Rose- Feelin Thorny

by Jewels Arthur

  The revelations of the day spin through my mind as I lay in bed with Finn and Seb, feeling far too weak to move. Sex that reduces your body to feeling like jello, that’s what I get with my men. I can’t imagine in what shape I’d be if I were still human. The phrase ‘fucked to death’ seems adequate. This day has been crazy, and I don’t know if I can take anymore crazy.

  I swing my arms to each side, hitting Finn and Seb in the chest. “We need to get up,” I groan, as I’m not sure if I’ll be able to complete the action myself.

  “Yeah, we should probably be helping Dean with background checks or something,” Seb agrees.

  “It seems I have missed a party,” says the man in question, causing us to all look up at the door.

  “All work and no play. That’s your motto, isn’t it?” Finn teases Dean.

  “Well, someone has to,” Dean replies somberly as he comes over to grab my hands and pull me into a sitting position. He kisses me roughly, biting my lip as he pulls away. “You look fucking sexy,” he growls.

  “I’m more than willing to go for another round,” I reply with a wink, jello legs be damned.

  “I’d love to, but I don’t think it’d be a great idea. I’ve got news,” Dean says, flipping back to business mode. “Two businesses in town have been shut down due to bizarre health code violations. Both vampire owned.”

  “Well, that seems strange, but we can’t say it’s one-hundred percent due to them being vampires, right?” Seb asks as he leans off the bed to grab his pants. Finn and I join him in getting dressed, looking to Dean for answers.

  “That’s not all. Reg has heard from some friends that there have been vampire disappearances all over town. That some haven’t been seen for a few weeks,” Dean goes on.

  “Fuck. There is no way that is a coincidence. Could it be the same person fucking with us?” Finn asks on a growl.

  Dean shrugs. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m not sure what we can do in this situation; there has never been this kind of targeting in Silver Springs. I would say that it’s good that we have a couple of supe cops in town now, but I don’t know how to feel about Shani.”

  “You think she’s a dirty cop?” Finn asks.

  “Do you think she is the one that attacked Pumpkin?” I yell out as fury rages through me at the thought.

  “I don’t know, but it’s important that we don’t jump to conclusions. She’s a police officer, and we can’t do anything rash,” Dean warns, looking at me seriously.

  “Dean, if that bitch broke into my home and hurt my cat, I’m going to fucking end her,” I growl out.

  Dean places his hands on my shoulders, locking eyes with me. “Rosalie, I understand your anger. I feel it too, but we must be rational. We cannot act out of emotion.”

  Knowing that Dean is right, I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. “Who all knows about this?”

  “I’m not sure. Reg is speaking with some of his contacts, trying to connect some dots. He’s also running some kind of software on the footage from last night to see if we can get a better visual,” Dean replies.

  “I could help with that. Let me go look at it with him. I’ll also make some calls, check on some friends,” Seb adds.

  Dean nods in agreement, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head. “I know that you are going to hate me for this, but I’m asking that you don’t leave the club, especially without someone with you. One of us, as I don’t trust anyone else with your safety. I know you aren’t ‘a fucking cockatoo’ as you so beautifully put it, but it would do wonders for my sanity to know that you are safe.”

  I glare at him and try to come up with reasons that he is being insane, but after everything he said, I don’t blame him. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” he asks, reminding me of our argument earlier today.

  “Yes, okay. I realize you aren’t being an egotistical asshole or trying to control me. Once this shit is over though, I’m back to being a free bird. Got it?” I hiss at him in mock anger.

  “Tom Petty will sing songs about you,” Dean teases.

  “Good. Now what can I do?” I ask since I want to help, but I don’t know where to start.

  “Nothing right now. It’s been a long day, and we aren’t opening tonight. I would like to spend some time with my mate, who I have horribly neglected today,” Dean answers, squeezing me tightly. “Is that okay?”

  “It is more than okay,” I reply, moving into the living room. Dean, Finn, and I sit on the couch while Sebastian heads downstairs to help Reg with the computer stuff. I snuggle into Dean, my head on his chest, while Finn comes around to my other side and pulls my feet into his lap. We lay there watching trash TV for a few hours until I begin dozing off.

