by Lanie Jacobs
When Carey pulled the truck door, Khalida refused to get in, fighting to stay so Luke could find her, but she was no match for Carey as he grabbed her face, throwing her into the truck.
Kicking at the dash, Khalida became distracted by the heavy breathing coming from the back seat. Her eyes wandered over her trembling shoulder, and she lost her breath as her eyes laid upon the reds piercing eyes from the creature that had almost got her at Envies. The hideous monster was sitting directly behind Carey’s seat glaring at her, daring her to make a move.
Just my luck.
CHAPTER 11
Khalida opened her mouth to scream but no sound would escape from her clenched throat. She was paralyzed, frozen with fright. She dug her fingernails into the rough leather seat and squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel the burning of tears swelling from behind her eyelids as she struggled to keep her breathing steady. The creature was hovering so close to her from behind that she could feel the hot air from its mouth skate along her shoulder as it smacked its mouth and grinded its teeth in a frenzied reaction to the blood that continued to drip from her forehead. Straining to maintain composure and control her tears, she forced herself to focus. Stealing a quick peek at the door, she wondered if she could be fast enough to jump out. Looking at the tight dress she wore, she knew her attire was not made for dare devil stunts. Hopefully, she could make a jump far enough away that she could duck and run to safety.
Right, like this would even be a little easy. Khalida thought sourly.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the handle and shoved hard against the door. Carey roared with laughter at her feeble attempt to escape. The door didn’t budge, and she realized it must have been jammed shut from the inside; the screaming pain in her shoulder was proof enough of that.
“Do you think I’m that I’m dumb enough to kidnap you in a vehicle that you could escape from?” He didn’t even look the least bit concerned, “Child locks work wonders,” Carey continued as he turned to the monster in the back seat and laughed again.
She knew if they made it out of the parking lot her chances of escaping would decrease. Hope was being replaced by desperation. The tears she had fought so hard to keep back now streaked down her face. As they approached the last stop before veering out of the parking lot, she found her voice and screamed as loud as she could. She lunged herself over the truck’s center console, hitting Carey with everything she had, clawing his face and punching harder than she had ever hit anything before. Carey hit the brakes and the truck came to a screeching halt, slamming her body into the dash. She grabbed his hair, pounding his head into the window as the animal in the back shrieked and jumped wildly behind them. Khalida glanced over ready to meet it head on, when Carey’s elbow made contact with her left eye. Grabbing her by the back of her hair, he rammed her head into the steering wheel over and over until her body went limp.
She became dazed, instantly overcome with no option but to fall back against the passenger door. Her vision blurred. Khalida could hear Carey yelling at the creature, but she was unable to make out the words. She blinked hard in an attempt to clear her sight, noticing the school sign that sat at the edge of the road. The truck turned slowly, rolling out of the parking lot, and any hope she had diminished with every inch the truck crept forward. Khalida could feel the blood dripping down her face and trickling into her eye. She instantly ran her finger lightly across her eyebrow only to be met with searing pain as her fingers crossed a gaping gash. At this point, she couldn’t be quite sure whether it was made by Carey’s sharp elbow or the steering wheel but it didn’t really matter. She was bleeding and hadn’t the energy to try and stop it. Instead, she remained quiet and leaned against the seat, staring out of the window with no sign of hope. She could still hear the creature licking and smacking its lips at the apparent lust for her spilled blood, making her stomach turn. Carey gave the fiend a grim warning, causing it to ease back into the seat, but the warning didn’t stop the creature from suckling the surrounding air, wanting what it was so quickly denied.
Khalida was glaring through the tinted window, staring into the mounds of trees they passed when she heard the roar of a vehicle quickly approaching, followed by a sudden earsplitting squealing of tires that sounded a little too close for comfort. Startled, Khalida looked up to see the front of a car just moments before it slammed into the front of the truck. Air rushed from her lungs as the head-on collision jolted her body and head into the windshield, sending a crippling pain through her skull, glass shattering around her and piercing her skin. The sound of the impact was horrific and confusing. She struggled to understand what had just happened but basic survival instinct told her to reach out her hands to grasp at anything that would help brace her from being crushed by the steel that was rapidly becoming mangled around her.
A second later, the wreckage came to a halt. Everything stopped. There was no sound, she had no feeling, no sight and for a brief moment, she thought she was dead until it all came rushing in like a tsunami. She could make out the distinct sounds of fighting erupting around her - something that was becoming more frequent and a normal part of her world over the past few weeks. Pain shot through her like she was on fire, burning from the inside out. The smell of gas assaulted her nose and began to sting her throat. In the midst of all the carnage around her, Khalida thought she heard someone call her name.
“Khalida?” his voice was desperate.
Yeah, someone is definitely calling out my name. Luke.
