“I am not going anywhere, familiar. Not until I get what I came here for.”
“And what might that be?”
“Her,” Damien hissed, jerking his head toward Tori’s bedroom window.
“Over my dead body,” Ben spat through a row of jagged teeth.
“Are you two planning on fighting out here on the lawn?”
Damien and Ben pivoted in time to see a man emerge from the shadows, wearing nothing but black, glossy hair and a frown.
“What the hell?” Ben leapt forward, preventing the newcomer from advancing any closer.
Mr. Naked stopped, both hands extended out from his sides. “Easy, boys. I mean you no ill will. My name is Kyle, otherwise known as Psycho.”
“You’re Tori’s cat?” Ben appeared as stunned as Damien felt. “But I would have sensed you if you were a familiar.”
Kyle merely nodded, keeping his gaze trained on Damien as he spoke to Ben. “I was given to Victoria years ago by the Murphy sisters to protect her from Harvey.” He shifted his gaze to Ben. “The spell surrounding me allows me to move about undetected, even from my own kind.”
Damien heard only one word. Harvey. “Who the hell is Harvey, and why would Tori need protection from him?”
“He is her stepfather,” Kyle responded, taking a small step forward. “A dangerous coward that, in my opinion, needs to be put down.”
“Why does Tori need protection from her stepfather?” Damien ground out between gritted teeth. But it all became clear as he stood there, staring into Kyle’s eerily green eyes.
The anxiety she experienced, the lights constantly burning in her home at night, her fear of the dark, and the loaded gun she kept within reach at all times when home alone. Damien took a deep breath, steeling himself for the answer to the question he had to ask next. “What did her stepfather do to her?”
“Maybe you should ask Tori.”
“He’s asking you,” Ben snarled, closing the distance between him and the other familiar. “What happened to Victoria?”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “You know you can catch flies quicker with honey than with shit, Ben Whatley.”
He returned his focus to Damien. “From what I have gathered over the years, he did unspeakable things to Tori from her eleventh birthday until she left home at seventeen, after drugging him and escaping with only the clothes on her back. He eventually caught up with her and beat her badly, breaking some of her ribs in the process.”
Rage slammed into Damien with a force of a thousand insane vampires. His fangs descended to a length that made talking almost impossible. “Where does he reside?”
Kyle ran a hand down his face. “Before you run off to remove the man’s head, please consider the consequences of your actions.”
“You think I give a shit about consequences? He raped Victoria,” Damien nearly shouted.
“Keep your voice down. She’s just beyond that wall.” Kyle nodded toward the side of the house.
Ben’s hand was suddenly around the other familiar’s throat. “He asked you a bloody question. Where does the piece of crap live?”
“Remove your hands, giant.” Kyle growled, staring into Ben’s eyes. “And I will forgive your petulant actions for Victoria’s sake. This once.”
With a slight shove, Ben released the familiar’s neck. “Start talking.”
“Not here. Follow me.” Within seconds, a cat stood in the place where Kyle had just been. The feline made a soft sound before turning and trotting off into the woods.
Chapter Thirteen
Victoria blew out a frustrated breath and glanced at the clock, thankful that she had the next two days off from work. Hopefully, Damien would want to see her again. Which she doubted after the way she’d reacted to his attempted kiss.
She threw back the covers and stood, eyeing the bottle of anxiety pills on her night stand.
Perhaps a nice, long bubble bath would help her sleep. Anything to forego the feeling she’d be left with after taking the medication.
Snatching up the shotgun next to the bed, she meandered off down the hall to the bathroom and turned on the water before pouring in some bath salts to help her relax.
She stripped out of her gown, rolled up a towel to rest her head on, and stepped into the tub. A sigh escaped her as she sank down into the steamy haven of rapidly forming bubbles.
Why did she have to be so screwed up? She could be with Damien at this very moment, lying in his arms. If only she were normal. But she wasn’t normal, she thought with a pang of guilt, and she’d be wise to stay away from him before he realized how soiled she truly was.
She’d take loneliness over pity any day. It had been difficult enough for her to handle the Murphy sisters’ knowledge of her abuse. And even they didn’t know the extent of what had gone on behind the closed doors of Victoria’s home.
Tori wasn’t sure how long she laid in the bath before realizing the water had turned cool. She pulled the plug, stepped out, and dried off.
The sight of her nude body in the mirror caught her attention. She studied the dips and curves along her waistline, her breasts, and the juncture between her thighs with a feeling of disgust. Maybe if she’d been different, Harvey wouldn’t have developed an unwanted interest in her.
If only her breasts had been smaller, her hips narrower, or perhaps if she’d been born a male. If only…
Tori shook off her thoughts, donned her gown, picked up the shotgun, and padded barefoot to the kitchen.
After pouring a healthy dose of wine, she made her way back to the bedroom to watch a little television. Anything to take her mind off Damien and her dilapidated past.
* * * *
Tori awoke to a rooster crowing in the distance. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the sun beaming through the sides of the blinds in bright disarray.
She groaned and turned on her side to face the clock. It’s almost noon?
