Chapter 34
Clearing Things Up…
Tiffany let out a shocked cry as I practically hurled myself at her. I wanted to taste the liquid flowing through her veins. Blood. It was my only focus. Nothing around me, not even my peripheral vision was working. I was inches from her when suddenly powerful arms grabbed me and yanked me backwards.
"Idiot! This is why I said blood first!" Alec's voice hissed in my ear. I blinked when I recognized it, and my vision cleared up. Tiffany slid down against the wall, eyes wide and scared out of her mind. I felt guilt press into me. After all Brent did to protect her from being scared, I'd ruined it all.
I leaned back against Alec. "T-Tiffany…" I murmured.
Brent suddenly appeared beside her and leaned down to help her up. However, she flinched back from him and tears welled up in her eyes. The look on Brent's face was heartbreaking. He pulled back and looked down at her, and then to me. I was shocked to find no anger.
"I-I'm so sorry… I just… My body… I…" I stuttered horribly over my words. I'd never once found myself in such a situation before. Alec's grip on me tightened almost painfully.
"Now, if you don't mind, it's time to head to the fridge." He said coldly, and then released me for only a second to grab onto my wrist and yank me after him. I watched behind us as Brent kneeled next to Tiffany and tried to speak with her again.
I turned away from the scene, too embarrassed with myself to even listen in on their conversation. "That's going to happen a lot. Next time, don't be a naïve brat and listen to what I have to say!" Alec growled under his breath towards me. We didn't stop until we were in the kitchen. He reached into the fridge and brought out two bottles of blood. He tossed one to me, and I caught it without even having to force myself to. Thus the amazing reflexes of a vampire.
I popped open the lid and took a sip. Cringing, I gulped down as much as I could without gagging. "It tastes terrible. Can't we at least heat it up?"
"Deal with it. You need to learn to live off of this, not warm, fresh human blood." Alec told me.
I looked down into my bottle at the dark red liquid. "What gave you all the idea to drink this instead of straight from the veins? I think fresh blood would taste so much better… Looking at Tiffany's veins just made me-"
Alec tilted my bottle up and shoved it into my mouth, forcing me to drink it. When I finished, I took a deep breath and set it down. I felt a lot better. "Stop thinking of stuff like that. You'll become an animal." Alec reminded me.
I huffed. "You know, you aren't so awesome yourself. That night when we had dinner with Elly-" My eyes widened. "Elly!" I slammed the bottle on the counter and dashed from the kitchen. Alec didn't try stopping me this time, obviously.
I felt rejuvenated after drinking the blood. When I came around the area Tiffany had been with Brent, I noticed they had disappeared somewhere. Probably to Brent's room. I just hope Tiffany forgave me for that. I'd have to talk to her later.
I made it to Rylan's room and shoved it open. What I saw made me freeze in my tracks.
"Elly?" I whispered.
She was laying in the middle of the bed, asleep, snoring softly and completely clothed. Rylan was still sketching. He was now looking at me expectantly. "Yes?" he asked in an equally quiet tone.
I blinked a few times. "I-is she…okay? You didn't bite her, did you?" I hissed softly, walking into the room. I went to the bedside and studied Elly's neck and wrists for any marks. Nada. She still smelled human as well. It was an earthly smell, coated with a sweet scent of roses. Funny, Elly never used rose perfume.
Come to think of it, Tiffany had this vanilla scent to her. Had she ever used vanilla extract smells before? I couldn't remember for the life of me.
"As a vampire, you can smell a humans natural scent." Rylan answered my pondering.
I glanced back at him with an eyebrow raised. He set aside his sketch pad and stood up, stretching his legs. He paced towards me and before I could step back, leaned down so that his mouth was next to my ear.
"You smelled exquisite as a human. Pity you have no scent now." I felt his breath fan across my neck and ear, and suddenly flashbacks of the pleasant feeling of when he bit me came rushing back and I felt dizzy.
"Get away from her." Lukas's voice echoed sternly through the room. At that moment, Elly groaned and Rylan stepped back.
Elly sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Rylan, are you finished y-" She looked at me and then Lukas in surprise. "Wow, I must have slept the whole day away. I better get home soon." She stood and wrapped me in a large hug. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye Rylan! If you need me to pose again, just call me."
Then she disappeared from the room. I suddenly felt very, very unsafe in this room. Lukas at the door and Rylan behind me. Clearing my throat, I stalked toward the door, and then paused long enough to look back at Rylan. "What did I smell like?" I asked hesitantly. This earned a small, barely noticeable smirk on Rylan's face.
"Something rebellious."
His answer honestly confused me. Lukas led me from the room with a motion of his hand. After we left and Rylan's door shut behind us, I raised an eyebrow to Lukas. He shook his head. "I don't trust him even though he's my brother." he mumbled.
"What did I smell like as a human?" I asked unsurely. Did I want to know the answer? He said I had smelt exquisite. That was a great thing, correct?
