He smiled and I caught my breath as my eyes locked onto his. “I’m here now,” he whispered in my ear as he inhaled against my hair. My body involuntarily relaxed as he slowly trailed kisses down my neck. I could feel it. This was the moment it all ended. I’d somehow found the will to live after all I’d been through, only to be eaten alive by the same guy who had somehow managed to steal my heart only days before. I wasn’t sure which part of him I hated more; the thief or the murderer.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Grayson called from the doorway and for a moment, I felt relief like I’d been spared this horrible fate. But as Elijah pulled away and turned to focus on Grayson, Fear slightly crept back in. No! Not Grayson! Kill me but let him live! He is too good to die because of me.
“We have to stop meeting this way,” Elijah joked with a sinister tone. I realized that Grayson had no idea what he was up against. He didn’t even stand a chance.
“I-I’m sorry, Grayson. Maybe we can catch up some other time?” I said quickly, flashing a small nervous smile and hoped it was convincing. Elijah glanced at me with a grin and back to Grayson.
“Right,” Grayson replied in a bitter tone and turned to head down the hall.
“Grayson,” I shouted around Elijah. Grayson’s face peeked back around the doorway waiting to hear whatever excuse I’d had for him, his eyes narrowed.
“You were always there for me with Marcus. Thank you for being here for me when I need you now,” I said hoping he would read between the lines. He nodded and walked off down the hallway, slamming the door to my apartment as he left. I let out a sigh of relief knowing he was out of danger, but the night was just beginning for me and my opponent didn’t play fair.
Chapter nine
Deliver Us from Evil
Elijah rested his forehead against mine with his hand wrapped in my hair. I remained perfectly still knowing if I didn’t fight it, at least, my death wouldn’t be terrifying. I also knew that if I let the fear take over, my blood would pump faster, putting me out of my misery faster, but I didn’t have the guts. He pressed his lips hard against mine and my knees went weak.
“Don’t be scared. Everything I feel for you is real,” He whispered. “And everything you have felt for me is real.”
My body stiffened at the sudden revelation and he gripped me tightly against him. So it wasn’t all a game to him?
“I’m so sorry for what I’d done,” he whispered as if he’d forgotten to buy milk or something. “I didn’t want you to find out that way.”
I relaxed again hoping at any moment Grayson would burst through the door to save me. But the house was quiet, the only sound from the rain that pounded the side of the building. I was completely torn. Everything about what Elijah was sickened me, but I couldn’t deny how hard I had fallen for him before I knew his dark secret.
He pulled me in for another kiss. I hesitated but decided it wasn’t in my best interests to fight him. He could kill me without blinking, and if he did actually care about me, I could use that to my advantage to stay alive. I pushed back against his mouth as he parted my lips with his tongue. He growled under his breath as I slid my hands around his back pulling him in tighter. I moaned back against him as I slipped my hand around his waist and wrapped my fingers around the gun. He pulled back from my mouth and shot me an agitated look. I pulled the weapon quickly and held it between us. He smiled down at the gun and back at me.
“Is this your way of saying you don’t forgive me?”
“Leave now. You are no longer invited,” I said trying to steady my hands. He let out a deep laugh.
“You can’t un-invite me. That’s just something the news made up to make people feel safer. Plus, it’s kind of rude, Eva.”
I pressed the barrel of the gun against his chest and his expression switched from amused to unreadable.
“You want to kill me?...again?” he asked sarcastically. He pressed his chest hard against the barrel of the gun, causing me to stumble back a step. “Do it.” There was no playfulness in his tone, but he wasn’t angry either. “Put me out of my misery.”
My hands shook wildly as a gripped down on the trigger. I closed my eyes as I pulled it back further hearing it click. I opened my eyes hesitantly to see him still standing in front of me.
“That hurts worse than any bullet could have done.” He grabbed the gun, pulling it effortlessly from my hands and throwing it against the wall across the room. “Ammunition is still on the table, remember?” he added, cocking his head to the side.
“I’m sorry,” I cried as I completely broke down.
“Shh… You don’t need to ever be sorry,” his words sounded pained as he wiped the tears from my cheeks. “You’re bleeding,” he said glancing down at my side to my palm that I had injured earlier on the broken dish. Fear overwhelmed me as I thought of what he did at the sight of my blood yesterday. His eyes became void and I slid my hand behind my back. He caught my wrist and pulled it toward him slowly.
“Why didn’t you just kill me yesterday? Why are you torturing me?”
His expression turned somber. “I never wanted to kill you. I thought I had better control,” he confessed and if lacking control was his only noticeable weakness, I was in a lot of trouble.
My front door banged open loudly, startling me and catching Elijah off-guard. I seized the opportunity and broke free from his grasp, running out of my room and straight into Grayson’s arms. He pushed me behind him and walked cautiously toward my bedroom. Elijah stood where I had left him looking positively pissed. Grayson aimed his gun at Elijah and cocked it.
“Can’t you take a hint?” Elijah asked with a chuckle and I cringed thinking of how he’d seen me kissing Elijah before. “She doesn’t want you.” he added looking at the gun.
