spoke, making me gasp again as Parker switched sides holding me to grip Francis with his other hand.
“No deal!” Parker barked then pulled Francis back. “What are you doing?”
They continued their conversation in their heads for a few seconds before Parker growled furiously, startling me.
“Deal,” Francis repeated and jerked out of Parker's reach.
My eyes filled with tears watching him walk toward the enemy, only to halt halfway there. For a split second Sam's features contorted into pain before turning back into a sneer, the same as her peers.
“Koopa, let them leave and I'll remain here.”
At once, the silver bars leading outside disappeared. Everyone looked around for instruction.
This must be a trick. We can't leave Francis here. They must be forming a plan inside their minds.
Parker gave a nod of his head and everyone starting filing out, watching their backs for a surprise attack that didn't come, until it was just the three of us and the three of them.
He was shaking, gripping me just a little too hard before he realized and stopped, his eyes glowing black in anger. Something was definitely wrong.
“Francis!”
“Go! Before she see's something.”
“No!” I yelled out this time, unable to control myself.
Parker growled long and raw before gripping me and flashing us outside where the rest of his friends waited.
I broke down and tried to run back in but Parker held me firm. He let Gunner wrap his arm around me as I yelled out and continued my waste of time attempt to get free while tears starting flowing freely, my vision blurring as I quickly tried to think of something to do. A way to fix this mess.
The sound of a loud crack before a car alarm started going off pulled my attention to find Parker ripping out huge trees from the ground and tossing them across the lot at the parked cars in a fit of rage.
That sobered me enough to realize I should be comforting him, not adding to the misery of losing his brother.
Gunner held firm until I turned to face him and kneed him in the groin hard enough to release his hold so I could run to Parker. He was on his knees, yelling out in rage when I reached him. No one else tried to stop me once they knew where I was headed.
I threw my arms around him and buried my head in his neck trying to comfort him.
“I'm so sorry!” I could barely manage the words around my sobs, but I know he understood me.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close and holding me there as his friends slowly circled us again, keeping us safe from an attack if one came.
“We need to leave, Parker.” A soft voice pulled our heads up to see sorrow and regret on everyone around us. “We'll come back, but for now, we need to leave.”
Parker stood with me still in his arms with a short nod of understanding, not wanting to endanger anymore lives.
Two men grabbed onto Parker's arms and others did the same before we lifted off the ground and left quickly, me wrappe
d around his front.
They must not be able to fly on their own.
We dropped them off in town then took off again. I watched his eyes the entire time, just as he stared into mine.
My heart had never felt so much pain, could never imagine it, and I'd only known the man a few weeks.
Sure Parker and him had their differences and only recently started talking again, but they were brothers. A love between brothers could never completely dissolve, no matter the case.
**********
It was two days later that Parker finally calmed down enough to talk about it. Work seemed rather redundant at this point so I'd called and told them I was taking vacation the whole week. And since he hadn't offered to leave his cliff side home, I stayed with him.
From dusk til dawn his friend Gunther, the one who'd made me drink at the club, stayed with us. Either for comfort or safety, I wasn't a hundred percent sure, though his presence did seem to keep Parker more relaxed.
He brought meals, healthy young men, twice the same guy, and Parker would feed. He also fed from me while Gunther was away.
It was three in the afternoon and we were sitting up in bed, snuggling, when I finally felt brave enough to start asking questions.
“Can I ask you something?”
His body tensed but he nodded warily, tightening his grip around my shoulders. My finger lazily drew triangles over his exposed chest.
“What was in the drink Gunther gave me?”
His body relaxed while he kissed my forehead. What did he think I was going to ask?
“A bit of Quinn's blood, Francis' and mostly mine, mixed with cranberry juice.” Yuck. “Quinn's to break his hold over you, Francis' just in case they said you needed it before their hold over you ended, and a lot of mine so I could will you to show me what we needed to do in order to free you.”
“That explains it then.”
“Explains what?”
I lifted my head off his shoulder and sat up straight, his arm falling to my back, but remained in contact.
“First I felt as if a tie had been broken. It was like a zing of electricity through my body. Then when I spotted you in the crowd my hands started touching all over my body, which I guess is because Sam said I couldn't do anything I wanted to until both you and Francis touched me.”
His face pulled into a frown the second I mentioned Sam.
“Can we talk about what happened now?”
“I am so sorry, Piper.” He rolled me on my back and covered his long, broad self over me, his eyes filled with regret. “I shouldn't have been with Francis. I should've been watching over you like I planned on doing. I should've...”
“Stop.” I silenced him with a quick kiss before laying my head back down and looking into his eyes. “That's not what I was referring to. It's not your fault I was taken. We got out of there alive and nothing horrible happened while I was there.” Purple started trickling back into his eyes. His face never even twitched to show he was relaxing, thankful, whatever the emotion he was having. “I'm referring to leaving Francis there.”
The purple disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“I'll get him back.”
It was a solemn promise I already knew he'd make. But when?
“I know. Why were you afraid of Koopa?” Maybe afraid wasn't the correct word to use on a man's sensitive ego, but it seemed to fit here. “I mean, there were only three of them, two if you take out Sam, and there were at least twenty of your friends. And I'm supposed to tell you that Sam only did this because they have her mate.”
