Текст книги "Wicked Surrender"

Автор книги: T. A. Grey

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 9 страниц)

Chapter Twelve

Four weeks did not a wound heal. Or so Vera had learned. In fact, a month had never felt so long.

As if the fates hadn’t punished her enough, they continued to point their fingers and laugh. Vera had had enough of it. She was ready to break the bitch’s fingers and shove them down their throats.

Vera stumbled into her kitchen and winced at the smell. The dishes of food were piled up in the sink and littered across the counter. Every morning she told herself to clean them, to put them away, but who was she kidding, she didn’t give a shit about dishes—not even on a good day. She’d easily put on several pounds with the amount of junk food she’d been eating which only added to her sour mood these last few weeks.

She couldn’t help it. She’d always been an eater when she was depressed. No, depressed didn’t cover what she felt. She’d found and lost her mate. She laughed the sound hollow and cold. She watched her mate die then get turned into a vampire. No that wasn’t quite accurate either. She’d found her mate, but he didn’t want her. That about summed it up.

“Because I have problems,” she mocked in a wimpy male voice. Vera stared at the dishes, lips pursed. She looked down at herself and felt her shoulders sag.

She was wearing a baggy t-shirt with stains and sweatpants. She hadn’t even known she owned sweatpants. The man was ruining her life. She was surprised she didn’t feel angrier about it. It wasn't like when Dmetri dumped her to the curb. No, this felt entirely different. Like half of her soul was dead. It was so, so much worse.

She wanted to go back to bed where she could spend all day sleeping, but even now, sleep wouldn’t come. How cruel was life when all she wanted was to sleep and make it all go away but she could barely sleep more than two hours a night?

Fucking cruel bitches.

Vera didn’t know if it was seeing her baggy sweatpants or the culmination of smelly dishes that pushed her. But finally, something in her snapped. Weeks of painful tears and a bleeding heart set her in motion. She attacked the dishes. The water was too hot and burned her hands, but she bit her lip and continued.

When she finished one side of the sink, she realized she felt...better. Anger was driving her now, and it felt so much better than self-pitying sadness. She scrubbed the dishes until they shined and glinted in the kitchen light.

When she finished all of them, her strainer was full and she had to lay a towel out to put the rest of the dishes out to dry.

What was he doing right now?

Fucking? Sleeping, flirting with some skank, drinking some other woman’s blood? She had no idea. Hell, she didn’t want to know. That’s right. Mate or not, she was done. Done hurting. A month of pain was a month too long.

She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom and her legs burned with the effort. She felt nothing but disgust at herself at how far she’d let herself go. She pulled off her baggy shirt and sweats and stepped into the shower. Turning the water all the way up, she scrubbed herself clean until she was pink.

Miraculously, she actually felt better, lighter, as if she’d washed away some of her problems. She laughed knowing that was a lie. Just like how Jackson used to drink away his problems only to sober up to them, she was no different.

She wished his father were still alive so that she could show him a thing or two about picking on someone his own size. Okay maybe she wasn’t his size, but damn if she wouldn’t like to wail on that motherfucker.

She was just finishing applying her mascara when a knock sounded at the front door. Vera froze, her heart faltering a step in her chest at the sound. She returned the mascara wand and closed it with surprisingly calm hands.

She’d only spoken to Vane a couple of times since she got back. She told him about Ariss, her guardian, and her Master trying to take Kategan land and after he roared loud enough to crack a window, she admitted that they were attacked again later. She winced guiltily, though she may have left out a few other pertinent details...like that Rome’s old best friend was now a vampire, and he was her mate. Stuff like that.

The knocked sounded again and she flinched. Somehow she made her arms work and put a robe on. What, she thought defensively. If Jackson wants people to know he’s a bloodsucker, nightwalker, shadow dweller, thing of the night, then it wasn’t her responsibility to tell people. She was just thinking of him really.

But Vane always called when he wanted to talk. He didn’t come over, and Rome and Alison were still out of town. A month long freaking honeymoon? Geez, Alison wasn’t going to be able to walk when they got back.

Vera told her stupid heart not to beat so freaking fast, not to get too excited. It wasn’t him. Please be him.

She reached the door and flung it open.

“What the hell took you so long?” Vera’s heart did not weep in disappointment. She did not want to run back upstairs and cry her eyes out. She did not.

Plastering on a smile she said, “Sarina how good to see you. Come on in.”

“Sorry for the attitude, I just was starting to feel like a cop banging on that door.” Vera motioned for her to take a seat and then took the one opposite hers.

“No problem. What can I do you for?” She hadn’t talked to Vane’s mate one on one...ever.

Sarina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Okay, well, see I wanted to talk to you. But I know it’s not really my place, yet I’m just kind of nosey enough to push that aside and come over here late at night.”

