CHAPTER FIFTEEN | ❝When They Cared❞
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THE SOUND OF my haphazard heartbeats filled up the everlasting void canopying the garage. My eyes wandered to the black windshield of the car behind Maria and I cringed at my reflection. My hair was all ruffled and some strands were stuck to the moist skin of my neck. My camisole clung tightly to my lean figure, almost like a second skin. Slowly I traced my eyes upward, to meet my hazel orbs rumbling with a disoriented storm.
Unwillingly, I dragged my gaze back towards Maria and I had to push away the guilt gnawing at me for fearing her. Right now, the person in front of me wasn't my best friend.
She was a vampire.
And it was time for her hunt.
The malicious sneer on her face refused to fade away as she reached out to grab me, her eyes glinting with mischief. She ran her tongue over her orange bottom lip, wiping away the previous trail of blood.
My palms were clammy and beads of sweat condensed on my forehead. I tried to move my leg. Tried to run away from her. But I couldn't. It was like my leg had lost its ability to move.
But before her fingers could grasp my wrists, I was yanked away from her with a great force, the motion catching me off-guard. I lost my footing and was about to fall down when my palms caught hold of the edge of the wall – my grip strong and firm on it. I dipped my head downwards to find my body almost hovering over the ground. Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself upwards, my slender fingers almost slipping off the wall.
I looked up with wide eyes to find Christina standing in front of Maria, her petite back towards me. Her yellow tank top stuck to her body firmly, highlighting the faint outline of a tattoo underneath the fabric.
"Aaagh! Let me go. I swear to God-," Maria yelled.
Even though Christina was shorter than her, there was no doubt that she was the stronger one. In a quick and graceful manner, she pinned Maria's wrists behind her back and pushed her onto the yellow walls. I could see her struggling against Christina's steady grasp, her long pink nails digging into Christina's white flesh.
It was Cameron's voice that dragged my eyes from them, towards him. He was half-sitting near the heap of bodies, his jaw clenched and nose turned down. His translucent grey eyes were focused solely on me as he dragged his teeth across his thin bottom lip.
"Get to Carter. Go back to your dorm," his grave voice sounded assertive, almost as if he was commanding me. But I didn't object to it this time, understanding that it was the most rational decision.
His eyes roamed back to where Christina had successfully tamed Maria, somehow. Then back to the heap of dead bodies.
"We'll take care of this," he added, weaving his slim fingers through the thick maze of black curls.
"Cam, go with her," Christina supplied while tying Maria's wrists behind her back with a spare rope. My heart squelched at how she was being treated like an animal. But I knew that right now, that was the only way to stop her.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Cameron standing up.
"It's okay. I can go. I don't need babysitting," I said dismissively.
"But what if Taylor's awake?" Cameron asked.
My eyes widened.
"You just killed her," I replied, giving him an appalled look.
His eyes widened momentarily as he returned my look.
"I didn't kill her Krystal. Vampires can't be killed until they are decapitated or daggered by the magical stake," he said, his gaze momentarily flitting back to Maria as if to check whether she was under control.
"She should be awake within a few minutes," he added and then looked at me, "which is why I need to go with you. She won't hurt you. But she may pull something crazy on you."
He proceeded to step outside the garage when I placed my palm on his shoulder.
"It's okay. She might be crazy but not stupid. She won't play with a ticking time bomb," I shrugged, even though dread coiled within me.
Cameron was about to protest, but I halted him again.
"Trust me. I've got this. Besides, you need to be here more," I said while tilting my eyes towards the heap of bodies, darkness shrouding my heart.
"Alright. But just shout if something happens okay?" he asked while squeezing my palm that was still rested on his right shoulder.
I nodded my head at him and slid my gaze over Maria a final time, before leaving the suffocating room.
The coldness and darkness outside immediately enveloped me like a thick cloud as I made my way through the field. My whole body felt cold and my heart was still beating unsteadily. My mind was a hazy mess and my emotions were a tumult, that I didn't how to tame.
