Chapter 25
2587 Words
He took his time. For some reason he had a weak spot for this girl. He could take advantage of the opportunity when she was drunk and more than willing. He did that often. But in her case he just could not act like an asshole. Maybe it had to do with the care Holt gave her? Or maybe it was she who influenced him?
On the outside she was though and tenacious. Inside – sweet and delicate. And it f*****g turned him on. He moved his right hand up her back to her neck. He was not sure how far he could go, but when she slipped her hands under his shirt, he took it as a green light. He nibbled lightly on her lower lip and began to wander with his lips along the line of her jaw. Then he moved to her neck. Her skin was so warm and soft. She was wearing some intriguing perfume and it made him dizzy.
Even though Jay was surprised when Cole kissed her, she stopped thinking as she tasted him. It was completely new and stunning experience. He tasted of bitter orange and she damn like it. She felt his hand running up her spine and it gave her a pleasant tingling sensation. She was not sure if she was doing right, but she needed to feel his skin, so she lifter his shirt a bit and slid her hands under it.
When he nibbled her lower lip and moved his lips to her neck panic began to seize her. His fingertips touched the scar on her arm and she saw the pictures from the night she fought with Ian and Rufus. He kissed it gently, but all she could feel was pain the werewolf caused her. She clenched her fingers on his sides. Cole moved his lips to her neck again and another picture appeared before her eyes.
The full moon. The passion and unrestrained desire. The spell echoing in her head.
Bryan.
His beautiful amber eyes. The flash of his beast she saw in them.
The pain mixed with pleasure when he bit her.
When he marked her.
‘HE MARKED ME!’ It had reached her.
At the same moment they heard a knock on the door and jumped away from each other. Jay reflexively checked her clothes as the door opened and Holt peered inside. She heard Cole cursing under his breath, so quietly that his friend could not hear him. She had to smile.
- Hey, you’re okay? – Holt asked.
- Yeah. – She assured him. – I’ve asked Cole to stay with me. – She anticipated his suspicions.
- Thanks dude! – Holt entered the room and came closer to Jay. – Let me see. – He took her face in his hands and examined it carefully. – Your colors are back. – He stated finally.
- We were about to go back down. – Cole cut in.
- Good to know. – Holt said slowly.
- It’s only four in the morning, so we can have a few more drinks, right? – Jay said. She was sensing the tension.
- Yeah. – He agreed finally. – But you don’t drink anymore! – He said.
- Got it! – She said gravely.
- Let’s go then! – Cole said.
He let Holt leave the room first. Jay followed him, but when she was already by the door he grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. He kissed her quickly. Greedily and brutally. She did not protest. Then he looked deep into her eyes.
- I haven’t finished yet. – He said and left.
‘You’re screwed Tyler!’ She thought confused. ‘What the f**k you got into?’ She followed the guys with a firm resolve to drink a few shots. No matter what Holt said, she was going to get damn drunk.
***
Sleeping off the Halloween party, Jay was going through the same nightmare again. This time she watched everything that happened at the side of a less traveled road, as if she was standing nearby. The girl was coming back from her friend’s party, but that was something Jay got to know from the morning news, which she closely followed while the rest were still sleeping.
She was tired, but at the same time she knew she will not be able to fall asleep again. Not after what she saw. She called a taxi and left Holt a message. She thanked him for the great party and apologized for the problems. At the same time she made him understand that she would be busy for the next few days. For a moment she considered leaving a note for Cole, but she decided to call him later.
When she came back home, Jay brewed herself a full pot of fresh coffee and went to her bedroom to work on the new case. When she collected all the most important information she decided to rest so that she would have enough strength to visit the crime scene once the police had completed all the procedures there.
But rest was not given to her. The terrifying scenes returned in dreams, and the intensity of the experiences was even greater than at the party. She woke up, drenched in sweat, shivering with the cold. She spent half an hour under the stream of boiling hot water to warm herself up. But chasing the nightmare away was much more difficult.
***
The road was empty. As she drove to the crime scene, she met only two cars going in the opposite direction and none going the same way as she. She parked a few dozen meters from the place when Helen Nolan had stopped in the middle of the night, when her car suddenly broke down. For a few minutes she sat in her jeep looking at the roadside. Although the police had already collected evidence and traces, the victim’s car had been towed away and the police tapes had been removed, there was something else here. Something Jay could use to track down the killer.
Energy.
This the vampire never spared. As if he was leaving it just for her. As if he wanted her to find him. To come to him. She felt an unpleasant shiver.
She got out of the car and slowly walked towards a small parking space by the road. Chills shook her body, growing stronger with every single step. Though it was impossible, she could swear she could smell blood. Sweet and metallic. She hears the engine rattle as the girl tries to start the car again and again. The c***k of the hood being opened. The whir of a motorcycle. Closer and closer. The vehicle stops right behind Helen’s car.
Jay can clearly see the tall biker, and when he takes off his helmet, she immediately recognizes the vampire from her visions. He walks up to the girl and she is breathing with relief. They look under the hood. They talk to each other freely, friendly. Helen’s melodious laugh reaches Jay’s ears, followed by the vampire’s voice, deep and resonant.
- You won’t go any further with this.
He turns to the girl. Helen’s pupils dilate at the sight of his suddenly changed face. Her breathing quickens. Jay hears the girl’s heartbeat in her head. Fast and violent. Her own pulse quickens and matches the girl’s.
Helen makes a quick turn to hide herself in the car. But the vampire is faster. He blocks her path and mesmerizes with his gaze. The girl stops fighting and becomes completely submissive, although the fear does not leave her till the very end.
