Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Grave Weekend
Celeste:
The Tudor mansion loomed in front of us, my steady hands strapping a couple of knives to my right leg. You never knew what could go down, Novi pulling me in for a passionate kiss. My heart fluttered, his fingers tracing my cheek. Benji rushed out to greet us, his cream colored suit hugging his slender body. Adjusting the double breasted jacket, he tugged on his ruby dress shirt. Adjusting his onyx tie, he hooked his elbow around mine. Guiding us into the kitchen door, the chefs and wait staff watched us intensely. Ruby eyes glowered in my direction, a quick snap of his fingers sending them all out. Grumbles echoed around the room, their hollow footfalls clicking out of the kitchens. My eyes scanned the metal counter tops, the smell of blood nauseating me. This blood smelled of dead man's blood, my eyes meeting Benji's. Just what was he planning. Everyone and their mother knew that a single drop of dead man's blood could knock any vampire out.
"I need you to sniff out the mole." He informed me briskly, running his hand through his hair. "Amelia thinks that you are here for the party so don't tell her." My brow cocked, a soft chuckle escaped my lips. He should know that one shouldn't keep secrets from their wife, my finger tapping on my chin. His muscles tensed up, his scowl seeming to become rather permanent. Clearly, the whole marriage thing was a new subject to him.
"I will do as you say. It's your realm after all." I promised sweetly, bowing in his direction. "I don't understand why you can't do it yourself. I will serve you but you will owe me. My one desire is that you treat me like an equal. I don't want to hurt you. I promise you that I just want to be your friend. So please accept my olive branch." Offering him my hand, his fingers curled around my hand. Shaking it firmly, a silent agreement was made. Novi shifted uncomfortably behind me, Amelia bouncing in. Her ruby flapper dress shimmered in the crystal chandelier's golden glow, her hair was twisted into an intricate side bun. Smashing into me, her arms wrapped around my waist. What the hell drew people to me? My whole childhood everyone would avoid me like the plague, even going as far to insult me every step I took.
"You made it." She squealed excitedly, her grip growing stronger. "I missed you so much! We really need to have a girls night out. " Tears welled up in my eyes, the memory of his mother using those words caused a temporary depression. My head bowed in shame, the guilt of not being able to save her tortured me. Amelia gazed at me kindly, her fingers wiping away the forbidden tears. People really didn't have to care for me. Perhaps it was the depression talking but I still didn't see it.
"You smell of tragedy, the sweet but haunting scent is so alluring." She whispered softly, cupping my hands. "The kindest people have the most tragedy in their life, always knowing what the true cost of happiness is. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Yet, you smile warmly every day. You seek out solutions that help everyone but yourself. The sacrifice lacing your blood is a bitter note, almost like a lemon. When you add sugar and water to lemons you get lemonade, so basically you are lemonade." Her words stunned me, the tears still flowing endlessly. Shoving her off of me, one of my heels snapped. A steady stream of curse flooded from my lips, Amelia snapping her fingers. Embarrassment burned my cheeks, several heels now presented in front of me. Every cell in my body was begging for me to run, Novi narrowing his eyes. The secret sat venomously on his tongue, Benji motioning for him to stay quiet.
"I can just use glue." I stammered nervously, an anxious grin twitched. "Don't worry about me." My breath hitched, the hot air rushed around me as I stumbled backwards. Novi caught me in his arms, everyone watching in concern. Helping me to my feet, Amelia was already shoving a pair of black boots on my feet. The boots were more comfortable than the heels, a masked guest popping his head in. His hood hid black raven mask, a pair of white fangs glinted in the light. The dark cloud swirling around his aura alarmed me, the level of black magic coursing through his voice sickened me. Novi noticed, his lips brushing the top of my head.
"We can't begin without everyone, so let's go!" He shouted jovially, all of us chasing after him. Benji motioned for us to enter the library, the dark wooden shelves containing a myriad of books. Three characters sat around the room, their hoods and onyx raven masks hiding their identities. Why didn't we get the mask memo? All of them sipped on fresh glasses of blood, my hands feeling empty. The matching masks were one thing but matching robes. Way to bring the creepy factor, my thoughts wandering to every occult movie. Benji marched in, his arms folded across his chest. Shaking my head, his wife was going to lose her composure. Nice people were always scary creatures when their patience wore out.
