Chapter Eight
Flick groaned into the crook of her arm; her aching neck unable to support the weight of her own head. The timer on the coffee machine bleeped obnoxiously, the sound like a tornado siren to her far-too sensitive ears. She hadn't even so much as sniffed alcohol last night yet somehow felt like she was suffering with the most intense, debilitating hangover of her life. The house was overly quiet, so silent that she could hear every sigh and pop of the old copper pipes along with every creak of the houses, tired foundation. It was almost eerie how much more in-tune she felt with her surroundings despite between her ears feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool and the incessant protesting ache of her body.
Following a brief struggle with her own will and muscle strength, Flick managed to haul herself up onto aching, jellified legs, practically dragging herself across the kitchen in desperate need of coffee, hoping that the bittersweet beverage would perk her up, even if it was only a little. She was on her way back to the table when the landline rung, the shrill droning symphony of chiming bells causing a shooting pain to hit her straight between the eyes. "Shit, shit, shit," she winced, ambling as fast as her aching legs would carry her to the phone. "Hello?" she answered, a little breathless from the exertion.
"Flick honey - are you OK?" her mom Lucy's worried voice crackled down the line as Flick sagged against the wall, gulping down a mouthful of overly sweet coffee.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she brushed off her mother's concern.
"Why do you sound so out of breath? What on earth have you been doing?"
"Jazzercize," she blurted the first thought that came into her head. Fucking jazzercize? If she had a free hand, she'd slap herself. "Yeah, it was on one of the cable channels and you're always banging on about how much fun it is, I thought I'd give it a try myself…" the lies rolled easily off her tongue.
"Oh," Lucy sounded genuinely surprised. "I'm so glad you're taking more of an interest in your health, perhaps when I get back, we can do a class together?"
Flick's face fell, the idea of dressing in neon spandex and leg warmers and prancing around a studio with her mother to the latest top 40 hits was one of sheer mortification. "Sure mom, maybe," she croaked, almost choking on the coffee she was in the process of swallowing.
"How's everything at home? Where are your brothers?"
"Everything's fine – Sam's holed up at his friends house playing video games, eating junk and reading comics and Mike's incognito. I think he's spending all his time with his new girlfriend," Flick explained, her face screwing up in distaste as her mind conjured Star's indignant sour face.
"So, you're all alone?" Lucy sounded concerned and Flick's stomach dropped.
"And lovin' it," she chimed in a forced perky voice, making her own toes curl. "It's been great having the place to myself, not having to fight for the TV remote and having free-reign of the snacks. Plus, I've kinda made my own friends, we've been hanging out – Santa Carla's really starting to feel like home…" she hyped, playing to her mother's soft heart.
"Oh, that's wonderful Flick, you don't know how relieved I am to hear that," Lucy sighed, Flick could practically hear her smile.
"Anyway, enough about me, what about you? How's the retreat?" Flick changed the subject.
"So far, it's been a lot of team building and an endless string of seminars, but the evenings are our own…"
Flick heard her mother's wistful exhale down the phone. "Oh yeah, and what do your evening's consist of? Hot, pre-marital sex with the elusive Max?" she teased, fighting back her laughter when she heard her mother gasp in shock.
"Felicity Emerson, I don't know where your mind goes sometimes but it's nowhere good, that's for sure," Lucy scolded, and Flick snorted.
"C'mon mom, is the idea of you being happy with a man who doesn't treat you like a live-in nanny such a horrible thing? You deserve some happiness after everything dad put you through and if this Max dude makes you happy, then don't hold back – go for it, whatever it is," Flick smirked.
"Your minds in the gutter young-lady," Lucy chuckled. "Any way, I have to go, we've got a two-hour seminar on how to keep your team happy whilst still maintaining a stable work environment."
"Sounds like a blast."
"I'm just in it for the free coffee and pastries," Lucy joked, and Flick smiled. "I'll see you in a few days honey and for the love of your long-suffering mother's sanity – behave."
"See you mom, I'll be sure to be on my best behaviour, in fact, I'm polishing my halo as we speak."
"Oh, you…" Lucy chuckled. "Bye sweetie," she chimed before the line went dead.
Flick hooked the phone back into the receiver, dumped her empty mug in the kitchen sink and hauled herself back to her room, fully intending to take a nap in an attempt to sleep off the after effects of last night's clearly life and body altering events.
~/~
Flick was half-comatose, laid out on the couch, her energy levels still set to sluggish but the ache in her limbs and at the back of her eyes had thankfully started to abate. It was another suffocatingly hot afternoon and despite opting for a pair of acid wash denim cut-offs and an iron-maiden t-shirt she'd customed into a vest, she still felt overheated and irritatingly sticky. The sound of footsteps broke the monotonous calm of the house and her eyes drifted from the high-speed high-way chase playing on the TV to the stairs where she found Michael and Star making their way downstairs.
