Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Three months later

Teya sat on her bed, tapping away at her laptop and thinking of the man she’d spent the past three months with. He sat across from her, watching her work in silence. He’d kept all of his promises. He went back to her after he’d left the hell-house.  And most importantly, the affection had never stopped. He tried to find new ways to show he cared for her each day.

It was a bit unreal for Teya. He was way too perfect. It was winter now, so Ken bought a car to drive her to and from work, as well as other places around town. How he could afford it, she didn’t know. She’d asked him several times about it, but he would only kiss her and promise to explain someday.

As for Ken’s daily tasks, he continued to seek the vampire hunters, gathering as much information as he could. At night, right before dawn, he would report his findings to Allen and come back to Teya. He would kiss her like she was the only woman in the world.

Teya yawned. “Ok I’m done for tonight,” she said sheepishly. Ken wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down playfully.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look when you’re sleepy?” he asked, kissing her softly as she smiled.

“I’m sure you have, but you can remind me again,” she teased, making him laugh.

“Well, you’re very beautiful to me. I wouldn’t trade you for the world,” he told her. Teya sat up with a serious look on her face.

“Don’t go to Allen tonight. Stay the night, and report back to him tomorrow,” she pleaded, squeezing his shirt. Her nightly fears were causing her to lose sleep. The more they cared for each other, the worse she felt with the deal he’d made. He kissed her again.

“You know I have to uphold this deal to have my time with you. I can’t risk Allen coming after both of us. I’m afraid,” he confessed. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you if he did.”

Teya grabbed his cheeks gently, looking him in the eyes, and said, “You are strong, Ken.  You’ll beat him. What has Allen done to you to make you so afraid?” Ken remained quiet, and Teya released his face.

“Why won’t you tell me? I won’t look at you differently. I pro—” she started to say, before he stood up abruptly.

“Never promise something if you don’t know the extent of it. I have to go, but I promise I’ll return,” he said, as he began to walk toward her balcony, ready to just jump off, and hoped she would forget. This was Teya he was talking about though – his Teya. He knew her well enough to remember how stubborn and willing she was. She would not let this discussion go. He sighed, his hand resting on the doorknob.

“I’ll tell you everything once I return,” he said, and with that he opened the balcony door and was gone in an instant.

“I’ll be up waiting!” Teya yelled, knowing he could hear her from outside.

Ken looked around the house, somewhat worried. There was no one there. He checked every room in the house – all but one. Salina opened her bedroom door seconds after he knocked.

“Ken. I was hoping you would show up tonight,” she said. Ken tried not to roll his eyes at the fact that out of everyone in this house, he was alone with Salina.

“Where is everyone?” he asked, sniffing the air. “I don’t smell hunters. Shouldn’t they be back from feeding by now?”

Salina walked fully out her room, swaying her hips in her lingerie, which consisted of see-through panties and a bra. Now he really wanted to roll his eyes.

“They’re fine. They left for Paris,” she said, grabbing some wine from the kitchen.  Ken continued following her for information. She offered Ken a glass, but he declined. “You remember how Allen and Rosa loved, Paris don’t you?”

Ken remembered those times. He only went with them to Paris once. It wasn’t a good time for him, as Allen killed over a thousand men and women within the weekend, but he enjoyed the scenery. He’d even considered taking Teya there one day.

“Yes, he does love Parisian blood above all else,” Ken replied, lost in thought. “Maybe I’ll leave him a note or something, to tell him I stopped by,” he half-joked, knowing that Allen would sense he was in the room whenever he walked through the door. Salina placed her glass down.

“You can’t sit and chat with an old friend?” she said, seductively sitting on a stool with her legs open for Ken to see. Ken choked back a laugh.

“I’m sorry, Salina, but when were we ever friends?” he asked. Salina smirked.

“I’ve known you since you were ten. I practically raised you.”

“And that makes it even more wrong,” he exclaimed. He was getting annoyed now, being forced to remember his childhood. “I know Rosa had to make you stop touching me,” He confessed with a shiver, “And I saw you with a different guy every night before you started fucking Allen. So how dare you sit here and say that we were friends?”

Salina stood up, remaining calm over Ken’s accusations, and said, “It’s that human bitch filling your head with silly dreams. She’s been telling you I’m the bad guy, am I right?”

“She doesn’t know about any of this. I don’t want her to know my dark past,” he said. She sniffed.

“I know she isn’t giving you any,” she said, walking closer, still trying to persuade him.  He grabbed her wrist before she could touch his chest. It was then that he managed to smell her. Besides the expensive perfume she wore, he could smell Rodney fresh on her body. His face contorted into anger. He twisted her wrist behind her back and pushed her against the wall, grabbing her throat with his other hand. He squeezed as hard as his strength would allow.