With a speed born from always running late, she jumped from the bed and scrambled to the closet before realizing she had the day off.
Thoughts of the previous night plagued her mind as she dressed in a pair of shorts and a pink tank top.
Memories of flirting with Damien during their game of pool entered her mind. What had possessed her to act in such a manner? She’d never been so outgoing with a man before. Not even Justin.
Something about Damien made her feel safe and secure, as if he would never harm her or make demands that she couldn’t follow through on.
Then why did she turn from his attempted kiss in the parking lot? Maybe her fear stemmed more from her growing feelings for him than the kiss itself?
Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she grabbed her sneakers and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit to being more afraid of Damien learning the truth about her, the truth she hid behind smiles and laughter…her emotional damage.
Victoria Blanchard had died long ago in that trailer on Rock Hill Road, her innocence taken along with her soul. She’d been left a shell of her former self, and it had taken years to accept the fact that she would never again be whole.
She’d somehow found the will to go on with life and make the best of her situation with help from her best friends, Claire and Jaxon, although she’d never confided in either of them about her past. She wouldn’t have been able to bear the shame or the look of pity in their eyes.
After brushing her teeth and grabbing a doughnut stick from the kitchen, she jumped in her car and backed out of the drive with the thought of seeing Grayson’s precious face foremost in her mind.
Tori spent the ten-minute drive to Jaxon and Claire’s reflecting on her future. Since having a family of her own was out of the question, she’d considered moving to a town where no one knew of her or her family, starting a new life, and possibly going to college for a degree in nursing. She would love nothing more than to focus all of her energy on the healing of others and maybe find a way to heal h
erself.
The Sanders’ ranch came into view a moment later. Tori pulled up next to Jaxon’s truck and switched off the engine, laughing as Jaxon’s pair of wolves, Kojak and Alabama, danced around next to her door in anticipation of head rubs.
“Hey, you two,” Tori cooed, giving them equal amounts of attention as she climbed out and made her way to the porch.
Jaxon met her at the door. “Well, look what the wolves drug up.”
“More like licked up. I can probably skip showering today altogether.”
“Down, Kojak,” Jaxon gently scolded the bigger animal before stepping back to allow Tori to enter.
“Claire’s in the nursery feeding Grayson. Go on in. I’m making lunch if you’d like to eat with us.”
Tori shut the door and trailed off toward the hall. “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I have some things to do in town today. Figured I would grab a bite before doing some grocery shopping.”
“Suit yourself, but it’s lasagna.”
“Damn it, Jaxon. You know that’s my weakness.”
“I do.”
“Fine. I’ll stay.”
Tori stepped into the hallway and entered the first door on the left. Her breath caught as her gaze traveled around the pale blue room. “Oh, Claire, it’s beautiful. When did you finish it?”
Claire looked up from her position of nursing the baby. “Jaxon did most of the work. He had it ready when he picked us up from the hospital.”
Victoria padded over to stand next to the rocking chair Claire occupied. Her throat clogged with emotion. “That is the most amazing thing, watching you feed him. Is it painful?”
“A little, but the nurse that discharged us explained that it would be temporary. Oh, Tori…I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like to finally have him here.”
Tears filled Tori’s eyes as she watched her best friend bond with her newborn son. “I always knew you’d make a good mother.”
“As will you,” Claire replied, a suspicious moisture in her own eyes.
Tori’s heart twisted. How could she tell Claire that she would never hold a child of her own? Never know that bond, never feel that unconditional love? “Yeah, maybe so. May I hold him when he’s done eating?”
“Of course. He’s been falling asleep for the past few minutes anyway. Here, you can burp him.”
Claire stood and handed the tiny infant to Tori. “Put him up on your shoulder like…that. See, you’re a natural.”
An overwhelming feeling of love washed through Victoria as she cradled Grayson against her body and gently patted him on the back. She softly kissed the top of his tiny head. “He’s precious, Claire, and smells so good.”
“There’s nothing like the love of a baby. It still astounds me that Jaxon and I created him together. Life is perfect now.”
“No one deserves it more than you, Claire. No one.”
Chapter Fourteen
Damien paced his hotel room, anticipating Ben’s arrival. After the meeting in the woods with two familiars, Damien was even more determined to get back to Tori’s side.
According to Kyle, Victoria’s stepfather, Harvey, had been hurting her since childhood. The piece of crap had beat on her mother for so long Vivian didn’t have the strength or courage to prevent him from going after her only daughter.
Damien would kill Harvey; he’d slowly let the man know the torment and pain he’d inflicted on others before taking his last breath.
Damien moved to the window with a snarl. The sun had set over thirty minutes ago, but there was no sign of Ben. Where the hell could he be? he wondered for the hundredth time.
A knock sounded, pulling Damien out of his murderous musings. He blurred to the door and jerked it open. “You’re late.”
“And you’re a bloodsucking fiend from beyond the grave. Besides, Sarina is sick, I had to tend to her.” Ben stepped over the threshold, and Damien shut the door behind him.
“And Sarina is?”
“None of your business, demon. Let’s get on with it.”
“I’ve been doing some thinking while waiting on you to arrive.”
