In the Dark by Lila Rose

by Lila Rose

  Raven was already in her second year, and crazy bright. I wondered why she hadn’t gone off to uni rather than sticking around at our local college.

  What was weird though was that Raven had never spoken to me before.

  “Ah, hi, Raven. What’s up?”

  She looked scared, as her eyes glanced off Isaac to Darik. I saw Darik smile at her, giving her a nod to continue, but she didn’t. With one final look at me, she shook her head, blushed and walked away.

  “That’s strange. She’s never approached me before, like everyone else here.”

  “Which is their loss,” Isaac said, pulling me against him and then wrapping his arms around me. I tilted my head up so I could kiss him, until a throat cleared beside us. I groaned in frustration and looked to Darik, who was bloody smirking.

  “Don’t mind me.” He gestured with his hand for us to continue. “Watching is the only way I’m ever going to get any.” He grinned.

  I snorted. “Ah, okay. I don’t know what to say to that, only perv.” He laughed and continued into the cafeteria.

  Unease swirled in my stomach. I wanted to take our lunch someplace else. At least then Isaac and Darik didn’t have to pretend to eat and we wouldn’t have all eyes on us. But Isaac refused, saying to let them stare.

  “They’re only looking because the girls are jealous and the guys are pissed because the girls are staring,” Darik said as we sat down at a corner table with some food.

  “Th-th-that’s t-t-true,” someone said behind us.

  Looking over my shoulder, my eyes went straight to Ty’s sunglasses-covered eyes. He sat at a large table on his own. I glanced him over. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, slim, tall with short dark-blond hair and that day he was wearing light blue jeans and a dark blue shirt.

  Ty was another loner. He’d started at our high school just before exams and had since attended the college the same time as me. No one wanted him to hang with them, because he was blind and stuttered. I’d heard the whispers and snide remarks, pissed off that despite being surrounded by supposed adults, few had seemed to grow up. His stuttering became worse when he was in front of someone. Once, I’d heard him on his phone to his mum where he’d had a normal conversation with her without any stuttering. He got hassled a lot for it and no one wanted to sit with the guy who’d attracted the jocks unwanted attention.

  I knew they tormented him because they didn’t get him.

  Like they didn’t get me.

  Unfortunately, the teasing followed him to college, again, also like it had me.

  “Ty, correct?” Isaac asked.

  “Y-y-yeah. And you’re I-I-Isaac,” he said as he pushed his dark glasses up his nose.

  “That’s right. Leila is also here, as well as my friend, Darik.”

  “Hey, Ty,” I mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.

  “Hi.”

  “Do you want to join us?” Darik asked.

  “I-I… ah—”

  “Come on, Ty.” I went over and grabbed his tray, moving it to our table. He made his way over by using his sensor stick and sat down opposite Isaac and myself, but next to Darik.

  Sounds of snickering reached my ears. Jason, Jenna’s boyfriend, yelled, “Huh, there he goes. Adopting another freak, Isaac?”

  Slouching in my seat, I sighed at the immaturity of the whole damn thing. I was convinced half of the cohort only got into their courses because the college had chairs to fill. Grades be damned. Dammit, I wanted to yell something back, but nothing came to mind, nor was I willing to bite. I knew that was what they wanted. I wondered if they’d be quite so keen if they knew how sharp my teeth were. I could definitely give them a bite to remember. I snorted internally just as Isaac tilted my head towards his with one finger and kissed me gently on the lips.

  “Ignore them,” he ordered.

  “Christ, man, how can you kiss that?” Jason yelled. His mates chuckled, high-fived him and the girls giggled.

  Isaac stood abruptly, knocking over Ty’s drink, which spilt all over him. I grabbed Isaac’s hand before he did something silly.

  “Sire, let me.” Darik growled, standing. “Can I kill him?”

  “No, no one does anything,” I ordered. “It’s not worth it. Ty, are you okay?” I grabbed some napkins and went around the table to help him clean up, most of it landed on his legs, so I didn’t have to get personal with him.

