Hyde (14 page)

She picked it up feeling the guilt and betrayal
inside of her, warning her to put it back. She folded the paper and
tucked it into her bra again. It was the only thing of her fathers
she ever carried with her. It was her salvation in his eyes and he
had sacrificed everything to keep her safe.

She turned running from the room. She couldn’t
hear anything beyond her own footsteps. She took her shoes off and
padded in her sock feet. Marcus, or rather Henry, had brought her
bags of new clothes. They weren’t sexy clothes either, they were
her type of clothes. The bags were full of jeans, t-shirts,
hoodies, flip-flops and sneakers. She had half expected him to
bring her dresses to go with the castle motif but he had not. Even
her pajamas had turned out to be her favorites, fleece. Marcus had
let her sleep in her own room.

She carried her runners softly creeping through
the castle halls. The muted light made the anxiety she was feeling
overwhelm the guilt.

Suddenly in the muted light and eerie halls she
heard a noise. She stopped dead in her tracks holding her breath
and willing her heartbeat to give pause.

The old wide halls echoed the sound as if it
came from every room all at once.

It was a woman's giggle.

She felt a rage build inside of her.

A woman was in her castle.

Her castle? She shook her head. Suddenly she
realized she considered Marcus hers. Even the beast inside of her
seemed to concede he belonged to them.

She felt her feet start walking toward the noise
before she had formulated a plan. Her fingers gripped the sneakers
in her hands. She felt the canvas tear between two of her fingers
but she ignored it, she had a mission. She needed to find the
noise, or rather find its source.

"Marcus stop, really it's not funny." The
woman's voice filled the hall again but this time she could tell it
was coming from Marcus's room.

"Monique please for the love of god just let me
do it." Marcus sounded light, he never sounded that way with
her.

Hanna froze in her steps again. Her heart was
racing.

"Fine but I want something in return." The woman
giggled again.

Hanna didn’t wait to hear the rest of the
conversation. She quelled the need of the beast to escape and eat
the girl in the other room, she ran. She ran hard and fast until
she was free of the castle.

She looked at the car and jumped into the front
seat.

She started the car throwing it in reverse and
squealed the tires, burning out of the circular driveway.

She watched as a shirtless Marcus appeared at
the entryway of the castle screaming her name.

She threw her middle finger into the air
screaming obscenities she knew he would hear and raced down the
road.

She knew he could chase the car and probably
would. She didn’t make a single stop sign or light. She nearly got
hit several times as she headed out onto the freeway and back
toward home.

Rage wasn’t the right word, blind hatred was and
it rode every inhale and exhale she seethed.

Chapter Seventeen: Don't mess with Texas or
Aimee's BFF

Aleksander

He paced outside of the room as he tried to
listen. He wished his hearing were better as he tried desperately
to make out the hushed words spoken beyond the closed door.

"She said she wished she had just died.
Everything would be different if she had just drank the lemonade
alone."

Aleks turned smirking at Lucas, "Thanks."

Lucas shrugged, "So is that the hottest girl on
the planet or am I crazy?"

Aleks nodded "She is, there is no doubt. I've
lived hundreds of years and that is the most beautiful girl ever
created."

"She yours?"

Aleks frowned, "How is Ari, speaking of girls
you're interested in?"

Lucas chuckled, "Not for me man, I was just
asking is all. Ari is Ari, you know. She's still different from all
the pushes affecting her life but I like her that way. She's moody,
I like moody."

Aleks shook his head, "That’s weird. Where's
Ben?"

Lucas laughed, "Speaking of weird…he's around.
He was in Boston a few days ago. Something is up there."

"Tell me about it. This shit storm here has
Boston written all over it."

"Who is she?"

"Aimee's best friend from back home."

Lucas made a face, "Yikes, someone messed with
Aimee's bff, wow. Death wish much? Where is Aimee?"

"Doling out the punishment no doubt. Where's
Ari?"

"Hopefully not with Aimee, she'll be scarred for
life, if she is."

Aleks frowned, "Why?"

