by Vicki Cross
“Then let’s not go slow,” she whispers licking her pink lips.
I chuckle nodding at her boldness. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with. But before I could respond she took my hat and placed it on her head.
‘Ladies and Gents,” she shouts then climbs up on the bar. She surveys the room quickly to make sure she has everyone’s attention. “Our here Sherriff has declared me acting Sheriff for the night, and I say a round of drinks for everyone!” she yells.
A round of cheers and excitement shook the place as Sue jumps down beside me.
“On you of course,” she laughs and I couldn’t help but laugh with her.
“You know,” I began as I reach for my hat back, but she quickly side steps me. “With that hat, comes great power.”
Sue places a hand on her hip and shifts her weight to one side. “Well is that so? I guess Sheriff you’ll just have try and get it back from me.” Sue giggles and gives me a quick chase around the bar barking out silly request to her wait staff who could only enjoy the site of me running after her.
Her short strides were no match for my long ones, and by the time she ducks into her office behind the bar, I had snatch my hat off of her head and settle it back on mine.
“Damn you Jude Monroe,” she laughs shutting the door behind us.
I caught my breath quickly before straightening myself and reaching for the door. Sue blocks the exit with her back against the door and simply peers up at me with those big blue eyes.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she reaches out for my shirt and tugs me closer to her. I couldn’t help but take in her scent. The smell of whiskey lingered on both of our breaths and I knew what she wanted.
“Sue,” I began taking a step back to create some distance. I enjoyed Sue’s company, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hurt her. Sue’s friendship meant a lot to me, and what happened a few weeks ago, was a misguided mistake on my part.
“Don’t,” she frowns and I could see the hurt in her eyes. “You always pull away,” she adds moving her hands up and down my chest. Pulling away was the best course of action in this situation. Leading her on, like I did a few weeks ago, wasn’t fair to her.
“We can’t,” I remind her.
“Why not? I’m single, and you don’t have an ole lady around town. Trust me, all the ladies would know if you did.”
This made me smile a bit. She was right about one thing. All the ladies in town, seemed to know my love life, like the back of their hands. My mother’s fault for sure. She’d always see her way into meddling into my love life or there lack of.
Before I could push away, Sue had stood on her tippy toes and kissed me. Her lips were warm; her kiss was needy as if she was trying to persuade me to let myself go. I wanted to. Just not with her. I wanted Shay’s lips on mine, her hands tugging roughly at my shirt, her hips pushing up against my cock. Damn it I wanted her.
The more I closed my eyes, the more I felt as though it was Shay I was kissing. The hunger in me to claim Shay as my own stirred a side of me, I wasn’t use to. I went for her neck, kissing it softly, treading kisses down her collarbone.
“Oh...yes.,” Sue moaned as her hands trailed my now bare chest. Her moans brought me back into reality and I quickly took her at arm’s length.
“Damn,” I curse stepping away and collecting myself. My cock was throbbing with need and all I could was try to push the thoughts of Shay out of my mind.
“It’s ok.” She says reaching out for me again. “I know we’ve been friends for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do this.” She adds pushing her loose hair behind her ears. She made her way closer to me this time, as I kept pace, by backing up until I ran out of space. The heel of my boot hits the leg of her desk. I had to get out of here, without breaking her heart or having her feel like I was rejecting her. When in truth I was. But she didn’t have to know that.
“Your friendship means a lot to me,” I began.
Sue rolls her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. “Let me guess, it’s that damn Shay Dansfield.”
I couldn’t hide my shock and proceeded to chew my bottom lip in protest. Sue knew that Shay was important to me, she knew that we were friends.
“That girl isn’t nothing but trouble. Her and her weird family.” She continues. It was unlike Sue to be jealous, but she was right. Shay was nothing but trouble, and I vowed to keep her away from it. I hide my anger with my focus on getting properly dressed. I didn’t want anyone talking about Shay, especially when they knew very little about her. Shay was right, it was pathetic the way we treated her. Her family did so much for us.
“It has nothing to do with her,” I lie as I started from the bottom of my shirt to re-button It properly.
“Then what is it?” she shouts demanding a response.
I throw my head back in frustration doing my best to keep calm. “I promised your father I’d look out for you. I meant that promise and it’s one I intend to keep.”
“So you won’t touch me because of a promise you made to my father?”
“I don’t want to hurt you Sue. I-,”
“What is that?” Sue interjects pointing a manicured pink fingernail at my chest.
I didn’t have to look down to know what she was referring to. There was a symbol etched into my skin over my heart. Something I did my best to hide.
“It’s nothing,” I reply, buttoning up the remaining buttons as quickly as possible.
Sue’s face scrunched together as she frowned and gave me a bewildered look. “It looks like someone branded you!” she said in disbelief. “Did your father-,”
“No!” I grunted becoming uneasy with the topic. My father was a worthless drunk and did many things to hurt me, but this wasn’t one of them.
“Then how did that happen to you?” she questions taking another step closer. I move away, not wanting to talk about it anymore. This wasn’t a secret I was going to share with Sue.
