Crimson Groves (20 page)

We were silent the next few moments as I absorbed what he’d told me. I was afraid he knew too much already. What if he knew Bronx? Or what if he saw Tyler save me? Britney moaned; the sofa groaned and squeaked as she shifted her position on it. I watched her for a short while, unsure what to do next. Should I leave? Or keep asking questions? What to do. I didn’t sense hostility or anything suspicious from Stone. Staying a little longer shouldn’t hurt. I hoped.

I looked back over at Stone, a little taken aback by his stare. There was something in those beautiful azure eyes—mystery, intrigue, attraction. My chest tightened. He reached for my hand again, gently squeezing it inside of his. This time I didn’t pull away. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I didn’t get his name. But I do know he made numerous attempts to force you to love him. None of them ever worked. Actually quite the opposite.” A low snicker escaped his lips, echoing throughout the room. “You hate him. An opportunity came for you to escape and you took off, never looking back. You’ve changed your identity hoping to prevent him from finding you.”

I swallowed hard. My throat was still swollen. “Is there anything else?” I asked.

There was a flicker in his eyes. His grip on my hand tightened. “You don’t really think you can hide from him forever, do you?”

That question stung. I could taste it in the back of my throat. I balled my fist, but Stone held on, curving his hand to stay around mine. “I hope I don’t have to,” I said, voice small. I really wasn’t sure I could hide forever. I’d never planned any of this. Tears started welling up in my eyes. Geez, great, not now. I needed to get out of here. I wasn’t going to cry in front of the vampire club boss.

I pulled my hand away, got up, and started pacing again. I could feel Stone watching me, but I refused to look at him and confirm it. There was more to his story, but I definitely wasn’t going to hear it tonight. If he was telling the truth then he knew nothing about Tyler, thank God, or that Bronx was the one I was running from. But I couldn’t ask him to be sure. I had no reason not to trust Stone, of course; no reason to put my trust in him either. Besides, as far as I could tell, he’d kept his word. He’d answered my questions.

The details Stone had uncovered about me could make this whole situation more dangerous. The changes I’d made so I wouldn’t be recognized weren’t foolproof. Stone had just proved that—though he claimed he didn’t know who was after me. But that was no guarantee he didn’t know who Bronx was. Surely if he did know Bronx, he would have already heard from him. He would’ve been told about the young vampire on the run and to keep an eye out for her. Would Bronx offer some kind of reward for my safe return? Based on Lily’s e-mail, he would do anything to get me back. I knew that much was true.

The lies Bronx told me kept piling up. Why didn’t Bronx mention the Head Council? Why was his explanation of the Enforcers so different from Stone’s? My mind was reeling with confusion, still so far away from the answers I sought. My stomach twisted. My throat tightened. My feet felt heavy, as if tiny weights were lined along the soles of my boots. My eyes still felt extra wet, but at least I wasn’t crying. I stopped pacing, stared over at Stone. It was time to get moving.

He leaned forward, setting the empty glass on the table. “Are you finished marching allover my floor?”

I nodded, swallowed hard. Then I looked away, down at the floor. “Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I really do need to get going now.”

He didn’t say anything. I looked back at him. His face was expressionless, eyes were blank. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do. My fear was morphing into anger, and it was charging at me. My defenses were pulling into high alert. If he was going to try to prevent me from leaving, it was time to find that out.

He stood up, took a few steps toward me. I didn’t move. “Abby, the pleasure of having you here has been all mine.” A smile stretched across his face. His arms reached out in front of him.

Panic seized me. I gave in to it, stepped back.

He lowered his arms. “I don’t mean to frighten you.”

“I’m not scared.” I lied. I was scared out of my mind but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “I hope I can trust this information to stay with you and you alone.”

“I give you my word. I will tell no one of our visit.”

“Thank you.” I turned around, grabbed the door handle.

“Wait!” Stone shouted. “I know you’ll need a safe place to eat. Please know you are welcome to come here anytime you need. The donors usually arrive around midnight.” He took slow human steps, removing the small distance between us. Then he grabbed my hand gently, caressingly. He pulled it to his lips, kissing the back of my palm again, then released it. His touch lingered on my skin like a soft perfume.

