I know he’s describing me. Of course I know. I got that after his third sentence. I’d have to be completely dumb not to have. And yes, I know I’m dumb generally, but not that dumb.
Pressing my lips together, I cough an awkward gargled kind of sound and start to fidget uncomfortably.
“I really can’t believe you brought me to an eighties night.”
A terrible attempt at a subject change but I need to take my own edge away.
A smile. “A bad thing?” He tightens his hold on me, stopping my fidget.
“No. You’re just full of surprises.”
“Right back at you.” Unreadable passes over his face.
I raise an eyebrow. “And how have I surprised you?”
He reaches into my eyes with his, almost pulling me back out with him. I’m confounded and heated by his gaze.
“You’re just not what I was expecting at all,” he murmurs.
His words snap me to attention. I stop dancing. “Not what you were expecting? And just exactly when were you expecting me?”
“I wasn’t,” he replies smoothly resuming our dance, moving me with him again. “I just meant the day I met you in the café. I knew straight away what you were … and I just expect my Vârcolac’s to be a little less female and a lot more vicious.”
His hand on my back draws me closer. My defences break down.
I don’t want to admit it but being with Zeff for this last week has made me feel alive again. I haven’t felt alive in a really long time. Not since my last night with Nathan. And being with Zeff now, like this, is making me feel alive in the way Nathan did, then.
It’s terrifying and exhilarating.
The smart and sensible part of me wants to dissect those emotions and crush them to nothing. But the physical part of me is just tired. Tired of fighting feelings and overcomplicating things. I just want what any other person wants. To feel a part of something. To feel needed by another. Even if for just a short time. And if that means tonight, I get the chance to feel human again, then I’m going to grab it with both hands.
I close my eyes briefly, drowning in the sensation. And then, just like that, I switch off my brain.
When I rest my head against his chest I feel his sharp intake of breath. Then he moves his hand over my back, upwards, and smoothes it over the bare skin on my arm. I notice it feels different; slow, deliberate.
He wants the same. He wants me.
“What are thinking?” Zeff’s words blow down through my hair.
I close my eyes and revel in the sensation.
How alive I feel right now. How heedless of everything I feel right now. That I want to be with you in a way I should never want. But I can’t find the will to stop anymore.
I lift my heavy head from his chest, looking up at him. He stares down at me. I let my eyes connect with his, knowing everything I shouldn’t say … could never say, is readable within them.
Our faces are literally inches apart. I can feel his breath on my face. My own coming in faster, matching my heartbeat.
“Zeff, I …”
I halt at the instant change in his expression. His eyes darken. And my heart stops for a moment.
“We need to go. Now.”
Then he’s pulling me through the club, elbowing his way through the crowd of dancing bodies as I struggle to get my brain working.
Then all my senses click in.
Vampires. Here. Now.
Fuck.
Chapter 17: True Colour
Zeff slams out of the exit door of the club, bringing us out into an alley. With a tight hold of my hand he keeps us moving forward quickly.
My mind can barely keep up in time to function my feet. How did he know before I did there were vampires in the club? I know I was a little off my game, but still he doesn’t have my senses. Yet, he somehow seemed to know.
Maybe he spotted them. Yeah, that could be it. But his eyes were on me – nowhere else. I’m trying to pull a coherent thought out of the convolution currently going on.
He’s a hunter. He’s trained to spot vampires. That must be it.
Still, now is not the time to think about it. Now is the time for running.
I start to realise we’re heading away from the main street where the thick of people are and, further and further into the alleyways of this town, where people are less. Well none existent.
We round a corner, and I see, we are yet again, faced with another alleyway. I just catch hold of my voice to speak when he stops abruptly. I crash into his back.
He turns, facing me.
“You remember everything I taught you in our training?” His tone, like his eyes are deadly serious.
Meeting his eyes, I nod, knowing why he’s saying this. Knowing they are now soon upon us.
“Just stay calm, I got this,” he whispers.
He’s got this? I’m supposed to be the one to protect him. I’m the one with superhuman powers.
“Zeff, no. I’m–”
Then I see them - five of them. Three emerge from the alley branched off to my left. Two come up the alley we are on, just up ahead of Zeff.
We are fucked.
I know Zeff is a hunter and he’s trained for this kind of thing, it’s what he does, but he’s also unarmed right now. And so am I.
I’m not going to be able to fight all five of them off.
“So the stories are true,” the tallest of the vampires says. He speaks with a distinct European accent. “A female Vârcolac.”
What the hell? Has my existence been broadcast on the supernatural news or something?
“And don’t worry,” the tall vampire adds, placating. “We’re not here to kill you. We’re just here to take you to see someone important.”
“Yeah, still not feeling so great about that idea. I’d rather you off me – thanks all the same.”