"Tonight is not a murder mystery part at all!" He announced a little too gleefully, the three hooded figures dropping to the floor. "Tie them up." Snapping his fingers at me, Amelia looked seconds from killing him. Beginning to charge at him, my arms held her back. My eyebrow twitched irritably, her fangs sinking into my arm. Holding her tighter, her fangs only sank deeper into my tender flesh. My eyes watered with pain, my composure slipping by the minute.Clearing my throat, my death glare met his frightened eyes. Panic coursed through my mind, the overload of tragedy dooming the drinker into a mess of tears.
"You are stupid, aren't you!" I retorted bitterly, tortured wails exploding from her lips after releasing me from her bite. "She just drank my blood and that can shut down anybody. Tie them up, Novi. I have to help Amelia with her current issues." Crouching down to her level, her arms wrapped around my neck. Tears soaked my shoulder, Novi tying up the hooded figures. Grumbling under his breath, Benji still didn't understand what had just occurred.
"Your life sucked." She wept softly, my fingers wiping her tears. "How are you still alive?" Chuckling nervously, Benji whined softly the moment I threw a colorful glass ball at his head. No one flinched the moment the ball met his forehead, the pieces raining to the floor. Blood poured from his forehead, a wicked grin danced across my lips. Focusing back on Amelia, this dress felt so stupid. My lips parted to speak, the lights beginning to flicker. Darkness enveloped us, bangs running up the side of the wall. Howls echoed in the mansion, rabid werewolves bounding towards us. Cursing to myself, golden balls of light illuminated the lights. Horror paralyzed me, my arms throwing Amelia into his arms. This must be the guard dogs of the hunters, my fingers curling around the blades around my leg. Tossing Novi one, the cloaked figures were chanting. All of them were moles of a bigger game, hatred brewing in my eyes. The vampires had summoned these poor mangy looking werewolves, pathetic whines escaped their lips the moment Novi's foot knocked them out of the room. Locking the door behind us, the guests stopped chanting. All I wanted was a murder mystery weekend. Taking a deep breath, a thunderous growl rumbled in my throat. The wolves clawed at the door, my heel buried into the middle vampire's chest. Knocking off his mask, terror widened my eyes. Wooden puppets had replaced them all, confusion dawned on my face. My face paled, the three of them standing behind me. A small gasp escaped my lips, a chill shot up my spine. Clawed hands ripped me back, three sets of fangs sank into my soft flesh. Venom pumped into my veins, my vision blurring. Shit! They were feeding off of my trauma, a purple haze coming over the room. Sighing with satisfaction as they released my fangs, the worn floor groaned as my body crashed to the floor. Crawling towards Novi, Benji snarled viciously. Amelia scrambled over to me, her fangs extended over her lips. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, a scream exploding from my lips.
"I am going to suck out the venom." She whispered gently into my ear, my body seizing violently. "Just hold on for a minute." Benji and Novi fought the three intruders while she sucked the venom from my blood stream. My muscles ached, the door creaking in protests from the wild werewolves. Unable to move, ruby pooled around my head. This wouldn't do at all, my only chance was to become a wolf.
"Unzip my dress." I mumbled under my breath, Amelia listening to me. "I am going to transform into my wolf form to take care of those. Our strength won't ever match them." Crawling behind the couch, the door was seconds from shattering. Peeling off the dress and underwear, my bones cracked and shifted as I transformed into wolf form. The door burst open, Amelia gasping in wonder at the sight of me leaping over the couch. The floor cracked upon my thunderous landing, growls rumbled in my throat. Foam lined their snouts, their snarls more powerful than my growls. Regret bubbled in my gut, the mistake had already been made. The pack proved to be triple my strength, a claw tearing out a chunk of my leg. Ruby colored my leg, the paws thudding methodically with each circle around me. Shaking my head, this wasn't how I was going to die. Leaping over them, my eyes scanned the dark hallways for another way out. Skidding into an empty room, the smell of frozen meat told me that we were in the freezer. Waiting patiently until they were trapped with me, shock rounded their inky black eyes the moment I jumped over them. Slamming my body into the door, the lock slid down. The door rattled violently, the sound of my paws crashing through the halls echoed in my ears. My ears flattened, the three assassins held my friends by their throats. My tail twitched irritably, those jerks are going to pay for their sins. Skidding into the room, my friends crashed onto the floor. The vile blood suckers were going to pay for harming my friends, my inner wolf taking over.
