by Bria Berg
“I feel like I’m going to fall out,” she admitted softly, frozen in her fear.
Milo chuckled and pulled her against him. “You’ll be safe, I won’t let you fall.”
Tessa cringed as the seat rocked from the movement, but with Milo’s arm securely around her, she did feel better. “Thanks,” she muttered.
“All of those other rides we went on, you seemed so fearless,” Milo teased. “I can’t believe it’s the classic Ferris wheel that scares you.”
“Those other rides had straps and buckles to keep me in place,” Tessa scoffed. “And if you must know I was terrified on all of those other rides, but they were too much fun to think about being scared. This one… not so much.”
Milo smiled tenderly, squeezing her shoulders. “I think you might be afraid of heights.”
“I’ve never been up high enough to know. I think I hate the Ferris wheel.”
“Well don’t worry, if by some chance you escape my grip I’ll fly down after you.”
Tessa looked up at him with wide eyes. “You can do that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never tried it before, but as long as I have you I feel like anything is possible.”
She sucked in a breath, her body shivering from his words as she stared into his eyes.
He was slightly surprised that he had revealed so much to her, but he didn’t look away, he couldn’t.
They were at the very top of the wheel, hundreds of feet up in the air, and they jolted to a stop. Tessa jumped as she grabbed onto Milo’s shirt, pressing herself closer to him. “We stopped,” she whispered.
His eyes didn’t leave hers as he replied, “They’re probably just letting people off or on.”
The closeness and tension between them was unbearable. Her fear of heights was irrelevant now. She wanted to be closer to him, in so many ways. Just when she felt as if she was going to explode, his eyes closed and his shoulders heaved in a sigh. Sheer disappointment rolled through her veins knowing he would never take that step for them to truly be together. Frustrated, she began to turn away, but his grip on her tightened. His eyes opened then and she gasped at the passion that filled them. His hand moved up to her face, his fingertips grazing her lips causing her to shutter. Slowly as if afraid to scare her, he leaned in before pressing his lips gently against hers. Heat and electricity exploded at their joined lips. The ride began moving again, but they didn’t feel it, everything they had was in the kiss. Their lips knew each other, as if they had spent their entire lifetime entwined with each other. Tessa wrapped her arms around Milo’s neck as he deepened the kiss, and they were brought to a whole new level of bliss. Lips melted into each other, while they clung to one another as if their lives depended on it. They had been deprived of this moment their entire lives, and now that they had tasted each other, nothing else would ever be enough.
“You guys have go get off now,” the girl controlling the ride said, popping a bubble from her gum. She looked utterly board; this must be a common occurrence on the Ferris wheel.
Milo and Tessa pulled away from each other, each blushing as they did. Both of their lips were swollen and red, and each was breathless. Finally, Milo took Tessa’s hand before prying himself away from her and the seat. Tessa needed his support as they walked to the ride’s exit gate since she felt like she could very possibly float away any moment.
Sam and Ethan both stood near the gate with silly grins plastered on their faces. “I was wondering how long it would take you guys to do that,” Sam teased.
“Too long,” Ethan added in. “From what we saw there was some pretty tense built up tension between you.”
Tessa’s cheeks lit up with another deep blush, while Milo shook his head and brought her hand to his lips, giving her a kiss. “Just leave it alone,” he said, grinning.
Ethan put his hands out in front of him in an act of submission. “Fine, fine, we will… for now.” Then with a wink he and Sam walked ahead.
Milo and Tessa walked silently behind them, neither had said a word to each other since the kiss, although they each still felt it fresh on their lips. Finally, when they made it to the car, Milo tugged on her hand to make her stop.
“How are you?” he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
She couldn’t stop the grin that spread over her lips. “I’m really good, you?”
He smiled back. “I’m perfect.”
“I think I liked the Ferris wheel the best,” she laughed.
“You think?”
A blush filled her cheeks as she pressed her lips together.
