Dracian Legacy (26 page)

Then the images flashed, like the flood gates had opened. Try as I may, I couldn’t stop them.

My mom was engulfed with snakes in her hair, over her body. They slithered their way up and down her body, wrapping themselves around her fragile frame. I heard the hissing and my heart plummeted in fear. She cried out, reaching for me, and I pulled back, unable to face my own fears.

“Help me, baby. Help…” All I saw was snakes. Snakes crawling into her open mouth, under her clothes. Biting her. Filling her with venom. I needed to help her. I had to be brave.

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.

“NO!” I screamed.

The images stopped. My head throbbed and zinging pain tingled over my skin. Something warm trickled down my arm and neck.

“NO!” I cried. I opened my eyes and directed my hatred toward her. The Proxy. “You leave my mother alone, demon. Or so help me God, I’ll end you.”

She laughed, crimson liquid dripping down the corners of her lips.
My
blood.

“You think you can kill me? As long as people have desires and nightmares, you can’t kill me.”

“You also thought I couldn’t resist you. You sure you want to test that theory, demon?”

My body trembled violently, ready to give up, throw in the white flag. But my mind wasn’t geared to revisit what I just experienced. In the end, my need to survive won over getting bowled over by a steamroller without so much as a fight.

My skin buzzed like cold fire licked every cell beneath. It felt like I’d been injected with tiny icicles that were finding their way around my person.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a silhouette facing us at the other end of the dark alley, tracing over a spot on the wall with an outstretched finger—a metal, claw-like finger that reflected red light.

Using the wall as support, I pulled myself up on wobbly knees, feeling slightly brave but mostly scared out of my mind.

I will fight back. Mind over matter.

“Pernell.” My name echoed against the walls of the dark alley.

“Ren,” came another voice.

In the next moment, the demon screamed like a banshee. The windows within a block shattered as she disappeared.

Poof
. No sound. No smoke. Just like that, she was gone.

The hell? Then I noticed the silhouette jumping onto the side of the building, pushing himself enough to reach the top of the fence. He flew over it with a clean landing. He threw one final glance toward me before disappearing into the night.

Whoa, who was that?
was my last thought as I fell to the ground and blacked out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Wake up, sleeping beauty. We’re going to be late.”

I groaned in protest and winced in pain, throwing one of my pillows toward the voice. I pulled the comforter over my head, snuggling deeper into my warm cocoon. “Leave me alone.”

“No, you promised,” Pey whined.

A pillow smacked me over the head and then another.

“Hey. Ow… I’m up… I’m up…” I squinted from under the comforter.

“See you in fifteen.” Pey blew me a kiss. “Ella, can you please grab the accessories? No… Not that one… the one with red ribbons. I’ll have one of the boys come in to pick up the heavier one.”

I waited until the door shut before getting out of bed. My head spun as soon as I stood up, so I sat right back down.
Whoa.
I felt a throbbing pain in my arm and neck. I tried once again to stand up and shuffled noisily to the mirror. I was bandaged. I slowly peeled the gauze to assess the damage to my neck first and then my arm. It wasn’t a dream after all.

Shit!

I ran my fingers gently over the swollen area and traced the thick red lines that formed around the bite mark. I remembered my
friendly
encounter with a blood-sucking, psychotic Proxy.
But how did I get into my room?
I stepped into the shower, trying to revive the lost memories.

“Pernell, you in here?” Dean’s voice reached my ears.

“Be out in a minute,” I called back, shutting off the water as the pipes groaned.

I quickly dried off, then pulled on my undergarments, a white long-sleeve turtleneck, and skinny washout jeans. When I glanced in the mirror I gasped in horror. A hint of red swirled in my irises before quickly disappearing. Maybe I imagined it?
Oh God, am I turning into a Goarder or something?
That would really put a damper on my relationship with Axel.

Hey, honey, I’m home. Guess what I did today? Drained another human.

I face-palmed and racked my hand down my face. My hands shook as I proceeded to examine my teeth and tongue. Everything was… normal… human. I shook off the paranoia. I was just exhausted.

When I walked out, both Tyler and Dean moved around the room, gathering the boxes Pey mentioned earlier.

“Hey. Need any help?” I asked, shoving my feet into my boots.

My blood boiled underneath my skin and gooseflesh raised at the same time. What was going on with me?

Am I getting sick?

When I looked up, Dean and Tyler observed me with concern.

“What?” Did they see the red in my irises too?
Oh no, I’m gonna get staked before Pey’s big day.
They both glanced at one another.

“How’re you feeling?” Tyler asked.

“Better yet, what the hell were you thinking?” Dean asked, anger radiating from him. “Going out all by yourself at night… in a new city.”

“Sorry, warden. I didn’t know I needed your permission to go out.” I said, forgetting about my earlier... concerns.

“What Dean meant to say was something worse could’ve happened.” Tyler approached me, trying to communicate something through his eyes. “You know.”

My hand automatically went to my neck, still feeling an itching burn prickling at the infected areas.

“I can take care of myself.” I snarled.

“You don’t look well.” Dean placed his hand over my shoulder gently. “Have a se—”

Feeling the rage thrust through me in an instant, I shrugged him off. “Get your hands off me.”

