Chapter Eighteen - Part Three

“Are you serious?” I said with a smirk, and taking a seat beside him. “You don’t think of yourself as the ‘bad-boy type’? Hmm, let’s review. You snuck onto my property and went swimming in my pool the first day we met, you tricked me into making you my Champion, and let’s not forget how you helped me break into a morgue. Shall I continue?”

“Hey, I do what I have to to protect my investments, there’s a difference.” Ethan insisted.

“Oh of course.” I said, noticing that he still hadn’t picked up his drink.

It was time to shift the gears of this conversation.

“So, I noticed your dad wasn’t there last night at the gala. You seemed kind of upset about that. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to ask you about it earlier.”

“It’s ok,” Ethan said, hesitating for a moment before finally reaching for his drink. He took the first sip gingerly, but that was followed by a strong second taste. “He doesn’t usually come to town functions anymore – not the ones Kimber’s in charge of anyway. Besides, anything to do with the Fairway isn’t much his scene.”

“That’s understandable,” I said. “Paris wasn’t there either, and honestly I’m kind of glad she wasn’t. Growing up, I always had these visions in my head of what I expected her to be, but I’ve finally realized that she’s none of those – and probably never was.”

Ethan bit his lip and looked down at the floor. He was feeling a twinge from some deep, hidden place of sadness. And I regretted taking him there, truly I did.

“I mean, that’s pretty dysfunctional, right? A mother suing her daughter?”

Ethan took another, deeper draft of his whiskey.

“Not as dysfunctional as having a step-mother who slept with her step-son before coming on to his brother…”

I stared at Ethan with widened, unbelieving eyes.

“Are you serious?” I said.

“I wasn’t talking about me, I meant my brother.” he clarified. “Kimber slept with Eric. It was a couple of months ago. I mean, he’s nineteen now, and he can make his own dumb choices, but she still took advantage of him. Like I said, that’s pretty dysfunctional, right?”

“Well, my own mother probably murdered my father,” I said quietly, picking up my glass again. “I think I win.”

There was an awkward pause. I cleared my throat and stared down into my drink, momentarily absorbed by other thoughts, while Ethan stared broodingly off to the side.

“So,” I said, regaining my train of thought. “Have you told your dad? About Kimber and Eric?”

Ethan shook his head, drained the glass and set it back down, folding his fingers together and placing them behind his head as he leaned back on the couch.

“Why would I? His own son sleeping with his wife? That would kill him. Besides, I couldn’t tell him even if I wanted. I’ve never told anyone this, but after my dad married Kimber, we went broke for a while. And Kimber was pissed – I mean really angry. That gold-digging slut wanted to divorce him, but they worked out an arrangement. She would stay with him and support him with her money, if he stayed on the Leadership and got rid of the pre-nup. So he did. If I told him about Eric, it would just ruin our family’s reputation. He would divorce Kimber and then she would take half of everything he has. Besides, he cheats on her all the time too. So what difference would the truth make to either of them?”

“I’m sorry.” I said quietly. “That must be hard for you.”

Ethan shrugged.

“Life’s tough for everyone, right? I’m not special. But my dad managed to bounce back from his financial slump not long after that. And we’re fine now…”

“So what was he spending the money on? Did you ever find out?”

Ethan shrugged and then shook his head.

“I don’t know. Women, cars, booze – take your pick. All I know is that he got himself into a lot of debt and then somehow found a way to get himself out of the hole.”

Ethan may not have known, but I had a pretty good guess of what had happened. Mathew had gained access to the Leadership’s bank accounts and had begun setting aside small chunks of revenue for himself a little at a time. My only question now, was whether or not Charles new. But regardless, with the evidence that Eve had provided, I still had the upper hand and Charles’s allegiance would soon be tested.

So which would he choose – his fidelity to the town and the men and women who served beneath him, or his own traitorous hide?

But I had a strong feeling that I already knew the answer.