Gently reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I love it when you blush.” He loved it even more when he was the one making her blush.
Tessa gazed up at him. “What does this mean for us?” she whispered, almost afraid of what he would say.
His eyes locked with hers, filled with so much emotion. “Tess, I—”
Her cell phone chose right then to ring, and they both jumped from the noise. The ringtone was an inappropriate song about wiggling that she suspected Ethan had put on it. It was impossible to ignore even though desperately she wished she could. After Milo took a step away and dropped her hand it was clear their moment was ruined.
Tessa yanked her phone out of her pocket and practically growled when she saw it was Hailey. She couldn’t have chosen a worse time to call. “Hello?” Tessa answered angrily.
“Hey Tess,” Hailey said softly, in a tone that instantly got her attention.
“Hailey, are you alright?” Tessa asked, pushing her anger aside.
She was silent for a moment. “Can you come get me?”
Tessa’s heart squeezed in her chest. What if she was hurt? “What’s wrong?”
“It’s mom and dad. They just didn’t stop fighting after you left. Me and mom went back home and I thought dad left too, but then he showed up here a few minutes ago. He wanted to take me with him, and then mom got all mad and starting screaming things at him… She said that I’m not really his,” she finished in a sob.
A sinking feeling filled Tessa’s stomach. Hailey shouldn’t have found out like this. “I’m about an hour away but I’m coming Hailey. Is dad still there?”
“No, he left,” Hailey sniffled. “Is it true Tess? Am I not really his daughter?”
This was not a conversation that should happen over the phone. “You are his daughter Hailey,” Tessa said honestly, though maybe not biologically. “Just stay in your room until I get there, okay?”
“Okay,” Hailey whispered and hung up.
“I need to get Hailey,” Tessa said brushing past Milo, opening the car door.
The better part of the hour drive was spent with Tessa telling the brothers everything about her crappy childhood, and how Hailey didn’t deserve any of it. Milo held onto her the entire time, trying to offer whatever comfort to her he could. He wished so much he could make her pain go away, but her family, her past, those were things he couldn’t protect her from.
Chapter 39
The house was mostly dark when they pulled into the driveway. Hailey’s room light was on though.
“I need to talk to her alone first,” Tessa said stepping out of the car. “I’ll help her get some things and then we can all go home.”
Milo stood with her, and placed a kiss on forehead. She gave him a sad smile before she took off into the house. The door was unlocked and the entry way was dark. Making her way up the stairs, she heard giggling, her mother’s, coming from her old room. She paused as anger and frustration coursed over her body. How could she reveal something so big and life changing to Hailey, and then go about her business with her boyfriend like nothing happened, and in her old room none the less!
Fists clenched, Tessa walked past Hailey’s room before barging into hers and then stopped. Her mother stood there, with a somewhat dazed look on her face and a silly grin as she fawned at the man. He had his back towards Tessa, but she knew who he was instantly and a chill of dread ran up her spine
. She took a step back hoping rather than believing she could make a run for it, but he turned to face her.
“How nice to see you again Tessa,” Dracul said smoothly. “Sandra here was kind enough to let me in. I didn’t even have to use my influence on her.”
Tessa looked between her mother and Dracul with a sickening feeling. She took a step back, ready to sprint.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Dracul warned reading her actions. “If you care for your mother or your sister at all, you will not run from me again.”
A helpless feeling overcame Tessa as tears filled her eyes. No matter how much she hated her mother, she could never forgive herself if Dracul hurt her in anyway, and she couldn’t even think about him harming Hailey.
“What do you want?” she whimpered.
Dracul took a step away from Sandra, who looked like a puppy pining after its master. “I only want you.”
“I don’t want you!” Tessa yelled. “I will never be yours!”
Not in the least bit deterred by Tessa’s words, Dracul came closer to Tessa. “You will my dear. I have a way of making you do whatever I want.”
“No,” Tessa shook her head defiantly as a tear rolled down her cheek.