"Honeysuckles." Was Lukas's answer.
I snorted a laugh. "What the hell? You're kidding, right? Haha!" I almost couldn't stop laughing. I was glad I could multitask and walk at the same time.
Suddenly my arm was grabbed and I was shoved into the nearest wall, right at the top of the staircase. I let out a whoosh of breath and looked at Lukas in surprise. Never had he been so forceful.
He leaned down so that our lips were inches apart and said softly, "Honeysuckles cannot be tamed. They are better off in the wild. The scent of them are overbearing and delicious. I always wondered what biting into your flesh would taste like. Would your blood taste like the nectar created from each flower?" he leaned closer as he spoke, and I narrowed my eyes when he finished.
Yanking a hand back, I slapped him across the face. "Don't try pulling moves on me anymore." I stated calmly, though my voice was shaking from being so close to him. I wanted Alec, not Lukas. He looked shocked, and even I was surprised when a dark red mark began forming in the shape of my hand upon his cheek. But then again, strength was one of the several things that being a vampire had going for you.
And I had yet to control it.
Turning on my heel, I went down the stairs, leaving Lukas behind me to revel in my rejection. I found Alec speaking to Claude and Cassy in the living room. When I entered, they looked up at me and Alec raised an eyebrow.
"Spending some time with Lukas?" he mused, though his face showed no amusement.
"What?" Could they hear us all the way from upstairs and around the corner? Not even I could hear that proficiently!
"I can smell Lukas on you." Alec said, irritated. Claude coughed into his hand, but honestly it sounded more like a stifled laugh turned into a fake cough. Cassy continued reading her book.
I didn't want to tattle on Lukas. Instead, I stuck my nose in the air. "We hugged." It was a bad, terrible lie and I was sure he could see right through it. Alec stood and dismissed himself from his parents' conversation. Then he walked straight toward me and I saw a predatory gleam in his eye. Just when I thought it was all over for me, his hands cupped my cheeks and he kissed me so passionately it almost knocked me over.
I sensed Lukas in the room all of a sudden. He was behind me at the edge of the staircase. Ah, so Alec kissed me to show possession. Well, if that was the case…
I wrapped my arms around his waist, and was shocked to find he had muscles in all the right places. Something stirred deep within me, a hunger so unbearable it scared me. It wasn't a thirst for blood, but for Alec himself. After a moment of our tongues battling for dominance, Cassy cleared her throat.
"I can hear the lovemaking already beginning." she droned in a bored voice. Claude covered his mouth again to stifle a laugh/cough. I pulled away, feeling my face heat up. Alec smirked down at me, and then looked past me grimly to his twin brother. I felt searing angry eyes piercing into me from behind.
Oh great, I suddenly found myself trapped between two vampires who wanted me.
Lucky thing I was a vampire too. That meant a quick escape. "Well, it's getting late, so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed!" I said quickly, and practically flew across the room to the staircase. Passing Lukas in a blur, I left them both behind me to do whatever brothers did when they found that they both liked the same girl.
It was halfway through the night of my troublesome sleep that I heard them.
And let me tell you, it was probably one of the most disturbing things I'd heard practically my whole life. Tiffany had spent the night, and honestly I was surprised she had the audacity to do so, even though I had almost attacked her. But that wasn't the subject here; it was the fact I could hear Tiffany's moans from all the way down the hall.
Not only that, but the bed was creaking too.
I groaned and covered my face with my pillow in attempt to close out the sounds of sex. Brent couldn't have chosen to go to a hotel or something? Really? A house full of people! Err…
Vampires.
But, that didn't change anything. Especially since the girl you're making love to is a human! Then again, I had no right to speak, since I'd been so close to having sex with Rylan and-
Oh man. I'm getting annoyed with myself for thinking about that. Turning over onto my side, I shut my eyes tightly and kept a firm hold on the pillow.
When I woke up again, it was to my annoying alarm clock. With a heavy sigh, I reached over and ripped the cord out of the wall. Obviously waking up to that every morning was going to annoy me since I already had a burning in my stomach and an ache in my gums. That was going to get real annoying, real fast as well.
Sitting up, I stretched and yawned, curiously poking my finger into my mouth to touch my tingling teeth and aching gums. Sure enough, my canines were steadily growing sharper at my hunger. I wondered if it would be like this every morning.
Standing, I went to my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top. The weather was still warm from the near end of summer.
I paused and then glanced at the calendar plastered to the wall. In about half a month my birthday was going to happen. I was going to be eighteen. I blinked. Vampires never aged, did they? Not even a bit? Sighing as I dressed into my day clothes, I pondered over what I'd look like in 50 years, and what my friends and family would also look like.
A knock sounded at my door, knocking me out of my thoughts. I turned after zipping and buttoning my jeans, and opened my door. Claude stood there, smiling. "Ready for breakfast?"
