Chapter 11
Carvings
I jumped onto my balcony and slid my door open only to sigh at the sight of my parents waiting for me on my bed. Of course they would be up waiting for me. My dad turned on my lamp. They had definitely planned this. I bet they knew that I was going to be late and they've been plotting how to make this as dramatic as possible all day. I locked the door behind me and slumped down on my bean bag, just narrowly missing Diamond who seemed to be the only living thing in this house that was actually sleeping. I wouldn't doubt that Crystal is awake and listening for the show. I sat Diamond on my lap without waking her and waited for the fireworks from my parents.
"Where have you been? You were supposed to be back from the party over an hour ago," my dad asked. I was in luck. He smelled faintly of alcohol so I was getting my nice dad for the night. Thank goodness. If I would've come in this late without him having a drink today then this encounter wouldn't be fun for anyone. My mom sat with an angry yet tired glare. This was going to be a long night.
"I was out with the pack," I said in barely over a whisper. I don't care how strong I get or how fast I am, I will always be scared of my parents. Diamond whimpered in her sleep from her place on my legs. Man, I wish I could trade places with her right about now.
"Chanelle, I know that you have responsibilities to the pack, but that doesn't mean that you get to stay out at all hours of the night. We were sitting here thinking that the absolute worst things had happened. I was having a hard enough time dealing with the idea of you going to a party held by vampires, but when we couldn't even get in touch with you-"
My dad took over for my mom while I dipped farther into the bag. Had this thing always been this comfortable or was I just that tired? I guess it would make sense. I can't remember the last time that I really had a good night's sleep.
"You're grounded. Unless Damon needs you, then you go to school and come home. I don't want Dominic here and I don't want you using your phone unless you're calling family. Are we clear?" he asked. I nodded my head, sniffing back the tear that had been fighting to get out from the very second that my dad had said Dominic's name. They wouldn't have to worry about Dominic anytime soon. We might as well be done by this point. Obviously I still have feelings for him, but I don't think that I'll ever really able to look at him the same way again. With all of the fights and problems, it's all just too much right now. But, maybe we're better off this way. It'll give me time to figure out this whole Keith thing. But then again, what is there to figure out? Dominic will never be able to compete. There's no question at all about that.
My parents filed out of my room and after putting Diamond back on her bed I went and laid down on mine. It felt amazing to finally be able to lie down and know that I wouldn't have to jump back up in a few minutes, but even still I couldn't really relax. Not with all of the things that I had discovered tonight. Keith and Erin had completely invaded my brain. She was so ungrateful of what she has. Out of all of the girls who would probably kill to date Keith, she's the one who gets him? What kind of justice is that? She's probably drunk so often that she can barely remember any of the time that they've spent together.
In my opinion, he deserves better and I'm not even talking about me. Hell, I'm screwed up enough as it is. I'd just be happy if he could end up with somebody who can be left alone for five minutes and not come up dead. And what did happen between Keith and I tonight? Every time that we touched there was that spark. I readjusted as I thought about it. Lord, I wanted that feeling again. It was kind of a sensual burn I guess. But regardless of his touch, his taste was better than anything. Don't get me wrong, I hate myself for thinking it but that doesn't make it any less true. The thought of me enjoying that sickened me but intrigued me at the same time. And it wasn't just his blood that I had loved but his scent and his skin and that made my mind wander to his lips…
My jaw tensed. My first time would have to be my last. Sure there was something in me that stopped me from killing him, but what if that something doesn't come around if it happens again and I can't control myself?
My body started to rock in tremors. I couldn't help but to be mad at myself. I screwed up tonight. I drank from him and enjoyed it. What's wrong with me? I would easily bet that I was the only one in the group who's actually tasted blood like that. I really am turning into a monster. The rocking got worse as I shot up on my bed, threw my hands in my hair and tried to force myself to breathe. And let me tell you, that wasn't an easy thing to do. My jaw locked and a grunt made its way out. My eyes started to burn and I stumbled my way over to my mirror. I gripped the wood of the dresser, loosening my hands a bit when I felt splinters try to make their way into my dense skin. My eyes were so dark! I couldn't even find my pupils.
