Crimson Groves

by Ashley Robertson

  “I’m going with you,” he snapped. “You’re not going back there alone!”

  “Yes I am! I have to. Don’t you see that’s the only way to find out what Stone knows? You can’t come!” I walked over toward the café table and started pacing in front of it, that familiar anger trickling inside me.

  “What if something happens?” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and waving them at me. “How will I know? How can I help you if I’m not there? What if Bronx is there? Then what will you do? You’re absolutely not going anywhere without me tonight! Do you understand that?”

  I stopped moving and glared. “What the hell would you do if Bronx was there? Fight him? How? He would defeat you before you took your first swing at him! What protection can you possibly offer me?”

  Tyler didn’t back down for a second. “Regardless of what you think, I know how to fight!” he yelled. “Without me there, he’d just take off with you! I could at least provide a distraction and give you an opportunity to escape.”

  My fangs plunged out of my mouth, anger surging in my veins. “Escape! And then what? Just leave you there with him? I’d end up needing to save you...along with myself.”

  His eyes drilled into mine. “I’m coming with you or you’re not going! You’re not going to scare me away with those fangs of yours!”

  That got my blood boiling to the point where I was about to explode. I could feel the burn in my eyes—hot, stinging fire. “I can’t risk that! You can’t come with me!”

  He stared at me, frozen, and perhaps fearful as my raging glare challenged him to say another word. I watched the vein on his neck pulsate rapidly, and I licked my lips as I imagined how good he would taste, most likely better than Britney. Shivers danced on my spine, and I squeezed my fists into tight balls. I couldn’t bite Tyler! It wasn’t worth it—I cared about him too much. Afraid if I didn’t put space between us I’d lose myself to the blood lust, I flashed out to the living room, shoulders slumped, head low.

  He didn’t follow. The coffee maker started steaming and puffing. Shortly after, I could hear it pouring into the mug. Hopefully he was thinking things through and realizing I’d made a good point. At the end of the day, what protection could Tyler offer me beyond his ability to see the future? No offense to his male ego, but he had to know I was right. Since I wasn’t entirely convinced of that, though, I paced in front of the fireplace, occasionally noticing that lonely log. The anger finally melted away, the blood lust eased up, and my eyes no longer burned.

  Even though his footsteps were soft, the wooden floors still creaked. He stood in the doorway between the living room and the hall, coffee cup in hand, staring at me with those beautiful green eyes. The expression on his face was softer now, but I was still afraid he might set off my anger again. Because of that, I decided to stay by the fireplace.

  “I don’t agree with you”—he took a sip of his coffee—“I don’t think you should go without me. I want to be there for you. I don’t like this at all but because you feel so strongly about it, I respect your wishes and will let you go without any more arguing.”

  I stood there frozen, mouth open but unable to speak. His truce was totally unexpected, and yet so very appreciated. Did he really just say all of that? Relief engulfed me and soothed my lingering anger. I watched him with quiet gratitude, sensing a slew of emotions bundled inside him: sincerity, attraction, concern, uncertainty, fear. I admired his surrender. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. Such a hypocrite, I know.

  I started walking toward him—slow, steady, human steps—until we were only a foot apart. The smell of his coffee made my nose twitch. I gazed at him, keeping my focus on his eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you for trusting me on this.” I grabbed his hand, gave it a tight squeeze.

  “I’m going to be worried sick until you get back here. Worried sick! Please don’t be gone long. In and out.”

  “I can handle that.” I was on my tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek, then rushing back to the other side of the room.

  “As tough as you are, it’s hilarious that coffee can send you fleeing for your life.” He chuckled, turned and walked away.

  The sounds of banging, clanking, and sizzling came from the kitchen as Tyler fixed himself something to eat. I stayed in the living room, sitting on the sofa against the wall, blankly staring at the laptop. More questions looped in my head while I made unsuccessful attempts to answer them. That e-mail from Lily. Why did she ask if I was in Texas? Was that where Bronx was headed? If so, then I should be safe—a little bit longer anyway. And Stone. What was he not telling me? There was more to his story, and I had to find out what it was.

