In the Dark by Lila Rose (7 page)

The next I knew, I was being held by my throat up against the wall.

Panic flared as my breath left my body. My wide eyes settled on the older man who'd grabbed me. He had short, red hair, freckles that consumed his face and light brown eyes.

"Who do we have here?" he asked with a deep gravel voice. He repositioned his hands, moving one forearm against my upper chest so I could breathe. I gasped in lungfuls of air while his other arm pushed my stomach to hold me firmly against the wall.

"Leave her alone," Isaac snarled and struggled against his restraints. A stronger scent of burning flesh filled the room.

Jezanna cried out for him to stop, which calmed him enough for me to hear, "You fool, you shouldn't have come." Jeremiah coughed and spat blood to the side.

"An interest of yours, Isaac?" Freckles asked. "I can see why. What strange eyes. What are you doing here?"

Settling my nerves, I calmly replied, "Just came for a visit."

"Well, sweetness, you came on the wrong day. Lenny," he bellowed.

"Yes, sir?" said the giant coming through the door, which joined onto another hallway. Lenny had to crouch to fit through or he would have hit his bald head. He was the biggest man I had ever seen.

"Finish what you started. I'm sure this pretty thing would love to watch." He took a small step to the left. Still, he had me pinned.

Lenny the giant, walked over to Jeremiah and pulled something from under the table, my eyes widened when I realised what it was.

A long carving knife.

"No," Freckles barked. "Do Isaac, this one feels more for him and I want to hear her scream."

Lenny stepped around Jeremiah to Isaac. He made a show of licking the blood off the knife while he watched me with his dark piercing eyes. I looked on. Shock and fear coiled in my stomach as he slowly placed the knife on the left side of Isaac's stomach—the closest side to me.

"I'm sorry, Leila," Isaac uttered. My eyes found his as Lenny's cut went deep and slow, straight across Isaac's stomach. Isaac's only sign of pain was when he tugged at his restraints. I wanted to cry, to scream, but didn't. I wouldn't let the monsters have satisfaction from it.

I kept my gaze on Isaac, as his own was on me. Lenny brought the knife up a little higher, near Isaac's chest, and started again. Isaac opened his mouth in a silent protest. It opened enough for me to witness Isaac's canine teeth slide down to a point at the end.

Vampire.

"You didn't know." Freckles laughed. "Oh, how dear. Yes, sweetness, I can see it in your eyes the shock. What I don't understand is why you aren't screaming."

Lenny stopped to watch the conversation. He was grinning a toothless grin. I wanted to wipe his smile right off his face.

Maybe I should have been shocked, scared or repulsed with finding out what Isaac was.

But I wasn't. It didn't matter what he was.

Really, I felt at peace with it. I wasn't the only one out there in the world who was different. And that alone brought a smile to my face.

Faking a yawn, I said, "This doesn't interest me." My eyes went to my captor. "Why aren't you doing anything, Freckles? I see Lenny has blood all over him, but you're all clean. Oh, wait, I get it. You don't like to get your hands dirty."

"What the hell are you doing?" Jeremiah yelled.

Freckles ignore Jeremiah and answered, "No, that's not it. I like other things. But what I don't like is to see a human speak to me as such." He pulled me towards him and then thrust me back against the wall, knocking the wind out of me.

That's going to leave a bruise.

"Seriously, that's all you got?" I rasped.
God, I hope this works.

"Leila, say no more," Isaac warned.

"No," Freckles said through clenched teeth—fangs. "To answer your question, it's not all I've got. But I'm not going to show you, my dear. Lenny, come here."

Freckles got Lenny to place his hands on me where he'd had them.

I smiled wider. It was exactly what I wanted. I had a feeling Freckles was the strongest out of the two, so Lenny would be an easier target.

Jeremiah and Isaac could put up with being hurt a little longer while I was busy. What I didn't expect was Freckles to bypass both guys and walk to their sister. She started whimpering as he used his left hand to run his fingers from her foot all the way up to her hair.

"Now, I will show you what I've got… what I enjoy." He bent and kissed her on the forehead.

Fuck. What did I do?

