“Finn is right,” Dean agrees after a long pause, as if he cannot believe that our brother is being so logical. Shit, neither can I.
“There are three exits as far as I can tell, and it seems she’s being kept in an upstairs bedroom. Something happened, it was one of the reasons I was able to locate her.” Finn grimaces as the words leave his mouth.
“We felt it too,” I tell him, recalling the pain I felt not long ago. “What do you think caused it?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. My fear was that he had killed her, but I just don’t think that’s the case. Why bring her here? Go through the trouble of abducting her and keeping her here, just to kill her?” He pauses in thought, anger clear on his face. “No, I think he had other things in mind.”
“Changing her?” Dean questions, his eyes darting between Finn and the house that’s holding our love.
“Maybe,” Finn answers quietly.
“That fucking monster. I’ll fucking kill him.” Outrage floods my body, an emotion I’m unused to. When Dean touches his hand to my shoulder, I flinch away. I don’t want to be touched or comforted. I want Rose. To have kept her from this horrible situation. “We have to get her out of there. Now,” I growl.
“We will, brother,” Finn promises, and I believe him because the alternative is unbearable.
I can’t lose this woman, when she’s so close to finally being mine.
I won’t lose her.
Rose
When my eyes open, it’s like getting glasses for the first time. You never really realized how bad your vision was until, bam. Everything is clear. I can see things I never even contemplated seeing before. Colors and details that were previously undiscovered to my worthless human eyes.
I pause at the thought. Human eyes. I’m no longer human.
I squeeze my hands into fists and flinch at the unnatural feel of my own skin. Cold. Hard. I move my shoulders and feel my muscles and tendons moving fluidly. I feel stronger.
I feel good.
I drag my tongue across my lips and then over my teeth, feeling that my canines are now sharper.
I’m a fucking vampire.
The thought brings a smile to my lips. Teen Rose would be fangirling the fuck out right now. Shit, I am fangirling right now. After all those years of swooning over vampires in books, TV, and movies, this is literally a dream come true. Vampires are fucking real! Bella Swan doesn’t have shit on me.
“You are more beautiful as an immortal than I ever thought possible.”
The voice makes me clench my teeth together in disgust. Oh yes, my abductor. My eyes scan the room until they land on Jason, who’s sitting on a rocking chair in the corner. Looking at him through these eyes, I don’t understand how I ever thought him to be attractive. His skin, which I thought was perfect before, is covered in scars that would never be seen to the human eye. He obviously has had a lot of fights in his existence, no wonder, with him being insane and all.
“Hi, Jason,” I respond, and feel a slight surprise at the change in my voice. It sounds higher, more beautiful than I ever believed to be possible. I pull myself up into a sitting position and let my legs swing over the side of the bed.
“How are you feeling, my love?” he inquires, concern on his features.
I stand and walk over to the window. It’s dark again. “Different.” I pause as I continue to gaze over the landscape, able to see everything, even in the dark. “How long have I been out?”
Jason walks up behind me, placing his hands on either side of my waist. I look down and see that I’m wearing something different than the club dress I’d been wearing the night I was taken.
He changed my clothes, swell.
“You were out for less than twelve hours. I hated to see you in such pain, but it was worth it in the end. Look at you, you are so beautiful. We have been in each other’s company for over twenty-four hours now, though most of them you’ve been sleeping,” he answers with a laugh, putting his face into the crook of my neck. “Now we have the rest of eternity to spend together.”
I try to force a smile, so he’ll continue to believe I want all this with him, when the only thing I want to do right now is recoil from his touch. My eyes continue to scan the outside when I suddenly freeze. A face moves slowly into view. A face I spent the last two years lusting over.
Finn.
He locks eyes with me for a second before he’s gone again. He can’t be alone, Seb and Dean will be with him. I’m going to get out of this mess.
“When can we go to get Pumpkin?” I ask, a real smile plastered on my face.
“I can go get him soon. I would have gotten him while you were changing, but I feared leaving you alone in such a fragile state,” he murmurs, continuing to nuzzle into my neck. “Before I leave, I would love to get reacquainted. I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss we had before you changed.”