“Well, go on.”
“I don’t care if we make it look like an accident, as long as he dies slowly. And by my hand.”
“Look, Damien. I want him to suffer as much as you, if not more, but Tori and I both are under suspicion for the disappearance of Doyle. Another body turns up missing that’s closely related to her, and it will bring too many questions surrounding her. We also have to bear in mind, her mother is mentally ill, and—”
“All the more reason to get rid of his ass,” Damien interrupted with a snarl.
“Listen to me, vampire. You don’t know what this family has been through. And not only family, but friends as well.”
“You think any of that matters to me? He hurt Victoria, and he will die for it. Slowly and painfully.”
“I agree, but it must be planned out. Maybe a trip out of town. His car runs off a cliff. The body is too badly burned to determine the cause of death…or some shit like that.”
“It needs to be soon. She is terrified of him to the point where she sleeps with a shotgun next to her bed, and she leaves every light in the house on at night.”
“I realize that. Why do you think I didn’t mention to her about finding you slinking about her house the other night? I know she is afraid at night, but I figured it was due to what she’d recently been through with Doyle.”
“I appreciate your silence about my nightly visits, but I had to see her. And knowing that she’s terrified of the dark is killing me.”
“Trust me when I say it pisses me off too, but she’s not alone, Damien. She has Kyle, or Psycho as she knows him, watching over her at all times.”
A feeling of jealousy gripped Damien hard enough that his vision turned red. “Do you really think I will allow him to remain there?”
Ben took a step forward. “And tell Tori what? I’m sorry your cat died along with your stepdad? Be reasonable, demon. He is there to protect her, not harm her.”
“He sees her unclothed, Ben. That is—“
“None of your concern. You’ve been on one date with her. You don’t own her, Damien.”
Damien gripped Ben’s shirt, slamming him into the wall behind him. “She is mine, familiar. Do not ever think to forget that.”
Ben didn’t fight back; only stood there staring back at Damien with a curiosity and understanding that cooled some of his anger.
“You love her.” It wasn’t a question and Damien knew it.
“Of course not. I only met her recently.” But he knew it for a lie the second it left his mouth. As impossible as it seemed, he had developed feelings for Tori the moment he’d gazed at her picture in that article months ago.
“Say what you will. The truth is in your eyes,” Ben gently added.
“Did you come here to discuss my love life or to help me figure out a way to dispose of that piece of shit Harvey?” Damien would deal with Kyle when Ben wasn’t around to interfere. An image of Kyle’s exotic features and well-endowed body floated through Damien’s mind, triggering a rapid fang incursion.
“I’ll work on figuring out a way of getting him out of town. Once I have the details of that, I will let you know. In the meantime, if you hurt Victoria in any way, I will hunt you to the ends of this earth and cut out your black heart.”
Damien fought his jealousy once again. “Your threats leave one to wonder about your own motives when it comes to Victoria.”
“She is like a daughter to me. I was Claire’s familiar until she married Jaxon Sanders, and Tori is family to them. Therefore, she became my family as well.”
Damien’s quickly pushed his jealousy aside to deal with later. “How long have you known Jaxon Sanders?”
“Not long. Less than a year. Why the interest in Claire’s mate?”
“No reason. Just curious is all.”
“If you think there is an interest between Victoria and Jaxon, you are sorely mi
staken.”
Damien decided to let Ben think what he would. No one could know the reasons behind his trip to the southern state. “Good to know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to. I’ll be waiting to hear from you about Harvey.”
Ben nodded and strode toward the door. “Don’t make me regret not killing you.” With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him without a backward glance.
The big familiar was an anomaly to be sure, Damien decided as he gathered his phone, wallet, and watch. The fact that Ben had agreed to help Damien dispose of Harvey was strange in itself, but to assist a vampire at all… Well, that was another matter altogether.
He left his room and bypassed his car, blurring his way through the woods to Victoria’s place. He’d be less likely to draw attention if he was on foot rather than risking someone hearing his vehicle’s engine.
Every light in the house was on as he came to a stop in a copse of trees at the edge of her yard. Her car missing from its usual spot told him that she wasn’t home.
He stepped out into the open.
“Back so soon?”
A very naked Kyle lounged on the porch swing, looking for all the world like the cat that swallowed the canary.
“Don’t you own clothes?” Damien growled, keeping his gaze trained on the familiar’s face and not his obvious dangling parts.
“I have no need of them. Have you ever seen a cat wearing jeans? Quite a humorous sight.”
“You’re not a cat, now.”
“Oh, brains as well as fangs.”
Damien ignored his jab. “Where is Victoria?”
“Probably at Claire’s, fawning over the new baby.”
It angered Damien to imagine Tori anywhere near Jaxon Sanders. “And where might that be?”
“You think to go traipsing over to the Sanders’ ranch?” A deep laugh burst from the dark-haired familiar. “Then I’d be happy to point the way.”
After listening to Kyle rattle off the address, including directions to Jaxon’s place, Damien ran toward the woods with a speed that even a familiar couldn’t track.
Consuming Damien (The Possessed Series Book 2) Page 6