Dahlia (Blood Crave Series)

by Christina Channelle

  “Stop lying to yourself,” echoed Greyson’s voice.

  “Stop reading my mind,” she burst out angrily and she got up aggressively from the couch, her mood changing instantly. She stared heatedly at Greyson as she ranted on, getting defensive. “You have no idea what it feels like to be me. You just sat and watched me all those years ago, feeling like an outcast at the orphanage.”

  “Dahlia—”

  She wouldn’t let him finish as memories from her past resurfaced. “And yes, I hid. I hid from all the people who looked at me with fear, like some sort of leper. Why didn’t you protect me then?” She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes.

  Dahlia expected an apology from Greyson and was surprised by his bluntness. “I should of. I should have taken you away from all of this. I know what Merrick wants to do is wrong.” He pounded his head. “These memories in my head show me that Merrick isn’t the one on the side of good.”

  “Don’t you want to be?”

  “Alexander—”

  Dahlia shook her head at him, not letting him finish. “Forget your ancestors. Forget this path that you’re supposed to follow. What do you want?” She sat there looking at him imploringly as she waited for his answer.

  Greyson sat there as he pondered on the question. Before he could answer, he looked up swiftly at the door and was at Dahlia’s side in an instinct as he grabbed her. She suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms in an enclosed space.

  They were in a closet.

  “What—?” Dahlia tried to speak but Greyson quickly covered her mouth with his index finger to silence her.

  What do I want?

  Her eyes widened in surprise as Greyson spoke heatedly in her mind. He quickly answered her as his lips pressed against hers. She expected it to be hard and forceful, but surprisingly it was the softest of kisses, yet just as powerful. She clutched the top of his shoulders feeling overwhelmed with so many emotions. She moved closer to feel more of him, but Greyson abruptly withdrew his lips, giving one of his smiles as he stared into her eyes.

  As soon as it appeared, it disappeared as he spoke in her mind again.

  Now stay quiet and listen carefully.

  With those words, the doors to the cabin opened and Dahlia heard two voices that were in midst of a conversation. She was able to pick out Maddox as the first person as soon as he opened his mouth.

  “Let me tell you, I cannot wait to leave. This place is like, boring to no end.”

  “Tell me about it,” the other voice commented, a female. Dahlia raised her eyebrows in shock as she instantly recognized the familiar voice.

  “As soon as this thing is over, I’m out of here,” Ava said flippantly. “It’s downright pitiful.”

  Dahlia didn’t hear Maddox’s response as someone sat down on the couch, but then Ava’s voice spoke up once more. “Where is Greyson, anyway? He should be here, shouldn’t he?”

  Maddox laughed loudly. “Greyson? All of his focus has been on that Dahlia girl. I have no idea what he sees in her. She’s cute but you are definitely the hotter sister.”

  What?

  Dahlia looked straight at Greyson with Maddox’s words, eyes wide in disbelief. Greyson refused to answer and just gave her a look to remain silent as he held her more firmly. Fuming, she listened on.

  “I know, right?” Dahlia could hear the sneer in her voice as she imagined Ava flicking her hair as she spoke. “I guess he’s into that delicate, baby doll look. She took after her mother.”

  She heard the banging of cabinets and then Maddox replied, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth. “Dahlia’s special though.”

  “Special?” scoffed Ava. Dahlia could hear the bitterness spewing from her mouth, so different from the Ava that seemed to be offering help only days before. “She’s tainted, Maddox. Tainted by the blood of our enemies, those damn vampires. She’s not special—only a means to an end.”

  “You’re right,” Maddox answered immediately, as if wanting to please her. “Now if only Greyson could figure that out and stop with his infatuation.”

  Ava snickered as she retorted back, “If only.”

  Dahlia didn’t hear the rest of the conversation because she suddenly found herself standing in front of her house looking over at Greyson in disbelief. “My sister? Ava’s my sister?”

  He looked down at her, unsmiling. “I told you that you couldn’t trust her.”

  “And what about you?” She pushed him hard in the chest with her fist although he didn’t budge. She was frustrated at the man that was quickly taking a hold of her heart. “You could have told me. You know, ‘By the way, you have a sister. She wants to take your blood.’”

  “Half-sister.”

  Dahlia ignored him as she started to pace back and forth in front of him, angry at his betrayal. Then she turned back as she asked Greyson with a frown, “You’ve been in cahoots with her this entire time, haven’t you?” She saw him grimace and she scowled back at him accusingly. Another matter was gnawing at her mind so she ignored his guilty look as she went on, “And what does she know about my mother?”

  Greyson shrugged, relief showing on his face over that fact that she had bypassed the first issue regarding Ava. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her. Ava’s been around for quite some time—longer than I have. All I know is that your mother died giving birth to you.”

  “Unbelievable,” Dahlia looked up at the sky as she let out a huge groan. She frowned, realizing she probably would never know anything about her birth mother.

  Shaking the thought from her mind, she looked over at Greyson suspiciously. “Is there anything else you’re not telling me, Greyson?”

