6. Chapter 6
Consciousnessslowlydriftsback to me. Where am I? I must have died and gone to heaven because where I”m lying now no longer feels like the cold, damp tarmac in the alley behind the club. My heart breaks when I remember Ginny”s whimpers as the wolves ravaged her body, doing with it what they wanted. The look of horroron Ginny’s faceas the wolf”s leader ripped out her throat and continued to rut into her as her blood ran down her torn skin would haunt me for the rest of my days.
Tears prickle the corners of my eyes. That could have been me. I could be the one left in the alley, my corpse cold and covered in blood, my dignity ripped away from me. It was bad enough that they violated me whilst they forced me to watch, but Ginny is dead. Her life ended for some sick game.
Why doesn”t my body hurt anymore?
A wolf attacked me and bit down hard into my shoulder, bone crunching under his powerful jaw. Then, there was a ripping sound as he was pulled away from me, taking a chunk of skin with it. My shoulder still hurts, but nowhere near as much as it did in the alley - nowhere near as much as it should. How long have I been laying here? There is only a dull ache in my shoulder now, no more fire traveling through my nerves.
Testing my limbs, I can move them all, but they feel heavy. Like I”ve got weights attached to them. Panic takes over. Am I tied down? Did the wolves come back for me and take me to God knows where? I try to open my eyes, but they feel heavy too. My mouth feels dry, but there is a lingering metallic taste and undertones of sweetness, like honey. I run my tongue over my dry lips. Whatever liquid is still on them, I can taste it more as my tongue dances across my lips. I want more of it.
I try to open my eyes again, but they still don”t want to open. That feeling alone is enough to make me panic a little. Testing my hands again, I lift one of them slightly. Expecting restraints to be holding me down, I’m surprised it moves freely, if not a little stiff. Reaching one hand to my face, I rub my eyelids. The tears I cried have solidified like the strongest glue and make my eyes impossible to open, at least until I wipe the residue clear. At last, I can open them, but only a little. Just enough for the soft light around me to penetrate my eyeballs.
The room is dimly lit. But there is enough light to see the shape of the fitting above my head. All at once, my fear is shoved to the forefront as the wolf leader”s words penetrate my mind. They must have come back for me. He must have changed his mind. If I”m not dead, then that”s the only place I can be, ”cause wherever I am it”s definitely not a hospital. He”s taken me to his lair so he can torture and rape me like he did Ginny.
Oh god, Ginny!
I squeeze my eyes shut andimages of what they forced me to watch flash behind my closed lids.
Sitting bolt upright, my eyes open fully. I look around, taking in a bedroom. The walls are a dark red, and the furniture is all mahogany. Did he bring me to his red room of pain? I still don”t understand why I don’t hurt anymore? He left me for dead, but other than the dull ache, I”m no longer bleeding out.
Looking down at myself, I”m still in my dress. The wounds from the wolf”s claws are closed, but I can still see the pink puckered skin like they are in the last stages of healing. So he didn”t rape me whilst I was out, but he said he enjoyed the thrill of my fear. He probably wants me awake to feel everything. My heart is pounding behind my ribcage now, threatening to break out of my chest. My breathing comes in hard pants.
I swivel my head further round. There”s a figure sitting on a chair in the corner. Scrambling off the bed, I fall off the side as I try to stand. I need to get out of here; I need to get away before he wakes up. Running for the door, I reach out my hand for the door handle. A blurred arm shoots past my shoulder and slams into the door before I can open it, holding it shut.
I”m cloaked entirely in shadow now, the enormous figure looming over me. I don”t know if I should move or if I should face my attacker. Spinning on my heel, I lash out with my hands. My fists smack into a solid chest, and pain ricochets up my arms. Lifting my eyes slowly, I follow the dark t-shirt up over a wide torso and broad shoulders until they reach his face.
It”s not the wolf. This man is too tall. He”s well over 6ft 4in, the wolf wasn”t even 6ft. His other arm comes out to cage me against the door. Where the hell am I? And who the hell is this guy? I can”t see his features in the light. He”s an unknown entity, but I”m still in flight mode and I need to get away.
