Rose: A Standalone Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Jewels Cafe Book 12)

by Jewels Arthur

  “Are we still in Silver Springs?” I ask him, changing the subject.

  His eyebrows raise in surprise. “Well, yes. Yes we are. But why, my dear?”

  My chest clenches in happiness. We are still in Silver Springs! I just need to get out of the house, then I can find my way to Vee. “I was just worried about my cat, Pumpkin. He’s still at my apartment. After you change me, would you be able to go get him?” I question, looking at him hopefully.

  “Of course, my love. So, you will do this? You will accept my blood? You will be my wife?” He moves quickly back to my side and grabs my hand, kneeling on one knee beside me. His eyes hold so much happiness and hope that I feel slightly bad about the betrayal I have planned. Only slightly bad though. He’s a psychopath, obviously.

  “I will,” I reply quietly. He stands quickly, pulling me up with him. He presses his lips to mine, and I try to relax and accept his kiss. Relief floods me when he breaks the kiss and pulls away to look at me. “Thank you for making me the happiest creature in all of existence.”

  I feign shyness and force a giggle as I cover my face, giving myself a moment to compose my features. “Thank you, Jason.” I sit back down and take a drink of the water sitting in front of me. Jason grabs my plate and walks over to the serving tray to fill it with food. He brings the plate back to me then places a very small amount of food on his own plate, taking the seat across from me.

  “Do you eat?” I ask, watching him eye the food in front of him.

  “Not typically, no. I have sometimes when I’m out and pretending to be human, although I don’t much enjoy it.” He pushes the food around with his fork. “However, I thought that it would be nice to join you for your last meal. Also, to try my first attempt at human food.” He laughs and stabs a small piece of beef, swirling it in the gravy before pointing the utensil at me. “You first, my love.”

  I take in a deep breath, allowing the aroma of the food to fill my lungs. I suppose it smells alright, and I’m starving, having hardly eaten anything the day before. I give him a small smile before loading my own fork up with food. “To my last meal,” I say weakly, as I place the bite in my mouth and chew. It’s actually very good, a bit too salty, but still good. I watch as he takes his own bite, making strange faces as he chews. I can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips. I immediately regret the sound when his face lights up with happiness.

  “It’s so strange to chew.” He groans as he finally swallows the bite. “You don’t chew much as a vampire.”

  “Does it hurt?” I inquire, unable to keep the question from escaping my lips.

  “Does what hurt, darling? The change?” He pauses, looking at me with sadness as he continues to push the food around on his plate. “Yes, it does. It hurts very badly for a short period of time, but then you will never really feel physical pain again. You will have strength and speed beyond your wildest dreams. You will be the equivalent of a goddess.”

  I nod slowly, pursing my lips together in thought. I’m doing this, not only for myself so I can escape, but also for them, then I can be with them without breaking any rules or laws. I pause at the thought. “Are there rules or laws in the vampire world? Is there any type of government for vampires?”

  “There are unspoken laws meant for our own safety. Not to reveal ourselves to the humans as we are vastly outnumbered, but that goes for all supernaturals. Silver Springs is a bit of a safe zone, though, as there are several supernatural creatures here.” His reply causes my mind to spin once more. The amount my mind has spun today, you would think I’d have whiplash. Silver Springs? Supernaturals? How could I not know about this?

  “I am honestly surprised you didn’t already know, working in a supernatural nightclub.” He smiles at me almost condescendingly. “I am glad, though, that you didn’t know. If those men would have told you, I’m sure they would have already snatched you up themselves. Pity for them, but wonderful for me.”

  I continue to eat my food, even though my mouth feels exceptionally dry. My plan of escape seems more and more unlikely as I continue to think on it. How long will I be in pain from the change? Will I be unconscious during it? Unable to move? Anything could happen to me during that time. He could move me somewhere else, to another town, and then I’d be left trying to navigate a strange place on my own. Unwelcome tears well in my eyes and I do my best to stop them. Even if I do escape as a vampire, what if the men still won’t take me? What if it’s more than just our difference in species?