  Ty laughed. “I-I’m all right. Y-y-you almost s-s-sounded s-serious, Darik.”

  I glared at Darik, because the problem was, he was serious. I only hoped Ty didn’t catch the ‘sire’ part.

  Ty reached down and took my hand. He tilted his face up to where mine would be. “I-I-I’m s-sorry,” he whispered, before he growled something so low even my super hearing couldn’t pick it up. “I-I would have s-spoken to y-you s-sooner, b-but I thought you had enough t-trouble, w-without me adding t-to it.”

  “Shit, Ty. You don’t need to worry about that. Besides, I’m just as bad. I thought the same thing with you. Then again, I also thought you thought it’d be better to stay away from the freak.”

  Isaac growled. I mouthed sorry.

  “Th-they are j-just s-scared when people are different th-than them.” He patted my hand and then let it go. So I placed it on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  “Yes they are. Ty, you can hang with us anytime.” I looked at Isaac. He smiled at me with such adoration, causing my breath to catch. I only wished jumping him to have my wicked way was an option.

  “Are you s-sure? I-I will get on y-y-your nerves.”

  Darik laughed. “Don’t worry, Leila does that a lot as well.”

  “Dude, whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “Actually. Ty, why don’t you come to my place after school, to study or something?”

  Isaac cleared his throat. “Sorry, Ty, but tonight isn’t good for us.”

  Raising my brows, I asked, “It’s not?”

  “No, I have something planned.” He grinned and my heart jumped.

  “I’m not invited either, Ty. Isaac wants to do some romantic gesture,” Darik complained.

  “Th-that’s all right, another t-t-time.” He smiled.

  “For sure,” I said and sat down at the table again next to Isaac.

  Pestering him about what he had planned was my first thought; however, I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere. Instead, I sat there and enjoyed the company I had around me. Ty joined in the conversation every now and then, while getting frustrated with himself for stuttering. By the time lunch had ended, he felt more comfortable with us and his stuttering slowed.

  I walked with Ty to software analysis, impressed with his ability to navigate the halls and people. We had the class together and, for the first time, we sat next to each other. Though, I couldn’t help feeling a little lost without Isaac at my side. It was like a part of me was missing. That thought scared me, because it sounded so mushy.

  I was not a mushy person.

  Our lecturer, Dana, wasn’t around, which was the norm. As usual, we followed the textbooks that directed us through our tasks. It was always a breeze of a lesson, learning codes and dissecting data.

  We worked the first half hour in silence. Ty was using his screen reading software, so focused on listening through his headphones. I shot him cursory glances, fascinated as his fingers moved over his textbook, while he listened and pressed his keys in complete control. I’d never noticed before, in all of this time, that his textbook was in braille. I was impressed. College and being a teenager was hard enough, without the added need to learn a whole new language.

  We both completed the tasks at pretty much the same time. Ty and I took the chance to get to know one another better. I found out he had a sister, who was twenty. Her name was Penny, short for Penelope. She had intended to head off to university a couple of years back, but decided to stay home and help out their mum. His dad passed away two years ago and his mum was finding it hard coping on her own. She worked at the local factory, doing nightshift, while Penny worked s
chool hours as a receptionist.

  Ty mentioned he couldn’t wait to graduate, but like me, three years seemed far away. His intention was to work in program development, earning enough, and then Penny could move on and his mum could work less.

  He seemed sweet, shy and considerate with other people’s feelings, and I could tell we were going to get along fine.

  Ty asked me about my family. I surprised myself by telling him the almost truth: My parents were travelling, because they couldn’t handle what other people thought about me.

  He was shocked.

  Then, I moved on to my uncle, and really, there wasn’t much to say about him. So I steered the conversation towards music. I couldn’t believe my ears when he told me he liked the same music as Isaac. He laughed when I told him I heard The Smashing Pumpkins the other day and felt like smashing my head against the car dashboard just to make it stop.

