Loathing
Peyton:
“Come. Tell me all about this Elicia DeWalt.” He motioned with his head as we turned away from the building, hearing the security system beeping softly from within the steel door. Shaking off the fear that swirled inside my chest, rushing to his side as our steps fell into a synchronized rhythm, sliding my hands back into my pockets.
“She was abandoned outside of the local firehouse. The Fire Chief, Derek, took the infant to his wife, Lady Clay, who runs the ‘Guiding Light Orphanage’. Which it makes sense now, but back then we couldn’t understand why a human girl was living in an orphanage for the supernatural.” Halted by the sudden screaming moan as he sank his fangs into a young woman taking out the trash. Tossing her aside as he wiped the corners of his mouth clean with his thumb, resuming our casual walk through the Industrial district.
“Please don’t do that. It’s nauseating.” Gagging back the lump that lurched up from my stomach, snapping my eyes at his chuckling pose.
“Oh, classic. Coming from one of the DeLois brothers, known for their unsatiable appetite for the innocent and weak. Carrying on.” Frowning at his words as he motioned with a lazy hand to continue.
“She was strange. Always nose deep in a book about the supernatural, or mythology, but smart as a tack. She was actually placed in advanced classes but refused to advance ahead in grade because of her sister, well, Derek and Lady’s biological daughter, Bailey.”
“Oh, that sweet little thing you were checking out back there. Nice.” Rolling my eyes at his smug smirk.
“Far from it. Her mother is the one that handed me over to the Supernatural Council. Compliments of Sir Max Silvermoon, ‘The Black Bear’ defector of the Underground. His mate happens to be one of my uncles fighters.”
“Yes, Lycan Queen Mei Rockwell. I’m familiar with the family.” His humming words unsettled me.
“So, what happened with our ‘human’ girl?” He spun around, walking backward with an amused smile as his crimson eyes studied me closely.
“Every year the upper-classmen held a bond fire to ‘welcome’ in the fresh meat, using it as our excuse to drink and fuck whatever we could. I was a senior; Bain was a freshman along with Elicia. Seeing that it was Bain’s first official year in high school, I gave him a challenge.” Halted by his laughing.
“Let me guess, he gave you a ‘target’ and you gave him one as well, Elicia, but something didn’t plan out, did it?” His amused tone sent shivers down my spine as he spun back around, draping his arm over my shoulders.
“No. I wanted her as my ‘target’. I wanted to be the one to lift her up, just to let her crash and burn, but she didn’t take the bait. We ran after her, catching up to her on the hiking trail behind the orphanage. She ignored me completely, but when Bain spooked her it was ‘game-on’. We sank our fangs into her collarbone, tasting the sweet innocence of her blood as she cried out in agony from our venom.” Slammed into the wall with a hissing growl as his nails pierced through my jacket and flesh, holding me up from the ground.
“You idiot! You activated her blood. What happened afterwards?” Gulping back as his nails twisted into my flesh, feeling the warm trickling of my blood as the metallic scent swirled around us.
“S-she was on her period, so Bain popped her butt ‘cherry’, and I used her mouth. She was unconscious the majority of the time, but after that it was like she didn’t remember. Her aggression got worse, especially if someone was bullying one of the kids from the orphanage. Luckily, the one’s that got hurt could heal quickly, but the blackness in her eyes scared us all. Majority of the time, she was either in the auditorium playing on that damn piano or in the dance studio.” Dropped to my feet, grasping my chest as the wounds slowly healed up. Flinching back as he reached back to slap me, but something flashed brightly in his crimson orbs as he kneeled in front of me.
“How did she end up in London?” Frozen in place, looking to the ground as his finger tilted my chin up.
“I was already living here, instructor at the Fine Arts when Bain called me out of the blue. He said that he got tired of waiting for her to give up her virginity, so to knock her down a peg he took one of his side bitches to her place to fuck. He knew how desperate she was not to be alone, so he was going to rub in her face that he had needs too, and that it was her fault he was fucking his ex, which wasn’t really his ex because he was sleeping around the whole time. He didn’t plan for her to respond the way she did.”
