I sat in the living room with Jett and Carter. Hayden had decided to pop over for some casual banter, and ended up walking into an enclosed space with an atmosphere so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Before the poorly timed arrival of his older brother, Jett had tried multiple methods of coaxing information out of me. I was thankful he hadn't resorted to torture, because right then, I was pretty sure that something so sadistic would have broken me completely.
Even without the additional trauma, I wasn't really 'okay'.
Normally, just having that gut feeling that the shadows were chasing after you would give anyone the creeps; but it's worse when you know, and you don't know how to fight back.
For the fifth time that night, Jett asked: "do you know who did this?"
And I shook my head, because I didn't know how to respond. 'Yes, of course I know him. He used to be one of my closest friends, and I trusted him with my life until he started trying harder to get into my pants... and then, he... err, killed a hundred or so people. Oh! And the best part is, now he's hunting me down, and I don't know why! Yeah, I'm fantastic. You?' I thought it, but I couldn't say it. Not then. It just seemed like it was all happening way too soon.
I hadn't even had enough time to settle down and start over again. If that was even possible for me... but apparently it wasn't what fate had planned. It's like I was at the end of my contract in a cheap soap opera, where fate was the director, and it was going to every length to get rid of me.
Hell, I still had some fight in me... as unconvincing as it might sound. If worst came to worst, the best I could do was run away before I dragged anyone else into my mess.
But you're in danger. Came that nagging voice at the back of my head.
Screw danger, I thought back at it. Well, I tried to, but it didn't have as much punch as I had intended.
"We can't help you if we don't know what's wrong." Jett was trying his damned hardest to stay calm and not be intimidating. Carter had given up on kindness and was now swearing like a drunken sailor on his side of the room. After I had just waltzed into his life, Jett had been so nice, and it really pained me to let him down... Carter, on the other hand...
Warmth radiated off Hayden's hand as his palm made contact with my shoulder. I recoiled slightly, having forgotten that he was there, with us. He had a knack for being stealthily silent. Like a ninja. A very sexy, very taken ninja. Maybe Ashley would maul me for thinking that - even if I wasn't actually attracted to him? Most definitely.
"Tell us, Jade." Hayden demmanded, pinching my shoulder blade between his thumb and forefinger. "You're not helping anyone by hiding this from us."
"Listen to Hayden, Jade. Please." Carter groaned from the sofa, apparently at his wits end.
"I can't." Hayden let go when I struggled to get to my feet, placing my mug on the draining board. "You're all amazing people, and I honestly don't deserve even half of the generosity you've given to me. I barely know you, and telling you would drag you deeper into my personal shit, whether you want to be there or not - in my book, that's just not right."
What I hadn't prepared for was Jett lunging forward and grabbing my wrist. The look in his eyes made me flinch with guilt - that same burning intensity that Heath used to give me... "what if we want to know?"
I hesitated, trying to look at something else because I was no longer able to make eye contact with him. "It doesn't make any difference." I said, eyes locking on the floor. "I'm sorry you have nothing to go on, but - trust me - it's better this way."
Jett released my wrist, finally, and I backed away towards the door. At that, Carter got up, making his way across the apartment to keep me from going anywhere, but Jett stopped him. At least Jett had understood. I was beginning to get the impressio that Carter meddled a little too much for his own good.
"Thank you, really." I muttered, my right hand closing over the door handle behind me, before I jerked it open, feeling the cool air against my back. "I dont think you'll ever really understand how grateful I am."
Then I was gone, the door slamming before I got a chance to see their faces. Not that I wanted to. I don't think I could have left if I had.
Somehow, I had ended up on the edge of town, wandering aimlessly about the fringe of trees that Carter had taken me through several hours before. It was getting dark, and now that Chinese was starting to sound like a good idea. Too bad I had been a grouch and said no. Damn it, at times like these, I hated me and my stupidly stubborn personality.
