Pretend With Me (Midnight Society #1) (33 page)

A silent second rolled over us and then finally I opened
my mouth to speak. “I - I don't know,” I lied, my voice
barely a whisper. I didn't know what these people wanted
with Kris, but I knew that it wasn't good and he could say
or do what he wanted to me, I was not going to tell him
anything.
“You,” he chuckled amused as he pushed himself off
the wall, jabbing a finger to me, “are a very good liar.” He
turned away from me taking a few steps.
From the corner of my eyes, I noted that some of the
others had left the room. Now there were only three of
them - the two girls and the man standing in front of me.
“So good,” he continued, turning back to me, “that I
almost believe you… Tell me who Red is!” he screamed
and before I could do anything, he was in front of me
again. In the same instant he brought his hand up and
shoved it into my stomach.
Pain shot through my entire body, making my knees
turn to ice and a second later they shattered under me. My
body fell to the floor instantly, curling into a ball. Before I
could recover from it, his fingers, rough and hard weaved
through my hair pulling me up to my feet. For a moment,
all I could do was stand there, staring at him in defiance
while he glared back at me in anger.
One of the girls spoke up then, in a language I didn’t
recognize. It was harsh and strong, yet at the same time
musical. Seconds later the man answered in the same
language, and as if he'd commanded them, both girls
turned and left the room, only to return seconds later,
dragging something behind them.
My eyes bugged out instantly and another dose of
adrenaline surged through me as I took in the limp figure
leaving a small, broken trail of blood behind. Shock and
anger erupted in me at once as my heart shot off, shooting
yet another round of adrenaline through my body.
“What’d you do?” I screamed at the man, kicking and
struggling in front of him, trying to get free and go to
Brandon.
He wrapped his arms around me immediately, forcing
me to keep still as he leaned in closer, whispering,
“Brandon wouldn't tell us about Red either.” His hands
tightened around me and then without warning he spun us
so that now we were both facing Brandon and the two
girls. My back was pressed to his chest and one of his arms
was around my neck.
“Now, Jenifer,” he said casually. “With each second
that you don't give me a name, I'll have Jenny and Zoryiaa
chop off a finger.”
Tears ran down my face as if a waterfall had sprung to
life in my eyes. I didn't know what to do - how could I just
stand back and watch them hurt him? How could I give up
Kris? How could I decide between my best friend that was
a sister to me and her boyfriend, who was like a brother? I
had grown up with these people; they weren’t blood but
they were my family. What did I do?
I watched horrified as Zoryia bent down at Brandon's
side pulling out his hand from under him while reaching
behind her and getting out a small, neat, silver dagger from
the waistband of her pants. She placed its sharp tip
between Brandon’s baby and ring fingers, smiling sweetly
at us and she asked, “Zane?”
The guy, Zane must have done something behind me
because without hesitation she pushed the blade down
harshly, completely chopping off his baby finger.
Bile rose in my throat, and as tears streamed down my
face I let out a loud shattering scream as blood gushed out
of the stump, flowing towards my feet. I couldn’t stop
screaming.
Brandon didn’t do anything - he didn’t even twitch and
my mind was filled with the terrified thought that he was
dead. I swallowed forcing myself to look at him; to find
anything that told me he was alive. I didn’t find anything
other than he was bleeding. The dead didn’t bleed, right? I
mean bleeding was only possible if there was a heartbeat. I
hoped that was true.
Without so much as a hint of hesitation, Zoryiaa placed
the bloody knife between his ring and middle finger. This
time she didn’t look up for confirmation, she just shoved
the blade down on his ring finger. “Please, please stop, I’m
begging you. Stop!” I cried, struggling in Zane's arm, trying
with all the strength I had to get to Brandon.
“A name!” Zane screamed, nodding to Zoryiaa who
placed the tip of the blade between Brandon’s middle and
index finger, then cut that one off too. Blood was pouring
out of the open wounds, soaking my shoes.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you… Just… Just stop… Please,
just stop!” I screamed.
“Look who we found lurking around,” one of the other
two guys who’d left earlier said as they walked into the
room. Each of them was holding one of Daren’s arm and
seeing him, I felt like my heart was about to explode. His
clothes were stained with blood, making his t-shirt stick to
his skin and with every step he took, he left a bloody shoe
print behind. Desperately I scanned him, looking for any
wound and when I found none, it was like a huge weight
had been lifted off me.
