“Shut and lock the door.” I recognized the voice as Damon’s. I did as I was told, feeling like I was shutting the air out of the home. I started feeling a panic attack coming but pushed the thoughts aside.
“Where is Kimmy?” My voice, along with my legs, weren’t working very well. I tried to take a step into the room and almost fell from weak knees. The house was small and older, the same floor plan as my mom’s house. I walked farther into the room. A dark figure walked closer to me in a hood. He stopped about five feet away. I still couldn’t make out his face.
He pulled his hood back, and I swear I almost laughed. He was a freaking teenager. He was short, about my height, with that shaggy Justin Bieber haircut and brown eyes. He had a chubby baby face, with an amazing light complexion. I stood waiting for him to do the twitchy head jerk to get his hair out of his face. He was wearing skinny jeans, looking very emo, which I thought was odd for a vampire.
“You’re so young.” I stated the obvious out loud. He rolled his eyes and it was such a teenager move. I wanted so badly to grab him by his ears and pull him around.
“Please stop thinking,” he said, grabbing his head.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered.
“I’m almost four hundred years old, I’m not a teenager,” he yelled.
“Look, I really don’t give a shit about your age issues. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Now can I please see Kimmy?” I didn’t have time for this kid.
“I could rip you limb from limb and eat you, don’t talk to me like that,” he threatened. I knew it was true, but just looking into his young face, I couldn’t imagine it happening, so the threat didn’t scare me like it should have.
“Hey, don’t get your whitey tighteys in a bunch, I’m just saying Ezra will be in town looking for his precious car soon and if he finds it here and finds us, we’re both dead. Let’s get this over with. What do you want me to do?” Some stupid teenager didn’t scare me.
Now, the hunky vampire who made my libido melt from just one look scared the bejeezus out of me.
I guess he took the hint and walked out of the room. He came back in, carrying a big book and dragging someone behind him. She stumbled to stand up and fell back on the floor. As soon as I saw her face, I wanted to throw up. Literally throw up. That idiot teenage teeny bopper hadn’t kidnapped my best friend. Oh no, he couldn’t even get a good kidnapping right. Instead of seeing Kimmy laying on the floor, it was none other than stupid Vicky. Her hands and feet were bound by rope and like usual she was wearing spandex and four inch heels.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, pissed off.
He gave me confused look before pulling it out of my head.
“I thought you guys were friends,” he replied weakly.
“What in the world ever gave you that impression?” I yelled, now furious that I had ruined the chance of having the best sex of my life because of Vicky. I felt like stomping my foot and yelling ‘she ruins everything.’ I didn’t care about her. She would have killed me herself if our positions were switched.
“You will do this spell for me,” he said through gritted his teeth.
“Pa-lease. You have got to be joking. I ruined a fifty thousand dollar car because of you. You can find some other witch to do it.” I turned to walk out but didn’t get very far. I was shoved backwards to the wall. Vicky shrieked.
“Maybe I should repeat myself. You will do the spell for me,” he threatened.
“Oh yeah, and what if I don’t?” I asked. I was pushing my luck. But I was at my breaking point. A slap to my face was his reply. My head snapped to the side. It stung so bad I really wanted to grab my face or cry, but my angry washed away the pain.
“You’re a little bitch,” I said, looking him in his eyes. Vicky gasped. I wanted to roll my eyes at her.
I had a feeling Damon was about to kill me. He had me by the throat in seconds. At that point, I got a little scared. He was fuming, holding me off the ground, which seemed impossible since he was shorter than me. It was extremely uncomfortable. No one ever tells you how much it really hurts to be strangled. I could feel my body giving out. My legs were tingling, and my heart beat loudly in my ears. I kicked my legs as hard as I could, trying to fight back. This couldn’t be my last moments, in a room with the one person I hated. I severely wanted to take a breath. My chest was throbbing with pain. I started scratching at his arm. I had to get free or I was going to die. I had increasing pressure forming in my eyeballs, making them feel as if they were about to pop out of my head. My hearing started to become muffled. I could hear Vicky yelling but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I wanted so desperately to fall asleep.
