Chapter 10

LAINEY I walk around the room, holding my growling stomach and chewing on my fingernail.

I stop at the door and touch it. My fingers sizzle and I rip them away. Wood ash.

It’s the fifth time I touched it. I’m just mentally hoping it’s not real so I remind myself how royally fucked I am.

I don’t know how long I’ve been here. The days meld together.

Hunter comes in when he can and feeds me then locks me back up.

I’m like a pet.

He comes with clothes and cleans me. He talks. A lot. Mostly about his obsession over me. I’m praying that this lock will fade. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

My stomach hurts so bad.

I hear the lock open and I scramble to the bed. I move against the back corner wall. I pull my knees up and hide my nose in my arms. My eyes watch the door open.

I watch as Hunter comes in with a bag. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you? Hungry?” His smile looks normal, but the glaring sickness is still obvious.

I nod. I’ve gotten used to his ritual feedings. I’m not dying in here. If I’m finding my way out, I’m going to need my strength.

He holds up the bag. “Gotcha something.” He bites his lower lip with a grin and sits on the bed. He opens the bag and pulls out a dress. It’s spaghetti strapped, white slip type thing. “I hope you like it. I saw it and just had to see it on you.” He hands it to me. “Try it on.”

I shake my head no.

He smile falters a bit then comes back. “Please?”

I shake my head no again.

I see him struggling. His smile turns down. He closes his eyes and blows out a breath. He opens his eyes again and smiles. “Ok. You’ll wear it when you’re ready.” He wags a finger at me. “But I want to see it. I bought just for you.” He says with a passive aggressive tone.

“Fuck you.” I growl low.

His face drops and he bites the inside of his cheek. He nods. “You’re hungry. I get it.” He rolls up his sleeve without taking his eyes off me. “Come get it, baby.” He smirks.

I look at his outstretched arm.

I scramble across the bed and grab his arm. I drink furiously and he steadies himself on the bed.

“That’s it…good girl.” He pants. His eyes were all over me. I try to ignore his obvious addiction to my feeding. Even though it’s extremely cringe.

His other hand comes up and strokes my hair. “You’re so good, Lainey.” He whispers.

I break from his arm and push it away. I scowl at him and back away.

He reaches into the bag and pulls out a towel. He wipes his arm off. “Come here.” He waves me over.

I shake my head no and he sighs. He scoots close to me and holds my chin in his fingers as he cleans me up. “There all beautiful again.” He grins looking down at me.

Once he’s done, I move back to my spot in the corner. Besides cleaning, he hasn’t touched me in any sexual way, but I’m sure it’ll come soon.

He put the towel back in the bag. “So, I’ve been doing some research. The biggest problem we have is I’m a shifter and you’re a vampire.”

“No. The biggest problem we have is you’re a sick fuck!” I grind.

He laughs and shakes his head as he taps his fingertips together. He sits up and wags his finger at me. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do.” I spit.

He shakes his head again. “No. Lainey, you don’t. Now, come on. I’m trying to tell you something important.” He turns to me and puts his leg up on the bed. He leans on his leg. “So, I’ve been racking my brain. How can I get my beautiful angel to stop fucking around and love me the way she fucking should?” He looks at me and ticks his jaw.

There he is. I was waiting for it.

“Then it dawned on me. We need a cure.” He sits up, smiles and throws his hands out to the side.

I raise my head and stich my brow together. “For what?”

He puts his hand to his chest. “For me.”

I look around quick and look at him. “Hunter. That’s crazy. You can’t cure…you.” I motion my hand at him.

He scoots closer. He’s excited. “Yes, I can. I can, Lainey. There’s a person out there. They have all these…like…weird shitty potions that do all kinds of awesome things. He’s called the Shaman. I started the search.” He grabs my hand. “Lainey. I know he can help us.”

I rip my hand away. “Hunter there is no us! There never will be an us!”

He stares at me. His jaw slack. “There is.” He mumbles. “You just can’t see it because I’m a shifter. I take that away and you love me again.” He nods slowly. “You’ll see. You can make me one of you and we can be together…”

I drop my legs to the side and lean to him. “No! Hunter! Even if I could turn you, I won’t! I don’t love you!”

He looks at me like I just drove a truck over him. It’s not like I haven’t said it before, but the look on his face says he’s just hearing it for the first time.

