Blood-Red Tear (6 page)

“You’re
not going to go out with that Scott guy, right?”

His question floored m
e. I hadn’t seen it coming. “I…uh…”

“I just ask because
I know he’s been paying you a lot of attention, but there’s something about him that’s off, you know?” His cheeks flushed. “I wouldn’t say anything, but you’re a nice girl and I wouldn’t like to see you hurt by him.”

I
t was nice that he cared, but really, I was getting tired of defending Scott to everyone I knew. Sure, he was cocky and, I supposed, arrogant, but it wasn’t like I was making a lifetime commitment with him. It was just one date, and that might not even come to fruition if Paul had his way. “I appreciate your concern, but yes, I do plan on going out with him if he asks.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t.
I mean, he’s kind of a jerk and I get a bad vibe from him.”

He and every other male I knew see
med to feel that way. Thank god I had Jess on my side. “I’ll take that into consideration,” I told him.

“Okay,” he said
, turning his attention back to the experiment and saying nothing more about Scott. 

When the bell
rang at the end of class, I went directly to my locker to get my things. Paul was waiting when I got there, so Scott walked by and waved, but did not stop to talk. Not that I blamed him one bit. My brother was seriously imposing when he was angry, and I could feel his rage boiling as he stared down the guy I so badly wanted to date.

“Thanks a lot
, Paul,” I muttered, as he walked me to the car.

“He’s no good
, Katie,” he warned.

“P
rove that, and I won’t go out with him,” I challenged.

He shook his head.
“I can’t, it’s just a feeling I have about him.”

“Then back off and allow me to make my
own decisions,” I told him, as he helped me inside of the truck.

“If only it was
that easy,” he said, closing the door behind me.

Chapter Three

With all the turmoil
in my life and my horrible nightmares plaguing me every evening, I was so tired I struggled to remain awake at school over the next few days. If it weren’t for my friends, I probably would have slept through every class, but thankfully one of them was always there to poke me or shake me awake when I nodded off. Jess, because she was generally concerned, and Chris, I suspected, because it was just fun for him. Unfortunately neither one was around, when I fell asleep on the bleachers while everyone else was playing basketball, to save me from the embarrassment of having Scott find me sound asleep on the bleachers.

“Are you staying up all ni
ght dreaming of me, Katie?” Scott asked, shaking my shoulder to wake me up.

“Oh
, sorry. I did not sleep well last night,” I explained, brushing the hair from my face and sitting up, embarrassed he had caught me catnapping.

“Do you think
I could walk you to your next class?”

I was surprised he
asked. He had given me a wide berth since my brother’s antics a few days before. “Sure,” I mumbled, still trying to wake up.

“See you after the bell rings then
.” He patted me on the leg and rejoined the basketball game, leaving me yawning on the bleachers.

“Girl
, what is wrong with you lately,” Jess asked, taking a seat next to me.

“What?”

“You’re tired all of time and you look like hell.”

“I’m trying to sleep,
but these horrible dreams I have are making it impossible.”

“What dreams?”

I bit my lip, inwardly cringing at my own stupidity. I loved Jess but s
he wasn’t the best at keeping secrets, and I didn’t want her saying anything about my dreams to my family. They tended to overreact, and that would lead to my brother increasing his vigilance and my parents smothering me with concern. “It’s not important; just don’t tell anyone, alright?” The bell rang, ending our conversation, and we had to hurry to the locker room and change so we would make it to our next class on time, so she never answered.

Scott was wait
ing for me as we exited the locker room. Fortunately, Paul was nowhere to be found.  So I took Scott’s offered hand, and he escorted me to my next class without interference from my well-meaning but domineering brother.

T
he rest of the day, Paul was uncharacteristically absent. Although I was concerned, Scott took his absence in stride, telling me how glad he was to finally spend time alone with me.

I, though,
was nervous and unsure. I didn’t know what to talk about with him. I had never been alone with a guy before, but I needn’t have been concerned. He pretty much liked to talk about himself and didn’t seem to need or want my input, which was fine with me since I feared making a fool of myself.

“Has he asked you out yet?” Jess
asked, taking a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch.

“No
,” I confided. “Maybe he isn’t interested anymore.”

“God, wouldn’t Bren
da love that?” she said, looking to where Brenda was holding court with her followers very close to where Scott sat with his football buddies.

“Don’t remi
nd me,” I muttered.  

“Don’t worry about Brenda. S
he’ll get what’s coming to her one day,” Jess told me supportively.

“Maybe
, but until then I still have to deal with her.” I stood and grabbed my books just as Scott arrived at the table. “Well, I’m not going to sit here and worry about it. I’ll see you later.”

“Hey, babe
, where you going?” Scott called out, moving swiftly to my side.