I turn toward him, trying to create some space between us. “I can’t concentrate on anything until I know my cat is safe. He must be terrified without me. Couldn’t I accompany you to get him?”
“Why do you want to leave? It isn’t safe for you out there. You need blood.” He eyes me, anger and concern showing on his face.
“I mean, I have to go to Vee,” I reply, immediately regretting the words as they leave my lips, and I see the resulting rage in his eyes.
“Why would you go back to Vee? You are mine, my Rose. You will never work again, nor will you be around the Whitaker men anymore.” His growl causes me to flinch away from him, and I’m unable to regain my composure before he notices. His hand comes up and hits me across the face. There is no physical pain, but humiliation and anger flash inside me. “What do you take me for, Rose?” he growls.
Anger I’ve never felt before roils inside me. How dare he? How dare he take me from my home, make me his prisoner, and then strike me? My hands shake in anger, and what I do next surprises even me. The words I screech at him come out in a growl as I put all my strength into shoving him away from me.
“You are a fucking monster!” I yell, as I shove his body away from me. I’m very unused to this strength I now possess. Unfortunately for me, he, too, possesses the strength. He stumbles backwards, surprised by my attack on him, then his face flashes fury like I’ve never seen. He launches toward me and I’m unable to escape him. His body slams into mine and I fly back, hitting the wall and squeaking in pain. I pull myself up and try to prepare for his next assault. His strength is so much greater than mine, but I no longer have a weak human body. I can’t overpower him, but he can’t wound me as easily as he would have been able to before. My biggest problem is that I don’t know how to stop him. Are any of the myths about vampires true? Are they even myths if vampires are real?
He stares at me as if sizing me up. I believe he was surprised by my strength and he feels the need to tread lightly. Though, that could just be my ego speaking. “Rose, please,” he pleads, lowering his hands. I do the only thing I can think of, I run.
I sprint out the bedroom door and down the stairs in a home I don’t know the layout of. I run in the opposite direction of where I remember the dining room being, hoping I can find the front door.
I need to get to the guys, I need to get out of here.
I get into what I can tell is the living room when Jason catches up with me, slamming me to the ground. I groan as pain radiates through my body. I use all my might to pull myself toward the door, but he has a hold of me. “Rose, I understand you’re scared. This is just the change talking. You are safe, I won’t hurt you.”
“Fuck you!” I scream at the top of my lungs, struggling in his arms. His hold on me loosens slightly as the front door breaks into a million pieces. When Finn, Sebastian, and Dean enter the room, they are unrecognizable to me. Their eyes are pitch-black and the anger on their faces makes me hesitate. They are lethal. Feral. Unbelievably hot.
Jason grabs me and shoves my body behind his in a protective gesture. “You will not take her from me, she’s mi
ne.”
“She is ours. She will never be yours,” Finn snarls, stepping closer and causing Jason to tense. Sebastian and Dean follow Finn toward Jason, the scene playing out like lions playing with their meal. Jason is so concentrated on the men that he doesn’t notice when I’m no longer behind him, allowing Sebastian and Dean to grab his arms and pin him against the wall.
Finn steps closer to Jason, holding something in his hand—a wooden stake. He draws the weapon back slowly and I know what will happen next.
“Wait!” I yell, causing my three men to look at me in surprise.
“We can’t leave him alive, Rosalie, not after what he did to you,” Finn growls, his eyes never leaving Jason’s face, who watches me with so much hope in his eyes.
“Let me,” I say, as I walk toward Finn with my hand extended expectantly. Finn eyes me warily before placing the wooden stake in my hand.
“Rose, no. I love you. We could be so happy together,” Jason pleads, his eyes staring straight into my soul. I tighten my grip on the stake, feeling the smooth wood in my palm.
“Fuck you, Jason,” I snap, as I slam the stake straight into his chest. No regret fills me at ending his life, but I can’t seem to help the scream that escapes my throat as his body bursts into ashes.
