Chapter 25
I slowly opened my eyes, glaring at Wade and Jager. They were both here. My neck was worsening by the second.
"I'm going home," I grunted, clutching my neck.
"Lazy, dramatic humans," Ethan sneered as he walked in, flanked by a bouncer as if they could prevent me from leaving again.
"Leave," Wade growled.
Jager approached me, her eyes softening. "I didn't get to see you last night. I heard what happened."
"Yeah, some boys of your kind jumped me and fed on me."
"I'm so sorry. My kind can be very hostile toward you," she said, her fingers brushing through my unkempt bun. I had attempted to comb it, but that was when I noticed how tender my neck was, making even a single strand painful to touch.
"Well, I don't care. Why don't you and your kind leave Earth and go to the sun, where it can burn you for all eternity? That's where hell is. Yes, I'm telling you and your kind to go to hell."
She crouched down before me, her eyes radiating compassion for my anger. Why wasn't she getting angry in return? Instead, I felt an unexpected calm wash over me, my heartbeat slowing as a sense of relaxation settled in.
Yesterday, in the presence of her kind, my heart had raced. I couldn't hide the way fear had gripped me tightly. The thought of being drained—being used as food—infuriated me. I hated the constant reminder that we were nothing more than sustenance to them.
"I know it's hard to understand, snow princess." Her voice was soft, lacking the smooth flirtation I had come to expect, instead embodying a calm and comforting tone—one that inspired trust almost instantly.
"Understand what?" I pouted, crossing my arms and turning my head to offer her a sidelong glare. Pain shot through my neck, causing me to wince quietly.
"We're all here together, and we have to share this Earth," she explained. Wade approached, standing quietly like a statue as usual. I kept my gaze on her, noticing the darkness in her eyes, before seeking solace in Jager's gaze again.
"I don't want to share the Earth with you anymore." I knew I should be thanking them, but my anger toward her kind was rising too high to hide. Yet, oddly enough, I felt a strange sense of comfort being around them, making it hard to keep my displeasure from surfacing.
"I want to go home."
Jager and Wade exchanged glances before nodding.
Jager placed her hands gently on my kneecaps, maintaining a distance that felt almost too polite.
I observed her fingers, knowing their strength could easily crush my knees.
The atmosphere was growing colder. "Ethan mentioned that you want two days of rest."
"Yes."
"You can come stay with us," she offered.
"To be food?" I queried, leaning in slightly. Their power was undisguised; they could drain me dry in seconds if they chose to.
"You are not food," Jager reassured me.
"But you do drink blood from humans, right?"
"We do, but it's done professionally."
"Just because it's 'professionally done' doesn't make it right," I retorted.
"It doesn't. But as long as it's legal, it's permissible. What that boy did to you last night was illegal."
"I know, and that's why all of you deserve to be rounded up and sent off to the sun in a giant spaceship that holds all four billion of you."
"That's very dark, snow bunny. And rather cute," she replied with a teasing smile.
"We're taking you home," Wade insisted, cutting off any chance for further discussion. There was no room for negotiation, but I felt compelled to assert myself.
"I'm going to take a taxi home."
"No, to our house, where we can take care of you."
That nagging feeling of wanting to accept their offer tugged at me, the idea of staying with strangers who would look after me.
Yet, another part of me struggled to take them seriously; I couldn't shake the belief that they merely wanted to use me, and I would reciprocate by using them for their money.
However, I wouldn't allow them to use all of me.
Jager's hands began to move—slowly, but they drifted toward the sides of my thighs, nearing my waistline. I shivered, from the sleet tip of her fingers.
"What do you say?" she asked softly.
"I say no," I whispered.
"We just want to make sure you're healthy, considering what our kind did to you," Jager replied.
"I'll be fine. I've taken care of myself all my life. I don't need two rich, privileged leeches looking after me," I shot back, standing up.
"You'll see me at work in two days," I added defiantly.
Panic flickered in both their eyes. "How do we get to see you during those two days?"