Vera’s mouth pulled into a real smile this time, though a flicker of unease rolled through her. “I understand that and I respect your tenacity. I give you leave to say what you want,” she said grandly.

Sarina’s looked as if a wish had just been granted. “Thank you so much for that you don’t know how much I appreciate that. Okay, so first, I know you’re sad and I want you to know that if you need to talk to someone, I’m here. Also, I would love to get to know you more so I wanted to ask you over for dinner sometime. And lastly, I am dying to know what’s going on between you and Jackson Marsh.” Her eyes twinkled so brightly, it was a wonder they didn’t sparkle.

Vera cleared her throat—twice. She ran through everything Sarina said twice before she could figure out what to say.

“Um, well, thank you. I assure you I’m not sad, and I would love to come over for dinner sometime just give me a ring.” Nice, sweet smile, there. She ignored the question about Jackson Marsh, she was not going to talk about him, wasn’t even sure if she could without crying.

Sarina was stronger and smarter than she originally gave her credit for because she didn’t stand up to leave. Instead, she leaned back her chair and gave her a saucy smile. “Would you perhaps be interested to know that I saw Jackson Marsh today?”

Vera flung herself into a sitting position, her ass nearly falling out of the chair as she tried to get closer to Sarina. “What, what do you mean? He was here. On Kategan land?” Panic, shock, hope, and excitement spun through her all at once. Stupid girl don’t get your hopes up.

Sarina leaned forward like she was about to divulge the juiciest of gossip. In a loud whisper she said, “He came by Vane’s today, or should I say tonight. He asked where Rome was and so on and so on, and then he asked about you.” She tossed her head back and pretended to fan away the heat from her face. “The man’s eyes were so hot when he talked about you I swear I had to crack a window. The man smoldered.”

Vera absorbed her words with a mixture of denial and stupid hope.

Sarina cocked an eyebrow and pretended to study her nails. “So would you like to know what else he asked about?”

Vera could only nod dumbly.

Sarina grinned from ear to ear. “He wanted to know where you lived. Said he needed to talk to you. Vane wouldn’t tell him either. Oh my god, you should have been there. It was awesome. I thought there was going to be a fight. Jackson got all angry-eyed and dark, even his scent smelled...different. Vane only told him after he fessed up about being changed into a vampire. Then there was this other thing that he promised me and Vane not to tell anyone about.”

Vera grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “What promise? Tell me, please!” She didn’t hide the desperation in her voice. Her hands were shaking when she finally pulled them back.

Sarina cocked her head and smiled softly. “You love him, don’t you?”

Vera slumped in her seat with defeat and said miserably, “So much. He is my mate.” Sarina nodded, her eyes gentle and understanding.

“He cares about you, you know. I may not have any right telling you this, but I think that’s why he came here today. For you.”

Vera nodded mutely, her mind buzzing with a thousand thoughts, doubts, fears, and hopes.

“Well I’ll leave you alone now, but I just wanted to tell you that you have a friend close by if you want to talk, go shopping, trash the male sex, or get drunk and watch Twilight.” Vera laughed for the first time in four weeks.

She went to Sarina and hugged her tight. “Thank you,” she said softly. Sarina squeezed her back.

“Anytime darling.” She gave a girly wave then left out the front door.

He came back. Well of course he came back, he lives around here, but he came asking about her. Did he still want her? She didn’t have so much pride or attitude that she would deny him if he came back groveling—okay if he came back at all. She would take him back in a second.

She walked back upstairs in a daze. When she got to her bedroom, she just stopped. She had no idea what to do. After doing the dishes she’d felt energized into doing something—namely going out and getting drunk. But now she couldn’t. The bathroom light drew her attention and like a moth, she went to it. Her makeup was scattered across the sink so she methodically started picking it up.

He asked about her. What was the promise? Did he want her back? It had to be something good, right? Or else Sarina wouldn’t have looked so evilly happy. Maybe he was going to apologize. Hope had her eyes widening and a small smile twitching on her face.

Don’t be stupid, Vera. She slammed her hand against the wall, her teeth grinding together. He had a month to call, to write, to come see her. He wasn’t coming back with a bouquet of roses and an “I love you.” A fuck, that’s all he would want.

She switched off the bathroom light, and then there was a knock at the front door.

# # #

Jackson cursed himself again and the silly package sitting in the passenger seat next to him. He stared at it hard, then turned back towards the road, his hands screwing against the steering wheel.

God he’d never felt this before, and it fucking sucked.

She wouldn’t even like it. Hell, she wasn’t even going to let him in the door, he just knew it. He banged his head against the steering wheel for the twelfth time and followed Vane’s directions to her house.

