Blood Rose (21 page)

“She wants to meet you. I just don’t believe it’s necessary right now. I told her we would stay at least another week, so we can make arrangements for you. Her only comment was she highly doubted that.”

He sighed. Damien’s brow furrowed as he leaned his elbows onto his knees and locked his hands together staring at them begrudgingly. “My sister has a way of knowing things. Usually she knows a lot more about the bad things than the good.”

That reminded me of Neesa and the tarot readings. “As much as I have had to deal with that specifically lately, I don’t think I am quite stable enough for the details as to what you mean. So I am going to ask later.” I couldn’t stand to look at him in such a brooding mood, so I stared down at my black and purple ankle. Yeah, that made me feel better. Not.

“Oh, she also said I was a horrible host who has forgotten many of your more human needs.” He glanced at his bathroom and shook his head. In disagreement, I rolled my eyes as he looked back at me.

“Would it be alright with you if we left for a little while? I do not keep many human necessities on hand I am afraid and you haven’t eaten in nearly two days I do believe.” He barely lifted his head as he looked up at me.

“Did you know you speak more formally when you’re upset?” My brow perked slightly as I looked at him. All he did was stare at me. “I’m fine, Damien. I don’t eat much really anyway. Besides, we’re not done talking.”
It had been three days. He didn’t need to know that though.

“If you choose to say no again I will not allow you to put pants on. I will take you half-naked. Three days will not turn into four.”
Damn it
. It was both amusing and disturbing that his face and voice was so deadly serious.

“They wouldn’t let me in.” I challenged after a moment’s hesitation.

“Do you not remember saying with a single look I tend to get what I want? I believe they would.” His brow perked in mock of my expression. No humor. “Besides, I never said we were done talking. I haven’t learned near enough about you yet either, sweetheart.” A faint smile tugged at his lips as my cheeks flushed.

“Well when you put it that way I won’t challenge you. Where are my pants?” His lips twisted into a slight smile. Pity it really was only a slight one. “But I’m keeping the shirt.” He grinned at that one.

XIII

“OMENS”

“So, maybe you can shed some light on something for me.” I chewed my lip idly while looking out the window. He stayed quiet waiting for me to continue. “Some things were going on, it was while you were still just coming into the restaurant and we weren’t talking too much.” His brow arched as he looked over at me curiously. Taking in a deep breath, I sighed heavily. “Weird things were happening in my apartment.”

“You’ll have to give me an example, sweetheart.” His brows furrowed as his eyes focused on the road. It felt as if I was just filled with weird crap. I didn’t mean to burden him but the strange unanswerable things were almost always pinging around my id waiting to be surfaced and dealt with. Silly or not, I wanted his opinion. “It’s not silly and it’s not a burden. Tell me what happened.” His lips turned up as one hand left the steering wheel to take my hand gently.

My cheeks burned because I felt like a paranoid nutcase. “Stupid stuff. Music turning on when it shouldn’t mostly. The other stuff is difficult to explain. I’ll just get a weird feeling that I’m being watched or that I’m not alone. I’ll see shadows move. Human looking shadows.”

“How often?” His eyes were narrow again as if he were thinking on something.

I shrugged dismissively. “Pretty often. More and more frequently actually.” I laughed bitterly. “My god I sound like one of those freaks who thinks their house is haunted. It hasn’t always been like that. Only the last four or five months maybe? I don’t really remember.”

“Hmm. Could be a number of things. If it happens when I’m around will you tell me? Or if I’m not, though that’s doubtful, will you call me?” I nodded absently. He programed my number into his phone and sent me a message so I would have his.

We watched the sunrise as we drove. It was beautiful. Much better when shared with another. He agreed. We rolled the windows down and tried to blow his speakers with some Fuel. His system was top of the line. We failed but I’d enjoyed the challenge.