“I have to go,” I state “Charge the round of drinks to my card.” I added before walking out.
A few people from the bar roared with laughter and cheers and with raised mugs and glasses as they watched me exit from the office. No doubt happy for the round of drinks bought in pickup.
Once inside, my hard cock hadn’t rested quiet yet. I was still reeling over Shay and needed anyway to release tension. I thought about her voice as I rested my head back on the headrest. The bright yellow dress she was wearing this morning only made my desire for her grow. I wanted Shay. No, I needed her. She would be the only one that could silence my pain and the hunger inside me. Her brown skin glowed in the sun and her lips begged to be kissed. But, I had a duty to her, and to her family. I would protect them. Give my life if needed. She was after all a princess; vampire princess to be exact. Either way, that meant she wasn’t mine and perhaps could never be.
The rumble from the old Chevy starting made me relax a bit more into my seat. I would drive home, forget about the events that transpired tonight and make my way to bed. Just as I put the car into reverse, the light from my cellphone popped on. It was probably Sue, wanting to talk but I put the truck back in drive and pulled decided to look at it anyway.
Shay’s name flashes on the screen and a twinge of excitement floods my body. Her text message reads: I need to hunt…tonight
The message’s sent a nervous feeling throughout me. She never hunted twice in one month. Something was wrong, perhaps their food supply wasn’t as much as she initially thought. I peeked in the back seat to see if his hunting bow and arrows were still there and breathed a quick shy of relieve when he spotted them.
I quickly texted back: I’m on my way.
With that, I placed my phone on the passenger side seat then put the truck back into reverse, and made my way to Shay’s home.
Chapter 4
Shay
The lights on Jude’s truck hit me first and I immediately jumped to my feet and pulled my hunting bag over my shoulders. The dark sky was l
it with just a few stars that shined overhead. I counted them. Four maybe five stars peeked out from the dark and cloudy night. It could rain. My senses were telling me that we would have nearly two hours before the rain came down. That was plenty of time. Plenty of time to clear my head and hide from my fate.
My curly hair was pulled back into a little puff that rested on the top of my head. I was no longer wearing a dress. Instead, I traded my dress for overalls, my heels for boots, and whatever fears from earlier into determination. It wasn’t a fashionable look, but hunting had little to do with fashion.
Within an instant of seeing Jude’s face, I was calm again. The fear in me subsided and I quickly made my way to the truck. Once inside, I buckled myself in and did my best to not look as though I had been crying.
“Didn’t get enough last time?” he grinned putting the car in reverse.
“I-I just need some air,” I stuttered giving way to my emotions.
He quickly whipped his head back towards me and I knew he knew. Shit
“What happened? He asked as we pulled out onto the main road. He always wore his emotions on his face, it was something I adored about him. So human, and so pure.
“Can we just hunt and I promise I’ll tell you later?” I asked hoping he would drop it. Jude rarely pushed me. He rarely needed answers, he just does. Whatever I asked, he did for me. He was a good friend, a true friend and that’s all I needed right now.
But he went silent now, which only meant he was fuming and he was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. In truth, I didn’t know what to say to him. He was the only person that I was afraid to tell. I could and would lose him after this. Gone forever, and I would be forced with someone I didn’t care about or want to care about.
“If you’re in trouble, let me help you” he breathed through clenched teeth.
“You can’t help me with this,” I cried leaning my head against the window watching the trees pass us by, as we made our way up towards the hunting area of Mt. Vernon. It was sealed off by the Sheriff at certain times during the year, luckily the Sheriff was sitting next me.
“Try me,” he replied after ten minutes of driving. We neared the entrance and he parking the car at the gate. I would tell him, but not here, not in this moment.
I jumped out the truck and grabbed my hunting bag from the bed of the truck. I ignored him and made my way over the gate. I could hear him cursing below, but my expert climbing skills were little match for him and before he knew it, I had already jumped over the other side.
“Gotta keep up,” I teased shinning the light in his face then turning towards the open path of the wooded area.
Jude swore once more, as he fiddled with the gate to get It open and catch up to me. I was nearly 20 feet ahead of him once he got the gate open. I looked around and surveyed the area. This is where my family came to hunt, it was very secluded and not many people would come up this way. It had a reputation for being haunted. For people going missing. Rumors all started by my family to keep the town out. For the most part it worked. Every now and then a teenager on a dare would wander into the forest, but we would scare them away with spooky noises that would chase them out quickly.
I shined the light on him as he locked the gate behind us. It was just now that I realized he still had on his Sheriff clothes from earlier, which told me he hadn’t been home.
“Did you work late?” I questioned as he walked towards me, slinging his own bag across his shoulder.
He blocked the light with his hands and shook his head. “I was at Reed’s when I got your text.”
