Chapter Sixteen
Bitter
If anyone can hold a grudge, it's me. I should be given an award for my capability of holding a grudge and making it obvious. In the week Matthew has been here doing business with several other vampires, I have been sauntering around the house making sighing sounds as soon as his company leaves. Matthew made it abundantly clear I wasn't to "act up" while we had guests, so I did, of course, play my perfect trophy wife part. But as soon as the doors closed I was back to giving the cold shoulder and making sighing sounds.
Yet, despite my efforts, Matthew has still been firm on me not leaving this house. It wasn't just about leaving the house while he was here, but also while he was away. The only time I could leave the house was if I brought two of Matthew's "finest" men with me as guards. Did he not know me? Does he not remember the last time he had men guarding me and I ended up dusting one of them?
Tonight Matthew was packing to go to Berlin, and I wasn't about to give him a good farewell.
I sat in our bedroom, mostly because the other bedrooms remained locked unless guests were using them, and flipped through the channels of the television. Buddy was flopped next to me on the bed, which was a big no-no because Matthew found it disgusting. I rubbed Buddy's belly with one hand and held the remote in the other, absentmindedly flipping through the stations as Matthew placed things in his suitcase.
A loud and frustrated sigh tore my eyes from the television.
Matthew stared at me with a large frown on his face with a shirt in his hand, ready to be placed into his luggage. "Are you going to ignore me forever?" he demanded.
I stared at him for a long minute before turning my head back towards the television.
"If you think this is how you'll get your way, think again."
I continued to stare at the screen, my expression unchanging.
"I'm leaving tonight and I don't want to leave when we're fighting. At least speak to me."
"What does speaking do?" I asked, still not looking at him.
"I can't believe you're acting so childish. Are you seriously this upset over having to stay here?"
Finally I looked at him, my eyes slits. "You would be too if someone told you that you had to stay in one place forever."
"It's not forever, Anna. You'll come to meet me in one week, we stay for a week, and then we come back."
Was he confused? Did he think my only frustration was being here? "I'm only allowed to leave when you give permission. This isn't the 1900's, Matthew, this is 2010, and I demand to be able to make my own decisions!"
He shook his head at me and gave me a pitying look. "Not when you're safety is involved. Anna, I have enemies. I've told you all of this before. They'll jump on the opportunity to take me down, and you're my only weakness."
"I am not a weakness. I'm capable of handling myself! Do you not remember I used to work for you to dust some vamps? Seriously, Matthew, you act as if I'm fragile when I'm probably one of the toughest, most badass women out there!"
Matthew's lips twitched and he looked at me like one would look at a little puppy. "You are tough, but you haven't had enough training to be able to handle yourself. The people I had you eliminate were only of lower skill levels. The people who have been against me for centuries? Far beyond your skill set."
I frowned, hating how he was treating me like a puppy who just acted out. "You don't have to be an overprotective husband. Keeping me locked up is stupid and makes you look like a creepy and paranoid man. Let me go out." I sounded like a teenager begging to go out to a concert, but really I was just wanting to go to my own house to spend the week alone. Was that too much to ask?
"I'm sorry, Anna, but no. We can go there together when we get back from the Halloween party, if you want? We can make it a weekend getaway."
This was where I was to show maturity by telling him no and to saunter off. But maturity has never been my thing. "I'd rather die," I grumbled, knocking the shirt from his hands and walking away as it fell to the floor.
"Somedays I feel as if I married a cat," Matthew muttered, bending down to scoop up his shirt. "I'd ask for a kiss goodbye, but I'm afraid you'll scratch me."
I plopped back onto the bed and resumed rubbing Buddy's belly. "Probably."
He tossed the last thing into his suitcase and zipped it up. I knew he was waiting for me to say something, or maybe give him a hug. But that would only show him I was okay with everything, and I wasn't. So instead of standing up to say goodbye, I looked away and waited for him to leave.
Matthew let out another sigh before walking towards me. "When I call later, please don't hang up on me or I'll fly right back and we'll have another 'feelings' talk. I'll send you gifts from Berlin."