Dean
“Can vampires go into shock?” Sebastian asks for the eighteenth time, his voice still quivering in fear. After Rose stabbed that monster in the chest, she immediately began screaming. I don’t think she was prepared to end a creature’s life. I also don’t think she was prepared for that creature to burst into ash. Since then, she’s been sort of comatose, tears soundlessly streaming from her eyes. She isn’t asleep, it’s like the lights are on but nobody is home. Finn grabbed her immediately, since he was the closest to her. The bastard. I’m worried about her, though. Honestly, I am. I’ve just been so fucking worried about her that I wish I was the one holding her. That she was close enough that I could be convinced she’s alive. Well, alive-ish.
“She needs to feed,” Finn growls to Sebastian, for the eighteenth time as well. “She was just changed and then she fought with another vampire that was centuries older than her. I think her body has just shut down momentarily.”
“Well, let’s find her someone to feed on. One of the women we normally feed on,” he suggests, concerning lacing his tone.
“Oh yeah, she’d love that,” I scoff with a chuckle, imagining Rose waking to find herself feeding on the woman who was gyrating on Finn the other night. She’d probably kill the woman, I think with a chuckle. It’s not funny, it’s really not.
“A man then. We’ll find a man for her to feed on,” Sebastian offers, as if trying to think of any human men we know.
“The fuck we will,” Finn replies, angrily eying Sebastian like he’s insane for even suggesting it. I don’t blame him, the thought of it makes me angry too.
“Okay then, how about Randal?” Sebastian proposes, as Vee comes into sight. I look at the brightening sky and know that we need to get her inside quickly before the sun starts hurting her skin—she’s already too weak to take the sun’s rays.
“Fine, call him. Tell him what’s going on and ask for a favor, give him anything,” I concede, returning my gaze back to Rose. She’s so beautiful. She’s always been beautiful, but immortality really suits her. I don’t take my eyes off her as we enter the nightclub we have owned for decades. I hear Sebastian in the background talking to Randal on the phone, but it is just noise to me.
Rose
I wake up with the most delicious taste in my mouth. I imagine this is what it’d feel like to wake up to someone feeding you cheesecake. The texture on my tongue is off, though I can’t seem to stop gulping it down. I’m guzzling a liquid. The best liquid I’ve ever tasted. I moan in ecstasy as I continue to suck it down.
“Dear God, that moan. She’s going to kill me,” I hear a voice say with a groan. Speaking of delicious, that voice makes me want to moan again, so I do. I squeeze my legs together to lessen the ache I suddenly feel between them.
“I can’t stand this. Look at her, I just want to…” The same voice speaks, his words trailing off. I want to make the pain in the voice go away. I also want to keep drinking though. Oh, the humanity.
“Will you stop? She’s probably starting to regain consciousness. She’ll hear you and your inability to control yourself,” another voice angrily replies. Ohhh, that voice is very sexy too. Dark and broody.
“I can’t help it. Look at her,” my sweet voice answers again. So cute and sexy.
“You’ll scare her. Do you remember what it’s like when you first woke up as a vampire?” A third voice joins the conversation, and he sounds concerned but calmer than the other two.
“Yes.” Pause. “Yes, of course I do. You’re right,” the sweet man concedes.
I’m a vampire. That’s right, I was changed into a vampire. Vampires are real.
The calm voice inquires, “Do you think she’ll open her eyes soon?”
Are my eyes closed? Yes. What do I remember? Jason. Jason changing me. I growl at the thought.
A new voice. One I don’t recognize as much. “Oh man, guys, she’s really getting in there. Think she’s had enough?”
“Soon. We’re sorry for this, Randal, it really is above the call of duty.” It’s the dark, broody voice this time.
“It’s okay. I’d do anything for Rose,” he replies, his tone sympathetic.
I hear three growls simultaneously. Growls of jealousy?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys. Not what I meant. I don’t want Rose,” the man, Randal, insists.
“Good,” the dark, broody voice states with a growl.
Randal. I know a Randal. The DJ at Vee.
