Die, My Love (Dark Creature)

DML: Chapter Thirteen: Bye, Bye, Bethany

Outside Bethany’s house, I breathe in deeply. I open my eyes and smile, feeling my lips pull back over my fangs. “They’re here,” I breathe.

I bend my legs and Ben snags my arm to spin me around roughly. “Someone is awake, I hear it.”

“I know.”

“Should the worst occur you will cause your friend pain if you do this.”

His hand digs into my arm. “The problem is not with me killing him,” I say slowly. “Somehow you think hurting him will hurt me.”

“Your friend will grieve for him. She will have lost two people she loves, and this will cause you pain.”

“Bethany will never lose me,” I bite back furiously.

‘You are in love with her.’ Ben’s voice is pained; he couldn’t even speak the words aloud.

I step into him and tickle his sides. ‘I love her, deeply, but I am in love with you.’

His dark eyes twinkle down at me. ‘You sound so certain.’

“That is because I am,” I murmur into his mouth before I slant my lips over his and kiss him with all the passion and love I feel. He wraps his arms around me tightly, pulling me close. My stomach cramps painfully, making a harsh crunching sound. I cry out and Ben splays a hand to my stomach and rubs soothingly.

‘You must feed again before be make our way back to Castle. There are precious few hours before the sun rises. Come now. Let us leave this for another night.’

“I want to see her. Please.” Ben swoops me into his arms and smiles down at me. His previous anguish has been pushed away and he is genuinely happy.

“As you wish.”

“I’m perfectly able to walk.” I quirk my eyebrow and loop my arms around his neck to snuggle closer.

“The feel of you in my arms is pleasurable. I never was one to deny myself pleasure.” He glances up. “We could take the stairs?”

“That would be no fun, and I want to surprise her with how cool I am.”

Chuckling, he bends his knees and jumps, landing silently on the small balcony outside Bethany’s window. I rap on it loudly, my best I Am A Scary Creature Of The Night face firmly in place. Nothing. I tap the window again when there is no answer.

A hushed murmur reaches me from inside the flat, a male voice demanding Bethany get up and check the window. Wow, Derek really is an asshole. The heavy curtain rustles and a pair of eyes peeks at us then disappear. What on earth? Another hushed and panicked whisper for Bethany to get up. Something is not right. Beth is an insomniac, and though dawn is drawing closer, she would probably have slept a few hours and be up by now, tearing her hair out, and moaning about bags under her eyes.

I smash my fist through the window and undo the latch, sliding the frame up. I clamber down from Ben’s arms and climb inside.

‘We need to work on your patience,’ Ben says dryly. ‘You frightened him.’

Landing inside in flat, I ignore the crunch glass beneath my feet and scan the room. Bethany lies on the bed. Derek shakes her roughly mumbling for her to wake up. The room is disheveled, nasty really. Not like Bethany at all. Her cleanliness borders on obsessive compulsive.

“Bethany knows what I’m about. Don’t you,” I joke, to get her attention. Derek clutches his head and cries out. Bethany does not respond. What’s wrong? Is she pissed at me because of how long I have been gone? “Beth, sweets, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you but there’s a good reason. Look at me, please; you’re going to freak out when you can see what I can do now. Beth? Come on, look at me.”