I tried to keep my eyes only on the screen of the television, but it was difficult when he was sounding so concerned and bothered over my silence. "Bringing food is never a disappointment," I mentioned, my face still emotionless.
He bent down and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I'll call you when I land." He stepped towards the door with his suitcase in his hand. "I love you, Anna."
My lips gave a slightly forced smile and I nodded him a farewell before looking back at the screen.
The door closed and I immediately rolled onto my feet, listening for his retreating footsteps. Buddy jumped off of the bed when I motioned him to and we both began to creep towards the door as I listened for Matthew's retreating footsteps. It would take him maybe half an hour or so to get onto the plane, and then maybe another ten or so minutes to get into the air. As soon as he gets up in the air I'll make my move. He'll feel me leave the house, of course, but all he'd be able to do is send his men after me, and they don't scare me. I'll just keep moving until I actually have to leave to meet Matthew for the event. In my head, this would be totally worth it.
I spent most of my time walking around the house, pacing the floors, and eating whatever they'd let me because I knew I probably wouldn't cook for myself when I leave. I knew Matthew would be furious when he realizes I've left the house and disobeyed him, but I'd rather face his disapproving look than be the obedient little wife locked up for an entire week. That's just not my style, and arguing has never repelled me from conflict before.
After waiting an entire hour, I headed downstairs with Buddy by my side and smiled at one of the guards I passed on the way towards the backdoor. I knew the door to the garage would be a bad idea to try because Mallory, Matthew's assistant, had a desk near the door and would most likely tattle of me if I was found snooping around it. However, I knew there was an outside entrance to the garage that was mostly used by people doing maintenance on the cars. I also knew there wouldn't be cameras around because Matthew didn't have security cameras, so I've learned. When I learned this during our honeymoon, I thought it was insane for such a powerful man with so many enemies to not have a security system. And then Matthew, laughing at me at the time, informed me vampires can't show up on camera because they have no reflection and basically no image other than what you see with your own eyes. He laughed at me for a good minute at my ignorance of the subject, but little did he know, he actually made me realize I could sneak around this place much easier than I had original thought.
When Buddy and I made it to the side of the garage, surprisingly easily, I was slightly disappointed to find it was locked.
Only slightly.
I had expected as much, which was why I had brought both a paperclip and a bobby pin. The doorknob wasn't complicated; in fact, I've picked one similar to this one before. Back when I had "friends" in Wonderland, I was always the one who had to pick the locks because I had slightly steadier hands than the rest. Also I've picked locks since I was eight and had stolen some chips from the neighbors.
The door popped open and I grinned at my accomplishment. It has been quite a while since I've managed to do that. It was almost exhilarating.
Quickly, I ran up to the wall where all of the car keys were hung and looked at the letters written above each one to figure out which one belonged to my car. Was it technically stealing if you steal your own car out of the garage? I mean, it was a gift.
I snatched the keys marked in bold JF and unlocked the car. My grin was so wide it hurt as I opened the door for Buddy and then climbed into the driver's side. Matthew was going to possibly tear me a new one, but the week to myself at my own house was worth it to me.
Making sure the car was ready, I pressed the garage door button and put the car into reverse, ready to outdrive anyone who was going to follow me. The car make a furious growl as I flung it backward and switched gears, sending us forward and speeding down the driveway. The gate wasn't closed, another stroke of luck in my case, and I was on the road within minutes.
When was the last time I was alone? When was the last time I was able to make my own decisions? It was intoxicating. I didn't care if Matthew was about to call me or if I was about to be in a car chase against several of his men; this was worth it.
But my phone didn't ring, and not a car was behind me.
Another stroke of luck in my case. Matthew was rather distracted earlier, so he must not feel me speeding away at top speed from his house, and the guards wouldn't have ever thought I'd try to run so quickly. I didn't doubt Matthew was on the phone to them right now telling them my location. My only hope was he wasn't turning the entire plane around to come and get me because he was the only one who could.
After triple checking to make sure I wasn't being followed, I pulled up at a drive-thru window of a burger place and ordered a deadly amount of fries, a massive shake, and a burger because I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to eat one again. This may just be my last chance at a little freedom because Matthew was to surely lock me up for an eternity after this.