“I don't care what her excuse is.” His growl tickled my neck. “She is responsible for your capture and all the events after. Once Francis is freed I'm leaving her in his hands to do with as he pleases.”
Maybe I should switch the focus of the conversation.
“How are we going to get Francis back? And you never answered me about Koopa.” I offered him my most concerned smile, trying not to sound pushy, or have him clam up all together.
“We aren't going to do anything. You're too fragile and I won't be putting you in any more danger.” That did make sense, but it doesn't mean I was going to accept it that easily. There must be something I can do to help. “I'm coming up with a plan with my brethren that we'll be able to put into action within a few days.”
He rolled back onto his side while sifting his left hand through my tattered hair, leaning in to kiss me with a tenderness I felt all the way to my toes.
“As for Koopa, I wasn't scared of him.” He chucked his fist under my chin to make sure I understood, drawing my gaze to his quirked lips. “We go way back. And when I say that, I mean he helped me and Francis hunt down our mum and watched us slay her.” I gasped then pressed my lips together, waiting for the rest of the story. “After she was gone we no longer had the burning fury inside us to seek out others to murder, though that's what Koopa wanted. When he learned there would be no swaying us, he took off and left it at that. You could see it in his eyes that he wasn't going to let it go for long.
“About forty years later he tracked down Francis when he was at a low point, effectively turning him into a Pulpa in the long run, and using him to do his bidding. I searched for and found Francis many times over the years, but he always seemed to slip from my grasp, or his friends would show up just when I would start making progress with him. In my last attempt, two innocent lives were taken and I'll never forgive myself. I played his game over and over until then, always thinking I'd be able to get him back one day, and now he's been taken again. I don't know if he's strong enough to stay sane through it this time.”
There was that accident again. They've mentioned it multiple times, yet are unwilling to elaborate. It must've been life changing since he wasn't willing to talk about it.
Parker's head tilted to the side, listening. Gunther must be back.
“If he's back, I think we should all brainstorm together.”
I started to get up before finishing my sentence, throwing on some sweats and watched as he slowly did the same. He must really like to tease me, what with the knowing smirk on his face when he caught me staring at his sculpted form, then blush when I looked away.
We met him in the kitchen. He'd obviously over heard me and was waiting in a relaxed position with his feet up on the wood table and his arms crossed behind his head.
“What are we brainstorming?”
I grabbed a fruit bowl out of the fridge before taking a seat next to Parker at the table.
“First off, why did those vampires get thrown back from Koopa when nothing was there?”
“Koopa is an old vampire,” Parker explained. “You gain more power and abilities the older you get. You've played the Nintendo game, Mario, and know that King Koopa can bounce people off their feet with his jump, and that's essentially what he does, though just with his mind.”
I sat blank faced, confused.
“Are you saying that King Koopa is based off this Koopa guy?”
Parker nodded and Gunther chuckled.
“He loves it too. Thrives on his recognition and the image he's been given. The way he struts his stuff, you'd think he was the original Dracula or something.”
They both seemed to agree on this and shared a look.
“So, he can throw anything across a room with his mind? Great. How are we going to get past him, or stop him, or...just, how?”
“His power depletes when he uses it. He only has a good few throws until he needs to drink again, regaining his power. My plan is to go at him strong, scare him into using his power early, then hitting even stronger. He won't stand a chance.”
Was that really his whole plan? Go strong and then go stronger? That didn't seem as strategic as we needed it to be.
They threw a few ideas back and forth while I silently mulled things over, thinking about everything I've learned and how I can put that to good use. Their whispers barely registered to me when my mind starting putting pieces together.
Mayb
e we didn't have to go to them, maybe we could get them to come to us.
Maybe I didn't have to be a nuisance, a boulder holding them down.
Maybe...just, maybe.
“Why don't you use your power and make Sam come to us?”
They both stopped talking and looked up at me thoughtfully before both of Gunther's hands slammed down on the counter as he let out a quick bark of laughter. Parker's lips twitched before picking me up and twirling me, sitting me on the table after two full circles.
“That's why I love you.” His lips brushed over mine as I gasped.
Did he really just say that to me?
He sensed my unease, whispered something too low for me to hear, making Gunther disappear, all the while holding my gaze. Neither of us blinked. I remained wide eyed and unmoving.
“I didn't mean to say it so casually like that, and you certainly don't have to say it back. But I do. I love you.” I blinked then swallowed, gaining some of my body reflexes back. “I'm sorry.” Now confusion lit my face. “I should've waited. I didn't mean to scare you.”
My mouth flopped open but apparently speech wasn't one of the senses I've gained back yet.
He loves me? I guess it's not all too surprising, what with how he's been watching me all these years and still wants to hang out with me. But, he loves me? I don't deserve him, but I will sure as hell not ruin a good thing when its gift wrapped and handed to me.
If he one day realizes his feelings aren't as permanent as mine, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to hold myself together until he was out of view, before completely coming undone. But for now...he's mine.
“I love you, too, of course.” My hands clasped onto his biceps. “Please, don't be sorry. The first time you said that to me I didn't see you for ten years.”
His eyes swirled with purple. His lips twitched, revealing the most beautiful sight that I'll never get enough of.
“I'm not sorry for loving you, I was sorry for casually mentioning it.” He sealed his lips over mine once more before pulling back. “I love you.”