Faint chirpings of the cricket and my ragged breaths were the only sound accompanying my journey in the gloomy night. I squinted my eyes to walk properly in the inky darkness, trying not to fall. The grass-blades tickled the bare skin of my ankle, as I trod through the ground.
Suddenly, my feet bumped against something hard and I was hurled down to the floor, my ankle getting twisted in the process. I bit my lip to prevent the scream from escaping, as a tremendous pain shot through my leg. Resting my forearms on the dusty ground, I pulled myself upwards, the movement causing my ankle to sting.
Right then, a piece of loud music soared at the silence of the night and I nearly jumped out of my skin, before realizing that it was the ringtone of my phone.
Sighing I pulled the device out of the side pocket of my jeans, dust getting a little splayed on the screen. I felt a twinge of relief on seeing the name flashing on the screen.
Asshole.
Even though Carter was an ass, but right now considering everything, I would rather be with him, than a second in here. It was like choosing between the worse and the worst. And I hoped that Carter was the worse.
I slid my thumb across the screen to accept the call.
"Hey," I mumbled while trying to move – the pain wracking through my leg again.
"Where are you?" he asked, his voice booming through the speaker of my phone and I had to pull it away from my ears a bit.
"I am in the backyard. And what's with the shouting?" I scowled even though he couldn't see me.
I heard him heave a huge sigh, almost as if he was holding his breath for a long time.
"I was just...never mind. Hold on. I'm coming," he commanded.
I was about to agree when I remembered how bad this place smelled – in fact even worse than Taylor's house. And seeing how Christina prevented Carter from entering the house earlier, I realized that letting him come here definitely wasn't a good idea.
"Wait!" I almost screamed and I'm pretty sure all the three vampires in the garage heard me.
"What?" Carter asked and I could hear the faint noise of footsteps in the background.
Panic rose within me.
"Stay where you are. I'm coming to you," I said hurriedly while marching up in long strides – gritting my teeth at the pain shooting through my leg.
"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice lacing with a twinge of worry and curiosity.
"Nothing. Now, where the fuck are you?" I asked impatiently.
"I'm standing on Taylor's porch."
"Okay. Hold up," I said while gripping my knee and limping forward. In the darkness and hurry to get out of that garage, I ended up taking a different and longer route.
After a few minutes of wandering and stumbling around, I finally spotted the front of the house. My gaze fell on the rough patch of the path in front of it, flooded by the yellow light. I trailed my eyes upward to see a broad figure clad in a leather jacket – striding towards me.
Carter stopped mid-way, the dim yellow glow of the porch projecting shadows on his high cheekbones. His blue eyes almost looked black in the darkness and his hair was tousled – almost as if he had run his hands through it many times.
"Why do you look like hell?" he asked while wiggling his eyebrows, crinkles appearing in the corner of his eyes.
"Because I just came out of a salon," I retorted as I strutted forward, clenching my teeth at the immediate stab of pain.
"What happened to your leg?" he asked, his eyes zooming in on my leg.
"I fell down. Now, where's Taylor?" I asked while limping towards him.
Reaching the porch, I trailed my eyes behind him to see Taylor's limp body splayed peacefully on the floor.
Carter followed my gaze and a smirk curved his full lips.
"That's a really uncomfortable place to sleep if you ask me. But then it would have been rude of me to interrupt," he muttered while shrugging his shoulders.
I threw him a bored glance before turning around to leave the place. However, I faltered a little when the fabric of my jeans got caught in a scarped wood.
"Woah. Careful. You're hurt," Carter cautioned while standing beside me, the strong scent of aftershave and masculinity flaring up my nostrils.
"I'm fine," I hissed, even though it wasn't true.
"You're clearly not," he argued.
I turned around to glower at him but before I could say anything, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me - one around my waist, while the other one hooking behind my leg.
And the next thing I knew, I was up in the air - the cold winds gushing around the two of us.
