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Can you guys believe this?? Whispers in the Dark had almost a thousand views! I'm so happy! I never would've thought it'd actually be this popular. Thank you guys so much! Please, keep reading and keep telling your friends about my books. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I couldn't have done this without you guys. *sniffles*
Now, you guys don't wanna hear me blubber on. Back to the story!
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When I woke up again it was still dark. I laid bloody, damp and naked, tangled in my sheets. My mind was still reeling from last night's nightmare, my chest heaved with every shaky breath I sucked in.
I dreamed of Daren. Of holding him, hugging him, kissing him. He stared down at me with those loving eyes of his and I couldn't help it- I told him everything. When I was done his loving expression was gone, replaced instead by a look of horror and disgust. He shoved me away roughly and I fell to the floor. When I looked back up at him again I was staring down the barrel of a revolver. Daren was glaring down at me, hatred turning his gaze icy. I was jerked awake by the click of the hammer being pulled back.
With a small groan I pulled myself up to a sitting position and looked over at my alarm clock. The numbers 12:28 A.M. blinked back at me in red. The last time I had glanced over at my clock I had just climbed into bed after I took my bath. Then, it had read 5:32 A.M.. I had slept an entire day away.
A light tapping at my window caused my whole body to tense up. For a brief moment I was brought back to my first week here, when that thing had crawled into my room. The memory of it sniffing me sent a shiver down my spine and I quickly pushed it away making way for happier thoughts to invade.
Maybe it was Daren. Since our fight last night he'd been texting me nonstop, threatening that if I didn't answer he'd end everything, apologizing for the threats, begging me to answer him, telling me he was worried about me. One text after another he continued sending them, even now my phone was blinking in the dark, alerting me to the unread messages I had. Was it really Daren? I wondered. He did know where I lived after all. Perhaps he came to apologize.
More tapping at the window. I searched around frantically for a scrap of clothing, and after a moment pulled on my hoodie, hiding the new slices on my forearms. I raked my fingers through the tangled mass my hair had become and wiped my teary face, hoping it wasn't still puffy and red. I had spent most of the night crying over Daren but like hell I'd let him know it. Kicking away my sheets, I rushed to the window and pulled back the curtains. However, it wasn't Daren who crouched on the roof, dripping with rain.
Reluctantly, I unlatched the lock on the window and slid it open. "What are you doing here?" I demanded through the window's screen.
Gabriel's eyes took in my appearance, those deep blue orbs traveling from my naked legs, to the extra large sweater, and finally my puffy and mascara smeared eyes. An annoying smirk tugged at his mouth. "My, my," he chuckled. "Doesn't young Juliet look fetching tonight?Were you expecting someone else?"
"Oh, Romeo, how thou art such an ass," I sneered in response, wrapping my arms around myself. Suddenly, standing in front of Gabriel in only a sweater as he watched me from my window, I felt awkward and exposed. "What are you doing here?"
"Did you forget already?" He gave a small, humorless laugh as shook his head, rain droplets falling from his dark hair. "We had a date."
"Excuse me?" Okay, so now that I'm single it's automatically open season? And Gabriel is the first to go out on the hunt?! What the hell was that about? "I don't recall ever-"
"Benjamin."
That one word shut down whatever smart remark I was about to spit and I instantly hated myself. It was Saturday night. We were supposed to go and rescue him tonight and I had completely forgot. "Oh God," I heard myself groan as I buried my face in my hands. "I am such a horrible person."
Gabriel didn't say anything for a moment. We just stood there in silence, me wallowing in depression, him watching. I had been so absorbed in my own problems with Daren that I had forgotten about Benjamin and about how much he needed me. "I feel like a complete asshole."
"Well, there's no point in sitting around here and feeling sorry for yourself," Gabriel finally said. "If you're gonna come, then hurry it up and get dressed. If not, I'll leave now. Without you."
"I'm coming," I assured quickly and moved to my dresser to look for something to wear. After a moment I snatched a pair of jeans from my drawer and pulled them on, making sure to face Gabriel as I did. No need for him to know I was going commando, right? By the time I had my pants zipped up, and had slipped on my converse, Gabriel had already removed the screen from my window, motioning for me to hurry up and climb through.
The grass was wet, I could tell that much as soon as Gabriel had lowered me down to the floor from my window. It was wet, cold, and mud was everywhere, clinging to my shoes, threatening to suck me into their thick, gooey depths.