He looked at her curiously a moment, then angled his head towards her mother. “Sandra, be a dear and go jump out that window.”
Sandra smiled lovingly as she turned her body and marched towards the window. “Should I open it first?” she asked.
“Stop it!” Tessa cried desperately, defeated. It struck her then; he wasn’t bluffing and it was so easy for him to hurt her family. “I’ll go with you, just don’t hurt anyone.”
“Good girl,” Dracul said taking Tessa’s hand and without looking away from her said, “Sandra, forget about the window, go to your room now. You see, I am a man of my word.”
They both watched as Sandra walked across the room and left down the hall.
“What about Hailey?” Tessa asked trying unsuccessfully to pry her hand away from his.
“I had her go to sleep right after she got off the phone with you. She’s perfectly safe.”
Tessa gaped at him. He had planned this whole thing, which meant… A bang sounded outside and she jumped. “What’s going on?” she asked trying to see outside of the window. All she could think about in that moment was Sam, Ethan, and Milo.
“I know who was outside waiting for you,” Dracul stated as they walked down the stairs.
“What do you mean was?” Tessa asked panicking.
“You don’t really think I didn’t come prepared?” he answered. Before they made it to the front door, he paused and ran his fingers over her face, making her cringe. “Your Protector will never let you go as long as he lives. I can see the appeal you have to him. Although I very much regret having to eliminate someone as powerful as him, but I must.”
“NO!” Tessa bellowed, yanking her hand out from his. Her self-defense training came into play as she smashed her elbow into his nose and ran for the door, flinging it open. The scene outside made her heart stop. Bursts of fire exploded all around, while mounds of earth and rock smashed into trees and the ground. Jet streams of water blasted into two Elite men. Tessa followed the water, and could finally breathe when she saw that Milo was the source. If she could just get to him, then she could amplify his power and then maybe they could escape.
A firm hand grabbed her arm and whirled her around. Dracul stared down at her with a smirk on his lips. His eyes locked with hers, and she could feel his power blanketing her. “You belong to me now, and you will do whatever I ask of you.”
Tessa could feel her mind beginning to yield to his compulsion, but she fought it, trying to pry her eyes away from his.
His grip tightened. “It is useless to fight me, Tessa. Listen to me now!” he ordered.
Head rolling forward, she couldn’t fight it anymore. Her shoulders slumped, and Dracul smiled at his victory. He took her hand again and sat on the porch steps, pulling Tessa down in his lap. She was only partially aware of what she was doing, as if she were in a dream when she snuggled up against his chest and watched the fight.
Milo saw Tessa the moment she burst through the door, but when Dracul stepped out after her his heart stopped. How could this happen? He failed her again, although he wasn’t about to give up. It wouldn’t be easy. There was at least half a dozen Elite fighting him and his brothers, and they would fight until their last breath for their master. A flaming sphere was launched straight at him, but he dodged it before it could get him, and then he sent a jet stream of water at the tree it had caught on fire. With Tessa so near, his power was amplified, but it felt different, not as strong as he was used to it feeling. He guessed Dracul had her under his spell and when he glanced in her direction again and saw her curled in his lap, his blood boiled.
Mai appeared next to the man who had thrown the fireball, and suddenly Milo couldn’t breathe anymore. The air was being sucked right out of his lungs. The look on Mai’s face was murderous, nothing like the girl he used to know, as she came closer to him. Thunder cracked in the sky before large rain drops began falling. With all of his strength, Milo used his powers to freeze the rain like tiny daggers, and sent them flying into Mai and the fire wielder. They both fell instantly, and he didn’t want to know if they were dead as he stared in shock; he’d ever done anything like that before. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder, and all at once the remaining energy he had was drained. Looking up, he saw Jim standing over him.
“I’m sorry about this, but if I didn’t stop you, someone else would have killed you,” Jim whispered as a look of regret filled his features.
