Tainted Blood (28 page)

As I went to put my key in the knob I noticed the door wasn’t latched closed and I slowly pushed it open and the three of us filed inside. My heart hit the floor.

Oliver was there, his feet up on the coffee table and one of his arms was laid out across the back of the couch. And Avery was there too, curled up against his side, snuggled against him.

“Oliver!” Julz shouted and I threw my keys at them, hitting Avery in the back. She cried out in pain and Oliver lifted his head up off of the back of the couch.

“What’?” he asked in a tone that seemed…bewildered. His eyes, half opened, settled on the always-skimpily-dressed Avery beside him. His eyes grew wide and he pushed her away like she was plagued.

Oliver’s confusion surprised us and Julz and I stopped screaming at him as he clearly became aware of what was happening.

“I didn’t touch her!” he shouted as he scrambled away from her and fell onto the floor.

The next thing I knew Ashton burst through the open doorway hollering for his sister.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I shouted. I didn’t want him to see the scene displayed in front of us and add it to the ever-growing rumor mill.

“I heard screams,” he responded in a tone that wasn’t quite Ashton. No arrogance, no mockery…but a tone that may have been laced with fear.

“From where?” I quickly asked as he grabbed hold of his sister’s wrist and jerked her off of the couch where she’d stayed planted when Oliver pushed her away from him. He didn’t answer me but shot me a dirty look as he dragged his sister out the door.

Just before they were out of the apartment he turned back into himself, to the jackass Ashton we all knew. “Keep your bloodsucking boyfriend away from my sister!” he shouted, then they were gone.

Hayden was standing there beside me with her hands over her mouth, shocked by her uncle’s behavior. We watched as Oliver pulled himself off of the floor and he actually smiled slightly.

That’s when I lost it.

“How could you?” I shouted and hot, angry tears burst free as I ran past him to his room. I began shoving everything I owned into a bag as fast as I could.

He followed me into his room. “I didn’t touch her, Laney.”

I was crying angry, heartbroken tears and trying to get away from him as quickly as possible.

“Look at me,” he said softly. He gently grabbed my arm and I jerked away and shot him the dirtiest look.

“You make me sick!” I hissed.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Liar!” I dropped my bag and took a step toward him, challenging him. “Do you think I’m blind or just an idiot?” I growled.

He took a step back and stopped, his hands up in surrender. “Laney, listen to me.” I continued to glare at him but I listened. “I took her home, after I left the fair, then I came back here. I was upset over us fighting.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the floor as he continued. “The last thing I remember was having a couple of bottles of blood and watching TV. I must’ve fallen asleep.” His deep green eyes lifted and met mine. “I have no clue how she got in the apartment or when she showed up. I did not touch her.”

I studied him, wondering if I could trust him, wondering if he was lying.

“He’s not lying,” Julz interjected from the bedroom doorway and our attention turned to her. “You can tell when he lies. He tugs at his earlobe or rubs his neck when he lies, they both do, him and Oscar.” She walked away and I returned my attention to Oliver and played what he’d said back through my mind. I couldn’t remember his hands touching his neck or ear, ever.

His concerned, green eyes held mine, questioning what I would do next. “I told you she was her brother with boobs,” I said quietly. I relaxed my hands that had been tensed into fists but my heart still hurt.

“I see that now,” Oliver replied in a soft tone. Taking a step closer, he pulled me against his chest.

Hoping his scent would calm me, I let myself melt against him and breathed deep only to find the scent of Avery’s rank perfume. I pushed away from him and he stood there, staring at me with his arms out in confusion. “You smell like
her
.” I crossed my arms over my chest and he dropped his to his sides.

“Laney, I can feel what you’re feeling.” My eyes met his and for once I was thankful he could feel my pain, and that caused a flash of confusion to cross his face. He quickly composed himself and continued. “I’d give my life for you, Laney.” He took a step closer. “How could you think I would ever hurt you? Especially like this?”

I shrugged. He took another step toward me and hesitantly reached for me, pulling my arms away from my chest. He wrapped his arms around me again and I held my breath this time.

“I love you, Laney. I will never hurt you.”

Fair enough. With my breath held, I let myself melt against him. It wasn’t the same if I couldn’t smell him.

Hayden and Julz left, but not before Julz reprimanded Oliver about not being at the concert to protect his niece.
She argued about how he agreed to keep an eye on her if she brought Hayden to the fair and concert.
I’d never heard Oliver apologize so much.

Hayden gave me a hug before
she left
and only quietly said good-bye to her uncle.

I could tell that really stung him.

I made him shower as soon as they were gone. I was sitting at the dining room table, picking at the charms in my Lucky Charms cereal, when he came out of the bathroom clean and no longer smelling like a whore. He sat down at the table with me.

“Why are you falling asleep lately?” I asked without looking up from my bowl.

“I’m not quite sure, but I think it’s from resisting the urge to bond.” My eyes flicked up to his and he flashed me an uncomfortable smile. Normally, I’d have blushed, or gotten excited. But not this time, this was the first time that I was ever against bonding with Oliver and that only broke my heart even more.

He reached for my hand that was resting on the table and I quickly pulled it away and dropped both of my hands into my lap. He pulled his hand back and I saw distress cross his expression. “I know you’re angry—”

“That’s an understatement,” I said, cutting him off.

His pained green eyes met mine. “I really am sorry, Laney. I should’ve listened to you… I should’ve been there tonight.”

I don’t know if he was expecting me to simply accept his apology and then all would go back to normal, but I do know he didn’t expect the response I gave him. “Yeah, you should have.”