  At least he redeemed himself when he mentioned he also loved Glee, winning him big brownie points. He loved listening to the music.

  At the end of the session, we said our goodbyes. Ty moved onto science and I headed to the library, since I had study time, with a smile upon my face.

  When the day ended, I walked out the front double doors, humming some show tune. It was the first time I’d actually enjoyed my day. I found Isaac and Darik already waiting for me.

  Arriving at my place, I got out of the car before Isaac made it around to open my door. I grinned at him and laughed when he rolled his eyes. Turning to Darik, who had cleared his throat and stood behind me shuffling his feet, I noticed the other car parked next to us.

  My eyes went to Darik when he said, “I’ll be leaving to do a perimeter check. I won’t be far. If you need me, just holler.”

  Nerves suddenly bombarded me. My stomach took a nose-drive and my hands started to sweat. I wiped them on my jeans while my mind kept running over the fact Isaac and I would soon be alone.

  Well, except for whoever owned the car in my drive.

  “Thanks, Darik.” I nodded.

  Darik gave me a chin lift, a small bow to Isaac and then sped off.

  “So…?” I said, turning back to Isaac’s smiling face.

  “You seem nervous, Leila. Do I make you nervous?” His smile turned into a smart-arse smirk.

  Kicking at the dirt, I looked everywhere but at him. “No, why would you? I’ve faced many things in my life and none of them have made me nervous, so why would having time alone with you do that to me?” I shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

  He laughed, no doubt picking up on my heartbeat doing the tango. I gave him a shove, but he caught my hand and pulled me against him for a kiss. My body relaxed into his. I reached my arms up around his neck and brought him closer.

  I barely registered the sound of the front door to my house opening. It was only when someone coughed that I quickly pulled away, but I didn’t get far. Isaac secured his arm around my waist, bringing me back in close to him. I couldn’t hide the rising blush as I looked up to Gregory standing on my front porch.

  “Evening, Father.” Isaac smiled. He took my hand and led me up the front steps. “Is everything prepared?”

  “Yes, son.” He grinned. “Have a nice night.” He bounded down the stairs after giving me a quick wave and got in his car with Adan, who turned up out of nowhere. I watched them leave and then turned to Isaac to ask what was going on, but he wasn’t there. The front door was still open, so he must have gone in. I walked through the front door and gasped. On the floor leading a trail to the kitchen were red rose petals. I never would have thought I’d be choked up about something so romantic, so… disgustingly mushy, but I was.

  God help me, I’d fallen for my vamp, bad.

  Isaac had thought of all this. Even asked his father to help him set it up, and Isaac got rid of everyone so we could be alone.

  Hell, if I didn’t get my heart and mind under control, I was going to be a blubbering mess.

  “Are you just going to stand there and stare, Leila?” I looked up from the floor to Isaac, who was leaning against the kitchen doorframe, giving me the small half smile I loved.

  “Damn it, Isaac. I,”—shaking my head, I offered a shy grin—“no one has ever done anything like this for me. You’re going to turn me into a big softy. I don’t want to be a softy, Isaac. I’m not used to it. I—”

  With a blink, he was in front of me, pulling me against him.

  “I can never see you yielding, and I’d never want that from you. I’m sorry if this makes you unhappy. I was hoping for the exact opposite and knew food usually did that.”

  Moving back enough so I could look him in the eyes, I saw his wince when he noticed tears showing in mine.

  “Seriously, this is the best thing anyone has ever done. I’ll never forget it. But if you tell anyone I was a mess over it, I’ll… well, I’ll think of something really bad when my mind starts working again,” I scolded. He chuckled and kissed my nose.

  “Now, let me feed you. By then, you may forget about harming me.”

  Gregory had cooked a feast. By the end of the meal, I felt stuffed and was sure I was going to burst. Yet still, there were enough leftovers for another three meals—well, maybe my breakfast and lunch the next day.

  Isaac leaned back in his chair. He stared at his drink, a deep red wine, and swirled it in his cup with a thoughtful look upon his face.