“
I have a...” I needed a quick lie so I could get away.

“A paper,” Jess finished for me. “Science class, due this afternoon.”

Scott looked puzzled. “We had an assignment?”

“Yup, I
completely forgot about it,” I told him. “I have to go and work on it. See you later.” I took off before he could say another word and ran to the library, where I hoped to catch a few winks before my next class.

*****

“Sorry about the Science thing, I must have misunderstood,” I told Scott later that day, as we stood on the sidewalk that led to the parking lot.

“No problem
, but man, you scared me. If I miss another assignment in that class, I’m benched.”

I’d felt really bad when he told me that
, after showing up to class frantic about an assignment we had never been given. “Well, thankfully I was wrong, so you’re in the clear.”

“
Yeah, are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your brother’s truck?”

I
looked to where Paul sat in his vehicle, watching us with an angry scowl, and knew that was a bad idea. “It’s okay, you go to practice. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He leaned in and brushed my lips with his own
, then pulled back with a sly grin. “See you tomorrow.”

I watched as he raced down the hallway toward the gym
with mixed emotions. While it was flattering to have such a cute and popular guy paying me attention, I was finding that he was not the perfect person I had always imagined him to be. Still, there was something about him that attracted me.

Paul was talking on his cell phone
when I climbed up into the cab of his truck, but he took one look at me and swore under his breath. “I need to go, Katie is here.” He hung up and looked to me with worry. “You have to get some sleep tonight. Jess told me you have been having some pretty bad dreams; maybe you should ask Mom for something to help you rest.

“Jess
shouldn’t have said anything,” I told him grumpily.

“Giv
e her a break. She’s concerned about you. And after seeing you, I am too. You look like hell.”

I knew from looking in the mirror during my last trip to the bathroom
that my eyes had dark-purple shadows under them, and even though I tried to cover them with makeup, they were obviously still there. “Don’t worry, as soon as I get home, I am doing homework and going to bed,” I told him, hoping he would not tell my parents about the dreams I had been experiencing. The last thing I needed was for them to worry.

*****

   As I predicted, the moment my head hit the pillow once I got into bed, I fell into a deep sleep. For once my dream was pleasant, and I was able to relax and allow sleep to completely envelope me. I was lying in a field of wild flowers, their heavenly fragrance calming my overtaxed nerves, their colors immediately soothing my tired soul. It was idyllic: the perfect place for rest, and I felt a sense of peace that had been evading me for far too long.

“Rest,
” a familiar voice said, as a cool hand smoothed my hair back from my brow.

I looked up into the most perf
ect blue eyes I had ever seen, startled to see the Prince of Vampires there beside me. “Aidan?” I asked sleepily. “What are you doing in my dream?”

“I’m here to protect you,” he said with a smile.
“Now, rest. I will watch over you,” he murmured, his gaze meeting mine and entrancing me completely. “Sleep now,” he whispered.

My eyes closed on his command and
I slept through the night, wrapped in his arms, without any sign of the vampire who had been haunting my dreams.

Chapter Four

It took almost a week before Scott actually asked me out on a date, and by the time Saturday night, the night of our date came, I was filled with apprehension. I was hopeful the night would go well and had primped for hours to look perfect, but I had a nagging sense that something was just
wrong
about my going out with him.

I
was finishing my makeup when I heard the doorbell ring and I looked at my reflection in the mirror with a satisfied smile. “You are just nervous,” I told my reflection. “Now go and have the best date ever.”  I grabbed my purse and a sweater, in case it got cold later that evening, and left my room, repeating the phrase over and over as if willing it to happen.

As I walked to the stairs, I could hear
my parents talking to Scott. My father asked him a million questions and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment at the third degree he was giving my date.

Scott looked u
p as I walked off the last step, his smile wide as he looked me over, and my heart raced with exhilaration.  “Hi,” I said, blushing under his appraising stare.

“Hey, a
re you ready to go?” he asked, obviously ready to get out of the line of fire.

“Yes.
” I looked to my parents and beseeched them with my eyes not to embarrass me any more than they already had.  

“It was n
ice to meet you,” Scott told them politely, shaking my father’s hand.

“Eleven
, Katie, no later,” my father warned.

“Don’t worry
, sir, I will take good care of her,” Scott promised, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I bet,” m
y father said under his breath, earning a sharp glare from my mother.

“Can you give me a minute?”
I asked Scott. He nodded and went outside to wait for me.

“Change your mind
, sweetheart?” my father asked hopefully.

“Dad
, please, everything will be fine, stop worrying.” I kissed his cheek and he hugged me close.

“I will always worry about you
,” he said, before loosening his hold. “Go, have fun with your …uh…date.” He pushed me toward the door despite the worry I knew he felt, and with one last smile, I walked outside to where Scott was waiting.