*  *  *

Ethan was already beginning to yawn and rub his eyes ten minutes after we had begun this conversation. I stood up at one point to set our empty glasses back on the trolley, and when I turned around his eyes were already beginning to flutter, and he was drowsy.

“Maybe you should lie down, Ethan.” I said encouragingly, watching as he fought the sleep that tugged at his eyelids and forced him to continue yawning.

“I don’t… know why… I’m so… tired…” he said, fighting and failing valiantly. And a few minutes later, after his head lolled to the side, he promptly began to snore and I was in the clear.

With a sigh of fondness, I took the remote from his hand and set it down on the table.

“I’m really sorry, Ethan.” I said to his sleeping figure. “You deserve so much better than me.”

As I was straightening, I heard the faint ringing of the doorbell, and knew it to be Addy with Collin. So quickly I kissed my Champion’s cheek before retreating from the room to meet my friends, who were waiting for me in the foyer with Mrs. Trentley.

“Addy, Collin,” I said with a polite nod and a smile.

“Naomi, your house – it’s amazing.” Collin said, looking around him in wonder. “I’ve never been in a real mansion before.”

“Please, make yourself at home.” I replied graciously, as Addy beamed.

“So, Naomi, I told Collin about how you said for us to just ignore the dehydrated bum that’s crashed out in the living room.” Addy said. “He’s recuperating from a hangover. Apparently he got super smashed after we dropped him off at home last night.”

Mrs. Trentley shot me a furious look, which I firmly ignored.

“Oh my gosh, yes?!” I agreed. “And thank you guys so much for babysitting him. You know, he blacked out last night and hit his head, so I took him to the ER and they said I should monitor him for, like, twelve to forty-eight hours and just, every so often, stare at him as he sleeps…” I trailed off at the sound of Mrs. Trentley’s sudden outburst of coughing.

“But he’s a fighter, so I just know he’s gonna make it,” I said, looking deep into Collin’s eyes. He was frowning, but I could tell he was amused.

“And I thought I was the funny one,” he said with an easy grin.

“Oh she’s quite the charmer,” Mrs. Trentley said, and extended her arm in invitation. “C’mon, I’ll be showing you to the living room. I’ve got supper going but the snacks are ready – you two simply reek of cannabis.”

And the three youngsters in the room laughed merrily at this. I waved good-bye as Mrs. Trentley led them away, turning my attention to the front door and my car at the curb outside. But as I was stepping onto the small porch, a strange and foreign scent approached on the wind. I paused and sniffed the air a few times, catching the scent directly – expensive perfume and cigarettes. But this wasn’t from Addy or Collin. No, someone else was near now.

With narrowed eyes, I stepped completely free of the porch, glancing from side to side. But there was nothing but the usual, clear grey of the Harbor sky, and the dark green of the lawn. The trees that dotted the property shook limbs that were already going naked for winter. I took a few more steps and ended up on the sidewalk, still only a short distance from the manor. A strong breeze swept through the air and upset the gate at the bottom of the drive, but for the most part it remained undisturbed. But I still had the feeling that someone had got passed the gate.

“You should go ahead and come out.” I called, eyes scanning the empty street. “I know you’re out here…”

“Aw, what a shame.” a woman’s voice said in a scornful drawl. Immediately, I whirled around to see a young woman before me – probably late twenties – with a smug look on her cold face, as if she had been standing there forever just waiting for me to notice. “I was hoping to surprise you…”

She was only an inch or so taller than myself, with dirty blonde hair cut into an asymmetrical bob, the longest tips of which grazed her shoulders. Currently, she was regarding me with a disdainful, almost bored expression. Her eyes were a light brown in color and she had a sprinkling of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. She stood regally in a leather jacket with tight jeans, black heels and a red, silk, tank top with a deeply cut neckline.

“Who are you?” I said, with a sigh.

“I work for the Hunter, Marcus. You met him last night? Him and his daughter, Sydney, and his nephew, Jake?”