I had just about finished my food by the time I arrived at my house. Although it looked much different from when I had first purchased it, I still felt a twinge of pride in this place from having purchased it myself. It was my first place, and the place I attempted to repair on my own. I wasn't sure what all I planned to do here on my own, but it definitely didn't involve hiking or reading. I thought of all of the things I could do, all of the fast food runs I could make, in a week.
I balanced my milkshake and the last few bites of my burger in one arm as I strolled towards the front porch. But I didn't step any closer because I knew something was off.
I smelled coffee.
The sound of a creak made me nearly drop my stuff and run, unsure of how many were ready to attack. But my body locked up instead when my eyes locked with a pair of familiar green eyes.
"I told you she was skilled, though I'm highly disappointed in how she didn't even check her surroundings before walking up to a dark house," Matthew said to a man sitting next to him on the porch.
My eyes were so wide, I could actually feel them drying in their sockets. "H-How—"
"There's potential. But I believe she has a long way to go. Her alertness seems to be extremely low," said the man with flaming red hair and a thick Scottish accent.
"The hell I—" I began, pointing my cup at him.
"But she does have fire in her, and fire is all I need."
My confusion had to have been painted on my face. I had absolutely no idea what was happening. Why was Matthew here? Who was this guy? How did they know I'd be here? What were they talking about? All of these questions were logical and could have easily of been asked. But that's not exactly what I said.
"What the hell?" I questioned as more of a general demand.
Matthew took a few swallows of his coffee and gestured for me to take a seat in the empty chair beside him. "Please take a seat, Anna? I'm rather pressed for time."
Still suspicious, I stood there and sipped my shake. "How did you beat me here?" I demanded to know.
Matthew smiled an almost victorious smile and leaned back in his chair. "I've been waiting here with my friend of two hundred years, Gavin." His hand waved towards the Scottish man on his left. "I honestly thought you'd have been here a little earlier, but I see you made a food stop."
"Wait." My eyes narrowed at him and my finger jabbed in his direction. "You knew I was coming? How?"
"Anna, you may be hard to read, but in certain cases, you're incredibly predictable. I left earlier than I needed to for my flight because I knew you'd wait until I was far enough away to physically be unable to stop you. I had one of my men follow you after I had left so they would see exactly how you'd run off, and I had another man stationed halfway between our houses so he could make sure you got here safely and to be sure you were heading here. By the way, I'm changing the garage door locks now that I know how easily you're able to pick them."
I couldn't believe it. There was no way he could predict my moves so easily. "Were you testing me?"
"Not exactly. I simply knew you would never be able to listen to someone and would run to this house because you mentioned it several times. Also, I'm quite older and experienced and not stupid."
Was I that predictable? I almost shed a tear when he said it because I've always prided myself on my spontaneity, and now I've just learned I'm not as unpredictable as I had originally thought. "So...I guess you set me up? You're going to give me a lecture and have me face the corner or something? And who is that and what is he doing here?" I pointed at the Scottish man currently chuckling at me.
Matthew looked at Gavin. "I did mention the temper and sass, didn't I?" he asked the man.
"Several times, I believe. If she's half the fighter you claim her to be, I think she has grand potential," Gavin stated with his piercing blue eyes focused on me as he rubbed his fiery red beard. "Grand potential."
"Explain what is happening," I demanded of both of them.
Matthew stood up and adjusted his tie before gesturing towards the man next to him. "Anna, this is Gavin, one of the greatest teachers, and fighters, I know. I brought him here tonight for you two to meet in order for you to start training again."
For the second time in one night, I was confused. "Training?"
"We did agree you would continue training, didn't we? I thought I'd go ahead and introduce you to him tonight so you may start immediately. Considering you're so confident in your ability to protect yourself, this should be no problem."
I looked at Gavin fully now, almost skeptical on his ability to be able to fight. He was slim, as in seemed to not have much in the muscle department. Underneath the flaming red beard, he looked about Matthew's age, maybe slightly older. Unlike my old trainer, Bones, Gavin didn't look the slightest bit intimidating. He was grinning the entire time I spoke and his eyes practically sparkled with friendliness. And then something Matthew had said hit me.
