Laney (24 page)

“Fine!” she screeched.

He wasn’t badly hurt. It looked like just a few cuts and scratches. I watched with my eyes wide as she lifted the cut on his arm to her mouth and licked it. But it wasn’t just a quick lick; she locked her gaze with his while she slowly and sensually licked the cut.

I tore my eyes away before she started on his next wound. I pressed my face against Oliver’s chest.
What the hell? Why did that turn me on?
I took a deep breath, trying to get my hormones in check, but Oliver’s scent hit me, filling my lungs with that delicious aroma of his. I jerked back and with both hands on his chest I pushed myself away from him.

“What’s wrong?” He had me in his arms again.

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?” I hissed. “Can’t you tell?” I met his dark eyes, only a small amount of green circled his dilated pupils. It was actually a little unnerving.

“I’m too worked up to sense anyone else’s…” he broke off, the tips of his fangs still showing. His eyes fixed on mine. “Whoa,” he whispered.

“Whoa is right,” I said under my breath.

He looked past me at Julz and Isaac, then back to me again. He stared into my eyes for a moment and then leaned into me. His scent was consuming me again. My head was spinning and his cool breath on my neck didn’t help. I tried to pull away, but his hands were on my back and they held me in place. His lips pressed to my neck and I stopped fighting it. Everything disappeared. He pulled me closer and pressed his body against mine. I wrapped my arms around him and fell further into the nothingness that held only the two of us. I felt the sharp prick of his fangs on my neck just barely touching my skin, teasing me…

“Hey!” Julz shouted. It brought us both out of wherever the hell we had just been. She was stomping toward us. “What the hell are you two doing?” She was pissed. “I can smell the both of you. Turn it off! This is not the time or the place!” She grabbed my hand and jerked me away from Oliver. He just stood there looking dazed as she dragged me away from him. “Hold her hand,” she said shoving me at Hayden.

Hayden took my hand in hers and smiled sympathetically at me.

“What just happened?” I asked quietly and I shook my head trying to get my senses back.

“Oliver!” Julz hollered. “I need you with us.” She seemed to be taking charge and I still couldn’t figure out what had happened.

“I’m fine,” he said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“We can’t walk with all of them. We’d just be a moving target.”

“I know.” He paused for a moment. “There’s a gas station down there.” He gestured to the bottom of the hill. “I’ll try Felix again. Everyone try to walk calmly and hopefully we won’t draw any attention to ourselves.”

“What about the car?” Hayden asked.

“Crap! Hayden, you call Felix; Julz help me move it off to the side of the road into that field,” Oliver ordered.

It was an interesting and entertaining sight to watch Oliver and Julz shove that big black mess of a car over to the side of the road. I imagined the sound of the metal scraping across the asphalt might draw a little attention. I was also amazed that we had all survived and hadn’t been injured.

Once they had the car off of the road, we quickly walked down the hill to the gas station. We were in a section of town just off the freeway that wasn’t very populated, mostly trees, bushes, and wildlife. Hayden was still holding my hand and Oliver wasn’t making eye contact with me.

What the hell had happened?

We made it to the gas station at the bottom of the hill and Julz shoved Hayden and me into the restroom, following closely. “Both of you go now. Who knows when we’ll get another chance.” I was still confused and my head felt cloudy. We finished up in the bathroom and Julz glared at me as I washed my hands. I glared back.

I sat on the curb outside the gas station with Hayden on one side and Isaac on the other. Oliver and Julz stood close by us scanning the area repeatedly. Within ten minutes, Felix was there in the band’s van to pick us up. The van reminded me of the Mystery Machine and I half-expected Scooby and Shaggy to be sitting inside with some Scooby Snacks—which I would have happily eaten right then.

“What happened to your car?” Felix’s voice boomed, as Isaac slid the side door open.
Nope, no Scooby or Shaggy.

“I do not want to talk about it,” Oliver said, as we all climbed into the back of the van and sat on the bare floor. Hayden crawled into the front passenger seat.