"I will kill you myself for doing this, Leila," Jeremiah screamed. Isaac hissed at him. Jeremiah continued ranting, only his rage was addressed at Freckles. "Fucking leave Jezanna alone. She's done nothing but what we've asked."

"Hey, Freckles," I called. "Why don't you leave the girl alone? I'll do whatever you want."

"No," Isaac growled low. "You will leave them both alone. You only came here to end my life, so do it."

"So many decisions." He smiled. "I thank you, sweetness, for the offer, but I prefer them younger." Freckles chuckled while he patted Jezanna's hair.

"Sorry, Freckles." I sighed. "But I can't let that happen."

"Boss, I think she's doin' something." Lenny gasped.

All eyes turned to me.

Indeed, I was doing something. I dropped all of the barriers around my mind.

Now, they can sense what I am.

"Impossible. There are none left." Freckles choked.

Well, I guess that answered one question I'd had for many years. I was the last of my kind.

Without hesitation or thought of how much it was going to hurt, especially from doing it so fast, I changed.

Lenny was good enough to hold me upright, as my body spasmed and shook, then my hands and feet turned into paws.

Goddamn it.

Pain engulfed me as
my head grew, my features changed, my teeth lengthened and fur popped out of nowhere.

That one still amazed me.

My clothes fell from my body, having been torn and stretched, unable to stay together as my body grew.

Lenny let out a strangled sound once he realised he no longer held a girl, but a large cat.

Before he reacted, I pounced.

My strong jaw reached around his neck and my teeth sank in with ease as I ripped half his neck away. He fell to the floor screaming—well, he would have if it weren't for the missing voice box I spat out next to me on the floor.

Looking up to Freckles, I pushed with all my might from Lenny's convulsing form and jumped onto Isaac's table.

I was a little appalled at myself, at the calm easing through me, especially considering I'd taken a chunk out of someone's throat. However, with a mixture of adrenalin and survival instincts, not only for myself, but Isaac and his family, nothing else mattered. I knew if I didn't do anything, we'd all be killed, and I wanted to live. I cared for Isaac and there was no way anyone was taking him away from me. It was not happening.

Mine.

Standing on top of Isaac's table, I swished my tail from side to side while I watched Freckles's shocked face.

The feline part of me thought it was fun and wanted to play more with her prey.

Succumbing to instinct, I climbed across to Jeremiah, causing Freckles to back up away from Jezanna. I pounced again and landed on top of him, sending his body to the ground. I thought vampires were supposed to be strong?

Was he in shock?

My teeth sank into Freckles neck. He screamed. Turning with his flesh in my mouth towards the door, it crashed open to reveal Caelen. My heart lurched with relief. I had sensed something was coming, and knowing he was on our side calmed me a little.

"Caelen, help her," Isaac ordered.

"Help who, lad?" He looked around, confused.

"Leila."

"Bloody hell, mate, don't tell me that huge cat is tiny Leila?"

Dropping the vampire's neck, I stumbled to the side a little.
Shit.
His blood seemed toxic to me, enough to disorientate me.

"Caelen," Isaac yelled.

Something was happening. I knew I didn't have much strength left, and what I was about to do would drain me even more. Still, I had to. I reached my mind out to Caelen's and with a small battle, I squeezed my way in to his to make the connection I needed
.
Caelen don't. I'm fine. Untie them.

"Righto, woman." He stalked over to Isaac first and started on his chains by covering his hands with the clothes that had fallen from my body to prevent the silver from burning and weakening him, as they had the others.

"What the hell are you doing? Help her," Isaac snarled.

"Sorry, mate, she told me to untie you lot first."

Stumbling back to Freckles, I felt him move. Too disorientated to stop him, he raised a knife and plunged it into my ribs. A howl escaped me.

I swiped at his face with my paw. I was growing too weak from his blood and the power I expended to connect with Caelen. I swiped again, but failed. He pushed me away and stood, smiling. Blood still poured from his neck wound, only he seemed to be healing quickly. He went to grab the knife back out when a roar filled the room and a flash crossed my path, knocking Freckles at least three feet away. Blinking rapidly, I saw Isaac rise from his tackle, arms out ready for an attack.