Seconds later, when I realized Zane was going to hurt
Daren too, my mind and heart kicked into overdrive
sending me crazy. I couldn’t form a thought in my head
other than the idea of Zane doing to Daren, what he'd
done to Brandon, or worse.
“Well, if it isn’t Daren,” Zane said and I could hear the
amused smile playing on his lips. “I see you’ve killed half
my pack.”
“Let her go, Zane, Jen doesn’t know anything. What
could you possibly want with her?”
“Fine I’ll let her go,” Zane smirked, yet his fingers
tightened around my neck. “Who’s Red? I know she’s the
pureblood Katalin’s been hiding… and I want her. I’ll
make you a deal, your 'charge' for your girlfriend.”
“You know I can’t do that, even if I wanted to,” Daren
replied calmly, almost as if he was commenting on the
weather. I didn’t understand anything. How could Daren
be so calm when he was covered in blood and Brandon
was bleeding to death in front of us? I was so confused.
“Then you’re of no use,” Zane remarked and on cue
the men shoved him to the floor on his knees. One of
them held him down while the other began twisting his
head to an awkward angle, and then I was screaming again,
screaming so loud and hard that it seemed like an
explosion had gone off in the room.
“Jenifer,” Zane whispered and at his words the guy
twisting Daren’s head stopped and then looked up to Zane
and me. I stopped screaming instantly, my eyes glued to
Daren desperately. “I only need one of them alive so you
can choose which dies…” he muttered in my ear.
His voice was just a breath, but somehow Daren
must’ve heard him because his face snapped up looking to
me for the first time since coming into the room. “You
son of a bitch,” he snapped angrily, trying to pull himself
away from the men holding him. “Don’t make her do it,
Zane,” he warned, his voice deadly.
“Then give me what I want,” Zane chuckled. Daren
just stared at him, his face gripped in a mask of horror and
hate at Zane. “Jenifer,” Zane smiled, “choose quickly.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Daren, I had never seen
him like this and it scared me. Tears rolled down my face
and dropped to the floor, mixing with Brandon’s blood
that now soaked my shoes and the carpet all around me.
“Your time is running out, Jenifer…”
“Jen,” Daren called urgently and I forced myself to
look at him. “Trust me, choose me! Save Brandon and
choose me Jen!” Daren was frantic.
“I can’t,” I cried as tears, endless and heated streamed
down my face. “I can’t let you die.” I turned away from
him not being able to face him anymore. Just as I was
about to open my mouth and whisper the words that
tainted my soul, Brandon stirred on the floor and opened
his eyes slightly, looking at me, then going unconscious
again. “Oh my God,” I breathed out, broken. Everything
inside me was raw and coming apart.
“Jen, look at me,” Daren begged hysterically. “Don’t
do this. Choose me… choose me. You have to choose
me,” he screamed. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.
“You’ve two seconds or I’ll kill them both,” Zane
muttered at the side of my head, his breath warm and
tickling my ear.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I locked eyes with
Daren. He was looking back at me with so much intensity
and focus; silently pleading with me to listen to him. I
couldn’t though, I just couldn’t do it. “Kill me,” I breathed
out, my tears stinging my face. “Kill me, and leave them. I
choose me.”
“I quite like you,” Zane whispered in my ear, “so no…
Brandon,” he paused, forcing my face in Brandon’s
direction. “Or Daren..?” he asked, making me lock eyes
with Daren again.
“Don’t kill Daren,” I whispered, so low that only my
mouth seemed to move as I dropped my eyes to my feet.
All I saw was blood, everywhere and all around.
“You are going to watch this,” Zane snapped gripping
my head, and forcing me to watch as Zoryiaa bent over
Brandon’s body. She then turned him over on his back and
I could see his face for the first time now.
I hardly recognized him. His face was swollen and red.
Blood stained his entire frame. His eyes oozed blood, and
his lips were busted open. How could he still be alive and
look as he did? I couldn’t take my eyes off him as Zoryiaa
took the knife, and without an ounce of pity or emotion,
she shoved it into his neck at the base of his throat.
