I removed my shirt and adjusted the bodice into place. I laid on the bed looking up at the ceiling. It's my turn to be brave now that I'm going to die. It’s my turn to choose to leave this world with pride and dignity, not at the hands of the Hunters. If I can't have Rhett by my side, then there's no reason for me to prolong my eternal life as a night stalking blood sucker. No, I think I'll go out under my terms and not be dictated by anyone, whether I'm making the right decision or not.
Chapter Six
I don’t know how many days it's been since I've had any blood. I haven't had one drop and no one was the wiser. A bottle of the substitute liquid was placed in front of my door daily, which I made sure to bring inside so the others thought I drank it. So far, it worked. They probably think I'm still sulking about Rhett. Little do they know, it's much more serious than your average broken heart.
My heart no longer broke for Rhett because my soul had been completely shattered. At least the pain from the hunger in my belly distracted me from thinking about him; most of the time anyway. I'm becoming weaker by the minute and I can feel the darkness beginning to take over my body. I smiled inside knowing that it would all be over soon. I won't have to suffer any longer. There would be no more pain. There would be no more death. There would be only peace; only nothingness.
I shut my eyes tight as I started to drift away, allowing the shadows behind my lids to calm my busy mind. I hope my sisters would be okay without me. I hope Rhett will one day understand why I had to do this. I tried to clear my head of everyone other than my mother. I needed to embrace the memory of my mother's last moments and remember how proud she was. Only I'm not proud of the monster I had become over the years. I had never even given my way of life another thought until I met Rhett. Damn it, why can't I just forget about him already?
A loud bang shook me awake. The sound of a metal door slamming closed and screeching open again made me cringe as I rolled onto my elbow. What the fuck are they doing upstairs? Can't a vampire die in peace? I sat up and hung my feet over the side of the bed. I swayed a bit, dizzy from not consuming any blood. I'd had the crazy idea of getting up to scream at whoever was making all that racket upstairs, but quickly came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to take one step away from this bed.
Another slam of the door was followed by a piercing scream. I squeezed my eyes shut, covering my ears with the palm of my hands. Trouble has finally come to our door and I'm in no condition to help, but I have to. As long as I'm still alive it was my duty to stand with my sisters and fight with them. I cannot be that heartless and sit idly by listening to what could be the end of our coven.
I slid off the bed and fell onto the floor, too weak to stand on my own two feet. I knelt beside the bed and braced myself to try and get up. My stomach felt as if it were being turned inside out from the over exertion. My hearing became murky as the noise from the back of the club mingled with the pounding beats of speakers from the inside of the bar. At least no one else would be able to hear the commotion because the music was so loud.
I finally got to my feet and stumbled all the way to the door. I slid my hands along the hard rock walls of the hallway, doing my best not to fall flat on my face. My legs gave out when I reached the bottom of the cement steps that lead outside into the alley behind the club. A few loud crashes against the metal door and my heart began to race. With every beat, my shaky legs felt as if they were getting weaker. Leaving my room was a bad idea, but I couldn't let my coven fight alone. Besides, what better way to die than to fight by my sister’s sides?
I stumbled to my feet and placed my hand on the railing for support. A few steps and I collapsed, crashing onto the staircase. I had to keep going. I need to keep going. I crawled up the rest of the way as my hands and knees scraped against the stony ground. When I reached the top of the landing I inhaled a deep breath and pushed the metal bar across the door to open it. It swung open and I was awestruck at the sight in front of me.
Hunters filled the alley. Not just one or two, but twenty or thirty of them. If it weren’t for us being so fast we'd definitely be toast right about now. Bodies flew overhead into the side of the building one by one as Noah fought them off of Caressa. She'd had a few holding her down ready to drive a stake through her heart, but luckily Noah got to her in time. The rest of the girls were holding their own as the number of Hunters began to dwindle.
I had to get up, I had to get the fuck up and help them. I scrambled to my feet and gained some balance but was quickly knocked to the ground. One of the Hunters grabbed me by the back of the neck forcing me back down onto my knees.
His hatred for our kind was apparent in his voice as he called out to one of his comrades. "Hey Reggie, bring that stake over here, we're going to have us a little fun."
The tall, well-built man sauntered over to us and stopped in front of my bent head. He dropped to one knee and placed the wooden implement under my chin, lifting my head to meet his disgusted gaze. "I think I'm going to enjoy killing this one. Look at the fire in her eyes. It's going to be so much more enjoyable when I snuff it out. But first I'd like to see her beg for her life. Lick my boot vampire."
There's no fucking way in Hell I'm licking this asshole's shoe. No. Fucking. Way. I squinted my eyes at him, then gave him a little smile. He smiled back at me and I knew he fully expected me to do exactly what he demanded.
I lowered my head as if to do what he'd asked, then at the right moment I rammed the back of my head into his nose, breaking it in the process. He fell on his side, hitting the ground hard. I cocked my head back gathering saliva in my mouth and spit on the fucker.
He wasn't down long. He quickly rose to his feet and kicked me in the stomach as his friend held me in place. If I'd been in better shape that strike wouldn't have hurt, but since I hadn’t eaten a thing in days, it fucking hurt like a bitch.