She would know his voice anywhere. Her mind crept in and out of consciousness. She could hear Luke yelling, but then his voice would fade out. It was like being held under water, the dull drone of waves crashing over her head until she was let up for air, again. Blood loss made her too weak to call out to him; her throat was raw and parched. All that she could manage to pass through her lips was a low, dry mumble. She knew she had to get out of there. She had to get to Luke but unconsciousness reared its ugly head and consumed her before she could make it to her amaranthine, her forever.
Not knowing or caring whether it was fear or courage that motivated her, she grabbed on to the door where the window used to be, and with one last attempt before unconscious swallowed her, she tried to haul herself out of the crushed vehicle. Shards of glass dug into her palms with a bigger piece hooking into her dress, ripping it from her mid-thigh down, and cutting her leg as she struggled to make her way out.
Twisting herself, she landed awkwardly on her back with one arm pinned underneath her and the back of her head smashing into the asphalt. Khalida took a deep breath to scream, but all that would come out were little whines that filled the back of her throat.
“Luke. Here,” she finally managed to croak as her voice was weak and broken.
The sound of shoes crunching on broken glass pulled her eyes open. Her stomach knotted up as the dark figure came closer, fear freezing the muscles in her chest, but as the figure knelt down close, that fear turned to relief.
She was safe as Luke’s strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her further from the wreckage and carrying her away from the noise of fighting that was going on nearby.
“I’m okay, Luke. Put me down,” she knew he would object but needed to feel the ground under her feet before she got sick.
Luke took a few more steps, ignoring Khalida’s weakened plea. Luke refused to put her down until he got her to the safety of where Josephine stood. When Khalida’s feet touched the ground, she had to clench onto Luke’s shoulders before her weakened knees collapsed under her. Luke kept his arms around her, holding Khalida steady, not willing to let go. Khalida leaned into Luke. Blood flooded her eyes, clearing only as the tears that fell down her face washed them out. The feeling of safety in Luke’s arms made Khalida break down, his scent filling her nose, telling her everything would be alright. Through the tears, she glanced over his shoulder towards the wreckage of the remains of Luke’s Camaro wrapped around the blac
k truck she once thought would take her to her death. She saw Razi was fighting both the creature and Carey. Luke placed his hand on her cheeks to pull her eyes away from the destruction and burying her into his chest.
“I need you to get in the car and stay there until I come back for you.”
Khalida looked up at Luke shocked and still in a daze with everything that had just happened.
Like hell I’m going to get in that damn car!
Oh, but you are going to do just that, Cupcake. Luke’s voice boomed through her head.
Luke pulled back to look at Khalida. The corner of his mouth tipped up revealing the sharp point of his fangs as he nodded to a black SUV that was parked less than fifteen feet behind where they stood.
Somberly, Khalida nodded and began to walk towards the black vehicle, not daring to turn around and take a second look at the devastation behind her. She was beaten with no fight left within her soul. Everything that had gone wrong in the last week was because of her. Khalida fought the urge to give up but was emotionally overcome.
As she shuffled, closing the distance between herself and the vehicle, she approached the door with caution. Crevan jumped out of the driver side door, ran around the vehicle and silently opened the door for her as she approached.
“Come with me, Khalida. We have to get you out of here,” Crevan spoke with clear resolve, and Khalida didn’t know if she could ever get use to the way the Jones family stayed strong and assertive during times of danger. Crevan stepped around Khalida just in time to shield her from a stranger that came at her from out of nowhere. In mere seconds Luke’s younger brother snapped the neck of the unknown assailant, stepping over his body as the dead soul’s body began to fray away into ash.
“They must have had a back-up following the truck,” Crevan’s deadly tone was clear. He was taking no prisoners in this war between good and evil.
Josephine, now standing beside Khalida, placed her tough but gentle arms around her shoulders.
“Please get in the backseat and lay down,” she directed in the form of a request, but Khalida knew better than to argue.
Khalida did as she requested, having no fight within her; she was totally submissive to her and would probably be to anyone else who came around her right now. Khalida laid her head down, taking in the leather scent of the seat. The vehicle was dark and cool on the inside. She could no longer hear any sounds coming from outside, and Josephine sat in silence as if she were contemplating her next words. Khalida’s eyes were heavy as darkness threatened to overcome her. She didn’t want to sleep, though, not without Luke next to her, but his mother had other plans for her.
Josephine placed her delicate hand on Khalida’s forehead, “Just close your eyes, and try not to fight it,” she said, putting Khalida into a trance. Khalida’s eyelids instantly got heavier, her mind started to clear and for that moment, she could feel the lull of peacefulness wash over her.
“But, Luke?” Khalida said trying to ignore the sleepy urge that lingered over her body.
