Coveted {FINISHED}

|Chapter Four |

By the time I awoke my hair was a sweaty tangled brown mess, I peeled the covers from my skin and sat up feeling my head thump away immediately. The shot of pain up my leg told me no one came to heal me which in one way I was grateful for, I don't think I could take it if this new brother suddenly managed to read my mind and everything that happened yesterday night.

That familiar feeling of pure awkwardness lodged itself into my chest as I took in my surroundings. 

Maybe I can leave today. 

Maybe it's over.

But even if you do leave, where the hell will you go? Back to your possible homicidal boyfriend?

"Uh, not now." I moaned trying to silence the nagging voice in my head before focusing all my attention on simply standing up. You'd be surprised how hard that was with every bone feeling like it would snap with every step I took. Finally reaching the door, I had to close my eyes and steady my breathing. Okay, just go down, be totally normal and go from there. No ones gonna know how much of a slut you are or how badly you wanted to bone their brother last night. That voice really wasn't helping. 

Mustering the courage from somewhere took a good twenty minutes but finally, I was limping down the giant spiral staircase wincing with every step as I gripped the bannister like my life depended on it. 

"Oi Shane!" My head snapped up with shock at the booming voice filling the once eerily silent hallway. It was Jeremy standing by the round table, his eyes narrowed in annoyance as Regan came hurrying out the kitchen and pausing behind him. "You never healed our girl! Come on man, she's limping in agonizing pain!" He mockingly cried out. I tried to wave it away, to say that I was fine but someone was already rushing up the stairs to greet me. "You a bad healer bro."

Do they have supersonic hearing or something as well as being psychic? Cause I made a point of biting my lips till they bled so no one would hear.

"I'm okay really. . ." I breathed as the last of the brothers reached me. His brown eyes drank me in but not with lust or even anger just pure concern. His hair had been dyed a dirty blonde and lay in straightened strands around his face, his skin looked almost glossy with the addition of the perfect suntan. Where from? I have no idea. His nose looked a little cracked with a small bump and a small beauty mark located just by the side of his left eye. His lashes were so long and on the verge of hypnotizing, I swear I could see every flutter almost perfectly . . . and . . . was . . . he . . . radiating? 

Not shining no, we're not talking twilight here but he was radiating something just not a colour. It was a strange feeling but I couldn't look away from him. I was in complete awe. 

His hand softly wrapped around my wrist and a sense of calmness spread through my chest, working its way like a warm snake down to my legs and all the spots of pain. Sure, it still hurt but I was too . . . calm to care . . .

"There," he whispered, his voice like gentle waves as a small smile spread across his lips. He reached out for my other hand and took it slowly in his moving backwards. "Let's get you seated and we'll see about healing you up."

All I could do was nod, my eyes unable to pull away as I glided down the stairs. Without knowing it my lips started moving, my voice sounding like a stranger's. "You're better than morphine . . ."

A crackle of laugher sounded behind me and then suddenly I was sitting on a leather stool, large glass windows in front of me with various plates scattered upon an old marble sink. The black counters were barely visible under the clutter of unopened letters and catalogues. The island in front of me held a small bowl of fruit, a few mugs with steaming coffee already poured in and Jeremy peering at me with a large grin from the other side leaning on both his arms. Regan was just behind him leaning his back against the sink creating a darkened shadow to stretch into the kitchen from the blocked light. 

My thoughts seemed to connect more now, the strange calmness easing off slowly as who I guess was Shane, let go of my hands.

"Let's see where . . . Exactly you're hurt," he muttered frowning as his eyes left mine and fell to my exposed legs. The thin fabric had risen to my waist and had his eyes only darkening when they saw the deep purple and black bruises disappearing up my side. "It won't hurt but you'll feel a warm pressure. Your lucky, here just stand." 

I did as I was told using his hand for balance. The calmness still swirling through me. Moving his hands down to my waist, he barely touched me closing his eyes and for a second. I could swear I saw the space around him vibrate as that pressure built up against my skin. The warmth seemed to grow further and further almost turning into hot sparks before being pulled from my body. But the longer he went on the more my head spun until he was suddenly grabbing onto my arms to keep himself standing.

Quickly I held back onto his elbows turning us around and resting him down on the stool. I stared at him, my face completely frozen as my mouth hung open, "How . . . did you . . .do that?" I breathed out stunned. Noticing the way his chest rose and fell quickly, his skin turning that pale white the same as Regan last night had me backing away with guilt fluttering away in my chest. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't-"

"It's cool, he'll be fine in a couple of minutes. Just a side effect ain't that right Shaney?" Jeremy chipped in from behind me crunching away at an Apple. Shane nodded his smile still there. 

Wait . . . If it worked then. . .

My eyes dropped to my legs, my hands yanking at the top in search of the bruises but all I found was my same old olive skin. I pinched and pressed at my flesh letting out a loud laugh of shock before I was suddenly yanking my whole top searching as hard as I could for any sign of the accident. Oh God . . . It worked! It actually worked! "Holy s**t!" I yelled almost dancing around in circles before I glared back up at him. "You did it! You actually h-healed me you're a darn miracle!" 

My eyes jumped from Shane's to Jeremy's to Regan's to find them staring at the exact same thing. The crazy half-naked girl holding up her shirt in their kitchen. Feeling my whole skin burn red I quickly yanked at my top letting my hair fall into my face as I cleared my throat rubbing my collar bone nervously, "Um thanks."

"It's okay." Shanes colour had returned and was suddenly on his feet reaching across me for a mug of coffee. "You should have some."

I turned around and reached for one of the mugs holding it in between my hands avoiding all eye contact. 