"Did you say he has been your friend of two hundred years? You're a vampire?" I questioned slowly.
Gavin grinned a little wider and took a big gulp of his coffee. "I thought you said she was sharp?" he said to Matthew.
Matthew frowned, looking at me with his brow slightly raised. "She usually is. She seems to be a bit slow tonight."
I scoffed and sat my shake and burger on the steps before I started removing my jacket. "You want to fight now? Bring it!" I snapped, about done with all of this.
"Not necessary, love," Matthew stated, reaching over to place his hand on my shoulder to stop me.
"I'm actually eager to work with the lass. I bet it'll be an entertaining experience," Gavin mentioned.
Before I could make a snarky comment, the sound of a car rumbling up the driveway distracted me. It was a black SUV, two of them actually.
"You'll be staying here for only two nights to train with Gavin. I have a few men staying here while you're here to keep an eye on things," Matthew stated as he stepped towards me. "After, my men will escort you back to the house where you won't be running off and you'll stay until it's time to fly out and meet me for the Halloween party."
This night has taken an unexpected turn. "So I have three people keeping an eye on me in my own house?"
Matthew smiled and nodded. "Technically four because I'll be staying in touch to make sure you don't try anything stupid, such as running off or attacking my men."
"This is basically house arrest."
Matthew stepped forward, his hand extended. I thought he was about to reach out and kiss me or something. But instead of kissing, his hand slid down and into my pocket, producing a set of car keys. "I consider it to be safety precautions." He threw the keys behind me and into the hand of one of his men. "Believe it or not, I do this because I love you."
"You know, a lot of things can be claimed to be done out of love, but really it's just an excuse," I told him sternly with my hands balled into fists.
He forced a smile and placed his hand on my cheek to bring his lips to mine. I didn't return the kiss because I was still furious over being locked up and tricked. He pulled away and gave me a disapproving look I seem to away get from him. "I'll call you when I get there, and I honestly hope you answer."
I remained silent, still unable to forgive him for the trap he had definitely set for me.
"Gavin, remember what will happen if you hurt her or try anything," Matthew quietly said without turning to look at Gavin.
"I don't think I can ever forget it," Gavin muttered.
Matthew placed a long kiss on my temple and headed towards one of the SUVs before pausing on the sidewalk. "And please invite them in, Anna. I don't want them to have to cram inside the SUV as the sun rises because you're still upset."
Although I was tempted by the idea of it, I knew I couldn't do it anyway.
I watched as Matthew climbed into one of the SUVs and drove away while I stood there, unsure of what to do. My plans were ruined because of an overprotective husband with a master mind. "Well, damn," I grumbled.
A hand smacked onto my shoulder and was followed by a chuckle. "Now let's take that anger out in our training, eh?" Gavin enthused.
My eyes ripped away from Matthew's car and stared at Gavin. "Sounds perfect. I should probably say sorry now in case I accidentally break your arm or something."
Gavin grinned even wider. "I highly doubt I'll need the apology."
I had a feeling he was under estimating me, though I wasn't about to get all hot headed about it. I threw off my jacket and walked towards the back of the house where there was lots of open space and plenty of room to take him down. Gavin followed, whistling as he strolled behind me. "What first? Should I just go for it?" I asked as I removed my jacket and threw it aside.
Gavin gave me a skeptical look and glanced at Matthew's men, both of whom were leaning against the SUV. "Suppose you should invite us all in before we fight. You might hold a grudge against me and I'd have to spend the day as bacon in the sun."
"Alright." I turned so I was facing all of them. "You all are invited into my house. Make yourself at home and don't drink all of my coffee."
The men by the SUV gave a thoughtful smile before heading inside, leaving Gavin and me alone. I turned to ask Gavin what we were doing first, but the words were lost on me when a fist hit me in the jaw.