I heard myself scream as she ripped the knife out and
blood spurted out of the wound. I couldn’t do anything as
he made a choking sound. I couldn’t think about anything
other than Brandon was dying and it was my fault.
Nothing made sense anymore. I felt as if the world was
slowly slipping away from me; as if I was going mad.
Zane then turned me to face Daren, his nails digging
into my arm. I couldn’t face him and I dropped my eyes,
again seeing nothing but the blood that soaked my shoes.
“Choosing between two loves can be crushing, can it not?”
Zane smirked. “It can literally destroy a person… break a
heart into such tiny fragments…”
“Now that you’ve seen the girl you love destroy her
soul. Tell me what I want to know or I’ll kill her while you
watch... Oh and Daren, I know about protectors, and how
that bond works… Who is your charge?”
I didn’t understand what they were saying - all I could
hear was useless noise and sounds that I could not
comprehend. I watched blankly as Zane brought one o f
his hands to my neck, cutting a thin shallow line at the
base of my throat. I felt nothing.
Blood slowly oozed out of the thin scrape and then
everything blurred together. Air whipped around me, and
then I found myself standing beside Daren in the middle
of the bedroom. Nothing had seemed to change - Zane
still had his hands up, as if he was holding me, the two
guys were still standing at the door, and Zoryiaa was in the
same position she’d been in - except now Daren had Jenny
in front of him, one of his hand gripping her neck, and I
was standing behind him. I could see blood tickling down
Jenny’s neck, starting at the exact point where his
fingertips touched.
Then all at once, as if time had caught up Zane
dropped his hands as Zoryiaa and the two guys collapsed
to the floor. “What you don’t know about the seal Zane,”
Daren sneered, his voice animal-like. I knew that he had
lost everything about him. He had completely changed,
going dark, cold, and utterly emotionless. “Is that once
blood is drawn from a charge, it’s power that you can’t
comprehend.”
Zane stood frozen for a second and then his eyes
snapped to my neck, where he had scraped me. Anger was
instantly prominent on his face now. “You!” he sneered at
me stepping forward. Immediately I began backing away
frantically, terrified of him.
“Stay,” Daren commented putting himself in Zane’s
path so he was between us. “Watch,” he ordered and
without as much as a second thought or breath, Daren
tore at Jenny’s neck, literally opening a huge gash across
her throat. Jenny’s body toppled to the floor instantly as
Zane fell to his knees, staring in shock and horror.
“Losing a mate can be crushing, can it not? It can
destroy a person… break a heart into such tiny fragments,
right? Payback is a bitch Zane, but I’m worse,” Daren
sneered through clenched teeth as Zane’s eyes darkened,
and a moment later, he charged for us.
Suddenly hands clamped over my mouth and eyes, and
I felt myself being pulled back. I heard the music from the
party downstairs getting louder and louder until it was
deafening. I could hear endless jumbled voices, all talking
at once and then the person holding me, shoved me hard.
I fell to the ground, my head connecting with something
solid and for a moment everything blurred - the music, the
voices – everything was jumbled and messy.
Fighting the dizziness, I got up and found myself
surrounded by darkness. There was no light at all; whether
my eyes were open or closed, my vision remained the same
– nothing. My heart kicked off into overdrive, pounding
heavy and hard against my ribcage as if it too was trying to
break free. Tears stung my eyes and washed my face as the
panic and terror only got worse with time. I couldn't
breathe - no matter how many times I sucked in air, I
couldn't breathe. I felt like my lungs and throat was on fire,
but I didn't know if the fire came from screaming or not
being able to breathe. With each passing second, I could
literally feel my airway tighten and close up just a little
more.
Desperate to get out, my hands had shot out feeling for
anything that could’ve helped and when I’d found a door,
I’d began banging on it as I’d screamed at the top of my
lungs, trying with no hope to be heard over the pounding
music.
That was the last thing I thought about before the
exhaustion I was fighting swept me away. Everything went
blank and vanished
– all the pain, the tiredness, and
numbing coldness just drifted away, finally allowing me to
sleep. I even forgot I was wrapped in Eric's arms, and that
this was the second stage of awakening.
For the first time in what felt like ages, I was able to
sleep without the constant nightmares haunting me. I
didn’t dream. I didn’t see Daren or Brandon lurking
behind my eyelids – there was nothing, absolutely nothing.