  I drag my finger below my eye to wipe away the tears forming there. My situation seems impossible, and my chest feels as if a weight is sitting on it.

  “Rose, darling. Are you okay?” Jason queries, placing his hands on my shoulders. I flinch slightly in surprise, not realizing he had walked around the table to reach me. His fingers tighten on my shoulders at my flinch and I try to relax my body.

  I swipe at my eyes again and look up at him, trying to smile. “I’m just scared, I guess. I’m sorry to ruin our beautiful meal,” I apologize quietly, hoping to avoid another angry episode like the one I experienced this morning upstairs.

  He pulls me up from my chair and into his arms, placing my head on his shoulder and rubbing my back. “I hate that you’re going to be in any sort of pain, but it is an unfortunate requirement in order for us to be together. I can’t lose you, my beautiful Rose,” he croons.

  Another sob racks my body and I bury my face into his sweater. His arm sweeps under my legs as he pulls me into his chest. It’s not like Dean’s touch when he lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and that thought alone sends me into more sobs. I miss them so much it actually hurts. Probably not as much as changing into a vampire is going to hurt, but still. Jason carries me upstairs and back into the pink bedroom, laying me on the bed softly, then lying down next to me. I curl into a ball facing away from him, hoping he’ll change his mind about converting me tonight, and instead just leave me alone.

  I feel the bed shift as he scoots closer, putting his arm around me and placing his face into my hair. He breathes deeply, causing me to shiver in revulsion, though I think he believes my shivers are based on other feelings. “Are you ready, my love?”

  I breathe in deeply, finding it difficult due to my nose now being plugged up from the crying. I know there isn’t much choice in the matter, this will happen whether I truly want it to or not. At least now I can go into this with a plan. “Yes, Jason. I’m ready.”

  I roll over slowly, facing my smiling abductor. His cold hands touch my face gently before brushing my hair out of my face. He presses his lips to mine softly before biting into my bottom lip. I gasp at the slight pain and look at him in wonder as he pulls away from my lips, my blood coating his own. His fangs are elongated, and he uses one of the sharp tips to puncture his own lip before pressing his mouth back to mine. The taste of my own coppery blood fills my mouth, along with the taste of his blood that’s much sweeter. When he pulls away once more, even more blood coats his lips, and I can see that his eyes are pitch-black. They are the last things I see before the world, too, goes black.

  Finn

  EARLIER THIS MORNING

  I’ve been following faint traces of Rose’s scent all night and into this morning. I had to run back home to grab my cloak and sunglasses in order to be out in the sun. The pain of the sunlight is still there, but bearable. It’s hard to decipher the difference between the fresh ones and the older ones, but not impossible. Rose is all over this town, mostly radiating at her apartment, Jewels, and Vee. I know she must have been taken in a car, because her scent is much less potent than in the spot where we found her phone in pieces. Just the thought makes my body seize in anger. Who the fuck would dare take her from us? Someone with a death wish. The Whitaker name carries more strength among the humans than it does in the supernatural community, but even there, we are known. We have been in this town for decades, we are money and power. There is no way that this Jason doesn’t know who we are.

  I hear a noise behind me
and turn to see that Dean and Sebastian have caught up with me. “Anything?” Dean asks, strain clear on his face. It seems that Mister Rules is having the hardest time with this. I can’t help but blame him slightly, this could all be going so differently right now.

  “No, nothing. I’m finding her scent, but I’m having a difficult time finding the newest one,” I reply, trying to mask my anger. “What about you guys? Were any of your contacts any help?”

  “Not so far. I have someone looking into someone they think could possibly be Jason. We’re also pulling all the deeds in town to see if there are any houses owned under the first name Jason, and comparing them with our records of known supernaturals in the town,” Seb informs me, not looking up from his phone.

  “Great, so we have no leads. We are no closer to finding Rose than we were last night,” I growl out, clenching my fists in rage.

