Nefarious

C138 - An enigmatic lust

I dropped the letter accidentally after reading the last part. Questions would usually be blurted out straight away from my part, but I was left speechless this time. Xavier looked directly at me, and it wasn't hard to tell I was confused by his silence. He inhaled deeply, preparing to answer my unasked questions.

Although Xavier seemed confident when turning to face me, he suddenly changed. I could see his facial expression slowly softening as though he was suddenly confused himself. "We need to contact Dane," he said suddenly, catching us all by surprise. "Excuse me, what?" Jace stammered. Rain entered and kept shut, though it wasn't hard to tell she wanted a say in this as well. "Perhaps you're right," I exhaled, nodding twice. "Pardon me, but at what point does inviting the enemy over for some casual conversation sound like a good plan?" Jace asked sceptically. "Since my brother claimed that Dane's trustworthy," Xavier answered confidently. Jace narrowed his eyebrows but nodded in agreement at last. "Jace, don't-" Rain started. He turned around immediately, meeting her gaze. "Stay out of my decisions, Carradine," he interrupted her angrily.

Rain walked off in a huff, evidently unsatisfied with Jace's response. I'm guessing she's used to getting things her way with him, but she won't anymore. Thankfully, Jace chose to show his respect towards Xavier's wish. He sat down beside him, though not close. "I trust a Leclair, you know," Jace said, his face seemingly absent. Xavier sat up properly, he glanced at Jace, but Jace didn't return the look. "You've kept my secret ever since I divulged it, and I respect one that can keep the secret of a person they dislike. I know you thought of me as a malicious person, Xavier, yet you kept my dirty secret," Jace said, almost whispering. I felt somewhat left out as though Jace had forgotten I was there, but then he looked directly up at me. "A secret you won't be able to find in my precious journal, Valerie," he said.

Admittedly, I was slightly creeped out by Jace's talking. His voice sounded mischievous, but his look wasn't dark at all. "As Xavier is capable of keeping such a secret, I say we should trust Zane as well. You may call Dane," Jace said calmly. "I kinda argued with him not long ago. I don't know if he'll answer," I respond insecurely. A soft scoff left Jace, almost as if he'd expected me to say such. "Gotten gutsy, Val?" he then chuckled.

We were facing a dilemma by now. Dane made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Jace, but he was surely into helping me. Now it depends if he can put his hate for Jace aside for Xavier's sake, and mine. We needed Dane to explain what the latest relationship between him and Zane was like basically. "I'll call," I said, finally deciding.

To my surprise, Dane picked up remarkably quick like he was expecting me to call. Additionally, he didn't hesitate once I asked him if he could come over, despite Jace being here. His answer was determinate and clear; yes.

Xavier and Jace decided it was best if I went out to meet him by myself as it could be overwhelming to him if we all went. Therefore, Xavier sat cuddling with Leo while Rain isolated herself in the bedroom. Jace decided to walk me to the lift, which I found odd but accepted anyway.

"Do you think Dane will tell us the truth?" Jace asked directly. He didn't seem to mind all the people passing by when he asked, even when it was inevitable that they would hear him. "I hope so, but I'm not sure, of course," I answered. Jace spoke again, but my attention moved to an all too classy lady walking past. Her appearance all in all was captivating, and truthfully, she looked to be an ostentatious display to the eyes of strangers, including me. She looked back at me, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. I stopped walking, and weirdly enough, so did she. Jace took a few steps forward before realizing I had stopped walking. Her friend group had noticed the same as Jace, but they all kept walking afterwards, looking unbothered by the fact that they were leaving a friend behind.

"Well, hello," she smiled. "Uh, hey," I answered, feeling a grin growing on my face. I would stutter when approaching a stranger usually, but this time I felt nothing but assertive. She cast a glance at Jace, probably speculating on whether we were a thing or not. I placed my finger beneath her chin impulsively, turning her head in my direction. "No, he's not my boyfriend," I clarified. A broad smile appeared on her face, flashing her impressively white teeth. "Pardon my directness, but you're very alluring," she said, her voice lowering. My sight lowered to her neck slowly, watching it closely. Frankly, I looked at her neck as though it was a work of art, and admittedly, I viewed it as a form of art at one point. "Alluring, indeed," I whispered under my breath. "She's intoxicated and taken. Sorry to ruin the fun, but we gotta go," Jace lied, faking a smile as he dragged me away from her. The girl was reluctant to let the situation go, and I wanted to protest as well, but I was all too fascinated and distracted by her damn neck.

Jace had to lead the girl away from us literally, leaving me feeling extraordinarily weird. Once he returned, he sighed loudly, but thankfully, he didn't seem angry. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. It was all caused by a sudden weird feeling," I stuttered in shock. "Firstly, don't apologize that easily. Secondly, your lust for blood is increasing, and it's hard to define that lust in the beginning. Using coquetry to manipulate humans is pretty normal, I mean, I do it too when I'm desperate. However, you can't go around relying on flirtatious actions to get what you want, because that's not necessarily safe. You just lost yourself in the moment because you weren't aware of your true desire, I hope you've realized that now," he cleared his throat, looking down at me. "I swear, I didn't think of her blood! I solely thought of her neck," I answered in defence. He chuckled, shaking his head at my nervous answer. "That's how it all begins, Val." I swallowed oddly, feeling sick to my stomach by the thought of sinking my teeth into her neck. "Don't worry, I'll help you control it, but as of now, we have others things to take care of," he said confidently.