Pretend With Me (Midnight Society #1) (39 page)

“You didn’t think it would?” Jason blurted out,
horrified.
“Actually Jason, there’s only one other that can do
what you just did. You’re the only incubus, the other is a
succubus.”
“What was that fucking speech about then?” he cursed
standing up glaring at her.
She turned to Jason with a light smile on her face.
“Dean has been in my life for as long as I can remember…
I had to try something. My life matters not where his is
concerned.”
“Katalin, it’s almost sunrise,” someone behind me said
but I didn’t turn around to find out whom. I was too
stunned by this new Katalin. I always thought she was cold
and heartless - an emotionless blob that felt nothing and
cared about no one; I had been so wrong.
She nodded and stood up, tilting her head towards the
line of kneeling guys. Slowly she began stalking towards
them, stopping in front of a young boy with long blonde
hair that covered his face, making it impossible to see any
of his other features.
Katalin motioned with her index finger for the boy to
stand and instantly he obeyed, raising his head as he did.
The first thing I noticed was his eyes and instantly my
heart kicked off in my chest. The familiarity of his piercing
grey eyes was so intense that it had me sweating and
shaking uncontrollably. Hope stirred within me even
though I was dreading that I was wrong.
Three things happened then, things that could either
destroy me or set me free. Katalin raised her hand and
shot it towards his throat like a knife. I watched horrified
as he closed his eyes, bowing his head not even attempting
to stop her, and then I felt myself spring into action. I
ripped out of Eric’s hands, shooting towards them using
non-human speed. In a second, my eyes burned blue and I
found myself standing between them. My back was
pressing against him as my arms shot out to Katalin.
“I’m not going to let you hurt him Katalin.” My voice
came out stronger than I felt.
“Really? You aren’t letting me?” she asked tilting her
head. “You can’t stop me Jenifer, because of them Dean
almost died.”
I took a step back, pushing Brandon back as well.
“Please Katalin. You got a second chance… do the same
for us. Let him live, please,” I begged knowing that if she
didn’t agree I would fight to death to save him. Her eyes
raked over us for a second and then she turned on her
heels and began walking away. I kept my eyes on her, not
trusting her. Brandon was alive. I wasn't going to let
anything happen to him. I had lost him once before, I had
seen Zoryiaa shove a knife into his throat and I didn't
know how it was possible for him to be standing behind
me but it didn't matter right now. All that mattered was
that he was alive.
“Katalin what of the rest?” someone said at the back of
me. She stopped turning to us slightly. Her eyes had gone
back to their earthy brown.
The strong stench of blood hit my nose then and not
being able to stop myself, I took my eyes off Katalin
staring back at the line of guys. Blood was gushing out of
their faces from their eyes, nose and ears. Then one at a
time, they each dropped to the floor lifeless. I turned back
to Katalin as a mixture of fear and horror flooded me. If
she could do this while her eyes were human, I didn’t want
to know what could happen when she had pureblood eyes.
“What of them?” she asked matter-of-factly and then
vanished.
As soon as Katalin was gone I spun around turning to
face Brandon. New tears rolled down my cheeks now, but
I wasn’t crying because I was hurting. I was beyond happy,
it was almost too good to be true. Brandon was alive. I
couldn’t wrap my mind around the thought. I was afraid to
keep looking at him, afraid to reach out and touch him. It
wasn’t that I was scared of him, I was afraid that he would
turn to smoke and vanish. To have so much hope and
certainty, only to have it all drain away would kill me.
Then suddenly I couldn’t take it anymore and in a
quick movement I wrapped my arms around him, pressing
my entire body to his. I didn’t ever want to let him go. My
heart began beating even faster as I realized that he was
real. I was holding him and this wasn’t a dream.
“How is it possible that you’re alive?” I sobbed into his
chest, gripping onto his clothes with so much force that
my knuckles were beginning to ache. “I saw them kill you -
I saw her - I can’t… you’re here Brandon…” I cried.
I felt his hands grab my wrists roughly and ripped them
away from holding onto him. The movement was fast and
hard, as if my touch had burned him. He then gripped
onto my shoulders forcefully, shoving me away. His eyes
ran over me for a split second and then just like that,
without a word, he turned and began to walk away.
I ran up to him, holding his arm and pulled him back to
face me. Brandon spun around and I immediately found
myself staring up at a pair of hard, cold almost dead, pale
grey eyes. Instinctively I took a step back. “What do you
want from me?” he sneered through clenched teeth and a
tight jaw.
“Don’t go,” I breathed out, my voice suddenly timid,
almost inaudible.
“If you knew all the things that I’ve done… you
wouldn’t be saying that,” he said bitterly and began to turn
away from me again.
Before he could fully turn, I grabbed onto his hand
with both of mine. He paused, but didn’t turn back to look
at me. “Please don’t go Brandon… I just… just got you
back - I saw them kill you - I can’t lose you again. For so
long I thought you were dead… please… please
Brandon… don’t go…” Tears slid down my face.
“The Brandon you know is dead, Jen,” he spat at me
ripping his hand away fiercely. I felt my heart squeeze in
my chest as I realized just how different he was.
Everything about him had changed; his entire body, his
face, and mostly his eyes. He looked completely dull and
lifeless, like there was nothing inside him but an empty
void, as if he was carved from stone.
“Look at me, Jen - I’m a monster. I’m not human
anymore!” he screamed at me. “I’ve killed people! I don’t
deserve to be alive!” he shouted, grabbing onto my
shoulder roughly. “You should have let her kill me!” He
began shaking me fiercely and I winced as pain shot down
my arm from where his fingernails were digging into my
flesh. “Why did you stop her?” he sneered through
clenched teeth.
“Because I love you. I couldn’t watch you die again.”
He paused for a second and then dropped his hands,
turning away from me.
“I don’t care about you any more, Jenifer,” he said
without emotion and began walking away. “Leave me
alone.”
“What about Kristen!” I shouted. “Do you care about
her Brandon?”
“No!”
“She’s pregnant!” I screamed after him at the top of my
lungs.