Just as the room started closing in on me, I heard the door being kicked down, and I immediately regretted not doing it myself. In strolled the trio of super heroes. It was like a movie, the part where the good guys move in slow motion. Ezra walked in first and radiated with confidence. You could throw a rock at him and it would bounce off his impressive aura. He was wearing some wicked aviator sun glasses and took them off slowly as he stepped across the threshold. Axle followed, wearing a shirt that was one size too small for his ginormous muscles. As soon as they walked in, Damon released my throat. I instantly grabbed my neck, gasping and coughing. We stood staring in complete shock.
Ezra cracked his neck, and we both took off running for our lives. We hurdled over the couch at the same time. Unfortunately, I wasn't as graceful as the vampire and took a nasty fall. I did a ninja roll and kept going. Damon was already running out the back door. In my defense, I was still trying to catch my breath from the death grip he’d held my throat in just seconds before. I slid on the slick kitchen floor and was getting pissed off that I couldn't make a clean escape without nearly killing myself. I was running for my life. Axle pushed by me and I flew into the tiny, off-white kitchen table that was big enough to seat two.
“Axle, you big oaf,” I croaked out as I threw myself through the door. He was already long gone. I wondered if Ezra was playing some sort of cat and mouse game, getting enjoyment from this. I didn't have to wait long to find out. I took two victorious steps out of the back door and was jerked backwards by my shirt. I was pulled into a big hard sexy chest. I was too scared to look back.
“Ezra, if you kill me, Robert will fire you,” I tried yelling, I was slightly hoarse. I was wondering why he hadn’t killed me yet. I was more worried about my life at this moment than I ever had been with Damon. I swallowed the bile rising from my stomach and tried to slow my heart. It was about to beat right out of my chest. I slowly turned around with my hands up in retreat. I studied the ground and didn't dare take a peek into Ezra’s beautiful face. I was doomed and looking at his gorgeous face would make me regret my decisions and then I would probably start begging. I continued to stare at the ground, sweat rolling down my brow but I was not moving. The only sounds were his heaving breathing and my heart racing. The silence was beginning to become slightly uncomfortable.
Finally he bent down and whispered into my ear, “I could give a rat’s ass about that car, and this is only a job” It sent chills down my spine. He was good. He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. I tried coughing and clearing my throat to get my voice back.
“Shouldn’t we go after Damon?” I said, turning in the direction Axle and Damon had gone. I was wondering what the catch was.
“Em, you are out of breath from running through the house. How far do you think you will get? Plus, what do you plan to do if you catch him?” I’m sure he was poking fun at me but it was bad timing.
“I was just strangled, Ezra, that’s why I was out of breath. I was half dead when you walked in.” We returned to the living room, where Gavin leaned over Vicky, cutting her lose.
“Axle went after Damon. How is she?” Ezra asked Gavin, nodding at Vicky. It made me sick that he actually cared. He gave my hand a squeeze in response. I really couldn’t get mad at him ever again for… well, anything. I did steal the guy’s car and probably
destroyed it. I was just getting used to driving it without making the grinding noise.
“She’ll be fine. I’ll make her think this was all a bad dream.” He smiled in my direction. Ezra stood between us, and I glared at his back.
I noticed the book Damon had brought was on the floor across the room. I released Ezra’s hand and walked over to pick it up. As my fingers touched the cover, I felt a tingling run through my body. Like my body had fallen asleep and was now filled with pins and needles. A sigh escaped my lips, I felt like either dropping it quickly or holding it close forever. I had never had such a reaction to any object before in my life. A strange feeling coursed through my veins... I ran my hand over the cover like it was a baby I was trying to comfort. I figured this was an out of body experience, since I had almost just been killed and oxygen was returning to my blood. I turned around to find both guys staring at me with big eyes, like I had just stolen the crown jewels from the Queen of England.