I took a step back. It was clear that I needed to calm down, but more importantly, I wanted to tire myself out. I stripped and made it outside seconds before the pop came along with the slight pain. I sat on the balcony for a second, just stretching my claws. They felt extra sharp this time around. With the tiniest bit of effort, I edged little slits into the wood before jumping and hitting the ground running. The guys probably knew that I had changed, but it was comforting to be the only one in my head tonight. It made it a lot easier for me to focus on how terrible of a person I am. I jumped through the gaps between the trees following some trail that I wasn't familiar with. This was what I wanted though. I needed to get lost until I found myself and I couldn't do that in a place that held memories. They're too distracting.
The only living things around were animals and some people a few miles ahead of me. I stopped and peeked through the bushes. I had no idea that people actually camp out here, but sure enough there were tents and bags scattered all over the area. My guess would be that this was some kind of church group. Because it was probably around three or four in the morning, they were all asleep except for a girl and boy who both couldn't be much older than ten. They were just sitting and talking about how homesick they were. The little boy was worried about the animals in the forest and the little girl was trying to convince him that he was just being paranoid. I sat there and smiled in my mind. The little boy was right to be afraid. I could hear their little hearts pounding, sending blood pulsing through their veins, not to mention their friends in the tents. Luckily for them, however, not only was I tired, but I didn't want them.
I may be in wolf form or whatever but I'm still human nonetheless. And, to be honest, after everything that had gone on, blood was the last thing that I wanted. Well…I did crave it a bit, but I was willing to fight it for their sakes. Besides, the last thing that I wanted to do tonight was cause a massacre. I slid back silently and headed home. When I finally made it back to my room and changed, I slipped into a pair of underwear and just didn't have it in me to find the shirt and shorts that I usually sleep in. I blacked out the second that my skin touched the sheets of my bed.
That night, or I guess morning, I was perfectly relaxed. I didn't dream of any stories or sins or prophecies. For once, I didn't even dream about Keith or anything involving him. My dream wasn't even a dream. It was simply black and that was what I needed. My body had been begging for the chance to go back to normal after all of this and I was thankful to finally get it. But of course, it didn't last. I tossed and turned, not wanting to wake up just yet but the sun was determined to kill my moment of bliss. But of course, the golden rays had a bit of help when the most beautiful scent hit my nose and my brain identified it: Keith. My eyes cracked open to see the wall that I had turned over to face in my sleep. I turned and my sheets ruffled on top of me.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw Keith's massive body sitting in my desk chair. His eyes were closed and he was leaning back looking exhausted but breathtaking nonetheless. He was in nothing but a pair of loose jeans and I found myself staring at his tat again. Wait! Why in the hell is he in my room? I sat up and he jumped. I watched him confused. What else could I do? There was a huge bodybuilder-sized guy sitting in my room with my entire family in the house. I glanced over at the clock. Great, it's almost noon.
He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. For a second, I felt awkward due to the fact that I was lying in my bed in nothing but my underwear, but then I remembered that he was blind and I've been completely naked around him before. He ran his hand through his hair and yawned.
"Why are you here?" I whispered, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and going to the dresser to find something to wear.
"I think we need to talk," he whispered back. Oh, so now we need to talk. He didn't say that before we went to the party but suddenly he shows up in my room when I'm practically naked and grounded? Safe to say, I've never had a boy in my room before and he's really proving my reason as to why. My parents could come up at any second if they heard. And what if Crystal came in? I'd never be able to leave the house for as long as I live.
"I can't. I'm grounded and you need to get out before my parents come in."
He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Your mom's already been in to check on you."
I stopped what I was doing and stared at him. He knew what I was thinking. Who wouldn't?
"Do you honestly think that I would be in here right now if she saw me?" he asked sarcastically.
"I don't know. You tend to brainwash people," I muttered, turning back to my clothes hunt. After a few seconds, I just decided on my pink school tank top and my usual black shorts. To my surprise, he gave a small chuckle and I had to fight to keep my composure. I went back to my bed, now fully dressed, and watched him.
"I've never brainwashed anyone in my life, but if you learn how then let me know." He stood up and looked toward my bedroom door. "Just think of something. I'll be outside."
He slipped out through my glass door without making a sound and not even a full twenty seconds later, my mom walked in.