  Nightmares of the Pumpkin scene haunt me as I sleep, the creature attacking both of us, its claws cutting deep into my skin. I scream loudly as blood drips into my eyes. I watch as the large feline monster morphs into Jason, and he tells me how much he has always loved me. How I’ll be happier this way, that we can stay together forever. He has Dean and Finn tied to big pink beds, then he stakes them both in the heart, and I watch in horror as they turn to dust.

  “I’d do it to Sebastian too, but he’s already gone. Too bad,” Jason says with an evil smile.

  “Where is he?” I yell, finding my own wrists bound to a pink bed. The same pink bed I had awoken in when he took me the first time.

  “She has him, and she likes to play with her food before she eats. Just a little game of cat and mouse,” he goes on, callously.

  “Jason! Let me go. Just help me save Sebastian, and I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll be yours,” I sob out, and the scent of my blood fills the air as the ropes rip into my skin. But it isn’t vampire blood; it’s human blood. Jason is on me in a flash, licking at the wounds.

  “She can’t be stopped. She has taken down many towns before this one and won’t stop here. Not until we are all gone,” Jason goes on, my blood coating his lips.

  “Until who is all gone? My men and me?” I ask, fear constricting my chest.

  “Vampires, my love. She hates vampires.”

  Rose

  I wake up and feel relief flood my chest when I see that Dean and Finn are still alive. It was all just a dream. A breath of relief whooshes from my body.

  Where is Seb? I think, looking around the room.

  He never returned, maybe still downstairs with Reg? Pumpkin’s voice enters my head. He’s lying on the back of the couch, near Finn’s head, with Sam curled up next to him.

  What time is it? I ask, rubbing my eyes.

  I can talk, but I can’t tell time or read. Still just a cat, he grumbles back to me.

  Right, sorry, I reply with a small smile.

  I look to my phone and see it flashing, so I swipe my thumb across the screen, and it flashes on. Swiping through Facebook notifications, emails, I freeze when I see a text from Sebastian.

  Sebastian: Got a text from Calluna, forgot the special vampkitty food. Be home soon.

  I look at the time received and see that it was over three hours ago.

  Rose: Where r u?

  I send the message and wait in anticipation for a reply. Fuck. I slowly remove myself from the couch, careful not to disturb Finn and Dean when I hear a soft ding.

  Sebastian: Downstairs, come join me.

  I let out a breath of relief as I slip into my flats and walk towards the door.

  Where are you going? Pumpkin groans, only opening one eye to look at me.

  Sebastian texted me, saying he is downstairs, I think as I open the door. I won’t be long.

  Mmmm, he groans, falling back asleep. I smile at my cute baby boy as I walk out the door.

  When I get downstairs, the lights are all off, and it’s silent. I look around the room and don’t see Sebastian anywhere. “Seb?” I call out, my voice echoing in the room. I walk over to the office, where the monitor lights brighten the small room. “Seb? Are you in here?”

  I walk into t
he room and see the screen paused on the dark figure from last night. The image is sharper now, and bright golden eyes can be seen within the shadowy figure. I lean forward, staring closely at the image, and try to discern a shape or creature in the blur. Nothing. I look down at the paperwork sitting on the desk and see scribblings in Reg’s handwriting, listing different kinds of creatures, many with lines through the names. Only three names remain, each with a question mark after them.

  Bastet?

  Anubis?

  Sphinx?

  All Egyptian mythological creatures? Jesus, is everything that is supposedly fiction real? I look back up at the picture on the screen and try to see the creatures that Reg had written down in the blur, but I still can’t determine a shape. The scrape of a shoe on the floor behind me makes me jump with an audible gasp. I turn around, my hand on my chest, and curse as I see Landyn standing there. I haven’t had much of a chance to speak to one of the newest security guards, but he has always seemed nice enough, and Reg trusts him implicitly.