Chapter Fifteen
“What?” I asked Gavin and Ezra, wondering why they were looking at me so strangely.
“You are holding the oldest, most powerful book in the history of the world,” Gavin replied as he helped Vicky to her feet.
I shrugged and handed it over to him. As soon as it left my fingers, my body returned to normal, almost like it had not happened.
I bet Vicky felt silly for wearing those shoes today. Gavin and Vicky walked out of the front door. He had his arm around her and she was totally playing it up, limping on one foot. I had just been beaten and strangled half to death and still got up to run for my life. She was tied and tripped and was acting like she broke her leg.
“So how did you find me?” I asked Ezra as we walked to his car. He stopped before getting in.
“Emily, I am a powerful vampire who loves his car. Do you really think I wouldn’t have a tracking system installed?” He glared at me.
I heard rustling in the bushes on the side of the house and turned to see Axle galloping back empty handed. He was missing his shirt, which I was happy to see, but I was disappointed he wasn’t still a werewolf. That I really had to see. I wondered if it would be rude to ask if I could pet his head.
"He got away about a mile north of here. I have his scent. I think we should send out a search party." All of that running and he didn't look sweaty or out of breath.
I’d made it two feet out of the house and had bruises on both elbows, a tear in my new favorite jeans and was sweating profusely. I gave Axle my best "I hate you" face, but he ignored me and waited for orders.
"You and Gavin take your car and call it in, keep patrolling the area after you take Vicky home. I'm taking Emily back to my house." The way he said my name made me want to hide under a rock and die a slow and painful death. It made me wish Damon had finished me.
Axle gave me the all-knowing grin and a wink, I winced. Ew, gag me. Axle was hot, no doubt, but even if he was the last man on the planet... Ok, if he was the last man on the planet and only if, then I would hit that. I heard a growl behind me and suddenly remembered my thoughts were not my own anymore. Mother trucker.
"Well, if you don't like what I think, then maybe you should stay out of my head," I said as he pushed me back toward the opened back door. He had a tight grip on my shirt, and I wasn't too happy. Nelly picked this shirt out just for me.
It was a quiet and awkward drive back. You could feel the tension between us in the air. I tried to think about anything I could say to make things better, but thought it would be wiser if I kept my mouth shut. Ezra was gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles were white. I was itching to thank him for saving my life.... again. He let out a groan and I took that as permission to speak.
"I—" was all I got out of my mouth before he rudely interrupted.
"Don't" he yelled, keeping his eyes forward. His yelling hit a nerve. I decided I would, as usual, ignore his request.
"Are you mad?" I asked softly. He was quiet for a moment before he took a deep breath, let it out and answered me
"Emily, you already know the answer."
I was about to ask if there was one main thing that I did to piss him off so much or if it was an accumulation of everything.
"What were you thinking?" He started yelling again. "Seriously, do you not understand how close you came to dying, again?"
I had bats in my stomach that he was so upset with me. I really did care for this man, and he was never going to trust me again.
"But—" I tried again, feeling the tears filling my eyes.
"No, you don't get out of this one. What you did was reckless and stupid." He got louder and louder as he went on. I was praying that I didn't cry. I felt like a child getting scolded. I had disappointed him, and that hurt worse than anything. I knew I would lose him before I even had him, and it literally made my heart ache. The tears were finally too heavy and cascaded down my cheeks, nothing I could do would stop them. Ezra glanced in my direction. I tried to act as if none of it was bothering me. I studied my fingernails and stared out the window. I didn't want him to see me crying but that was not going to happen.
He sighed and his face softened. "Aw, man, please don't do that." He pulled over to the side of the interstate.
"Emily, I was so worried about you," he said as he pulled my face up to look at his.
"If something were to happen to you, I don't know what I would do." He wiped the drops off my cheeks. I finally got the courage to look him in the eyes. His beauty took my breath away. His perfect bone structure was incredible. He looked like he was a model who had just stepped off the runway. His blue eyes were mesmerizing. He looked down, and I caught a sense that he was actually embarrassed.