She hadn't even realised anyone was home…
"Hey, I wanna talk to you," Michael stated when he spotted her, his tone and facial expression more than a little testy.
"I'm listening…." Flick sighed, pushing herself upright, trying to ignore the death glare Michael's girlfriend was giving her from across the room.
"I don't want you bringing that douchebag home again, got it?" he sneered, folding his arms across his chest in a clear attempt at intimidation.
Flick scoffed indignantly, getting to her feet, he definitely inherited their father's self-righteous attitude, an attitude she wasn't prepared to succumb to unlike her mother. "I don't know who the hell you think you are Mike, but I don't take orders from you and if I wanna hang with Paul at home, then you pouting and puffing out your chest isn't going to stop me," she retorted, mimicking his hostile body language.
"Yeah? Well the next time I catch him here, he's dog food – if the asshole thinks he can threaten my girlfriend and just walk away he's got another thing coming!"
"I think you'll find you're the one that walked away Mike," Flick countered, amused and Michael scowled, his eyes flashing with anger. "Besides, he was just standing in my corner seen as apparently you'll let your girlfriend talk to me anyway she wants."
"Don't bring Star into this," he sneered in warning.
"Why not? She's clearly the problem here, look at her, she's obviously enjoying you leaping to her defence like some love-sick knight in shining armour," Flick gestured to Star who was stood smirking by the armchair. "Paul was right, she's poison, you just can't see it – she probably flashes her tits and wiggles her ass in your face and you're on your knees. Get some self-respect Mike. Give your head a shake and realise she's using you!"
Flick didn't see her brother's hand flying towards her face but she sure as shit felt it when the palm of his open hand struck her cheek, almost knocking her off her feet. Her own hand reflexively reached to cup her throbbing cheek as she tasted the metallic tang of blood on her tongue, staring at her brother in utter disbelief.
Sure, they'd fought before but he'd never hit her, this was a new low.
"Anything else you wanna say?" Michael snarled, getting in her face.
"Yeah – Fuck. You," Flick spat, shouldering past him as she made a bee-line for the front door.
"That's right run crying to your boyfriend-" Michael taunted, "-maybe he can fuck the pain away, after all, it's what whores like you like, right?"
Flick glanced back at her brother with hatred, seeing the face of her father reflected back at her and found herself struggling to hold back the mountain of expletives and home-truth's she had in her reserve but found herself rendered mute by anger and the tears that had formed a lump in the back of her throat. Without another word spoken, Flick turned on her heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her hard enough to rattle the frame.
~/~
Paul growled, driving his fist into the rib-cage of his latest victim, relishing in the unmistakable sound of snapping bone, his desire for violent, bloody murder rocketing until all he could see was red and all he could think about was wrapping his fist around a warm, beating heart. He was still more than a little worked up about the previous night's encounter with Flick's douchebag brother and the poisonous bitch hanging off his arm and if the snarls of anger and sounds of tearing flesh coming from a few feet away were anything to go by, David wasn't dealing with it very well either.
"You should have K'O'd the cocky son of a bitch, laid him out right there on his own kitchen floor," Marko panted wiping the back of his hand over his bloodstained lips, a lifeless corpse hanging limply from his clenched fist.
"I'll deal with him if you want," Dwayne offered, kicking the groaning lump of mutilated flesh by his feet.
"I only let it slide 'cause Flick asked me to, next time I ain't playing around, I'll gut the fucker," Paul stated coldly, grabbing his victim by the scruff of his neck when he tried to crawl to safety. His thoughts digressed from the writhing body in his arms to Flick's brother's arrogant face and a surge of rage flooded his body, so much so that he outwardly shook with restraint. Paul growled, sinking his teeth into his victims skull causing warm, coppery liquid to spurt skyward, showering the furious immortal in the man's sweet, metallic life-force.
Paul groaned in satisfaction as the warm, crimson liquid trickled down his throat, soothing the painful itch of his thirst. He plunged his clawed fist into the mans chest, the sound of his shrill, agonised screams sending a thrill rocketing through him as he swiftly ripped out his heart. Paul tossed the bloodied cadaver to the floor and brought the cooling organ to his lips, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he sank his teeth into the succulent tissue, groaning in ecstasy as he devoured the stolen organ with relish.
"Better?" Dwayne grinned, slinging his arm around his pack brother's shoulders.
Paul could only grunt in response as the euphoric effects of the feed flooded his body, making his head spin as he doubled over, planting his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath.