I’m pretty sure I hear Zeff snuffle a laugh beside me.
“No can do, sweetie. I have my orders. And they are to bring you to my boss in one piece. So if you’d be so kind.” He gestures for me to go over to him.
Not bloody likely.
“Elijah’s here in Italy?” I hear Zeff ask calmly.
He’s not laughing now.
Elijah? The head vampire. Something in Zeff’s hard tone is telling me there’s a very important story here. Just one I can’t get a handle on right now. But I’ll get there soon enough. I hope.
Interest passes over the tall vampire's face and he steps forward with interest. “You know of Elijah? From where? Because the only interest he has in humans is for lunch. And by looking at you – you certainly do not look like his, type.”
Zeff lets out a laugh. It’s not a pleasant sound. It’s surprising to hear coming from him. He rubs his hand over his face, almost like he’s bored now, like he’s fast losing patience.
“Okay so here’s how it’s going to go,” he says conversationally, in a voice that he makes my head whip around to look up at him. “You tell me where Elijah is and who’s with him, and I’ll give you the courtesy of letting you live.” He glances around at them. “Well most of you, anyway,” he adds with a shrug.
Sorry, am I missing something here?
My mouth is wide and hanging open, eyes popping. Zeff knows I’m looking at him but he doesn’t flicker a gaze my way. It’s almost like he’s forgotten I’m here. Or is choosing to pretend I’m not.
The vampire laughs, but I catch the hint of nerves in it. It gives me a sudden sense of confidence. Well in Zeff anyway, not so much myself. He may only be human, but his cool calmness is fighting the crap out of me, so it’s for sure unnerving them.
“And what’s a human and a tiny lady Vârcolac going to be able to do to the five of us?” The vampire gestures around at his comrades confidently.
“You’d be surprised,” Zeff says.
There’s an amused menace in his voice which frightens the skin off my bones. Then before I even get a chance to blink, Zeff is moving at inhuman speed, heading straigh
t for the tall vampire and I see the flash of the silver blade as he raises it and in a matter of a second, I’m seeing the vampire dissipate to dust before my eyes.
Fear and adrenaline and utter bewilderment wrap themselves tight around my stomach.
Zeff lifts the silver blade in his hand, turning fast to his right and plunges it straight into the heart of the second vampire, all the while his hand has somehow found its way around the throat of the third vampire, and he is holding him out like an inconvenience.
I don’t know whether to feel safe or absolute terror right now.
The vampires, who are behind me, quickly descend. Turning swiftly, I slide out the grasp of one. As he passes by me, I kick down hard into the back of his knee, he falls to the floor. The other one catches hold of me, from behind. His arm goes quickly around my throat, holding me firm against him.
But I know what to do, because Zeff taught me. Arm up, bend at the elbow, ram back into the rib cage. He doubles back, loosening his arm from around my neck, so I press the advantage.
Grabbing hold of his arm I twist it up, and I’m under and out. I yank it back, hard. I hear the distinct crack of bone and a grunt of pain.
As I turn, I see Zeff has the one who I kicked to the floor. He must have offed the other one. He picks him up by his clothes, one hand, lifting him off the floor like he’s a doll. I can see the utter fear in the vampires face. Zeff drives him hard into the brick wall. Then with no hesitation he stabs him, swift, and he’s gone.
Catching my eye, he sends me a silent message with his eyes, then tosses the blade to me. I catch it with my right hand, spin around and drive it hard, straight into the vampire’s back, aiming for the heart, praying to God I hit just right. I watch as he dusts before my eyes, at my hand.
I just made my first kill. And know for certain it won’t be my last. The blade is still in my trembling hand. I turn, lifting my fearful eyes from it, to Zeff.
I see he’s stood here in the dim of the moonlight, a safe distance away, looking at me. I’m getting nothing from his even expression. All I can do is stare back confused and terrified.
I lift the shaking knife, pointing it at him. Adrenaline and fear are running through my veins, controlling my actions. Self-preservation has really kicked in. He might have just saved my ass, again, but he’s certainly not who he claimed to be. He’s not human for sure. No human I know can move as fast as he does. Or kill fours vampires without even breaking a sweat.
He raises his eyebrow in question. “You planning on using that on me?”
I look down at the blade again, it glints under the low light.
“Wh-what are you?” my voice stammers the words out. “You’re not human. No human could do what you just did to those vampires and …” I lose my words.
I reach out trying to grab a read on him, anything. All I’m getting is human. But he’s not fucking human! Why can’t I tell what he is?
He sighs, a tired sound. “Bunny, we should get out of here before any more of them turn up looking for you.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you until you answer my fucking question!”
My voice echoes down the alley, bouncing off the brick walls, caging me in. My whole body is shaking, my hands uncontrollably. I have no idea how I’m keeping a hold of this blade to be honest. If he came at me right now, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself even though armed. And not just because I’m afraid, but because it’s him.