  “Fuck, Landyn. You scared the hell outta me.” I take a deep breath and glance over his shoulder to see if he is with Reg or Sebastian, but he is alone. “Have you seen Reggie or Sebastian? Seb texted me saying he was down here, but I don’t see him anywhere.”

  “They are out back; they asked me to come get you,” Landyn says, sounding distracted. His eyes zero in on the screen, then flick to the paper.

  “Have you seen this? I can’t figure out what the blur is, even with the image sharpened,” I question, taking another look at the image. “Oh well. You said they’re outside? It’s like two in the morning, isn’t it?”

  His eyes move from the screen back to my face. “Security cameras,” he says shortly.

  Well, he is being a little rude, I think, and give him an odd look. “Okay. Thanks, Landyn.”

  “Let’s go, Rose. They are waiting,” he responds, holding his hand out to direct me towards the door. His rudeness is off-putting and makes him seem a lot less attractive than I had previously thought. Maybe I’ll talk to Reg about him. I am not okay with jerks.

  I walk out of the office and through the nightclub portion of the building, heading towards the back door. He walks quietly behind me, and I get to thinking about how I just want to know more about his species of shifter, but I know it isn’t polite to ask. I can’t even think of ways to subtly ask.

  Hey, when did you first shift? Oh really? What’s it like to be a mythological creature?

  Hey, did you know I’m a vampire? Crazy, ammirite? Do you feel strange being a make-believe animal?

  Ugh, none of that would work. I am in my own world, thinking of ways to ask the attractive but rude stranger what it’s like to be a griffin, when we get to the door and I notice it’s slightly ajar. I push the door open and see a van parked in the back with the side door slid open.

  “They’re in the van. Come on, let’s go,” Landyn says, putting his hand on my lower back to direct me.

  A short nervous laugh escapes my lips, and I dig my heels into the ground. “You know, my momma told me never to get into strange vans.” I look at him, gauging his reaction. This whole situation feels too much like the night Jason took me.

  He smiles, but it seems forced. “I’m not offering you candy, little girl. Just showing you back to your mate.”

  I look at him and notice a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Nothing about this situation feels right. Landyn doesn’t feel right. Dean and Finn are going to be so pissed that I left the nightclub without one of them. I look to the van, then back to the door, and I notice that he has ushered me farther away from the club than I thought. I swallow thickly and decide to trust my gut when it says this situation isn’t right. I jab my elbow into his stomach and turn to run in the opposite direction towards the club, praying that I can make it there before he reaches me.

  “Stop her,” says a high-pitched feminine voice, and I try to run faster. I just need to get to the door.

  PUMPKIN! I scream in my head, hoping that my cat can hear me. That he can somehow wake up the guys. That I don’t end up trapped in some fucked up house again, helpless. Except I’m not helpless this time. I’m not a frail human; I’m a motherfucking vampire! The door is within reach, and I grab it, pulling myself inside. Before I get fully inside, Landyn slams his body into the door while part of my left leg is still outside. The pain is excruciating, but less so than it would be if I were human. I drag my leg through and grab at the handle, pulling it towards me so that I can slam the door shut.

  “DEAN! FINN!” I scream the words, and they echo through the room.

  Since he has much more strength than I have, Landyn wins the tug of war with the door. He rips the it open, swinging me outside with it. I fall face first into the ground, and Landyn lands a swift kick into my side. I groan in pain as I feel my ribs break, then slowly begin to heal.

  “Grab her. Hurry,” the female says, and Landyn immediately begins to obey. He grabs me, throws me over his shoulder like a bag of laundry, and carries me toward the van. Fuck, fuck, fuck. PUMPKIN! I scream internally, but I don’t get anything back. Maybe the distance is breaking the connection. Or he is still asleep.

  Landyn throws me into the back of the open van, then jumps in after me and shuts the door. He takes some silver chain and wraps it tightly around my wrists and ankles, the metal burning into my skin. I feel the van start to move, and I can’t stop myself from rolling slightly as the vehicle shifts. I look over and see Reg and Sebastian both lying on the floor and suffering the same fate. Their wrists are bound behind their backs, and something is tied around their mouths, making it impossible for them to speak to me. I lock eyes with Sebastian, and I see so much regret and sorrow within his. He struggles in his restraints, screaming against the gag. Tears form in my eyes as I watch him struggle, and I realize how grim our situation is. I look up to Landyn and see him staring at me blankly.