~/~
Paul sauntered through the growing crowds flocking the amusement park, hopping up onto the slowly rotating carousel with Marko and Dwayne flanking his sides whilst David brought up the rear, his piercing blue eyes scanning the crowds with disinterest as he drew a smouldering cigarette to his lips. Paul could sense that Flick was in the near vicinity, his innate instinctual connection to his mate making his core throb whilst the mouth-watering scent of her flooded his overstimulated senses.
He laughed, shoving Marko when the curly-haired blonde swung from the bars of the colourful equestrians, kicking at him with the toe of his boots. Paul stepped down from the carousel with silent, practiced grace, his predators eyes tracking the crowds. Flick's scent was growing stronger along with the gnawing ache in his core and he knew she was close. He took a few steps before he paused, causing both Dwayne and Marko to crash into his back yet he didn't move even an inch, his body rigid leaving his two pack brothers awkwardly bouncing back on their heels. "Dude, if your gonna stop traffic, paint yourself orange and stand in the middle of the free-way," Marko nudged Paul's shoulder, shaking his head in amusement.
"What is it?" Dwayne asked, ever the quiet observer, obviously noticing Paul's tense demeanour.
"What's the hold up? You finally run out of fucking batteries?" David scoffed, coming to a smooth halt beside the trio.
"Something's wrong," Paul frowned, his brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?" Marko mirrored his friends frown as he peered through the sea of bodies.
"I can scent Flick's around but her scent's off," Paul explained, running his hand through his hair.
"Off in what way? Is she sick?" Dwayne asked, using his height advantage to peer over the crowds.
"No, her scents mixed with something bitter… like I don't know… something just ain't right…"
"Bitter? I find bitter scents often mean the person's upset or hurt… perhaps scorned, like a jilted lover," David interjected.
"Oh yeah, Dave's right, the cave reeked of burning rubber after St-"
"-Don't even fucking finish that thought Winter," David growled and Marko's mouth snapped shut.
"So she's hurt?" Paul asked for clarification, feeling a little overwhelmed with the tidal wave of emotions he felt surging over him.
"How the fuck do I know?" David rolled his eyes. "She's your mate, isn't it your job to find out?"
"You know, a little fucking compassion would be nice asshole, you know this is all new to me," Paul scowled, shooting the platinum blonde a look of distaste before pushing his way through a group of teenagers who just so happened to be in his way.
Paul followed his instincts, tracking Flick's scent to the bottom-end of the amusement park where the crowds were scarce, the only attractions a shitty run-down ghost train and a few scattered hook-a-duck stands. He spotted Flick huddled on a bench, it's red painted surface chipped and covered in graffiti. She was sat with her legs crossed, her chin resting in the palm of her hand while a cascade of chocolate curls covered her face. She didn't seem to be in any outward distress but he could definitely sense there was something wrong - David was right, she was hurt and the thought alone made his stomach twist.
He jogged over to the bench, squatting by Flick's bent knees. "Tag, your it," he joked, prodding her shin. Flick raised her head, a small smile on her face as they locked eyes. Paul searched her face, his smile fading when he noted the slight swelling to the corner of her lip and the red mark just below her cheek. "What happened to your face?" he asked, the pad of his thumb stroking her cheek.
Flick winced a little, averting her eyes and wrapped her arms around her middle like she was trying to fold-in on herself, almost as if she wanted to disappear. "Nothing," she murmured as Paul sensed his brothers silent approach.
"Babe you know you can't lie to me right? Even if I couldn't see the marks on your face, I can feel you're not OK," Paul spoke softly, hooking his fingers between her own, his thumb stroking her palm.
Flick glanced over Paul's shoulder, her eyes flickering with discomfort and Paul knew the boys had them surrounded, as eager to know what had made his mate so uncharacteristically quiet as he was. "You can tell us anything little sister, don't feel uncomfortable – you're one of us now," Dwayne spoke up in an effort at reassurance.
Flick exhaled on a heavy sigh, her shoulder's sagging defeatedly. "It was Mike…" she mumbled, chewing her bottom lip anxiously and Paul felt his anger spike.
"That son of a bitch hit you? I'll fucking kill him," Paul growled, springing to his feet.
"No – Paul, just forget about it," Flick pleaded, grabbing his wrist.
"How can I forget about it Flick? He hurt you and I told you I won't let anyone hurt you," Paul argued.
"I just wanna forget about it…" she whispered as her eyes filled with tears and Paul couldn't stand being an additional cause of her hurt.
"C'mere," he sighed, drawing her into his arms, kissing her crown, holding her tight against him, smiling when her arms wrapped around his waist.
"What exactly happened?" David asked curiously and Paul rolled his eyes, trust David to be his usual unempathetic self.