The second Eric unlocked the front doors and we were
inside, I went straight for the fridge. I was so thirsty it felt
as if my throat was about to go up in flames at any second.
Once in the kitchen I got three bottles of water and then
went back into the living room giving Brandon one, setting
the second in the middle of the little table at the centre of
the room for Eric, and then opened the third, drinking
deeply. Before I knew it the bottle was empty and without
thinking I opened Eric’s drinking from his as I dropped
down on the couch, exhausted.

Brandon was staring at me, his grey eyes so intense it
seemed as if he was glaring into my soul. “Brandon…” I
began, “that night Zane wasn’t looking for Kris… He was
looking for me. He thought that I was Red-”

“I know the story, Jen,” he snapped with so much
venom that I felt as if he’d slapped me. Automatically I
recoiled, sinking back into the couch.

“I’m sorry I got you involved… I never wanted anyone
to get hurt. I didn’t know about any of this. Brandon, I’m
so sorry-”

“I already told you, Jen,” he cut me off again, but this
time the malice in his voice had softened just a tinge. It
was still there, coating his words and plastered on his face,
but it was less harsh. “I know the story.”

Eric entered the living room then. He walked straight
up to Brandon and gave him clean clothes, nodding
towards the stairs. “Up the stairs, down the hall, last door
on the left,” Eric said directing him to one of the many
unused bedrooms in the house. Silently, Brandon nodded
taking the clothes and without giving me another glance,
he shuffled down the hall quiety.

“He hates me,” I muttered, sinking further into the
couch. “And who could blame him... I did this to him. I’m
the reason for everything he’s gone through. I hate me…”
I trailed off, feeling my throat tighten.

“He doesn’t hate you, Jen,” Eric shook his head,
holding out his hand to me. When I didn’t make a move,
he reached out taking my hand, pulling me up from the
couch and then towards my bedroom.

