Chapter 9 #2
“After that, the twins became pretty much the only friends my parents allowed me to have. At least, the only ones I could have over to our house or vice versa. But I didn’t need any other friends.
” His eyes creased, lost in a world I couldn’t see.
“They act like they’re so opposite, and in some ways, they are.
They tackle problems very differently, but they’re both great guys. ”
“I’d like to meet this Dagger.”
Bryce’s smile was half a grimace. “I hope you get to, but I doubt it. They’re kind of estranged right now.”
“Oh…” That got my mind running, but I didn’t pry. Bryce didn’t seem to want to elaborate. Instead, he insisted on washing all the dirty dishes himself after, saying I should rest on the sofa.
Though I had definitely unwound some, those nasty memories still lingered. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to mention to either Hunter or Bryce what had resurfaced for me today with Billy.
Maybe sleep would help me forget again.
“I’m off to bed, Bryce,” I called from the living room. “Thanks so much for coming over and making dinner.”
“I hope you sleep well.” Bryce turned from where he was pulling a clean pan out of the sink. “I’ll stay until Hunter gets home.”
“Oh, no need. Carrot and I will be just fine. It’s no problem if you want to go home. Thanks so much for making dinner. I hope you have a good night.”
He looked troubled, but nodded. “Okay, night.”
I showered and then, once in bed, slumber soon came calling, allowing me to drift off into sleep.
I tossed and turned so badly, I briefly woke to see even Carrot had jumped off the bed, unable to settle, my body was writhing so much.
The pillow was so damp I had to turn it over to the fresh side. I fell asleep again.
And wished I hadn’t. There, in my dream—nightmare, more like—I was back among the grimy mattresses and musty odors of the feeding den.
Conrad’s bruising fingers pinned my shoulders on a filthy mattress while I screamed, watching poor Billy, helpless, being devoured like rare steak.
One of Conrad’s friends, Armand, was gnawing into Billy’s neck, blood gushing from the wound.
The boy’s shrieks only seemed to excite the vamp further, making the attack even more vicious.
When the deed was done, Billy had been drained dry. Dead.
Jerking awake, soaked in sweat, I clutched at the bedsheets as screams I couldn’t contain pierced the silence of the room.
In the darkness, I finally swallowed down my cries, but I must’ve been heard.
And it must have been so late, Hunter was back from the club.
Because the bedroom door battered open so hard it thudded off the wall.
Light from the hallway filled the room and Hunter stood there just in a pair of boxers, chest heaving, eyes flashing yellow several times as they found me then darted around to each corner, like a threat might appear at any moment.
His gaze finally settled back on me, where I was safe in the bed, all in one piece. He let out a huge breath.
Carrot darted past him, probably scared and fleeing to the living room.
“Serenity? What happened? Are you okay?” Hunter asked.
Before I could manage a response, Bryce was at Hunter’s side, his normally crisp dress shirt crumpled and unbuttoned, his face strained with worry.
“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Bryce rushed past Hunter, almost knocking his hand into Hunter’s bare arm in his rush to get into the room.
“Bryce? You’re still here?” I asked, confused and a bit disoriented.
His face had that dazed look of someone who’d just woken up, probably not much different than mine looked right now, as he said, “Fell asleep on the sofa. Never mind that. What happened? Bad dream?”
I nodded, my chin trembling. “The worst. I was back in the feeding den.” I hugged myself. “I saw a boy drained to death. It was horrible.” My own touch was doing nothing to banish the cold terror in my veins, no matter how much I rubbed my arms.
“What can we do?” Bryce asked.
Hunter walked slowly into the room. “Want to talk?” he asked, much more hesitantly than Bryce had with his offer. His eyes dipped to my frenetic movements. “Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?”
I shook my head. “I think…” The stress made me blurt it out, despite my embarrassment and Hunter’s apparent hesitance to get close to me. “I need a hug.” Wiping tears, I looked up to meet his startled gaze. “Hunter, would you… hold me? Please.”
Hunter stumbled back a step.
