Phobia (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (19 page)

“
Because you wanted me to get pregnant.”

“
Yeah, that was me being an idiot—again. Maybe I wouldn’t have said it if I thought you really cared about me.”

“
Steven—” Biting her lip, she closed her eyes. She’d tried to care for him not because she loved him, but because she felt guilty for using him to break up with Bach and more importantly, because of his father’s death.

Two years back, the Family came to Smythe and turned several people into Thayns, among them was his f
ather, Tom Hindle.

She
felt responsible for not warning the town sooner. As a result, Steven’s father lost his mind and eventually dying when the Famila who renewed him died.

“
Focus on being there for Hailey. She’s going to need it and leave me alone,” she told him.

“
Ria—Wisteria, I hate Hailey. Seriously, she was a bitch before she murdered her old man. I’m surprised you and your stepfather brought her back alive.”

“
If Coles killed Hailey, Lexie wouldn’t have come back either.”

Pausing
, he smiled. “So, you do care about me, or at least my family.”

“
I never said I didn’t care. I can’t give you what you want.”

“
Because you’re afraid. I swear this time I’m not going to hurt you.”

“
It’s not about you Steven,” she admitted.

“
Bach’s gone. Let him go and move on.”

“
You don’t understand.”

“
Wisteria, if he cared about you even a little wouldn’t he be back now?”

“
Don’t talk about him.” The last thing she needed was her ex-boyfriend disparaging the one true love of her short life.

“
Unless—he’s dead.”

Angrily,
she pushed him away causing Steven to fall back. “Get lost.”

“
The guy somehow manages to travel through the biters unaffected and proceeds to take you to the United States for a vacation or something. But when you get back, and you’re dying and he doesn’t show? It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that he’s either a douche or dead.”

“
He...” She only wished it were that simple. “Good night, Steven.”

“
Wait.” Pulling her back before she could get away, he drew her to him. “You deserve someone better, someone who can make you happy. With all the hell around us, don’t we both deserve a little pleasure?”

“
There are—” before she could finish, he kissed her. “Are you crazy?”

“
Wisteria stop playing games. You want to be with me. Don’t fight it.”

She jerked her head back.
“What are you—?”

Before she
could finish, he kissed her again, cradling her head between his hands. “You’re beautiful.”

“
Steven, stop. I’m not doing this.” Pushing him off, she stepped back.

“
Hey, calm down. I’ve stopped.” He raised his hands up. “Fine, but I’m still walking you home.”

“
No.” She miss-stepped and fell over. As she scrambled to her feet, someone helped her up. “Let go of me Steven.” But it wasn’t him. “Bach?” Her heart leapt when she saw him, but he seemed odd.

His dark hair was speckled with grey. His eyes were no longer green, but
now were bright yellow with no trace of warmth or kindness. Grimacing down, he wasn’t pleased to see her—almost as if he didn’t recognize her. Fixated on Steven, Bach stepped toward him.

This hadn
’t been the first time he caught Steven and her together, but it was the first time she genuinely felt Steven’s life was in danger. Bach could kill him with absolutely no effort.

“
Bach, I can explain—” She tried to block his way.

“
You’re back?” Steven forced a chuckle as he moved away. “How are you doing man?”

“
You have touched her for the last time.” Shoving Wisteria aside, Bach charged at Steven.

“
Don’t,” she yelled.

Without being told
to leave this time—Steven sprinted down the street.

Bach raced after him, almost catching up with the human
in three paces, but before Bach reached him, someone jumped on him, knocking him down. With his supernatural strength in full force, Bach threw his attacker off and flung him past Wisteria.

While
the unknown man sailed overhead, Wisteria saw it was Jason Webb, Bach’s half-brother.

*****

Bach had come to The Isle of Smythe to retrieve Wisteria, but seeing that human on her again, made him decide to kill this man. He’d gotten rid of the green haired man who’d tried to stop him and now Bach scanned the empty street for Steven Hindle. He spotted the pathetic human scampering over a fence. He was about to race after him, but his feet gave way under him and he fell.

“
You shouldn’t have come back.” Lara Kuti kicked him onto his back as she kept a dart rifle trained on him.

“
Stay out of this human.” He seethed. “Or your blood will be the next I spill.”

“
I’d like to see you try, once I’ve completely saturated you with more bean vine.” Then she opened fire, shooting something painful into his chest.

“
Mum, stop, you’re killing him.” Wisteria ran up to the woman.

“
That is the point,” Lara replied.

“
You cannot hurt me human.” Sitting up, he pulled out the darts.

“
I’ll keep him down,” Jason raced up pointing a dart gun at Bach. “Lara, get her as far away as you can.” He fired at Bach a couple times in the chest. “Hi, little brother, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

“
Mongrel, you were the traitor who refused to help our mother.” Bach seethed.

“
Because she’s insane and FYI…my name’s Jason. I was fortunate to learn the techniques the Red Phoenix use to resist the renewal.” Kneeling over Bach, he shot him again.

“
D’cara
,” Bach grunted.

“
Why did you come here? Doesn’t our mother have it all in hand?”

“
I don’t answer to you or—”

“
You’re after Wisteria?”