"What the fuck? What are you doing? Put me down!" I shrieked while hitting his perfectly sculpted chest.
I was amazed at how it didn't faze him a little. I was sure that my hits weren't puny and anyone else in place of him would have been fatally injured.
But he looked like he didn't give a single fuck about it.
"Shut up. You're going to wake that bitch up," Carter grumbled while exiting the house, his gaze fixed solely on the road ahead of us.
"I don't care! Put me down, Carter. Right now. Oh god, this is so embarrassing," I yelled while gripping his shoulders tightly, feeling the flexing of his shoulders blades underneath the jacket.
My breath hitched when his fingertips brushed against the warm skin of my waist where the top had risen up a little. My heart hiked up a beat and so, I averted my gaze and focused on the dark path ahead of us.
I felt utterly relieved when I spotted Carter's black Audi.
Wobbling on my feet, I got into his car - the warmth embracing me in peaceful comfort.
"Don't ever do that again. That was inappropriate," I grumbled when I heard the door of the passenger seat open.
Carter laughed as he settled in the seat beside me, his scent and warmth cocooning us like a blanket.
He was about to spew out something when his phone went off.
Groaning, he pulled it out of his pocket, and soon a scowl spread across his face. He stared at the bright screen of his phone intently, almost as if praying it to shut down.
"Your ringtone is horrible. Either pick it or shut it," I grimaced while dragging my eyes outside the window. Midnight had settled full-fledged outside and my mind registered how eerily peaceful the neighborhood was, oblivious to the danger and the storms outside of their known realm.
A weird part of me longed for that peace. For that calmness. For the life, I had before everything shattered.
"It's Cam," Carter muttered, pulling me out of my irrational thoughts.
I sighed frustratingly. Not wanting to witness another sibling rivalry, I opened out my palms out for him.
"Give it to me."
Carter didn't lose another second before giving it to me cheerfully, almost as if its weight was tiring his soul.
I swiped up the screen to accept the call.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Krystal?" Cameron's voice sounded a little surprised, but soon shifted back into its normal chipped tone, "Good. You must be with Carter?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied while stifling a yawn.
"Okay. Do you...," he paused a little.
"Umm...do you mind lending us the car? We have to take Maria and... well, erm, the bodies. You know, um...disposal stuff," he stammered a little.
"Yeah. But how would we go?" I asked while tracing a finger absentmindedly on my knee, something I do when I'm really tired.
"My bike's right around the corner," he replied almost immediately and I heard a grunt escape his lips.
"You okay?" I asked sitting upright.
"Yes. Just lifted something heavy. You should leave now. We've taken care of everything. Well, everything except Taylor," he sighed exasperatedly.
Suddenly a swell of worry ballooned within me and I felt my body tensing with adrenaline.
"What about her?" I asked.
"Nothing. She's awake and she's doing what she does the best. Giving us trouble. Don't worry though. We've got this. It might take us a while though," he replied and I could hear the faint high-pitched voice of Taylor from the other line. Although, it sounded more like a muffled protest.
Suddenly, I felt an overpowering urge to thank him. It's the least I could do after everything that had happened. Maria wasn't their responsibility. She was mine. And yet, they went out of their way to help her. They still were helping her.
Even though a part of me knew that it all happened because of his lack of watch, but I couldn't blame him completely. I was equally at fault here. I just couldn't put a duty on somebody without being responsible for it. So, I decided to appreciate his and Christina's effort.
"Thank you, Cam. Thank you for everything," I replied sincerely.
There was a brief pause on the other side before he spoke up.
"Why are you thanking me?" he asked, his voice lacing with confusion.
"Because you and Christina did a lot for me and Maria today," I informed.
"Well, it was my fault, to begin with."
"Nope. She is my best friend. It was my fault," I argued.
"You're forgetting she's our friend too Krystal," Cameron rectified, a faint chuckle escaping his lips.
"Okay then. It's all of our faults," I replied.