"He just started talking shit about not bringing Paul home again, apparently the way he spoke to his girlfriend was out of order," Flick scoffed, resting her cheek against Paul's chest. "I told him I didn't take orders from him, that Paul was only defending me which Mike wasn't prepared to do, he just stood there and let his girlfriend take a verbal swipe at me…"
"Anyway, he got haughty, telling me not to bring her into it and I basically told him that she was clearly enjoying it, that she was using him and Paul was right about her… that's when he slapped me…"
Paul stiffened, his hold on his mate tightening. "Was Star there when he hit you?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, she just stood there with a smug smirk on her face," Flick stated, burying her face in his shirt.
Paul glanced at David, finding his eyes burning with indignant anger. 'Find those two assholes and make sure they know what happens when they hurt what's mine,' Paul silently communicated with his pack brothers, their faces stoic.
Dwayne gave a brief nod, steering Marko towards the entrance to the amusement park with David following wordlessly behind. "Wanna come back to my place babe? Have a cuddle?" Paul crooned, tilting Flick's chin with a ringed finger.
"Is that code for something?" she smirked, her eyes dancing with mischief.
"I'm starting to think you just want me for my body," Paul countered with a grin.
"Then quit being such a walking turn-on."
Paul barked a laugh, dipping to capture her in a playful kiss. "Don't start something you can't finish babe," he chuckled, taking her hand as he led her towards his bike.
~/~
Dwayne confidently strolled down the make-shift aisle created by two rows of parked Harley Davidson's outside the sub shop, honing in on the bike parked up front, it was smaller than the others -inferior- with a teenager clad in a leather jacket straddling the seat, a familiar brunette hanging off the teenagers arm. He locked eyes with the brunette and smirked when her eyes widened, he could scent her fear as she murmured something in her beau's ear. The unfamiliar dark-haired boy glanced over his shoulder and Dwayne's smirk widened when he picked up on Flick's brother's errant thought, the thought being whether he should risk taking on a man of Dwayne's size or whether he should load Star on the back of his ride and leave. Dwayne huffed a laugh, glaring at the duo with a look that dared them to leave.
He came to a lazy stop by the duo, folding his arms over his chest as he appraised Flick's older brother, quickly picking up on the arrogance that seemed to ooze from his pours like pus from an infected wound. He blocked out the array of sounds, thoughts, emotions and desires filtering out from the sub shop; sometimes being an inherent empath was distracting, overwhelming and occasionally very fucking frustrating. Dwayne could scent the acrid scent of fear radiating from Star in waves, he could hear the rapid pounding of her heart while her throat worked as she swallowed the words she was obviously too panicked and scared to say.
Star might be a bitch, but she wasn't stupid, she knew that Dwayne and his friends were dangerous, she just didn't understand just how dangerous they were.
"Thought you'd have had the common sense or perhaps the decency to skip town by now Star," Dwayne cocked his eyebrow, eying her with disdain. "Yet here you are, sinking your claws into some other poor, unsuspecting asshole."
"Listen man, I don't know who the hell you think you are but-" Michael started, puffing out his chest as he rose to his feet.
"-I wasn't talking to you," Dwayne retorted, towering over the younger boy menacingly.
"What do you want Dwayne?" Star spoke, her voice grating on his last nerve, it was so whiney and shrill, he didn't know how David could stand it.
"What do I want?" Dwayne ran his hand through his hair, momentarily examining the backs of his knuckles before turning his attention back to Star. "I just wanted to talk," he grinned, flashing his teeth.
"Whatever you're selling, we ain't buying," Michael interrupted, ushering Star towards the entrance to the sub shop.
Dwayne grabbed the arrogant douchebag by the scruff of his pretentious leather jacket and yanked him back, tossing him against the wall. Star was about to scream and cause a scene when a familiar head of curly blonde hair emerged from the shadows, sneaking up behind her and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. "Make one more sound and I'll rip your throat out," Marko sneered in Star's ear and Dwayne relished in the flicker of fear registering in her eyes.
"Get your fucking hands off-" Dwayne landed a swift, brutal blow to Michael's sternum, knocking the air out of his lungs and the words out of his mouth as he watched him drop to his knees. While the poor excuse for a brother gasped and heaved on his knees, Dwayne fisted his hair, yanking his head back as he stooped to meet him with a cold, hard stare.
"Listen to me and listen good dipshit, you lay one more finger on your little sister and I'll break every bone in your hand," he spoke coolly, his voice even yet nonetheless threatening.
"And if you decide to keep talking shit about our friend, then we'll just have to take the necessary action and rip out your tongue seen as you seem unable to stop flapping it - same goes for your girl," Dwayne stated, glancing over his shoulder at Star.
"Do we have ourselves an understanding?" Dwayne inquired.
"Yeah," Michael gasped, holding his stomach.
"Star?"
