Upon seeing Easton, he warned him. “You should lie low. Someone’s surveying the area.”
Easton looked away. “I know. I’ve met him.”
Gavin was quiet for a second and finally breathed. “You should take a shower.”
Easton complied without a word.
Chapter-8
There was a knock on her door, and she pressed her face harder on her pillow. Nonetheless, whoever it was, the door opened and then shut again.
“You two are not a good match.”
She whipped her head up so rapidly that she was thankful a vein was not caught, or a bone did not crack.
“We’re not together.”
“But you reek of him.”
“What are you talking about?” Madison fumed. They had been hinting about a foul scent repeatedly, but she never caught a whiff even once. The bubbling irritation was surfacing, and she was about to blow her fuse if he so much as mentioned about her smelling bad.
He sat on the edge of her bed. She had half a mind to kick him.
“I’m good for you. I’m a good match for you, Madison.”
Madison’s mind reeled. Was Richmond high? Did he hit his head or something? Why, all of a sudden, was he talking about how good of a match they are?
When she remained silent, he continued. “I can make you happy.” She rolled her eyes, but he only smiled knowingly. “And I am mortal. My life has an expiration. Just like you.”
At that, she froze. “What the hell are you talking about, Richmond?” Panicking, she stood up and pulled him toward the door to no avail.
“Get out! You’re talking nonsense. I don’t have time to talk with crazy people, so get out!” He was heavy so her attempts were futile. He did not budge.
“He’s a bloodsucker, Madison.”
It felt like a bucket of ice was dropped on Madison at the declaration. Richmond knew. He knew, and he was proud about it, judging by the sneer on his face.
“I know,” she admitted. This time, it was Richmond’s turn to be shocked.
“You knew, but you kept him?”
“Stop talking like he has a contagious disease, Richmond.” Her voice was sharp. She was beginning to tremble from all the overwhelming emotions coming at once.
“He is a disease in himself, for Christ’s sake Madison! He feeds off human blood! He’s a despicable creature!” Richmond encircled his hand around her arm. She could feel the circulation cut off. His hold would definitely leave marks.
“How did you even find out?” She wriggled her arms, but his grip was tight. She flinched, but he did not relent.
“I can smell him, Madison. He’s disgusting through and through. I can even smell him in you.” He swallowed, and his face was contorted in disgust.
“Smell him? Are you fucking insane?”
“I’m not.” Oddly, he was still calm, at least from his exterior. “I was just trained to kill his kind.” Her eyes widened. Vampire hunter. He was a vampire hunter.
He tugged hard until she was lying on her bed and he was hovering above her, tracing his eyes over her face then down to her neck. When his sight landed on the almost invisible marks, he pressed a thumb there and put pressure.
Madison wailed then thrashed, backing off when she managed to escape his grasp.
He stood up. “Think about it. I’m the better choice, you know it. Stop this nonsense before you do something you would regret.” And with that, he went off, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter-9
Easton sat on the sofa and pondered if Madison was well.
He did not trust that guy. He may be overthinking things, but he looked dangerous. Easton could not help but worry.
“Easton.” He looked at Gavin. He did not hear when he got inside the house or when he settled beside him. There was a lot going on in his head that he even missed someone’s presence.
He spared his brother a glance but did not give a verbal response.
“I think it will be best if we relocate.” The suggestion made him realize the gravity of the situation. It was not the first time that he heard about vampire hunters, but it was the first time he had a direct confrontation with one for the past fifty years or so. It was unnerving.
“I can’t.” There were unspoken reasons. Hunters had never tracked them this fast. It usually took them years before they started surveying the new area where they had located so he could see where Gavin was coming from.
“Easton, we’re not sure if he’s alone or if he already called for back-up. If we don’t leave now, we might fall into their trap.”
A headache was threatening him. He dragged a hand over his face, weighing their options.
Leaving the city would mean having to go somewhere thousands of miles away. He would leave Madison and this city and there would be no assurance that she would be safe. Richmond did not look trustworthy; he was not the type who would protect Madison if there was a danger. Easton reasoned himself that it was his biased opinion talking.
On the other hand, staying would mean that he would gamble for his and Gavin’s life. His brother would never leave him. However, he could not bear the idea of living every day without a trace of Madison. He had been highly dependent on her presence for the past months.
“You should go, Gavin. But I’m staying. I can’t leave her alone. I don’t want to compromise her safety.”
At first, Gavin was giving him a judging look like he could not fathom why Easton would be risking his life over a human. But Easton’s decision was set, and Gavin knew there was no point in making him consider otherwise.