“I’m sorry, Laney.” He dipped his head to try to get in my line of sight which was now focused on the soggy cereal in my bowl. He gently tipped my face so that my eyes had to meet his. “Tell me you love me.” He smiled nervously.

“I do,” I responded in a whisper and his nervous smile faded and was replaced with a genuine smile until I stood and told him I was going to bed.

He stood too and caught my arm, stopping me as I passed by him. His eyes searched mine, his smile had vanished. “Are we okay?” he asked.

With a slight shake of my head and an overwhelming ache in my heart I said, “I really don’t know.”

His brow furrowed and he stepped closer, his lips only millimeters from mine. I could feel his cool breath on my skin as he spoke. “You know me, Laney.” I could hear the anxiety in his voice.

“I thought I did,” I whispered. Then I pulled my arm free and closed the bedroom door behind me and I cried silently. I knew he was on the other side, I knew he could feel my pain, and I knew that at that moment he hurt just as much as I did and he didn’t want me to see it.

Chapter
15 - An Evening at the Lake

I woke early the next morning to Oliver climbing into bed behind me and wrapping his arms tightly around me. He rested his chin on my shoulder and whispered that he loved me more than life itself and I felt tears threatening to surface again, but I fought them, and won.

He told me that he needed to leave because he had a meeting with Felix that morning and I only partially believed him. I forced myself to get up a little while later and shower.

I was having a piece of buttered toast and dealing with some school work late that afternoon when Carter came home. I told him about what had happened the previous night.

“Ashton knows,” I told Carter. “He called Oliver a bloodsucker. I really think he somehow told Kiera’s parents about your…you know, incident.” I leaned closer and whispered the last word as if someone would overhear.

He spaced for a few minutes, his blue eyes getting a momentarily vacant look. “I think you’re right,” he said and then leaned forward on the table, his arms folded in front of him. “But what about the whole mind-wipey thing Felix did?”

“I don’t know. Does Felix have any theories on that?” I asked.

He sat back in the dining chair, his hands still resting on the table. “He has a couple but he was still looking into it last I spoke to him.” He leaned across the table again, his bright blue eyes meeting mine as he whispered, “He’s having Ashton watched.” He sat back and continued at a normal volume. “Felix thinks Ashton might be immune to the
mind-wipe
thing but he says it’s unlikely. He’s leaning more toward witches.”

“Witches?” I questioned in surprise and Habitha crossed my mind.

“Yeah, apparently witches have the ability to reverse the wipey thing and I’m beginning to believe that’s the case. I’m also thinking Avery is doing more than just trying to steal your boyfriend.” I cringed at that sleazebag’s name. Carter chuckled at me for a moment and then continued. “I think they’re up to something. I saw Ashton last night, when Oliver showed up with uh—with the blonde bimbo. I saw them nod at each other when the two of you were off arguing.” We both sat back in our seats and pondered this information in silence.

Oliver returned moments later and told me that he needed to speak to me, in private. Carter flashed me a concerned look and I tried to reassure him with a smile. Oliver whisked me off to the bedroom before I could see if my smile had helped ease Carter’s mind.

We sat on the foot of the bed. “Felix is pretty ticked off about last night,” Oliver began. “He said that he’ll report me if it happens again.”

“If what happens again?” I asked as I pulled my feet up and faced him with my legs crossed. I couldn’t imagine Felix could report Oliver for cheating on me. Not that he had…supposedly.

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes on his hands. “I was scheduled to work last night.”

I thought for a moment and felt irritation growing inside me again. “But we had a date.”

He turned his head so that his gorgeous, emerald green eyes were on me and I had to force myself to resist him. “I can do both,” he said in response and it irked me enough that I thought I might hit him.

“What do you mean you can do both?” My tone made it obvious that I was angry.

He sat up and faced me. “It wasn’t a regular job, it was just working security. I was supposed to be in the crowd watching for anything out of the ordinary. You know, like my brother. That’s why I took it. I do that anyway when I’m with you so I figured why not get paid for it.”

I raised an eyebrow. He was too much.

He continued before I had a chance to form a response. “Felix is also irritated with me because I told him I wouldn’t be returning to the biology class.”

“You’re not?”

“No. I’m not going anywhere near that girl.”

This made me somewhat…ecstatic. I was relieved he wouldn’t be Avery’s bio partner anymore. “Why does Felix care if you drop a class?”

“He said it looks bad and draws attention to me.” Oliver shrugged. “I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as he makes it out to be.”

“I wish I could drop it,” I said under my breath as my finger traced a part of the red dragon on Oliver’s black comforter. “I don’t want to be partners with Ashton.”

With a gentle finger Oliver tipped my chin so that he could look into my eyes. “Ashton isn’t after you, Laney. He’s after me and he’s ruthless. He’s sacrificing his own sister to try to get me to blow my cover.”

“How do you know this?” I felt fear bubbling up.

“Felix is having him tailed. He’s uncovered a bit of Ashton’s plan.”

“His plan? What’s his plan?”

“So far all we know is that he’s trying to prove that I’m a vampire.”

“But why?”

He shrugged. “A number of reasons, I suspect.”

“Like?” It didn’t make sense. Outing Oliver couldn’t be Ashton’s only motive.

“I did make him kiss asphalt the first time I met him,” he said with the hint of a smile.

Surprisingly, I smiled at the memory too.

“Then there’s you,” he said as he took my hands in his. “With me out of the picture he’d be free to pursue you again.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” he questioned. “He’ll try to make me look bad so he can swoop in and be the good guy. He’ll try to gain your trust as you lose faith in me.”

“No, that’s not possible,” I protested, shaking my head and straightening my back.