I smiled shyly, feeling a chill flush my cheeks. “I appreciate that. Thank you again.” I turned back around, opened the door, and walked out.

In a flash, I was in the public bar area. Tyler was the only customer. Thank God no one else had come in yet. Quinn was whistling to himself as he washed some beverage glasses in the tiny sink stationed at the bar. “Anna,” he exclaimed, “I hope er’tang went good back der wit Stone.”

“It sure did. Thanks again for your help.”

The only way to get Tyler out of here fast, without any delays, was to use my persuasion on him. I gave a long sigh, looked over at Tyler, caught him staring right at me. This was my chance. I locked eyes with him, focusing, concentrating as hard as I could. It happened instantly—almost effortless. I was inside his eyes, inside his mind. I encouraged him to throw the cash he owed for his drinks on the countertop and leave immediately. He obeyed. I watched his back as he headed out of the pub. It should only take another minute or two for him to make it to his car. It felt like an eternity waiting for them to pass. I hoped my effect wouldn’t wear off before then. Persuasion can only work a short while once eye contact is lost.

I began my descent from Rayver’s Pub. I successfully made it to the doorway. Quinn was still whistling away in the background. Without looking back, I flashed away.

My speed wasn’t even close to my fastest pace. My feet were moving slow, sluggish. My mind was drowning in all the new information I’d learned from Stone. Bronx was an absolute liar and manipulator, but I already knew that. Why was I so shocked to keep finding out more lies he’d told me? It seemed like Bronx should be in a heap of trouble with the Head Council. He’d secretly turned me into a vampire without telling them. And he most likely never told them about his special power either.

Did Bronx even know about the Head Council? His description of the Enforcers was exactly that of what Stone had called the Head Council. I couldn’t be naïve to this. Bronx was too old not to know about this. So why would he mix up the story he’d told me? Was he trying to keep the Head Council a secret from me? And since the Enforcers were the gifted vampires, controlled by the Head Council, that had to mean that Stone was one of them. And that Bronx should be one of them too. But could I trust what Stone told me? I didn’t really have a choice.

You don’t really think you can hide from him forever, do you?
What did Stone mean by that? Why would he imply that Bronx would find me? Did he know when Bronx would find me? Did he know it was Bronx who was looking for me? Stone was definitely holding out on me. I had to go back to Rayver’s Pub and get more answers.

The laptop made a jingling sound, announcing the arrival of a new e-mail. I was standing in the living room. I didn’t remember coming in the house. I let out a deep, long sigh and then walked over to the sofa and sat down. The laptop was sitting open on the coffee table. I grabbed it, gently set it in my lap. There was a montage of beach scenes displayed on the monitor. A car pulled into the driveway. The garage door hummed open. Tyler was home.

The access door slammed shut, footsteps were hurriedly stomping the wood floors, coming closer and closer toward me. “What the hell was that? What do you think you’re doing?” Tyler rushed at me, arms waving above his head.

“What are you talking about?” I had no idea.

“You know darn well what I’m talking about! You used that vampire hokey pokey on me—hypnosis, persuasion, whatever you call it!” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, standing over me. He glared at me so intensely I thought I saw flames in his eyes. He was really pissed off.

Swallowing hard, I leaned to the side and put the laptop back on the coffee table. Then I slowly stood up and grabbed both of his hands. “Look Ty, I needed to get us out of there. Would you have preferred I talk to you right there in front of the bartender? That definitely would’ve gotten us the wrong attention, which I’m afraid I already did.”

Tyler’s mouth gaped open. “What do you mean? How?”

“The vampire owner in the back of the pub, Stone, well he’s kind of psychic.” I stared deep into Tyler’s beautiful, fiery green eyes.

His face softened, then tilted slightly. His right eyebrow arched upward. “Psychic as in he knows things? Things that are going to happen?” He squeezed my hands.