“Now that I passed the parent test we can have some fun,” he said
, walking to the driver’s side and getting into the car, leaving me to open my own door.

“Strike one,” I murmured
as I opened the door and got in.

“Let’s go,” he said
, turning up the radio and pulling out of the driveway.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we drove towards town.

“A friend of mine is having a party. I told him we would stop by.”

“Oh
.” I tried to hide my disappointment. I did not really want to go to a party, but I kept that thought to myself.

*****

We arrived at a house near the outskirts of town that I recognized as another football player’s home, and he parked. “Sounds like things got started early,” he said, getting out of the car and waiting on the sidewalk for me to get out and join him. “Man, I hope they aren’t all trashed already.”

His words gave me pause.
I didn’t drink or do drugs, but I also didn’t want to appear lame, so I followed along behind him as he walked up to the house. As we walked inside it was clear everyone had been drinking for some time. Partygoers were dancing to very loud music, grinding their bodies together in ways that made me uncomfortable, and others were weaving in and out of the many rooms the house boasted, some stumbling, others barely able to stand on their own. The smell of alcohol permeated the air, and somewhere close by I could hear someone retching.  It was not the kind of party I would ever choose to attend and I wanted to leave, but I knew if I asked Scott to take me home he would be offended, so I didn’t voice my thoughts.

“Do you want a drink?” he
yelled over the music.

“Just a soda,” I answered
, trying to ignore the flash of disapproval on his face before he turned away and left me standing there alone.

He disappeared for about fifteen minutes
, and when he came back he handed me a can of soda. I couldn’t help the frowning as he took a long swallow from the beer can he held.

“A few beers won’t hurt
; loosen up and have fun,” he said, looking annoyed.

I knew that was not true
. A few beers could have dire effects. But again, I kept my mouth shut.  An hour later, though, and I began to understand why the girls Scott dated did not go out with him again. He all but ignored me, finding his friends’ company more interesting than mine until he had more a lot alcohol inside him. Then he suddenly remembered I was there and grabbed my hand, dragging me to where everyone else was gyrating on the by now heavily stained carpet to dance.

He
continued to drink as we danced, and when I mentioned he might want to slow down he scowled at me and said, “Relax, babe, have some fun.”

A slow song came over the speakers and he pulled me close
, leaning heavily on me to remain upright, his hands moving over my body like an octopus’s tentacles. The smell of beer on his breath when he leaned in and tried to kiss me made my stomach turn, and bile rose in my throat in response. I pulled back, making an excuse about having to use the bathroom, and left the room, afraid I might actually throw up on him if he continued breathing on me. Thankfully, he was so drunk he didn’t object but kept on dancing.

I walked outside to get away from the crowd and
find some fresh air, hoping to ease the nauseous feeling in the pit of my belly. After taking a few deep breaths of fresh air I turned my thoughts to what I should do, since it was clear Scott was in no condition to drive me home. I didn’t have many options. If I called my parents, I knew they would never let me go out on a date again. If I called Paul he would kill Scott, and I would never hear the end of it. Neither Jess nor Chris was old enough to drive yet so I couldn’t call on them, which left me without much choice. With a loud sigh I sat on the porch swing, fumbling through my purse for my cell phone, resigned to calling my mother. I was hoping she would make my father see that I had done the responsible thing by calling when I was in trouble.  I wrapped my hand around the phone and pulled it from my purse, then heard the front door open and looked up to find Scott standing in the doorway, very drunk, and clearly angry.

“What are you doing out here
, you’re missing all the fun?” He asked, his speech slurred as he stumbled towards me, barely able to stay upright.

“I’m
not feeling well. I’m going to call home and get someone to pick me up.” I picked up my phone and prepared to dial, but he reached out and slapped it from my hand.

“You don’t
need mommy and daddy to get you, I can drive you home,” he said sharply.

I stood so I could get out of the way if he fell forward
, which seemed very likely. “Scott, you can barely walk. I don’t think you should be driving anywhere tonight.” I tried to move past him but he stepped in front of me, blocking my escape, looking down on me with bloodshot eyes.

“
I did not bring you here to make me look bad in front of my friends.” His face was flushed with rage and he grabbed my wrists, pulling me roughly toward him.

I could feel his anger in the air around us threatening to choke me with its bitterness
, and I knew I was in trouble. “Scott, let me go, you are hurting me.”

H
e smirked, yanking my wrists harder. I gasped as pain radiated up my arm. Taking advantage of my shock, he pulled me close, imprisoning me in his arms, then leaned in, his mouth besieging mine in a sloppy, wet kiss. My stomach rolled in protest. The smell of his breath made me gag, and when he forced my mouth open and his tongue slid inside, I could not stop the vomit that erupted and spewed all over him. With a loud curse he pulled his vomit-covered shirt off and threw it down on the porch. The rage that radiated from him surrounded me, increasing my terror.