Bryce let out a soft gasp, almost of distress. I immediately felt awful for not thinking of his condition and how he’d feel about my request. Bryce shook his head. “Hold her.” He said to Hunter, almost demanding it.
“Um, I think I can do that safely,” he muttered as his eyes flashed yellow again. “But are you sure, Serenity?” he asked with a gruffness to his voice I didn’t know what to make of.
“Yes, please. I know it’s just a dream and it’s silly but—”
“It’s not silly.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll hold you as long as you need.” His tone was firm and he almost growled out the last words. I couldn’t figure out what he thought of all this, but I really needed one of them close right now.
Hunter strode forward without hesitation this time.
“I’ll stay too,” Bryce said, then cursed under his breath. “Never mind. God. I’m such an idiot. You don’t need me here. Hunter’s got this,” he said, a defeated look on his face.
“Stay, Bryce. To be honest, I’m not completely in control right now.” Hunter swallowed a rough, animalistic sound I’d never heard from him before. But strangely, it didn’t scare me. It only made me feel safer.
“Honestly, it would be great if you both stayed.” I fidgeted with a fold in the comforter.
Bryce nodded at once. “Absolutely then. I’ll go check on Carrot in a bit too.”
“Thank you both so much. I—I was…”
Hunter sat on side of the bed closest to me, placing his large, warm hand on top of my cold, clammy one.
It was the first time in so long I’d been touched with gentleness by a man. It felt like slipping into a warm bath or cuddling up into a thick blanket. While all the sensations were focused on my hand, it was like his touch pulsed deep reassurance throughout my entire body.
“You can tell us, it’s okay,” he said.
I turned my hand over and gripped his tightly. “I was abused in the den for blood, but in other ways too. If you know—I mean, it’s made me… put up guards against men. Forced me to never think of…”
Their response was silence, but their sympathetic eyes said they understood what I couldn’t bear to talk about.
Hunter gave my hand a gentle squeeze and his eyes flared yellow again. “Serenity, if only I could—” he cut himself off, but I knew he was sympathizing.
And I’m sure Hunter had guessed some details after me being so standoffish around everyone, especially men, all these months.
I’m sure he and Bryce could both imagine all the groping, fondling and rubbing the vamps had enjoyed so much.
Vamps were known to get sexually excited when drinking blood.
The feeding den owners maintained a few hard limits—always reminding the clients they weren’t running an underage whorehouse—but that didn’t stop plenty of things that should never have happened.
“We understand.” Bryce said, sinking into the lazy boy armchair in the corner. “God, I can’t wait to burn those monsters to ashes.”
Hunter slowly slid his body into the bed beside me.
I scooted closer to him, using our intertwined hands to draw his arm around my waist. “L-like this, please,” I breathed, another flush hot in my cheeks. “I don’t like my shoulders touched.”
“Sure. I’ve got you, Little Dancer,” he said as he wrapped me in his arms and laid on his back, pulling the upper half of me up onto his torso.
He held me close, with sure movements but gentle strength.
He kept his lower half from pressing into mine.
Just his arms, side and hard pecs touched me.
The muscles were unyielding to my weight, but the skin so smooth.
I wept into his chest, not just from the horrors I’d dreamt, but at the feeling of being held with such care.
Something I hadn’t experienced since I was a child.
There was a creak from the chair as Bryce shifted. “I’m going to catch the people who made you and that poor boy suffer,” he said. “They will pay for what they did. I promise.”
I nuzzled into Hunter’s bare chest and my sniffles cleared. “Thank you, Bry.” I just realized I’d shortened his name, but he didn’t seem to mind. “That means a lot to me. I want them to pay too. I need them to. There needs to be some justice in this world.”
Hunter murmured an agreement and stroked my hair.
This time sleep came effortlessly as I drifted off again, smelling Hunter’s woodsy scent and feeling his muscles, firm and solid, against my skin. Listening to Bryce’s occasional movements in the chair and his deep, steady breaths.
I slept soundly all night.