Intertwine (Book 3)

Chapter Eleven

It had only been a day, but I could see the tension building up in Zeiden. He was becoming a window. It was almost obvious to see he was hiding something in that thick skull of his.

He was fidgety. When spoken to he was nothing but a scrambled mess. Eye contact with him seemed limited and that weird sense of humor was gone alongside his sarcasm. I could admit that it was quiet, but it was not right. He was attracting some concerns I could not have.

"Can I get you anything?" A woman approached my booth. Her smile hid the exhaustion that crept up her body. It was easy to see how tired she was.

"Um can you give me a moment?"

“Of course. Take your time." I could hear the relief in her voice. She turned and walked off, pacing until she made it to an empty stool to rest her feet before her work would begin again.

The door opened. His eyes shifted around the diner before he saw me. He fixed his shirt; his eyes wandering before he took a seat across from me.

He did not speak. I slid him a menu.

"My treat." He nodded before he looked over the small menu.

The waiter returned. She pulled her notepad and pen and scribbled down our orders before she stepped behind the main counter.

"You are making s**t obvious." Rubbing my temples, I jumped right into the reason we were here.

"What? What are you even talking about?"

"You are walking around the damn house like you put more dye into Maya's shampoo." I leaned in closer, my voice low in a whisper. "I know that is not the case since you two are fucking."

“Hey hey hey.” Zeiden tried to shut me up. “Why the hell do you have to say it like that?”

"Because my patience is growing thin with you." I grudged.

"How do you even know about me and her?"

"I'm not stupid." I shrugged. "I can tell you about a lot of crap that is going on that damn house."

Zeiden fixed the collar of his shirt before he sipped his water.

"Water with lemon?" I gestured toward his glass.

"Yeah well a damn bottle of vodka is not accessible now is it?" He mumbled.

It pressured him; pulling him into a secret, I was too damn shellfish to leave him out of. I slipped from the booth. Digging into my pocket, I pulled a few bills to cover the preparing food I was not planning to stick around to enjoy.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that serves more than water with fruit.”

***

Zeiden rubbed his chin before he flagged down the busy bartender.

"What can I get you fellas?" She leaned on the counter, eyeing us flirtatiously hoping to get her tips for the night.

"Vodka on the rocks." Zeiden huffed. "Matter of fact, hold the rocks."

Even though I found it funny, I understood why he needed it.

"And you big boy?" She turned her attention to me.

"Rum and coke. Shot of vodka on the side." I confirmed. I would need something to help explain this messy situation.

She stepped away and returned with our drinks in no time. Zeiden, finding his drink a need, gulped his drink without a moment to spare. Before the bartender could go far, he signaled for another.

I took my shot, allowing it to simmer in the back of my throat before I forced it down.

"So?" Zeiden kept his eyes forward; however, I knew his attention was on me. "Why are we here?"

"Thought you could use a drink."

“Why are we here?” I knew what he meant.

Why did I pull him away from the house? Why did I want to meet with him off of the main grounds and one town over?

"You know a secret." I noted. "Well, you know a secret with little detail. I think you need to know some things. Maybe I need to answer some questions."

"How long has these damn meetings been going on?" Zeiden eyed me as he jumped right into the conversation.

"I have kept in contact with the Vampires ever since the woman's first coming. Right after they took Aniyah’s mother."

"The vampire?"

"She calls herself Star." I felt a twitch when I spoke of the name she had given me.

"The boy?"

"Never got his name." I never felt the need to when Star was the only one speaking.

"Why were you meeting with them? What did they know of Aniyah's mom?"

I finished my drink before I flagged down the passing bartender for another.

"I was always too stubborn to admit my mistake. Now, I realize my mishap. I was too stupid to admit that I should have taken their warning when they first came to me before all of this s**t happened."

"That crazy ego of yours?"

My eyes narrowed in on him. I was eager to respond, but I had to admit that he was correct.

"We can say that." I accepted it.” After Ms. Terra disappeared, I made it my mission to get into contact with them. It wasn't easy though. It was almost impossible to find what does not want to be found. Thankfully, they made themselves known for me.

It was strange to go to them for help but I guess desperate times called for desperate measures."

"The Alpha went for help?"

"Do you want to know about this or not?"

"Yeah." He pushed to the edge of his stool.

"I agreed to help them and they agreed to help me get back Aniyah's mother. As us, someone was taken from them as well and they want them back." My fingers clutched the glass, my strength nearly shredding the glass. "He calls himself Lucifer."

"What? Who- who the hell calls them self the damn devil?"

"The same b***h who signed his own death wish." I drowned myself in another drink. "The same one I will kill when I get my hands on them."

Zeiden's casual look faded alongside mine.

"I'm going to meet with the Vampire's covenant leader." I admitted.

"We are going to meet with them." Zeiden took back another straight drink. "There is no way I'm sitting this one out."

Zeiden washed down his guilt and his confusion with another drink that seemed to help him more than ever...

I and Star exchange messages, confirming the date, time, and destination of the meeting between me and her leader. It was all set. Now it was time to wait.

I stuffed my phone into my pocket just when Aniyah entered the room. She shoved and kicked her bag into the closet before she collapsed onto the bed.

"Tired?"

"My butt hurts."

My eyebrow rose which caught her attention.

"Squats and lunges." She rolled her eyes as she began to kick out of her workout shoes.

"Yeah, that better be the reason." Her legs on my legs, I rubbed her feet as she laid back onto the bed. "You seem to enjoy the gym."

"It’s feels good to be in the gym." She wiggled her toes through her pink socks.

"Is it the workouts?" I plucked her sock off. "Or the human environment?"

I was thinking her reasons for continuing the gym was more than about getting in shape. It seemed to be her escape. I just did not want it to be her home away from home.

She pushed away before she stood.

"It’s both." She stringed up her hair before she dropped her workout leggings. The room became quiet as I watched her expose her beauty before.

Shaping curves that left me biting my lip as I watched her undress before me. It has been a while. Our contact had become limited. Even seeing her naked became a thing of the past.

My clear vision had faded to a tint. A normal event that informed others when my monster was pushing to make a show.

"I just want to shower and eat...” She pulled off her shirt, revealing the pink sports bra I was preparing to remove myself. "Do you think pizza is a good idea?"

She turned and looked at me, her hands on her curvy hips as she waited for me to respond to her question. I took a deep breath, determined to clear my head, but all I received was the scent of her body.

"I'm hungry." I hissed.

"Well pizza or chicken?" She questioned again, turning away before she walked into the bathroom. I heard the water run, soft drips of water flowed from the shower head. She came out. Leaning against the door frame, she seemed to be waiting for me to decide on the two different options I had no taste for.

"I'm hungry." It was a monster inside of me that did not care for food. "I’m hungry for something else."