As he drove away, Felix asked what had happened. I’m glad someone did because I was still clueless.

Hayden answered, “Mom had a fit and saw Oscar attacking Dad. That vampire that chased us is a shadow. He’ll be able to find us and stalk us. He’ll be after the three of us to get to Mom and Oliver. The single good thing is that he can only find us if he’s pointed in the right direction; he can’t find us on his own. But once he does find us, we won’t see him coming.”

“This is too risky. He knows too much, Oliver. We need to move everyone, including Laney,” Felix said.

“Oh, and Mom kicked that vampire off the car, exposing herself,” Hayden added.

Felix groaned.

“Yeah, well that’s nothing compared to what this idiot almost did,” she gestured to Oliver, who was sitting across from me with his head back and his eyes closed. His knees were raised and his arms were resting across them.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Felix broke the silence, “No, you didn’t,” he breathed. No one had said anything.

Didn’t what? What the hell was going on?
I’d had enough. I felt like they were all talking around me. “What the hell are you talking about? What’s going on?”

Oliver lifted his head, his eyes fixed on mine. “Laney, I will talk to you later. For now, let’s just focus on what to do about Oscar and his pet.”

“Tell her now, Oliver. Tell her what you were about to do back there,” Julz antagonized.

“Enough, Julz! You’re just causing problems,” Isaac calmly said from his corner of the van.

I focused on Oliver, my eyes pleading for answers. He forced a smiled at me; it didn’t meet his eyes.

“I’ll tell her once Felix takes us home,” his voice was strained.

“Do you really think you should be alone?” Felix asked.

“We’ll be fine.” He forced another smile at me. I was nervous about what we were going to talk about. It made my stomach feel queasy.

“We need to focus on the vampire problem,” Hayden said from the front seat.

“Ha! Oliver is the vampire problem,” Julz provoked.

I was ready to scream, to defend my vampire, when Felix’s voice boomed, “Julz! Not another word!” His deep voice seemed to fill the van.

She sank back against Isaac, defeated. It made me happy.

Oliver was smiling faintly at me when I returned my eyes back to him. It was more sincere this time and I was able to return a crooked smile of my own. He had felt the emotion of me defending him; my cheeks warmed.

“Anyway,” Hayden said, crawling back to join us. She sat next to me. “That psycho vampire wants us. He wants you, me, and Isaac.”

“Why does he want us?” I asked through a panic that was starting to set in.

She looked at Oliver and then back to me. “He’s working for Oscar, who thinks he can get my mom back by going through us—that she will exchange herself for us. And you—he wants you out of revenge. Oscar has brainwashed him to think he has to kill you out of vengeance, convinced him that he hungers for your blood, your body, and your soul.” I shuddered. “Oscar thinks Oliver stole my mom from him, but he saved her, and me.” My eyes met hers. She was so smart and calm for how young she was. Then it clicked: She was a vampire. Both of her biological parents were vampires.

Felix interrupted before I had a chance to say anything. “I’ve just talked to D; he’s sending protection. We’ll have the perimeter taken care of within the hour. We’ve got Lilly covered, too.”

“What? Lilly’s in danger?”

“Your scent, Laney. She’ll be fine; you haven’t been there in a while, and it’s faded. It’s just a precaution,” Oliver said, coming over to sit beside me.

“Everything will be fine once the perimeter is covered,” Felix offered.

“I’ve heard that one before,” I muttered under my breath.

Oliver leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Save it. We’ll talk once we get back home.”

I liked that he called it home.

Chapter 27 - Locked in the Closet with a Vampire

Barely coming to a complete stop, Felix dropped us off in the parking lot of our apartment complex and quickly sped away.

“Isn’t it too dangerous for us to be here?” I asked, as we hurried up the steps.

“It’s safer than anywhere else.”

“How so? Our scents are all over this place.” We were running down the path to Oliver’s place.