I had no money, no clean clothes, no place to stay, no food, and I was a walking target, all alone in... wherever. Heaven knows I wasn't going to last very long at the rate I was going, but I continued shuffling along the pavement anyway, away from the warm glow of the residential area and onto a beaten down track.
What had possessed me to think that I'd get to stay there for any longer? I mean... it seemed like such a waste, after Jett had bought so many nice things for me. It was nice. And I enjoyed being in his house, mooching on his sofa - at least, more than I had done with anything else...
I missed the comfort of having him beside me, while I slept.
But that was never meant for me.
I should have known not to rely on others by then. I should have learnt to stay away, because I was the one that put everyone else in danger. It made me relate to the romanticised version of the vampire. No matter how much they could fall in love with their food, their food would still be food. And, no matter how far away I got from the monsters, I would still put other peoples' lives at risk because of them.
My life was messed up, and just plain sad.
Before all of it, I would have thought trudging down a country road with no pavement and no houses, and nobody to talk to was quite sad. I might have thought that collapsing to my knees and bursting into tears where no one but the wildlife could hear me was even sadder... but the saddest part was, it didn't even hit my top twenty.
So I stumbled around in the foliage, again, as the fading sunlight turned the sky pink and my stomach began to growl. Who cares if I was probably not going to die with my dignity? If I looked on the bright side, the forest was a very scenic place to kick the bucket.
My inner monologue scoffed at the figurative speech, taking the time to notice that there was no 'bucket' to be kicked. Not that it would make things any better from my perspective.
That, and my tormentors were at least 100 or so miles from... here - I might have died from starvation before they found me. Hopefully.
"Oh who am I kidding?" I stiffled a sob, burying my face into the bark of the closest tree. It wasn't as comforting as I'd hoped it might be, but it was all the comfort I could get. Even if it was an inanimate object - it was still a living organism in it's own right. Just not very human, or warm, or responsive... "I don't want to die, damn it."
I gave up trying to strangle the tree with my forearms, unfurling them and inspecting the red indents that had formed on my skin. Ouch.
My entire surroundings were so quiet... so still - and from experience, I knew that I really didn't like any form of reticence because there is only one thing that can ever truly be still and quiet...
Death.
Then I heard rustling in the distance, and my heart stopped. Nearly.
I think I might have choked on my sudden pulse as a large shadow emerged from between the trees, eyes glinting a deep chocolate brown in the darkness. Well, 'the fading light' is probably more accurate - but within the shadow of the trees, it came pretty close to pitch black.
My mind snapped back to the great, big... dog a few hundred yards away. A wolf.
The low growl had goosebumps forming on my skin, making me wrap my arms around myself for security as I staggered away from it. I sensed some sort of familiarity - like I had come across a similar creature before... but if anything, the look in it's eyes was a look mirrored in the pit of my gut.
It was starving.
And I had a pulse.
Warm, thick blood was running through my veins; and even if it was surreal, and wrong, I could just picture the gargantuan beast infront of me licking it's lips - like some crazed cartoon character from a time when the villainous monsters were actually drawn to be scary.
In fact, as a kid, I found a lot of cartoons scary. Some were just sick. I watched them all anyway... but it was not the time to go off on a tangent about pop-culture for the minor citizens. It was the time to run and scream like the motherfucking coward I was.
If I could even muster the courage to wiggle my little toe.
Natural instaincts had put me in a paralysis, so my body remained very still, under the impression that the big, bad beastie might not notice me. Natural instincts don't follow basic logic, though - because I knew it was too late to play dead, as whatever-it-was knew that I was very much alive indeed.
To prove this point, the hungry, hungry predator was no longer just watching, he was advancing - and all I could do was squeak like the helpless prey I was. Amongst other things, I hated the certainty that my fate was no longer in my hands, but in the jaws of the wolf about a hundred feet away.
The erratic thumping of my heart was enough of a signal to get up and get away. As fast as fucking possible.