“What have you done?” he roared. She heaved for air. “Where is Rodney?”

His voice had become demonic. He flipped her around so she was now facing him, but remained pinned to the wall.

“You’d better start fucking talking, Salina! I swear to whoever you pray to, I’ll rip out your fucking throat! Where is Rodney? What have you done?”

*******

Teya laid herself down on the bed, watching the balcony. Ken was late, and she couldn’t stop herself from worrying. Somewhere down the line, she knew she loved Ken. It was so sudden, though. She’d just lost her best friend three months ago, and now she was drooling all over this half-human, half-vampire guy. They barely knew each other, but her heart felt bereft and lost whenever she thought about what she should and shouldn’t do. How she should and shouldn’t feel. Did the rules apply for the situation they’d found themselves in?

As she wondered, a sudden breeze entered the room,  and the balcony door burst open.

“Ken?” she called, standing up from the bed and looking around the room. She saw no one. Her heart began to pound loudly, and she began to panic. Before she could back away from the door, a force pushed her against the wall. The blow knocked the wind out of her lungs, and she quickly hit the ground. She tried to move towards her knife in the dresser, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.  She tried to get to her feet, but her efforts failed.

“Going somewhere?” a masculine voice asked.  The stranger began to climb on top of her. She gasped, trying to figure out an escape. “So you’re the one that Ken’s been wearing like perfume?  Although I must say, you do smell delicious.”

Teya remained quiet. She didn’t know what to say even if the words could come out. “Don’t worry. I already know,” he snarled. He grabbed her arms and placed them above her head.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice cracked, and tears fell down her face. His head cocked to the side evilly, and his mouth watered.

“To give you what Ken hasn’t,” he said. His grip tightened on her wrists, and his fingernail pierced her skin until small drops of blood ran down her arm. He licked the blood clean, moaning as he did so. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

He held her down on the floor and placed his knee on her thighs, forcing them open. Teya tried to scream, but he grabbed her throat.

“Too bad Ken didn’t have the guts to change you when he had the chance.  He’s been too busy fucking Salina,” the stranger jeered as he ripped her pants apart. He pressed his cock against her leg, causing Teya to clench and try to move away from him.

“Stop, please!” she cried. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. The stranger smiled evilly, and he licked the side of her face.  He squeezed her breast roughly, tweaking and pinching her nipples. Fresh tears burned her eyes as she gave up hope.

“I love you, Ken,” she wept, realizing that the vampire stranger was going to kill her. She closed her eyes tightly as the stranger continued with his invasion.

It was then that the balcony door swung open with a forceful thud, shattering the glass. Teya opened her eyes to see the beast that was Ken.

“Through already?”  The stranger laughed, but his chortles quickly turned into chokes.

“Rodney!” Ken growled, throwing the vampire off Teya and leaving a dent in the wall. He pulled the stranger back to his feet and punched him continuously until blood spat out his mouth.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” he growled, low and dangerous. He grabbed Rodney’s arm and twisted it out of place until it made a cracking noise. Rodney screamed as Teya gasped and looked away. Rodney attempted to fight back, kicking his leg up and aiming for Ken’s stomach. However, Ken stepped back slowly, and he managed to catch the leg Rodney had tried to attack with. He elbowed his kneecap, breaking it in half. Ken grabbed Rodney by the throat and walked toward the balcony. His other hand reached for his heart.

“You can’t kill me! Allen will see this as your betrayal, and he will come after the both of you!” Rodney exclaimed, forcing Ken to pause. Rodney laughed at the hesitation, before adding, “And you know you can’t kill him.”

Ken’s mouth twitched. His eyes were bloodshot, and filled with anger and revenge. He then ripped Rodney’s leg from his body.

“You’re right. I can’t kill you today. But if you dare come here again, I’ll rip off your fucking head and shit down your throat!” he roared, before throwing Rodney off the balcony. He landed with a hard thud, and soon found that his leg had followed.

“Now limp back to Hell before the sun scorches you and satisfies me,” he shouted, before turning back toward Teya, his eyes wide with concern. He was by her in an instant, his rage never faltering as he inspected her body. His heart pounded against his ribcage once he saw the markings on her chest, red with Rodney’s handprints. He snarled before he could contain it. His fist clenched until his knuckles went white.

“I’m going to rip that fucker’s head off,” he growled, low and vicious. Teya shuddered.

“Who was that?” she finally asked. Ken didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up and went to the bathroom, gathering ointment and a warm towel. He returned and gently lifted the cami top’s strap, and causing Teya to jump back, her eyes going wide. Ken’s eyes were still deadly, squinted, and dark.