“Exactly. They won’t be able to tell if it’s fresh or from earlier today.”

He locked the door behind us and rushed me into his room.

“Do you think they won’t look here?”

“Oh, they will.” He closed the bedroom door, but didn’t lock it.

I had a sudden panic. “What about Carter and Kiera?”

“It’s already taken care of. I’ve told Carter that my brother is deranged and that if I ever felt there was any danger, I would tell him. I texted him earlier; they’re staying with Zoey tonight.”

“Why Zoey?” I asked. It seemed odd.

He lowered his voice and slid the closet door open. “She’s half-vampire.”

My mouth dropped; my eyes were bulged.
What the…?

“I need you to get in the closet.” His eyes were still dark.

“What?”

“Trust me; I will explain everything. Just get inside.”

I stood there staring at him like he had totally lost it. He took my arm and pushed me into the closet. He shoved all of his neatly hung clothes to the far right side. He stepped in and closed a panel door that was hidden in the wall and locked it into place at the top and the bottom. He then slid the regular closet door shut. It was dark. I heard a sound like he was pulling the panel out for the fridge. Yep, the fridge door opened and light flooded the closet. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall and opened a stainless steel bottle, downing the contents. He did this again with two more bottles and then pulled a fourth one out, looked at it, and put it back. The refrigerator closed and the closet went dark again.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“We’re safe in here.”

“In the freakin’ closet?” My voice was raised.

He grabbed my hand, pulled me down to the floor, and turned me so I was sitting between his legs with my back against his chest. “Yes, in the freakin’ closet. The panel I locked into place makes it look like a wall from inside the bedroom. They won’t be able to find us in here. It cuts off the scent, too, and the entire closet is lined with the same material.”

“Were you expecting to be hunted? This sort of thing happen to you often?” I asked sarcastically.

“This room has been this way for years. We always have one of our own staying here.”

I sat there quietly for a couple minutes as he held me tightly in his arms.

“I’ve got a few questions,” I whispered.

“I expected you would,” he whispered back, tickling my ribs.

I squealed and smacked at his arm. “Stop it! There are crazy vampires after us. This is no time to play.” I tried to be serious, but I couldn’t contain a snicker.

He leaned his head on my shoulder. “Question one?” he whispered and I felt that familiar stir inside me.
Not the time to play
, I repeated in my head.

“Zoey’s half vampire?” I kept my voice low.

“Yes,” he kept his voice quiet, too.

“Does she know?”

“Yes. She knows her father was a vampire. Her grandmother, who raised her, is a vampire, but she didn’t know any of this until recently.”

“Does she know you are?”

“No, she doesn’t. You’re the only one around here who knows that secret.” His arms squeezed me tighter.

“Hayden’s a vampire, right?”

“She’s half. There’s no guarantee she will become one. Though I have no doubt she’ll find a way if she doesn’t do it on her own.”

“I’m confused. She might turn into one? And if she doesn’t, she’ll find a way?”

“Half-bloods have a dormant vampire gene. They appear mortal until they hit puberty. Then the gene slowly becomes active. Remember I told you that if they are going to go through the change, it happens between the ages of twenty and twenty-two? It rarely happens before then. She still has a few years to wait and I am a little afraid that she’ll get impatient and try another way.”

“What way is that?” I whispered.

“Because she is half, a full vampire could turn her without complications. A mixed blood, like me, might not be able to do it.”

“Does she know any?”

“Felix is a pure-blooded vampire.”

“Really? Is that why he’s so big? Are pure vampires different like that?”

“Not always; depends on the line.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. How is Hayden only half if both of her parents are vampires?”

“Because only one was a vampire when she was born. Julz changed after Hayden was born and Oscar doesn’t know—well, didn’t until tonight. He actually thinks Isaac is Hayden’s real dad. Thankfully, he’s too stupid to see that she is his daughter.”

“How did she become a vampire?”

“That’s a story for another time,” he whispered into my ear, “and not my story to tell.”

