CharlieI shut down. My brain freezes, unable to register what I just saw while my emotions paralyze my body. No matter how much my feet refuse to move, Maxwell’s brute strength pushes me along. Silence fills the room he leads me to. But silence is soon replaced with the click of the door locking.“What’s going on, Maxwell? Why did you bring me here?”“She’ll be fine.” His calm voice puts my nerves even more on edge. I can picture his statue-like body guarding the door.“Stop with the bullshit, Maxwell. I’m not blind. I saw what was happening in the room, but this isn’t about some other vampire’s carelessness; this is about that empty look in your own eyes. I thought you were trying to be better. I thought you were trying to be more humane.” I still have my back to him, refusing to look at those mischievous dark eyes.“There’s something you need to know. Need to do, if you like it or not.”“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I swing around, finally looking at him. The sight of
MaxwellAs if some imaginary switch is pulled, Charlie’s feisty behavior disappears and all I’m left with is a woman that will do whatever I say. Part of me is relieved, but at the same time part of me is sickened. It shouldn’t have to be like this. And as I stare at her while she presses her warm cheek into my palm, I debate on going through with what needs to be done.She won’t remember exactly what happened, but it’s better than her looking at me with tear filled eyes as she glimpses the monster that lurks just beneath the surface. Her hand remains tightly clenched in mine as I lead her to the bed. “Charlie, sit down.” My hand slips out of her as she places herself at the edge of the bed. I kneel in front of her, taking her hands back into mine. “Do you remember what I told you about The High Council?”She nods anxiously at me.“They need to see a connection between us. They need to see that you...that you love me.” It kills me to say those words. It kills me even more as she squee
CharlieA moan escapes my dry, chapped lips as the stabbing pain of a migraine throbs from inside my skull. Almost zombie like, I whip the blankets off me, intent on getting some pills to ease the throbbing, but stop short. The room spins in a slow circle, causing my body to sway along with the imaginary movement. In order to ease the nausea that attacks my senses, I anxiously rub my palms over my thighs.The once smooth fabric of the dress that I wore last night is now damp from sweat and layered with wrinkles. “I’m going to kill that man,” I mumble as my feet shuffle across the floor.I reach the corner of the room where my bathroom should be. The backs of my hands rub aggressively at my eyes. Where the hell am I? I’m nothing but a bunch of nerves as I look around the room in search of the door. Or any clue as to where I am. The sudden movement of my head causes a twinge of pain to run down the length of my neck. Thinking I pulled a muscle, my hand automatically goes to rub it out.
Maxwell“Let me see your hand.” More than anything I want to lecture her on her carelessness, but my voice comes out slow and calm in efforts to ease the situation.“No. What the hell are you doing here? Did you not see my note or do you just not care. Haven’t you done enough damage?” The disgust in her voice feels as though a knife is shredding my insides.“I did read your hate letter and I was going to go, but then I heard a crash. Note or not I had to see if you were okay. I might have pushed you too far, but you’re the one who’s making yourself bleed all over the floor. Now let me see your hand.”“No!” she yells as she squares her shoulders all while blocking as much of her hand from view as she can manage.I force breaths to tame my anger because my patience is wearing thin. “Charlie, right now, you might need stitches. Let me see your hand.”“Stitches, sure act as if you care that I might need stitches. Let’s be honest with each other, I can see your blood thirsty stare that see
CharlieMy office chair squeaks as I stretch my back against the curved seat back. I’m dreading having to tell Morgan of my departure. No doubt she’ll have questions I won’t be able to answer.I see her stand enthusiastically in the doorway. She almost skips to my desk. “Yes, Charlie.”“You’re awfully happy today. Is there something I’m not aware of?”There’s a blush that attacks her cheeks. “No, just stuff with James.” She crosses her legs only to uncross them. She repeats the gesture several times and after the third time I have to tell her stop. Her love-struck mood makes me want to gag. I place my hands on the desktop in front of me, intertwining my fingers.“Oh my gosh. What did you do to your hand?” She gasps.I see her extend her arm out as if to touch mine, but I slide my hands back onto my lap. “I broke a plate last night, nothing serious.”Morgan sucks in a breath and has a look of sheer horror on her face as she eyeballs me. “Your…your neck.”Shit. I forgot to cover my neck
MaxwellAs soon as the sun set, I left Grace’s house. I wanted to be as far away from there as Charlie did. But with a few days passed, I have to go back. A bad mood accompanies me as I make final preparations for my unwanted trip. As if I own the house, I enter through the front door without knocking. The quietness that lingers within the halls is upsetting.Where is she, I say to myself as I search the first floor with no luck. However, the open patio door in the kitchen gives away her location.I instantly spot Grace’s pale body that seems to glow slightly in the darkening sky in a swimsuit with sunglasses on, lying on a lawn chair. “Do you think I can get a tan from the moon?” she asks as I stand alongside her.“The moon’s not even out yet.” Is that why she’s in a bikini? She’s trying to get a tan?“I know the moon’s not out yet, you idiot, that wasn’t the question. What do you want that’s so important it can’t wait for another day?” Annoyance distorts her voice.“I need to ask yo
CharlieMorgan acts strangely at work the next day. She constantly smiles in my direction as if she knows something I don’t. Every time I try to talk to her she scampers off claiming to be busy or pretends to be on the phone. She still doesn’t admit to hiding anything even after the phone rings loudly in her ear, catching her in her lies.In order to ignore her peculiar behavior, I stay in my office. I was planning on staying late to get as much work done as possible to make up for my departure, but at six o’clock Morgan leaps through my doorway. Her booming voice that fills the room causes me to fumble my pen as my body convulses in a tremor from fear. She runs over to my desk, piling up all my papers, insisting that I head home. My brain barely has time to register what’s going on before she starts pushing me out of my own chair.“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird all day. You’re not having your boyfriend over here again, are you?” Keeping some authority in my tone,
Maxwell“Something wrong?” I ask. The irritation in her voice as she yells Grace’s name is more than humoring to my ears.“Something wrong…something wrong! This is what’s wrong, Maxwell.” She pulls out a skimpy nightgown that’s mostly see-through. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you? She packed lingerie as my pajamas. First there’s only one bed and now this.”“I just instructed her to pack what was necessary, not what I would want.” The effort I have to put forth in not smiling or laughing takes a great deal, but I remain calm and unfazed by Grace’s joke. I walk up to her and place the thin fabric between my fingers. A smile spreads across my face, ruining my demeanor. I can’t help the words from slipping out of my mouth. “You had this in your drawers?” My eyebrow perks up in speculation, wondering if I’m missing some crucial piece of information. “And who did you plan on wearing it for? Or should I say who have you worn it for?” I tease even though I know very well that sh