Chapter 32 No More Vampire Surprises Please
NO MORE VAMPIRE SURPRISES PLEASE
RAYA
Navigating the wreckage strewn about the room, I cross to the two vampires as my eyes flit between Asher’s. I thought I lost him for a bit there; he seemed almost feral, completely lost to the fight. The predator was fully in control and he didn’t hear a word I was saying.
I can see now that he’s come back to me. His eyes are still dark, still full of rage and pain, but he’s there too.
“Stay away,” Asher growls, jerking Chadwick’s wrenched arm where it’s still clamped in his grasp.
Chadwick whimpers. A pathetic sound from a pathetic excuse for a man.
My eyes light with fire and I clench my jaw as my lip curls in disgust. This awful creature put his hands on me, threatened me and my Asher, was going to take from me without my consent.
He deserves all the pain Asher has rained down on him and more.
I gather all the tattered scraps of my courage and take the remaining two steps forward to close the distance between us.
I clench my fist and pull it back, then slam my knuckles straight into Chadwick’s sneering face, knocking his head to the side and eliciting a scream of pain as it jars his shoulder further.
I hiss, not having expected that to hurt so much, and next thing I know Asher has dropped Chadwick, snatched me around the waist, and blurred me to the other side of the room. I gasp, but he sets me down gently and then takes my hand in his, inspecting it.
His jaw ticks as his nostrils flare.
“You’re bleeding.” His eyes meet mine and I shrug.
I must have caught a fang when I punched Chadwick. Even though it hurts like hell now, it was worth it. My strength is flagging though; I fought him every step of the way even though he easily overpowered me. The adrenaline high is crashing, and I’m not likely to stay on my feet much longer.
“Can we go?” I say, wincing when my voice trembles.
“Of course.”
Asher shrugs out of his suit jack and drapes it around my shoulders.
Looking down, I see one of my dress straps is broken and hanging loose, leaving one of my breasts near completely exposed.
My stomach drops and I pull the jacket tight around my body.
Asher cups my jaw and I tilt my face into his palm.
“You’ll be okay. I’m here, and I’m not leaving your side," he says, his voice soft.
Tears fill my eyes, and I will them not to fall; I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that.
I nod and Asher straightens, wrapping an arm around me for support. I lean into him as we walk around the overturned chairs. Asher stops in front of Chadwick and nudges him with his shoe until he looks up.
“You do not look at her. You do not speak to her. You do not touch her.” Asher’s voice is steel, so low and menacing it sends chills down my spine. “You do not come within a hundred feet of her. Understood?”
Chadwick drops his head, and Asher kicks him, eliciting a grunt of pain.
“Yes,” he wheezes.
Asher turns us to the door and directs me through the back hallways until we find a staff member. He explains the situation and leaves his name and number. They exchange a few more words and gestures, but I don’t hear them.
I zone out. My eyesight blurs.
My body begins to shake, and I can’t control the trembles. Before I even register the tingling along my skin, I’ve fully shifted into a small, nondescript tabby cat, and my dress and Asher’s suit jacket are tumbling on top of me.
I let out a surprised yelp, which comes out somewhere between a hiss and a shriek. The clothes rustle above me, and Ash’s familiar hands pull the clothes away from my furry body.
“My sweet shifter, you’re alright,” he whispers and rubs a soothing hand over my head and down my back.
“I’m going to pick you up, okay? We’re going to call the car around and then head back to my place.
The employee gave me directions for another exit, so we shouldn’t be passing by anyone.
If you want, I can carry you as you are, or I can wrap you in your dress if you’ll feel safer that way. ”
He holds the dress out so I can crawl into it if I want, but I shake my head. I want his hands on me, even if I’m currently a cat.
Asher folds the dress and sticks it into one of the arms of his suit jacket, then lays that over his arm and gently picks me up, allowing me to get comfortable in his hold.
My body is still tense, with random tremors running through me.
Asher keeps up a litany of soothing murmurs, telling me I’m safe, that I’ll be okay, that he’s there.
When the valet pulls the car up, Asher places me in the backseat and then unfolds my dress to lay it next to me along with the jacket.
“We’ll be home soon,” he says, then slides into the driver’s seat and carefully eases the car into traffic.
A few minutes later, I’m able to pull myself back together, and I embrace the tingles as my body shifts back into human form.
I hunch down in the backseat, managing to pull my dress up to my waist and drawing Asher’s jacket around my upper body.
His gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror, and although he gives me a soft smile, it doesn’t reach his worry-filled eyes.
“I’m okay,” I say, unsure whether it’s for my benefit or his.
A glance in the mirror locks my eyes with his, but then he returns his focus to the street ahead. I slump back in the seat. Chadwick’s words ring through my head as I catch random hints of his cloying smell lingering on my skin and dress.
Gold digging shifter whore, spreading your legs for my cousin in hopes of making it big.
I can feel his hands where he first grabbed me around my throat and dragged me into that room.
I bet you’re wet right now thinking about his inheritance. Well, sorry to tell you slut, but he’s nothing and neither are you.