I tried for a little more. “Isaac’s not a vampire, is he?”

“No.”

“What’s their story? I saw an old picture of them together.”

“They were high school sweethearts, but Julz got wrapped up with Oscar when he started working with her and she left Isaac for him. It’s interesting how they ended up back together. Isaac has raised Hayden like she was his own.”

“Wow, that’s devotion.”

“I think he’s just happy to have Julz back and looks at it as Hayden being another part of Julz to love.”

“Does Hayden know that Oscar’s her dad?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve made sure she knows everything. Plus, she is connected with Oscar, although he has no idea.”

“How?”

“It’s kind of complicated. Julz’s ability is connected to Oscar. She has flashes of what he is going to do and she can show you. That’s why I grabbed her hand tonight and had to look into her eyes. That’s how I saw what she saw.”

I interrupted. “So, that’s what you two were doing in the bedroom the other day?”

“Yes. She was showing me memories.” I didn’t understand why he didn’t just tell me that in the first place. Then he continued to explain, “Hayden can feel what Oscar is feeling if he is close enough—or, if the flash Julz has is strong enough, she can feel him through that and she sees glimpses of what Julz sees. We think it’s because Julz had been blood-bonded to Oscar before she got pregnant with Hayden.”

“Blood-bonded? He bit her?”

“He did, but that’s different. There are two ways to create a blood bond. Julz was bonded because she drank some of his blood. That type of bond is stronger when added with being bitten. When a mortal drinks the blood of a vampire that has bonded with them, it has similar effects as it does for the vampire if they are separated. I think they might be bonded in every way possible, which in their case, isn’t a good thing. That’s why I had to stop her that day on the highway. The need is sometimes stronger and she tries to find him. That’s also why I told Hayden to sedate her the other night.”

“Why did she drink his blood?” I was curious if this was something I would have to do when Oliver bonded with me.

“It was an accident. Now stop trying to dig more info out of me.” He kissed my cheek.

I let out a frustrated grumble. “What was Julz talking about in the van? What did you almost do?” I asked. I still felt a little irritated that he wouldn’t tell me more.

“Laney, are you sure you want this?” His voice was soft and thoughtful.

But it didn’t change my irritation. “What? To be locked in a closet with a hot vampire? Isn’t that every girl’s dream?”

He sighed. “I’m serious, Laney. Are you sure you want me in your life?”

The frustration faded immediately. I turned my body so I could face him and found his lips with mine, not that I could see anything, but I was sure he could. “Forever,” I whispered against his lips.

There was a sound in the bedroom—a click, like someone had opened the door. My heart rate picked up. Oliver squeezed me tight against his chest.

“Shh.” he whispered in my ear. It only made my heart beat faster.

We heard a bunch of commotion and muffled voices. My body tensed; I bit my bottom lip to keep from making a sound.

Something slammed against the wall and I jumped. I bit down harder, breaking the skin.

“Crap!” I whispered fiercely.

“Shh... Why…why are you bleeding?” he asked in a panicked whisper.

“I bit my lip.” I answered quietly.

“You’re killing me, Laney. Keep it in your mouth.”

I sucked my bottom lip in and kept my mouth closed tight.

It got quiet.

“I think they’re gone,” he whispered.

“How long do we have to stay in here?”

“What? Locked in a closet not your idea of romance?” He kissed my cheek.

“Ha! Ha!” I whispered back.

“How’s your lip?”

“Seems fine.”

“You’re a fast healer. I can’t smell it anymore.”

“That’s just weird,” I said quietly. I pressed my back against his chest again, his legs up on either side of me. I rested my elbows on his knees. I thought about what Julz had said in the van.

“You didn’t answer me about what Julz was talking about.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he groaned.

I leaned my head back against his chest and looked up at him. I pulled my cell phone out and unlocked it so it would give me a little light to see him. He had his head back against the wall.

“Please,” I begged, “you said you’d tell me.”