“Um, yes and no.” I bit my bottom lip and took a small step closer to Tyler. I could feel his warm, steady breath on my forehead. He released my hands and stretched his arms around me, crushing me against his chest. I stood there for a short while and listened to the melodic drumming of his heartbeat. It was relaxing, soothing. But reality loomed around it. My shoulders stiffened and clenched. “He found out everything about me by drinking my blood.” I swallowed slowly. “I don’t know if he can see anything in the future. Everything he told me had already happened. But he also cleared up some of the lies Bronx told me. And I’m convinced he knows more.”

Tyler yanked his arms away and stepped back. “He drank your blood! Why…how would he drink your blood?”

The jealousy I sensed from him was at an insane level. “Ty, listen to me. There is no reason to be upset. You need to trust me. Stone wanted to drink my blood. I allowed him to do it to gain access to a blood donor. That’s it! I had no idea that he could read things about me by drinking my blood. I swear.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. It looked like he was going to pull it out of his head. “Why would you let him do that to you? We could’ve found a blood donor somewhere else!” He rolled his eyes and looked away.

I leaned into him, reached for his hand. But he pulled it away. “Stop this!” I exclaimed. “Please stop this! What is wrong with you? I needed blood! I couldn’t wait to find another donor! I couldn’t put you in danger like that!” I didn’t know where they came from, but tears jumped over the ledge of my eyelids, streaming down my cheeks. I guess I was long overdue to cry.

“I just don’t understand why you would let him touch you like that. Him biting you sounds pretty intimate to me!” He frowned, folded his arms together in front of his chest.

“There is no reason for you to be jealous. Vampire behavior…”

“I AM NOT JEALOUS!”

I rammed straight into him and grabbed his shoulders. I shook him gently and then demanded, “You’re going to listen to me, Ty! You’re going to listen to every word I have to say or I am out of here. Out of here for good!”

His eyes widened in shock. But it must’ve worked. He shook his head, voice soft, saying, “Okay. Fine.”

I waited a minute to confirm his silence was genuine. It was. “We’re not together, we’re not a couple. But even if we were, there was nothing I did that was wrong. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t feel anything for you, but it’s too dangerous for us to allow anything to happen. Do you understand?”

He nodded, face starting to crumble.

“We can not be together. Not now, maybe not ever. I’m a vampire. You’re human. We’re on the run. An evil monster that, if he catches us, will probably kill us both. This can’t be anything. We have to ignore it at all costs. Cut the jealous crap. Why would it be so surprising that a vampire bit me? I bite people every night. It’s gross and very animalistic but it’s a part of who I am, what I am. All Bronx did was fill me with lies. I have to find out the truth my own way now.”

He didn’t say anything. He stared, wide eyes shrinking back to their normal size. His face soft and perfect again. I wanted to touch it, but I knew that would be a bad idea.

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s just so hard. I care so much. I didn’t mean to get jealous. This vampire stuff is new to me but I accept it, all of it. I promise I’ll handle things better from now on.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. His breath on my ear was warm, heavy. I waited for him to say something else. But he didn’t.

He started nibbling on my earlobe—gentle, soft, wet. His tongue slowly stroked back and forth, teasing me. Hot and cold flashes surged over my body. Goosebumps scattered over my arms. A fire came to life inside my chest, burning hot, flames shooting up my throat. “Abby, I’m so sorry,” he breathed. “Please forgive me.”

He lowered his mouth, kissing a trail between my ear and neck. He pressed his hands harder in my back, fingers digging into the tense muscles, hard bone. I pulled him closer into me. His warm body felt incredible. I tugged him again, mashing my body into his. “Ty, we can’t—”

He bit down hard into my neck, almost hard enough to pierce my skin, and sucked at it feverishly. I thought I was going to explode. My body felt like a weightless inferno. I crunched down on my bottom lip and squeezed him even tighter into me. He stopped biting me. His mouth started traveling up my neck, across my chin, up a little higher. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” he panted. His breathing grew deeper and louder, his lips barely an inch away from kissing me.