Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (9 page)

Sera laughed softly as she moved forward, a little thrill of excitement flowed through her. She loved haunted houses. “Come.” The man with the knife gestured them closer to the sink. They crowded around the sink to stare down at a bloody, decapitated head. “This was my brother. He stole my girlfriend, now I need a new one. What about you sweetie?” he asked Kathleen.

“I love a man who knows how to protect himself,” Kathleen replied laughingly.

“Oh baby!”

They all jumped in surprise as the head in the sink uttered the words and opened its eyes to look at them. A few of the girls screamed and jumped back, and then everybody began to laugh nervously. “I need a girlfriend too,” the head cried.

A shrill scream filled the air as a figure dressed in white came rushing at them. Sera yelped in surprise and stumbled into Danielle. “They’re mine!” she screamed as she charged at them. “You can’t have them!”

One of the men broke out laughing, and the terror quickly fled Sera’s body. “Come now!” Jack cried. “We must leave this room if we all want to survive.”

“This is awesome!” Kathleen enthused.

They moved through a pitch black hall, bouncing against the walls as they felt their way along. Spider webs brushed annoyingly against her face, sending chills down her spine. The walls suddenly turned to mush, and Sera jerked her hand away as her fingers were enveloped in gunk.

“Uggh,” Danielle cried. “What the hell is this?”

“Brains,” Jack replied. “Of those who didn’t make it through.”

“Well, it had better not stain!” Michelle yelled from the back.

“Bitch,” Jack muttered.

“You can say that again,” Kathleen announced loudly.

Jack laughed as Sera grinned. Suddenly she bumped into something solid. “Sorry,” she apologized, realizing that it was a body.

Light suddenly flooded the room. Sera yelled and jumped backward. The body was hanging from the ceiling staring down at her. “Help me,” it cried, reaching out to her.

“Shit!” she gasped, her hand flying to her chest as Michelle laughed shrilly.

“Scared?” she taunted.

“Help me,” it called again as she brushed past it, and back into the dark.

“We are about to enter the basement of torture,” Jack announced.

A light flickered on. Sera eyed the rickety stairs before her, wondering if they would support her weight, and the others. She swallowed heavily as she followed Jack down the narrow stairwell. An eerie feeling began to envelope her as the stairs rocked slightly but held firm beneath them. The group followed behind her until they were all standing at the bottom. The only source of light was the bulb from above, and it was impossible to see anything beyond the ten foot beam.

The light above went out and they were plunged into complete blackness. Sera felt a chill go through her as Kathleen grabbed her arm. “I don’t like this,” Kathleen whispered.

Sera had to admit that she didn’t like it either. She wondered briefly where Liam was in this blackness, and wished that he were there with her. Something brushed against her arm and she jumped back, stifling the scream that rose in her throat. Kathleen suddenly jumped, and gripped her arm tighter.

“What the hell?” someone asked from the back.

“Something touched me!”

A large, hairy hand grabbed Sera’s arm and she screamed at the same time that a few other people did. A dim light suddenly came on. There was absolutely nothing around them. No hint of movement, and no place for anyone to hide. A shiver wracked through her as she bit down on her bottom lip.

“Can we go to the party now?” a girl in the back asked nervously.

“Only the survivors will party,” Jack taunted. “The dead will be dinner.”

“Great,” Kathleen mumbled, releasing Sera’s arm.

They followed Jack into a dimly lit side room. In the middle of the room stood a man wearing surgical scrubs. A woman was lying on a medical table with blood pooling around her. The doctor looked up and pulled his mask down as he smiled at them. His teeth were gaping holes.

“Oh, more victims. I need practice!”

The young woman sat up. Blood flowed from her mouth and her teeth hung grotesquely out. “Help,” she begged, reaching out to them. “Make him stop!”

The dentist came closer to them, a set of pliers in his hand. “I need more teeth for my collection!”

He held up a jar full of white teeth and waved it in front of them. “What about you?” he asked a girl dressed as red riding hood.

“How about you goldie?” he asked Michelle. She laughed at him as he stopped in front of her. “Yes, you’ll do,” he grinned.