“Are–are you here to kill me?” My voice drops to a tinny sound.
Something flickers over his face, if I’m not mistaken, hurt.
“No, of course I’m not.”
“I don’t believe you!”
He narrows those dark eyes of his into a frown. “If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead a long time ago, trust me. Believe it or not, I am trying to protect you.” I note the sarcasm.
“Protect me! From what?!” I scream at him. “Just tell me what the hell is going on and just exactly who the fuck you are?!”
He says nothing. He just stays absolutely still. And then the moment suddenly freezes. It’s just complete and utter silence. Like everything has stopped moving. The world has stopped turning.
Zeff closes his eyes and starts muttering under his breath. I can’t catch the words, properly, they sound foreign.
Then I feel it. The electric force that I always feel when I touch him. But now it’s in the air, all around me. And it’s powerful. Controlling everything in its reach, moving, shifting.
It stops as quickly as it started, and it’s like all my senses have just been switched back on with full force, and I just know. I know what Zeff is.
All the blood drains from my head. Dropping the knife, I stumble backwards, stunned. I feel like I’ve just been punched in the face.
“H-how did you hide this from me? How did I not know?”
“I know you’ve got questions,” he placates, raising his hands in that way he does.
I’ve got questions? No fucking kidding.
“Just tell me who are you – really?” I cry at him, breathless.
He sighs a slight sound, then takes a step forward, lifting his chin, his dark eyes meet with mine. “My real name is Matthias Demetrius Vélez. But you’d know me better as an Original.”
Chapter 18: Broken
I come alert to the sound of an engine and being in a car.
The night’s events smash into my head with full brunt force. My eyes flick open.
I’m in Zeff’s car and he’s driving.
Well, Zeff or Matthias, or whatever the hell he’s called. He’s kidnapping me. He knocked me out and he’s kidnapping me.
Fuck!
This is it.
My worst nightmare has finally happened. I’m trapped in a car with an Original and he’s going to force me to have sex with him and make evil babies and … oh God, oh God, I can’t breathe.
“Are you okay?” he asks in a low voice, sensing I’m awake.
I sit myself up, straighter.
“You’re asking me if I’m okay?” my voice comes out reedy.
“Yes. I’m asking you if you’re okay.” He makes it sound like a dumb question.
Shifting sideways in my seat, I push my hair roughly off my face, putting my back flush with the car door, basically putting as much space between him and me as possible.
“I’ve been attacked by vampires for the second time in a week, and then–” I catch my breath, disbelieving the words I’m about to say. “Find out you are one half of the–the …”
I can barely even bring myself to say it. “ ... Original’s – and then you knock me out and kidnap me!”
I’m panting for breath, my voice hitched up in pitch. “So I’d say – no! I’m not fucking okay!”
Well if I’m going down, I’m going down fighting, just like he taught me.
Taking his eyes off the road he casts a glance at me, “I didn’t knock you out.”
He’s laughing. He finds this funny. I clench my hands into fists in my lap. His laugh ceases the second he sees my look of contempt and complete and utter hatred.
He clears his throat. “You fainted, right after I told you who I was. So rather than leave you lying there in the alley, I thought the gentlemanly thing to do would be to pick you up and bring you to my car.”
“But you’re not a gentleman, are you?” I bite.
“I’ve never given you any reason to think other, Bunny.”
“Stop calling me that!” I cry. “You have no right to call me that!”
He stares at me for a long moment. I hold his stare. My chest, heaving up and down.
Finally, he looks back to the road ahead. I see his grip tighten on the steering wheel.
“I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” His voice is low.
“Sorry I found out at all more like! Before you got to have your wicked way with me under the guise of being someone else!”
I feel cheated and betrayed. Humiliation burns through me. I can??
?t believe I let myself feel that way for him for more than a second. I’m a complete fool.
He looks at me again, his eyes harder now. “I said I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did and I mean it. That aside, I wasn’t trying to trick you into anything.”
I wrap my arms tight, around my cold chest. “Yeah, sure you weren’t.”
“So you did want to kiss me then, back at the club when we were dancing?”
“What?! No!” I look at him, flabbergasted.
Rage and embarrassment are burning up my cheeks. He stares back at me steadily.
What I really want him to do is stop looking at me and put his eyes back on the road. But it doesn’t seem to be of any consequence to him. Then, he is a powerful creature. His powers go way and above mine. He could probably drive this car with his eyes closed.
“I wanted to kiss you … ” He pauses. “I want to kiss you.” His voice is steady.
“Are you bloody insane! Stop talking to me and look at the fucking road!”
I don’t want his burning eyes on me. I feel confused and flustered every single time he looks at me. And right now I just need balance, and to see logic. Tons and tons of logic.