  “We will find her, Finn. Failing is not an option,” Dean snarls, glaring at me in irritation. “Do you have something you want to say to me? That this is all my fault because I’m the reason we have pushed her away all this time? That I pushed her into the arms of another man?”

  “It seems you’ve got it all figured out yourself, brother. No need for me to pile it on,” I mumble quietly, continuing to walk down the street toward a part of town I haven’t looked in yet.

  “No, come out with it, Finn. You seem to have a lot of fucking anger in you over this situation, and you’re directing it toward me. Tell me how this is my fault,” he demands.

  I whip around and I’m in his face in a flash. He bares his teeth at me as I do the same to him, an animalistic snarl escaping my lips. “Well, I can’t disagree with you. This is your fucking fault. All your fucking rules, and then the first moment of weakness and you’re all over her. I guess I didn’t realize that the rules were just for us and not for you.” I slam my hands into his chest, causing him to falter backwards slightly.

  He plants his feet into the ground and comes back at me with much more strength, slamming me into the ground. I slide across the pavement, the pain slight and quickly vanishing. I jump up to my feet and rush back toward him, ready to fight.

  Seb darts between us, throwing his arms up. “Will you two fucking stop this shit? Rose is out there with some psychopath and we’re fucking quarreling in the street like children.”

  Dean and I stand there, glaring at each other with our breaths coming out in rushed pants, anger fuming from both of us.

  “Seb is right,” Dean concedes, putting his hand out in surrender. “We need to focus on finding Rose. If we don’t find her, I’ll be more than happy to allow you to end me.” I find no humor on his face and I accept his hand, shaking my head in agreement.

  “I’m going to keep on this trail. Maybe I’ll find a heavier scent. He had to take her out of the car somewhere.” I walk away from my brothers and toward the block of older houses, heading to the outskirts of town.

  The day has dragged on and we are no closer to finding Rose than we were last night. I feel like I’ve been up and down every inch of this town, but every lead I find seems to be a dead end. I drag my gloved hand down my face, sighing loudly. I haven’t heard from my brothers since Dean and I were quarreling in the street.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Sebastian’s number.

  “Finn? Did you find her?” Seb asks hopefully.

  “No, I haven’t. How are things on your side?” I inquire, feeling no hope.

  He sighs into the phone. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  I grimace, even though I knew that was the answer I would receive. “Are we closing for the night? I have no plans to stop looking.”

  “Yes, Dean already called Reg and Randal to let them know that we wouldn’t be opening tonight. Plumbing problems is what he told them,” Seb responds with a slight laugh.

  “Heh. Yeah, well, that seems apt seeing as shit really has hit the fan,” I reply, hoping to lighten the situation a bit.

  “You should give him a break, this isn’t his fault. We all knew the consequences, he was just the one to keep us in line.”

  I sigh deeply again, looking out toward the setting sun. “Yeah, I know. I’m not mad at him, not really. I’m pissed at this whole fucked up situation. We were supposed to take care of her, keep her safe. We couldn’t even do that.”

  “I know. We are going to find her, Finn. I know it.” His optimism makes me smile. If anyone deserves to find love, it’s Sebastian. He’s definitely the kindest of the three of us.

  “Okay, Seb. I gotta go, I wanna keep looking,” I tell him, ready to end the call. His optimism is having the opposite effect on me.

  “Later, Finn,” he replies, before I cut the call, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

  I breathe in deeply, feeling faint traces of her scent fill my lungs. “Where are you, Rose?” I ask no one in particular, as I eye the houses that line the street I stand on. I pull my sunglasses off my face as the sky darkens, no longer needing the protection. I’m hoping that the darkness will allow me to find her more easily.

  I take one step forward when suddenly, there’s a sharp feeling in my chest. Not pain, but a pull. A pull similar to the one I felt after I finished feeding off that human woman the night before we told Rose how we feel about her.

  Something has happened.