I stared for a moment and Claude motioned to my mouth. I offered a small smile. "Yep." Then I followed him down the stairs, only to be greeted by everybody in the kitchen. That including Tiffany.
I blushed immediately when I remembered hers and Brent's previous actions in his room. "Ava!" she greeted, and I looked away from her, putting a hang up.
"Blood first." I said. My voice was a tad scratchy. I was thankful there were a bunch of vamps in this room at the moment. Claude handed me a bottle and I gladly accepted the cool blood inside.
After I downed it in two gulps, I looked at her. She had a smile on her face and she didn't look pale anymore. In fact, she was glowing. Oh goodness. They say sex made you glow with happiness and beauty.
Or maybe… I quickly went to her and smelled her. She still smelled human. Sighing with relief, I pulled back. Brent stood beside her and raised an eyebrow at me.
"So you guys aren't mad at me?" I asked quietly.
"Of course not. Vampire or not, you're still Avanni Maddox." Tiffany pulled me into a large embrace and I smiled and returned it. After a moment, I pulled away and crinkled my nose.
"Do you think that next time you guys do things-" I began.
"-then perhaps keep it down a bit? I was up half the night." Cassy finished my sentence in bitterness. We looked at each other in slight surprise. We seemed to be having the same thoughts recently. Hm, weird.
Brent instantly read our minds anyways, so he understood what we said. He chuckled, and Tiffany finally got it and blushed ten shades of red.
"Well, it's time to go, so let's head to school Ava." Alec interrupted the awkward moment, draping an arm over my shoulders. The simple movement was okay, but it surprised me. Did Alec suddenly just change over night or-
Lukas snorted. I glanced warily at him. He was glaring daggers at Alec, and vise versa. It was then I realized it was a fight over who owned me. Oh, nuh-uh. This was not going well. Why did it have to be me all of a sudden?
"I will drive Ava." Rylan spoke icily, and before I could admonish him, he'd grabbed my wrist and yanked me from Alec's grasp and towards the front door. Apart of me was thankful that he'd saved me from having to choose who to drive with. The other part of me was screaming, RAPE!
Nevertheless, when I climbed gingerly into the passengers seat, Rylan made no move to touch me. Instead, he started the car and drove out of the driveway, just as the others were walking out of the house.
"Thanks." I muttered.
"It was getting bothersome. You understand they have never acted that way towards each other, correct?" He demanded, quite annoyed, I was sure.
I examined the side of his face for a moment. "So basically I'm tearing them apart from their twin-ness?"
Rylan shot me a look from the corner of his eyes, but didn't reply. I felt guilty for a moment.
"I like Alec." I murmured quietly.
Again, no response. The car was silent. I wondered if Rylan didn't enjoy the radio. I wasn't about to find out for fear of getting my hand chopped off by his irritated icy gaze. If only looks could kill.
"So, there's gotta be something between you and Elly, am I right?" I asked after a few more minutes of eerie silence.
"She is a reckless, naive human. I am not interested in such a being."
"I'm reckless and you sure showed interest in me when you bit me." I whispered under my breath.
Rylan slammed on the breaks and pulled off to the side of the road. It was only a matter of seconds before the others came driving around the corner. I looked at Rylan in confusion.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to me, his green eyes gleaming dangerously. "You make is sound as if you wish to be bit again."
I shakily shook my head no. Rylan looked at me dead in the eyes and then his eyes trailed down my face until it stopped on my neck. Then he pulled back and re-buckled his seatbelt, shaking his head.
"You would not taste nearly as delectable now."
We managed to start driving just as Alec's' car came up behind us. I had a feeling the others were in that car as well. I just hoped Lukas and Alec weren't at each other's throats. I tried not to let my mind wander too far since I was in the car with a mind reader.
"Why do you allow Lukas to treat you like an object?" Rylan suddenly asked.
I looked at him in surprise. "I don't mean to. Obviously he doesn't comprehend that fact that I want to be with Alec."
"You just admitted you wanted to be with the guy that ruined your life."
I sighed heavily. "I was just being over dramatic."
Rylan let out a sarcastic, mocking sigh after me. "Oh, teenage drama!"
Shooting him an annoyed look, I looked out the window. "Thanks for getting me out of that kitchen in time. I thought I'd be torn between the two on who would take me to school or not."
"Until you clear that up with Lukas, it will happen." Rylan said. Those were his last words as we drove.
Even though he spoke less than his family, I felt connected to him socially. I was connected to Alec mentally and physically, but I had a feeling we wouldn't have the powerful ability to socially connect, especially if he could only show his love for me through touching.
When we arrived at school, I managed to make it to my locker and meet up with Elly and Max before the other Darquecaster's found me. It was another boring day of school, but I vowed when I got back home, I'd definitely clear things up with Lukas.
A/N: CHECK OUT THE POLL ON MY PROFILE! You as my reviewers can vote on who you'd like to see end up with Ava. If the count exceeds expectation, then I may just pair them up!