“I suggest you leave and never come near Eva again,” Grayson hissed. Elijah cocked his head to the side, still grinning.
“If I don’t?” He asked, glancing over Grayson’s shoulder at me.
“I’ll pull the trigger,” Grayson replied coldly.
“You don’t scare me,” Elijah said harshly, stepping towards Grayson.
“I bet my wooden bullets do,” Grayson replied with a smile of his own and I exhaled loudly, relieved he had figured out what I was trying to tell him before Elijah showed up. “I won’t think twice about killing a vamp.”
Elijah hadn’t expected Grayson to know what he was and as he looked to me, he knew I had confided in him. His jaw tensed and the look of betrayal was clearly visible. He nodded his head once in understanding. He raised his hands slightly to signal that he didn’t pose a threat.
“I’ll go,” he said as he walked closer. Grayson and I backed into the hall as he exited the room. Grayson kept the gun pointed at his back as he walked toward the door. “I’ll see you later, Eva,” he called over his shoulder before walking out and slamming the door behind him.
Grayson turned to me and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Clinging to him, he stroked my hair soothingly as I sobbed against his shoulder. I was relieved, but I knew it was far from over. Elijah wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. Unfortunately, what he wanted was me.
We made our way to the bedroom where I was finally able to take off my towel and throw on some clothing. Grayson kept his gaze on the wall, ever the gentleman even when we may die at any moment.
“What did he want? What did he say?” Grayson asked in a panic.
“He said… he said he was sorry.”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe me. “He apologized for attacking you? Why?”
His tone made me angry. “Maybe he felt bad for what he did.”
He shook his head and half smiled. “Bloodsuckers don’t feel anything, Eva. They’re dead.”
I nodded, not wanting to argue semantics with him. Sure we called them dead, but they weren’t. Not really. How could they walk and talk if they weren’t even semi-alive? Maybe there was some part of their humanity still alive in ther
e somewhere and we just hadn’t figured out how to bring it out in them.
“You want to go to my place?”
“No, you know if they want us, they will find us. I’m not leading them to your door.”
“Well, we can‘t just sit here and wait for them to decide to kill you,” he shot back angrily and I knew he was just mad that there was no real way to keep me safe.
I walked over to him, swallowing hard as I tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do.
“We don’t have to, Grayson. You can go. I wouldn’t be mad. I wouldn’t-”
“I’m not leaving you, Eva.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I don’t know how many times I told you that we were over and now here you are putting your life on the line for me. It isn’t fair.”
The left side of his mouth turned up in a sad smile. “Maybe you don’t feel that way about me anymore but you don’t get to decide when I stop caring about you. And until I do, I am right here by your side. I promise.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. I wanted to tell him that I’d never stopped caring about him either, but Grayson deserved so much better than what I could give him.
“Now that we got that settled. What do you want to do?”
“We can’t fight the undead on empty stomachs,” I half joked as my belly panged with hunger.
“Alright. It’s my treat. Any requests for your last meal?”
***
We decided to order some food and watch movies until the sun came up. I curled up on the couch in a blanket as Grayson called the local restaurant. I flipped through the film channels, not wanting to hear any more news about the vampires. I settled on a romantic comedy just as Grayson came to sit next to me. He slid himself under the blanket and I laid my head on his shoulder. I tried my best to concentrate on the movie and not focus on the events of the day. Grayson trailed off into sleep and I decided to let him get some rest. I would be tired before long and he would have to keep watch.
***
The movie ended uneventfully. I began clicking through the channels as someone knocked on the door. Grayson stirred at the sound.
“It’s okay, just the food. Go back to sleep,” I said with a smile and kissed him lightly on the forehead. He rolled over, stretching out the full-length of the couch. I made my way to the door, stopping at my purse to pull out some cash.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Food delivery,” A voice called back from the other side. I sighed and pulled it open. I handed the boy the money and he gave me a stack of containers. He fumbled for the change in his pocket, letting a box slip to the ground and spilling bourbon chicken everywhere.
“Shit,” He said under his breath. “I’m so sorry, ma’am.”
“No big deal. At least, it wasn’t the shrimp sauce. Just let me get a rag or something, you can set the boxes on the table,” I said pointing behind me and went off to grab a towel. I rummaged through my closet in the bathroom and found an old beach towel from several summers ago that had worn threadbare. I turned to head back to the front door and the delivery man was standing in front of me. “You startled me,” I said, letting out a gasp. His expression turned cold. His mouth slowly parted and I could see his gleaming white fangs inside.
“I heard you had another mess to clean up here the other day, one of my friends.” His lips curled back over his teeth.
“I hope not… too close.” I froze in complete shock mentally chastising myself for being so stupid. Suddenly, the delivery boys body flew against the wall in the hallway, making an unnatural cracking sound as it collided with the drywall.