I left the room abruptly, slamming the door behind me. My body shook like I just made it out of a life-threatening situation. I took deep breaths, making my way downstairs.

Pey immediately got me working with the models. She wasn’t joking when she said this was a big deal. People hustled, talking and stressing about little things. I smiled at them.

Amateurs!
I rolled my eyes, then caught myself.
What the hell’s wrong with me? I’m turning into Queen Bitch.

I worked vigorously throughout the day, with as much zeal as Pey, losing myself in the process.

Axel texted a handful of times and I didn’t bother to respond. I didn’t understand why. It was like I was being suffocated from the inside out and everything was so damn bright, like the sun stared me straight in the face. Something was wrong.

I was exhausted and annoyed. I felt I was fighting against myself. One moment I would smile and be polite; the next I heard myself snap at people for no reason. My head hurt and my body felt like it was being wrapped in a tight knot by barbwire or a boa constrictor, caging me in, forcing me to let go of my control.

So, I did…

Getting into the club was a piece of cake. A bit of flirting and a wink was all it took for the idiot bouncer to let us in without checking our IDs. We stepped into the club, swaying and dancing our way through the crowd to “Sexy and I Know It”
by LMFAO.

Before I knew it, Pey was dancing with Landon, Ella was dancing with some random dude, and I was gyrating with a sexy Latino that matched every one of my moves. I wrapped myself around him, pulling myself against him, and let him move me in ways I never have. I felt different and so unlike myself, like I was in nirvana. I was losing myself to the music. With all the sweaty and gyrating bodies surrounding me, I could feel the lust teasing my insides… soaking in my surroundings.

“You wanna get outta here?” the Latino shouted into my ear. “Somewhere more private?”

A lascivious smile crossed my lips and his eyes widened at my silent promise.

“The only one leaving this place is you,” Dean growled at the Latino.

“Who the hell are you?” Latino asked and turned around, locking eyes with Dean.

I pivoted around Latino, ignoring him, and placed one arm around Dean’s neck.

“Jealously suits you well, Mr. Jensen.” I teased, drawing my finger down his chest.

“What’re you…?” Dean’s eyes broadened with shock.

“Dance with me…” I grabbed his collar and took him to the middle of the crowded floor.

I grabbed his hands and placed them on my hips. I swayed against him, encouraging. I turned around, placing my back to his chest. My fingers teased my hair and then I held them above my head. I went down against him and snaked my body back up the length of his.

“What are you doing?” Dean’s voice trembled.

I smiled and pushed back against him, moving side to side. I heard him groan into my ear as he spun me to face him. His eyes were full of longing and desire. My lips curved up with satisfaction.

This, I could feed on. Far more satisfying than lust.

My fingers found their way to his jet-black hair and I pulled him down, his lips so close to mine.

“You’re making it hard to be good, Nellie.” He groaned with need as I pressed myself against him.

His grip tightened and he struggled to breathe. I felt his hunger slam into me. The way his hands tensed and fisted, fighting against everything he wanted. I could tell. After all, I was a powerful Telalian that fed on lust and fear.

“I. Want. You. Now.” I brushed my lips against his. He stiffened, holding his breath. I nipped at his lower lip. “I’m sure you’re the release this body needs.”

Dean pulled away and his hand loosened its grip. His eyes looked wild, like a starved man. He glanced behind me.

I grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. I smirked. “I’ll make it worth your ride.”

“You serious?”

Yes!
I hissed through my teeth with excitement.

Instead of answering him, I left a trail of kisses where the curve of his ear and jawline met. Then I slowly pressed my lips to his, parting them in no time. I devoured him. Oh, he wanted this body, no doubt.

This is too easy
, I thought.
Like taking candy from a baby
.

This one’s a keeper
.
Too bad after tonight
… I chuckled.

“Let’s get out of here.” Dean grabbed my hips, roughly dragging me out the back door.

Once we rounded the corner to a dark alley, he stopped and shoved me against the brick wall, hard.

“My, my, Mr. Jensen, what strength you have.” I teased him, running my finger down the middle of his torso to the band of his jeans.

I looped my finger into his pants and pulled him against me with a quick tug. His eyes became wild, like a predator about to make a kill, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I smiled back. He grabbed both of my hands and pulled them above my head.

“You’ve been a very bad girl.” He sounded angry. “You need to be put back in your place.” He grabbed something from behind him, which excited me thoroughly.

I felt metal clamp around my wrist, burning my skin. I screamed in anger.

“What the hell are you doing?” I wanted to rip off his head.

I couldn’t stop growling at him. I wanted to shred him piece by piece. But I couldn’t move. I was trapped.

“You can’t fool us, demon.” Tyler stepped out of the shadows along with two others. “Leave her body. Leave her now.”

“Dean, it’s me, your Nellie.” I begged him innocently. “Why are you doing this?” His eyebrows creased. A flicker of confusion crossed his features. This was my chance. “I thought you wanted me? If this is some sick joke to humiliate me again…” Tears welled up in my eyes for added theatrics.

“Don’t listen to her, Dean. You know Ren better than anyone else. She wouldn’t degrade herself like this.” Tyler gently placed his hand on Dean’s shoulder and I wanted to snap it off. Suddenly, Dean’s conflicted emotion cleared up. For the first time, I saw hate in his eyes, directed at me.