Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 12

12

If I hadn’t left her when I did, I would have taken her right there in front of everyone, regardless of who would have seen. A tinge of guilt settled in my gut as I watched her lower her head in disappointment when I left. I wrestle with a combination of regret and desire to go back to her, to take her away from this party and back to her place where I would devour her. My dick strains against the confines of my jeans as I imagine how she’d taste, how she’d feel wrapped around me.

I’m in the dark corner of the room, watching to ensure her safety once again. A man grabs her wrist, and I can tell by the frustration on her face and in her voice, he isn’t welcome to touch her. He’s tall and slim, on the gangly side. I zone in on their conversation, blurring out the noise from around me.

“What do you want, Parker?” Her voice is harsh.

“Lemme come home with you.” He slurs his words; he’s drunk, and I can tell by the lines on her face this upsets her.

“I already told you; we’re done. You aren’t allowed in my house, in the shop, or around me.”

“Come on, baby,” he purrs, pulling her in closer. She tries to fight against his hold, wincing as he tightens his grip on her wrists.

My blood begins to boil.

“You’re hurting me,” Lillia pleads.

“I wouldn’t haf tuh grab you so tight if you just lemme come home with you.” He’s beginning to sway where he stands, gripping on the bar for support.

“Let’s get you a cab, so that you can go home.” She looks around at the people who stand in the room, I can tell by her frantic glances she’s worried about what will happen next.

“I said no, bitch.”

I fight against the urge to go over there and break his neck, but I have to be smart. He’ll get what's coming to him.

I’ll make sure of it.

“Parker, please,” she begs.

Flora comes stomping into the room and grabs him by his shaggy blonde hair. “What the fuck did I tell you about coming around Lillia?” she demands.

Parker sneers at her. “This doesn't concern you, whore.”

He winces as Flora tightens her grasp on his hair. “That's a terrible word to call a woman, Parks. Let’s take a walk.” She pulls him away from Lillia, looking over her shoulder at her best friend and winking. The relief that washed over Lillia is noticeable as she released the breath she was holding.

I slide out of the door on the side of the house, quickly and in the dark so I easily go unseen, remaining close to the edge of the house as the front entrance enters my line of sight. It only takes a few moments before Lillia’s friend is throwing the man, who Lillia called Parker, out of the door.

“Stay the fuck away from her, Parker or next time you’ll regret it.” She spits on the ground next to where he wobbles. I make a mental note to say my thanks to her for keeping my girl safe when I can’t .

I watch him walk through town, barely in a line and nowhere near straight. He walks a couple streets over to the town's bar and tries to open the door, only to find it’s locked. A lot of the town’s businesses shut down early for the historical societies party, though I’m surprised to find the bar to be one of them.

“Fuuuuck,” he hisses in disappointment but continues down the street.

I fight hard against my natural primal urge to rip his throat out. Not that I wanted to taste his blood, alcoholics tasted absolutely revolting. It was more so the desire to rid Lillia of him. I knew everything I needed to know about him by the way she winced at his touch for me to feel comfortable taking his life.

He stumbles into the alleyway between the bar and the vacant building to its side. His timing couldn't be more perfect. I stay hidden within the shadows, moving quickly through the empty street, the echoes of bottles rolling on the ground following a thud ring in the air. I stand above where he now lays in a pile of trash bags and discarded alcohol bottles. His eyes squint and then widen as he sees me emerge from the shadows.

“Who’re you?” He trips over his words.

“That doesn’t matter,” I say in a low growl.

I let my fangs reveal themselves, only to scare him. He tries to get to his feet but falls back to the ground. Stalking over him, I place my foot on his shaking hand. The one he gripped around Lillia’s wrist only a short time ago. My vision blurs in anger as I vividly recall the way she recoiled, the way she winced. I push down on his hand, feeling the bones snap like twigs beneath my boot.

His sobs quickly turned into a scream. I crouch down to his level, looking into his eyes. They’re lined with tears, an action I lost the ability to do when I was turned. He opens his mouth to scream again, but I cover his cries with my hand.

“You’re not going to do that, Parker.” He whimpers. I can feel the fear radiating from him, the scent of it mixes with the whiskey escaping from his pores.

“Do you understand what you did that angered me?”

He frantically shakes his head; I remove my hand from his mouth.

“Well, you touched my girl without her consent. She winced at your touch. That’s not okay with me.”

“Yo…ur gi…rl?” he stutters, his teeth chattering.

“Yes. My girl.”

“I’m so…rry. It wo…nt hap…pen ag..ai..n.”

