Chapter Ten

Grabbing her pillow and burying her face in it, Paige moaned when she heard the front door knocking. She took a moment to peek at her clock. It was ten past eight which was when Meg left. Another knock came from the front and it was a bit louder. Paige moaned as she threw her pillow and got up. Her mind was still in sleep mode so she got a wakeup call when her foot got caught in the blankets, causing her to fall on her face. She quickly pushed herself up and stumbled around in her dark room.

Rubbing her eyes and bumping against the walls in the hallway, she blindly made her way to the door. Meg was long gone so the only person who could be at the door was their neighbor. Sometimes their mail got mixed up and would receive the latest addition of Mob Candy. The guy hadn't had a date in over two years.

"Mr. Richardson," Paige shouted as she got to the door, "we don't have your magazines!"

All the sleep in her burned to smithereens and was instantly replaced with complete embarrassment when she saw it wasn't her neighbor standing on the other side.

"What kind of magazines?" asked Dhusk in a cheery voice.

Paige shrieked before slamming the door on the vampire's face. She heard him yelp in pain since his nose got the tail end of the hard wood. While Dhusk was probably checking his nose, Paige glanced down at what her sleep attire. Besides her messy hair which was always like this in the morning, all she was wearing was a large shirt which hung on her shoulders and panties. She freaked when Dhusk knocked again before frantically looking at the living room. There was a blanket on the couch so she darted over, wrapped it around her waist, and darted back at the door. She took in another breath before cracking the door open.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked while rubbing his red nose.

"How did you know where I lived?"

The vampire's face turned red just like his nose when he said, "I might've followed you home last night."

Paige shut the door and locked it this time.

"Not like that! I just wanted to make sure you got home safe."

This time Paige made sure to have the little chain on before opening up. A part of her didn't see the point in the act. Dhusk could just appear in her living room if he wanted. "Do I need to get a restraining order or something?" she asked through the crack.

Dhusk gave her a shy smile. There was something about that smile which calmed her down. Sighing, Paige closed the door and opened it up. The vampire noticed the blanket she was wearing and quirked an eyebrow. All she did was shake her head to keep him from asking question. He answered with a nod and cleared his throat. "Uh, I have a tiny problem."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"You have no idea." Dhusk brought his hand up to touch his nose and he flinched. There wasn't any blood so that meant it wasn't broken. "Hhavoc's being an ass about his jacket."

"Again, personal problem."

"He's taken up residents in my bedroom and won't let me in until I bring it back." When Paige began taping her fingers along the door, Dhusk gave at tired sigh. "I would take my cousin on if it weren't for his dog."

"So a big, bad vampire is afraid of a little dog?"

"You've never met this dog."

Because she wanted to get back to bed, Paige grunted and swung the door wide open for Dhusk to get through. She gave him two seconds before closing it on his ass. Making sure her hold on the blanket was good, she shuffled down the hallway while Dhusk explored the living room. The first thing Paige did was grab a pair of slacks she found on the floor and slipped into them. She then started scurrying around on the floor in search for that blasted jacket. Her journey led her all the way to her desk. There was a big pile there so she tore through it until her fingers rapped around the leather. Paige gave herself a victory cheer as she stood up and cursed when her head hit the desk.

Karma was a bitch.

Paige returned to her shuffling routine as she made her way down the hallway. For a second, she wondered how she could lose a six foot vampire when she saw Dhusk wasn't in the living room. There was a shadow coming from the kitchen so Paige shuffled over to the entrance to find the vampire inspecting the place. Even though his back was towards her, Paige pointed to the window with the curtains drawn back and asked, "How are you out in the sun?"

"My mahmen is human so I can be out in the day."

"Mahmen?"

"My mom."

"Oh. So the whole vampire burning in sun thing is real?"

"Only for those whose parents are both vampires. Me and my siblings are in the clear."

Nodding along to this newfound information, Paige threw the jacket which landed on Dhusk's head. He laughed when he removed it from his hair. When he turned around to face Paige, his eyes went all puppy sad because she was tapping her foot impatiently. She just found out he was a vampire and now he was at her place. There were so many surprises she could handle and this one almost sent her over. And she was awake! Paige really hated today.

Sensing sleep creeping its way back in her, Paige yawned while drudging over to the living room. She didn't care if Dhusk watched her flop over the arm of the couch and shimmy until her small body was on. Digging her face in the crack of the couch, she drew in a deep breath before yawning into the cushion.

"Uh, should I go?"

"I don't care," she answered in the pillow. A moment passed that she wondered if he was still in her apartment. Paige brought her head out of the dark corner to take a peek. Dhusk was standing in front of her with a curious look. "Stay, go. Just lock the door. And stay out of our rooms." She turned her face back in her crack and closed her eyes.

Paige wondered if her mind played with her because she swore she heard Dhusk laugh.

The male had just finished laughing when he noticed Paige really did fall asleep in front of him. To make sure she was out, Dhusk gave her a gentle nudge and chuckled when her body rotated away from him. However, when Paige twisted around, her shirt rode up her back and Dhusk's playful smile turned into a frown.

There was a nasty scar on her back.

Being careful not to wake her, Dhusk sat down next to Paige. His finger brushed over the hard tissue that covered a tiny portion of her skin. The scar stretched around where her left lung would be. Dhusk wasn't a doctor but he was sure this scar was rested under the lung. Any closer and it would be right in the center. Paige shifted around when his fingers touched real skin so he pulled back.

