Sparkle

chapter 11

I pulled up the parking lot of Crucifix and sat in the car staring at the building. Images of the last time I was here flashed through my mind. I shivered at the memory. Almost every muscle in my body was screaming for me to reverse and get the hell out of there. But my brain tells me I need the cash and my heart says…… I need the cash. So, with a deep breath I muster up the courage to get out of my car. It was dusk light orange and purple colored the sky as he sun sat over the Rockies. I opened the new metal door with no loud squeak this time. I wasn’t the first one here today. Nick was just coming from the basement with a box of beer. Ginger was pulling the chairs down from the tables and Roxanne was drying the glasses. A few of the dancers where here too but they were literally hanging off Cole. I breathed in sharply at the sight. Both human girls thinking lustful thoughts made my stomach turn. The blonde sitting on his lap glanced over at me and flipped her hair over her shoulder offering her neck to Cole without braking eye contact with me. Was she trying to make me jealous? Or was he? He hasn’t even budged leaning away from the blond in his lap chin to fist staring into space. So perfectly still and unrealistically beautiful you would think he was a statue in a art museum. The girl behind him was rubbing his shoulders she was tan with straight black hair she leaned down and whispered in his ear but still he made no movement. I swallowed my pride and marched over to him.

“Come on master Forget about her we taste better” I heard the raven hair girl purr as I walked closer. I stopped in front of his stage and waited for him to notice me.

“He doesn’t want to see you Ayame.” The blonde hissed at me and wrapped her arms possessively around his neck. Cole blinked when he heard my name, he swiftly removed the blondes harms from him and stood from the throne. Throwing the bimbo onto the floor in the process. She looked up at him in shocked.

“It doesn’t appear to be that way, Barbie.” I sneered as he hopped off the stage. The women with the black hair helped her up and both stomped away in a huff.

“I thought you were going to quit for sure” Cole said under his breath. He slumped his shoulders as if a huge weight was lifted.

“Yeah, about that…” I stepped away from his gaze and looked at the floor trying to get the courage to ask for a raise.

“No!” Cole whisper- yelled. I shot my head up to look at him questioningly. His eyes where blood red and wide he was as white as a ghost and his face was pained with worry.

I crossed my arms and raised a brow.

“Who needs me when you got half of the spice girls over there” I pointed my chin to the girls earlier who were now taking s**t about me to Roxanne.

He took a breath to recompose himself his eyes were still red but held his usual coolness.

“Look you are useful as an employee and other things… in any case I need you around for the treaty.” His voice was low masking his emotions.

“I want hazard pay” I blurted “an extra $2.00n an hour.”

“Done!” he didn’t even think twice before agreeing. He held his hand out for me to shake I returned his ice grip immediately, gulping down the whirl whined of feelings his touch gave me. I looked up to see him beaming. But his eyes where still red.

“have you been feeding?” I asked worried.

He smiled and pulled his hand from mine

“I’ve told you before that I only have taste for a specific blood now.” he winked,” Others just do not taste the same” he pouted.

I sighed” So you’re straight up refusing other blood? What about sangunine?”

“I use it, but it doesn’t satisfy hence why my eyes are still red” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Unbelievable I just got out of the hospital from you draining me to near death and you want to feed on me again?” I snapped” what the hell are you doing that’s draining you so much?” His smug face faulted he looked around the room to see if someone was listening and turned back to me

“I want to tell you but can’t. Not here” he whispered and snatched my hand dragging me up the spiral staircase to his pent house.

When we got there, he gestured me to the 70’s style conversation pit covered in red couches and black carpet.

He left into another room as I sat down looking around. The conversation pit was the only place with carpet everywhere else had cherry wood floors the walls where gray and chic. Cole came out a moment later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I squinted my eyes at him wondering what his end game was. He sat next to me close enough that our knees where touching. Without a word he popped the quart and filled both the glasses. He grabbed one and gulped it down like it was the first thing he drank in days. I started to reach for the second glass but he snatched it and gulped it down too.