Milo couldn’t even support his own weight as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. He tried to fight it, the extreme exhaustion that was taking over him, but he couldn’t. Powerless to do anything more than breathe, his own body held him prisoner.
Sam and Ethan called the tree roots to erupt from the earth, slashing and swiping at their enemies. One of the Elite spun, creating a tornado with her arms until she had become the tornado. She spun right into Ethan, causing him to fly backwards from the force of the windy funnel. Momentarily distracted by Ethan’s body being flung away, Sam was hit with a fiery whip, wielded by one of the enemy and he too fell.
Tessa watched the scene, screaming inside but unable to do anything about it. Her body was warring with itself, being pulled apart in two different directions. Dracul’s compulsion and allure made her want to melt into him, while at the same time seeing her friends, her family, fighting and falling she wanted to help them and protect them.
Once the last brother had been defeated, Dracul stood, pulling Tessa up with him. Jim still had Milo on his knees, front and center as Dracul made his way towards them. The remaining Elite gathered Sam and Ethan, dragging them to the center with Milo so they were surrounded. Tessa wanted to cry, but she couldn’t.
Dracul laughed at Milo as he towered over him, forcing his head back so he could see into his eyes. “You have failed, Protector,” he smirked.
Milo glared at Dracul before focusing on Tessa. As she stared back at him, he could almost see the pain in her gaze, and his look softened, trying to convey through his eyes how much she meant to him. He knew his end was nearing, and if she was the last thing he saw, at least he could have that bit of peace. This didn’t go unnoticed to Dracul as jealously touched him.
“Tessa my darling, come here,” he said bringing her to stand in front of him. Then, with a look of triumph towards Milo, he pressed his lips against hers.
Unable to stop herself, Tessa wrapped her arms around Dracul, kissing him feverously back. He was too tempting to resist, and a big part of her no longer wanted to resist him. Yet, something was wrong. She didn’t savor his lips as she had Milo’s. There was no safety or comfort, only wanting. Her heart began beating rapidly, yet not from passion, but fear. No matter what her mind was telling her to want and what to do, her heart was telling her something entirely different, and it w
as becoming stronger. Inch by inch, Dracul’s power fell away from her. The moment it was gone, she felt it completely, but she kept her arms wrapped around him, kept kissing his lips waiting for the right moment to strike.
A few moments later, Dracul finally pulled his lips away from hers. Tessa did her best to mask her disgust and replace it with a look at adoration. Dracul grinned down at her, licking his lips before he turned to face Milo again. The pain and anger was clear over his features. He wanted to rip Dracul’s head off for even touching Tessa.
“That was better than I even thought it would be,” Dracul said, still looking at Milo. “A promise of what will come as soon as we are through here. Perhaps I shall make you watch?”
“Your tricks are lies. You’ll never truly have her,” Milo growled. He’d fight to his very end, even if it was only with words.
Dracul’s eyes narrowed before he held his hand out to Tessa. “Tessa, my love, tell me how you want me.”
Using all of her strength not to claw his eyes out, she stepped closer to Dracul. She ran her hands across his cheeks, staring up at him as if he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, which was the biggest lie she had ever told. “I want you,” she said in a husky voice before standing up on her tip toes to kiss him again. She pulled away much too soon, and when Dracul’s eyes gave a flicker of confusion, she slowly dragged her hands along his torso. “Is it time to go yet? I want you alone.”
Without Jim touching him, Milo’s strength was slowly returning. He struggled followed by grunts of pain while a satisfied smile touched Dracul’s lips. “You are an anxious one,” he said placing a quick kiss on her lips. “Soon my love, very soon I shall show you what it is to have true bliss.”
“Perhaps you can save this sort of talk for when you are alone? She’s still my daughter,” Jim put in, trying to hide his scowl. It was never unknown to him what Dracul would do to Tessa once he had her, but actually witnessing it was making him sick to his stomach. He had thought perhaps it was the best chance she had at survival. Now however, he wondered if he was wrong.