***
Madison hurried to her next class and ignored everyone in favor of fuming against the man who had been trailing after her since yesterday. Richmond was not going to let go. He took his duty of keeping her ‘safe’ seriously, and she had to hold back herself from telling him off and frankly, say that she did not feel safe with him around.
Her aunt was also firm, not wanting to retract her decision of grounding her. Worse, there had been no sign of Easton in school, and she was beginning to dread that he had packed up and left the city for good. The idea made her nauseate.
It was the third day of Easton being a no-show, which Richmond was completely enjoying.
Once they got home, he got complacent and went out again, thinking that he was successful in driving Easton away.
She was lying on her bed, staring at her ceiling and thinking about the pair of eyes she had been missing when there was a click and then the sound of her window being opened. Easton was beaming at her, and she ran to the window and helped him close it before wrapping her hands tightly around his torso.
Easton took a step back, not expecting the action, but hugged her back, caressing her head as he calmed her down. Madison did not realize she was sniffling.
“I thought you’ve left. Are you leaving?” She rested her chin on his chest and looked up to him with misty eyes. Easton felt guilty for making her sad but rejoiced at the fact that she felt lonely at the prospect of him leaving.
“No, I’m not.” He smiled at her reassuringly, tightening his hold around her waist and pulled her body closer to his. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Why were you not at school for the past days? You did not even leave me a message.”
“I didn’t know how to without that bastard knowing. He was with you the whole time like a puppy, how was I supposed to get near you? If he did not leave today, I still wouldn’t be able to go in. He surrounded himself with devices I had to stay away from.”
Madison thought about it, and it made sense. It would be best to avoid a confrontation between a vampire and a vampire hunter. She also noticed the trinkets and accessories Richmond was wearing. She thought it was just a style, but they probably were not. This world is full of things she could not understand.
“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head no. “He pissed me off so much, though. I really want to punch him on the face. He thinks h
e’s some hot stuff. He keeps on telling me that he’s the good match for me, I want to make him shut up for once.”
Easton stiffened and detached her from him. “He really said that?”
Madison was annoyed when he broke the contact but nodded. “He was saying it like a broken record for the past three days. It was so annoying.”
He fought off the smile threatening to come out. “So you don’t like him that way?”
“No,” she answered meekly. His smile was making her heart pound erratically.
He led them to her bed and made her sit. He followed and like reflex, she latched onto him. The past days when she did not have a single interaction made her miss him a lot. She was craving for his presence like he did hers.
Easton chuckled delightedly at her uncharacteristic behavior.
“Did you miss me?” He was not expecting a response of any sort, but he felt the nod on his chest. He swallowed visibly and directed her to face him again.
“I missed you too. It was difficult seeing you and not being able to touch you like I used to.” His voice was quivering, and it was a feeling so new he was beginning to feel scared.
He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. She closed her eyes at the action, relishing the feel of his skin against hers.
A few moments after, there was a feeling of a pair of lips slotting against hers, and she gasped in surprise but did not pull away. Easton faced her fully and collected her in his arms until she was straddling him, hands entangled around his neck.
He kissed her slowly, passionately. The feeling of his lips against hers was making her dizzy with want. She did not realize she had been wanting for this to happen again for so long.
She mewled when he bit her lip lightly. A shiver shot up her spine, and he groaned when he felt her lose control. He began to press deeper, succumbing to his instincts to ravish her, to run his hands on her back and sides, feeling the dips and curves he had been fantasizing about.
Madison pulled back and panted harshly, her mouth barely an inch from his, her hot breath mixing with his.
“I want you so much,” Easton confessed. He heard her swallow and relished at the effect he had on her.
“I thought after spending time with you, this want would dwindle, but it only became harder for me to stay away. I want to be beside you all the time.” He mouthed kisses on her jaw and neck. Madison lolled her head back to give him access.
He lapped at the area where he had bitten her, and she moaned loudly, tugging his hair harshly.
“I want you too, Easton. Ever since the first day, there was something about you that I’ve been wanting so much. I don’t know what exactly it is, but it’s there.”
The revelation stirred his gut, and he left soft bites on her neck before returning to her mouth, kissing her fervently. Madison tried to keep up, but he was too eager; he was practically losing his self-control over his want.
They did not know what it was, but they understood one thing: the feeling was mutual, and they needed each other to survive.
Chapter-10
She should have heard about it, but she did not, the sound of her door slamming open making her jump and scramble away from Easton, who, oddly, looked like he was expecting Richmond.