I wouldn't say it was horrible, but it definitely wasn't a pat on the face. "Mother f—I wasn't ready!" I shouted, stumbling back as Gavin stepped away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"When you're being attacked, you can't call a timeout, Lass," he stated with a careless shrug. "Now toughen up and be ready."
I squared my shoulders and glared at him. He only grinned back, almost amused by my rage, and came at me without mercy. The first two punches I had dodged effortlessly, but the kick to the side I never saw coming. Fighting Gavin was much different from fighting Matthew because Matthew never actually attacked me. When we fought during our honeymoon, it was always me doing all of the attacking while he simply dodged and brought me to the ground.
Gavin was relentless.
He didn't go easy on me as Matthew apparently had. When I'd ask for a break, Gavin would tell me to take two laps around the house and be ready for another dodging session. My instructor before Gavin, Bones, was so much easier to deal with because he was not only about the same level as me, but he was also human and needed the same breaks as I needed. Gavin never needed to catch his breath, drink some water, or rest sore muscles.
"You need to learn how to dodge," Gavin mentioned as I held the sleeve of my shirt against my bleeding lip.
"Screw you," I growled, glaring at him hard enough in hopes he'd burst into flames.
Gavin had one of the men inside bring me out some water and ice and forced me to hold it up to my face. "Matthew said you had a lot of pride. That kind of pride can get a person killed."
"I'm not prideful."
"You spend your entire time fighting. You throw punch after punch and don't stop for a second to take a breath or strategize. Sometimes fighting isn't all about getting a hit in and being victorious; fighting is about being smart and knowing when you need to run and when you need to hit." He stretched his arms out in front of him and stood up straight. "Are you ready? We're going to take it slow and I'll teach you, if you're not too prideful to learn."
I frowned, actually missing Matthew teaching me how to fight. At least with Matthew I never actually got hurt. I'm pretty sure Gavin has bruised about a fourth of my body. "Alright, let's do this."
Gavin threw a punch slowly enough for me to dodge and throw a punch of my own, only to have him dodge that punch and kick me in my side. "Do you see what you did wrong there?"
"I didn't see your second punch," I mumbled, looking shamefully at my feet.
"No. You decided to throw a punch at me rather than take a much better option and use disable me. Using my weight against me would be a far better option than taking the first hit you can. Now let's try it again."
I didn't argue. It was senseless to argue. Instead I got back into position and waited as he threw the same exact punch as he had last time.
"Now grab my arm as my fist gets beside your head and twist it downward."
My hands both snatched his arm and I did as he said.
"Bend my arm behind my back."
I knew he was making it extremely easy for me, but I did it nevertheless.
"In an extreme fighting case, you would throw a hard kick downward at my knee in order to either break my leg or pop my knee out of place, thus disabling me. That's your main goal." Gavin quickly unwrapped out of my grip and somehow managed to make it to where he was behind me with my arms behind my back and his fangs brushing my neck. "If you go too slow you're dead."
"But punching also disables. Why not teach me how to punch harder?"
Gavin released me and placed his hands in his pockets. "You're a female human being who is much leaner than most. Basically, you lack in strength, and there's not much you can do about that. Matthew called on me because I have learned how to fight without using strength, but rather agility and flexibility."
I looked Gavin's slim frame up and down, not arguing with his lack-of-muscles claim. But I was a little offended to be called weak. "Matthew taught me about weakness."
"Weakness is always something to be taken into account. As I've just pointed out, we both share a similar physical weakness. If you ever happen to be attacked by someone much larger, they will always win if you're both throwing punches and going head-to-head. What you need to learn is to move fast, move smart, and make it short and simple. Fighting doesn't have to require you dancing around all night."
Although I was still bothered by everything that had happened tonight, I was intrigued by all of this. I wanted to learn, to be better. "So what do you think my strength is?" I asked with a grin.
"I think what you're best at is your determination and your speed. But you're going to have to train more often to become as fast as you possibly can be."
I let out a sigh because I knew that meant running and crazy amounts of cardio. "How often do we train?"
Gavin seemed surprised by my question. "And here Matthew said you'd be complaining the entire time. He told me you and I will be training on the weekends while you two are here, and possibly a day or two during the week at his house when things aren't too busy there. I guess he doesn't want many people to know you're capable of defending yourself."