"Hey, I'm glad to see you finally up. You looked so tired that you didn't even have your sheets on."
I guess that explains how I woke up with them on me this morning. I stretched my back until I heard a comfortable crack and then shook my hair for a second.
"Is it okay with you if I take a walk?"
She looked at me curiously. I guess that a walk first thing on a Saturday wasn't exactly normal for me.
"I don't know. You're still grounded. Don't you at least want breakfast?"
Now that she mentioned it, I was starving! "I do, I just really needed to stretch. I won't go far. I'll leave my car keys and everything."
Then again, I can move faster without my car if I really push myself, but I don't need to bring that to her attention.
"Okay, but don't take long."
I nodded and started walking downstairs just to be blocked by Crystal.
"So what did you do last night? You were out way late! You got grounded, didn't you?"
I pushed her to the side and went through the front door. Of course, she wasn't willing to give up that easily. She jumped in front of me walking backwards.
"Come on, sis, share."
"You know, you're really starting to ruin this walk for me."
"It's my job."
I sighed. This wasn't what I had in mind for today, but then again, I never know what to expect anymore.
"Go back in and I'll give you a full re-cap after breakfast, alright?"
She smiled excitedly and nodded. I listened for the sound of her closing the door before walking to the end of the driveway, across the street and into the trees. Keith was waiting for me on a rock and I was starting to get dizzy from his scent. Why couldn't I just go back to my room and sleep?
"What did you need to talk about?" I asked crossing my arms. Okay, so I was a tad irritated with him. I deserve to be. He woke me up from the best night's sleep that I've had in weeks. Well, the sun woke me up but he's what kept me up.
"Why did you leave the party early?" he asked.
"I had to take care of something. I don't see why that would concern you."
Alright, I was more than irritated at him. And imprinting or not, when I'm pissed, I'm pissed and he's not just going to get out of that. I have to admit though his worried eyes were making it pretty hard for me to stay mad.
"Fine, I just thought I'd ask."
"What's with you? Are you bipolar or something?" I asked.
He tilted his head at me. It was really bothering me the way his eyes were digging into me. Jeez, it's like he was trying to scramble my brain with his brain or whatever they do with mind powers in old comic books.
"I'm not bipolar. It's just getting harder and harder to fight."
"Fight what? Fill me in because I'm still not completely clear on why you're here."
Shouldn't he be off somewhere holding Erin's hair while she pukes on some poor innocent street? He chuckled again, but not in the happy way. His eyes started traveling along the treetops.
"You," he whispered with his eyes still scanning. What? Was I supposed to understand that? I mean, I know I'm not that bright but I have a feeling that that was supposed to make more sense to me than it did. "You're getting harder to fight."
"And why is it that you're fighting me?"
He surprised me with an angry snarl. Well, I won't be asking that question again. His left knee was almost all the way up to his chest and he was holding onto it pretty tight.
"I want to stay with Erin. I need to stay with Erin….She needs me."
I went from crossing my arms in anger to holding myself to keep me all together when he said that last sentence. I don't doubt that she needs him. Any girl would after being with his softer side, but she needs someone to take care of her.
"I'm not asking you to leave her."
That was all that I could think to say. He pushed himself off of the rock so that he was standing a few feet away from me.
"You don't get it! I can't think about anything other than your scent for more than five minutes. When I'm sitting still, all I can do is play those memories from Damon's mind over and over again just because I can actually see you in them. And…when I'm with Erin, all I can do is wonder if you're okay because if you haven't noticed, you attract dangerous situations."
A nervous smile played on his lips and I truly felt bad for him.
"So you finally get it?" I asked quietly.
"For the most part, yeah, I think that I do."
"So what are you telling me here? I'm not asking you to dump Erin."
"I know that you're not and I'm not yelling at you."
"That's funny 'cause it kind of sounds like you are."
"Could you be serious?"
Good, now I wasn't the only one who was mad. "I would if you would just be straight with me. What are you going to do?"
"What are you going to do about Dominic?"
I grunted and forced a hand through my hair. "That's really up to him."
"So you're going to try to work it out with him?"
"I don't know, maybe."- I started pacing. –"Did you hear about my fight?"
