Burning Souls (F.T Sequel)

Thirty-One

The car ride is silent as Hunter manoeuvres his way out of the quaint town, his jaw clenched. His knuckles are white as they grip the steering wheel tightly, but at least he's got something to bring his anger out on. I, on the other hand, am sitting behind Hunter in my seat, and Jay is sitting behind Dominic in his. The tension is suffocating. The shock is simmering inside of me and is gradually turning into a quiet rage that's eating me from the inside out. The man in question is sitting stiffly beside me, staring out at the swallowing darkness. The only sound is the one of the limp body of the guilty woman in the trunk tumbling around in the car boot as we drive over bumps and holes. 

After having deposited the drugged teen inside of what we'd found out to be her house from the numerous family pictures on the walls, Hunter had taken a swing at Jay. That had ended up in a fistfight on the ground, with Dominic's face being a grim expression as shock had still invaded my senses. Now, both of them bloodied and bruised, the scent of healing scars and metallic sweetness fills the compact air. Hunter still hasn't loosened his bone-crushing grip on the wheel, and if it were a person, it'd been turned to dust by now. Dominic clicks his tongue as we drive over another bump, swerving down a dark road. We go further up the mountains until the town is just a flicker of light in the far distance, and I can only see the white stripes in the middle of the road in the bright glow of the headlights. "This is cosy," Dominic interjects cheerfully. Jay's head tilts slightly towards me, the ghost of a smile on his face as if he found it amusing, and I turn away from his chocolaty eyes. This is going to be a long drive.

...°...

"Guess who the inside source was?" I whisper-yell as I jump out of the car, enveloping Alice in a tight hug. She pulls back and frowns at me, but when she looks to the other side of the vehicle, her eyes flash bright red. Before any of us can react her fangs are bared and she lunges for Jay. She throws him against the side of the car and his hands rise in surrender, eyes darting towards each one of us in panic. He knows that hurting Alice won't win him any cookie points. I cross my arms and Hunter stays in place, a light smirk pulling at his lips. Alice prepares to deliver another blow when Chase suddenly comes up beside her and wraps a cold hand around hers. She fights against his grip as he brings the hand away from Jay's stricken face. Dominic calmly walks around the car and comes to stand next to his precious protégé. "Now, now, you really shouldn't treat our guest like that."

"He let my baby sister suffer, all alone," Alice hisses as Chase begins to drag her away, back towards their tent. Her eyes fill with raging lava and she tries to lunge again, voice rising in a furious octave. "HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT!"  

"Come on. Easy babe."

"LET ME GO!" she shouts back, battling against her soulmate's hold. "I'LL RIP HIM TO FUCKING SHREDS!"

When she's gone inside the tent, angry yells still coming from the inside of the divide, her words hang like burning brand in the air. Awkwardness and tension mingle and flirt, rendering all of us speechless. That's until I hold up a warning hand as Jay steps towards me. "Stay away from me," I whisper. Hunter's beside me in a second, gently putting a strong arm around my waist and pulling me into his hard body. Jay's face falls and a storm clouds his features as I'm lead away from the gathering. "Jay?" I hear Lily's voice behind me followed by delighted laughing and relieved words, but then Hunter brings me into a secluded tent, cutting out the sounds of the siblings' reunion. 

"Will you wait for me in here Em?" He lightly caresses the side of my cheek, trying to act loving even though a clear hardness has set his features into cold stone. When I nod, lower lip trembling, he leans in and brings us together, caressing my lips with his tongue. "I'll be right back," he whispers, and then he's gone. I sigh and lie back on the blow-up mattress in the corner, staring up at the triangular cover above my head. Besides the moon's glow filtering through the thin material, there is no light. Funny how that darkness portrays my current feelings. Instead of facing them, I close my eyes and scorch my brain to think of something else. Anything else.

Damn it. 

Now the first signs of hunger present themselves to me, and I actually will my previous feelings back. But I've buried them deep and have no intention of bringing them back out anytime soon. I do have to do something about those licks of flames in my throat, however. I don't have much time to ponder and that, as the tent suddenly gets zipped back up. Hunter's beautiful face pokes in and I have to smile back when a huge grin takes over his features. He extends a lean hand and I get up from the cot, confusion etched into my skin. With dubious movements I place my hand in his, feeling the reassuring warmth of our skin-to-skin contact. He pulls me outside and I close my eyes, revelling in the soft breeze travelling over my face. When I open them I notice that he's changed into a pair of dark wash jeans that fit him oh-so-well, and a clean tee-shirt. Immune to the cold, he doesn't seem to mind the wintry air one bit. I look down at myself, scowling at the rips in my own jeans and the tattered converse. I'm also wearing a soft but worn tee-shirt, with a thin jacket over it, and I couldn't possibly feel any worse dressed. "Why do you look so nice?" I ask, doubt lacing my tone. He smirks and pulls me closer to the hard feel of his body.

"I always look nice."

"Nicer then," I reply, a smile growing on my face at his teasing words. He smiles and leans down so that his cool breath fans my ear. His whisper tickles my skin and I shiver. 

"I'm spoiling you tonight." 

...°...

A/N: This was a short one, but I wanted to get something up for you guys! <3 Hope you enjoyed =) Until the next!

-xoxo, Sophia