I heard a sickening snap behind me and knew Lenny's life had just ended.

A whimper fell from my mouth. My stomach was ready to revolt.

Isaac's gaze glanced off me before he ordered in a growl, "Jeremiah, Caelen, deal with him and any others they brought."

"Already taken down the ones outside," Caelen said.

Shit, how did I not see them or even sense there were more of them? I wanted to make a telepathic connection with Isaac, but there was no chance of it. My powers were diminishing.

Caelen, is Jezanna okay?

He paused and knelt beside me. I hadn't realised I was lying down.

"She's fine, love." He ran his hand over my head.

There was a noise beside me. With my mind fuzzy, I found it hard to stay awake.
Hey, Caelen, Isaac saved me by jumping Freckles, didn't he?

"Yes, love." He smiled down at me as the others talked around us, only I couldn't comprehend what was being said.

Hey, Caelen. Isaac's my hero and he's hot.

He let out a bark of laughter.

Darkness swirled before me.
Caelen, I don't feel too good.

"Isaac, she's about to pass out," Caelen informed.

As I was being lifted from the ground, blackness swept over me.

* * * *

Sometime later, I woke, still in my cat form. I only noticed when I went to wipe at my face and I got a full view of my paw. It took me a second to remember where I was and what had happened. I tried to move, to get up and find Isaac. All I managed was to lift my head. Weakness consumed me, nausea a close second. Placing my head back down, it landed on something firm, but soft.

"Shh, it's all right. You're all right. I won't hurt you," the person comforted me, patting my fur on the top of my head. She smelled of female. Her voice was a soft melodic tone, and slightly similar to Isaac's. My cushion was Jezanna's legs.

I wanted to ask questions and study the dark room I was in, but I felt too faint.

My black eyes would have helped me see in the dark if I weren't dizzy. Even in my human form, I could see better than most. What made it possible was because of the one eye that stayed black, which was the only visible part of my cat form showing while I was human. When I was a feline, both of my irises turned black, the green bleeding into the white area leaving no white behind.

"Isaac will be in soon. He's just finishing the clean-up with Jeremiah and Caelen." I heard the admirable tone she used when she said Caelen's name. Someone had a crush. "Your knife wound has already closed, but I'm sure you'll still feel a twinge from it. Thank you for coming to us. If… if you hadn't, we would be dead." Her voice broke at the end. I rubbed my head against her legs, reassuring her she was okay. I started to purr and eventually her sobs subsided.

She rubbed her head against mine. "Hush now, we have to be quiet if we want to listen in." I broke off midpurr and listened carefully to the voices that were coming our way.

"Caelen, tell me how Leila managed to be here?" Isaac asked. His voice was loud enough to have been in the next room. They probably thought I was still unconscious. Even if my body wanted to do just that, I refused it.

"As I said before, lad, she came into Boozers to find Hardy. She wanted to ask him for your address. Knew your papa and he are friends, but he wasn't there. So I was kind enough to give her a ride. Not realising just what predicament I was driving her into. Then you sensed I was here and told me to leave. I went to, but the woman kicked me in the gonads and ran off."

"And then what did you do?" Jeremiah barked.

"Ah, come on, mate, you already know. I took off, but my silly conscience made me come back. I hated the thought of leaving her to walk in and be slaughtered. Besides, I knew Isaac would have killed me if I didn't come back."

"Yes, I would have," Isaac said simply, which made me think he was actually stating a fact. "Especially if Leila had been killed. It was bad enough she had a reaction to Mervin's blood."

"He must be one of those few who can turn his blood to poison if attacked," Caelen said.

"Yes, must be," Isaac replied, though he seemed distracted with other thoughts. "The real question is, why would Leila come here today of all days?"

"I can find out," Jeremiah offered. Somehow, I knew he was smiling with glee when he said that.

A growl sounded, before Isaac ordered, "You'll do nothing of the sort. I know your type of questioning, brother. What I don't understand, when we already know none of us can read her, was how you, Caelen, were able to speak with her while she was in her feline form?"

"It was all her, mate. Even with all my walls, she was still able to penetrate through them and get across what she wanted to say."

"And what was that?" Isaac asked with suspicion in his tone.