Jay grabbed her neck quickly, in the place where the murderer’s fangs pierced the skin of the young student. The loss of blood weakened her. She fell to her knees, struck not only by fear but also by pain. She began to gasp for air, ten finally slump to the side of the road and fell into darkness.
***
When she woke up, the sun was lowering towards the horizon. Stiffened from the cold, she struggled to her knees. She reached into her pocket for the phone to check the time. It was almost seven p.m., which meant she had been unconscious for about three hours. She had a few missed calls, mostly from Holt and her father, but also, which was most disturbing, from her brothers. Her fears grew even worse when she read the messages they sent her. Everyone asked what had happened, if everything was okay, why the metaphysical contact was suddenly broken. There were plenty of text messages! But after all she was unconscious for a long time.
Jay wrote back to her brothers quickly, assuring that she was fine, hat she cut herself off unconsciously and did not have her phone with her. ‘For these lies I’ll burn in hell!’ She thought. With some effort, she got up from her knees and walked staggeringly towards her car. ‘Just in time!’ She stated hearing the roar of the engine.
She got behind the wheel and started the engine. She waited until the road was empty again and turned her car around. She went straight to the apartment she rented. It was already dusk when she drove up to the two-storey house. Luckily for her, the hostess had a visit to her friend scheduled for today, so Jay was sure she would not come across Mrs. Freeman. But the light in the apartment across from hers worried her. Apparently her neighbor was not a partygoer and spent a lot of time indoors. She could only hope he was not nosy.
Jay was exhausted and she realized that her condition was clearly visible on her face. Thus, making new friends in the current situation was definitely not advisable.
She parked and got out of the car. As she quickly and decisively walked towards the house, she hoped that she would be able to reach her own apartment unnoticed and shut the door behind her back. When she put the key in the lock she almost breathed a sigh of relief. But then the door opposite opened. She froze for a friction of a second, and then she speeded up to get to the privacy of her four walls as quickly as possible. However, the lock seemed to rebel and the key would not turn.
- It’s best not to tug at the handle! – Her neighbor said with amusement.
The sound of his voice shocked her. She turned around very slowly, holding her breath. And as her eyes saw his face, she let out the air from her lungs with a hiss.
- This is not really happening! – She whispered to herself but her neighbor could hear her clearly.
- That’s impossible! – He was as surprised as Jay.
- What the hell are you doing here?! – She asked in a slightly accusing tone.
- I live here! – He replied as if it was so obvious. – Rather I should ask what are you doing here! – There was still disbelief in his voice.
- I rent this flat! – He said explaining.
- What happened to you? – He asked suddenly changing the topic.
- Nothing! – She growled and went back to the stubborn lock. This time it released on the first try and the door to her apartment was opened. – Goodnight! – She said over her shoulder and was about to slam the door shut, but her neighbor slipped his foot and stopped her.
- Where does this blood come from? – He asked sharply, but with care in his voice.
- What blood?! – She asked confused.
- Jay! You won’t tell me it’s ketchup! – He pointed to her jumper.
She moved quickly towards the mirror. There were blood stains on her neck, as if she had been bitten by a vampire. The crimson stains spreading over her hoodie indicated severe blood loss. Her clothes were dirty and full of tiny leaves, needles and twigs. And the marks on her face could mean only one thing. A nosebleed.
- Please, come in! – She said sarcastically as Dominic had already stepped through the threshold of her apartment and shut the door behind him. – It’s not my blood. – She assured.
- Are you sure? – He asked.
- I’ve lost consciousness, but I’m sure I was not hurt. – She replied. – But I don’t exclude nosebleeds. This could actually might have happened. – He added indifferently and shrugged.
- You passed out?! – He asked surprised. – And no one was interested?
- I was completely alone. – She explained. – Besides, I’m fine. – She added quickly. – As you can see in the attached picture!
Despite her assurances, Dominic led her into the kitchen, sat her on a chair and handed her a glass of water. He took a cloth from a drawer, soaked it, and cleaned her face. Then he carefully watched her eyes to see if she had sustained any serious trauma from the fall.
- I’m really fine! – She assured, irritated.
- Let me judge it! – He cut off. – How did you get here? – He asked changing the topic.
- I came to my father. – She answered. – And you?
- My visit to Missoula was only temporary. – He said. – I had an assignment. – He added mysteriously. – You did really well then. – He noticed.
- I achieved my goal. – She shrugged. – And I paid dearly for it. – Her voice was soft and her eyes sad.
- You left quickly. – Dominic pointed out. – It’s good that I was in time with the gift.
- I gave it to one widow. She was very surprised ad probably didn’t really believe that I’d succeed. But I saw some relief in her eyes.
Dominic nodded with understanding.
- And how’s your arm? – He asked. – Ian has had a good bite of you.
- It’s okay! – She winced involuntarily. – I neglected it a bit. I have a small scar left, but my arm is fully functional. – She assured.
- I have to go now. – He suddenly changed the subject, for which Jay was immensely grateful. – I promised Mrs. Freeman that I’d come pick her up so she wouldn’t walk alone at night.
- It’s very kind of you! – She noticed, relieved at the same time that their conversation was ending.
- Take a rest. – He advised.
- That’s the plan! – She gave him a pale smile.
When he left, Jay closed the door behind him. She took a long, hot bath and went straight to bed. It was still quite early, but she fell asleep as soon as she put her head on the pillow.
This time she was not tormented by any dreams.
- Writer