"Mmhmm…" she mumbled from behind Marko's hand.
"Good," Dwayne grinned, slapping Michael's cheek a little harder than necessary as he rose to his full imposing height.
"And just so you know-" Marko chimed as he released Star from his clutches, "-next time it won't be us you deal with," he told Star pointedly, chuckling when she physically recoiled as understanding dawned on her.
"See you around," Dwayne waved sarcastically as he backed up, slinging his arm around Marko's shoulders as they slunk into the shadows, grinning manically.
~/~
Liquid fire flooded her veins, her body flushed with searing heat, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin as Paul's warm wet tongue drew patterns on the underside of her jaw whilst his fingers slowly slid back and forth inside her, hitting her at just the right angle to make her legs shake. Flick whimpered, her whimper followed by a breathless moan as she felt herself ebbing ever closer to the edge of abyss. Paul froze, his fingers poised maddeningly at her aching entrance and Flick fought to catch her breath. "What's wrong?" she murmured, shaking her head to clear the haze of desire clouding her mind.
"Babe, we're gonna have to continue this later," Paul grimaced apologetically as the distinct rumble of motorcycle engines echoed throughout the cave signalling the boys arrival.
Flick groaned, her head flopping back against the couch cushions as Paul withdrew his hand from her shorts, chuckling and sucking her jutting bottom lip between his teeth. "I'll make it worth the wait," he whispered in her ear, skimming kisses down the length of her jaw.
"I'll hold you to that," she smirked, luring him into a lingering kiss.
~/~
Flick had pretty much zoned out, her attention focused solely on a dog-eared Led Zeppelin poster, her limbs heavy whilst her mind felt fuzzy and light as she lazily sipped from a bottle of beer, the condensation dribbling between her fingers tickling her skin in the most pleasurable way. Paul offered her the last of his joint which she eagerly excepted, inhaling a lungful of intoxicating smoke, its rippling tranquil effects working their magic on her nervous system. She flopped back against the couch with a dreamy smile, glancing over at Paul with affection, her stomach fluttering giddily when he shot her a playful wink.
David had offered to head out for food a while ago, he'd been acting a little strange ever since the boys had returned. In fact, now she thought about it, all three of the boys seemed to be sharing some kind of secret, their eyes flashing with a hidden knowledge and she wondered if Paul knew what had gotten them acting so smug. Marko was laid out on the ledge of the fountain, tapping his boot-clad foot to the beat of the rock music blaring from the boombox by his head whilst Dwayne sat stoic and silent on an unearthed pillar, his head buried in a heavy leather-bound book.
"What're you reading?" Flick chimed and Dwayne glanced over at her, his head cocked.
"This?-" he gestured to the book in his lap, "-it's a book on mythology."
"You like that kinda stuff?"
"I just like to read, I guess learning something along the way is a bonus, right?" he smiled.
"Beats me, my idea of a good time reading is a trashy magazine or the latest rolling stone," Flick returned his smile, toying with a silver pin on Paul's tux jacket.
"I'm partial to a Playboy," Marko interjected.
"What do you learn from a Playboy?" Dwayne snorted.
"That tit's come in all shapes and sizes," Marko retorted, and Flick giggled, unable to stifle her amusement.
"Having fun?" David interrupted as he strolled down the incline.
"A riot," Marko drawled lazily, an aura of weed smoke surrounding him and Dwayne smirked.
"Orders up," David rolled his eyes, setting a cardboard box laden with cartons of Chinese food on the ledge of the fountain by Marko's feet.
"I'm starving," Marko chirped, pulling himself upright and helped himself to a carton of food. Paul helped himself to a few cartons, handing one to Flick whilst he held onto the other, lowering himself back beside her. David perched in a high-backed wooden chair, tossing a carton of food in Dwayne's direction who to Flick's astonishment, caught the carton without so much as looking up from the page he was reading.
Flick poked at the fried rice in her carton with a plastic fork, spearing a piece of soy-soaked chicken, shovelling the greasy forkful of food between her lips with a satisfied hum. "How're the maggots Felicity?" David broke the silence that had fallen over the group, his mouth curled up in a sinister smirk.
"Huh?" she stared at him puzzled and glanced back down at her carton, squealing in horror when her eyes landed on a thousand wriggling maggots where only moments ago she could have sworn it had been chicken fried rice. She launched the carton out of her lap and her stomach roiled as the maggots spilled across the stone floor, their fat, squirming bodies writhing in a way that made her skin crawl.
"Dude c'mon, cut it out," Paul sighed, rolling his eyes as he scooped up her discarded carton, handing it back to her with an apologetic smile.
Flick hesitantly accepted the carton, peering inside to find what remained of her fried rice. "Apologies Felicity, I was just having a little fun…" David smiled wryly.