He didn’t know what kind of mystical powers were at work but he did know that he was in love with a woman who was not human, and he didn’t even know if she had a job. Not that he blamed her for that. He never asked. Was too busy staring at her, grumbling at her like some kind of caveman. Real smooth, Jacks.

There was no way she’d take him back. Even if he groveled, which he planned to do a lot of. He was a vampire now, as in, needs blood every day to survive. Sure, she won’t mind. Riiiiight.

He cursed the passing streetlights. They shone beams into the car and glinted the shiny red paper of the package back at him. A cruel reminder. Warm heat flared over his cheeks and he tried to pretend it wasn’t there.

He was one stupid son of a bitch. He’d fucked the greatest thing in his life up. Now he had to try to get it back, because living without it, he was only a shell of himself. Physically he was a wreck, mentally, a borderline monster.

He had Dmetri to thank for a lot though. The man had helped him, taught him so much shit he’d never even contemplated in his life. Like making sure he always had a supply of blood nearby so he didn’t get “hunger pangs.” Hunger pangs in a hungry vampire equals death to humans or animals alike.

Jackson slowed as Orchard Drive came into focus. He turned down it and found her house, pulling to a stop in front of it. His gut was bending and twisting with nerves, a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his fangs threatened to drop at the thought of seeing her again.

Would she be happy to see him? He’d thought of this moment a thousand different times since he’d fucked up with her. He was determined to make it up to her. He just hoped like hell that she didn’t hold a grudge. He lifted the box out of the passenger seat and got out of the car.

Lights were on in her house—a cabin just like Rome and Vane’s. The Kategan’s definitely had a thing for cabins. Her house was recessed back in the woods with the trees giving her house ample amount of shade and privacy from the main road he’d just come off from.

He parked some distance away because...shit. Because he was scared. Always know the exits; always have an escape route. Basic survival rule number one.

He walked silently over the gravel to her cabin, a beacon in the dark night. A shadow moved inside the house and his heart picked up speed. He was actually going to see her, after all this time.

The wind picked up and gently passed over him, ruffling the hair that he hadn’t been cut in weeks. Jacks inhaled that wind and had only a second to react before a blur of movement leaped out from the trees.

# # #

Vera flung open the door, her heart in her eyes.

A vast greatness of nothing greeted her. She stepped outside and looked left, right, up to the main road. She opened her senses and smelled nothing. Was Sarina playing a joke on her?

“Sarina?” Insects chirped and frogs bellowed in return. She put one foot back in the house and smelled it—vampire. She almost smiled. He came back!

“Jackson?” she called out, not caring how excited she sounded.

An evil laugh came from behind her. Vera spun around to find Ariss standing in her living room. She didn’t question it, just let her beast roar through her with a feral growl and launched herself at the vampire bitch.

She caught Ariss around the middle and tackled her hard to the ground. She had a second to hold her and then Ariss twisted her arm free and slammed her palm into her nose. Vera sputtered as blood and pain lanced through her.

Ariss caught her by the hair and yanked her back, wrapping her legs around her waist and flipping them over. Vera made a wide arc with her arm, hand fisted tight, and slammed it with all her strength into Ariss’ face. The vampire nearly slid completely off of her.

“Fucking bitch,” Ariss hissed. Using her hair as leverage, she lifted Vera’s head and slammed back down to the floor.

Dizziness danced through her mind like she was on a merry go-round. “What do you want?” she bit out between clenched teeth. Ariss slammed her back again, and then slammed a fist into her face.

She bit down hard on her tongue with the next hit to the face. Roaring, Vera lifted her legs and hips off the floor and wrapped her ankles around Ariss’ neck. It became a battle as Ariss was determined to yank out every strand of Vera’s hair for leverage.

Finally, a sharp pull of hair ripped out of her head. Vera didn’t feel it; she used her legs to slam Ariss down to the ground. Ariss’ head lolled around, her eyes fluttering.

Vera didn’t hesitate to sit on her chest and introduce her fist to her face a dozen times. She was panting when she was done and Ariss lips were busted, bloodied, and her eyes were going to be black in the morning.

She grabbed her by the hair and yanked her neck to the side. “I said what do you want with me?” She sharpened her pull in warning.

Ariss gasped in pain and struggled beneath her. “My Master’s going to kill me unless I kill you. This is my last chance, and I will not fail.”

“Well it looks like you did, bitch.” Ariss laughed a cruel scratch of a sound.

“Or so you think. Conner is going to kill your mate.”

Vera froze. “Who’s Conner?”

Ariss laughed and shook her head side to side. With the hand gripping her hair, she could barely move an inch.

Vera had never before felt the ugliness of rage that filled her then. She pulled back her fist and hammered it into Ariss until her breathing slowed and she slumped lazily against the floor. Only then did she stop.

Breathing heavily, Vera asked again. “Who is Conner?” Ariss’ eyes fluttered closed. Vera slapped her hard across the face, the sound a sharp crack in the room. “Answer me!” she screamed in her face.