  The pull is strong and it’s as if it intensifies her scent in the air. I begin to run in the direction it’s pulling me in, moving too quickly to be seen by any human. I can only imagine the gossip. ‘You know the owner of Vee, Finn Whitaker? Well, he was standing strangely over on Derby street, when all of a sudden. Poof! He was gone.’

  Fuck it, I don’t care about our cover anymore. All I care about is finding Rose.

  Rose

  Pain. Unbelievable pain lances through every inch of my body. It feels as if my skin is on fire, as if it’s melting into my bones. I try to scream, but no sound escapes my throat.

  My back bows and my whole body is stretched far too tightly. I shriek soundlessly for what must be an hour.

  For fuck’s sake, someone please help me.

  Then comes the cold. Ice starts at the tips of my toes, burning in a completely different way. I feel the icy sensation traveling across my feet, up my legs, and to every single other area of my body. The coldness burns. I wish I was on fire again, the pain is so intense. My skin feels as if it hardens as solidly as a rock before cracking. I break into a million pieces, then I’m forced back together only to break again. The process repeats itself over and over until sobs rack my body.

  Dean. Sebastian. Finn!

  The last of my men’s names come out as a scream. My mouth. I cry in pain as all my teeth explode. They shatter right there in my skull, only to be replaced by razor sharp teeth that burst through my gums like blades. Someone takes a hammer and smashes it into my skull.

  I’m dying. It all went wrong. I’m not a vampire, I’m dying.

  Claws dig into my skin, ripping my eyeballs from my skull.

  Did I want this? Why did I want this?

  My subconscious screams at me. My tongue rips as it drags across my razor-sharp teeth. I taste blood in my mouth, but not the coppery taste of my human blood. No. It’s sweet. Like Jason’s.

  Jason!

  Anger surges through my veins as my claws dig into the mattress below me. My head shakes back and forth as I scream at the top of my lungs, my frayed tongue lashing out in anger. I bite into my lips until they are nothing. I claw at my skin until I feel bone.

  I will set fire to the Earth. I will rip Jason limb from limb as I destroy him.

  “Enough!” I scream, the first sound to enter my new ears.

  Sebastian

  Dean and I both drop to the ground at the exact same time. It’s like someone grabbed my lifeforce and crushed it in their fist. A deep snarl leaves my throat as I fight through pain I haven’t felt in all of my existence.

  Is this it? Is this the pain of her loss?

  I shake my head,
refusing to believe such thoughts. I look over at Dean and see the same pain I feel marring his face.

  “Something has happened,” he groans out, pulling himself back to standing.

  “Rose?” I ask, terrified to hear the answer.

  Dean’s answer is interrupted by the sound of my cellphone ringing loudly. I pull it out of my pocket and see Finn’s face on the screen. I swipe my finger across the green button to put him on speakerphone.

  “Hello—” I barely get the word out before I’m cut off by Finn.

  “I found Rose. I’m texting you the location now,” he says just as the phone cuts off.

  We stand outside a large Victorian house that is such a dark color of blue, it almost looks black. It’s a beautiful structure, and under different circumstances I would be more apt to admire it. Right now? I want to tear it to the ground and rip the man inside to shreds.

  When we arrived at the house, it was clear that this was where Rose was being kept. Her scent lingered thickly around the outside, even though it was clear she didn’t step foot anywhere beyond the house itself.

  Which means the motherfucker carried her inside.

  The thought causes me to growl and grind my teeth. Finn meets up with us immediately upon our arrival and begins to brief us on the location. He found a car parked outside a large garage and was able to break into the vehicle. Inside, he found one of her earrings and a rag that reeked of chloroform.

  “She’s inside that house, why the fuck haven’t we busted in and gotten her back yet?” I growl, unable to contain my anger and frustration.

  “We have no idea what sort of protection he has set up in that house, no idea if our intrusion would cause him to immediately harm her. We need to tread carefully and think this through,” Finn reasons, his eyes never leaving the large home sitting in front of us.