"Where are our pets?" They demanded hotly, their robes fluttering with their own wind. "What did you do?" Tilting my head to the right, a bolt of lightning took out a piece of my ear. Blood poured from the tip of my ear, my brow cocking. Motioning my paw in a disrespectful manner, they lunged at me. Swinging my paw, inky blood painted my fur. My fangs ripped out throat after throat, the last one falling with a wet plop on the floor. Sprinting down the halls, everyone called out for me to stop. Skidding to a stop in front of the freezer, the lights flickered to life. Struggling with the lock, the door still rattled wildly. Novi ruffled the top of my head, lifting up the bar for me. Gearing up for another battle, several bullets whizzed by my head. The bodies collapsed into heaps, Benji still holding a revolver full of endless silver bullets. Changing back, scarlet colored my cheeks. This was not how I had wanted to be seen, the inky smears covering my body. At least my leg healed, the dull throb still haunting my muscles. Covering me up with a blanket, Novi wiped the blood off of my lips in the gentlest manner.
"Go wash up and we can discuss things. I have a spare set of clothes for you." Benji snapped hotly, Amelia smacking the back of his head. "I can't stand the stench of you right now. You really became a vile creature." Tears welled up in my eyes, his words stinging. Struggling to my feet, my muscles were still too numb to move. Crimson rose to my cheeks, rage mixed with raw hurt. A thunderous growl rumbled in his throat, Benji standing his ground. His actions were despicable, his attitude as rotten as a dead man's blood.
"Screw you! I just saved you and you call me a vile creature!" I retorted venomously, growls rumbling in Novi's throat. "All you are is a big bully! No wonder your mole is trying to dethrone you. Amelia is kind but that only goes so far. A good leader isn't an asshole. You need to look at yourself in the mirror. Oh wait, I forgot you don't have a reflection. That's probably a good thing because you are as ugly as you are on the inside. Fuck you!" Leaping to my feet, a snarl curled on his lips. Benji grabbed my shoulder, a broken hurt hid underneath the quiet fury in his eyes. Whatever, I don't fucking care. Marching up the stairs, Amelia chased after me with desperation in her eyes.
"He didn't mean it." She cried out passionately, Novi placing me on his back. "I still need you to get the mole. Those guys were just our versions of rogues, and he gets irritated like that sometimes." Her words weren't reaching me, my fists clenching to the point of blood dripping onto the floor. Not this time, I mumbled under my breath. I didn't deserve this fucking level of treatment.
"Save it. He is as rotten as they come." I growled through gritted teeth, my lips pressing into a thin line. "I like you but hate him. I can't stand him. I hate him." The words hurt coming from my mouth, a busted looking Benji staring dejectedly at me. Bowing his head in shame, his claws scratched at the top of his hands. None of the words were going to change my observation. That was until he spoke up.
"I got my behavior from my parents. Well, what I meant to say is that my anger is a response to the way my parents criticized me." He stammered nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. Your words shook me to the core. The truth is no matter how mean I am to you, you are always nice back. Please help me! Help me find the mole!" Wanting to bite his hand off, seeing me as a wolf tearing apart people like it was nothing would be enough to scare anyone. Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, an apologetic smile dimmed my features. So he was simply as human as us, his parents being rotten as mine.
"It must have been scary to see me like that." I chirped cheerfully, my polite smile fooling no one. "I have had it pretty rough for a while. So much has happened. So needless to say, I am a little on edge. Please forgive me for my sudden outburst. It was not warranted. The truth is I would love to have you as a friend. Your walls are just up and a hell of a lot stronger than most people I know. The most guarded are most often the coldest when they want to make friends. It isn't your fault. Most families have a black sheep and you just happen to be it. Is that why you live out here so far away from most of the vampire clan?" Shocked by my words, he froze in place. How could he not see the similarities? The only difference is the fact that my father beat me and treated me no better than a servant.
"Is it that obvious?" He joked lightly, his real smile brightening his face. "I was sent to rule the outback of the vampires' territory because I could never conform to what they wanted. They really could never understand why I would choose to drink only my mate's blood. It is simply more sustainable and safer for us all. Why should we be thieves in the night drinking blood from humans who deserve nothing of that sort?" Chuckling softly to myself, he was a soft teddy bear after all. Second chances were always deserved, although at this point it was more like the millionth chance. Who was counting anyway?