"You're just being an asshole," Paul countered, chasing a mouthful of noodles with a swig of his beer.
"I don't understand - how'd you do that?" Flick asked dumbstruck, shaking the contents of her carton, ensuring there were no writhing creatures hidden beneath the strips of chicken.
"Remember I told you we can play tricks with your mind?" Dwayne stated, pulling a tangle of worms from his carton with his chopsticks and Flick shuddered with a grimace.
"David tends to use his abilities to cause people misery-" Marko chuckled, scooping a heap of dirt from the floor into his hand, "-but it ain't always maggots and worms," he grinned, tossing the dirt up into the air and Flick gasped, amazed when a flutter of glowing fireflies swarmed above his head.
"Woah…." She gawped.
"Cute ain't she," Paul chuckled, kissing her cheek.
"Tell me Felicity-" David cleared his throat, flicking the cap off a bottle of beer with the nail of his thumb, "-how did you feel this morning?" he tilted his head curiously, his piercing blue eyes regarding her intensely.
"Like the living dead," she huffed a laugh, subconsciously raising her hand to her neck, her fingers prodding at the sensitive, bruised flesh.
"I know that feeling," Dwayne chuckled, helping himself to an eggroll.
"It could have been worse, you could have very well been one of the living dead… or perhaps even stone-cold dead if Paul wasn't able to control himself," he smirked and Paul growled beside her, his arm drawing her protectively against his side.
"You're a bundle of joy aren't you David?" Flick countered with a sigh.
"I'm a peach," he retorted and both Marko and Dwayne snorted a laugh.
"I'm starting to get the feeling you don't really like me…" Flick frowned, her bottom lip finding it's way between her teeth. From the beginning David had been on the frosty end of friendly, sometimes the way he acted was damn-right hostile or indifferent and she couldn't help but take it personally, especially when Marko and Dwayne seemed to accept her.
"Babe-" Paul started to protest but David held up his hand, effectively silencing him.
"You think I don't like you?" David arched his brow.
"Well yeah, you're indifferent at best and I'm just not sure how to take it…" Flick replied honestly.
"I don't dislike you Felicity, I just don't trust you-" he countered, "-yet," he added when Paul glared at him with annoyance.
"Can I ask why you don't trust me?"
"Just because you agreed to let Paul claim you and just because you outwardly seem to accept what he well, we are, it doesn't mean that somewhere down the line, you'll change your mind and expose us. Which of course would hurt the people I consider to be family…"
"I wouldn't do that David, even if what me and Paul have turns to shit, I wouldn't expose you guys."
"How can I be sure of that?" David fired back.
"I don't know? How can I prove I trust you? If I can physically prove it, then I will," Flick bargained, swallowing the whisper of fear she felt when David's eyes flashed slyly.
"Now you mention it… there is a way you can prove you trust us, that's if you're really up for it."
"David I don't think-" Paul once again started to speak but David once again brushed off his concerns with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"-It's her choice Paul, wouldn't you like to know that your fated paramour truly trusts you?" David stated, shooting Paul a pointed look.
Flick glanced up at Paul with a smile. "It's fine Paul, I wanna do it."
"Are you sure babe?" he frowned, searching her face for any sign of hesitancy.
"Yeah, I'm all in," she nodded, turning her attention back to David with a smug smirk.
~/~
Flick stumbled off the back of Paul's ride, palming her forehead as she waited for the world to stop spinning. It was a good job that Paul and the boys were immortal, if any human attempted to ride at the speed and velocity that the boys did after sinking as many beers and joints as they did, they'd end up with their face pasted across the road. Flick exhaled, fighting back a wave of nausea as she scoped her surroundings.
Once she'd regained functional equilibrium, Flick soon realised they were on some kind of run-down bridge in the arse-end of nowhere. The moon hung low in the inky black night sky, that along with the perpetual hovering shroud of fog gave the place an eerie vibe – like the backdrop of Michael Jackson's Thriller video. She half expected ole Mickey to come shimmying down the old rusting tracks, moon-walking around the splintered craters leading a legion of zombies.
As if he read her mind, Marko started to circle her, warbling the familiar lyrics whilst holding his arms out in front of him like a zombie. "Thriller, whoo-hoo – you're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller…" he joked as Dwayne grinned, shaking his head in amusement.
"If you've quiet finished with the fucking theatrics," David rolled his eyes in exasperation whilst Paul remained oddly quiet, his eyes focused on the building fog as he chewed on his bottom lip.
"So, what exactly are we doing here again?" Flick asked, admittedly a little nervous.
"Felicity wants to know what we're doing here boys," David smirked.
"Wait who wants to know?" Marko grinned, falling in line beside Dwayne and David.
