Deadly Creatures

Chapter 11

For the first time ever, I wake up in someone's arms, and I grin as I roll over and wrap my leg around Caius's body. He smiles down at me, looking rather alert, and I let out an involuntary giggle. "Been up long?" I muse. "A little while. I was going to go get us some breakfast, but I didn't want you to wake up without me." My cheeks officially hurt. Apparently, once you have s*x, you can't stop smiling like a complete goof. "I'm glad you stayed." "Me too," he murmurs softly while kissing my forehead. "We can go out for breakfast," I say while sitting up. "Definitely not. I want you to wear that sheet for a little while longer. I'll go grab us something, and when I get back, I'll distract you until Justin gives you a call." I smile lightly, and then I feel guilty. I'm in bed with a guy, enjoying myself, and who knows where my mother is. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that," he murmurs with a grimace. "It's fine." His fingers slip through my hair as he pulls me to him, and his soft lips comfort me, making me feel safe and wanted. We're suddenly jarred apart, and I scream as the door to the motel swings open. Caius has somehow already jerked me behind him, ready to keep me safe - ironically enough - but we both exhale in relief when we see it's just Justin. "What the hell, Justin?" I scold. His lips have etched up in an are-you-kidding-me grin, and I roll my eyes as I pull the sheet to my body. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had company, and I was just going to give you a little scare. Caius, right?" he asks with a devilish grin. "Right," Caius says with his own sheepish grin, and then he turns to me. "I'll go get us some breakfast now." "Thanks," I murmur, my cheeks burning. Justin lets out a teasing chuckle as Caius kisses my cheek, and then he climbs up from the bed with nothing but his boxers on before slipping on his jeans and shirt. He gives me a quick wink and then disappears out the door. "Really?" Justin says once the door shuts. I plop down and pull the pillow over my head. "Skip the embarrassing taunts, and tell me what's going on." "Yes, ma'am," he snickers out, and I pull my head back out from under the pillow while using my magic to dress me under the sheet. "So, from what I can tell, Adelaide isn't in Canada. Just so you know, it's hard as hell to work with vampires, considering they're our worst natural enemy." "Yeah, I know, but those vampires saved our lives. You'd know that if you had been conscious." "Are you sure it was them?" he asks, his face turning more serious. "I'm sure it had to be. It's not like there's a long list of blood drinkers coming to our aide. Anyway, what else did you find out about Mom?" "Nothing much, kiddo. Whatever they're up to, they're covering their trail pretty damn good. Nico says he has some contacts that deal with light and dark. He's going to try and get a hold of them, see if they can help us out." "Do you think he's really on our side?" I ask while emerging from under the sheet, my body now fully clothed. "I think he has to be, otherwise Damon will rip him to pieces." Ah yes. He's Damon's errand boy. I almost forgot about that. Just because he's on my dad's payroll doesn't mean he's necessarily on our side. "My dad has ulterior motives anytime he helps out. I think we should watch Nico and the others closely - make sure they're not playing an angle while pulling the wool over our eyes." Justin thinks about that for a moment, weighing my words in his head. "True, now back to pretty boy. Why's he in Canada?" I smile involuntarily, blushing a little as well, and then I murmur, "He showed up and surprised me last night. He said he wanted to be here for me." Jus doesn't seem quite as happy about that as I am. "As sweet as that is, how are we supposed to operate with a human amongst us?" he asks more seriously. I frown. I know Justin has a good point, but I can't just send Caius away. "I'm still working on that. In the meantime, make sure no one does anything crazy in front of him. It's not like I can come with you anyway. All I do is slow you down. The council is supposed to call me when they have more information - though their information sucks. I'll play middle man, and then help out when and where I can - now that you have real immortals helping you out." He shivers, a look of disgust climbing over his face. "Shifters and lycans I can handle, but vamps… yuk. You have no idea how hard it is not to lose my magic on them." "I know. I hate vampires, too, but we need their help." "I wouldn't do this for anyone but you and your mother, by the way." I smile, knowing Justin is beyond in love with Mom, and then I nod. "I know." Just then, my door opens again, and Nico steps inside. "Well, look who's still in the bed," he says with a seductive tone and an animalistic twinkle in his eyes. At least I'm clothed now. "Yeah, yeah. Hey, Nico, there's a human here, and if any of your guys-" "Chill. I already told you we don't eat fresh meat," he says dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Does this person know about us?" "Hell no. It's-" Caius interrupts as he walks in holding a bag full of diner food. He stops and stares in confusion at Nico. "Ah, the boyfriend," Nico says with an eerie, menacing grin. "The neighbor?" Caius murmurs in bemusement. "What the hell are you doing here?" He almost looks angry or betrayed… or both. Oh s**t. Think. Think. Think. "Nico was apparently hired by my dad to keep an eye on me after he found out I moved away from Mom. Then, when Mom went missing, my dad had Nico start playing private investigator." Yay! That was the best lie ever! Though it's actually the truth with some omitted sections. I'd pat myself on the back if I wouldn't look like an i***t. "Your dad?" Caius asks curiously, his interest in Nico dissipating. "Um, yeah," I mumble dismissively, and then I turn back to Nico and Justin. "Call me when you've got something." "I'll just come see you if we run across something," Nico adds menacingly, intentionally poking at the human he could easily take. "Until then, head to Chicago. I've already gotten you a ticket. We'll be there as soon as we can be." I just nod and accept the plane ticket he proffers, and then he gives me a wink before disappearing out the door. Justin watches him for a minute, and then he shakes his head. "I still don't like that guy." I let a laugh free, and then Caius adds, "I'm with you on that." Justin smirks, and then he pats me on the shoulder. "Chin up, kid. You know I'll find her." I force a smile through tight lips and hold back the tears. "Thanks, Justin." Caius's arms wrap around me, making my head press against his chest, and for the first time