  My thoughts were suffocating me—like staying underwater longer than you can hold your breath. Getting these answers was the only way I’d ever reach the surface and get that breath. Right now, though, I was a long way from that. Plus I still didn’t know what I was going to do about Bronx. I couldn’t hide from him forever. And why did he keep the Head Council a secret? He must have known that I’d find out about them at some point. I felt like I was looking for hidden objects in one of those tricky pictures, but I hadn’t been able to find the first thing yet. By the time Tyler made it into the living room, I was mentally fried.

  “You should change out of those clothes so I can wash them. It’ll give me something to do while you’re gone,” he suggested. He sat down next to me, gently rubbing my thigh.

  That familiar warmth ignited in my gut, crept up my chest to burn inside my neck. Hot chills flushed across my face. I gave him a mild shrug. “Okay.”

  “Did you respond to that e-mail yet?” He stopped rubbing, reached for my hand, took it inside of his, and folded his fingers between mine.

  “No. But I will before I leave tonight,” I assured him. Gently pulling my hand free, I stood up and headed out of the room. The warm tingles inside me relaxed. The heat cooled off. When I glanced back at him, a trace of sorrow glimmered in his eyes. I shook my head, feeling a sorrow of my own, and headed for his bedroom.

  I didn’t want to upset Tyler. Actually, I felt bad about it. But there were so many other things to deal with—things more important than some silly love affair. Love affair? No way! We couldn’t get distracted right now. It could cost us our lives, and I wasn’t willing to pay that price…again.

  I sat down on the edge of Tyler’s bed and let out a long, troubled sigh. Aside from the Tyler, Stone, and Bronx problems, I couldn’t shake my worries for Lily either. She’d been in the back of my mind ever since I left the club. Our friendship was no secret. Bronx would use that to his advantage to find me. Even though she didn’t know where I was, there were still other ways he could use her to get me back. They say don’t borrow trouble, but I had a feeling the trouble was already there, whether borrowed or not.

  I overheard him say something about Texas. Are you in Texas? Lily had asked it, but was the question really coming from her? How could she overhear him say something about Texas without him knowing? It was impossible. Bronx was too smart to allow that. My stomach rolled over, clamping, tightening. I didn’t want to believe that Bronx had already gotten to her, using his gift of persuasion to control her as if she were his puppet and he was the puppet master. But it made too much sense to ignore. If Bronx had Lily, and I believed he did, then that meant she was in danger. And I had to help her.

  I got up quickly and changed, choosing a blue V-neck tee, black pants, and my infamous work boots. Then I ran my fingers through my hair. A quick glance in the mirror showed me that I looked okay. I gave my reflection a brief smile, then headed out to the living room.

  “You look beautiful,” Tyler murmured, eyes groping me up and down as if they were riding a seesaw.

  I felt that warm sensation spark to life inside me again, spreading all over from my head to my toes. “Thanks. You do too.” It was amazing how good he looked in blue and white striped pajama bottoms and a comfy-looking, white cotton tee shirt.

  I sat down beside hi
m, the leather squeaking against my weight. I grabbed the laptop and shook away the screen saver with my finger. The tiny clock in the top right corner said it was seven fifty-one in the evening. The sun had long since dropped from the sky.

  Tyler slid his hand behind me, rubbing my shoulders while I typed a response to Lily. I was getting more worried for her by the minute, but revealing that in this e-mail would be a horrible mistake. I was certain that the message would ultimately end up being read by Bronx. So I decided to keep my response to her short and sweet, confident that I’d hear back from her (Bronx pretending to be her) pretty soon.

  Lily,

  I’m ok. Don’t worry about me. Please take care of

  yourself! I promise to keep in touch.

  Your Friend,

  Abby

  I shut the laptop and placed it back on the coffee table. Tyler stopped rubbing my shoulders and took my hand. I tried to stand up but was met with resistance, with him pulling me back down. His grip tightened. Even though I was much stronger and could easily break free, I sank back into the sofa and leaned over into his chest. His other arm wrapped around me, almost making me forget about everything. The warmth from his body, his amazing scent, his tender touch—I loved it all. You can really make yourself believe everything is okay as long as you have someone to hold you.

