Tainted Blood (70 page)

Felix then told me that he’d heard from Laney and that she and Oliver had skipped town at her own wishes.

Crap. As much as I knew it was going to happen, I didn’t need to know exactly when she was going to…
bond
with him. They might as well be on their honeymoon. We were all aware of what was going to happen.

I cleaned myself up then went out and got myself six new friends. I kicked it in front of the TV for the rest of the night. I had massive headache that I attempted to kill with a six pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

I hadn’t heard from Laney at all, and they’d been gone a couple days. So Thursday, when I hopped into her car to head for class knowing that I’d be presenting our European Dragon info on my own, I sent her a text asking if she was ok. She sent me a yes with a happy face. I was relieved and nauseated at the same time. It irritated me that I was bothered by her being his. Forever. Or, until he died, but that would probably kill her. I forced myself to be happy for her but failed and instead tried to forget about it altogether. I failed at that too.

Kiera stayed over that night. Her parents didn’t approve because of their deal with her moving back home and all, so she told them she was staying with Zoey. Lame, but whatever. I’d take it. We needed some time together. Well, I did.

Kiera was snuggled under the covers when I got into bed. I kissed down her neck and her exposed shoulder, something that always got her going. But this time she shrugged me away. Feeling only slightly rejected but not ready to give up, I whispered a soft “Please,” into her ear. She rolled onto her back, and I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. She smiled at me which was a sure “yes.” Sweet!

I opened the drawer on my bedside table—the one I’d stashed all the knives in when Laney had been loopy—to get a condom. I came up empty handed and had to go on a more thorough search of the drawer. The box was missing, and I only found one.
One?
Where the hell did they all go?
I’d just recently bought a new box…
Oliver!
Damn him! This was a serious mood killer, but I shrugged to
myself; one
was better than none. (Insert wicked grin here).

I had to work the next couple days, early on Saturday, and it was an excruciatingly long shift. Kiera had dinner waiting for me back at the apartment when I got home and that was something I could seriously get used to.

We went over the guest list for the wedding, and after dinner I called my buddy Tate. He was my best bud from high school. After graduation, he’d gone away to school and I didn’t blame him. Dude’s only flaw was that he’d hooked up with Avery our senior year. Well, there was that and then there was the whole prom fiasco that I didn’t want to recount. Oh, and he was still friends with Ashton, but I wasn’t gonna hold that against him. He was still my bud and a good guy. I asked him to be my best man and he gladly accepted. Cool. He then told me that he’d be back home over the holidays. I was looking forward to hanging with him.
Tater Tot and Carter Sauce together again!

Kiera was pleased that I’d finally gotten my side of the wedding party in order, and thanks to some persuasion from Felix, my father was allowing Harrison to be our ring bearer.

Anyway, Kiera was happy which meant I might get to bust open my new box of rubbers. I was helping her with a few more wedding details, trying to keep her happy so I in turn could be made happy. Then Felix showed up.

I hadn’t spoken to him since the angel had beat my ass. It was probably the longest stretch we’d gone since he’d taken me under his wing. I was still angry with him and I think he knew it. Plus, I think he was still angry with himself and the fact he’d had to do what he’d done.

He stood just inside the door when I let him in. “We’ve got the angel,” he told us.

“Great!” I said. This meant Laney and Oliver could breathe. They didn’t have to worry about that bastard coming between them.

Felix continued, “It would appear that the angel and Oscar Knight have become allies.

Kiera stepped beside me and slipped her arms around me. I held her to me. “What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

“They found and attacked Oliver and Delaney,” he said gravely.

Goosebumps instantly covered me. I felt Kiera’s arms tighten and swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat. “And?” I prodded. “What about Laney and Oliver?”

He shook his head slightly. “I’m on my way to make an assessment of the damage now.”

“What are you saying?” My heart plummeted.

“It doesn’t look good.”

A Sneak Peek of Book 4

We were sitting on the grass, leaning against Oliver’s family’s monument. It was large and beautiful with all five of their names and the years that they’d been alive across the front. Yet, I sat there with the middle Knight child, who was still clearly alive and well, listening to him tell me about his family. There was a spark in Oliver’s eyes as he spoke of them. It made my heart ache for him. It was then that they showed up. Oscar and Zane, together, like they were in cahoots! They’d somehow found one another and united! This was seriously bad news for us.

After some terrifying altercations, somehow Oliver and I made it out of the cemetery and to his car. We sped back to the cottage with enough time to get inside and get the security system set. Unfortunately, there was no landline and we’d left our phones in the car. Oliver was going to need to call for help. As the house went into lockdown Oliver punched another code into the control panel and the front door unbolted.

“No, Oliver. Don’t go out there,” I pleaded, grabbing his arm, hoping to hold him back.

“I’ve got to, Laney. We can only stay in here so long, and stay safe.” His anxious green eyes tried to reassure me. He kissed my forehead. “I can do it,” he said and he ran for his car while I watched from the doorway. He slid at the side of the car and jerked the door opened. I saw him dive in and reach for the console. I scanned the area for signs of movement. Other than a cool, sea breeze rustling the surrounding tree branches there was nothing, just the breeze and the crashing waves.

Oliver was sprinting back to the house and straight for me when, out of nowhere, he was tackled to the ground. Oscar had come at him from the side.