"You're going to pay dearly for that you soulless creature."
I was pulled to my feet as he raised the stake over his head. His smug grin told me he thought he’d won and at this point there was no way for me to feel differently, so I braced myself for the impact and impending death. But, it never came because had someone tackled him to the ground, hard.
The Hunter holding me up let go and I dropped to the ground. I looked up with blurry vision immediately recognizing my savior. Though I couldn’t see him clearly, his undeniable scent told me it was Rhett. I've been feeding from him for the last few months and the smell of his blood pumping through his veins as the adrenaline coursed through his body was enough to give me the strength to stand. I swayed and was about to fall again, but was quickly caught by two strong arms holding me around the waist.
"Gia are you okay?"
His loud voice was muffled by the deafness in my ears. This is it. This is the moment I shall cease to exist and I couldn't be happier than to die in his arms.
"Gia, look at me. Are you okay?"
The panic in his voice filled my heart with guilt that he had to watch me die. I couldn’t look at him. I didn't want to open my eyes because death was clouding the way I saw the only man I have ever loved and I couldn’t bear to leave him knowing I caused him so much pain.
He gripped my face in his hands and shook me a little. "Gia, you're weak. You have to bite me."
What? He didn't just ask me to bite him, did he? No, I must be hallucinating, that must happen when you're on the brink of death.
He slid his thumb over my cheek softly. "C'mon sweet cheeks. I don't want to lose you. Please bite me." He pleaded.
Holy shit, I had heard right. How did he know what I was? Only one person had threatened to tell him and that person was Noah. Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I was not going to feed from Rhett again. I vigorously shook my head at him and clamped my mouth shut.
He placed his wrist in front of my mouth, rubbing it against my lips. "Gia, you have to. Do it now. I'm not asking again."
I turned my head away from his arm as he tried to get me to open
my mouth. I won't do it, I can't do it, and he will not force me to.
"Fine, have it your way." He said as he grabbed a handful of my hair and snapped my head back, forcing me to open my mouth.
My fangs descended instantly and because I was so weak I couldn’t retract them back into place. Before I had a chance to protest he slammed his wrist into my fangs, puncturing the skin.
He inhaled a breath through gritted teeth and cursed. "Fuck."
When that first drop of his delicious blood hit my tongue I turned into the savage I had always been and greedily pulled on his open wound.
He moaned with every mouthful I swallowed. "If we weren't in such a serious situation, I would throw you up against the wall right here in the alley and fuck the shit out of you."
I sucked faster and harder because his moans were urging me on to continue. I couldn't stop. I needed to drain him of everything he was giving me. I no longer thought of him. All that mattered to me now was that my craving was finally being satisfied and I couldn't get enough. I will never have enough of him.
I faintly heard Noah's voice in the distance as he struggled with another of the Hunters. "Gia stop!"
I ignored him. I didn’t have control over my body.
My need to have Rhett's blood in my belly took over my sanity.
The sound of the fighting was dying down as the last of the Hunters were exterminated. It was getting quiet and a peaceful feeling flooded my body. That euphoric sensation didn't last long as I was ripped away from Rhett and pushed against a brick wall.
Noah and Caressa held me in place by my arms and within moments I had my strength back. My vision cleared and I finally saw Rhett lying on the ground.
I struggled, trying to free my arms so I could get to him. "Let me go."
"Caressa, take her inside, I'll get Rhett."
I tried to protest, but was quickly pulled into my apartment. Noah followed close behind with Rhett thrown over his shoulder. Caressa flung me into the living room and Noah placed Rhett on the sofa.
I ran over to him, dropping to my knees. "Oh my God, what have I done? Caressa we have to do something, he can't die, or worse be turned into one of us."
Caressa walked over to the side of the couch and placed her hand around his throat. Time stood still and I felt as if I were floating outside my body in an endless suspension, praying that it wasn’t too late.
"He's fine. You didn't go too far." Caressa straightened and went to stand by Noah's side.
I sat back on my heels and breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was going to be okay. I didn't kill him and he didn't have to become one of us. I stood and dusted off my pants. "I guess you can take him home Noah."
Noah lifted his arm and glanced at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "Well, will you look at the time? Caressa and I better go help the others clean up before people walking by become suspicious."
"You can't leave him here. Caressa, tell him that he can't leave Rhett here."
"Noah's right we should go and help the others." They opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"Caressa!"
"Bye." Both Noah and Caressa said in unison as they closed the door behind them.
Great. Just fucking great. Now what do I do? I couldn’t take him home. I don't even know where he lives. Besides, there could be more Hunters out there and being alone with a weak human wouldn't do at all. Although Rhett had proved he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and more tonight, he wouldn't be able to do much if we were confronted again, not in his current state.
Rhett stirred and I panicked. What was I going to do? What was I going to say to him when he woke up? He knows what I am, but I'm guessing he won't be happy when he realizes that I almost killed him.