The lights went out and screams issued from everywhere. When the lights came back on, Michelle was pressed against the back wall, the dentist standing before her, laughing. “Let’s go,” Jack said, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.

The lights went back out and Sera started to move cautiously forward. The wall suddenly gave out and her hand fumbled into nothingness. Someone grabbed hold of it, pulling her to the side. She opened her mouth to scream, when a hand wrapped around it, effectively cutting her off. She gasped in panic, her heart hammered, and her chest heaved as she struggled in the fierce grip.

“Shh, it’s me,” Liam whispered in her ear.

She slumped against him in relief as the panic fled. She turned toward him, but she could see nothing in the dark. “You scared the hell out of me!” she hissed.

There was a soft clicking sound and then a small light lit the alcove they were standing in. He lifted the tiny flashlight to look down at her. Sera smiled as she saw the Dracula costume he was wearing. The white shirt clung to his solid chest, and broad shoulders. The tight black pants fit snugly against his solid thighs. The large bulge in his pants was obvious, and she had to tear her gaze away from it as heat washed through her face. Her gaze shot back to his twinkling green eyes as he smiled knowingly at her and propped his hand on the wall beside her head. His face was painted white and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, but all the makeup in the world couldn’t cover his elegant good looks, or his overpowering sensuality.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered, gently stroking her cheek.

“I bet you say that to all your victims.” She teased as she pressed her body tightly against his.

“Only the ones I want to eat,” he replied, kissing her softly.

“Are you a tour guide?”

“I’m done with the tours, now I want to eat.”

“I’m sweet,” she whispered huskily.

“I know you are.”

She fell into his warm embrace as his hands began to wander over her body and he kissed her leisurely. She tingled and burned wherever he touched as her hands stroked slowly up and down his hard back. She was just beginning to lose herself when the noise of the next group coming through reached her.

She started to laugh as she pulled slowly away from him. Screams echoed through the air and people began to laugh. He cradled the back of her head and kissed her again, his tongue delving deeply into her mouth as he gently pushed her against the wall. His hands skimmed down to cup her breast. Her nipples hardened as a small gasp of pleasure escaped her and her hands dug into his back.

He gently lowered her dress and bra to free one of her breasts. He cupped it in his hand, his thumb rubbing tantalizingly against the hardened nub. His mouth left hers as he bent to take the nipple into his mouth. His tongue caressed and teased it through the thin lace of her bra before nipping softly. She gasped and wound her fingers into his hair as she arched against him; shivers of pleasure racked through her and caused her knees to go weak.

Screams filled the air again as the next group came through. Liam was slightly breathless as he pulled away. “We had better go,” he whispered. “Or we’ll never leave.”

She managed a small nod as disappointment coursed through her. She could have spent the entire night there, but she knew that it was impossible. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. He smiled as he gently wiped her cheek. “Make up,” he explained.

She adjusted her dress and stepped back to watch as he fixed his cape. She gazed admiringly at his powerful physique, unable to keep her gaze from the bulge in his pants that was even more noticeable than before. She finished straightening her dress in an attempt to keep her mind distracted from the racing excitement that coursed through her veins. Liam stepped forward and took hold of her arm.

She followed him quickly through the passage ways and back to the stairs that she had come down earlier. A group was descending now. He turned off the flashlight as he pulled her beneath the stairs. A group of guys were standing there, smiling at the two of them as they waited to scare the unsuspecting people on the stairs.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Mike said softly, wagging a hairy finger in her face.

“Shut up Mike,” she whispered, laughing as she shoved his finger away.

He grinned at her and looked up as the group reached the bottom of the stairs. “Got you earlier,” Mike whispered in her ear before he slipped his mask back on.

She shoved him playfully as the lights went out. Then they were pushing past. Liam took hold of her arm as the group began to yell and curse. “Don’t touch me!” someone snapped. Someone else screamed loudly, and the lights came back on as the group slowly left.

Sera glanced around at the group surrounding her again. “See you guys upstairs,” a Frankenstein monster said.

“No more detours!” Mike called after them as they made their way quickly up the stairs.

