Daughter Trilogy Bundle (13 page)

"What the hell are you two talking about?  What do you mean
see that
?  How could anyone see that coming?  What do you mean you're blind around me?  And why does Ther keep referring to me as
infected
?  I think the two of you are defective," I berate while my wild hands swirl over my head to add to my dramatic tirade.

"Like I said, it's a long story you can't possibly even consider believing," Devin says dismissively.

"Hey, come pick us up… Nah, our ride just blew the fuck up… No clue… Alright… Thanks," Ther says into the phone.

Devin is still hovering over me, trying to see how badly I've been fucked up.  I just lie down on the ground and stare at the sky, my eyes avoiding looking at him.

I hear a police siren whooping as the car pulls over to us.

"You guys okay?" a stern voice asks.

"Yeah.  Our engine blew up.  Not really sure what caused it," Ther says while walking over to the state trooper I can now see.

I should scream.  I should definitely scream right now.  I'm an abducted girl who has just been in a severe car accident.  My psycho ex and his best bud are spouting off crazy nonsense and taking me to see Devin's mother for my ailment called heartbreak.  Why am I not screaming?

"You okay Miss?" the officer asks me while climbing out of his car.

Devin's eyes are begging me to keep quiet.  Why should I listen?

Fuck.  I'm going to regret this.

"Yes officer.  Just a few cuts and bruises."

The officer tightens his lips and nods in response to my answer.

"I'll take care of the paperwork," Ther says.

He walks off with the officer, and Devin helps me to sit up when he sees me struggling to do so.  I'm so frigging sore right now.

"You didn't run," he murmurs softly.

"Don't start asking me why because I really don't have a fucking clue.  This is all getting crazier by the second," I breathe out in exasperation.

"I know.  I should never have invaded your life.  I should have left our first conversation as our last.  I'm so sorry."

I lie back down and cover my face when the tears brim my lids.

"Whatever.  It doesn't matter.  I just want to get this over with and move on.  If you think your mom can give me some magical cure to get over you, then I'll give it a shot."

His hand is holding mine, and I should pull away.  I can't though.  His velvet lips stroke the back of my hand, and his eyes dive into mine as I lower my arm from my face.

"I really do care about you.  I never meant to hurt you," he says sincerely.

"Well, I did get hurt.  It's too late to take it back, and telling me you really cared is only pissing me off.  I'm the one who cared.  I'm the one who fought this because I didn't want to care, and you forced me to let you in.  Just drop it.  I can't do this right now."

He leans over, and his forehead burns as it presses against mine.

"I want to kiss you so badly right now," he whispers.

My heart flutters and begs me to let him put those deliciously wonderful lips on mine.  It's almost painful to deny his whispered request or whatever it was.

I steady my trembling voice before I attempt to speak.

"Good.  Too bad I won't ever let you do it again," I force out with mock conviction.

I wish I could convince myself of that.  He's the only person in the world I've ever considered breaking my second chance rule for.

"I hope you hold strong to that," he mutters in a low tone.

"I will.  I don't like experiencing the same flavor of heartbreak more than once," I grunt out while rising to my feet.

He starts to help me up, but I swat his hands away.  I need to get some space from him before I cede to his confusing request once again.

I stagger over closer to the road as the state trooper finally pulls away.  I've got one last chance.  I can flag him down and run like a bull charging at red to get in his car and go home.

He waves at me as he drives off, and all I do is wave back like the submissive fool I am right now.

I'm fucking crazy.  Is it possible to have Stockholm's syndrome this early on?

"Our ride will be here in a minute, and I've got someone coming to clean up this hunk of junk later,
” Ther tells Devin who's still sitting on the ground and staring at me.

I turn back around and continue staring at the cars passing by.  A car load of guys pull up and start honking their horn.

"Hey, sweet thing.  Get in.  We're heading to New York City," one of them entices.

"No thanks," I mumble to the drooling weirdoes.

"Damn, girl.  You're fine as hell.  Please come to the city with us.  I'll make you a wife before the end of the night."

Devin is suddenly beside me, glowering at the fools foaming at the mouth for a chance to have me, and Ther is by my other side in an instant like he's protective too.

Great
.  My kidnappers are trying to pretend as though they're protecting me.  The irony.

The guys cower down and speed back onto the road without another word.

"She's attracting too much attention," Ther snarks, his eyes narrowing at me.

I scowl at him, and Devin takes my hand.  I shouldn't follow him so willingly, but I do.  He sits down on the ground and pulls me into the far too close seduction of his lap.

Why am I sitting in his lap?

I stiffen as he brushes my hair off my shoulder and kisses the newly unveiled skin of my shoulder with his perfectly soft lips.  The lightning within me crashes as the thunder roars through my veins

He kisses just below my neck, his soft lips trailing down the exposed skin of my back, and the blood inside me steams to a boil.  He moves up my neck, and that's all I can take.

I leap out of his lap with tears staining my eyes.

"Stop.  Please, just stop," I cry.

"I'm sorry.  I can't," he utters so guiltily, his eyes revealing a sincerity I can't bear.

Then his eyes glaze over with guilt as he stands to his feet.  I take a deep breath to try and steady my shaking body, but he suddenly pushes me against the distorted car.

Those glorious lips I've been tortured by and longing for grab mine, and I'm consumed by the force of his passionate assault.  I can't help but grip his shirt, and I can hear the fabric stretching to the point of tearing as his hips move against mine.

I can feel my body lifting as my legs wrap around his waist to assert even more of a vigorous attack.  I moan into his mouth as I plead for my sanity to return, but it continues to evade me as my hands tangle in his hair.