“
You aren’t as dumb as I thought.”

“
Then why didn’t you take her when you saw her. Instead, you chased Steven—a rival. You’d have killed that kid if I hadn’t stopped you.”

“
That was the point.”

“
The darkness inside you will eventually lead you to hurt her.”

“
I will take care of what is mine,”
the darkness inside Bach responded.

“
She’s not property. Dude, you’re totally out of control when it comes to her.” Jason looked around and grimaced at Bach. “I sense you brought biters to Smythe.”

“
On the way in, I broke through the two gates and summoned a few hundred.”

“
Why do this? Why not simply take her? She’ll hate you if you let anyone get hurt.”

“
What she wants is as unimportant as what you think.”

“
We’re going to help you.” Taking out a cloth, Jason placed it over Bach’s nose and mouth and clamped down. “First, this should help you sleep. Even as a Dy’obeth you’re useless against bean vine.”

“
You cannot—” Bach struggled to speak as Jason suffocated him with the cloth. “You—”

“
Enough, Mongrel.” Didan stepped up behind Jason and pulsed him.

Another Empiric, Mina emerged and pulsed Jason repeatedly.
She’d also been among the empirics that had come to Smythe years before. Unlike Didan, she’d been turned into a Drone by Beraz to ensure her loyalty.

A third empiric
entered the attack and they eradiated Jason with their blue light until he was bleeding from is his ears and nose.

“
Stop, we didn’t come here for this.” Bach signaled as he struggled to rise.

The empirics ceased
.

Exhausted, Jason collapsed.
“Didan, why am I not surprised to see you here—serving the Dy’obeths and you’re not even a Drone. You were always an optimistic weasel.”

“
I do what is right for the Family and eradicating the Terran
jaga
is best for us.” Didan advanced toward Jason. “Should I kill him?” He punched the weakened Jason in the face repeatedly.

“
Bach, you let the biters in because you didn’t want your friends to see you came here for her,” Jason guessed. “There’d be no way the Dy’obeths would let you get away with bringing in a hum—”

“
Didan, shut him up,” Bach ordered.

“
A human?” Didan turned to Bach with a slight smug. “So, this
is
about your Terran
jaga
.”

“
What do you think High Father will—” Jason seethed.

“
I said shut him up,” Bach yelled.

Leering, Didan folded his arm
s. “We can always bring him back alive to High Father and decide what is a lie.”

Immediately, Mina
moved forward and stabbed Jason in the chest. “Is this to your satisfaction Eminent, or do you want me to kill him?”

Not answering her, Bach
staggered toward Didan. “You didn’t do what I ordered. Why?”

Pausing as if to think of
an answer, Didan shrugged. “I was confused Eminent.”

“
You still consider me the teenager you almost murdered,” Bach seethed. If he’d been stronger, he’d pummel Didan into the concrete.

“
You seemed unsure of what you wanted, so I was uncertain whether or not—” Didan said.

“
No, you were not.”

“
A Dy’obeth gives a command you obey.” Using the knife she’d used on Jason Mina thrust it through his neck. “Eminent, unless you desire his regeneration, he will die here with the Rats.”

“
Let him rot.” Bach exhaled, pulling out the last of Jason’s darts. He moved in the direction of Wisteria.

*****

Wisteria and her mother landed over the fence that now brought them to the empty Lawrence Street, three streets away from where she’d seen Bach.

A foul
odor filled the air.

“
Ah—Hell,” Lara let out as three biters staggered toward them. “He brought the infected in here.”

“
We need to sound the alarm and make sure everyone gets into lockdown.” Wisteria turned toward the courthouse where there’d be a siren.

“
You need to get as far away from Smythe as you can.” Her mother held her back. “Go to the rear gates and get to the boats.” She offered her the rifle.

“
No, the island’s most important. From where we are, the courthouse will be the nearest place to sound the alarm. It’ll take me five minutes to—”

“
We don’t have five minutes.” Lara gestured at eight or nine more biters shuffling toward them.

“
Wisteria, what’s going on?” Garfield sprinted toward them.

“
Was that Bach? What was he doing?” Amanda trailed behind him. When she reached Wisteria, she hugged her. “Are you okay?”

“
Yeah,” Wisteria replied. “What are you two doing out?”

“
We followed you,” he admitted. “We were worried when we saw Bach.”

“
He tried to kill Steven.” Amanda shook her head. “He looked crazy.”

“
Plus the biters?” Pulling out his crossbow, he fired at the nearest flesh eater. “He must’ve brought them.”

“
We’re sure about that?” Amanda inquired.

“
What are the odds they show up moments after he does?” Wisteria finally admitted as she ran toward the courthouse. “I need to sound the alarm. Once that’s done I’ll find a way to help him.”

“
No.” Again, her mother pulled her back. “Get to the rear gates and leave. You saw his eyes. He’s a Dy’obeth. The boy you remembered is gone.”

“
Why did he go after Steven? Bach never liked him—that’s not changed,” Amanda noted.

“
Fleshers.” Wisteria pointed as twenty or thirty more biters shuffling toward them from the direction of the rear gates. “Run, run!” She bolted through an alley.

The group
fled through the streets now filling up with biters.