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Have you ever seen
Aimee in action, pissed off? She can take the soul nicely or she
can rip it from your flesh." He shivered, "Not pretty. I will say
though my wolf likes to clean up her messes."

Aleks laughed, "That’s disgusting."

"So did you see the invitation we got? Roland
has invited the whole mansion to a ball. Hanna's nineteenth
birthday."

Aleks laughed, "What?"

"Yeah dude. Roland invited everyone. I think he
even invited Annabelle."

"A ball?"

"Yeah."

Aleks scratched his head, "Like gowns and tux's,
but with werewolves and vampires and angels and demons?"

Lucas frowned, "Yeah. Seriously how is this that
hard for you to grasp?"

"I don’t know its just weird."

Lucas laughed, "Do we get a gift?"

"Not sure. What do you get for the
multimillionaire daughter of Mister Hyde?"

"Clothes. I heard she shreds more than me and
Ben do."

Lydia opened the door, "Could you eavesdrop a
little quieter?"

Aleks felt his face flush, "Oh uh, we were just
chatting. Sorry. How is she?"

Lydia's eyes dropped, "Oh good. On the mend."
She looked up at Aleksander when she said it. He nodded knowing
exactly what she meant.

He looked at Lucas, "Tell Aimee to text me when
she gets here."

Lucas nodded, "Alright."

Lydia looked at Aleksander horrified, "You
can't!" She spoke in a whispered tone.

He nodded, "I can and I'm going to."

He was gone before Lydia could say anything
else.

Chapter Eighteen: Miss Annabelle

Hanna

She drove confusedly for blocks. She didn’t know
where she was only that they had headed east the one time she had
been there. None of the streets felt right to her.

She drove until she smelled it. The amber
incense she had thought was Marcus but had been in the wind at
Lydia's old mansion.

She turned onto the street and within a few
blocks of driving, with her head out the window, she was at the
street lined in huge old trees. She turned onto the street and
drove until the car died. She looked around. The car stopped in the
same spot that Henry had stopped it the last time. She sighed and
rolled her eyes climbing out of the car. The magical people and
bullshit guards and weird cars were beyond annoying.

She looked up at the huge mansion at the end of
the road. She walked along the road noticing the massive trees and
the smell that always seemed to be around. If she was honest with
herself she would swear the wind spoke to her, calling her name. It
smelled inviting but scared her at the same time. She felt her skin
shiver as walked into the yard.

She walked until she reached the front door. She
rang the old fashioned buzzer.

The ghost maid appeared instantly at the door,
"Miss Jekyll you be back. Ms. Lydia be up the stairs."

She floated back into the house never actually
opening the door. Hanna reached out and opened the door. She walked
inside noticing the silence of the house immediately.

She stalked silently into the kitchen. No one
was there. She walked around into the sitting room to find it empty
also.

She went to the grand staircase, taking it one
stair at a time and listening for sounds.

"Are you crying dear?"

She jumped seeing Lydia at the top of the
stairs.

"Are you alright?"

Hanna nodded, "I want you to put me to
sleep."

Lydia's face dropped, "Why, what have you
done??"

Hanna looked down ashamed of the pain she felt
for loving someone who was using her, yes she could admit it to
herself, she loved him. She felt horrified she had wanted to kill
that woman and if she had hadn’t fought with every inch of her
being that bitch would be dead.

"Darling those aren’t reasons to be put to
sleep. We don’t call it that anyway. That’s barbaric."

Hanna sniffed, "I killed a deer too. Harmless
little deer. He never did anything to me but I murdered him."

Lydia laughed softly, "Oh my sweet girl no.
Murder is only something people do to each other. You accidentally
hurt that animal. You weren’t in your right mind."

Hanna knew her suffering wasn’t about the deer
but the loss of her heart. She'd left it back at the castle.

"Come, Annabelle pours the most remarkable
healing bath. We have your room already done up."

She looked at the old woman and frowned, "You
do?"

She nodded, "Yes of course. It's been ready for
you since the day your father died. This is where he wanted you to
come. We got your birthday invitation. Are you excited?"