Chapter Seven
Rhett moaned and turned on his side to face me. He slowly blinked a few times then smiled. He reached for my hand, pulling me down to his level. "Hey sweet cheeks."
"Don't sweet cheeks me! What are you doing here when I told you to stay away from me? You have to leave. Now!"
He sat up slowly and was obviously a little dazed, but he still held my hand tightly. "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going anywhere."
I yanked my hand away from him and stepped back a few feet. "Yes you are! I said go."
"I don't think you heard me, I said I'm not going anywhere." He rose and pushed me back against the wall. He wound his hands around my waist and pulled me into his chest hard. "Don't be stubborn. You know you want me. You couldn't keep your hands off me if your life depended on it."
"I can snap you in half in the blink of eye."
He chuckled. "I know you can." His expression turned serious, very serious. "But you won't." He practically growled that statement and it vibrated straight through me. My legs felt like jelly whenever I was near him and I hate it. I hate that he makes me so weak.
I swiped his hands away from me and side stepped him so he was no longer within arm's reach. "And how do you know anyway? It was Noah wasn't it? He told you, didn't he?"
"Noah didn't tell me anything."
"Then it was Caressa."
He took a couple of steps in my direction. "Nope, it wasn't Caressa either."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well? Then who told you?"
"You did."
I uncrossed my arms and pointed to my chest. "Me? I didn't tell you anything."
A smug smile played across his lips and his eyes gleamed with a 'I know something you don't know' look. "You didn't have to."
"Can we please stop talking in riddles and just spit it out already so you can leave?"
"Do you really want me to leave after we've had so many months filled with mind blowing sex? I thought we had something special sweet cheeks."
"We don't have...wait...what did you say? Did you say so many months?"
He closed the remaining distance between us and cupped my chin, lifting my head to meet his heated gaze. He nodded slowly and grinned. "I did."
"How could you know? I erased your memory every time."
He placed a soft kiss on my lips that I didn’t reciprocate. "Well, I think your memory erasing skills are a little rusty."
"They are not!" I swatted his hand away from my face. "You don't remember anything. You're lying! Someone told you."
His strong hands grabbed my upper arms as he pulled me closer to him. He slid them around my waist, lowering them to grab my ass hard. "Why do you think I call you sweet cheeks? It's certainly not because of your sugary disposition."
"Fuck you!"
He squeezed me harder. "That's my girl." He said before devouring my mouth hard and slow.
His tongue delved into my mouth and I couldn’t resist him. His scent permeated my nose and occupied all of my heightened senses. I craved his blood. I craved the taste of the metallic liquid hitting my tongue and sliding down my throat.
I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t take anymore from him than I already had. I broke from the kiss, but I was unable to move. I wanted to chase him away, but I don’t have the will power to do so. I love him, yet I am so hurt that he didn't tell me he knew what I was the whole time we were together. I stepped out of his embrace. "You lied to me!"
"What?"
"You lied to me! You knew all this time what I was doing, yet you didn't say anything."
"Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite? I don't recall you being honest with me."
"How could you let me believe you had no idea?"
"The truth?"
"Yes!"
"The truth is I didn't want it to end. I knew if I said something to you it would've hurt that stupid pride of yours because your powers weren't working on me. I love you Gia, I didn't want to hurt you. Now, since we're being honest with each other, why didn't you tell me what you were?”
I slumped my shoulders, dragging my feet along the hardwood floor and sat on the couch. I'm tired. Tired of lying and tired of being the monster I no longer want to be. "You wouldn't have believed m
e, besides everyone expects me to be cold and heartless, uncaring and rude. At first, I used it as a shield to protect myself from what I truly felt and not allow anyone in. They were all convinced that the creature I showed them was who I really was. They never questioned me and I don't think they cared much at all."
"How can you say they don't care about you? They love you."
"How do you know that? You haven't known me that long and you certainly don't know Caressa and the others either. "
He plopped on the sofa next to me. He placed his hands under my knees and lifted my legs to rest over his. "I can tell. And from what I saw out there in that alley tonight, you love them too. You don't fight that hard for something you don’t care about.”
"Speaking of the alley, what were you doing there? I told you never to come back."
"Noah was worried about you and asked me to stop by."
"I'm gonna kill him."
"Stop. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be here right now."
"I know Rhett, that was kind of the whole point."
His thumb ran down my cheek and over my parted lips. "Why would you do that to yourself Gia? Didn't you once think of me and how I would feel when I found out you were dead?"
What could I say to him? I didn't want to lie to him or myself any longer. I spent my whole immortal lifetime spinning webs of deception to mask my feelings and I needed to come clean to Rhett right now. I could see the hurt in his eyes and this was exactly why I told him never to return in the first place. I avoided his intense gaze as he waited for my response. "You were all I thought of. That's why I decided I no longer deserved to live anymore. I lied to you and treated you horribly. I only used you as a source of food and my own personal sex slave."
He laughed hard. "Sex slave? I don't remember you doing much other than screaming my name while I fucked you. As far as I see it, you were my sex slave. And I know you love me sweet cheeks, it's not just the sex as you say it is."
Fallen (A Club Blood Erotic Short #2) Page 4