He lifted his head and looked at me with his gorgeous green eyes; the darkness in them was gone. “Fine,” he gave in. “Put your phone away first.”

“Fine,” I countered, as I locked it and put it on the floor. The light faded and went out.

“I almost bit you,” he groaned.

“What? When?” I shot up and away from him trying to turn to see his face. I reached for my phone to turn the light back on. He caught my hand as I fumbled for it.

“Please don’t,” he pleaded.

I stopped searching for it and rested my head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around me. “Why?” I asked softly. “Why did you almost bite me?”

He sighed. “It was stupid. I let myself go too long without eating. I thought it was fine, but…” he trailed off.

“But what?” I kept my voice very gentle and quiet. I lightly ran my fingers along his arm feeling his cool perfect skin and tight muscles.

“I was spent after we got out of the car and the smell of Isaac’s blood made it worse. Bloodlust started to set in. Then when…”

I cut him off. “What’s bloodlust?” I asked.

“It’s a vampire’s deepest desire to have fresh-from-the-vein blood. It can cause us to do things we normally wouldn’t do, things we can’t control.” I could hear the strain in his voice as he told me this. “With how worn out I was and the smell of Isaac’s blood, it was seriously pushing it. Then when I caught your emotions, it was over.” He moaned a little. “It sent me over the edge.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I had no idea how drained I was. Felix told me that bonding is exhausting, especially if you’re delaying it.”

“You told him?”

“I didn’t have to; he can smell it on me, and on you.”

“What?” I sat up again. I had noticed his scent, but nothing on me.

“Other vampires can smell it on me and know that I am in the bonding stage and they can smell me on you. Once the bonding is…” he cleared his throat, “…over, any vampires that come near you will know you’re mine.”

I was silent, taking it all in. The thoughts of how he would bond to me rushed through me causing me to tremble.

I think he picked up my emotions, but misinterpreted them. “It’s like marking your territory, except I’m not going to pee on you.” He chuckled nervously and I started laughing—especially because I actually visualized him peeing on me.

The laughing caused my lip to split open again and I felt him tense and quickly pull away from me.

Fear and excitement pulsed through me. I got closer and felt him try to pull further away. I crawled onto his lap and straddled him. “You can’t get away from me in here,” I teased seductively.

“Stop it, Laney.” His voice wavered and he started to push me off of him.

I held on tight to his shirt. “You lick it,” I demanded softly. “You heal it with your superpowers.” I tried to kiss him, but he put his palm on my chest just between my boobs. It prevented me from getting any closer, but not from getting more excited. “I saw you down three bottles; you’ll control yourself.”

“Fresh is different. It’s better and I haven’t had it in so long…I don’t know how I’ll react.”

“You’ve had blood from someone before?” I asked quietly. Something about that made me sad and disappointed. I wanted mine to be the first he had. I don’t know why I had assumed he had never had it fresh before. I really didn’t know anything about his early vampire years.

“It wasn’t like that. I had to,” he defended. “I don’t want to lose control and hurt you,” he whispered and then relaxed his hand on my chest. Then it slipped down my stomach and over to my hip. Stopping there, his fingers lightly gripped my bum and his thumb gently rested in the crook of my hip and thigh. His touch made my body hunger for him.

I leaned in to kiss him and he stopped me.

“What now?” My agitation was returning; he was stopping me from what I wanted.

“It’s not safe, Laney. The bloodlust sensation is lingering and if it comes back, I could hurt you, or worse,” his tone was strained and serious.

My body slumped back against his knees.

“Can you at least lick your finger and wipe it over my lip so I can stop
torturing
you?” I said with an exhale of frustration.

His finger gently touched my lip. “It doesn’t work the same, but it might help.”

I rolled off of him and onto my stomach on the hard closet floor.

“I guess the vampire closet designer didn’t consider sleepy mortals in his design plan.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he laughed quietly and ran his finger lightly down my back. Shivers ran through me.