Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) (2 page)

“I thought you were done typing away on that thing?”

God, he’s still here.

Focusing hazel eyes at the lavender wall in front of her, Dahlia took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, counting to ten. Feeling a bit calmer, she closed her eyes for a moment then opened them once more as she slowly turned around. She wasn’t surprised to find that Sam had taken a seat on the edge of her bed looking quite comfortable as he chewed on her granola bar. He moved up and down a few times on the mattress, as if to test the springiness of it, his face set deep in concentration.

He didn’t look like he was leaving anytime soon.

A few taps of her fingernail against the desk caused Sam to glance over at the noise. She gave him another look, eyebrows raised inquisitively. “What is it that you want, Sam?”

He ignored her and just grinned, dimples flashing distinctly. He motioned his head in the direction of her laptop, brown curls bouncing in the movement. Dahlia remained silent, continuing to stare blankly up at him.

Why was he so damn cute?

Truthfully, it annoyed Dahlia to no end that Sam was so
likable
. People had a tendency to stay away from her being the foster kid and she was fine with that. Yet the fact that Sam was always around, and so cheerful at that, was making it difficult for her to actually hate him.

She was sure he knew it too.

“What you got there? You’re always typing away on your computer.” He made a gesture as if to try to snatch the laptop from her, but she quickly placed her forearm down on the keyboard, refusing to let go.

And you sound like a broken record.
Dahlia wondered why Sam was so curious about her laptop all of a sudden. It was getting annoying, all this pestering. So what if she kept a journal—that was nobody else’s business. She started writing down all her thoughts and most of her dreams when she first moved in with the Cahill’s and hadn’t stopped since. The laptop was a gift they had given her, a “Welcome to the Family” kind of present. She hadn’t wanted to accept it but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was really the first thing that she had even owned, not counting the clothes she wore, still mostly consisting of t-shirts and jeans. Her laptop and thoughts were precious to her and she wanted to keep it that way.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Dahlia sighed then glanced at Sam, looking at him seriously.

“This isn’t for your eyes. Mind your own business,” she said flatly. She even raised her eyebrows to show she really meant what she said.

Eyes closed, Sam sunk his entire body down on her bed, resting his head on her pillow as he stretched his long, jean-clad legs. He crossed his arms over his t-shirt and blew out a gust of air. “Fine, have it your way. Geez, Winters, you’re always sighing and giving me looks like I stole your favorite chocolate bar.”

“More like chocolate chip cookies,” she murmured to herself, a sudden urge to buy some herself.
Did you not just eat my granola bar?

“Huh?” At his voice, Dahlia looked toward the bed to see Sam staring up at her in confusion, one eye open as he waited for her to answer.

She shook her head as she tried changing the subject. “Never mind,” she mumbled under her breath. This was not the time to let Sam know that her thoughts about him consisted of junk food.

He made a face then replied in a Zen-like manner, “Seriously, you need to let go of all of this stress and anger you have. You’re so tightly wound up that it’s ridiculous. I think you need to take up yoga—” Sam paused, playfully looking her way then grinned as he closed his eyes again. “—Or some other extracurricular activity, if you know what I mean.”

“Sam, take your mind out of the gutter! Geez,” she exclaimed, eyes widening in disbelief at his comment.

He was always so outrageous.

Sam opened both eyes quickly, one arm held up in a feeble attempt of yet another apology. “Sorry, sorry. Damn, all I do is piss you off then I have to go and apologize.” He rubbed his head absentmindedly and shrugged sheepishly. “Anyway, the real reason I came into your lovely abode wasn’t to bother you at all.”

Dahlia laughed at his words. “Really? I would never have guessed.”

“Seriously,” he nodded earnestly as he drew his knees up and began tapping a random beat on his legs. “I actually wanted to tell you about this girl, Meg, who’s having a party to welcome back the school year. Her parents loaned her the entire house for the night. It’s on Saturday and you’re definitely coming. It’s decided.” He was sitting up by this time and nodded his head firmly as if agreeing with himself on her behalf.

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Dahlia shook her head, baffled, while rolling her eyes. “That’s not typically my scene. You know—loud noises, huge crowd. You, of all people, should know that by now.”

Raising a brow, Sam sighed. “Look, I know you’re anti-social. You hate people—blah, blah, blah.” He reached over and picked up a pencil that was on her nightstand and pointed it straight at her. “I actually wanted to drive a stake through your heart when you first came here, all silent and moody. But you’re not so bad after all.”

“Gee, thanks,” she retorted dryly at his poor attempt of a compliment. She hadn’t realized she could drive someone to commit murder.

Sam just smiled. “Seriously though, you really need to get out. Spending your time indoors is really not good for your physical and mental health—”

“Why, thank you, Dr. Cahill,” she interrupted, muttering sarcastically under her breath. His earlier comment still ticked her off.

“—and anyhow, what are you going to be doing Saturday? Typing on your computer for the eighth hundredth time?” Sam implored as he continued with his speech, totally ignoring her backhanded comment.

She looked over at him and gave her head a scratch as if deep in thought.

“Well, now that you mention it—”

“I’m being serious, Winters.” He ignored her smirk as he ranted on, eyes wide. She bit the inside of her lip to prevent herself from laughing in his face by his suggestion. “Live a little. You only have one life, right? You need to start living it to the fullest and that includes attending high school parties. What’s the worst that could happen, huh?”

He paused, tilting his head to the side and grinned, pencil dangling between his fingers.

“Yeah. Sure, Sam.” She rolled her eyes once more, showing her indifference, but she had to be honest with herself. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go to a party...it might even be fun. As she lost the smile on her face, she pondered on the idea, almost brooding. She hated where her thoughts wandered.

Damn it, but she was having a change of heart.