Damien had taken me to a small diner off the highway for breakfast. It was old. Completely restored to its hay day. Blue Formica ruled the room with white and black tile covering every inch of the floor and bar siding. Picture a gleaming silver trailer with a neon sign of blue inviting the world of travelers to Sally’s Place.

Questions stirred through my mind about anything I had heard or read that related to every mythological creature I have heard of.

Of course, I couldn’t ask him out loud in the restaurant but after some creative thought I began thinking of yes or no answer questions. He seemed amused enough to humor me with slight shakes of the head for no and faint nods for yes. At least I did get to wear pants and his shirt, which I enjoyed a little too much. Pity he wore one too. And yes, each battered break and mangled joint was securely wrapped.

It went a little like this, I would think a question.
Can you eat food?
Shake of the head no.
But you can drink alcohol.
He shrugged.
Explain it more later?
Nod.
Crosses?
He smirked and reached a hand across the table, the tips of his fingers brushed the golden cross dangling from my neck. My cheeks warmed significantly along with other parts of my body. He winked teasingly as he let his hand fall away.
Alright, another myth
.
Churches?
He smirked still, though faintly and looked from right to left discretely.
Myth.
You can be hurt. How?
He stared at me.
Not now, gotcha
. I sighed as the waitress came to take our order.

I knew it would hurt to eat, so keeping that in mind I ordered the oatmeal. After a word from the waitress the cook had blatantly stuck his head out the kitchen door and openly stared at me. Awkward.

In light of this, the oatmeal wasn’t too hot and had applesauce mixed into it. That hadn’t been on the menu so I knew he’d done it for my benefit to cool it down. Very thoughtful.

Speaking of painful things, every person there from employee to customer was staring at me as if I was some grotesque monster they couldn’t turn away from. Some of it blended with pity. Some looked actually afraid. “Damien, they’re staring at me. I don’t like it.” I mumbled under my breath between bites.

“They think I did this to you,” he grumbled while throwing down a twenty to cover the five-dollar tab. Of course he didn’t eat. He didn’t even bother ordering.

Damien spoke in a light whisper across to me, “The owner just called the police. It’s time to go.” I started pulling myself to the edge of the booth to stand. Damien quickly jumped to my aid. Helping me to my feet, he all but carried me out.

Their gazes followed us out. No one had even spoken more than a whisper the short fifteen minutes we were there. Three guys followed us out to the Jeep. One ventured much closer than the others unashamedly writing down the plate numbers. Damien jumped into the driver seat and without bothering with the drive way jumped the curb on his way out.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I should have made you take me home instead.” He drove through one ditch and a yard with his short cuts. Before long, we were on back roads I hadn’t ever seen.

“Don’t worry about it.” He pulled off the road and was out of the car before I realized he had even come to a complete stop. In another second, he opened the back and grabbed a small tool box. Not a minute later, he threw it back in the Jeep and we were off again.

“I keep extra plates in the back. Sort of a requirement when people can’t know who you are. They may still recognize the Jeep though so we’ll have to hurry. Put your seat belt on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Burlington.”

* * * * *

No cops ever found us fortunately. I didn’t really want to find out what Damien resorted to in such a situation. I never asked what he did with the spare plate either. Some things are best left unquestioned. I was shocked how far away his house was from Burlington.

Stupidly I glanced at his speedometer once and it was bouncing off the one thirty marker. My stomach gurgled unstably.

Of course, what do you think he said to that? “Anna, I have been driving since they invented cars. I have never wrecked and I don’t plan on wrecking now. There’s no reason to be frightened, I assure you.”

“Uhu…” Granted he did look calm, just irritated as all hell. That was the last we spoke before we got back to my apartment in all of thirty minutes when it should have taken much, much longer.

* * * * *

“I’m gonna take a shower. Might take me a little bit though.” My foot was rewrapped obviously but way too swollen to fit in my usual boots so I had been sort of hobble hopping my way around barefoot. Pain or no, I was going to take a shower.