“Which was?” Gasping for breath as he clenched his fist close, cutting my airway off.
“I-I guess she had been accepted into the Fine Arts school on full-scholarship, so she showed up to surprise him with plane tickets, instead found him fucking Krystal in her bed. He went after her to flip-the-script on her, she smacked him so hard, he even said it surprised him how strong she was, then she told him ‘enjoy’ and left. I found out she was a student because of my ‘instructor’ status.” Sucking in a lung full of cool air as he released his fist, leaning his arms on his knees.
“For the love of everything magical, you idiots have caused me not only once, but several failed attempts at killing my brother because every time I get ready to attack, my supernatural abilities suddenly weaken. That girl is more powerful than you think, and who were those four guys with her?” Looking at his pointed finger like it was a loaded gun, inhaling sharply as he leaned in closer narrowing his crimson eyes.
“The Watchmen. Desmond and Izzy’s adopted sons.” Lifted from the ground as we appeared on top of London bridge, looking down at the blurry lights and the smooth stone structure of the tower as my feet dangled through the air.
“What exactly are they to her, and if you say, ‘mates’ I’m dropping your ass?” His fist slowly opened, feeling the invisible force releasing around my chest as his crimson eyes swirled ominously.
“P-please. I had no idea who they were to her… until I got caught. Sir Max is very protective of them.” Screaming in fright as my body launched through the air, landing heavily on the stone platform behind his shaking body.
“FUCK!” He roared into the night skies as the swirling mist snapped and flicked out from his body, snaking around my ankle as it lifted me upside-down above the bustling traffic below.
“Your family has become a sour thorn in my ass, but you will help me take care of my problem, while I figure out how to get her away from those ‘Phoenix’s’.” Exhaling briefly before my ass plummeted towards the on-coming double-decker, appearing inside mid-scream as we rode-off into the approaching morning.
“Relax, if I wanted you dead, I would have just sank my teeth into you. Have you ever seen what vampire venom does to a bear? It’s quite entertaining.” Resting my sweaty head to the cool glass as the street lamps blurred by in a cloudy haze. Dax growled lowly from the shadows as he pushed against the barrier trapping him inside the shadows.
“What did you do to my bear?” Looking over the seat as Helmer leaned back with his arms draped lazily along the tops.
“So you don’t get any cute ideas. Your family has always been known to double-cross people, so I took the extra precaution.” Laughing at his smug words.
“You’re one to talk about double-crossing.” Leaning back as the cool breeze fanned across my face.
“Me, No! I’m just knocking my dear brother down a peg. He always was the favorite with our father. Successor to the Throne, mated to one of the Arkas daughters, produced a son heir right out of the gates, and now has ‘The Watchmen’ as adopted sons. Everything has always been in favor of my dear brother, but it’s time for him to taste a little defeat.” Scoffing at his smug smirk.
“Sounds more like ‘jealousy’.” Agreeing with him silently because Bain was always the favorite. More talent, ruthless, cunning, arrogant just like dear old dad, but I’m the one that controlled the businesses while he was out fucking everything that walked. Our poor mother died during child birth because of him, and he didn’t care one bit.
“Now that’s a look I haven’t seen in a while.” Looking up at an amused smirk as he snapped his fingers, appearing inside an old Victorian flat with a flickering fire filling the cold room with warmth.
“What?” Looking at him puzzled, sitting down in the burgundy wing-back as he poured two bourbons.
“Loathing. It takes something specific to change jealousy into loathing, and you my young man, display it flawlessly.” Sipping the ambered liquid as the warm burn slid slowly into my stomach, exhaling for the first time as everything clicked into place.
“It’s all the same, and it doesn’t matter anymore.” Taking a hard swig as he refilled my glass, setting the glass decanter back on the side table. Chugging the bourbon with a satisfied exhale.
“It will work out just fine.” He hummed slowly as a strange sensation swirled over me, closing my eyes as he quickly grabbed my glass from falling to the ground before total darkness.
Fucking Vampires.