in my life, I fall apart in front of someone. The onslaught of tears is unexpected, and now I can't stop as they pour out harder, soaking through his shirt. I'm so embarrassed, but I can't help it. Caius coos as his lips stroke my head. Consoling me like a scared child, he scoops me up and carries me over to the bed. "Thanks for looking after her. Make sure she doesn't miss the flight," Justin says with a torn tone. I know he hates leaving me, especially since I'm breaking, but at the same time, he knows he has to. I'm too slow to be of any real help. "Don't worry. I've got her," Caius murmurs while pulling me closer, letting me sob freely. Justin finally leaves. I'm completely unable to shut off the floodgates right now. "I'm sorry," I whimper as I continue to fall apart. "Hey, no. Don't be sorry. You have every right to be upset, Scarlet." I try to choke back some of it, finally regaining a little composure, and then I glance down at the ticket. I sigh when I see I've only got four hours to get my stuff and board. "I should get ready," I say through my emotion. He takes a deep breath, and then he lets me go so I can get up. I can't look at him now that I've turned into a weeping mess. Does losing your virginity also take away your strength? We pull up to the airport, and I turn to give Caius a soft kiss as we head in. "Thanks for bringing me. What time's your flight?" I ask, feeling lonely already. "One," he says with a small smile. "Same time then. At least you don't have to wait around to get home. Will you call me later?" I ask when we reach security. "Well, I could, but that would be a little odd," he says with a bit of a smirk. I get a little sick, wondering why he said that. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, sounding a little offended, and he roars out a laugh while pulling me to him. "It would be odd since I'm going to be with you," he snickers out. "What? You're going to Chicago?" I gasp. "Of course. You thought I came to Canada to see you for one night? I'm here for the duration, baby," he says with a sexy tone, making me blush. We make it through the checks, and then he walks up to take my hand in his. "So how is it you can just pick up and fly to Canada and Chicago? What is it you do exactly?" "We really do know very little about each other, don't we?" he asks, a smile playing on his lips. "You know more about me than I do you. I think it's time to level the playing field." He lets a small chuckle free as we head to the lounge in front of the terminal. "My roommates and I invested in several different things when we were younger, and now we turn a profit from those investments. It makes it easy to come and go as we please, spend as we want, and live comfortably." I'm jealous. "Okay, what about your parents? Or should I ask that?" His lips tighten, and he takes a deep breath, letting me know I've rushed the getting-to-know-him process. "They've been gone a while, but we were close at one time." Oh I'm such an i***t. "Caius, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." He forces a smile and shakes his head while wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "I made peace with it long ago. Your turn. I haven't asked about your dad because you've never mentioned him. Now that you have, I'm curious. Why isn't he here himself?" Because he's a murderous son of a b***h who rarely goes anywhere, due to the fact he has more enemies than friends. The last time my dad was in my life was the day the world almost turned to night forever. Fortunately, it was passed off as a meteor shower blocking the sun - at least that's the story the humans know. Mom got us out of there before he really lost it and endangered us both. "He's not exactly the sort of person I want in my life. He's actually a bit of an asshole, and it's better if he doesn't get involved." He tilts his head curiously, not really understanding my answer, and then he murmurs, "He can't be that bad if he's hired a private investigator." He sent a blood thirsty shifter and a group of vampires - my natural enemy - to be my aide. Yes, he's that bad. "I wish I could say something nice about him, but the truth is, I barely know him,. What I do know isn't exactly flattering. Let's just say there's a reason I don't talk about him very much." "I hate to say this, but I don't even know your mom's name," he murmurs shamefully. "Oh. It's… Addie. At least that's what most everyone calls her." The humans anyway. Adelaide is a bit too old world to try and explain. They start boarding our flight so we start walking up to hand in our tickets to the smiling woman happy to send us on our way. "Any siblings?" I ask curiously. "No. Derek and Chase are like my brothers though, and Angela is like my sister." A slight scowl spreads over my face as we find our seats, and he lets me have the window while climbing in beside me. "And where does Elli fit in?" He lets out a laugh while shaking his head. "Elli was… well… is Angela's fault. She took her in when Elli was struggling to find her way. She needed help, and Angela has a lot in common with her." I'm not crazy about the vague answer, but I won't press the issue. "So are all those people you hang out with your roommates?" He swats at the air as if he's batting down my question. "Hell no. We've got a lot of friends, but it's just Chase, Derek, Elli, Angela, and myself in the cabin. As you've seen, it's plenty big enough for more. It gets lonely living by yourself after a while." "You're only twenty-five," I chuckle out. He shrugs. "I don't like living by myself. What about you? How do you like it?" It's not exactly as thrilling as I originally thought it would be, but it's better than living with a coven before I have to. "It's creepy, but I won't ever tell my mom that… if we find her that is," I murmur on a sour note, my eyes watering again. "We'll find her. Did the police ever find any sign of foul play?" he asks while running his fingers through my hair in an affectionate motion. No, because they're not the ones looking for her. "No. I'm sure she's just off being stupid. I still worry though." He smiles and pulls my hand to his lips. "I guess you didn't get to spend too much time home alone. I started stalking you almost as soon as you moved in," he says to return to our previous conversation, keeping me from crying. I laugh, my tears fading, and then I lean into him. "You're one stalker I look forward to seeing." "Good, because I plan on seeing you as much as I can for as long as I can." Butterflies ruffle my stomach, and his hand slides down my back. "I like the sound of that," I murmur as I nestle into him. "I hope so," he says as if to himself, and then my eyes become too heavy to hold open any longer.