“Luke can take care of himself,” she whispered softly, calmly. “Trust in him. Now close your eyes.” Khalida had lost the will to stay awake. She closed her eyes, shutting the world away as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
“She can be a stubborn one, even when she is on the verge of giving up,” Josephine spoke quietly to her youngest son as they pulled away from the battle that was still taking place.
Khalida wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep when her eyes opened to a dark silent room. She pushed a melted ice pack off her forehead as she sat up. Light headedness rushed her, making her quickly lay her head back against the plush pillow. She could tell by the lingering and all too familiar Dolce & Gabbana scent in the air that she had to be in Luke’s room, his tantalizing scent flowed easily through her senses instantly reminding her of his warm embrace. His kiss. Inhaling deeply, her body began to react immediately, her fingers clawed at the sheets and she couldn’t control her breathing. Khalida was craving him.
She reached over and turned on the lamp that was sitting on a close side table. The light confirmed she was in Luke’s bed, surrounded by the softness of his white down comforter and oversized topaz pillows. She let herself snuggle back into the softness of his bed, closing her eyes, stretching out her legs and rolling around, not really wanting to get up at that moment. Khalida sat up, feeling feline, which might have had something to do with her hair resembling a lion. Luke’s king size bed appeared little, sitting in the middle of his humungous room, making Khalida feel even smaller as she disappeared in the bedding. There was a massive flat screen television that hung on the wall directly in front of the bed, along with a cozy oversized couch and matching chairs by the windows. The walls were painted a deep topaz color trimmed with white crown molding surrounding the ceiling and the floor.
Her body instantly became aware of a presence outside the room. In fact, she was positive someone was standing on the other side of the door, and in that instant the bedroom door opened. It was Luke, a small fragile smile across his worried looking face, his shoulders falling back as he relaxed when he saw her awake.
“Hey,” Khalida said, not really knowing what to say the perfectly gorgeous boy standing in front of her.
“Hey, yourself, Trouble Maker,” he replied, letting laughter escape as he walked over and eased himself down beside her on the bed.
As he got closer, Khalida could see the cut above his eye, noticeable bruising on various places on his face, and a cut just above his set of full lips.
“Are you okay?” she worriedly reached out, placing her hand on the side of his face.
He closed his eyes at her touch and placed his hand directly across hers.
“I’m fine. I just had a little car accident, that’s all,” he leaned into her hand, the soft stubble scraping against her palm, making her giggle from the tickling sensation.
Khalida reveled in the touch of Luke for just a moment, at home with the feeling of him needing her touch and her needing his. She thought about the head on collision and how crazy a risk it was to his life that he would do such a thing.
“I can’t believe you wrecked your car!” she shouted, instantly becoming a little angry at the thought of him so close to dying. “What were you thinking? You could have killed yourself!”
He sat back and stared at Khalida in what was obvious shock, “If anyone here has any reason to be upset here, it’s me. Were you even thinking when you basically threw yourself in harm’s way?” he challenged.
Khalida should have known there was going to be repercussions for her actions, but protecting her friend was never a question. She refused to apologize for her choices that she made today, not to him, and sure as hell not to anyone else.
“Look, it was either me or Vega. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something would have happened to her. I am the cause of so much trouble that has gone down, lately. I’ve lost so much, too. My home, my mother. I won’t lose Vega.”
His eyes softened. “None of this is your fault, Khal. You didn’t plan any of this, and you couldn’t have known what was coming. I know what Vega means to you, and what you did today had to take a lot of courage, something I am starting to see you do not lack in.”
His praise made her a little uneasy; she wasn’t used to being called courageous. She never needed to be.
“With that being said, Khalida, I’m not taking your shit, anymore. You can’t just do what you feel like doing. You have to stop being so callous,” he said, his light eyes flashed black as anger was settling in.
“Callous? What about you? There is nothing more callous than trying to commit suicide by ramming into a truck, Luke!” Khalida snapped angrily.
“Well, you see, that’s where you are wrong, Cupcake. Me…Vampire…Remember? Or do I need to remind you?” the slyness of his words pricked at her body.
Really, body?
Really? Traitor. I have to learn some self-control.
“What happened with Carey?” she asked nervously, trying to distract him, tracing the bluish veins that trekked up his arm with her finger.
“I took care of it, but this time it was for good. Whoever or whatever that thing was with him, today got away, though we can’t be sure, but it might have been another vampire. Perhaps, a vampire that can transform themselves into mythical type creatures?”
Khalida had to raise an eyebrow at that, “Really? They make those?”
Luke laughed, “We are vampires, Khally. Is it that farfetched to imagine one that can shape shift into something more? There have been reports of sightings over the years, but one has never been one captured. Remember, just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”