He looks down and chews on his lip. “You don’t mean that.” He grumbles.

“Yes, I do, Hunter. I promise you. I don’t.” I lean to see his face.

He slowly shakes his head. “No. I won’t believe it.” He stands.

“It’s true, Hunter! Wake up!” I yell.

He raises his eye to me and snarls. He jumps on the bed and holds the back of my head. He points in my face. “Don’t fucking tell me to wake up!” He points to his chest. “I’m awake, Lainey.” He points at me again. “You…You need to fucking stop lying to me. I know you’re lying!” He growls and his eyes flare at me.

I should be scared, but I’m not. I’m angry and I feel his heat. It’s suffocating.

“Let me go.” I say through clenched teeth.

He leans to me. Closing the gap between our noses. “No.” He snarls. “You’re mine.”

My eyes pierce his in a showdown of wills.

I see his eyes flick down and back up. His other hand is shaking as it rises to my cheek. He lightly touches it. I feel the tiny shocks his touch has.

He lets me go and backs off. He sits for a second. He smiles. “I’m sorry. I’m…you’re tired. I’ll let you sleep and we can discuss this at the next feeding Ok?” He taps my leg and gets up.

He points to the dress. “Wear that when I come back. Love you.” He shuts the door and I hear the lock.

I’ve got to get out of here.

I lay down and drift off. Weighing my options at this point. So far, any idea ends up me dying.

I’m stuck.

****

At the next feeding, he again acted like he wasn’t hurting me at all. That all this was in my head.

My eyes follow him as he paces.

“I have a few locations of the Shaman.” He says to himself. His arm is around him and his other hand rubs his bottom lip.

“He’s never been found, but I know, he’s got to be somewhere. I’ve been studying the incidences of his potions and there is a central location in the Netherlands. No incidents have been recorded there. He’s got to be there.” He spins on his toes to me. “What do you think, sweetheart?” He grins.

“I think you’re insane.” I mumble.

He laughs. “You’re so funny.” He sits on the bed. “Ok. So. I think the plan is, I go to the Netherlands and check it out. Once I get the cure, I come back and you turn me.” He smiles.

I tilt my head. “Who’s going to feed me?”

He turns his head straight and looks down. “Shit.”

I look at him and arch a brow.

So far, yelling and fighting my way out hasn’t helped. Maybe a more…reasonable approach will get me away from his crazy ass.

“Look, Hunter. I know you want to do this big sacrifice for me…” I start.

He turns to me and grabs my hands. “I do! I really do! There isn’t anything I won’t do for you. I love you.” His face softens.

I nod. “But, you have to accept there’s some things you can’t change. You can’t be a vamp, Hunter. It’s not who you are.”

“It is, Lainey. It is. I can be a vampire. I can be the best damn vampire out there and I’d be yours. All yours.” His eyes are full of devotion and want.

I take my hands away. I look down at my lap and play with my shorts. “Hunter. Do you know what a lust lock is?”

“Uh…yeah.” He arches a brow. “It’s what vamps do to trap a person and feed off them. Does crazy shit.” He laughs.

I bite my cheek. “It also helps us escape prison.” I look into his eyes.

He looks at me like I was speaking a different language. “You…You think…this is a lust lock?” He laughs. “You put me…in a lust lock.” He points between the two of us.

“Yes…Hunter, I don’t know why it backfired like this, Ok. I’m sorry. I think if you get some help, they can break it…they…” He stands fast.

“NO!...” He paces around. He stops and points at me. “NO, LAINEY! I KNOW WHAT I FEEL! I KNOW! THIS ISN’T YOUR DAMN LOCK!” His voice was deep and dark as he yelled his words. His heart is racing with his breathing.

I put my hand up. “Ok…Ok…Just…Why don’t you let someone else tell you that. Hunter, you need help.”

He rubs his head. He glares at me and leans to me. “No! What I need is for you to fucking listen!” He taps his ear furiously.

“Hunter, you’re not right.” I whisper.

He looks around. He bites his top lip. “You know what? No.” He walks to the door.

“Hunter, stop this!” I get up and walk to his back.

He spins around. He grabs the handle of the door. His face is pained. “I don’t need you or anyone else telling me how to feel, Lainey.” He grits. “And I’ll be damned if I let anyone convince me that I don’t love you. I love you to death, Lainey. No ones changing that.” He slams the door and locks it.

I hold myself. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”