I nodded knowing that Sue was also there. She did own the bar after all, which meant she was probably pushing herself all over Jude. I couldn’t help but wonder if his missing sheriff hat was a sign for what he was up to before we met up. Jealous never looked good on me, but when it came to Jude, I wanted it known that I would do anything to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
“Did you see Sue?” I questioned turning off the path and into the wooded area. He was silent behind me, which lead me to believe that he most certainly saw her.
“Of course. She works just about every night.” He added. I knew there were some details missing but I didn’t pester. Instead I headed out towards the cabin so we could lay our things down and start to set the traps.
We hunted many things rabbits, deer, snakes, anything with a pulse that could provide enough blood for a decent meal. My mother and father often hunted together, I would always hunt with Jude. Although, he never ate what we caught, he was one of the most skilled natural hunters I ever met, a trait not seen in too many humans. I respected his understanding of the way things moved in the night.
The cabin was only three hundred feet into the woods, my father had it built when I was child. It was how he taught me to hunt. He said “hunting was about patience, as such in life, we must wait for what we want to come to us.” It was something that had stuck with me since then. I often made my way to cabin on nights when I wanted nothing more to think. It was my safe haven. During the day I would sit and listen to humming of the birds, the buzzing the bees, and the soft crushing sound of leaves being awaken by a snake passing through. At night, the sounds were even more breath taking. The buzzing turned into songs from the owls, the crushing of leaves turned into heavy deer hoofs, and the air took on a life of its own. It was peaceful hear, I was at peace here.
Jude unlocked the cabin as he made his way inside, flickering on the lights as he did so. I moved in behind him placed my bag on floor beside his. The cabin was warm in the summer months, and small for its purpose. It was built like a studio apartment, everything was in the same room. Another charm of cabin.
“So,” I began as a I riffled through my bag. “I figured we could set up around north gate, and lay our traps out there. Then we could r-,”
Jude cleared his throat leaning against the window ledge. A wicked smile danced across his lips as I took heed of the heavy rain fall.
“Shit!” I sighed. “We had at least another hour and a half.”
“I don’t know Shay; I think your senses are off.” He teased making his way over to the couch. He let out a loud sigh and sat down kicking off his boots as he did so. “Pack it up girl, no way we’re hunting in that,”
I wanted to pout but I knew it would do very little to help my cause. He was right but how could I’ve been so wrong?
I threw my hands up in the air in defeat and moved over to the couch beside him. “I just wanted to get some fresh air,” I sighed resting my head on his shoulder. He brought his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head.
“I know,” he whispered in my hair. The heat from his kiss left a tingling sensation that carried throughout my body. Very rare did we have moments were we truly alone. A calculated move on my part. Alone in the forest hunting was a lot different than alone in the cabin, with nothing but the sound of rain beating up against the wood.
Jude placed a few more kisses on the top of my curls before tipping my chin up to meet his gaze. “I think you should tell me what this is all about,”
I closed my eyes nodded in agreement.
“The Langston Clan wants a truce.” I paused swallowing hard. His expression told me he knew there was more to the story and so I continued. “If I should marry their eldest son Sebastian. It would stop all the bloodshed, end the endless killing of humans and unite us.” All of it was said in a way to convince him to let him know that this wasn’t my idea.
Jude’s face showed no emotion, his eyes only scanned my face back and forth as if he was trying to comprehend what I told him.
“I don’t want to,” I carried the tears streaming down my face now. I searched him eyes for an answer and still got nothing. So bawled my hands into his shirt and pushed at him for a reaction.
“Damn it Jude, say something.”
And with that he leaned in and kissed me, pulling my body to his he parted my lips with his tongue and deepen the kiss. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. I
sunk into his hold and he pressed me against him tighter. I matched his fever kisses with my own, wanting him to know how I felt.
He pulled away quickly and leaned his forehead against mine. “Just so you know, there is another option. Me.” He stated before find my lips again.
Seconds later he broke the kiss and stood up from the couch. He was pacing back and forth and I could see the wheels turning in his head. I knew I didn’t want Sebastian, but wanting Jude meant leaving behind my duty and my family. Was I willing to risk that? Jude’s affection for me had always been clear, but mine were hidden. None could know what Jude really meant to me.
“When?” he bit out in disgust.
“Mother says two months,” I cried wiping away my tears I stood up to wrap my arms around him. He brought me closer and I placed my head against his chest. I have never known what love it, but if this was it, it hurt more than anything I have ever felt.
“I will fight this,” he assured me. He tipped my chin up once more to look at him. “Just tell me you want me to,”
I wanted peace, I wanted love, and I wanted Jude. I didn’t believe I would get all three, but I knew I had to try. I nodded in agreement and he kissed me again.
Jude takes another quick sip from his glass before lowering it back to the table. He’s watching me between low eyes, and I almost get the impression he doesn’t want me to see him this way. He clears his throat, and he looks away. I’m resting on the couch and it is nearly 3 am. The storm was still going strong and I could sense the determination in his look.
“Get some rest,” he mutters then takes another sip from the glass. This time he held the glass in his hand and turned his back towards me.
“I’m fine,” I reply trying to hide a smile. I’m lucky his back is turned to me.