His eyebrow peaked curiously. "That was you?"
"Yeah, Dominic screwed one of the leeches and I walked in on it."
His eyes softened and his shoulders dropped. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Are we done here?" Why was I being so mean? He looked so disappointed. I doubled back. "I'm sorry. It's just that I have to get back. My mom is probably going to send out a search party soon," I said, taking a step closer to him.
"It's fine. I get it," he whispered. I moved as quietly as I could without giving his senses too much of a clue as to what I was about to do. I slid my hands from his stomach up to the base of his neck and smiled at the feeling as I noticed that it was starting to become more and more familiar. He shook but didn't pull back. I pushed myself up to the very tips of my toes getting as close to his ear as I could and whispered, "I understand you trying to help her. Don't think that I don't but don't forget that you have a life too."
And with that, I turned and ran back home before I did something that would result in me being much later than I already was. I rubbed my eyes and made sure that I was all together before walking into the house.
Let me tell you, it took a hell of a lot of work to walk away from him just then. His fragrance was still floating around in my brain and knocking out the things that I was supposed to be thinking about. I sat down to the pancakes and milk that my mom had already fixed me. I really wished that she would've just let me do it myself. She's been running around here enough as it is but for the life of me I can't understand why making breakfast relaxes her so much.
I sniffed and smiled at the chocolate chips and their melted goodness. Looking at them now was like seeing them through new eyes. I guess my change had been pretty gradual, but my sight really was getting better. It had to be at least twice as strong now and I had 20/20 to start with. But of course, it didn't compare to my wolf eyes. Nothing did.
Crystal plopped down in the chair beside me by the time that I had already downed half of the pancakes and most of the milk. I sighed and slipped another piece of pancake into my mouth. She watched me anxiously awaiting the beginning of our spill session. This wasn't the first time that we'd had one of these. For sisters, we're pretty close. I've helped her with a few of her small-time playground troubles, and she's helped me through boyfriend problems.
"You know the routine. What's said here doesn't leave here, agreed?"
"Agreed."
I smiled at her enthusiasm. "I'm assuming that you've checked the perimeter?" I asked in a super spy type persona. She jerked her head in a hyperactive nod.
"So were there vampires there?" she asked in a whisper. I leaned back, my hand unconsciously slipping to my formerly shattered waist.
"They were the ones who were throwing the party."
Her eyes practically exploded with excitement. She doesn't get that that isn't exactly a good thing. In fact, it's a really bad thing especially considering the fact that the main one has a vendetta against me, but hey, you know whatever gets you through the day. I finished off my breakfast and slid the plate away from me.
"What about the guys there?"
"Don't even think about it. They're all too old and too horny for you."
I frowned just as she did, but for a completely different reason. I was thinking about Dominic and what he had done. I really shouldn't lead him on. Keith was my forced mate and there was no changing that. Dominic even smelled different to me nowadays. It's not that he smelled bad, it was just that he didn't exactly smell good. Crystal snapped her fingers in front of me, bringing me back down to earth.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she argued.
"I thought you wanted to talk about the party, not your hormone rush."
"Okay, fine, what else happened?"
"Do you remember Koda?"
She thought long and hard, and I mean really hard. I sighed, leaned back, and waited for the little gears in her head to turn.
"That guy that you used to hang out with all the time?"
"Yeah, him; he's a vamp now."
"Seriously?" she screamed. "Since when? What happened? Did you try to kill him?"
I smiled, thinking about the happier part of my night.
"He's been that way for a while now and no I didn't try to kill him. We did wrestle a bit though."
She looked confused. I guess it was pretty abnormal, but what wasn't these days? My ear flicked and I looked up. Was that my phone? I don't remember turning it on. Or did I leave it on last night? I stood up and jogged up the stairs. Yep, that's definitely my ringtone. The silly little jingle that had come with the phone was pulsing in my ears from my phone's spot under the folds of my blanket. Dominic was calling me. To answer or to let it go to voicemail, that is the question. With a groan, I flipped my phone open.
"Hello?"
"Chanelle?"
"Yeah, Dominic, what is it?"
God, he sounded sick. "Do you think you could meet me somewhere today?"
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why?"