She followed Liam through a few more passageways before she found herself at the back stairway. She had come to know the frat house quiet well, but even she was confused and disoriented by the maze that had been erected. They hurried up the stairs and into the attic. People were spread out across the room. Music was playing, but not at the level that it usually did. Drinks were being passed around as people laughed and talked happily. They all sparkled in an amazing assortment of costumes, and glitter. Decorations hung across the room, and the faint sounds of Halloween music drifted up from the Haunted House.

Sera caught sight of Michelle as she floated past in a wave of gold. Kathleen came bounding up to her, a large smile on her face. “Did you have fun?” she asked, slyly glancing up at Liam.

He flashed a bright grin. “Always tactful,” he laughed.

“That’s why you love me!” she cried. “That was a great Haunted House. You would have loved it Sera,” she added mischievously. “Poor Michelle actually fell on the floor trying to get away from the headless horseman!”

Sera laughed and almost wished that she had been there to see it. “I’m going to get a drink,” Liam said, touching her arm gently.

“All right.”

He disappeared into the crowd and she followed Kathleen over to where Danielle was sitting.

CHAPTER 7

Liam stood by the keg and slowly sipped his beer. The music was in full swing now that the haunted house was over. People were moving, dancing, laughing, and making out in the dark corners. Mike and Jack stood by his side, drinking, and commenting over the girls as they walked past.

His gaze was focused on Sera as she sat with Danielle and Kathleen on an old couch. She was laughing happily as her eyes followed the people dancing. A man in a devil costume walked up to her and held out his hand. She shook her head, said something, and he shrugged and walked off.

“Looks like Lucifer wants your girl,” Mike commented, his hairy werewolf hand was covered in spilled beer.

“Maybe Lucifer could get her to give it up,” Jack said laughingly.

“What?” Liam inquired coldly.

Jack shifted uncomfortably as Liam turned to face him. “Well, did you get any yet?”

“Is that any of your business?”

Jack looked to Mike for help, but he had become very engrossed upon a dangling bat. “No.”

“That’s right.”

“But if you do, could you let us know how it is?” Jack inquired laughingly as he tried to break the chill in the air.

Liam forced a smile to his face as turned his back on him. Anger was rapidly coursing through him, but getting into a fight with one of his best friends wouldn’t do him any good. “There are some good looking women here tonight. But then again, you can’t see most of their faces!” Doug joked as he approached the keg.

They all laughed, and Liam felt some of the tension ease out of him. He glanced around the room, but his eyes fell quickly back on Sera. She was laughing happily as Kathleen gestured wildly. He couldn’t help but smile as Sera’s laugh rang through the room and her violet blue eyes sparkled brightly. She was unbelievably beautiful tonight. His heart and body ached from just looking at her.

A flash of gold cut across his line of sight as Michelle stepped up to the keg. “Hello boys,” she purred as she bent over to give them a clear view of her full breasts.

Liam looked away in disgust as everyone else bent lower with her. “You are looking exceptionally fine tonight,” Mike said.

“I thought I looked exceptionally fine every day, Mikey.”

“I think you do,” Jack said eagerly.

“Thank you Jack, you’re a doll.”

She stood back up, brushing her chest provocatively against Liam’s arm as she studied him through lowered lashes. “Good party,” she whispered in his ear. “I could make it even better.”

She turned quickly away from him, tossing her hair casually over her shoulder. “Well,” Jack drawled. “You could definitely get some from her, again.”

Liam glared after him as Jack moved swiftly passed him and out to the dance floor. He sure as hell didn’t need to be reminded of his past mistakes. He ground his jaw as his hand clenched upon his cup.

“There is something wrong with that girl. Don’t listen to Jack, he’s an ass. I’m only going to say this because I’m drunk, and I’ll deny it tomorrow, but if I had a girl like Sera, sex or not, I wouldn’t give her up,” Mike said.

“Weren’t you the one telling me to break up with her two weeks ago?”

Mike shrugged and downed the rest of his cup. “You know why I think that. It can’t last forever Liam, but for now, you might as well stay with her.”

“I intend to,” he replied icily.

“Good,” Mike said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Now, I’m going to get laid. At least one of us should!”