"C'mon. Let's get moving." Gabriel hopped down from the roof, his trench coat billowing out behind him, reminding me briefly of Batman with his cape. His boots hit the mud hard, sending some droplets slashing onto the legs of my jeans. I quickly wiped the mud from my legs, grimacing at the cold, wet feel of the muck and wrapped my arms around myself, following behind Gabriel as he moved around the house and down the gravel pathway that led to my house.
Oh, Great, I inwardly groaned and let out a breath, watching as the carbon dioxide quickly turned to smoke and drifted away in the chilly night. We're gonna walk to where they're holding Benjamin? In this weather? If I had any doubts before about my teacher they were long gone now. Gabriel Steele was a mad man, plain and simple.
We turned the corner and he motioned me to stay put while he moved to one of the many bushes lining the edge of the road.
"Okay," I sighed exasperated and tapped my foot in freezing irritation. "This is so not the time to relieve yourself." However, that was clearly not the case, I soon found out. Not a moment later did he roll the same black and silver motorcycle I'd first seen him on out of the foliage and climbed on.
"Get on," he ordered, shoving the helmet into my hands.
It took a moment for me to realize I was standing there like a dimwit, gaping at the bike as if Gabriel were sitting on a giraffe with it's head sticking out of it's ass. "And a car wouldn't have worked because...?"
"It's too noticeable," he stated simply and revved the engine. Oh, right. As if the loud VROOM VROOM of a motorcycle were less conspicuous then a sweet little biggie. "Get on."
Still, I stood there on the street, the helmet I still held cold in my hands. I drummed my numbing fingers against the sides and shifted slowly from foot to foot, reluctant to get closer to the heap of metal Gabriel was seated in. "I'm not so sure about this," I managed to say after a minute of silence.
Gabriel shifted in his seat and gave me the "are you serious?" look.
"What? I just think riding in a car is a better option. Hell, riding a bus is a better option than that thing."
Gabriel continued watching me with that cool gaze of his for long moments while I shifted around, partly from being cold, and partly from the self-conscious feeling I felt every time he looked at me like that. His mouth hitched up in a smirk and I felt my stomach drop to my toes. "Are you afraid of motorcycles?"
"No!" I shouted louder than I had meant to, my voice cracking, and quickly cleared my throat and tried again. "No. I just don't think riding a motorcycle on a cold, dark and extremely wet night is exactly safe."
He chuckled and patted the seat behind him, his cocky smirk still in place. "If you're riding with me, nothing bad will happen, I can guarantee that."
I chewed on my lip, reluctant to move.
"I'll keep you safe." He chuckled again. "I promise."
After a moment's hesitation I stuck the helmet on my head, making sure my hair was out of my face and climbed on awkwardly behind him. "I'm only doing this for Benjamin," I quickly assured. "Not because of what you said."
"Of course, of course." Gabriel glanced back over his shoulder at me. "However, you might wanna hold on tighter than that."
I looked down at the light hold I had on his coat and then back up at him. Just the thought of having my arms around Gabriel was enough to make a shiver slide down my spine. Not a good one. "I think I'd rather die," I muttered under my breath but reluctantly placed my hands at his side. Despite the cold feel of the fabric I could feel Gabriel's body heat radiating beneath it. Strange, I thought. If he had no heartbeat, how was it he was still warm?
"Like this." Gabriel's voice quickly snapped me out of my thoughts. He grabbed onto my hands and wrapped them around his waist, forcing me to lean forwards so that now my chest was pressed tight against his back, my thighs hugging onto his. Now the warmth was everywhere, causing slight tingling sensations to erupt throughout the front of my body. "Hold on like this or else you'll fall off. Got it?" His smile was cocky, his eyes bright with amusement as he glanced down at me and I looked away, staring at the bushes, the street. I couldn't look at that smug look of his.
The engine purred loudly and before I knew it Gabriel had stomped on the gas, causing the bike to speed forward and onto the cold, dark street. My body lurched backwards and before I could fall I gripped onto Gabriel's torso, pressing myself tightly to his spine for fear that if I loosened my grip even a bit I'd fall off and become a bloody mess for the street cleaners to sweep up come morning.
From where I sat, squeezed against Gabriel like a second skin I could feel his chest and back vibrate slightly with laughter. Damn him, I inwardly hissed. Damn him to hell.