The Sweetest Kill: A Young Adult Paranormal (19 page)

“I could heal this, you know.”

“With more blood?”

“Yes.”

“Then, no.”

He frowns, “Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to.”

Tobias’s lips purse and he looks unimpressed by my argument, but doesn’t push it. Instead, he changes tact, “Tomorrow, I’ll need you to accompany an employee of mine on an errand.”

I arch an eyebrow, “Another errand?”

He grins at my trepidation, “Don’t worry, I think you may like this one.”

“The employee or the errand?”

“Both, but hopefully one more than the other.”

I nod and yawn before sighing tiredly. I’m exhausted. What time is it? Everything is so dark around here that it’s hard to tell, even the windows are blacked out with shades. Either way, the day mustn’t be over yet. Pulling the towel off my head, I place it on the bench at the foot of the bed, before scooting up the cot. I feel Tobias’s eyes on me, but I don’t particularly care.

“Tired?”

I hum a response and pull back the black comforter to cover myself. The sheets are very soft and surprisingly not black. They’re actually a dark blood red. I scoff out loud, as I slide into them. Of course they’d be red.

“Do you wish me to leave?” He asks.

I shrug and grab one of his pillows to cuddle with.

“Are you beyond the power of speech?”

I flip him off, making him chuckle. I close my eyes but feel the bed dip on the opposite side of me. I peek open my eyes to see Tobias moving closer to me, so he is mere inches away from me on this massive bed. I squeeze my eyes shut again and let out a sigh. I guess there’s nothing to do about it now. I suspect it’s his bed anyway.

Cool fingers brush the side of my face and I remain still. His lips kiss my forehead and I squeeze his pillow tighter in my grip. I don’t open my eyes, but he moves his fingers off my face to run them through my damp hair. This is better, this I can handle. As he rhythmically moves his fingers through my hair, I feel myself go limp with exhaustion.

“Sleep well.” I hear him whisper faintly thorough the haze of my sleepy brain, “Dream of me.”

And for the first time in years, I sleep without disruption, nightmare, or worry. 

Acquaintance

I wake up to the feeling of warmth on my face and the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. Cracking my eyes open, I see the tall bay windows are uncovered, letting the sunshine in. It takes me a minute to realize that the reason those windows look unfamiliar is because I’m not in my apartment. I’m nowhere near my apartment.

Sitting up, I look around and try to get my grip on the reality of the situation. I’m a guest in a vampire’s house, in his room, and is using his bed. Yeah, that’s a normal thing to wake up to. I’m rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, when my stomach growls loudly. I put my hand against it, but hiss when I press on a bruise by accident.

I pull up the silk pajama shirt and grimace at the sight of my stomach. It’s riddled with large welts and bruises all over my torso, leading around my back. I can’t see the ones at the back, but if I sit up too straight, something seems to pull. Letting my shirt fall back down, I pull down the tops of the pajama pants and see more injuries on my legs. Ugh, well those are going to take a while to heal.

Maybe I should just take Tobias up on his offer of more blood. I’m a little confused as to why it didn’t heal the bruises in the first place, if he gave me blood before, to combat the shock. I shrug and then wince at the pain it causes. I guess that question will be added on to my growing list. Pushing off the sheet and blankets from my body, I shiver a little at the sudden lack of warmth. He did say he needed it to stay chilly to be comfortable. Don’t know why I have to freeze to death though.

The dark hard wood of the floor below meets my feet, as I get off the bed. I’m suddenly distracted by the brightness outside. Looking out the windows, I see that there’s a large garden. Actually, it’s more like a hedge maze but not one you can get lost in. Since it’s winter, all the shrubs are barren branches, but the ornate pattern is clearly seen, even through the newly fallen snow.

Forcing myself to avert my gaze, I plod my way towards the bedroom door. I don’t really know how to get anywhere outside of this door, but I shouldn’t imagine it to be that hard. I mean, it’s a huge house, sure, but that doesn’t mean I’ll need a map to get around. At least, I hope not. Turning the door knob, I slowly push the door open and peek into the outside hallway. Again, it surprises me how full of light it is and in my slight daze, I walk further out of the bedroom.

The hallway is fairly large but open outside of the bedroom. I can see more rooms down either side of the hallway, but those don’t really interest me at the moment. The thing that catches my attention is the two way staircase that leads down to a ground level. I walk towards the nearby banister and grab it in my hands, as I marvel at my surroundings. It’s not every day I’m surrounded by such splendor.

“It’s nice isn’t it?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the unfamiliar voice and clutch my chest. I spin around to see a familiar face. Long, loose dark brown hair, high cheekbones, and brown almond shaped eyes. As I try to catch my breath, his thick dark eyebrows furrow into a scowl as he looks at my face.