“Sit. Let me unwrap it for you.” I sat on the edge of the bed as he kneeled in front of me on the floor, raising my pant leg to remove the wrap carefully. His cool fingers trailed my flesh up to my thigh teasingly. A smirk was tugging at the corner of his lips though his gaze was upon the floor.

Fighting the shiver brought on by the feel of his touch, (not the temperature) my fingers clinched the comforter in my fists. “Still broken?” I asked sarcastically.

“Nope. You should go for a run and try out the new foot.” He chuckled slightly kissing my knee when he was done.

Before I stood up Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Wait. You have company.” He tugged my pant leg back in place.

“Is it Nees?” It took me by surprise how hopeful I sounded when I asked. Unfortunately, Damien shook his head and moved to the window.

“It’s a younger man in an older model silver Chevy car. Stout. Military haircut. Dresses like a Gap ad.” His brow creased as he stared at the car as if he could make it disappear. Who knows maybe he could though.

With the basic description, I already knew who it was. “Paul.”

“Ahh, the ex. That explains it. All due respect, do you mind if I disappear for his visit? I don’t think we would get along very well.” He turned back to me with an expression that said he already knew he didn’t like Paul, so I nodded.

“That may be a good idea. He can be a jerk sometimes.” Without another word, Damien flew by me landing a kiss to my neck over his bite mark before disappearing out the door. I assumed to avoid Paul he would take the back stairwell away from the parking lot.

A few moments later, my door flew open and slammed into my wall.

“Jeeze Paul, I could’ve been naked! You can’t just walk in!” I hadn’t stood up yet and didn’t really want to let on my ankle was broken on top of my face being bashed up.

Paul ignored me. “Where the fuck have you been?!” The door slammed loudly behind him. “You’ve avoided me for two weeks now and yesterday I show up here, you’re not home. You’re not at work. I called everyone I could find! No one’s seen you for a week. You don’t answer your phone.”

Had it been a week? Surely only two days. Thursday I’d gone to Wildflower. That night I was attacked. Slept through Friday. Today was Saturday. Pfft. Drama Queen. “It’s been two days, Paul.” Oh crap, where was my phone anyway? My entire body tensed tighter with each step that brought him closer to me. I don’t like it when people yell.

He ignored me. It was as if he couldn’t hear me. “So I call Richard had him track your number and you know where we find it? On the street by docks next to a curb covered in blood!” Ah, the docks, right. Oops. He stopped his ranting right in front of me. “Holy shit, what

the hell happened to you?”

“I tripped off the side walk and fell on the curb. Can I have my phone back?” I held out my hand expectantly but he just stood there staring at me like the people from the diner.

“Hello? Do you have my phone?” My fingers waved impatiently for him to hand it over. Already I was ready for him to be gone so Damien would come back to me.

“Uhh... yeah.” He reached into his pocket and handed me the cell. Without moving, I reached over and placed it on the charger pad. Paul stepped close enough his legs brushed mine as he dropped to the floor. His hands came up to cradle my face. He wasn’t as gentle as Damien. It hurt.

The unwanted closeness repelled my memory to being back at the docks. The unknown monster so close I could feel his breath. Just like I could feel Paul’s on me now. Only Paul’s reeked of alcohol. Before I could protest, he went into another raging fit. His fingers clamped tight to my jaw.

“How could you let this happen? If you would just come to your damned senses, we would be together and you wouldn’t be off alone getting hurt all the time! I love you, Anna. You know that I do. I have always loved you! Just once. Give me just once. I know I can show you.”

His hands on my cheeks hurt enough I barely registered the words or the meaning. “Paul, please. You’re hurting me!”

Immediately I tried to push his arms away from me but it was useless. “You don’t know what pain is! You don’t know what it does to me to see you and never be with you. I just want to be with you. Let me show you. Just once let me show you.” He leaned into me forcing me back on the bed. His body pressed into mine firmly as his mouth smashed into mine.