“Teya, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, trying to sound as calm as possible, but he couldn’t help the snappiness in his voice. Teya shivered as she looked down at her breasts. They were sore and badly bruised, turning blue-black on her caramel skin. He lifted the rag to her breast again, releasing the cami strap. Tears formed in her eyes as Ken gently patted the towel against her chest. She hissed as the hot water stung her flesh.  He remained quiet until he’d finished her chest and back, at which point he carefully picked her up and slowly laid her on the bed. He looked down at her, brushing the hair back from her forehead lovingly.

“I’m sorry, Teya. I feel this is all my fault. I was careless  about hiding your scent from them, and they—” he stopped short,  clenching his fist and becoming angry all over, before adding, “I shouldn’t be so careless with you.” He sat on the bed beside her.

“Who was that?” she asked again, faintly.

“Rodney,” he said, snarling the name in disgust. “One of Allen’s outside flunkies. Let’s get you back to health first.”

He inspected her body again, observing her back as she tried to turn herself over.

“Is anything else hurting you? I’m taking you to the hospital,” he declared, and he started to pick her back up before she hissed and groaned.

“No, I’m fine, really. I’m just a little sore,” she mumbled. Ken tightened his lips.

“You will not argue with me about your safety.  Do you realize how important you are to me? How it felt to see that asshole touching you? Hurting you? I vowed that I would protect you, and I’ve failed miserably. I’m taking you to the hospital now,” he said, grabbing a blanket and a coat, and wrapping them around her. He sped to the car, being careful not to hurt her worse.

******

“Well, it could’ve been worse.  There are no broken bones or signs of internal bleeding. I still want to keep her overnight, just in case the swelling doesn’t go down. We will give her pain meds, and she should be ok by tomorrow morning,” the doctor said, taking a brief pause before continuing on. “How did this happen again?”

Ken sighed. “A man broke into her house and attacked her. That’s all I know.”

The doctor raised his eyebrows. “Did you call the police?” he asked. Ken shook his head.

“No. I’m fine. I don’t want the police involved just yet,” Teya replied, weakly. The doctor frowned.

“You should Miss Daniels. But I’ll leave you two alone for now,” he said, before walking out the room, and leaving Ken grateful for the minor injuries.  He held Teya’s hand as she tried to get comfortable in the hospital bed.

“It’s not safe for me to go back home, is it?” she asked. Ken lowered his eyes, not wanting to lie to her.

“It’s not. Until I can get things taken care of with Allen and fix this, you will have to move in with me,” he said. Her eyes went wide.

“I need to be close to the school. I can’t just up and leave the apartment,” she replied. He patted her arm, trying to soothe her.

“I’ll pay for the apartment, and for whatever you need. Don’t worry. After we leave here, we will stop by your house and get your things,” he stated.

Teya wanted to protest. That place was her home.  To have it taken away so quickly was devastating. However, that was the least of her worries. She looked up to see Ken pulling off his jacket and his shoes. He gestured for her to move over on the small bed.  She wanted to laugh, but knew it would hurt.

“You won’t be able to fit,” she said, laughing anyways. Ken smirked.

“Try me,” he replied. She inched over as far as she could in order to give him space to lay beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern filling his heart. She sighed.

“Were you really with Salina?” she asked. Ken cupped her chin.

“Look at me, Teya. See the truth in my eyes. I have never found Salina attractive, not even a little bit. She tried to seduce me so I couldn’t come to save you,” he told her. Teya looked confused.

“They want to kill me? Did I do something wrong? I didn’t talk to the police. I—” she was interrupted as Ken kissed her chin, right below her bottom lip.

“She’s jealous of you, Teya,” he explained. Teya tried to remember the woman.

“The one at the party?” she asked. She pictured her, and couldn’t fathom a model-looking woman like that being jealous of her. Teya didn’t know what to feel about that.

“Beautiful,” Ken said, nibbling her bottom lip now. Teya blinked.

“Huh?”

“I called you beautiful,” he said, smiling. “Were you listening?”

Teya shook her head, saying, “I’m sorry. I was thinking.”

“About?” he asked. Teya’s eyes looked away.

“How Salina looked. How you could choose me over her,” she said. He kissed the corner of her mouth.

“My heart chose you, Teya. There’s been no competition since the moment you kissed my cheek. I want and love you,” he declared, pulling her even closer in his embrace. Teya tried to pull away, hoping to look him in the eyes.

“What?” Teya asked, smiling as he caressed her cheek.

“I love you. No one is going to take you away from me now that I found you,” Ken said, leaning in close and kissing her until she felt faint.

“You saved me, Teya,” he whispered, inches from her face. “So you deserve to know who you are giving your heart to. My soul is corrupt. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Things that should make a man go crazy.”