“I might have something for the bruising.” He tells me gruffly.

“Huh?” I breathe, completely confused.

He gestures towards my cheek, “The bruising.”

Dumbly I touch my face and hiss before gaping at him, “Aren’t you… um, Tanner?”

He laughs a little and shakes his head, “Close but no cigar. It’s Tyler.”

“Oh.” I mutter, my face heating up, “Sorry.”

He waves it off, “No worries. I didn’t properly introduce myself anyway. My full name is Tyler Parrish. I don’t know if that makes you feel any better.”

“Sort of.” I tell him quietly, as I eye the hand he has extended towards me.

Tyler looks at his hand too before quickly taking it back, “Right, no touching. I forgot.”

I frown, “Who said you couldn’t?”

“The boss.”

“The b-boss?” I echo unsteadily.

He nods and looks at me with concern, “Are you alright?”

“Just confused as hell.” I admit with a little laugh, “What are you doing here?”

Tyler twists his mouth in thought before clicking his tongue, “You look hungry. I’ll make you a deal, you follow me down to the kitchen, let me feed you, and then we can go over the dirty details of how we crossed paths.”

“Dirty details?”

He grins, “Absolutely filthy.”

Biting my lower lip, I consider it for a second before nodding, “Deal.”

Tyler beams at me, before turning around and heading for the stairs. It’s clear that I’m meant to follow, so after a moment’s hesitation, I do. I stare at his back, as he walks in front of me, trying to work out the reason for him being here on my own. He’s connected to Tobias, but how? A sinking feeling makes itself known in my stomach, as a thought comes to me. What if he works for him? What if Tyler is the employee I was supposed to hang out with today?

“Hey, you okay? You look a bit sick.”

I step back as I realize he’s paused on the stairs and I blink at him, “What?”

“You look a bit sick,” He repeats slowly, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a lot to take in.”

Tyler shrugs at me, “Okay. Well since the big guy isn’t up yet, I’ll give you a quick tour. This is the staircase, obviously. You were upstairs, where the bedrooms are, as well as the boss’s personal storage areas. Down here is where the fun is at. The kitchen, the billiard room, ballroom, music room, dining room, and Mr. Van Garrett’s personal office. Oh and a library, but that’s due for renovations, so it’s off limits at the moment.”

“Wow.” I breathe, looking around.

The décor through the rest of the house is pretty stereotypical, but a clear extension of Tobias’ room. Shades of black, dark red, and gray, are everywhere in the house with very small amounts of white. It sort of reminds me of the house in The Haunting. The classic 1963 version, not that crappy remake. Anyway, it’s definitely something you’d picture for a vampire’s house. Maybe this is just standard blood sucking decorating procedure, I don’t know.

“You’d get used to it.” Tyler tells me.

Turning my attention to him again, I ask, “You live here?”

“Yup. In the west wing.”

“Did you know who I was when you helped me at the cafe?” I demand with narrow eyes.

Tyler smiles a bit sheepishly, “Yes.”

“What about when you bumped into me on the street?”

His expression becomes distant before it suddenly clears and he throw his hands up in surrender, “I didn’t, and I apologize.”

“Fine.” I relent after a few more minutes of glaring, “Why were you at the café anyway?”

“Boss’s orders. Wanted me to keep an eye on you and collect information on you. I’ve worked a lot of odd jobs for the man, really odd actually, but stalking? Never.”

“Why would he want you to keep an eye on me?” I ask, more to myself.

“Food then talk. You agreed.”

I make a face but nod before waving him forward, “Okay, lead the way then.”

Tyler keeps heading down the never ending stairs and I follow, my hand skimming the tops of the banister the entire way. We walk through a large formal dining room and an informal one, before Tyler pushes his way into the kitchen. As I pass through the last barrier, I gasp at the sight of the kitchen. It’s a full chef’s kitchen with three stoves, two fridges, and more counter space than anyone could ever need. It’s more like the kitchen for a restaurant than a private residence.

“Wow.” I breathe again. Apparently, Tobias is not a fan of the ‘less is more’ theory.

“Yeah, wow.” Tyler repeats before throwing a smirk over his shoulder at me, “Just a warning, don’t go in the second fridge.”

I frown, “Why?”

Tyler shudders visibly, “Just don’t.”

Okay then…

“Eggs alright with you?” Tyler asks as he opens the first stainless steel fridge, “You look like you need some protein.”