"Well, it takes one to know one." I laughed tiredly, his nerves relaxing. "My family hated me, too. I suppose it was because I looked an awful lot like my father. You would have liked him. He was gentle as a lamb, simply taking care of everybody in his own way. He never wanted me to be alpha because he wanted me to have freedom. On the clearest nights, he would take me to the biggest rock outside of my village. We would spend all night looking at the stars. One time I asked if I should become alpha. He shook his head and told me that I had a mate somewhere else. He wanted me to get out of the hostile environment of my village. Don't tell anybody else this. I want everyone to think that I am stronger than I look or act." Novi kissed the top of my head, his arms guiding me away before Benji could respond. Opening the midnight black door, a Gothic wonderland greeted me. The antique furniture lined the ruby wallpapered wall, the black four post bed sitting in the middle of the room. Going into the bathroom, Novi sat on the toilet to watch me for my safety. Getting into the shower, the black blood muddied the water swirling down the drain. Washing my hair real quick, my legs began to wobble. Shit! It had been too soon. The thick shower curtain opened, Novi stepping in. Curling his arm around my waist, his strength stabilized me. A tender blush rose to my cheeks, his abs pressed against my lower back. My inner wolf begged fro him to touch me, a sensual whine escaped my lips.
"Should I call you Dr. Celly?" He joked tenderly, kissing the nape of my neck. "Even doctors have to take care of themselves. Let me wash you. It would be my pleasure." A tender blush flushed my cheeks, my body trembling in his touch. Unable to speak, he guided a soapy washcloth over me sensually. My thighs rubbed together, catching his hand in between my legs. A short gasp escaped my lips, his fingers dancing up my thighs.
"Stop it!" I moaned softly, twitching with pleasure at his fingers swirling around my swollen clit. A knock on the door interrupted us, Amelia's desperate pleas ruined the moment. Turning off the water, he helped me out. Drying me off, my muscles still remained useless. Pulling on my bra and underwear lustfully, he winked in my direction while pulling a simple gray sweatshirt dress over my head. His handsome face stole my breath away, the water dripping off of his abs forcing me to stare hungrily at him. Did he have to be so sexy right now?
"Dessert later, Celly." He promised warmly, kissing me on the forehead before opening the door. Amelia blushed at the sight of his abs, a cart of files quaking in her shaking hands. Taking a deep breath, her eyes averted towards the floor. Clearing her throat several times, Novi couldn't help but to beam with pride. Rolling my eyes, this was his typical behavior. Could he not be a lovable goofball for one second?
"I have every file of the vampires in the area." She stuttered oddly, waving stiffly at me. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything. See you tomorrow night!" Running off before I could say anything, my shoulders slumped forward. Did my presence throw this many people off? Lost in my own thoughts, the sound of my hair dripping onto my pale lap mixed in with the chaotic anxiety coursing through my mind.
"Must your mind move a mile a minute, Celly." He teased lightly, laying me down on the bed. "I love you so much. Just remember you can talk to me anytime. What are husbands for? Your father was right. I was waiting for you and you were waiting for me. I wish that I could have met him myself. He sounds like a saint." Horror twisted his face at his last word, the hurt still raw in my heart from his loss. Tears welled up in my eyes, my lips kissing his softly. His horror melted away, his hands cupping mine. The desperation in his eyes shattered my heart, the word still stinging in my ears.
"You don't have to worry about it. Time heals all wounds." I whispered brokenly, my lips curling into a broken smile. "He was one of my truest friends and I couldn't save him. I know now that he chose his fate. Nothing could change how it happened. I am so thankful that I gave him a good few weeks. Hell, he even bragged about me to his sister. At least I have her now. My one true hope is to give everyone a chance at a world with the bright sunshine bathes their face. One where we could roam free without a threat constantly behind us. Such dreams are so stu-" Shaking his head, a snarl curled on his lips. Teardrops crashed to my face, his lips beginning to quiver.
"I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Those dreams are wonderful and achievable." He yelled passionately, my real smile lighting up my face. "You look so beautiful when you smile like that." He looked so sexy right now, the mattress creaking as he crashed down next to me. Pulling me onto his chest, his heartbeat sped up with mine. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my eyelids, sweet slumber stealing me away.