I look at him in shock and he took a deep breath to explain.

“I want to be completely honest with you, i… I just don’t know were to start…. You know about the war in the rest of the states with the vampires and werewolves, correct?” he paused for my answer I just nodded and allowed him to continue.

“This treaty is more important now than it has ever been, we may have to defend Colorado from the war.”

I gulped and pored myself a glass chugging it down with the same tenacity as Cole.

“As the lord of this reign I have a lot of power, but the Queen has more. She is dangerous and she’s coming to recruit me to join her army. But I won’t. I refuse to be a part of this petty squabble it has nothing to do with me!” he trailed off and looked at me lightly touching my cheek” or you for that matter” his voice became soft at the end

“So, if it doesn’t have anything to do with me why but me in the treaty?” I asked.

“We are hoping if they know we have a witch it would scare them enough to leave us alone.”

“And if it doesn’t?” I asked panicked.

“How good are your attack spells?”

I groaned and put my face in to my hands.

Cole sighed and put his icy hand on my back

“I made a vow to protect you and I am going to protect you so stop worrying” he stated casually trying to make it seem like a big deal

I sat up and glare it him the pointed to my neck where the scars from his attack where still present.

“I will never live that down, will I?”

“No, the f**k you won’t!” I spat.

 He chuckled and rubbed small circles on my back. I fought the urge to relax into his touch. I still don’t know if I forgive him or trust him but he’s starving himself for me…or because of me? At this rate he could lose all common since and act on instinct only, we call this stage of vampirism, Ferial. I looked at his face. Eyes red with blood lust sunken into its sockets from exhaustion, his stubble framing his thin smirking lips. He stared back at me with an unusual softness in his eyes. The silence between us seemed like forever both of us opening our mouths to say something then closing it immediately changing our minds.

“what are you thinking? Why won’t you tell me what’s been draining you so much? “impatient I finally broke our silence.

“Look, it may be nothing, so I don’t want to worry you, besides I told you I’ll protect you.” He tried to dismiss my concern, but I wasn’t budging. I flipped my hair to the side showing my neck and collarbone.

Coles eyes quickly landed on my exposed skin and audibly gulped.

“come-on Cole secretes don’t make friends you know.” I say as I start unbuttoning his shirt. His hands met my waist and he stopped me before I could unbutton any more.

“Roxxane heard that the royals are searching for sparkle and there is a high reward for anyone able to recover the ‘sparkle source’” All color in my face drained in that instant.

I pushed myself off of him.

“AND YOU WANT TO EXPOSE ME IN THIS TREATY?” I scratched

“No! of course not- See this is why didn’t want to tell you about it in the first place!” he stood from the couch swiftly.

“I can’t believe this.” I muttered angerly as I stood on one of the couches to exit the conversation pit, I turned to face him screaming.

“I can’t believe I trusted you! You were just going to sell me out the hole time!” Cole caught up to me in a flash grabbing both of my wrists.

“Damn it Ayame! You are jumping to conclusions! You are only in the treaty as a witch the Fae part as our first agreement is our secret. “ I began to settle down under his hold “not even Roxanne knows” he added

I narrowed my eyes at him “You swear?”

“on my honor” he nodded his head and gave me that classic Cheshire at grin exposing his fangs. I shudder as the memories flooded. His smile faded as he let go of my wrists dropping his hands to his side as he sighed.

“Cole?”

He looked at me through his eyelashes.

“I… I don’t know if I can ever be fully over this… but… you’ve done so much for me I think you at least deserve a second shot. So, I won’t quit and our agreement is still intact but with added hazard pay. Agree?” I put my hand out for him to shake instead Cole lifted my palm to his lips and kissed it.

“Agreed as I said before, I won’t let anyone take you from me” whispered into my hand before licking it then bit down onto my wrist. I winced a little at the sharp pain, but it soon dulled. And I waited for him to get his fill.