  He stroked my hair using soft, gentle, slow movements with his fingertips. Tingles stretched out across my head. I craned my neck, pulled back a little to look up at his face. His eyes were glossy, moist, barely holding back tears. This got me choked up, and I quickly ducked my head back into the safety of his chest. I could hear the beat of his heart speeding up.

  “Abby,” he said in a timid voice. “Please be careful.”

  “I will. I promise.” I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring him or myself.

  My eyes met his as I pulled out of our embrace. He stroked my cheek while his other hand intertwined with mine. His face lowered, slowly erasing the small gap between us. Butterflies started fluttering inside my stomach. The hot sensation returned, soaring up my back and over my neck. Mentally I knew to pull away. I knew I shouldn’t do it. I knew it would put too much of a strain on us. Our focus would become blurred and our efforts would become more challenging. This was the moment that actions would speak volumes louder than my false words.

  The warmth of his lips on mine blasted hot chills through my body. He let go of my hand and aggressively fondled my hair, then pressed my cheeks to pull me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his chest and dug my fingernails into his back. He gasped and then dropped his hands to my waist, sneaking them under my shirt and then tugging at the button on my jeans. He teased my lips with his tongue, sliding it back and forth, trying to pry inside my mouth. His hand jerked more roughly with the button, but it wasn’t budging. Then his eager fingers skimmed across my waistline, causing my whole body to shake. My fangs slowly emerged as I opened my mouth. I delicately nibbled his bottom lip and then returned to kissing him. A silent warning rose between us, but it quickly faded as he bit down into my lip. Instantly, I tasted my blood. The intensity of the moment left me spiraling out of control as he pulled back and dropped down to my neck, where he continued kissing and sucking. The pleasure of his kisses could not be described by words. I grabbed his hair and pulled his head to the side. He moaned and took a deep breath. I licked my lips as I lowered them, closer and closer, until they brushed against his skin. I could feel his vein thumping faster and harder.

  I opened my mouth, fangs resting impatiently on his skin. And as I went to bite down into him, he jerked out of my hands and jumped back. Startled and ashamed, I dashed to the other side of the room.

  Tyler gaped over at me. There was no need for him to say a word. I could read his eyes; I could see it all over his face. He still wanted me. He wasn’t afraid. He wanted to kiss me again.

  I really needed to go—for more reasons than before now. I needed to get back to the mission at hand, which was to keep Tyler safe, find out what Stone wasn’t telling me, and somehow help Lily. “I gotta go. I’ll be back soon.” I flashed away without waiting to hear if Tyler said anything back.

  It took me twice as long to arrive at Rayver’s Pub. The need to clear my head took longer than I’d thought it would. The attraction I was feeling for Tyler was becoming too difficult to fight. I either needed to find a way to deal with it or get away from him altogether. The thought of leaving him stung me; the fact I’d almost bitten him stung worse. Using every bit of energy I had, I temporarily made myself forget about what had happened, even though the heat of that kiss still lingered on my lips as I approached the entrance to the pub.

  Making my way through the rotted doorjamb, I picked up the scent of three human customers sitting at the bar. One of them was Britney, the new blood donor. She lit up when she saw me. “You guys, this is her,” she squealed while standing up and running to embrace me. I returned the hug and then walked with her back to the bar.

  “Hi Britney.” I smiled at her two innocent human friends.

  “Anna”—Britney was still under the impression that was my name—“this is Mac and Sara. Mac and Sara, this is Anna. She is the amazing one I told you about!”

  Mac was a shorter guy with a stocky build, short auburn hair, and freckles all over his face and arms. He wore loose-fitted jeans and a navy blue tee. Sara was thin but still curvy in her butt and thighs; straight honey blond hair framed her face and hung just below her shoulders. They both looked to be in their mid-to late twenties. I shook Mac’s hand first, since he was the first to hold it out. Sara scowled at me. Her body twitched when I shook her hand, like she thought I’d spread some deadly virus to her.