I feel him grinding between my legs, and I want this to become the mesmerizing, spellbinding passion I shouldn't allow.  I'm ready to give myself to him here, on the side of the road.

He grips my ass through my jeans as the heat of his breath becomes trapped inside my mouth.  His tongue tangles with mine, and I'm throbbing for him to be mine right now.

What am I doing?  I can't do this.  This is just begging for torture.

The sanity I need finally returns.  I rip free from his clutches and shove him violently as my feet slap the ground, but my hand feels to almost break against his steeled chest.  I clutch my aching wrist, and then I scream at him.

"I can't do this. 
You
left
me
, remember?  Stop acting like it was the other way around," I beg helplessly.

"He can't help it.  He can't keep himself away," Ther mumbles in defense of his friend.

Oh, this is really starting to piss me off.

"He already did once.  He can do it again," I snap.

Ther dusts his hands off and pats Devin on the back as he walks toward the road.  Devin is still staring at me as I fall apart.

The sound of another car pulling up distracts me.

"Hey, you guys need a ride?" a new voice chuckles out.

Ther smiles as he grabs some stuff out of the crumpled vehicle that tried to kill us, and then he jogs toward the new SUV.

Devin walks up to me and takes my hand once more to pull me to the stranger's vehicle.

Ther hops in the front seat, and Devin holds the door open to the back for me to climb in.  I avoid eye contact as I follow suit, my eyes refusing to look anywhere but at the ground for fear I'll lose my sanity again.

"So this is the girl?" the guy driving asks.

My eyes find the face to the voice, and I tilt my head curiously.  He doesn't look like the sort of guy I expected clean-cut Devin to know.

He's tall, like Devin and Ther, but his bleach blond hair is styled in a crazy ass faux-hawk.  His lip is pierced along with his eyebrow, but it's almost sexy in an odd sort of way.

Ther is sexy too.  I suppose sexy men hang out with sexy men.  It's not that way with most women.  Insecurities and all.

"Yeah," Devin says to answer the guy as he climbs to sit beside me.

"She's definitely hot.  You sure you want her to be over you?" the guy asks with a menacing tone, his brow dancing to accentuate his devious remark.

"She needs to be rid of me.  Just get us there, Kry," Devin strains out through an emotional lump.

Kry?  What a fucked up name.  Of course, he seems weird enough to pull it off.

Devin is staring out the window, and I look back down at the floor.  I can't keep doing this to myself.  I should have just gotten out while I still had the chance.

I feel sick staring at the floorboard, so my eyes rise up to meet the bleach blond boy's.  He seems as if he's studying me, and then he looks back to the road.

I look away, but then my eyes find his again through the mirror.  This time, Devin grumbles in response.

"You better stop man.  He's pretty protective," Ther whispers.

"I can't help it.  She's so… I don't even know how to describe it.  Are you sure she's mortal?" Kry whispers in an almost inaudible tone.

"Mortal?" I shout out in complete confusion.

Devin narrows his eyes at me as he lowers his hand from its nesting place under his chin.

"How did you hear that?" he asks suspiciously.

"It beats the hell out of me.  Why did he say that?" I squeal.

"Kry, keep it down until we talk to my mother," Devin instructs.

"How did she hear that?" Kry asks in a completely baffled tone.

Devin stares at me as if he's trying to see through me.  He shakes his head in frustration before finally looking away.

"I don't know.  It might be a side effect," he mumbles.

Side effect?  Infected?  Mortal?  Why is all this crazy talk so normal to them?  Am I in the middle of some twisted game they play?

This has to be the most elaborate punk of all time, or a freaky cult abduction.  Damn my luck.

I knew Devin was too unbelievably good to be true, but I didn't listen to the sane part of my brain.  Instead, I followed my heart
… well, my hormones actually.  Crazy ass hot guy.

"You can't see her, and she's able to hear stuff she shouldn't hear.  She might be one of them sent here to spy on you," Ther says in a warning tone.

Spy?  One of who?  Fucking shit.  This just keeps getting more psychotic by the second. 
Run, Adisia.  Run
!

I look at Devin who's scowling at Ther.  It almost looks like my psycho man is offended or defensive.  I can't cipher which.

"She's bleeding from broken glass.  How much more proof do you need?" he says with a growling tone.

"True.  Sorry," Ther mumbles apologetically.

What the fuck is going on right now?

"You're really scaring me with all the crazy talk.  I changed my mind.  Please, just take me back.  I want to go home."

"I can't do that.  I'd never forgive myself if or when things get worse.  I promise this will never make sense, but it will be over soon.  Just give me a couple more hours, please," he pleads softly.

"This is fucked up.  You know that, right?" I huff while crossing my arms over my chest.

"I know.  Believe me, I know.  I'm sorry for getting you tangled up in it," he mumbles.

"Yeah.  You already said that.  I'm sorry I ever broke my second chances rule.  I should have kept your rejection and dumped the roses sooner," I snidely reply.

"You dumped my roses?  That's what you and Jane were discussing?  That makes sense now," he mumbles, and he actually whispers the last part, seeming wounded.

"Yeah.  I dumped them and all the others too.  I never want to see another flower for as long as I live, which isn't going to be long if I keep hanging around you."

He flinches at my tart comment and sighs out a heavy breath.  I can see the city engulfing us now.  The sky-lining towers obstruct all other views, but I have to stare anywhere other than at Devin.

I can feel his eyes burning against my back, but I refuse to look at him.