"Real mature guys," she hiccupped and Dwayne barked a laugh.
"You said you wanted to prove you trust us, right? You want to be one of us?" David arched his brow, the corner of his mouth curved in his trademark smirk.
"Without the fangs, I'm not ready for that yet," Flick swallowed and Paul folded his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her crown.
"Your mortality is not up for debate here, but your loyalty is," David clarified.
"OK but how is being stood on some run-down bridge in bumfuck nowhere in the middle of the night proving anything?" she frowned, stepping out of Paul's arms and towards the edge of the bridge, peering down into the thick fog with a shudder.
"It's not the bridge itself girl, it's about what you choose to do whilst we're here," Marko explained, joining her at the edge.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"You're gonna do a trust fall little sister," Dwayne stated, slinging his arm around Flick's shoulders.
"Over the edge of this bridge," David grinned wickedly.
Flick's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Have you lost your damn mind? I'll die!"
"That's why it's about trust Felicity, you have to trust that Paul with catch you, that he won't let you die."
"But what if he drops me? What if I'm too heavy?"
Paul snorted behind her and Flick turned to face him. "I haven't had a problem so far have I?" he smirked and Flick's cheeks darkened. "Besides, I can catch Dwayne's behemoth ass and toss him back up here, you ain't nothing small-fry," he teased, prodding her ribs.
"We're vampires little sister, I told you, supernatural strength and speed is one of the perks," Dwayne assured her.
"Not to mention the whole aspect of us being able to fly," Marko reminded her.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do?" Flick sighed, her expression turning from incredulous fear to brute determination.
"It's simple Felicity, you jump off the bridge and Paul will catch you and bring you back up," David shrugged like it was no big deal and she wasn't about to free-fall off the edge of a fucking bridge shrouded in impenetrable fog without a safety net.
"OK, let's get this over with before the alcohol and weed wears off and I chicken out," Flick stated, steeling himself.
"You're really gonna do it?" Paul asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, I trust you Paul – I trust all of you. But just know, if I die, I'm gonna come back and haunt your ass, if there's such a thing as vampires then there's gotta be ghosts."
Paul chuckled, planting a playful kiss on her lips. "Sweet, I'll head down and on three, you jump, got it babe?"
"Got it."
"Bombs away!" Paul hollered as he launched himself into the ether, the sound of his whooping shouts disturbing the quiet of the night.
Flick stepped up to the edge of the bridge, the old, splintered boards creaking beneath her feet. She took a steadying breath before turning to look at Marko, Dwayne and David for further instruction. "On three little sister," Marko urged.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
With an involuntary yelp, Flick leapt off the bridge, disappearing into the fog in a flail of arms and legs. The chill of the wind pinched at her cheeks as her hair whipped at her face, her head spinning as her body plummeted further into the foggy abyss. She screwed her eyes shut tight, forcing herself to relax, her limbs growing heavy and still.
Paul would catch her, she trusted him with her life – literally…
Just when she thought the fall would never end, her body collided with something hard, the air leaving her lungs in one big gasping exhale. She felt a strong pair of arms encompass her and the familiar scent of something earthy and sweetly musky flooded her senses. "I got you babe," a familiar drawling lilt murmured and her heart skipped a beat.
Flick slowly opened her eyes, a set of pale grey orbs reflecting back at her. "Am I dead?" she whispered, her head still feeling fuzzy and light.
Paul chuckled. "No babe, but I am," he grinned, dipping his head to capture her in a slow, tender kiss.
Flick hummed in satisfaction, feeling her body sinking against him, momentarily losing herself in everything the immortal cradling her in his arms made her feel. Then, without warning, her brain suddenly regained signal and actually began to process what was happening, she was God knows how high off the ground, in the arms of a floating immortal…
"Holy shit," she squealed, wrapping her arms around Paul's neck, clinging to him for dear life as he buried her face in his jacket.
"Realisation dawned on you huh babe?" Paul chuckled, the feel of the rumbling vibration in his chest calming her somewhat. "Want me to get you back on dry land?"
"Please," she squeaked and Paul barked another laugh.
"You can open your eyes now babe…" Paul murmured and her eyes gradually fluttered open, leaving her slightly bewildered when she found they were back on the bridge, she hadn't felt a thing…
Paul gently set her on her feet where she stumbled, her legs jellified, her body felt heavy, her head fuzzy and light. "I think she's a little disorientated…" she heard a familiar voice speak but her vision had started to blur and she found herself teetering on the verge of unconsciousness.
"I think she's gonna pass out man," another familiar voice chimed but she couldn't focus on anything beside the buzzing drone in her mind.