“You fucking dare go to my territory, you fucker.” Richmond charged on Easton who jumped out of his way.
“This is no territory of yours.” He bared his teeth and Madison saw his fangs, elongated and ready to sink on warm flesh.
“Madison is my territory.”
Easton straddled him and punched him on the face so hard, she could hear bones breaking. Richmond recovered easily and kicked him away. Their sounds alarmed Courtney, who showed up at her room, terrified of the two men who were snarling at each other, their large statures occupying the space.
Courtney reached for Madison and pulled her away from the tension. The two males rounded each other, waiting for the other to make a first move.
Easton was seething. Madison was no territory. The bastard of a hunter did not have a right to call her that. Reminded of the word, he snapped and attacked first, aiming for the hunter’s neck. He wanted to snap it off his body so bad, but the hunter ducked and hit him square on the jaw.
The impact sent a painful jolt all over his body, but he retaliated, kneeing his stomach.
The two male’s fighting skills were almost the same. Easton, admittedly, was not a good fighter compared to his brother, but he could hold his own ground. Now he wished he spent more time practicing fighting skills so he could just end the hunter easily.
Richmond was also agitated. He felt for his cheek, which was bruised and bleeding. His right eye was swollen, and his only good eye was also beginning to close. Easton hit strategically, knowing the weak points for a human like him. He cursed himself for pulling off all the enchanted ornaments he had been wearing and dashing to Madison’s room without thinking it through.
His anger clouded his judgment.
The fight ensued until they rolled down the flight of stairs, with Madison and Courtney screaming in terror. Easton grabbed for a chair and hit Richmond with it, breaking the wood into tiny pieces. The hunter picked one too and hurled it to Easton’s direction, which he easily evaded.
They grabbed at things that they could reach, and Richmond was cursing himself. He was caught unprepared, just as when he had the upper-hand. He thought it would take a few more days before the bloodsucker would try to get near to Madison but he was wrong. His blood pumped when he smelled the despicable creature instantly when he got home. The whole house was reeking with the smell of rotting fish.
Easton took a step and kicked him in the gut and Richmond took a few steps backward with the impact. He paused and feigned extreme pain but slid his feet on the floor when Easton came near to knock him off his feet. From his periphery, she could see Courtney holding a sharpened piece of wood. He stretched his hand and Courtney, getting the message, threw the wood at him. Richmond could smell his triumph.
Easton’s eyes got wide upon seeing the stake. He tried backing away, but the hunter had him locked with his thighs. He looked at the wood. From the background, he could hear Madison wailing and trying to break free from her aunt’s grasp. The hunter had prepared everything to take him down, and the stake needed to only be put through his body, and he will be ended.
He thrashed and tried to upend the man, but he was strong. Richmond had a newfound strength when he held the device.
Easton gritted his teeth and tried freeing his hands, which were locked beneath him. He saw the hunter raise the stake with his two hands and brought it down rapidly, and he braced himself for the pain, for the poison to spread like wildfire across his body, for a gaping hole to be made through his chest, but felt nothing.
When he opened his eyes, Richmond was lying on the floor and was looking at Madison. She was snarling at him while standing in front of Easton, stretching her hands to defend him. Her eyes looked wild before they dilated then turned dark and she bared her teeth the way he did like she had her own fangs she could use to threaten the hunter.
Richmond was dumbfounded, not knowing how Madison, a woman who was much smaller than him, managed to push him away just as he was about to kill the bloodsucker.
More horrifyingly, she was snapping her teeth and was at a crouching position, prepared to pounce on him. If he did not know any better, he would think that she was acting like a vampire.
He got up to his feet, trying to get over his shock. Not taking his eyes away from Madison, he felt for the stake that he accidentally let go. He felt the wood in his palms but was once again rendered speechless when someone picked it up and broke it into two pieces.
No human could ever break an enchanted tool so easily.
He looked at the newcomer and in reflex, his nose wrinkled in distaste.
The guy was not as tall as Easton, but he was more intimidating, with his lean muscles and broad shoulders.
Richmond gritted his teeth and clenched h
is hands into fists. He looked from Easton to the other vampire, who was also fuming, eyes getting rounded and dark.
He contemplated his choices and opted for the best one.
“Fucking bloodsuckers,” he hissed before taking backward steps until he was near the door.
“I’m not yet done with you. I’ll come back.” He threatened before going out and disappearing.
Madison felt her knees go weak once Richmond was out of sight. She looked at the other man who broke the stake and figured that it must be Easton’s brother, judging by the way he looked furious upon seeing Easton in his battered state.
A Chosen Fate Page 5