Ariss opened her eyes and smiled, her fangs spotted red. “My guardian. He went after your mate. He’s going to kill him.”

# # #

Jackson rolled with the hit, dropping Vera’s present to the ground, and went tumbling to the ground with a roll. Ariss’ guardian hissed and Jackson could have smiled. He’d wanted to get back at this motherfucker for weeks.

The guardian was fast, but Jackson was trained to fight—to kill.

He didn’t stop rolling until the guardian was beneath him. He pulled back his head and snapped it forward, bumping their heads together with a resounding crack.

The guardian bared his fangs and struggled to get a grip on him. Jacks was faster, he grabbed an arm and held it tight as he pulled it out of socket with a hard, nasty snap. The guardian roared and launched his hips off the ground, throwing Jacks off.

“You guys never quit do you?” he said and casted a quick glance over at Vera’s cabin. Ariss had to be there. I have to get to her. Jacks blocked a flurry of kicks and punches that came his way. The guardian moved so quickly, if he’d still been a human he wouldn’t have made out any of the moves, but now his eyes tracked each one. The guardian didn’t have use of his arm, it hung dangled at his side.

But then Jacks made a mistake. He didn’t see the guardian pull a blade out. The guardian faked left then thrust in with the blade glinting in the moonlight. His knife slid hot and quick into Jackson’s stomach.

He hissed in pain and grabbed the guardian’s wrist, snapping it back until it too popped. The guardian screamed in agony and dropped to his knees. Jacks squeezed tight to his wrist then slammed a kick to his chest. His other arm popped out of socket and he went limp against the ground writhing and crying out in pain.

Jacks grabbed the fallen blade off the ground just as Vera’s growl sounded from the cabin. Panic set in, adrenaline floored through him. He dropped down quick and stabbed the vampire in the heart, then slit his throat for good measure. He watched the vampire’s struggles stop as his last breath left him.

Then he sprinted for the cabin.

The door was open and dread filled him. He crashed into the house, his quick sight taking in everything at once. Vera sat on top of Ariss with a hard, burning anger in her eyes.

She grabbed Ariss by the head and slammed it with a resounding crack into the ground. The vampire’s head lolled to the side like a puppet.

“Vera.”

Her eyes shot up and a second later, she was in his arms, her legs wrapped tight around him. He didn’t even feel the burning cut in his stomach.

She was shaking so hard, felt so unbelievably good in his arms; he held her tight whispering soft words in her ear.

She pulled back jerkily, her eyes shooting outside then to Ariss on the floor. “It’s not safe. We need to get out of here now. Her guardian is here.”

“Baby, I know. He’s dead.” She seemed to have trouble digesting that bit of information. She looked back at him, her eyes getting wider and wider.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She ran her hands over his back and he had to sigh at how good it felt. Then her hands ran over his front and he winced. “Oh my God! You are hurt. Come here.”

She dropped down and dragged him into the bathroom. She pushed him onto the toilet seat and started rummaging through the medicine cabinet. Things were dropping out and spilling left and right. Her hands were shaking so bad he could see it. Finally he grabbed her hands and just pulled her close.

A sob broke out of from her, breaking his heart, and then she curled up against him. She didn’t make a single sound but he felt the warm liquid covering his shoulder.

“It’s okay baby. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.” She pulled back from him with a lykaen growl. Then she slapped him across the cheek. Jacks had only a second to be surprised because then she did it again.

Growling, his fangs threatening to lower at being so close to her he said, “What are you doing?”

Her hands bunched into his shoulders and when she looked at him, he saw anger and pain there—a lot of it.

“You were hurt.” She slapped his shoulder. “You hurt me.” She slapped his other shoulder. “Why are you here, because I swear if it isn’t to beg me for forgiveness then I’m going to kill you myself?”

Jacks waited a second and when she didn’t slap him again, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her to shut her the hell up.

God, he’d almost forgotten what she tasted like. Delicious, sexy woman—his woman. Vera.

The kiss was anything but gentle. Teeth clanged against each other and lips bit and sucked on tongues. They each fought for possession, their breaths mingling roughly with each other.

Jacks broke away first and pressed his forehead to hers. “This wasn’t how I envisioned seeing you again.” She choked on a laugh. He smiled at the sound, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.

“I need to call Vane and Brayden about this, okay? And then you and I have a lot to talk about.”

She glared at him and damn if it didn’t feel good. “I’m sorry, I said that wrong. I meant I have a lot of begging to do because I was a son of a bitch, and I’ve never been sorrier for anything.” She tugged her lip between her teeth looking so unsure he hated himself for putting that look there.

When she finally relaxed and gave him a tumultuous smile, he felt the vice that had been around his heart let go.