Vee. The guys. The sexy voices. I moan again. Slowly unlocking my jaw and opening my eyes. It’s bright. Too bright.
I slowly let my eyes adjust as I reflexively lick the place my mouth just left. I moan again.
“Rosalie, you must stop doing that, darling. For my sanity.”
I freeze and move my eyes to the owner of the voice—Dean.
“Oh. I’m sorry. Stop what?” I ask, slightly embarrassed I’ve committed a vampire faux pas.
“All of it. The moaning, the licking, the thrusting,” he says with a groan, dragging his hand down his face. “It’s really hard to remain a gentleman.”
I smile wickedly. “Well, don’t.” My bravery surprises me, but I feel like I have nothing to lose. I’m a vampire now. So are they.
This time, he moans and it sounds like he’s in pain.
“Well, that’s my cue to leave. Glad to have you back, Rose,” Randal tells me, and I freeze when I realize it’s been Randal that I’ve been drinking from. Also licking.
“Oh my God, Randal? I was, uh, I’m so sorry, this is embarrassing,” I stutter, trying to avoid his eyes.
Randal cracks up laughing before putting his hand on mine, which elicits growls from the other men in the room. I look up and glare at them. “It’s totally fine, Rose. I understand.”
“You… understand?” I repeat questioningly. Is no one around here fucking human?
“I mean, sorta. I’m not a vampire, I’m a shifter.” He smiles at me and I can’t help but smile back. “Welcome to the club! The supernatural club, that is,” he remarks with a laugh.
“That’s right!” I turn my attention to the men and stare at them accusingly. “You guys are fucking vampires. I’m a vampire! What the fuck?” My voice hitches a bit at the end, but I try to look intimidating and stab my fingers at them.
“Yup, that’s definitely my cue to leave. Bye, Rose. Bye, guys,” Randal chirps as he jumps out of his seat on the guys’ sleek, black sofa and walks toward the door, leaving the loft.
“We are vampires,” Dean replies in his calm voice, watching me with that concerned expression again. “And yes, you, too, are now a vampire. I am so sorry, Rosalie. This is all our fault.”
Sebastian sits beside me in Randal’s vacated seat and p
uts his arm around me. I can’t help but snuggle into him, which completely contradicts my angry act. “We should have walked you home. This is all our fault,” Sebastian apologizes softly.
“I don’t regret it,” Finn states harshly, causing all three of us to whip our heads toward him. “What?” he replies, putting his hands up. “We wanted Rose, but couldn’t have her because of Dean’s stupid rules. Now there are no barriers. She can be ours.”
I continue to glare at him, even if the words she can be ours makes my stomach explode with butterflies. I’m giddy, I can’t fucking help it. I can feel the smile twitching under my scowl, and it takes all my power to stop it from surfacing.
“Well, she could have become ours without her being taken by a fucking psychopath, Finn. We could have been the ones to change her, to be there for her, but instead, it happened in the arms of someone else,” Dean growls, with animosity on his face.
“That part wasn’t at all what I wanted. But it’s done and that fucker has been finished. I’m just saying that in the end, we’re getting what we wanted. What we all wanted,” he explains, looking at me. His face holds a softness I haven’t seen on him before.
“You couldn’t have stopped Jason from taking me. None of you could have. He said he had been watching me for a long time. He was waiting for his chance to take me. He wanted me to be his wife.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat, causing Sebastian to tighten his hold on me. I lean into him and place my hand on his chest. “I don’t want to talk about Jason. I just want to forget about him and that fucking house.” I shiver involuntarily. “I do not regret him changing me, though,” I state adamantly.
“You don’t?” Sebastian whispers, his lips so close to the top of my head I get goosebumps.
“No, I don’t. I wanted this. I mean, I didn’t realize I wanted this before he told me what he was. What you guys are. But once I found out, I wanted it. Not only was I planning to use it to help me escape, but—I don’t know. It’s kinda fucking cool,” I say, surprised at the absence of my cheeks warming.
Rose: A Standalone Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Jewels Cafe Book 12) Page 7
