13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
I kill the engine of the car and get out. I turn to the trunk and take out my travel bag, in which I stuffed a few shirts, jeans, and a change of underwear. Locking the car, I head to my grandmother's house, where a figure stands at the entrance.
She turns to face me, and I say, "Who are you?"
“My name is Soraya. I’m with John.” The way she says she’s with John leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. She is stunning; there’s no denying it. With long legs, a slim figure, and the perfect bone structure, she could definitely be a model .
“What are you doing here?”
"Hello to you too, Hailey."
"What do you want?"
"Honestly, I can understand why he likes you. I don't like that fact, though." Confused, I open my mouth to reply, but she continues to speak. "You're not afraid to say what you want. In any case, I didn't come here to flatter you. John is mine, so stay away from him." She lets out a heavy sigh before she tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You have to do what he says. You have to help him.” Her voice is small, almost defeated.
“What is it to you? Don’t you want me out of the picture? Well, I just took myself out of it.”
She straightens her posture before saying coldly, “What I have with John is ours and has nothing to do with you.”
I can't stop the discomfort from seeping into my heart as she emphasizes the word our . It’s obvious that they have a thing going on.
Swallowing the saliva in my throat, I ignore her and go around her, but she rushes to stop me.
"He is your only chance to save your grandmother. Don't forget that."
I look deeper into her eyes before placing my bag on the sidewalk. She is kind of beautiful, but there's something about her fierceness, the way she stands, trying to prove her point that makes my stomach clench.
“Don’t you speak about my grandmother. I know I have a lot to sacrifice. I don’t need you, a stranger, to come around and tell me that just because you’re fucking some vampire. You know nothing about what it is to be part of my family. You know nothing about what it is to see your family fade away while the power of magic looms above us without the actual power,” I spit, my anger rising with each second I’m standing in front of her.
I'm almost sure there was a flicker of concern in her eyes, right before it disappeared. “I may not know what your family has been through, but don’t think your family is the only one that has crossed paths with the vampires. We all have our scars to keep us awake at night.”
Ignoring her words, I pick up my bag as she turns to leave. I make the five steps to the doorstep when she suddenly says from behind, "I know about your mom. I can help you not become addicted like her. All you have to do is help him until it’s all done and then leave him.”
Could it be? Can my mother’s condition be fixed?
I find myself fighting against my better judgment. The curious side of me is begging to know if there is a way to fix vampire bite addiction, but another side of me knows that knowledge from a suspicious source can be more harmful than helpful.
After the longest minute, I shake my head and go inside.
John
Frustrated from another restless nap, I decide to get up. I enter the bathroom and strip off my pants before getting under the cold water of the shower. Letting out a sigh, I relish in the moment of clarity the water gifts, needing it to wash away the sparks of anger stirring inside me at the thought of Hailey’s rejection of the deal.
After feeling cool enough, I shut off the stream and get out.
I must continue. I can’t back down, not when there is so much at stake.
I can’t accept no for an answer.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm standing in front of Hailey’s grandmother's house. At first, I was debating where to find her, but finally, I decided to try my luck here.
Rather than use my power to break down the door and enter uninvited, I ring the bell .
On the third ring, I deepen my hearing, filter out the background noise, and focus on the interior of the house. Silence meets me. She’s not at home.
Without hesitation, I rush to the hospital, and within a few minutes, I’m standing at the entrance to her grandmother’s room. Inside, I wait to see Hailey’s face, but instead, I spot Rosie. Her gaze is fixed on her phone as her fingers quickly tap the screen.
I clear my throat and she looks up.
"Shit, you scared me." She jumps and her pupils dilate. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to Hailey," I say, sneaking a glance at her grandmother, who is still lying unconscious in the same position as the last time I saw her.
"Hailey has nothing to talk to you about," she declares. Fear swirls in her eyes, but she plays it bravely and rises to her feet. I appreciate that.
"I'm not at liberty to disclose why I need to speak to her.”
"I know what kind of thing you and Hailey have and, believe me, it's closed and locked. I won't let you hurt her."
Hailey had told her about our agreement. That must mean she's closer to her than I imagined.
"Who are you to think I'm going to hurt her? I want to help."
"You will hurt her if she goes ahead with your deal."
"You have no involvement in that. I won't hurt her." Walking towards her, I stop only mere inches from her.
"You're not stressing me out, you hear?" she replies but still moves back a bit. "Maybe you won't hurt her on purpose, but the whole process of getting her magic back could hurt her. Have you thought about that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. The magic is still a part of her. There's no reason for it to hurt her.”
“Beauty, but zero brains,” she mocks. “The other night, she didn’t just feel bad or over-sensitive. She felt the magic reject her, and she…”
Hailey's extreme reaction suddenly makes sense.