"Stop reading my mind, and you won’t have to hear these thoughts," I replied, aggravated.
"I can't help it. I have insight into your mind, and it’s amazing to always know what you’re thinking. It’s the greatest gift and perhaps the worst."
We got back to his road and this time he didn’t groan when the rocks started assaulting his car, guess it was time for a new one anyways. We parked and did the whole scary shack routine again.
As we walked into the living room, Robert was seated on the white couch, watching the fire roar. As soon as I saw him, I had a hard time swallowing. My butterflies had grown to full sized birds.
He stood as we entered. “Thank you, Ezra, I’ll let you know when the others arrive and we can all meet to discuss our next step,” he stated, still not looking at me. Ezra didn’t even glance down at me before he stormed out. I took up my favorite activity, studying the floor.
“Emily, please sit,” Robert requested. I really didn’t want to have this talk with him, I despised the man.
“I know I’m not your favorite person in the world, but you need to understand that everything I have done was to protect you.”
“That’s bullshit,” I stated and surprised myself. Looking at his face, it surprised him too.
“Please let me explain—” he started, but I interrupted
“No, you know what, Robert? You are not my boss nor my father so you don’t get to say jack crap to me.” I got up and stormed out. What a jerk for thinking he could lecture me. He was my sperm donor, not my dad. A dad is a man who takes his little girl to the father/daughter dance, or teaches her how to fish. Not the guy who shows up after I have a death threat on my head twenty two years later. The only reason I had a killer on the hunt for me was because of him. He may have started out by trying to protect me, but he did the opposite. He practically gave the killer my address and blood type.
I just wanted to be alone and wait for this whole situation to blow over. They would catch Damon soon, and my life could return back to normal. I would never have to worry about any of the supernatural creatures ever again. I could pretend these past few days never happened.
Not that I wanted to forget about Ezra. If anything, he would be the only person I couldn’t forget. I was falling hard for the guy. I completely destroyed his one love,
his car, and he wasn’t even mad. I would have killed someone over a car like that. So far he had no skeletons in his closet…ok, bad example. I hoped after all of this he would want to continue whatever was going on with us. I didn’t even know if that was a good idea.
I returned to my room to find my bags unpacked and a plate of warm cookies waiting on my nightstand. The entire room was filled with chocolate cookie smell, nothing beats this. I grabbed the plate and laid down. The bed felt like it understood my distress and was comforting me. The cookies were so delicious, warm and gooey, just the way I like them. I ate three cookies before I fell fast asleep.
I dreamed I was in the shower. The water steamed the glass walls surrounding me and felt good on my tired, aching body. Suddenly, I wasn’t alone. I felt hands on my waist, slowly creeping to my breast. I wasn’t afraid, it felt amazing and I knew it was Ezra. I knew his hands, this was my fantasy. It was nice to have a sweet dream about the man when I couldn’t have a life with him. This would have to do. I turned to look into those big beautiful eyes.
My heart stopped when I found Damon standing there instead, with a wicked smile on his face.
I woke drenched in a cold sweat. I couldn’t shake the nasty feeling of that pervert’s hands on me. I know it was only a dream but it felt so real. I had to take a shower before getting dressed, and it was the most uneasy shower I’ve ever had. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I got out and finally took a look at myself in the mirror. I almost screamed when I saw I had a nasty dark brown bruise on my neck in the shape of a hand print. I also had a pink tint to my cheek where he had slapped me. I felt sick. I had a constant reminder of that stupid youngster on my body.
I searched my entire wardrobe for some scarf or something I could use to cover it up. I would look like a big dweeb, but I couldn’t let Ezra see the marks or know about the dream. He would freak out on me and then make me speak with Robert. Thankfully, I found a thin grey turtleneck in the closet and threw it on. I slipped on a pair of jeans, ran a brush through my hair and applied some mascara. I found some black boots in the closet that fit and went on my way to look for food. I was starving.
Dare to Bleed (Emily Sullivan Series) Page 10