Hanna felt shocked, she had only spoken to
Roland a handful of times in the past days. He hadn’t mentioned the
ball since she'd left him standing at the front door of the Tudor.
He also had seemed to forget to mention she was supposed to be
staying with Lydia. She wondered why they wanted her to live in the
old house?

"Not really. Everything else feels pretty
overwhelming right now."

Lydia took her hand, "Hanna sweetie, a girl only
turns nineteen once. Try to enjoy it."

Hanna walked along the hallway letting Lydia
push her until she heard a moan. She turned to see a stunning young
woman, maybe her age in the bed of a massive room. She looked ashen
and sick but absolutely gorgeous otherwise.

"Who is that?"

"A friend of Aimee's, she's not well."

Anger welled inside of Hanna, "Is she going to
mercy kill her like she did my dad?"

Lydia sighed, "She wont get the chance I'm
afraid."

Hanna felt her phone going nuts in her pocket.
It was new so she knew who it was. She checked just to be certain
it wasn’t Roland. She looked at the messages pouring and clicked
the off button. She didn’t want to hear his pathetic attempts at
getting her back. She knew it was the piece of paper he wanted.

She followed Lydia up a second set of stairs to
a large room with a huge dormer. Annabelle was there, already
pouring the bath, "Now miss you just lie back and lets Annabelle
take good care of you."

For the oddest reason she couldn’t explain she
let the maid undress her, she let her help her into the steaming
hot water and she let her scrub her back. She looked out the window
as Annabelle went to work all the while humming the most haunting
song she'd ever heard.

Chapter Nineteen: I. Will. Owe. You.

Aleksander

He had always considered the old gloomy castle
as over the top, he had despised Marcus for years. Seeing Henry
brought back memories of the time they had all spent together
before.

He knew he was desperate if he was making the
walk up to the ostentatious heap of glamour and attention
seeking.

Henry answered the door smiling wickedly.

"Is he home?" Aleks didn’t have time for the
nonsense.

Henry nodded opening the door and walking from
the massive entryway. It was the size of an apartment.

"What could you possibly want beyond the moments
gloat I will permit? You have won but I will not give up."

Aleks frowned, "I have no idea what you're on
about and honestly I neither care nor have time for it. I need a
favor." He struggled to maintain his composure, "I. Will. Owe.
You."

Marcus burst into a fit of laughter, "You don’t
have her then? Where would she have gone? I've spoken to Roland but
the old goat told me she wasn’t there. He could have lied."

"MARCUS!"

Marcus turned to him suddenly, "What?"

"I need you to save someone."

Marcus looked puzzled, if not a slight bit
intrigued, "Save? Like create?"

Aleks nodded. He was unable to speak. He knew
what he was doing was wrong but he had no choice. Giselle had
suffered more than anyone deserved to and Aimee had nearly died
saving her. Aimee would never come back from the brink of insanity
if Giselle died. He feared she would end up with the Dark Ones.

"You? You want me to save someone? A human?"

"For Christ sake, yes. How else can I explain
this? Do you have some paper and a pen? I could draw it like we all
did in the eighties."

Marcus beamed, "You would owe me?"

Aleks nodded, "Yes."

Marcus thought for a moment and then shook his
head, "No."

Aleks frowned, "You understand what you are
turning away?"

Marcus nodded, "As much as I want you dead,
because I can't stand your tormented soul nonsense, no. Who ever it
is will just have to die."

Marcus turned away stalking down the hall. Aleks
wanted to go after him but he knew Henry could hurt them both.
Aleks didn’t want that anymore than Marcus did.

"I will kill you before I let her die."

Marcus turned back, "We're deadlocked mate. You
can't kill me and unfortunately I can't kill you. Shall we wrestle
in the garden like men?" He turned and walked away again.

"I know where she is."

Marcus stopped. Aleks was bluffing but Marcus
didn’t know that.

He turned back, "You're lying."

Aleks shook his head, "She wants to be with me
now. We had a thing, not sure if she told you about it." It was a
gamble but it was entirely worth it watching Marcus's face
bend.

Aleks beamed, "Surely you must have smelled me
on her that morning you came for her. I had been there first. If
you know what I mean."