"You'll have to wait until they're over. Just go back to your little booth upstairs and wait for me."
"That's too long," Wade growled.
"It's not my fault I don't want to see either of you. I don't like you. Leave me alone; I want my two days of rest."
"You want anything?" Jager asked, standing up and looming close enough to nearly knock me back onto the sofa.
"I'll be fine," I mumbled, clutching my neck.
"Let us visit you," Wade suggested.
"Yeah, let us visit you," Jager echoed.
"I don't want you to know where I live," I said, turning to walk out the door and down the corridor. Just then, Ethan appeared out of nowhere. The music wasn't as loud, but the club remained shrouded in dim purple lighting.
He stepped in front of me. "Are they giving you the two days? Just so you know, you won't be getting paid for them."
"She will if she wants to. But why do you care about her?" Wade asked.
"I'm not," he replied, his gaze shifting.
I moved past him and continued walking. He fell in step beside Jager, casting wary glances at Wade. She was a formidable presence, and you never knew when she might strike. Jager was similar but far more relaxed, though her calm demeanor was just as unsettling.
"Don't you think the other girls will notice you're treating her differently?" Ethan asked.
"She doesn't work for you. She works for us."
I turned, immediately regretting it. "I work for the club and offer my services as I see fit. I don't work for anyone. The services I provide earn me money. This isn't corporate," I said, addressing the wannabe rich and the two genuinely wealthy vampires.
"You're with us," Wade insisted.
"Dead wrong," I shot back.
She gritted her teeth in response. I stepped outside, squinting against the bright sun, which made everything around me appear hazy. I felt slightly dizzy, but I steadied myself, refusing to lose my footing.
"Two days," Ethan growled, as if he could stop the inevitable. I hadn't seen the higher-ups intervene as I left; if anything, they were following me. What made him think he could stop me?
It was late morning, and the strip outside the club was bustling with people, mostly men and women in corporate attire.
Corporate uniforms defined the way both genders dressed: women often carried oversized designer handbags and wore comfortable wedge heels suitable for navigating office environments.
Men, on the other hand, sported suits and carried briefcases.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I gritted my teeth when I spotted two taxis speeding by just in time. The traffic wasn't bad; the harsh morning rush had already subsided.
I stepped forward, but Wade yanked me back. Jager and Ethan were engrossed in conversation as she gently turned me to face her. "How's the neck?"
I winced, my hand instinctively covering the bite mark, as if trying to hide a hickey from my boss. "Can't you see it's obviously painful? It's forcing me to miss two days of work."
She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, offering me some crisp bills. "Take it."
I shook my head, refusing the money. "I have to work."
"If you would just let us take care of you..."
"No. I don't want it. I can handle this myself." I turned again, catching sight of another taxi driving by. "Stop distracting me," I growled.
She continued to hold the money out to me, and Jager approached with her phone in hand.
"You're giving me your phone?" I asked, confused.
"To put your number and address in the contact list."
"No."
"Snow princess, please. We can't go two days without knowing how you are. We need to make sure you're alright."
With a sigh, I hesitantly accepted the open phone and began to enter my number and address.
"And don't come to my place," I warned, frustrated with myself for providing my contact information in the first place.
A part of me was curious about what they would do next.
If they called, I wouldn't answer. Would they show up at my apartment? I could only wait and see.
"We can't promise you that."
"Well, I'm telling you," I replied, eyeing the outstretched hand with the money. It was tempting.
"Take the money."
I scoffed in annoyance. "Don't tell me what to do." Turning my gaze back up the strip, I spotted a few taxis, drab in a smoky yellow—hard to distinguish in the night without the city's vibrant lights.
I raised my arms, and a taxi stopped just inches from my feet. I snatched the money from Wade's hand as I climbed in. "Wait," I commanded the driver, rolling down the window just as they approached.
"Thank you," I said, glancing at both of them. A beautiful smile graced their lips, and I quickly rolled the window back up, instructing the taxi driver to take off. I didn't want them to see or feel how my heart reacted to their smiles.