Mike laughed as he hurried out to the dance floor. Liam shook his head in annoyed disbelief as he watched him mingle with a group of girls. He caught sight of Michelle again as she flirted with a bunch of guys. Sighing in disgust, he resolutely turned away and walked over to Sera.

“Would you care to dance?” he asked, extending his hand to her.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Certainly.”

He took hold of her hand and led her out to the floor. Tugging at his hand, she stopped him at the edge of the floor. He turned to her, smiling softly as he wrapped her in his arms. She tilted her head back, her eyes wide and mysterious from the red flames that curled to her temples. The soft cream of her rounded shoulders was too tempting to resist. He ran his hands lightly across them, pleased when he saw her eyes spark and her mouth part. He grinned as he pulled her closer against him.

Sera bit into her bottom lip as a bolt of desire raced through her body. Her hands on his back tightened as a familiar tightening started in her loins. Just a few weeks ago, the feel of his obvious arousal would have frightened her, now it excited her. She stepped closer to rub gently against him. His sharp inhalation, and the darkening of his eyes, caused her to smile with satisfaction.

Liam savored in the silky feel of her skin and luscious hair. He lifted his head; his gaze darted across the room to find Michelle watching them. Her eyes locked on his as she continued to talk to the group of guys around her. She stared hatefully at him, and then glared at Sera. His hands spasmed on Sera as a bolt of anger shot through him.

He kissed Sera’s neck gently, his eyes never leaving Michelle’s as his anger built steadily higher. He had begun to hate her for the way that she treated Sera, for the way that she talked to her, and looked at her. But, he hated himself more. It was his fault that Michelle despised Sera as much as she did.

He turned slowly around and pulled Sera closer to him. He didn’t want to lose her, couldn’t even bear the thought of losing her. He inhaled her precious, sweet smell. A smell he knew he would never forget.

Suddenly, a flash of gold was beside them. Liam stiffened as Sera pulled away in surprise. “I need to talk to you,” she said to Sera.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Sera replied.

“Go away Michelle,” Liam informed her coldly.

“No, I think that your girlfriend needs to know the truth.” She spoke softly to not draw any attention to herself.

“Michelle...”

She tossed back her thick red hair and smiled coldly at Sera. “Look, you need to know why I was so upset about the two of you.”

“Michelle...” A tendril of panic squirmed through him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sera was frowning in confusion, her face reflected her innocence.

“Let’s go,” Liam said, grabbing her arm. He wanted to get her out of there before Michelle could say anything else.

“Wait!” Michelle cried. “I think you owe it to me to listen. For old time’s sake Sera, please.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Sera replied coldly.

Michelle nodded pitifully and hung her head. “You’re right, you don’t owe me anything. I’m really sorry to tell you this...”

“That’s enough,” Liam interrupted sharply.

“But Liam and I slept together in the beginning of the school year. That’s why I’ve been so angry, and hurt. He just stopped speaking to me. He started completely ignoring me, for you.”

Sera’s eyes darted wildly back and forth between them. Her breath was frozen in her lungs as her heart began to hammer painfully. A gnawing fear clawed at her belly, threatening to choke her. Liam’s eyes narrowed as he glared hatefully at Michelle. “Is that true?” she demanded.

Liam knew that he could lie, that she would believe him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. She had bared her soul to him in utter trust; he couldn’t betray that anymore than he already had. “Yes,” he grated through his teeth.

Pain flared through her eyes as her jaw clenched in fury. She ripped her arm away from him, and cast Michelle a scathing look before she turned and walked away. “I’m sorry!” Michelle called after her, a huge grin on her face.

“You bitch!” Liam hissed. “You goddamn bitch!”

Michelle turned to him, a sly smile on her face. “It’s about time she knew. Were you ever planning on telling her, because someone had to? I was just being a friend.”

Liam stepped closer to her, forcing her to tilt her head back to look at him. “I will get you for this. Do you understand me?”

Fear flickered through her eyes but she quickly covered it up with a haughty expression. “No Liam, I think I got you.”

As much as he wanted to make her pay for what she had just done, he wanted to get to Sera more. He turned and hurried after Sera but was effectively cut off by Danielle and Kathleen. “What happened?” Kathleen demanded, her cute face scrunched in anger and her hands planted firmly on her hips.