Honest to God, I tried. I pushed myself up, and let out a helpless yelp of pain when my ankle gave. I had twisted it, and now I really was going to die.
It's difficult to tell what I felt when that sinking feeling overcame me - a sort of muddled combination of despair and frustration. Assured death does strange things to your mind... it was like coming to terms with losing your passport, or your favourite vinyl album... although, this time it was my life.
The only upside about my excruciating hunger was that I had long since digested the cornflakes and coffee and, with an empty stomach, the worst I could do was dry heave. It hadn't come to that, yet, but I was so damn close.
It bared it's fangs at me, in an almost twisted grin, elliciting a pathetic whimper from poor, vulnerable me. It was close enough to attack, to rip me to shreads, and the only thing I could think was why it hadn't pounced yet.
I sucked in a quivering breath, scrunching my eyes tight, anticipating potentially fatal damage.
Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes, and nearly screaming at the proximity of it's muzzle against my face... my neck - I could feel the weight of it's presence as it moved closer. It's teeth were so terribly, terribly sharp; and, if given the chance, would tear into me like margerine. Not even butter. Fucking margerine.
My eyes were blurry, stinging from tears. I was crying. I was crying and I was going to get eaten. Fuck my life.
But the beast licked me.
From chin to cheek, leaving a trail of slobber that made me shiver with discomfort. I stared up at it like it was the most infuriating, curiosest creature to ever walk the planet. It was, for me, you see.
And then it started laughing... or yipping. Have you ever heard a dog laugh? He was. It was so uncanny, that I subconsciously shuffled back a few inches because I wasn't entirely comfortable with how close it had gotten.
Even after all that, my eyes had never left it's face. It looked up at me, then, after the bout of hysterics had ended - the hunger gone... replaced with a look I had seen somewhere before.
The wolf that saved me!
But this wasn't the same one. The eyes and fur were a different colour... but... maybe this guy could understand me like the other one? It was funny how my fear was subsiding so quickly, after a near death experience, I thought. "Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?" I whispered, reaching out towards it hesitantly.
It did nothing but lower it's head a little, so I could run my fingers through it's silvery mane. Then, it sniffed me, letting out a soft growl and nuzzling itself against my bosom. Still, even when proclaimed harmless, that was a little too intimate.
Maybe that was it's way of reassuring me.
Before I could move away, it tugged against my hand, pulling away; and I realised that even if I hadn't been comforted by it's behaviour - the warmth of something living against my skin... a sort of skinship, was something I had needed since I left. Since I had seen that image on the newspaper. That, maybe subconsciously I had wanted Jett to hold me close and promise to protect me.
The wolf's howl, powerful and loud broke me from my trance...
I could have sworn it had grinned at me before I saw something... so... disturbing? That's not the right word. It's impossible to describe it in one word, so I'll decribe it in lots.
One second, it was a wolf... and then it was sort of... contorting like a shape from a nightmare that hadn't quite decided what it wanted to be yet.
Fur receded back to reveal flesh; sinewy muscles rolled beneath the surface of the skin, repositioning themselves and bones snapped into different positions. Admittedly, once that... thing started to hunch over, I shut my eyes; because, more than anything, it looked fucking painful. I always had a bit of a weak stomach when it came to pain and things of a similar nature; this was no different.
My eyes were still pressed tightly together when a deep voice rolled through the space surrounding me. "You can look now." He said.
The first instinct I had was to jump up into an offensive, battle stance and demand an introduction - but if what I had seen was real... then we had already gotten past that stage. A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth.
"Don't worry, I won't bite." He teased, whoever-he-was. "I'm sorry for earlier. I think I might have taken the joke a little too far. It was just so tempting, though."
The sound of human-sized footsteps made my eyes snap open. I instantly wished they hadn't. "Holy fucking balls! Put some clothes on you fucking pervert!" I screamed, covering my eyes with both hands, because I feared that if I looked again I would be scarred for life - not that what I had caught a glimpse of hadn't been praise worthy... but still!