  “No, I promise.” He looked toward the house then his gaze flicked back to hers. “Forget about all that for now. I know you’re angry with me, but remember that your first priority is to stay safe until we find out who’s after you. Ava’s not going to hurt you in the meantime.”

  “I feel so relieved,” replied Dahlia, sarcasm dripping from her lips. “She sure is holding it in despite the fact that she hates my guts.” Although flippant, she was hurt by Ava’s words. She had thought she had found a friend in her.

  “That’s Ava for you. But remember what’s important here. You’ve almost been killed three times, Dahlia. The time’s coming when the ritual’s supposed to be happening and the people after you are going to want to prevent that.” Greyson looked away from her to stare off into the distance, his tracking eyes not missing anything.

  “I feel the time is coming soon.”

  Dahlia looked up at his face as the fight in her died down. He was right, she had to focus on the main issue at hand and that was the fact that people were trying to kill her.

  She could deal with the familial issues later.

  “Why is it so difficult to find out who’s after me? Aren’t your powers supposed to help you with that?” she asked, her voice more controlled.

  Greyson eyed Dahlia carefully then responded, as it seemed like she was over wanting to kill him. “I’m not psychic, although I can sense you at times due to your openness. Besides these lapsus, they might even be older than I am. Who knows how strong they are in hiding their true selves.”

  He paused then looked off into the distance, and Dahlia followed his gaze as she wondered what he was staring at. Then he softly spoke again.

  “It can be anyone really.”

  Chapter 21

  Dahlia found herself sitting at a table later on in the day, of all things, thinking about vampires.

  After Greyson had forced her to eat, he ordered her to go straight to school, even followed her to the thick, heavy front doors of the building. She’d given him the silent treatment, walking ahead of him the entire time. He didn’t bat an eyelash at her childish behavior, caring for nothin
g except her safety.

  She thought back to their earlier conversation, the one that made her think about vampires in the first place, as he sat across from her at the dining room table in her home, quietly watching her eat.

  “You’re still not talking to me?” He finally broke the silence between them, running his hand through his dark hair.

  Dahlia ignored him as she looked up and gave him a look, then continued eating her bowl of cereal.

  He was quiet again begin he spoke up once more, murmuring, “Angel eyes glow bright with light. Vampire eyes go as black as night.”

  She almost choked on her food as her hazel eyes flew up to Greyson’s face at his words. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at him as she spoke. “What did you say?”

  Greyson smiled sardonically. “Oh, look who decided to finally speak.” His face became gentler before he continued. “It’s just something Alexander used to say. ‘Angel eyes glow bright with light. Vampire eyes go as black as night.’ Your eyes lit up in anger as you looked at me. It just reminded me of the saying.”

  ***

  “Vampires,” she whispered as she pondered on her thoughts. The man in her dreams must in fact be a vampire, lamia, with his pitch-black eyes. She recalled Greyson saying her dreams must be telling her something. But why on earth was she having dreams about vampires?

  Dahlia tapped the pencil in her hand against the table repeatedly, feeling restless. She tried to shake the feeling away, but it was proving difficult. She remembered seeing Sam in the halls earlier, wearing a hideous pink and gray shirt by the way. He seemed to have no recollection of what transpired the day before, just gave her a carefree wave, dark hair shaking vibrantly with the gesture.

  A twinge of guilt hit Dahlia regarding the entire situation. Sam’s mind, now permanently altered, was because of her. Not to mention she was keeping a huge secret from him. She wondered if in the future she’d be able to tell him everything without leaving him in the dark. It’d be nice to have another person to talk to regarding this, considering the whole Ava backstabbing thing, and the current silent treatment she had going with Greyson.

  Ava.

  She shook her head in disgust. Ava had been pretending to be nice this entire time, making Dahlia open up to the girl when it was all an act for her. She knew there was something off about her, but Dahlia still held on to the belief that Ava really did care. The whole bit about them being half-sisters was still too hard to believe. Yes, she felt some strange connection there, but related? Dahlia shook her head vehemently at the thought.

  They looked nothing alike.

  She also couldn’t get over the fact that she was the target on a hit list. That some crazy fallen angels were out to get her by any means possible by releasing the elements directly upon her.

  That’s right, folks. I’m being stalked by the elements.

  Although Dahlia was able to protect herself that day in the washroom, and handled the wind fairly well, she still didn’t feel confident in defending herself.

  What did I deserve to be pushed by wind, suffocated by dirt, and almost strangled to death by water?

  Seriously, how was she supposed to concentrate in school with all this nonsense going on?

  “Are you okay?”

  Let’s not forget Greyson being on her own hit list for failing to tell her about her relationship to Ava. How he omitted that huge fact pissed the hell out of her.

  “Earth to Dahlia.”

  “Huh?” She stopped her internal dialogue and looked up to see Meg staring down at her with a smile on her face, brown eyes twinkling. Her black hair was pulled back into a stylish ponytail and her bangs brushed off to the side, although a few strands still fell into her eye. She wore a jean jacket over a fitted pink t-shirt with skinny jeans and a bit of a heel on her shoes. It was a combination of both casual and style, a skill that Dahlia appreciated and something she should probably learn. Although they both wore similar types of clothing, she knew she looked nothing like Meg. She was wearing her typical attire: a t-shirt, dark blue this time, and a pair of jeans.