“Oh. I know it won’t, I’m making sure of that.” A devious smile plays on my lips. He tries to squirm away from me, but I grab onto the collar of his shirt, pulling him to his feet. My favorite cliffside is close, so we turn to go in that direction. He pleads the entire way there, begging for me to spare him, to forgive him. The entire time telling me how he’ll never go near my girl again.

“Do you even know who I’m talking about?” I ask once we get to the cliff.

“Uhm.” He looks around frantically, trying to recall a name.

“Do you touch many women without their consent, Parker?” I can taste the venom pooling on my tongue. His eyes grow wide.

This fucker.

“Emolyn Cove will be better without you in it, asshole.” I seethe, gripping onto the sides of his jaw. I lift him, dangling him over the edge of the cliffside.

He looks down and strains, his panic filled eyes go back and forth between the raging sea below and me. With one quick and fluid motion, I break his neck. His body goes limp and I drop him into the water below. Remaining there for a moment, I enjoy the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffside. There’s a grain of disappointment in my chest that I didn’t make him suffer longer.

Some time passes before I leave, deciding to go and make sure Lillia gets home safely. It’s well after two and the party should be close to, if not, over. The town is mainly asleep, or at least in their homes. I’d imagine most of the party guests will be nursing a hangover tomorrow.

The lights are off inside and around her cottage, including the porch light. I move to the back door and lightly turn the door handle, which to my surprise isn’t locked. Quietly, I push the door open, just enough for me to slip through the narrow entry. The sounds of sleeping distantly fill the home, both from Lillia and her friend. I creep through the kitchen and living room, down the hallway and into Lillia’s room.

The first night I snuck in here, she laid in thin cotton pajamas covered by only a thin sheeted blanket. Tonight, she is in an old t-shirt, holding her pale colored comforter tightly to her chest. Beneath the thick material she looks so… delicate, fragile. I cross the room and close the space between us, running my fingers over a loose strand of hair before letting it fall gently to the side of her face. I know a monster like me will only ruin her, but I can’t help myself.

I stand at the edge of her bed and listen to the steady beat of her heart and the shallow breaths she takes as she sleeps. An unfamiliar feeling tugs in my chest as I look her over, studying her as if I’ll never see her again.

Her scent is intoxicating and is quickly becoming my favorite smell. What I wouldn’t give to just taste her. Venom quickly floods my tongue and flows into the back of my throat as I imagine her squirm beneath me, only she wouldn’t be feeling any pain.

Only pleasure.

When mixed with sex, feeding can be an experience filled with ecstasy for both the vampire and the mortal. When I used to feed off my lovers, their orgasms reached new heights. If not for my skills, my venom surely helped. It flooded their veins and filled them with a pleasure they had yet to experience.

I never kept a lover for long, though. I’ve never wanted to be a maker and the only way to keep relationships in my world is by finding, or turning, your mate. It was always a challenge for me, to not kill them once the frenzy began. Once their blood touched my lips, I could hardly contain myself.

Lillia’s blood calls to me in a way I haven’t experienced.

Quietly, I cross her room and sit in the armchair in the corner of her room. She stirs slightly, adjusting herself beneath the blankets. My eyes scan her exposed flesh. The moon shines in through her window, reflecting off her porcelain skin. I clench my fist in hopes it would stifle the desire to touch her. Lillia tosses and turns like she’s beginning to wake up. Wanting to remain unseen, I sink deeper into the depths of the shadows.

My movements cease completely.

The scent of her arousal fills the air only seconds before the faint whisper of a moan reverberates off the walls in her room. My eyes fixate on the slight movement beneath her comforter. As if she can sense the desire building in my gut, she throws the blanket off to the side with a frustrated toss. My cock strains against my zipper as I watch her spread herself, her low moans singing to me like a siren’s song.

I fight against the urge to release the growl that builds in my throat as I watch her movements become frenzied. The air in the room thickens with the desperation of her release, while her fingers pump into her glistening center. Every part of me begs to crawl on my hands and knees just to taste her. I want to be the one that causes the sweet whimpers that are escaping from her full lips. Her back arches as she bites her bottom lip to smother the moan that begs to be let out.

Lillia slowly slides her fingers in and out of her center, savoring the last wave of her climax. Her body relaxes and without ever looking toward the corner I’m in, she leaves the room. Second later, I hear the bathroom door close and the water begin to run. As much as I don’t want to, this is the perfect chance for me to leave.

I stand and turn to her desk where I find a stationary and a pencil. Quickly, I write down a quick thought and fold it up. I leave it on her pillow for her to find once she returns from her shower before I sneak through the house and leave from the back door.