Ducking under his arm, I take off across the bedroom, aiming for the closed door on the other side, but he”s in front of me before I can even take three steps. His hands grab my arms, holding me in place. But they aren”t tight. His grip doesn”t hurt, almost like he”s being gentle with me.
When I look at his face this time, I recognize him. His blue eyes gaze down at me, and the longer, dark blond hair on top of his head flops down into them. Thick scruff covers his jaw and chin. It”s the vampire bouncer from the club.
”Who are you?” I whisper, my voice trembling.
”Bane.” His voice is rough but quiet. Like he”s keeping it low for my benefit.
”Why am I here?” I wriggle in his grip, but he doesn”t let go. His thumbs rub gently across my skin.
My eyes trail to his hands. They are covered in dried blood, just like most of my arms. Is it my blood, or is it someone else”s? Is it Ginny”s? Did he drink what little blood was left in her?
”You were injured. We saved you.”
My eyes cut back to his. ”What do you mean? Where am I? How did you save me?”
His grip finally loosens on my arms as he lets me go. I”m still ready to bolt. I look back over at the door behind me. Skirting around my tensed frame, he walks towards the door.
”Come.” It”s a demand, not a request, but his voice is still low.
Opening the door, he walks out into the dark hallway. I need to get away from here, and I”m guessing my best bet for escape is somewhere outside this room. I turn and follow him, and when I reach the hallway, I look each way. There are more doors to my left, but I think they”re more rooms, not an exit. Taking a right, I follow behind his hulking form to the light at the end of the hallway.
We exit into a huge open-plan living room. To my left, there is a dining table. It looks like someone has spilled wine on the beautiful wood. Only it”s dry, not wet.
Wait, is that blood?
A shudder races through my body.
My eyes continue to take in the room. There”s an L-shaped slate gray sofa with a small coffee table in front of it and beyond that is a huge TV which takes up most of the wall. Continuing around, my eyes fall on the kitchen, all black marble, with white cabinets. There is another hallway next to the kitchen. Maybe that”s the exit. I take a tentative step toward it, when I see movement out of the corner of my eye.
My gaze drifts that way. There are two other figures standing on the other side of the breakfast bar. One is the bartender from the club. Another vampire. The other man I don”t know. He”s dressed in slacks, and what I can only assume was a white shirt. There are now red stains covering most of it, the top few buttons are undone and the blood marks the skin there.
”She’s awake?” The bartender asks. I can see him better in this light. His hair is black with highlights of blue, and those black orbs are still just as dark as when I first saw them as he watches me as well. He goes to take a step toward me, but the other man stops him dead in his tracks with a hand to his chest.
“How long have I been here?” I spot the clock over his shoulder. 8:19 pm, I left to meet Ginny at 9 pm.
That can’t be right.
“It’s been the best part of a day since we brought you here.” Slacks guy answers.
Looking closely at the man, my gaze snaps to the greenest eyes I”ve ever seen. They”re watching my every move, not that there is much to watch. Lifting a hand, he brushes his wavy, golden blond hair away from his eyes as he looks me up and down.
The man I don”t know takes a step towards me, his hands held up in front of him to show he meant no harm. I take a step back, but I collide with Bane instead. His imposing body stops me in my tracks and he brings a hand up to rest against my shoulder. His touch should scare me. Just being in his presence should terrify me. He”s a vampire. But instead, warmth floods through my body. His touch is comforting and I feel my shoulders begin to droop as I relax into his touch.
The man takes another step forward, and I cower away from him this time. I hear a snarl before Bane steps around me and stands defensively in front of me. I cower behind him. Ishouldn”t be thinking of him as my protector, but he said he saved me, and so far, he”s been nothing but gentle with me. It could be an act, but he scares me less than the other man.
”Calm it, Bane!” The man orders. ”I”m not going to hurt her.”