  “When you guys do it, you gotta let Anna be the one,” Britney explained.

  “I’m ready. Especially if she’s gonna do it!” Mac said, voice loud and excited.

  Sara punched him and rolled her light blue eyes. “I thought you were going to wait, Mackey?”

  Britney slurped her drink and then looked over at Sara. “Trust me, it’s the most amazing thing ever. Stone said that because Anna’s still a baby, it’s way more intense.”

  “Wait just a second,” I scolded. “I’m not here for you. I’m here to speak with Stone.” And maybe the two unbitten wannabe’s, I thought.

  Britney rolled her eyes and frowned. “We’ll see about that,” she smarted.

  Quinn appeared from behind the bar, and his eyes lit up when he noticed me. “Anna, yer right on time. Stone was just askin ’bout ya.”

  Ignoring Britney and her soon-to-be blood donor friends, I headed toward the back room. As I did, I felt three sets of eyes burning holes in my back. I didn’t turn around to confirm it, though. I quickly embraced Quinn as I passed by. He was such a sweet man. I admired his patience for that annoying daughter of his. Her insistence on getting her own way was quite irritating, which was most likely the reason he’d caved and allowed her to become a blood donor.

  The canned hallway ceiling lights weren’t turned on but my eyes easily showed me to the door, the only thing separating me from Stone Rayver, vampire club boss and possible Enforcer. I raised my hand to knock, but before I did I heard Stone call out, “Please come in.”

  The door handle twisted with ease and I walked inside the dark room. I went over to where Stone sat and scooted in next to him. “Enjoying the darkness this evening?” I asked, hoping to hide my anxiousness.

  His familiar black jeans and boots were now paired with a gray long-sleeved shirt. His hair was slicked with gel tonight and neatly hung to the sides. In one hand was a cocktail glass containing the golden liquid he enjoyed drinking. His other hand swiftly grabbed mine and brought it to his lips.

  “Who do I smell on you? You naughty girl!” he scolded, lips curling into a smirk.

  I yanked my hand away. “That is none of your business! You know why I’m here, let’s stick to that!”

  “Oh, Abby, jealousy is such a horrible emotion. Please accept my apologies.”
He sipped at his drink.

  More jealousy? What is it with men and their jealous emotions? Did I really just ask another stupid question? Yep, I did. “You barely know me,” I exclaimed. “There’s no way you could be jealous! Can we please stop talking about this?”

  He gave a mild shrug and then looked away. “You want to know what I haven’t told you.”

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Yes. Weren’t you supposed to tell me everything yesterday?”

  He tilted his head to the side. “How can you question me when you were the one in a hurry to leave? And now I know why,” he snickered. “You’ve done well keeping his identity a secret. I should’ve discovered that first when I tasted you.” He cocked his head to the side. “How in the world did you keep that from me?”

  Ignoring his attempt to find out about Tyler, I got back to the reason I was here. “I have time tonight. I want to know more about the Head Council and their connection to the one who transformed me.”

  “I can’t answer that without knowing who he is.” Stone nestled his back against the sofa.

  Feeling backed in a corner and wanting desperately to push my way out, I decided to spill Bronx’s name with hopes it would not come back to bite me in the butt.

  I reached across Stone and grabbed the drink out of his hand. He let me have it without resistance. The alcohol, definitely some kind of scotch, burned as I chugged down its entire contents. With a clank, I set the empty beverage glass on the table. Fear stuck in my throat like a boa constrictor was wrapped around my neck, making it almost impossible to speak. For the first time ever, I was relieved to feel anger firing away inside me, slithering inside my veins. Because of that, I was able to push the horrible name off my tongue.

  “Bronx.” My throat loosened and my fiery anger increased. “His name is Bronx.”

  Stone’s eyes gave it away instantly. He knew Bronx, and I assumed a lot more than just that. Realizing this set off my anger. It felt like I was going to explode from the inside out.