The memory of his nose and mouth on my neck sends a shudder of revulsion down my spine.
You’re weak, worthless, and I’ll prove it.
I want to slam my fist into him again, and I also want to cry.
I can’t help but wonder why I didn’t shift.
It normally comes when I’m feeling strong emotions, and I’ve never been more scared in my entire life, yet there were no tingles, and the thought to reach for my animal never even crossed my mind.
It’s like I was frozen by fear, mind and body, and I hate it. I hate that he’s right, that I was weak and unable to defend myself.
I tug the jacket tighter around my body, pulling in Asher’s comforting, cedar-smoke scent. I try to remind myself I’m safe now, but every time I move, the smell of his cousin seeps back into my nose. I need to get it off my skin.
Thirty minutes later, Asher pulls up to his house and leaps out of the driver’s seat. Opening the back door, he pauses, eyes trailing over my face.
“Are you,” he pauses, finding the right words. “Can I carry you?”
I nod, grateful for his help, and unsure if I can stand on my own. Not to mention, I have no idea where my shoes are. I didn’t even notice until now that I wasn’t wearing them, and the temperature dropped significantly after the sun went down.
Asher’s strong arms loop under my knees and around my back, and he carefully lifts me out of the car. I hold his jacket tight as he turns and knees the door shut, then strides up to his front door.
“Put your feet on mine,” he instructs.
As he eases my legs down, my toes find the tops of his shoes, but he doesn’t fully let go.
His other arm is still clasped around my waist, taking most of my weight as he unlocks the door.
Scooping me back up, he walks inside and pushes the door closed with his foot, then heads straight to his bedroom.
My mind has pretty much turned off at this point. It feels like I’m observing everything from outside my body. I feel no pain, have no cares or worries, and hardly process anything happening around me.
Asher sets me on the bathroom counter, then turns on the tap for the beautiful tub I admired the first time I was here. That seems like a lifetime ago now, even though it was only a few weeks.
“Do you want help getting in?” Asher is in front of me again, and I hear his words, but don’t know how to respond.
Do I?
I must have shrugged or nodded, because he pulls me off the counter, steadying me as my weight lands on my feet, then gently tugs his jacket and the remains of my dress from my body.
I step into the tub with his help, and he sets a washcloth and soap next to me as I settle into the water. My aching muscles instantly start to loosen and I sigh in relief, beginning to come back to myself already.
Asher turns away and walks out the door. When he starts to pull it closed on his way out, my panic comes screaming back. I don’t want to be alone, even here, where logically I know I’m safe.
“No.” I think I murmur it, but he somehow hears and leans back in, a look of concern on his face.
“Raya?”
“I don’t want to be alone,” I whisper.
His eyes soften and he comes back in, closing the door behind him. Asher folds a towel and sets it next to the tub, then sits down on it, facing me.
“Do you want help washing?”
I nod, and my eyes turn glassy again.
“I can still smell him. Feel him.”
Asher’s jaw clenches, the muscles ticking rhythmically, but his hands are gentle when he soaps up the washcloth and brings it to my skin.
“Show me everywhere he touched you, so I can wash it off.”
I point to my throat, and he leaves trails of soap suds across my neck and shoulders as the cloth drags over my skin, erasing the scent and feel of Chadwick. He cups water in his hands and uses his own skin to wash the suds away, leaving his scent on me instead.
“Where else?”
I indicate my upper arms, and he takes my left arm in one hand while swiping over the area with the washcloth, applying the perfect amount of pressure so I feel clean without hurting.
I point to my wrist next, and the cloth sweeps down my arm to circle my wrist, then he takes my hand in his and washes between every finger, massaging his thumbs into my palm before placing my hand back in the water and doing the same for my other arm.
When he gets to the hand I punched his cousin with, he pauses. Nostrils flaring, he carefully washes my cut knuckles, and his eyes lift to mine.
“We can wait, but I can heal these wounds for you,” he says, his voice tentative.
I angle my head in question.
“Vampire saliva…” He takes a deep breath. “It can heal, or it can harm. Based on our intent, our saliva can feel good and heal wounds, or it can hurt and be used to keep wounds open.”
His eyes dart from my still bleeding knuckles up to scan my face, but I look back down at my hand, inspecting it with this new information.
As a shifter, I should have healed already.
“He…” Asher clears his throat and his jaw clenches again. “He must have intended you great harm, since you’re still not healing, even after washing the wounds.”
My eyes meet his again and I see the question in them.
I’m not ready for that yet. I trust Asher with my life, but I also know the attack is too fresh, and I need to let myself relax and feel safe first.
“Can we… Would it be okay if we took care of it later?” I ask.
“Of course. If you want to let it heal naturally, you can do that too. I hate to see you hurt and in pain though, so if you’ll let me, I’d like to help when you’re ready.”
I nod and slip my hand back under the bubbles, preferring it out of sight even if it continues to sting.
Asher sets the washcloth down for now and brings a hand up to run through my hair. I lean into his ministrations, closing my eyes and tilting my head back when his nails scrape my scalp. Safe in his hands, my mind and body finally relax.