I peek around Bane”s arm, my hand resting on his forearm. I don”t know why I feel the need to touch him, but he makes me feel safe. The warmth that spreads through my body is calming. The need to run subsides the longer I keep my skin against his. He looks down at me and shrugs a little, stepping to the side but letting me keep my connection with him.
The man whose name, like the bartender, I still don”t know, takes another step forward. This time, I don”t flinch away from him. I know in my heart that if he tries anything, Bane will stop him.
”My name is Jax. You”re still at the club, sort of. This is my apartment. It’s above the club.” I remember when I approached the building there were more levels above, but I never realized it was living space. ”We found you outside. You were bleeding out. What happened?”
”I... I don”t...” I whisper. ”Where”s Ginny?”
”Was that the girl you were with?”
”Yes. She is... was my friend.”
”She”s gone.” I flinch at his words. ”She was already dead when we found you.” I know what he says is true. Her body was cooling, even before I lost consciousness. Tears form in the corners of my eyes. I knew she was dead but having someone else confirm it makes it so much more real.
”But where is she?”
”We had to move her body. We couldn”t leave her outside. Her blood would attract too many creatures. She”s here for now until someone can come and pick up her body.”
I ponder on what he means by creatures. There are only meant to be vampires, wolves, and demons. But the way he says it implies there is more than that.
”I want… no, I need to see her.”
”I don”t think you”re in any fit state for that, tesoro.” This time it”s the bartender who speaks. He still hasn”t moved from his place by the breakfast bar.
”And who the hell are you to tell me what state I”m in?” My anger flares as I glare at him.
”I”m sorry about him. That”s Diego. Now you know who we are, why not tell us your name?”Jax asks.
”Demetria... Demi. Can I leave? Or are you my captors now?”
”We”d never think to keep you here against your will, Demi. But we need to know more about what happened out there. We can”t let what happened to you and your friend happen again.”
It”s all too much to think about. They want me to tell them what happened, to relive the worst moments of my life. I don”t know if I can. It”s still too fresh, Ginny”s tear-streaked face flashes up in my mind, and I can feel my breath quickening.
”She”s having a panic attack.” I hear the words, but they seem so far away.
Then he”s in front of me, Diego. His hands rest on my shoulders. Warmth spreads through my body again from where his hands connect with my skin. He bends a little, so he is at eye level with me. Warmth covers my back as another body presses up behind me. More hands gently resting on my hips, keeping me upright.
My heart is beating so hard, it feels like it will crack my rib cage and burst from my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing it to stop.
”I need you to breathe, tesoro. Look at me and copy what I do.”
My eyes crack open a little, and those jet-black eyes look straight into my soul. He takes a deep breath in through his nose and lets it rush back out of his mouth after a few seconds. I try to do the same, but I can”t seem to slow my own intake of breath. I”m panting now.
The hands on my hips begin to rub small circles through the fabric of my dress. Diego”s hands move from my shoulders to cup my face, keeping my face level with his.
”Come on, you can do it.” His words are soft but still muffled. I try again, but as I inhale, my breathing shudders.
”This isn”t working, get out of the way.” Diego is pulled away from me, and Jax is in front of me.
He places his hands on my cheeks and brings his face close to mine. Those green eyes feel like they are hypnotizing me. Before I have a second to even think about what is happening, he drags my lips to his. As they collide with mine, I stop breathing. I melt into the kiss. His tongue runs across the seam of my lips and as I inhale, I smell damp pine. Spotting a moment of opportunity, he thrusts his tongue into my mouth.
With my senses returning, I can”t believe what he”s doing. I feel violated all over again. Ripping my lips away from his, I whip my hand up and smack him hard across the cheek. His face is like hitting marble and my hand stings.
”Don”t fucking touch me!”
I shove against his shoulders, pushing him back, and he lets me. Red is ringing his emerald pupils, and his nostrils are flaring. A snarl sounds behind me again. Bane is warning him off. It”s only then that I realize my breathing has returned to normal, but my anger is ready to burst from within. How dare he touch me without my permission? He”s just like the wolves, taking what isn”t his. But this time I”m ready.