So much for being normal. 

"So um when can I leave?" I asked taking a sip of the hot coffee letting the bitter taste hit the back of my throat. I risked a glance through my lashes at Regan to see his green eyes turn hard.

"Only one way to find out. Step up bro," Jeremy muttered, his hand slapping down on Regan's shoulder. 

"Wait . . . You mean . . ." Oh carp, what if something goes wrong and he sees last night's episode? He'll know I ignored him and had my very own little adventure . . . A very steamy adventure at that. Oh my God! My whole body was heating up as Regan pushed from the counter and started towards me. "Or maybe we could . . . Uh. . ."

I took large strides backwards leaving my mug behind on the counter as I tried to think of any other way out of this. He couldn't know! 

But the closer he got the less room I had to run, my back hitting the cold kitchen wall as I stared up at him wide-eyed. A small smile pulled at his lips before he suddenly reached for my hand holding it tightly in his and just like that I was watching him on the verge of death again but this time his body slumped against mine, his lips grazing my ear as his shallow desperate breathes washed across my skin. 

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" I cried, my arms wrapping around his torso letting him fall completely against me. "Is he okay?" I asked panicked trying to keep calm. This will never get normal. Jeremy was the first to run up to us, his arms pulling Regan's weak body from me onto his chest and dragging him back into a chair situated in the darkest corner of the kitchen. 

I don't think I'm gonna be going anywhere today . . .

"She can't go . . ." Regan muttered, his eyes still closed but his hand had reached out to grab Jeremy's wrist. 

"Seriously?" I breathed still hoping for that guy with the cheese from Buffy to suddenly appear out nowhere, just to let me know with his love of cheese that all this was some crazy dream. I have not and am not escaping my death at the hands of my abusive boyfriend. But even squeezing my eyes shut and pinching my arms didn't do much.

"Looks like your boyfriend's made it his life mission to kill you." The low voice coming from the kitchen doorway caught all our attention. Ian stood leaning half his body against the door frame, his hands tucked deep into his jeans pockets and his hair a waking mess. Either way, I forced my face down and tried to fight the raging red blush that wanted to eclipse my body. 

Don't think about it! All they have to do is touch you, you i***t!

Oh God, this is impossible!

"I can't just stay here until he decides not . . ." My words trailed off, it was still so hard to imagine Danny wanted to kill me. Why? Because no matter how much you're taught in school and how many people tell you you deserve the world . . . It's just never that clear cut. 

Danny isn't that clear cut.

"Do you have any idea why he might want to kill you? Like maybe he suffers from a mental illness and you argued over something he-"

"He beats her." The room suddenly got heavy, my skin burning underneath as my headshot up wide-eyed at Ian. My lips parted but my mouth was too dry, it was like my whole being was torn into two large pieces of sandpaper scraping against each other. He was staring back at me but his eyes were blank slates, his voice the only source of emotion and right then it felt like he had taken pride in finding it out and throwing it out there.

I had to force my eyes down once more. I was glued to the spot, my legs numb and my mind shaking. Shame seemed to trap itself in my chest and I just couldn't look up at any of them. It was like the darkest aspect of me, the dirtiest shameful secret I have was thrown out to four strangers. Whatever strength I could have shown was now suddenly dwindled to weakness, I was the poor weak abused girl. It felt like my identity had suddenly been broken right down the middle and replaced with a whole new one. 

Blinking back whatever tears surfaced, I dug my fingernails deep into my palm, anything was better than this right now.

"Bro, not cool," Jeremy muttered lowly as he took a few steps towards me reaching out his hand and pressing it softly against my shoulder. "Not the sorta thing you just throw out there like that."

"Better than us wasting about trying to find a way to save her. This isn't a case. She put herself there and she can save herself too." The harshness of Ian's words burned away at me but I refused to cry.  

You have no idea . . . It's always different . . . You don't know what it's like.

"Ian," Regan's voice sounded stronger as he said his brother's name but that didn't stop anything.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jeremy asked, his voice tight as he took one long stride in front of me to face Ian. "You don't need to be a d**k! She does need-"

"No, she doesn't!" Ian yelled back, "She knows its wrong, she's not brainwashed! She can leave, she can call the police! It's not our problem!"

"Ian!" Even I had to look up at the roar coming from Regan, his skin slightly more nourished than before, he stood looming over his eyes dark and staring sternly at his brother. "Stop."

Now it's my turn. 

"He's right." Before I knew it, all of their eyes had fallen on me in shock. "I don't want to be here to be quite frank-"

"Could have fooled me last night." Ian's voice was a hushed whisper but enough for me to hear. I let my cheeks burn red as Jeremy c****d an eyebrow up at us. Is this guy actually serious right now?!

"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled feeling my blood pound in my ears. "I don't want your shitty help with my newly turned killer boyfriend last time I checked I asked you for help with one goddamn thing! I don't give a s**t about you or your powers or your scrappy narrow-minded privileged life! You can literally go f**k yourself with a darn chainsaw and I'll pray to whatever powers at be are out there, to make sure you slit your useless stupid waste of space throat!"

I stood there shaking, my eyes narrowed at Ian. He looked back at me with pure shock but for a second I thought there was a hint of amusement behind his eyes too.

That's when I made my second mistake. I pushed past him . . .I touched him. The minute my fingers pressed against the light fabric of his vest my eyes had jolted right back up to his but it was too late as I watched in that split second the way the corner of his lips twitched, his jaw clenching with rage and his eyes flipped like a switch. 

"Oh crap . . ." I breathed before his fist came straight at me, darkness following quickly behind.