“How are you doing?” he whispered shutting the door
behind him and turning to me.
“What do you mean?’ I frowned confused. “I’m fine,
Eric. I don’t have a scratch on me.”
“No, I mean with everything else that’s happened
tonight. Are you okay?” he asked.
I didn’t answer right away, instead I closed my eyes
pressing my head into his chest. “I’m fine,” I murmured.
“It’s not all bad… I mean Brandon’s alive, and that counts
for something.” He nodded releasing me and motioned for
me to shower. I began walking to the bathroom, then
stopped and turned back to face him. “Do you think he’s
going to leave?”
“No…” Eric whispered shaking his head. “No matter
what he says or how much he’s changed he still loves
Kristen. He’ll stay long enough to know she’s okay.” His
voice was filled with certainty and authority.
From what I had seen tonight, I didn’t think that
Brandon would stay. At the first chance he got, he was
going to leave, but I nodded and disappeared into the
bathroom. I trusted Eric wholly, and only because he’d
said Brandon would stay, I believed him. Had it been
anyone else - even Daren maybe – I’d have been standing
outside Brandon’s bedroom door to stop him from
leaving.
By the time I was finished in the bathroom, Eric and
Brandon had already cleaned themselves up and was back
in the living room. I knew because I heard them before I
saw them, and at the sound of my name, I stopped in the
middle of the staircase listening, afraid that if I walked into
the room they’d stop talking.
“Is anyone else coming after Jen?” Eric was asking.
Brandon remained silent for a few seconds and he let
out a long sigh. “No. Only Zane knew about her.”
“And he didn’t tell anyone else?”
“No,” Brandon repeated. “Telling someone else, meant
he’d have competition…”
“So what happened to you? What have you been doing
all this time?”
“Zane didn’t kill me… well he did, but he changed me
before,” Brandon started and I felt my body lean against
the wall, just wanting something to keep me upright. “Is
Kris really pregnant? Or did Jen just say that to get me
here?”
“She didn’t lie… No one’s supposed to know, not even
Kris knows yet, but she is…” Eric trailed off and when
Brandon didn’t respond silence coated the room so thickly
I could hear Eric’s controlled and steady breaths. “You
know you can’t go back to her, right?” Eric then asked,
and I could hear the frown in his voice. I knew then that
he was reading Brandon and he responded to his
movements and thoughts. “Kris needs to remain thinking
you’re dead.”
“What?” I snapped, suddenly finding myself standing in
the middle of the living room, between them but facing
Eric. I had moved so fast that I hadn’t known where I was
until I found myself standing there. My movements
weren’t important though, not now. I couldn’t understand
how Eric could say that. There was no reason in my head
that was good enough for Kris to keep thinking that
Brandon was dead. “Eric, are you mental? He’s not dead,
he’s alive! Kris needs to know he’s alive! You can’t just
keep the truth from her. Are you mad?”
“Jen…” Brandon whispered behind me and I turned to
face him instantly. “He’s right… I’m dangerous. I’m not…
human anymore. I’m a werewolf,” he grunted out through
clenched teeth, his voice rising with every word he spat at
me.
“So what, Brandon!” I snapped back, stepping closer to
him. Before I could take another step, Eric was at my side,
my hand secured in his. I ignored him, focusing on
Brandon. “Kris loves you... It’s not fair to do this to her...
to keep something like this from her. She thinks you’re
dead,” I spat at him coating my voice with enough venom
to sting him.
“Jen,” Eric said slowly, his hand tightening on mine as
he pulled me back and away from Brandon. “Maybe we
should talk about this later… after we’ve all calmed down
a bit and slept…” he suggested, “after Brandon's not so
angry...”
“Fine,” I snapped, yanking my arm away from Eric.
Without waiting for him or Brandon to say anything, I
stormed out of the living room and marched up to my
bedroom, slamming the door forcefully. I dropped down
on my bed, letting my feet dangle at the side, forcing
myself to keep the tears from spilling over the sides of my
face as I stared up at the ceiling.
I couldn’t believe Eric and Brandon. I knew and
understood that Brandon was doing this so he wouldn’t
hurt Kris, but what they failed to understand was how
much he was hurting her right now. He didn’t know what
he was putting her through. They didn’t know what the
holes felt like… to feel absolutely empty inside… like
everything had been scraped clean and only a shell of what
we were was all that remained. I was so angry that they’d
keep something like this from her, so mad and frustrated