Beside me, Carter grumbled, "Don't pull me into all of this."
I ignored him as I heard Cameron sigh.
"That's fair enough...I guess," he mumbled.
"Good night Krystal."
"Good night, Cam," I announced as some of the darkness escaped from me.
Beside me, Carter piped in again, "That was so sweet. Brought a tear to my eye," he mockingly wiped the corner of his right eye with his forefinger.
"Were you always this obnoxious?" I asked while unlocking my seatbelt.
He didn't answer and I didn't bother to repeat myself. My shoulders drooped with weariness as I felt my limbs stiffening with excruciating pain.
"We need to-" I started but he, very rudely, cut me off.
"I know. I can hear everything. Remember?" he said while pointing a finger to his ear.
I rolled my eyes and was about to saunter away when he caught hold of my wrist firmly.
I turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're injured. Just lean on the car. I'll bring the bike here," he spoke, his voice terse and sincere. I looked up at him and something within me softened when I saw a glimmer of worry beneath his erratic irises.
"It's fine. You don't have to treat me like a baby," I grunted, looking away from him and trying to dismiss the unusual emotion.
I tried to move but Carter stood in front of me – blocking my way.
"Just do as I say, Hazel," he commanded, his face close to mine. Instinctively, I took a step backward – the cold surface of the car pressing against my back.
"You know, I don't like controlling men," I hissed at him, my hazel eyes boring into his blue ones.
"And I don't like girls who wouldn't stop being stubborn for a goddamned second," he gritted his teeth, putting his other arm beside my head – completely caging me between him.
"But here we are, aren't we?" he sneered, his breaths fanning my face.
I looked up at him defiantly, trying to ignore the weird feeling unfurling in my stomach. Our bodies were only inches apart, but I could feel the warmth seeping from him. His eyes roamed lazily over my face until they settled on my lips.
I saw his Adam's apple bobbing down the strong muscles of his throat, a flicker of vulnerability flashing in his stormy blue orbs.
And then he wrenched himself away from me, almost as if my skin burned him.
Without looking at me again, he sauntered over to the corner of the alley, while I took this time to regain my composure.
What the hell just happened?
"There's a problem," Carter announced as he brought the bike along with him.
A gush of wind brushed past me gently, making me shiver a little. I glanced up at him, to notice a look of disdain plastered on his face.
"You're so problematic. What's wrong?" I grunted while massaging my forehead, my fingers slipping on the clammy skin.
"I don't know how to ride this," he mumbled, his lips pulled down in the corners.
"Of course you don't. Why doesn't that surprise me?" I scoffed at him while he shot me a glare.
I tried to swing my leg over the seat but failed when my ankle throbbed again.
"A little help here?" I asked while hissing in discomfort.
Nodding his head, he quickly helped me climb on the seat and settled himself down right after me.
The bike swung a little and the seat behind me dipped as he climbed up behind me. His intoxicating scent of masculinity, mixed with a wisp of sweat engulfed my nostrils as he shifted his body close to me, my back hitting his strong and carved-out chest.
"Slowly. You're going to make us fall," I teased, pinching my lips to prevent the grin from spreading.
"Sorry. I've never ridden on any of these in all my three hundred years of existence," he chuckled, his chest vibrating against my back.
"Well, sucks to be you then," I shrugged as I turned on the ignition.
Carter gripped the sides of my waist firmly when the bike roared into life, the headlights illuminating the lonely lane in front of us.
And soon the scenery blurred around us as we drove off in the night. Towards my home.
I couldn't ignore the blissful feeling of return after so many days.
But my heart knew very well how it was anything but blissful.
a/n: Just a quick game, Kiss, Marry or Kill? - Carter, Christina and Cameron (The Harveys Edition). Do let me know your thoughts because it is not only for fun but would also help me decide something in future regarding this story. So, go ahead and drop your answers. I'm super thrilled to know. Also, hope that you're having a great Friday!♥