It
would
be a good idea to have a little enjoyment in her life, meet a few new people. After all, this would be her first time officially attending high school.

Dahlia had been home-schooled during her entire stay at the orphanage, and her last set of foster parents happened to be in junior high. Therefore, high school would be an entirely new experience for her. When she first started staying with the Cahill’s, she also chose to be home-schooled. She thought it would be pointless to enter during the end of the semester and had wanted to start fresh in the new school year as a senior. She only knew Sam.

Unfortunately.

She rubbed her shoulders to ease the tension that started to develop in her muscles, still contemplating. Although she tried to keep the memories of her past buried, it was difficult to forget. Years spent living in an orphanage with kids that stayed away and taunted her from afar still made her weary of other people.

However, that was what happened when a little girl walked into a room covered in blood and with no reasonable explanation why. Although nowadays, living with the Cahill’s had given Dahlia some sense of normalcy. Like her past was nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

Because that was exactly what it was—all in her head.

Snapping back to the present, she recalled what Sam had just said and lightly struck her knuckles against the wooden desk a couple times. She really hoped he hadn’t just jinxed her.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Her ever-changing hazel eyes stared out the window as she noticed the wind’s tempo increase considerably. A tree branch banged noisily against the glass pane as she murmured without looking back at him.

“I sure hope you’re right, Sam. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Those always seem to be the famous last words.”

***

Only three miles away from Dahlia and Sam, another pair was engaged in a conversation of their own in a cabin deep within the woods.

“So it’s really her, right?” The voice boomed across the room, his excitement apparent, as if tickling his throat.

Greyson, not tearing green eyes away from the screen from where he sat, only had to utter one word in response.

“Yes.”

Ecstatic, Maddox came up from behind and roughly slapped Greyson’s shoulder, giving a huge, toothy smile. “Great, man. Now we’re off the hook, right? I mean, Merrick doesn’t need us anymore. We can, like,
vamanos
the hell out of here.”

Greyson, still staring at the laptop, briefly closed his eyes as his long lashes rested on his cheeks, casting a slight shadow. He waited a moment to answer, relishing in the silence. He had put up with Maddox’s questions for so long. His constant talking is what, according to others, made Greyson compensate by talking as little as possible.

Or at the very least, he tried.

Opening his eyes, he took a deep breath and turned around to face his blond-haired companion with raised brows, crossing arms over his broad chest. Over the years, Maddox developed an affinity for piercings and, as a result, had various ones displayed across his features. Three in each bottom earlobe, one perched high on his left, one in his right tragus and to top it off, one in both his left nostril and chin.

Who knew how many more he had hidden underneath his clothes.

Greyson internally shuddered, trying not to visualize the image, as he looked back at Maddox. He had this stupid grin on his face that showed just too many teeth. Looking at him, you would never know that inside, lurking in the depths of his soul, lived a killer.

It lived inside Greyson as well.

“Maddox, you know very well it’s not over. Be patient.” His voice was almost reprimanding with its tone.

Turning back to the laptop, his eyes roamed the picture of the girl on the screen. She was pretty. She would probably be a beauty but that notion quickly disappeared from the bitter expression etched on her face. Brown hair fell in waves around her heart-shaped face which was unsmiling, plump lips forming an almost scowl. Her eyes were what drew him in, though. Large, hazel eyes stared up at him defiantly from the screen, as if daring him in a way.

She would be a fighter, this one.

It had taken awhile for both Greyson and Maddox to find the town in which she currently resided in since she disappeared from Fallon all those years ago—shortly after she was born. A protection spell placed on her made her difficult to track. They eventually found her at an orphanage five years later and quietly kept watch, watching her grow into the woman she was now.

She was still only a girl, really.

Both Greyson and Maddox followed her from foster home to foster home, keeping surveillance, until they decided to stop. There was no point since she always managed to find her way back to the orphanage. That had been a missed calculation on their part, however.

They waited as a month turned into two, then three and so forth, and still she hadn’t returned. She had finally left the orphanage for good, so it seemed.

They easily discovered she had moved to the small town of Cedar Oaks, living with two parents and a son. It would be just as simple to take her from her home, where she probably peacefully dreamt.

Greyson’s gaze briefly flickered back to the screen as he wondered if she also frowned in her sleep.

At the thought, he himself scowled, blinking a couple of times. Shaking his head, he wondered where that thought had come from. He rubbed his head, running a hand through his short, dark hair in frustration. Now was not the time to lose sight on what was important, and that was getting the girl. But it wasn’t time yet. Both he and Maddox had to be patient enough for things to work out exactly as planned.

Exactly as Merrick planned all these years.

He laughed humorlessly from where he sat as he thought of the violet-eyed devil known as Merrick. Currently locked up, he still managed to move pieces on his own cleverly designed chessboard. Greyson’s own piercing green eyes, which made such a stark contrast against his deep golden-toned skin, continued to stare at the girl on the screen.

She was the first move.

It was awhile before he spoke again, finally answering Maddox’s question.

“The devil doesn’t let go that easily.”

Maddox came up closer to Greyson, also peering at the image on the screen as he gave it a light tap with his index finger. “I know that. But I thought since we found her and all, he’d like, release us, especially since it’s almost time.”

“Not so simple.” Looking at the screen one last time, Greyson closed the laptop shut and got up from his seat, grabbing his jacket. He already memorized every detail of her face.

It really hadn’t changed much over the years.

“The orphanage was protection for her. The others knew we’d be watching and they wouldn’t dare risk the lives of all those children, even human. Now in this unknown town, she’s unaware of her potential and the consequences it involves. If we’ve found her this
quickly, the
others will too. Of course, if they haven’t already. We have to make sure everything goes according to plan and they don’t screw it up.” Greyson gave his thick brow a swipe with his fingers at the thought. They could not allow anyone to interfere.