  “Why?” I ask, attempting to hold back tears that struggle to break through. “You are Reg’s friend.” I roll again, back onto my face, as the van comes to an immediate stop.

  “He’s following my orders, little girl,” the female answers. I look to the front of the van to see Shani sliding out of the driver’s seat. She snaps her fingers in front of Landyn’s face, and he continues to stare at blankly at me. “I have manipulated his mind. He is nothing but a tool for me to wield. A very attractive one at that.” She drags her finger down his chest, then shakes her head as if composing herself.

  “What the fuck do you want with us?” I spit out the words, struggling against my restraints. “You fucking attacked my cat, didn’t you? You fucking crazy bitch.”

  “Take them inside,” she demands, looking to Landyn.

  He nods, grabs ahold of my restraints, and pushes me from the van. I look up to find the same navy Victorian house that Jason had brought me to four months ago.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growl, eyeing the house with malice.

  Shani’s high-pitched laugh echoes in the night, and I turn my head to face her. “Isn’t it perfect? Back to where it all began. After you murdered Jason, the house went up for sale. I scooped it up immediately, knowing that there was a high population of vampires in this town. Plus, my police officer cover is perfect. My brother always wanted to be a cop, so when I told him I shared his passion for law enforcement, he couldn’t have been more thrilled. I’ve been able to talk him into moving from town to town under the guise of our safety. That it’s safer for us, as supernatural beings, to move from town to town to protect our anonymity. But really, all I’ve wanted is revenge.”

  “Revenge for what? What have any of us done to you?” I ask, eager to see where all this is going. I need to know why the fuck this crazy bitch has decided that she needs to exact revenge on my men and me.

  “Oh, don't think so highly about yourself, sweetheart. This isn't about you. This is about your kind. Vampires. You are all disgusting, the lot of you. My kind was murdered to ne
ar extinction by vampires. Do you know how few sphinxes are left in the world? I watched my parents be murdered right in front of my eyes when I was a child. A coven of vampires ran through my village, murdering everyone in sight. I was able to hide myself and my brother who was only three, then we traveled to my grandparents’ house for safety. It was that day I vowed that I would end your kind.” She looks at me with disgust, then a smile crosses her lips. “What better place than where a vampire forced you, a human, to be an abomination out of his supposed love? Don’t you see what monsters they are? What they have made you become? I would think you, of anyone, would agree with my plight. Join me. Get retribution for what has been done to you.”

  “You are crazy. Murdering a whole species because of what one coven did to your village? Do you see how fucked that is? How you are doing the same thing?” I yell at her, causing her frown to deepen.

  “Well, don’t say I didn’t offer you a chance at life. Though I suppose you are dead already,” she growls, looking at me in disgust. “Take her to the basement with the rest of them.”

  Sebastian

  I’ve failed her again. This has to be some kind of ‘bad boyfriend’ record for getting your mate in a kidnapping situation not once, but twice. To top it off, I’m in the fucking situation too. The silver bites into my wrist, rendering me powerless and unable to escape as Landyn carries me down to the basement. The basement in a house that was the scene of her first kidnapping.

  We get to an area that has become a sort of prison with a small entrance and two glass doors. One puts you in a small contained space with a door on each side, keeping the prisoners inside from getting out when new prisoners are shoved in. Rose, Reg, and I are shoved into this room with the door locked behind us. A loud beeping opens the second door, and we are greeted by some familiar faces. All the vampires in town that have gone missing are here, and they help us into the larger room they all must reside in.

  A piece of fabric is pulled out and used to help remove the silver chains from our ankles and wrists, then I am finally able to remove the fucking gag from my mouth. I rush over to Rose and wrap my arms around her. The corners of her eyes are rimmed red from the tears she shed on the way here.