Elijah stepped into view with his fangs bared looking absolutely animalistic. He locked eyes with me for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the other vampire, who was already on his feet. They thrashed through the hall, biting and clawing at each other like rabid beasts. I screamed in horror as I saw Grayson appear. He pointed his gun, steadying himself for a shot but his hands shook. Elijah leaped from the delivery man and threw himself on top of Grayson, knocking him backward into the living room. The other vampire stumbled to his feet and attacked Elijah from behind, biting into his back viciously. I screamed not knowing whose side I was on but the only one who could kill the intruder was Elijah. I’d deal with what comes next when the time came.
Blood poured from the wound as Elijah clawed behind him, thrashing as he struggled to break the boy free. I slid along the wall and grabbed the gun that had flown from Grayson’s hand during their skirmish. My hands trembled as I took aim and pulled the trigger. With a beastly scream, the unknown vampire’s body went limp onto the floor.
Elijah’s eyes locked on mine as tears flowed down my face. He opened his mouth and bent toward Grayson, ready to kill him.
“No,” I screamed, holding the gun back up, trying to see through my tears. Elijah stopped as if time itself had frozen and I wasn’t sure if it was my own fear just making the world spin slightly slower. He reluctantly let go of Grayson and began to pull back. Grayson scrambled backward until his body was pressed against the wall.
“Shoot him,” Grayson yelled. “Shoot him, Eva.”
Elijah slowly stood up, never taking his eyes off me. My thoughts raced. He could have killed Grayson and I both by now, but he didn’t. He could have killed me before I ever knew what he was. He didn’t. This time, I couldn’t pull the trigger. I let the gun lower an inch or so, just enough for Elijah to realize I was conflicted. He dropped his gaze and turned to walk out the apartment without a word.
I sank down to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably as Grayson scrambled over to me. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tightly, rocking me until I no longer had the strength to cry let alone keep my eyes open. I had never killed anyone before and the fact that he was already what most would consider dead didn’t make it any easier. He still bled the same.
Chapter ten
Like the Dead
I awoke around lunch time to the smell of bacon and eggs, thick and heavy in the air. I trudged out of the bedroom still half asleep and almost as if the night before was nothing more than a nightmare. Grayson was at the stove cooking, the mess of yesterday long cleaned after the police had left. He shot me a crooked smile. I smiled back and took a seat at the table, watching him work. He was an amazing cook. He used to work at my parent’s restaurant until our break up.
He slid the food onto a plate and turned around to present it to me.
“Two dippy eggs, bacon, and scrapple. Crispy on the edges, just the way you like it.”
“Thank you,” I said as he leaned over to kiss me on the forehead before sliding the syrup in front of me.
“How did you sleep?” He asked as he loaded his food onto his plate and sat down across from me.
“Like the dead,” I covered my mouth, realizing what I’d just said. Grayson broke out into wild laughter. I hadn’t heard that laugh in a long time. It felt great and I let a giggle escape me. He had winked at me before he took a large bite of his meal, falling into a comfortable silence as we pretended everything was going to be okay.
***
I was absolutely stuffed. I had nearly eaten every bite of my food. I pushed back from the table and grabbed his plate, making my way to the sink. I began scrubbing them quickly as he stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Come on.” He pulled me by the hand toward my bedroom. I pulled back against him, stopping in my tracks.
He looked back over his shoulder at me with a slight grin. “I want you to get ready, were getting out of this place,” he said, reassuring me.
I followed him into my bedroom and grabbed some fresh clothes to wear as he sat on my bed, watching me. I glanced over my shoulder shooting him a dirty look. He turned and faced the wall as I finished changing.
“So, where are we going?” I asked. I caught him glance back at me as I pulled on my jeans.
“My place,” he said, clearing his throa
t. I shot him an unsure look. “The vampires don’t know where I live and haven’t been invited in,” he said proudly.
“Grayson, everyone in three counties has been invited to your house. We might as well just wear neon signs around our necks saying bite me.”
He laughed, looking embarrassed but his smile faded and I knew he was worried that I’d already been bitten.
“You got a better plan?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. I shook my head no. I had no idea what to do. Honestly, I had no idea what I was feeling. Elijah had gotten under my skin. Drinking my blood aside, he killed two of his own to save me. I was only alive because he wanted me to be. And yet, we all knew that once bitten, the outcome was always grim. He would kill me or turn me. What I couldn’t figure out was, why hadn’t he yet?
“Let’s go.” I bent over to retrieve my gun that Elijah had thrown across the room and made my way to the kitchen. I opened a box of the wooden bullets and carefully loaded it, throwing the remainder of the rounds in my purse. Grayson turned off the lights and we headed out of the apartment toward his place.
The weather had eased up and it was only drizzling lightly, but the sky was still a gloomy gray. The heat from the UV light reacted with the mutation in their blood causing intense, excruciating pain. It was the one defense nature had given us and really the only reason most of us were still alive.
I was shivering and damp by the time we reached his apartment door. He ran into the bathroom and grabbed me a towel to dry off with.
“Thanks,” I said as I toweled off my arms and ran it through my hair. He disappeared into his room and came back with an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I grabbed the clothes and inspected them. “You are kidding right?” I said holding up the pair of female shorts that were not mine. His cheeks reddened as he grabbed the shorts from my hand and went back into his room. He returned a few minutes later.