I shrug and try to think of a question. I have a million questions of course, but I need to narrow it down to one, for starters. I guess I could start with the obvious question. I’m brought out of my thoughts, as a glass clinks on the dark granite countertop of the kitchen island. I realize it’s orange juice and look up to see Tyler smile at me, before gesturing for me to sit on one of the nearby stools.

With shuffling steps, I do as ordered and sit on top of one of the stools. It has a back on it, so I relax into that and try to find time to start my interrogation. Tyler puts a frying pan on one of the stove tops. He ignites it up with a few distracting clicks of the valve before the fire whooshes into existence. Gingerly, I reach out and take the glass of orange juice in my hands and start sipping it. Its citrus flavor erupts on my tongue, and I realize how parched I really am.

“So, questions.” Tyler prompts, his back to me, “I’m sure you have plenty.”

“I do.” I answer warily, “But I’m wondering how many you’re permitted to answer.”

He grins over his shoulder at me, making a dimple visible on his cheek, “The boss said you were smart.”

“I doubt that.” I disagree dryly, “Why do you keep calling him boss?”

He shrugs, “Because that’s what he is.”

“How did you come to work for him?” I ask, figuring I’ve had enough built up to just blurt it out.

Tyler surprises me by laughing before turning around as the egg sizzles on the frying pan, “Now that’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

“Well, for me to tell you about how I got into Mr. Van Garrett’s service, you’ll need to know something else about me.”

“Being?” I prompt when he hesitates.

“I’m a lycanthrope.”

I repeat the word in my head but I’m not making any connections, “Which is…”

He rolls his dark eyes, “In more barbaric terms, werewolf.”

I stare at him blankly, before starting to laugh, really hard. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and my stomach is aching from the laughter. Actually, my stomach is really hurting. I hiss under my breath as my ribs start to protest with my bigger snorts of laughter. I hold my side and see Tyler looking at me with amusement. His amusement isn’t as irritating as Tobias’ amusement. It’s almost like Tyler’s in on the joke, while Tobias always make me feel like I’m the butt of his joke.

“S-Seriously?” I ask, still beside myself.

“Yup. Genetic quirk, even less common than a vampire. Goes way back in the family, countless generations but ended up resurfacing with me. Just the luck of the draw, I guess.”

“So you can turn into a real wolf?”

He tilts his head side to side, “Not exactly. I look more like a hybrid. I can stand on my hind legs and I’m not completely a slave to my instincts. I have a lot of control in either of my forms.”

“What about full moons?”

Tyler grimaces, “Not a pretty scene, but the moon does hold sway. It’s a time when our wolf side really takes over.”

“Silver bullets?”

“Well shooting would hurt anyone, no matter the metal and before you ask, no wolfsbane does nothing. Mistletoe, on the other hand, burns like a bitch”

I arch a brow, “Mistletoe.”

“Don’t ask.” He dismisses before turning back to the stove and grabbing a spatula to scramble the eggs, “So, any other questions before I tell you my tale of woe?”

“You have a tale of woe?”

Tyler smirks, “Doesn’t everyone?”

“True.” I admit before asking, “How old are you?”

“Well unlike our gracious host, I don’t live for centuries but since I can shapeshift, my aging is a bit stilted. Aging a year takes years for me. My body regenerates too fast for me to age normally.”

“Okay.” I say after processing that, “So, what age are you really?”

“Why? Trying to find out if I’m legal?” He asks with a smirk.

I roll my eyes, “No. I’m just curious.”

“Fair enough.” He admits with a laugh before humming on consideration, “Give or take a year I’d say I’m around forty.”

“Forty?” I splutter, taking a look at him, “You look like you’re in your early twenties!”

He just winks at me, “Lycan benefits.”

“Wow.” I sigh, settling down into my chair, “Some ladies uptown would kill to have your secret.”

“I believe so. So anything else?” Tyler asks as he places a plate of steaming scrambled eggs before me.

“How did you come to work for him? Tobias, I mean. Aren’t werewolves and vampires mortal enemies?”

“Lycan.” He corrects automatically, “And no. We’re not. We just don’t cross paths often. Vampires usually hang out in covens and enjoy well populated areas, while Lycans are more solitary. We don’t have packs and we don’t play well with others.”

“If that’s true, isn’t being here kind of put a damper on that whole system?” I ask pointedly.

“Sort of.” He admits with a slight smile, “But I owe Tobias my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was in the early nineties when we met. I was barely sixteen and was living on the streets, as an orphan. A Lycan’s first shift comes with puberty. I was twelve when I first shifted and my parents were horrified. They shot at me, and almost killed me, and on instinct, I struck back. I nearly killed my dad and injured my mom. I couldn’t go back there, didn’t want to go back there.”