"If I had known I would have company, I might have brought some..." I could hear twigs snapping beneath his feet as he stepped closer. "Does my nudity really bother you so much?"
"Don't come near me."
"Is that a threat?" I could hear that same mocking tone in his voice; the one that never seemed to leave. "And you seemed like such a nice girl to begin with. It's a shame. You have such nice brea-"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence!" I yelled hysterically, eyes peeking through my fingers at his face. In my peripheral vision, I could see other things, but I could ignore those... I told myself I could, anyway.
He was the typical handsome, toned, tanned, surfer boy - with longish, white-blonde hair and deep brown eyes. If I hadn't been struggling not to let my eyes wander to his manhood which was completely bare - for all eyes to see - I might have even enjoyed looking at him.
"The name's Parker." He held out a hand for me. I fought the urge to cringe away, and took it, all without letting my eyes leave his face. My hand missed his outsretched one the first time, to make things worse. He probably thought it was funny.
Screw him. "I'm Jade. Can't say it's been a pleasure meeting you, though."
"Sorry about that." He shrugged dismissively, letting go of my hand, albeit reluctantly. "I was hoping I might be able to earn your good graces - but obviously not today."
"Too bad."
"Indeed." He nodded.
An awkward silence followed, compromised of me trying to find somewhere else to look - and failing. For him, however, it wasn't a problem. But, hey! I wasn't butt naked.
His eyes flickered to the edge of the trees, and mine followed. "Now that that's settled... how's about I take you back to Jett and you can forget this ever happened? Maybe we can even start afresh." He winked at me because he was the type who liked to break girl's hearts.
It didn't phase me one bit.
Then I registered what he said. "... wait, wait, wait... you know Jett?" I couldn't help it, so I arched a brow. Not that it didn't surprise me that he knew Jett. What I probably meant to say was something along the lines of: 'how do you know that I know Jett?' - but my brain was temporarily disfunctional, from no fault of my own. If anyone should be blamed, it was the bastard smirking at me. "Don't tell me you came here on purpose."
Parker held up his hands in surrender, eyes still twinkling with mirth - a trait that seemed to be very common around these parts. "Like I said before, that was purely coincidence. But I'm a part of Hayden's pack, so I gotta report back to my alpha, don't I?"
My eyes widened as I was reduced to a stuttering, blubbering idiot. "T-their pack...?" My voice broke on the last word, eyes wincing slightly. Last I heard, 'pack' was a weird term for gang activity... Holy crud! I could be caught up in the mafia!
"They didn't tell you?" And then mister high and mighty visibly paled, too, a little too much white showing in his eyes. "Oh, shit. I thought you knew."
"Knew what?" I half-screamed, half-whispered (I know, I know - it was a weird experience), that sinking feeling starting to return again. Parker looked sort of helpless now, not helped by lack of clothing, as he sighed and stepped closer.
I wanted to back away, so I did. He gave up pretty fast this time. "Hayden's a pureblood werewolf."
"A... a pureblood... w-werewolf?" I choked, voice cracking on the last word. A sudden bout of nausea made my head swim and my eyes go blurry. "So that means that Jett..."
"He's one, too." Oh, fuck me.
I swayed, then passed out - mostly to do with shock, and also lack of nourishment. But mostly shock.
How ironic. I had been sleeping with a monster... the monster that had saved my life, no doubt.
I could have been happy about it, in my mild coma, as Parker slung me over his shoulder and made his way back to their apartment. I should have been elated that he was my saviour... the one who promised my freedom...
But, as is always the case, it's hard to look at someone in the same way when you find out they're not who you thought they were.
And, quite frankly, I'd had enough of the smoke and mirrors.
A/N: Finally finished! It's a terrible chapter, and I apologise but I regret nothing! I had so mcuh fun writing this XD
Thank you for reading! :P