that it made me want to cry and break things at the same
time.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door and
before I could tell Eric to go away, he opened the door
and walked in the room, silently sitting down on the bed
beside me. “Are you okay?” His voice was so soft and
gentle that it almost seemed to be a part of the silence.
“I’m fine,” I snapped without meaning to.
“Jen,” he whispered, laying back and then turned to
face me, “don’t shut me out again.”
My heart wrenched at his tone. There was something in
it I’d never heard before, something like fear, but not quite
as strong; uncertainty, yet not so mild either. It was as if he
was afraid saying the wrong thing would make me lash out
and treat him the way I did before.
I hated that I made him feel like that. I loved Eric, I
truly did, and because I loved him I forced myself to fight
my most basic instinct when things got too close to my
heart. Usually I would push people away, guard my heart
and act like I didn’t give a shit when inside it tore me apart.
But because I loved him, because he was asking me to, I
chose to let him in.
“What if it was us?” I whispered without looking at
him. “What if Zane had turned me into a werewolf and
you thought that I was dead? Would it matter to you?” I
turned my head, staring at him.
“No it wouldn’t…” he whispered so low his voice was
next to inaudible.
“How is it different, then?” I asked, my voice matching
his. “How is it okay to keep the truth from Kris? She
deserves to know that Brandon is alive…”
“It’s different Jen.”
“How?” I sat up on the bed, tears running down my
face as I stared at him.
“Because Kris is human… She’s fragile… and she’s
carrying his child. Brandon can’t be controlled. Anything
can set him off and if he turns, he will kill whoever is near
him… What if he was around Kristen? What if he hurt her
or their baby? Honestly, I don’t even want him around
you…
“When a werewolf changes it kills everything in its
path. . . It’s like having a rabid animal on a bloodlust
mission. Werewolves are so unpredictable and
uncontrollable that by Thirdworld law, they’re not suffered
to live. That’s why it’s called a curse, Jen,” he said in a
hard, fierce voice, “because the person loses themselves. . .
If Brandon were to shift around Kristen, he’d kill her.”
“I still think this is wrong,” I whispered closing my
eyes, as the insides of my head throbbed. “If Daren was
alive… even if I couldn’t be with him, I’d want to know.
I’d want to know that his life didn’t end because of
something I did or because of what I was…”
“I know,” he whispered back allowing the subject to
fall flat. A short second of silence passed over us and then
he let out a tired sigh, lying down beside me. He took my
hand, pulling me down at his side, wrapping his arms
around my waist. I didn’t fight him, instead I rolled on my
side snuggling closer to him, burying my face into his
chest.
Sighing, I closed my eyes breathing in his scent.
Already I could feel my brain cells shutting off slowly. I
was exhausted, yet not tired enough to not want Eric. I
wondered if someday we would get used to each other and
this need; if this unbearable, almost painful feeling would
fade… I hoped not.
“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” I mumbled out,
afraid of the answer I was going to get, because if the
situation was reversed, I wouldn’t forgive me.
“He will... it’ll take a while though... Just give him
space, Jen...” Eric answered. “So,” he then whispered and
from his tone I knew that he was going to change the
subject. “The concert and your bachelorette party is
coming up soon… Do you know where you’ll be staying
yet?”
Instantly I pulled away looking up at his face. “I
thought you didn’t want me to go?” I asked, allowing him
to switch the topic.
“I still don’t,” he said and a dazzling smile lit his face,
“but tonight proved just how much of a badass you were.
Now I’m pretty sure you can take care of yourself and
don’t need me or Jason around… so I have no excuses to
keep you here,” he chuckled “besides, if I’d told you not to
go, would you stay?”
“No,” I smiled back at him. “Was that why Jason was
at the ball tonight, to protect me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he admitted. “Jason is always around you when
you’re unprotected... That’s kind of his job.”
“I had pureblood eyes tonight...” I commented, not
knowing how to phrase what I was trying to ask. Eric
must’ve been in my head though, because he caught on
instantly.
“Yeah, I saw,” he swallowed. “It means that you’ll go
through the third stage and become a full pureblood really
soon...” he trailed off and all I could do was nod.
For a long while, I remained quiet as that sunk in.