“Yeah, I know who they are…” I said, noting the rude, disrespectful manner in which she rolled her eyes. “But why are you here?”

“Well, sunshine, as much as I’d rather be out screwing my dinner, I’m stuck checking in on you. I’m your contact to Marcus now. You find out anything you report it directly to me, understand?”

“The only people that I report directly to are my fellow Leadership members.” I replied coldly. “But when I have information, trust me, you’ll get it.”

“You know, I have to say, I thought I’d be so much more impressed.” The girl said, sizing me up with the kind of hunger that a predator associates with its prey. “But here you are, standing before me, and I feel… nothing.”

“Sorry to disappoint you?” I said with a shrug that was uncaring. But on the inside, my very guts were vibrating with anger.

“It’s no fault of yours. I just figured that a girl like you would be more imposing. After all you, you’re only eighteen and already a Leadership member. And not to mention you’ve been parading around town with a Raines on your arm while keeping a Romaine in your bed. But it turns out, you’re not really intimidating. You’re just a slut.”

The girl laughed and I saw red.

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, she stopped laughing and crossed several feet’s worth of distance in mere seconds. I had known from the start that she was Supernatural, but now she had finally exposed herself as a Vampire.

“You know what?” I said, looking into a pair of malevolent eyes that were only a few inches from mine. “Something tells me we’re not gonna be friends.”

“I don’t usually befriend whores anyway. Not good for the reputation, ya know?” she said this with nasty sweetness, sidestepping me and cuffing my shoulder viciously as she went.

But by this time, I wasn’t willing to be insulted any longer. With a grunt of anger I reached out and grabbed her by the back of the head, pulling her backwards. As she stumbled, I dealt her a closed fist to the side of her face and she was sent reeling, but not quite falling. She straightened after a moment, holding a hand to the side of her face, and I noticed with satisfaction that her mouth bled ichor in the corner.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t have done that…” The stranger said, sprouting fangs.

She was on me in an instant, with widened, murderous eyes and a growl. I felt her nails dig painfully into my arms and reacted by purposefully falling, tossing her across my hip as I went. We both rolled, tumbling into the grass, but she was up seconds before me, taking a running leap and barreling into me again. And once more I was crashing backwards, but this time experiencing a painful, jarring impact as I alone hit the ground. Arrogantly, she stalked towards me again as I took a moment to catch my breath.

I grit my teeth against the sudden painful throb in my shoulder, remembering the feeling of landing on a large rock. But I didn’t have much time to consider the pain before I was being lifted, forcefully onto my feet. The girl had a powerful, tight grip around my throat as she lifted me with a single hand into the air. My toes were brushing the grass as I tried to pry the fingers from a vice-like grip, beginning to choke and splutter.

“Give it up,” she said with an evil smile, dragging me closer to her, until the tips of our noses could almost touch. “I’m stronger than you.”

“Yeah?” I croaked. “Well – I’m more hard-headed.”

I threw my head back and then smashed it into hers as hard as I could manage. She dropped me with a scream, stumbling backwards as black blood began to flow from a horribly crooked nose. Still breathing heavily, I kicked out with my left foot and caught her square in the stomach, causing her to fly backwards and slam into the manor. With her legs twisted in the branches of a rosebush, she fell squarely into its reach, sinking deep within its thorny depths. She began to scream louder then, and thrashed wildly, propelling herself forward as hissing sounds erupted. And thin tendrils of smoke began to billow and curl, rising upwards from the exposed parts of her bare skin.

All about her arms, shoulders, and neck were charred imprints of different parts of the rosebushes where they had touched her skin. It seemed as if they had burned her on impact, leaving blackened, disturbing outlines of rose petals, stems, and patterns of thorns on her flesh.

“This. Isn’t. Over.” she said in a thick voice that was turned nasally from a broken nose.

“Oh, I hope not,” I said, watching as she transformed into a speeding blur that was down the lawn and up the street in seconds.

*  *  *