  Why she was suddenly taking notice in Meg’s choice of clothes was beyond her.

  Dahlia sat in the library, trying to study as she waited for Sam who had soccer practice. It was chilly, so she had decided to wait indoors and at least get some work done, her focus on school not at its best.

  “So what do you have on your mind today?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Dahlia sighed as she welcomed Meg’s disturbance. Instead of focusing on her studies, she was thinking about everything that had been going on. She definitely needed a distraction.

  “I haven’t seen much of you since the last time you were over,” commented Meg, pouting slightly.

  Dahlia smiled back as she replied, closing her Chemistry textbook. “I know, sorry about that. I’ve just been so busy with…school. You know, the whole transition from being home-schooled to being here.” See, she used the excuse again.

  Take that, Sam.

  “Oh,” Meg seemed not to catch her fib as she sat down next to Dahlia, speaking in hush tones. Her deep brown eyes peeked up at Dahlia through her bangs. “Anyway, the reason I’m here is because I wondered if you could do me a huge favor.”

  Dahlia closed her textbook as she looked at Meg curiously, wondering what she could possibly do for her. “Sure. What is it?”

  Meg beamed then quickly looked around the library, making sure that no one would overhear. “I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this but I have this huge crush on Sam.”

  “You do?” Dahlia eyes widened, shocked by the confession. She had thought Meg and Lee would have been an item if anything.

  “Yeah,” Meg wrinkled up her nose in embarrassment. “I have since the ninth grade but never had the guts to tell him. I’ve kept it hidden all this time, not wanting to change the dynamics of our group and make it weird for everybody, whether it did or didn’t work out.”

  “Wow.” Dahlia shook her head in amazement at the revelation. She thought of Sam, wondering how someone as cool and beautiful as Meg would have problems expressing her feelings to the one she liked.

  Knowing Sam, he would really appreciate Meg’s advances.

  “I was wondering if we could all head over to my place as a group, and then I’d tell Sam how I felt when we were alone. I’m finally ready to tell him how I feel because it’s driving me crazy, him not knowing. I want to know if this can actually be a possibility or if I’m just kidding myself,” she said faintly, blushing slightly.

  “I think that’s a great idea. Of course I’ll come.” Dahlia continued as she smiled. “You don’t have to be worried, Meg. Sam is the lucky one, the fact that you’ve fallen for him.”

  “You’re so sweet, Dahlia,” Meg smiled in return as she did a little dance in her seat. “I’ll finally be able to tell him how I feel. Plus we can finally hang out some more and I’ll have a shoulder to cry on if it doesn’t work out.”

  Dahlia shook her head at Meg’s response in disbelief. They both stood up and gathered up all of her things, making their way toward the parking lot of the school and to Meg’s car. Getting into the passenger seat, Dahlia inwardly smiled as she thought how Sam would take this declaration of love. Glancing over at Meg, she saw a huge smile on the girl’s face as Dahlia sighed enviously at uncomplicated love.

  What she and Greyson had was complicated.

  They made it to Meg’s place a few minutes later. As per usual, Meg’s parents were nowhere to be found as she opened the front door. Dahlia followed suit as Meg led the way to the living room and they both sat themselves down on the couch.

  “Soccer practice will be over soon so the guys should be here any minute.” Meg grabbed a pillow as she snuggled into the couch as she looked over at Dahlia. “Dahlia, I feel like I know nothing about yo
u. Tell me about yourself.”

  “Me?” She gave a start at the question. Where would she begin?

  Well, I’m a part-fallen angel, part-vampire mix with powers to heal and call upon wind. There’s also one group of fallen angels trying to kill me while the other wants me for my blood.

  Dahlia shrugged. “There’s nothing much to tell.”

  “I doubt that,” Meg said quietly as she frowned slightly. Then she brightened up quickly. “Well let’s start simple then. What’s your favorite color?”

  Dahlia frowned as she gave it a thought. “I guess it’d be red.”

  “I’m a pink girl myself.” Meg scrunched up her face in concentration as she thought of another question then smiled mischievously. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “A boyfriend?” She made a face at the question. “I don’t know if you’d call him a boyfriend.” It seemed odd to think of Greyson as one. He felt like so much more than that.

  “But there is someone!” She could see Meg’s eyes brighten at the thought.

  Dahlia smiled then. “Yeah, there is.”

  “Oh,” Meg smirked as she continued. “I bet he’s hot, isn’t he?”

  Dahlia started to blush at the topic of the conversation.

  “Well—”

  “Meg!”

  Dahlia was interrupted by a voice that came from the hallway. She turned as she looked up to see Deacon arrive, followed by Sam, Lee and then finally Taylor.

  “Hey,” Sam winked as he sat himself in between Dahlia and Meg on the couch, yanking on Dahlia’s long hair. “What’s up, dolls? Been talking about me?”

  Dahlia rolled her eyes as she replied, “You wish,” then looked over at Meg who seemed to get solemn all of a sudden.

  Meg smiled faintly as she shook her bangs out of her eyes. “Hey, Sam.”