“You bitch
,” he sneered, slapping me across the face so hard I staggered backward, putting my hand to my cheek in shock.

Never had anyone hit me. Even my parents had never resorted to that kind of punishment
, and I was terrified.

“No one gets
a free ride with me! You can go home when I am done with you.” He shoved me down on the swing, landing on top of me with a grunt, groping my shirt, pulling at the buttons until it fell open, leaving me exposed to his glassy-eyed stare. “That’s better,” he mumbled, moving his hand to the button of my jeans.

I knew then what
he intended and I panicked. “No!” I screamed, kicking, punching, and scratching to get away.

“Stay
still and it will be over soon,” he commanded, slapping me hard across the cheek once more, before burying his head in my breasts with a lustful moan as his hands worked to undo the bra clasp in the back.

The sound of screeching br
akes sounded, a loud feral growl filled the air, and I heard a choking sound as I felt Scott’s weight being lifted off of me. I looked up in surprise, shocked to see Aidan holding Scott in the air by his throat, his face filled with fury, his fangs exposed, shaking the large jock like a rag doll. Scott’s feet dangled wildly as he gasped for air, his eyes bulging from their sockets as he looked fearfully down upon the vampire who held him.

The raw fury in the air threatened to consume me
, but I found my voice when I saw Scott’s head fall back and his struggles ceased. “Aidan, stop, you are going to kill him,” I hollered. He looked at me with a feral gaze, and I couldn’t suppress the shudder that came over me. Terror for the man who had always been kind and good to me took hold. For as long as I could remember, Aidan had been in my life, spoiling me rotten and devoting many hours to entertaining me. Yet when he looked my way with eyes as black as night, so unlike the electric- blue ones I was used to, I couldn’t help but be terrified. “Please stop,” I begged. He stared at me for moment, uncomprehending. “Please.”

He
turned his gaze back on his victim, who was now somewhat coherent and clawing at his captor’s arms wildly. “It is only for her that I let you live, but if you ever hurt another girl, I will hunt you down and end your miserable life,” Aidan told him, his deadly tone leaving no doubt he would honor his words. “Do you understand?” Scott mumbled something unintelligible, and Aidan threw him across the porch with a flick of his wrist. He landed against the wood rail on the opposite side of the porch with a thud and a groan before passing out completely.

Without a backward glance
, Aidan strode toward me and picked me up in his arms carefully. He cradled me close, burying his face in my neck and taking a deep calming breath before pulling back. For a brief moment, his eyes locked on my barely covered, heaving chest, but then he shook his head and lifted his eyes to mine. “Are you okay?” he asked in a hoarse, raspy voice that in no way resembled the haunting, familiar one I was used to hearing.

I nodded
, my body shaking involuntarily in his arms, unable to speak.

He moved
us quickly to his car, which sat in the middle of the street, still running. He buckled me into the passenger seat before tenderly stroking my cheek and closing the door. Within seconds he got in the driver’s side and took off, tires spinning as he pressed his foot heavily on the gas pedal.

I pulled my shirt together as best I coul
d and huddled in the seat, scared and humiliated. Tears rolled down my cheeks and ragged sobs tore from my throat as I wrapped my arms around myself to try to stop the trembling of my body. Aidan pulled a blanket from somewhere in the back seat and tucked it around me, but I was not cold, just frightened and shocked by the night’s events.

W
e made it home in record time, and he came around to get me out of the car, lifting me again into his arms as if I were a feather before heading for the front door.

“Please
, I cannot let them see me like this,” I pleaded, stopping his advance. Tears filled my eyes once again and I pointed to the garden, hoping for a chance to get myself together before having to go in and face my parents.

“Whatever you want,” he said softly
, carrying me into the garden and setting me down carefully on the wood bench inside of the gazebo, turning away politely as I tried to fix my shirt.

I tried to close what buttons remained on my shirt, but m
y hands shook uncontrollably and I could not get them in place, no matter how hard I tried. I cried out in frustration, a fresh batch of tears rolling down my cheeks. He turned around, buttoning them himself, swearing under his breath as I kept my head down in shame. When he was done, he pulled his hands away and clenched them together at his sides, his face hard and unreadable.

“What are you doing here
, Aidan?” I asked softly. “How did you know where I was and that I needed help?” I lifted my hand to brush my hair from my face, and his eyes locked on my wrists, rage filling his face once again. I followed his gaze, surprised to see tiny finger marks already turning black and blue where Scott had held them so tightly.