“Where did she go?” he demanded.

Kathleen’s eyes flashed with anger as she tilted her chin defiantly. “I don’t know. What did Michelle say to her?”

“Where did she go Danielle?”

Danielle lifted her head and angrily met his eyes. “You should have told her,” she whispered, cutting deeper into his heart.

“Told her what? What did you do?” Kathleen insisted. Then, her mouth gaped open and her eyes flew back to Michelle. “You bastard! How could you? And with her? You cheated on her!”

Liam’s jaw clenched in anger as his nostrils flared. He didn’t need this now. “I did not cheat on her,” he hissed. “Now, where is she?”

Kathleen stared angrily at him, her arms folded over her chest, and her mouth compressed in a tight line. “What’s going on?” Mike asked happily as he appeared beside Kathleen.

“Your friend’s a lying bastard!” Kathleen snapped.

Mike’s eyes widened in surprise as they landed on Liam. Liam was fighting every impulse he had to grab hold of Kathleen and shake the answer out of her. Instead, he fisted his hands and took a deep breath to control the growing fury inside of him. “Where is she?” he ground out.

“Who?” Mike asked.

“Sera.”

“She just went out the door.”

“Thank you.”

Kathleen moved to block him. “Leave her alone!” she snapped.

Liam glared at her but she refused to back down. “Kathleen, get out of my way.”

“No, you’ve hurt her enough, now leave her be.”

“What the hell is going on?” Mike demanded.

“He,” Kathleen said, thrusting an angry finger at Liam, “slept with Michelle.”

Mike winced as he cast Liam an apologetic glance. “How’d she find out?” he asked quietly.

“You knew?” Kathleen cried, whirling on him.

Liam moved swiftly past her while she was distracted. He hurried through the mess of labyrinths that had been erected, becoming increasingly agitated with every step he took. He wanted nothing more than to rip Michelle’s throat out. But, he was angrier at himself than he was with her. He should have told Sera. He never should have let her find out like this, but his fear of losing her had kept him from telling her.

He made his way to the first floor, and stopped. Sera hadn’t gone outside. The eerie music that played when the door opened hadn’t gone off. He froze to listen intently, but he heard no footsteps or sounds of movement. He headed back up the stairs, knowing that if she had made her way down, she would have left. He went a different way through the maze, and back up to the second floor. He rounded a corner, stepping into one of the scenes set up between two bedrooms.

All that was left was a large table, and two dining room chairs. Sera was sitting in one of the chairs, her head resting in her hands. “Sera...”

“Go away, please.”

“Sera...”

She dropped her hands to look at him, her jaw was set in anger, her eyes wet with tears. “Go away Liam, now.”

“I want to talk to you.”

“No. You could have talked to me before, and you didn’t. Now, I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Sera, just let me explain.”

“You’ve had your chance to explain,” she replied coldly, her eyes sparking with anger. “You chose not to. You chose to leave me in the dark. You chose to have me think that one of my best friends suddenly hated me for no reason. You could have told me. You made your choice, now I’ve made mine. Go away.”

Liam sighed as he made his way slowly into the room. He knew that if he moved too fast she would bolt out of the room. “Would you have wanted anything to do with me if I had told you?”

She bit into her bottom lip as a tear streaked down her cheek “Yes,” she whispered.

“You would have kept talking to me if I had told you that I got drunk, slept with your best friend, and left without even saying goodbye? You would have thought I was a piece of shit, and you wouldn’t have said one word to me.”

A few more tears slipped free as she realized just how easy walking away from Michelle had been for him. He hadn’t cared about her at all; he had just used her, and left her. Sera’s heart was breaking as she began to realize that she didn’t know him as well as she had thought. She had known that there were other girls in his past, but she hadn’t thought that he could discard them so easily. As if they were nothing.

“Lying was much better though,” she whispered.

“I didn’t lie.”

She laughed coldly and shook her head. “You acted like you didn’t know why she was behaving the way she was. You lied to me.”

She choked back an angry sob as she buried her head in her hands again. “Sera please don’t do this...”