“She can’t know for sure that will happen again.”
"There isn’t a place for maybe. Not if her life is at stake."
“It won’t come to that.” I won’t let it. I need her alive. “I will make sure she is perfectly fine.”
“I can’t stop you, can I?” Her voice defeated.
“No.”
“Please don’t hurt her. She’s my family.” Sadness covers her features, but it’s not enough to make my heart soft. Nothing is enough. Not anymore.
“Where is she? ”
“At the club.”
Without responding, I use my full speed and vampirize out of there.
Not long after, I pass the short line at the entrance of the club. Composing myself and straightening my suit, I level my eyes at the bouncer as he tilts his head to the side, gesturing for me to enter.
I go in and stop. My eyes scan my surroundings. Clubs are not places I like to find myself in. I'm more of an isolated place person. Closing my eyes, I turn off the hyper-hearing and focus the volume to the lowest octave. Crowded places have always weighed on me, even when I was a mere human.
Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes just in time as a blonde with smeared lipstick bumps into me. Turning aside, l steady her, when all of a sudden, she starts murmuring before disappearing through the crowd.
Cursing under my breath, I scan the room again. Hailey’s red hair is flowing as she smiles at a guy with his back to me.
Without breaking my pace, I make my way to the bar. The power of her presence could bring any man to his knees. Just her smile makes my dick twitch, and the way her eyes shine makes it harder .
She has awakened a deep need in me that I thought was gone. Don’t get me wrong, I have my fair share of women as a vampire. But they’re all temporary, available for an immediate release, nothing more. Not Hailey. She is an itch that I have to scratch, just to make it disappear for good.
“It’s just a mission. It’s all for the mission,” I remind myself, pushing those thoughts far away. After I get what I want from her, I’ll be far gone from her striking beauty and distracting personality. Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
She notices me as I approach from halfway across the room. Surprise swirls in her eyes right before irritation appears. As I get closer, I hear the drum of her heart a bit clearer.
“What are you doing here?” she asks once I get within earshot.
“I’m here for a drink,” I lie, focusing on her breathing and tuning out everything else. “I’ll take a whisky.”
She looks at me challengingly before saying, “You don’t strike me as a club type of guy.”
Not just beautiful, but also observant. Interesting. “And why is that?” I ask.
“Maybe because of the look on your face.” Breaking the stare, she starts moving around, making my drink .
“What look?”
"Honestly? You look like you're suffering."
"Maybe I am."
She places the glass on the counter and steps back. “Why are you really here?” Her voice quivers.
I down the drink in one long sip, my eyes never moving from hers as I catch a hint of fear covering her delicate features.
Placing the empty glass back on the counter, I take a deep breath. “You know why I’m here. We have a job to do.”
“I told you the other night, I quit.”
“You can’t quit,” I say calmly. “We have an agreement. You help me, and I help you.”
“We had an agreement. Now, we don’t,” she corrects me.
“You do know that I don’t have to do this the nice way. I can make you do whatever I want you to.” And so much more. She looks at me with terror, blinking back tears.
“If you try to kill me, I will scream.” She’s still so determined to show power like someone can actually help her. It’s cute.
“Who said anything about killing? I need you alive and pumped with power. ”
“I hate you,” she declares, as if that will change anything.
“You can hate me all you want, sweetheart. It won’t change the outcome. If it’s the magic you’re afraid about, don’t you worry. My witch can handle the worst-case scenario.” Thinking it over, I feel a tingle just from the thought of her agreeing. " I spoke to your friend."
“You spoke to Rosie?” Disbelief is written all over her face. Is it because her friend told me or because I’m offering my help?
Avoiding my eyes, she turns to pour me another drink. “I went by the hospital thinking you were going to be there but found her instead.”
When she does turn to me, her voice is full of anger and her chin is high. “Yeah? Well, I got a visit from your witch too.”
“Oh, you did?” Blinking, I contain the rage bubbling up. Soraya shouldn’t have gone to Hailey, not when I explicitly told her to stay out of it.
“She told me to stay away from you and at the same time to help you. Do you always surround yourself with dumb people?”
Ignoring her attempt to get under my skin, I smile and say, "She's a lot smarter than she looks."
"Smart, but not strong. "
"Wisdom is power." I reply, knowing it will piss her off, and it does. There is a sudden storm in her eyes as she puts the drink in front of me.
"But not enough." My lips twist into a small smile as I take the drink and down it. My eyes never stray away from her stormy ones.
Pushing the cup at her, I admit, "Not in this case, unfortunately."
"I don't want to die," she says as the storm turns into fear.
"I won't let that happen."
"How can you be sure?"
"I already said she's smart, right? I'll make sure we find a solution to this."