"You sound like you're about to die. I really don't think that you should be anywhere today. Besides, I know you can't hide that monster hangover. You're gonna be grounded as soon as your parents see you."
"They already have and I already am."
"So you were planning on sneaking out?"
"Basically, yeah."
"No."
"What is with you? You used to love sneaking out."
I closed my eyes, fighting to keep all of me under control. Breathe in. Breathe out, in, out.
"Please don't tell me who I am or was, Dom. I'm grounded and I have enough stuff going on right now. It's probably just a matter of time before they take my phone. And you know the last thing I want to do is fight with you today. So how about we just take a breather for now?"
I heard nothing but the sound of a flush on the other end. I pressed the end button and turned it off. If it weren't for the fact that I really like my phone and would hate to break it, I without a doubt would've chucked it against the wall. But, instead, I sat it down on my dresser and went on the porch to sit. The breeze was nice but it was hot today. On days like these I seriously wish that we had a pool. My nose wrinkled up and a chill snaked down my spine.
"Koda?"
"Damn. You've got one hell of a sniffer on you, C," said my invisible best friend. I could hear his footsteps. He was running and whispering and I could hear him. He wasn't far now, maybe a few yards, more or less. I leaned back on my chair relaxing. His scent already stood out to me more than the other vamps and I was thankful that it was him. I really wasn't up for another session with Jared this morning, or Keith. Koda's head popped up over the side of the balcony as he glided over to stand in front of me. That disturbed me. He's never been clumsy or anything, but graceful had never been a part of his description. Now that I had gotten over the shock of seeing him again, I was noticing more of the obvious changes. He used to be a dork. He was my dork and now he's this… thing. His acne was completely gone along with any other trace of his awkward puberty phase. He was shirtless, most likely trying to flaunt his look.
A distressingly defined six-pack took the place of his baby fat and his arms weren't jelly but instead the definition of muscular. I guess he looked good, but his smell was really making it hard for me to tell. I don't know, maybe I was starting to get used to that too. He noticed me noticing him, but anyone could have see that. I was staring at him with my head cocked to the side and my lips in a tight line. It's like my vision had been getting better and better every day, but after Keith really had me open up my senses last night, I've felt like a deer in headlights. Everything seems so bright and vivid. It's like how they describe those high-def TV's only a gazillion times better.
"Like the view?" he asked after about a minute. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't checking him out. I don't think of him like that and thanks to Keith, I'm sure that I never will. I think surveying would be a better word for what I was doing.
"To be honest, I'm not sure."
He crossed his arms with an exaggerated frown on his face. I crossed my legs and leaned back, focusing on his face rather than his smell. I guess after all the changes his eyes were the only things about him that had truly stayed the same. Sure they had this new tint to them and they seemed somewhat more dangerous, but they were his pure brown eyes. Wait, weren't they just black last night?
"So what's wrong?" he asked, pulling me away from my observations.
"Whatever do you mean?" I asked with sarcasm. He crossed his arms, reading me.
"No really. What's the issue today?"
"It's guy problems, I doubt that you want to hear about it."
"Then you doubt right. Maybe you need to vent?"
"And who would I vent to?"
"Christina loves stuff like this."
My jaw clenched. "You did that just to irritate me, didn't you?"
He smiled his now irritatingly flawless smile. Some girls would be losing their minds right about now, but I wasn't impressed.
"No…okay, maybe. She does love listening to this kind of stuff though."
"You know exactly why I wouldn't want to do that."
"No, I don't. Why don't you enlighten me?"
"I don't see why I need to. You know that I don't like her."
"You're going to have to get over that. We have a connection. I can't really explain it."
Aw, now I feel bad again. It wasn't fair for me to insult his relationship with this Christina chick when what they had was far more natural than what Keith and I had been stuck with.
I gestured for him to sit down in front of me and I lowered myself on the floor a few inches away. We were sitting across from each other like little kids in kindergarten.
"I'm sorry that I've been so bitchy, but in my defense I am part dog now."
He laughed at my bad joke and leaned back on his hands. "Well you still have your suckish sense of humor so I guess you're not doing that bad."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
We both smiled and relaxed despite that tiny bit of unnatural tension that just came with what we've become. I let my nails carve their way into the wood and his muscles tensed and relax.