I realized then how little Gavin must have known about me. If Matthew had told Gavin everything, he would have known Matthew didn't want people to know I could fight because it might link me to the deaths of several vampires; the vampires I killed on Matthew's order. Instead, Gavin seemed to believe I was simply learning to defend myself. Although it was true how I was training to better defend myself, I also wanted to be able to fight if the situation calls for it, not that I'd ever tell Matthew that much.
"So we'll be training tomorrow night, right?" I asked as I placed an icepack on my shoulder.
"Of course. Tomorrow night we focus on your ability to run from a fight."
My eyes widened at this. "Run from one? Why would I do that?"
Gavin seemed just as surprised by my reaction as I was from his words. "You need to learn how to disable and run to safety. Not all fights are winnable."
Before I could tell him about me being incapable of fully abandoning a fight, my phone began to vibrate in my back pocket. I held up a finger to stop Gavin from talking and looked down at the screen to see who was calling me.
Matthew Foster.
His name flashed on the screen and I reluctantly answered, still annoyed with him. "Hello?"
"Are you still kicking?" Matthew asked in a teasing tone.
"Pretty hard."
"Good. The plane is about to takeoff and I wanted to check in and make sure Gavin was treating you well."
Well, my lip is split and I have bruises forming everywhere. I knew I couldn't tell him everything for several reasons: One, I didn't want to get Gavin in trouble for not going easy on me, and two, I knew Matthew would possibly fire Gavin and just hire bodyguards for me if he knew I was being at all injured. I was too determined to learn. "He's been annoyingly kind," I replied, giving Gavin a sickeningly sweet smile.
"I'll call you when I land. I know you're still upset with me, but I hope you'll find reason and forgiveness before the party."
"...Have a nice flight," I muttered, still bitter.
"Ah. Judging by that tone, I hope you don't claw my eyes out when you see me."
"I'll try to resist."
"I love you, Anna, and I honestly miss you like mad right now."
Despite being furious with everything Matthew has done to me in the past few nights, I couldn't help but smile at that. "Well, I am a pretty miss-able person. I'll see you in a week...Maybe." I tried to put fear into his heart, though we both knew I wasn't going anywhere.
..............................................................................................................
Another chapter down!
And Joanna being the forever rebellious spirit as always, and Matthew being the mastermind, as always.
I'm excited about pretty much the rest of the book because I have SO much to write involving a lot of the "What happens between Matthew and Joanna in the future?" It'll all be revealed in this book, and I'm super excited to write it finally because I've had it stuck in my head since I started this book. Any ideas on what it might be? (For those who have been reading MPC and TC, have any idea?) I think the future chapters of this book will definitely surprise you all :)
*Ramblings*
Also I've been loving all of the comments I've received on the past several chapters. Seriously, I love reading them. I've seen several (and have gotten messages) that have made me grin involving what would happen if there was a "couple swap" where Matthew and Lucy were a couple and Joanna and Xavier were a couple. I laughed so hard at this because I've actually thought about how they would all be like so many times for, like, years now. In case you're wondering how I think they'd be, I can see Matthew and Lucy being the type of couple that'd spend 90% of their time in the library just reading. They'd be like a classic old couple, discussing weather and politics. I don't think they'd make a good match because, like all of Matthew's exes, Lucy would probably be too sweet and predictable for Matthew.
And then I thought about Joanna and Xavier as a couple.
This made me laugh so freaking hard. Can you imagine? Joanna would put on leggings and Xavier would be like, "Change clothing or I'll change it." And Joanna would flip him off and dare him to try, and then Xavier actually would try. The two would be wrestling around for a good solid hour before either Xavier gets so angry he storms off, Joanna gets bored and doesn't even want to leave, or they both makeout or something. Most of the time, Xavier would say, "We're leaving. Don't leave my side for a second." and Joanna would be like, "Do I look like dog? Do I have a collar? Screw you."
Oh man, what a laugh. xD
Thanks for reading, and reading my rambling. What's your opinion if the characters had swapped lives?
-Currie