Vampire Bride

Chapter Twenty Five - Part Two

"Yeah, no idea who. All I know is that out of all the years I've known you I have never seen him before. This revenge he has for you must go way back."

"You better hope nothing happens to Charlie, James, or I'll be the next one to threaten Morgan." I don't care if Morgan is sweet girl or not or if Charlie will be hurt by her death. She would be a small price in the great list of pain people would pay for Charlie's harm.

"Well, let us hope it doesn't come to that. After this I'm no longer in the mix. I made that clear and I'll make it clear to you as well. I won't help on either side of this fight and I won't tolerate Morgan being threatened either. We're in the same boat here, Maxwell, please understand that I had no choice in this." The pleading in his voice is all I need to know that this is killing him as much as it's killing me, but his bride has a better chance of walking away from this unscathed.

I refuse to talk to him on the remaining ride to the hotel. I keep telling myself that there had to be a way that he could have prevented this from happening, that I could have prevented this from happening. Thankfully, the ride doesn't last that long. The driver remains in the car as James escorts me to my room. He blocks the door with his phone in his hand.

"Waiting for a call?" I ask.

"Yeah, actually. When his girl leaves the house she's going to call him and then he'll call me. At that time, you're free to go. Just as I'll be free to go to Morgan."

Just about to the walk into my suite, I debate whether I should start that fight I should've started outside of Juliet's house. I decide against it. I'm more than willing to put Morgan in danger to save Charlie, but Charlie won't forgive me if I let that happen as well as having no faith in her protecting herself.

The silence in the room makes my ears ring. My leg bounces on the ball of my foot with nervousness that only doubles in size with each second that passes. Putting my head in my hands between my legs, all I can do is wait. I tell myself over and over again that everything is going to be fine, but then I feel it. It's like going head first into a brick wall, as Charlie's fear and pain flood my senses.

At first it's anger then a strong guilt, but then slowly fear trickles in. That small amount of fear triples within seconds. My breathing hitches and my head throbs, impossible and unneeded actions, but the bond creates them. Her pain is my pain. Some people say it's a warning to prepare yourself for the worst. No matter how awful I feel, I can sense a glimmer of hope, her fighting.

She can only defend herself so much even if it is against a human. This person working with him most likely has been training for this very moment to keep the odds in her favor. And just like that, out of nowhere, searing pain makes me scream out...she's hurt. Then it stops. Her terror fades away ...slowly she faded away.

James stands on his feet with a pitiful expression on his face. He hopes that he wasn't wrong about anyone hurting Charlie tonight. It seems like eternity, but after a quick glance at the clock, only ten minutes pass before the much anticipated ringing of James' phone.

The relay of phone calls last longer than they should have. I begin to have second thoughts that Morgan might not be as safe as James was informed. As best as I can I try to eavesdrop on the conversation, but I can't hear a word the person on the phone says. All I have to go by is the nod and occasional yes from James to know he's pleased with his performance. I stand up straight away after he pockets his phone.

"It's time for you to leave, James. I could have told you a while ago it was safe for you to go, but seeing that my bride was being beaten, I was a little preoccupied."

A flash of my own fangs makes his hands go shaky. He fumbles with the doorknob before he disappears. He might have played tough guy earlier, but now with no one's life on the line, he knows I mean business. I punch the drywall, creating a large hole in the wall. How in the hell did I allow this to happen? I race out of the building taking a side door so I don't run into James in case he still lingers.