  I placed my hand on his to stop the motion, before he spilt it. He looked at me. I smiled and he gave me a half one back.

  “Isaac, what’s on your mind?”

  He cleared his throat. “I was wondering how you came to live with your uncle. Why did your parents leave?”

  Rolling my eyes, I smiled. “Is that all? It looked like you were going to say something I really wouldn’t like.”

  “I know you don’t like speaking of them. Why is that, Leila?” he probed, not in a naughty way either, which I wouldn’t have minded. God, woman, he’s trying to have a heartfelt conversation. Control yourself.

  Audibly, I sighed. “It’s true I don’t like talking about them, but with you, I can handle it. Really, it’s not as if I don’t like talking about them; it’s more that when I do or when I think of them, it makes me remember how much of a disappointment I am to them. They wanted a normal, perfect life and instead they got me, ‘The freak.’” I held up my hand before he could comment. “I now know that some people can handle what happens in their life, the struggles some have to face.” I shrugged. “My mum wasn’t one of them. Don’t get me wrong, they took great care of me. Showed me a lot in the time we had together, gave me a, somewhat, loving home. I guess there was too much to put up with from people around town.

  “Still, in the end, she… my mum always had a need to get out of the town, out of the life she was leading, and when I turned thirteen, I gave her just that. The morning of my thirteenth birthday, I walked out into the kitchen. My mum was standing at the stove. I told her something was wrong. I was in agony. At first, I saw concern flash through her eyes.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. My emotions were catching up with me. Talking about it made me want to curl up in a ball and cry, but I didn’t. “It soon vanished and was replaced with disgust, fright. I transformed right in front of her for the first time. She… I guess she didn’t like what she saw.” I snorted and then sobered. Leaning my forearms on the table, I looked down at my clasped hands. “She tried to kill me, Isaac. Before I passed out, I heard my father come running in. He managed to stop her from doing too much damage. When I woke, bruised, I found my dad was sitting next to me, petting me while I was still in my cat form.”

  I laughed humourlessly. “Ironic, right? He told me he was sorry, but he had to leave. Take Mum away. That… that he loved me no matter how I was. Still, he left with her.”

  Isaac reached for me. Before I knew it, I was sitting in his lap. He stroked my back up and down while he whispered, “I’m so sorry you had to go through anything like that.”

  “Don’t, I
saac. I stopped feeling sorry for myself a long time ago. I stopped crying about a lot of things a very long time ago. What helps me the most, now especially, is that I have you, your family and even my uncle.”

  “Oh, so not just me,” he teased, lightening the mood and it was exactly what I needed.

  “Sorry, you can’t take all the credit.” I waited for his smart reply, but it didn’t come. Instead, he gently turned my head and kissed me. I curled into him and let myself go, allowed myself to only feel and happily forgot the sadness from talking about my parents.

  Much later, Isaac suggested we go for a run to clear our minds. A thrill burst through me and I told him I wanted to be in my feline form so I could whip his behind. He chuckled and then proceeded to inform me—the bastard—that I needed to be faster if I wanted to burn off the food I’d ingested, because he couldn’t have his woman getting fat. With that, he bolted for the back door and fled into the night. I quickly stripped, transformed, and chased after him.

  I wasn’t sure if he was letting me, but I soon caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. I head-butted him before I licked his cheek with my rough tongue and then flew up the nearest tree. As I walked up and down the biggest branch, I watched Isaac as he laughed. He rose from lying on the ground to stand in one second, and in the next, he was up in the tree next to me. Without thinking, I leaped to the next tree and so on with Isaac following me. Eventually, he’d had enough of the chase. Grabbing me under my ribs, he flew us to the ground. With no effort at all, he held me up like a little baby with his hands under my arms and looked me in the eyes. His were twinkling beneath the moonlight, and were the darkest of blacks I’d ever seen.

  “The only problem with you being in this form is that I don’t get to have my way with you at the end of the chase. Next time, you stay in human form,” he growled.