"Are you satisfied Dave? She's gone and fucked herself up just to prove herself to you, can you at least try to be more welcoming?" Paul's voice cut through the buzzing and she smiled, Paul…
"I suppose she's proved herself for the time being but I won't fully embrace our newest member of the pack until she makes the transformation, there's still time for her to go back on her word and there's still plenty of time for you to fuck this up," David countered and Flick wanted to refute his claims of her impending disloyalty but she couldn't find the strength.
"You're such a pessimist man, they're made for each other…"
"I'm gonna get her back, you guys coming?"
"No, we'll give you two some privacy…"
"Alright, catch you later," she heard Paul speak before her world turned black.
~/~
Blissfully warm water drummed rhythmically over her bare skin, the tightness in her aching muscles starting to wane, her body hyperaware of the solid mass pressed up behind her. Flick hummed with satisfaction as deft fingers massaged her scalp, working earthy scented soap into her damp curls.
When Flick had regained consciousness after her adverse reaction to their antics at the bridge, Paul had been nothing but attentive, overly keen to make sure she was truly OK and not just fobbing him off to make him feel better. Unable to take his constant fussing, Flick had decided to tempt him to join her in the shower in a bid to distract him and so far, it seemed to be working.
Paul nudged her forward with his hips, guiding her further beneath the waterfall of hot water so that he could rinse out the soap tangling her hair. "Stay with me tonight babe," he murmured against her shoulder, his lips searing her skin.
"OK," she exhaled, biting her lip to stifle the moan building in her chest when his lips skimmed the exposed plane of her neck.
Paul drew her back from the cascade of water by a pair of strong arms, her body pulled taut against his immovable frame. "I think we've got some unfinished business," he drawled against her ear, his warm lips grazing her lobe.
"Mmhmm… we do…" she murmured, grazing her palm against his thigh, her breath hitching when his hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing the tips of her peaked buds with a featherlight touch.
"I better make good on my word then, huh?" he crooned, softly kissing her shoulder. Flick's body was practically vibrating with pent up desire by the time Paul had plucked the bar of soap from the stone ledge, rolling it between his damp hands to build up a lather before the same hands slowly traversed the curves of her body. Her breath quickly became uneven, her skin tingling as his hands left a path of scorching heat in their wake, leaving her drowning in burning pleasure.
A strangled moan escaped her as her eyes fluttered closed, her head falling back against Paul's shoulder as he fondled her breast whilst his free hand glided over the throbbing bundle of nerves nestled at her apex. She could feel his delicious hardness grazing her rear and between her thighs ached with a yearning to be filled. Flick lifted herself onto the balls of her feet, stretching her body to its limits to close the height gap between them and pushed back, her breath catching in her throat when he easily slid into her hot, wet heat. Paul exhaled sharply, a low rumbling moan escaping him as her walls moulded to his size perfectly. "Mmm… baby…" he breathed, his warm breath caressing her neck as his hips slowly pushed forward, driving himself deeper into her aching heat.
Flick twisted her neck, placing open mouthed kisses to the underside of Paul's jaw whilst his skilled fingers continued to tease her bundle of nerves, his cock buried deliciously deep. The sensation of an all too familiar pressure began to build at speed, and one jerky movement from his fingers sent her careening into the abyss, her legs threatening to buckle under the flood of liquid fire. She was about to protest when Paul stepped back, only for her emerging protests to be silenced by a lip searing kiss. Her back pressed against the cool stone wall of the alcove and Paul effortlessly lifted her onto his hips, her legs automatically wrapping around his, muscular waist whilst his fingers gently squeezed her rear.
Their ardent moans mingled with the sound of drumming water and the frenzied sound of gloriously wet kisses. With one swift thrust, Paul entered her once more and she cried out with pleasure, her head falling back against the wall, the palm of Paul's hand reflexively preventing her skull from meeting hard stone when he cradled the back of her head. He sucked and kissed her exposed throat, grazing his teeth over the sensitive skin in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Flick draped her arms around his neck, her hips matching his slow, deliberate movement's with equal need, quickly losing herself in the sound of Paul's ragged, shallow breathing, the feel of his deep, deliberate thrusts and the way her body reacted so explosively to him. Paul wrapped one arm around her waist, the other coming to rest around her shoulders as he drew her against him, burying his face against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His movements became erratic and a little disjointed before the two of them reached their peak in unison, clinging to one another desperately as their bodies shook and trembled.
~/~
Flick sighed with content, the feel of Paul's arm wrapped around her waist and the cool sheets draped over her body luring her into a state of bliss. Paul's lips ghosted her bare shoulder, the arm around her waist drawing her further against his body, her ass pressing against something hard and rigid. "I love you…" she heard him whisper as her eyes slowly fluttered closed, the sound of the crashing waves and familiar cackling laughter the last thing she heard before she slipped into the awaiting arms of slumber.