“Hmmm... Did Katalin hold you back?” I mumbled,
instantly feeling disgust and shame rising in my stomach. I
couldn’t even bring myself to admit it, to say the words out
loud; that I had killed Zane. Even if everyone though what
I did was okay, it really wasn’t. It was still wrong and that
would never change no matter what they said or thought.
“Yeah she did…” Eric’s voice broke into my thoughts.
“When he had you pinned to the wall I was about to step
in but she stopped me and told me it wasn’t my fight,” he
explained nonchalantly.
“Oh,” I said and then added, “how did she kill all those
men..? They all just started bleeding and then they died…
Is that her… inheritance, she can kill people?”
“It’s one,” he sighed, “she has many and that’s putting
it lightly.”
“How?” I whispered, so tired that I could barely keep
my eyes open.
“Her main ability allows her to copy the abilities of
other purebloods… I don’t know if it happens on its own
or if it’s something that she can control though…”
“So…” I mused thinking about what he’d just said,
“Katalin can very well have the abilities of every pureblood
that she’s ever had contact with?” I frowned. Eric’s only
response was a nod.
Whoa, Katalin was scary. I saw what she did to all
those guys with plain human eyes, I didn’t want to know
what she could do when she had pureblood eyes… Now,
to imagine she could do more was beyond frightening.
Now I fully understood why she was so feared by
everyone around her.
“Tell me about Jason,” I whispered after a long while.
“Katalin said that he’s an incubus…” Even though I
already knew this, my tone made the statement sound like
a question and in response Eric nodded. “What is Jason’s
ability? Is it that chi swapping thing that he did?” My
frowned deepened.
“Nope, only purebloods have an inheritance,” Eric
murmured.
“So how did he do that thing with Katalin and Dean?”
I muttered, pressing closer to Eric hoping that his scent
would give me something else to focus on but the
headache now threatening to split my skull apart.
“Being an incubus - or succubus,” he added as an
afterthought, “is very similar to being a pureblood. There
are only two main differences - the first is that they don’t
have an inheritance. The second is their… diet,” he
explained slowly while measuring my reaction. When I
didn’t do or say anything he continued. “Instead of feeding
on blood… they feed on a person’s life force…”
“…Like someone’s soul..?” I said frowning, struggling
to keep myself focused.
“Something like that. What Jason did with Katalin and
Dean isn’t something he’s supposed to be able to do…
Katalin took a big gamble with Jason tonight… Every
incubus or succubus can take a person’s life force…
they’re not meant to be able to give it back.”
“Hmmm…” I sighed, pressing myself closer to him.
“You awake?” he asked and I could hear the
amusement in his voice. “Should I shut up now?”
“No,” I said instantly. “I have a headache and your
voice gives me something else to focus on.” In fact, it
wasn’t just his voice. It was everything about him and I
didn’t know what I would do if he ever left me. “Eric…” I
whispered breathing in his scent for what had to be the
millionth time. “I’m glad that you’re not hurt. I don’t know
what I would do if something ever happened to you. I
can’t lose you…”
He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly
and kissing my head. “You won’t lose me, Jen; I promise.”
The rest of the day passed in an uneventful blur.
Brandon only stayed long enough to see Kris when she
came to say goodbye. Once Kris was gone, Brandon left
too. He barely said anything to me. Mostly he spoke to
Eric, telling him what he planned to do and where he was
going and I couldn’t blame him for hating me, he had
every right.
I hated lying to Kris. Every cell in my body told me
that I should tell her the truth, but I couldn’t. Brandon and
Eric didn’t want me to and I didn’t agree with them, but I
couldn’t go against them either. It was so frustrating.
I felt cheap and dirty; doing this to her made me
disgusted at myself. In my past - before the entire
Thirdworld, pureblood thing had happened I wouldn’t
have lied to her. I would have told her the truth. Kris and I
shared everything.
I was losing myself in this world and that scared me
more than marrying Eric did. In fact marrying Eric wasn’t
a crisis as it had been before. At first, I hadn’t wanted to
marry him because that would have meant I was moving
on and forgetting about Daren, but now it was different.
Over the past months I had gotten to know him - the
pureblood behind the hot blue eyed boy - and he was
amazing. I had even grown to love him. Yet at the same
time I didn’t want to be a part of his world – a world
where killing and revenge was okay.