“No!” I screamed and I started out the door and on down the front steps toward him. “No!” I screamed again as I hit the bottom step.

Oliver and Oscar were tumbling around on the ground, full on beating each other. As I tried to leap off of that last step, Zane caught me from behind by my hair. I screamed and fell back. He jerked me up the steps and dragged me across the porch as I kicked and screamed.

Zane jerked me to my feet as he got to the door. Oliver was on his knees and I saw both terror and anger register in his face as he looked up at me. His brother didn’t have a chance against him, and he knew it. Because Oliver was focused on me, Oscar was able to scramble across the ground and out of Oliver’s reach.

Oscar was fast, but Oliver was stronger, and Oscar was well aware of this fact. And with Oliver’s added desperation to get me away from Zane, Oscar had no hope. Oliver lunged for his brother, jerked him back by his ankle, and with one blow to the side of his face, Oliver confirmed who the stronger brother was. A moment later, Oscar scrambled to keep himself upright as he high-tailed it into the surrounding trees and out of sight. Oliver probably could have caught him, but he was after Zane right then.

“Mine!” Oliver growled as he barreled toward us.

Zane hauled me into the house and slammed the door before Oliver could get to us. Oliver slammed his body against the door and Zane let go of me, so I ran. Zane was preoccupied with the door and the measly deadbolt that was surely not going to keep Oliver out for long.

I ran to the kitchen. A fairly good sized kitchen knife in one hand and really heavy frying pan in the other; I was as ready as I could be. That son-of-a-bitch was not taking me away from Oliver. Ever.

I crouched down behind the kitchen island and waited. Oliver was screaming my name from outside while pounding his way through the front door. Zane had secured the door somehow and it was taking longer for Oliver to get to me than I had thought it would.

Zane called my name several times in that creepy movie-killer kind of way, getting closer each time. My heart was pounding, thudding in my ears. He came into the kitchen and in the most menacing voice he said, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

I readied myself, crouched against the island, waiting for him to come around either side. I wasn't prepared for him to come over the top of the island at me. I dropped the knife when he grabbed my hair, but I double fisted the pan and swung. I clocked him in the side of the head and knocked him off balance. He fell off of the island and onto the tile floor with a heavy thud.

Oliver was still shouting my name, and it sounded like he was throwing himself against the door. I ran back to the front of the house as fast as I could, but somehow Zane was there before me. I screamed. Oliver pounded even harder and cried out for me again. The steel door groaned with every blow—the hinges would soon give. But would it be soon enough?

I still had the frying pan and I readied myself for Zane to come at me. Unfortunately, he had the knife. He was bleeding from the side of his head and I knew he was hurting. I got a little satisfaction out of that fact. I bet he was wishing right then that he’d never touched me. Stupid demented freakin’ angel!

He lunged at me with the knife, obviously afraid of my mad skills with a frying pan, and I jumped back. He paced, his grayish-lavender eyes on mine, the knife lowered at his hip. Another blow to the door and it groaned once again. The top hinge gave way.

Zane lunged at me again, knowing his chances to complete our connection were coming to an end, and fast. The middle hinge was barely hanging on. I swung the pan once more, but I missed, and he knocked me to the ground. The knife pierced my shoulder and hurt like hell!

I cried out in pain as he sat on top of me, pulling the knife free of my shoulder. I heard Oliver roar my name then hit the door one last time. The hinges gave, the frame splintered, and the door fell inward
h
itting the wall then the floor.

I have to say, Oliver looked more frightening at that moment than the demonic angel with a kitchen knife. “Mine,” Oliver snarled then tackled Zane. In the next second, Oliver had Zane pinned to the floor beside me. Oliver was so enraged that he didn’t see the knife in Zane’s hand and I screamed when the angel plunged it into Oliver’s side. The knife slipped between his ribs and Oliver let out an awful bellow, but he didn’t loosen his grip on Zane. If anything, his grip around the angel’s neck tightened.

“Laney,” Oliver growled. “Pull it out.” I hesitated, and his dark eyes met mine. “Do it now!” I gripped the knife with both hands and yanked. He cringed and made a pained sound. In a flash of movement, he jerked the knife from my hand and plunged it into Zane’s heart. I screamed again, covering my mouth with both hands to stop myself.

Zane cried out and grasped at the knife, unable to get ahold of the handle, but he couldn’t seem to control his limbs.

Oliver rolled off of the angel and onto the floor beside him. He held his hand over the wound in his side. Blood was trickling out between his fingers. I scrambled over the suddenly still body of Zane, the angel. My angel. My crazed and demonic, dead, guardian angel.

“What do I do?” I asked Oliver frantically, putting my hands over his.

“Call Felix,” he groaned.

Little did I know, the angel wasn’t dead—Angels weren’t so easy to kill…

Joann Martin Sowles’ love of fantasy and science fiction inspired her to create the Brookehaven Vampires and their world. She lives in Northern California with her very supportive husband and their two wonderful children, along with what she likes to call her furry entourage–two tuxedo cats and a very devoted Aussie. Between being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom and a wife, she spends her spare time, what little there is of it, hard at work on the next Brookehaven installment.

For more information about the Brookehaven Vampires, visit www.BrookehavenVampires.com.