Squeezing the jacket in his hand, the male stood up and decided to tour down the hallway. One door was open so he peeked in that one first. It was clean with a newly made beg. Dhusk figured this one was Meg's room. The male never officially met Paige's sister but she kind of scared him a bit. Taking a step back, he turned on his heel to face the other bedroom. This door was closed so it must've been Paige's. Dhusk ignored her threat and opened it up a bit. The first thing he spotted was the blanket she had been wearing earlier. He stepped in to retrieve it.

As Dhusk picked up the blanket, he looked up to notice how different this room was. Thick curtains covered the window so no light filtered in except from behind him. Clothes semi covered the floor and a disorganized bed rested along the wall. There was a book shelf with a couple of items resting on its shelves. Dhusk noticed how the desk next to the shelf was occupied by many trinkets. Something must've happened since the male figured those trinkets belonged to the shelf. Paige was probably putting them back in their rightful place.

A broken picture frame one a nightstand caught the male's attention. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't behind him, Dhusk crossed the room and picked up the picture. The glass was shattered that he could feel the photo itself. In the picture was Paige and Meg when they were younger. This picture looked like it was taken three or four years ago.

Dhusk found himself staring at Paige's parents. He now wondered where they were.

He placed the picture back on its stand and closed the door behind him. Paige was where he left her. Seeing the scar caused him to cringe inside. Surely there was a story behind it and not a good one. He would figure a way to ask her in time. As for now, Dhusk placed the blanket over Paige's sleeping body. She sighed and wrapped her fingers around its edges.

Dhusk walked over to the front door to lock it. There was something inside him that didn't approve of the security. There was only a lock and a chain. Anyone could get in with the right amount of force. Dhusk told himself that he would from now on make sure Paige got home from work safely.

Glancing once more at the couch, Dhusk no longer had the heart to smile as he dematerialized.

"Hhavoc."

Dhusk jumped back when he heard a terrifying snarl coming from his room. The male was a bundle of nerves when his cousin slowly opened the door. Hhavoc used his leg to keep the dog from charging at the intruder. When Hhavoc brought his eyes up at Dhusk, the male made sure to hold the jacket at arm's length for his cousin to take.

He snatched it and pushed the door wide open. "Was that so hard?" he asked in a low voice. Dhusk barely heard him since he kept a wary eye on Razor. The brown covering the dogs body and white under his belly bristled like he was facing an enemy. Ears perked at the ready and his tail straight out, the dog's head reached his master's waist. Razor was a bit taller than his grandfather and sibling, Dorian. Both Dorian and Razor were pups of Vegas's line. Ahnger's old dog had a litter before passing away and these two were from one of those dogs.

Holding out his arm for his cousin to get out, Dhusk stepped out of the way since Razor was still glaring at him like he was fair game. That dog didn't like anyone except for Hhavoc. Dhusk continued to wonder why the dog had it out for him. The snap Razor did had Dhusk shiver.

Right when Hhavoc brushed past his cousin, a wave of fatigue crashed down on the male that he swayed on his feet. Hhavoc noticed as well since Dhusk had to reach out to catch himself. Rubbing his head, Dhusk shook his head until the sensation faded away. His mouth was dry so he swallowed to wet it. The act did little to help him.

"When was the last time?" his cousin asked.

"I think last week." In other words, Dhusk didn't remember when he last fed.

Hhavoc smirked to himself. "A vampire who always forgets to feed and another one who can't turn the noise off in his head. We're both fucked up."

Dhusk wouldn't deny the claim. Because Hhavoc was his main partner, the male was the only person who knew about Dhusk's little problem. There were times were even his cousin would have to get on his ass to feed. Dhusk made a mental note to call Phury and see if he could meet with a Chosen tonight.

"Was she pissed when you showed up?"

"Didn't you see my nose?"

His cousin chuckled this time. When he went silent, Dhusk figured they would go their separate ways. He figured wrong because Hhavoc called his name when he was about to close his door. "There's something broken inside that girl. That's why she's quick to anger and alone." Before Dhusk could ask what he meant, Hhavoc tapped his temple. "I could hear the echoes from here. They weren't as hostile like usual when the two of you were together. I get the feeling she's starting to trust you."

The way how Hhavoc spoke made Dhusk a little uneasy.

"I know you told her. You were pretty loud yourself. I really don't care since I'm cool with her. All I have to say is make sure she doesn't get in trouble because of you."

Dhusk sighed as the both of them closed the doors behind them. His cousin's words played on his mind. As Dhusk kicked his boots off and tossed his shirt, he laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. What Hhavoc said was true because he saw it in Paige. He saw how she kept to herself and was ready to use her anger first on people. She used it less on him than the time when he saw her with her sister. Those two possessed so much tension that it seemed a miracle they lived under the same roof.

The scar on Paige's back haunted him. He wanted to know how she got that. He also wanted to know about her parents. If he wanted to know right away, all the male had to do was call up V and have him run through her records. Dhusk shook that idea off as fast as he thought it. Hhavoc said he felt that she was beginning to trust him. She even told him he could stay at her place as long as he locked it up. Hopefully he would play his cards right to the point where he could finally get to know the real Paige.