Chapter 62 What Are You Hiding? Part 1
3355 Words
[..]
“Where are we going?” Persephone asked, as she followed Stella into something reminding her of a small cafeteria.
“I’m gonna make sure you get to know some of my closest friends,” Stella replied, as they finally stopped at a table.
“Everyone, this is Persephone!” Stella beamed as all of them smiled and greeted her nicely.
“This is Bella, my cousin, then there’s Vicca, who is Kyan’s mate.
Then there’s Liana, who is one of the new girls. She has been here for a few months now, and the same goes for Daliah.
She and her brother Ezra are staying here, at least until we find their witch clan,” Stella spoke.
“Nice to meet you all,” Persephone greeted back, before her and Stella sat down.
As they were all just sitting and talking, Jaze suddenly walked up to them, clearly angry.
“You think you're smart, huh?” Jaze snarled loudly, as he banged his hands on the table, making them all look at him with confusion and shock on their faces, but he was only focused on Persephone.
“What are you talking about, Jaze?” Stella asked as she tried to understand what this was about, but he ignored her, as Persephone stared back at him, not sure what she had done wrong.
“I know you compelled me to tell you about Stella!” He snapped as everyone stared at her, as she finally realized what it was about.
“I.. I’m sorry, but..” she tried to explain, but Jaze clearly didn’t wanna listen to it.
“No! Just stay the hell away from me!” He growled before he stormed off.
Persephone stood like frozen for a moment, and no one else was saying anything.
“Excuse me,” Persephone spoke as she rose from her seat and headed for the door.
How the hell did he find out? She thought to herself, but then she saw Vlad standing outside in the hall, as he probably had heard everything, and she knew he was possibly the one to find out.
Persephone headed directly for her room and threw herself on the bed, and sighed loudly, as she wished she could bury herself, but not long after, a knock landed on the door.
“Who is it?” Persephone asked, as the door opened a little, and Stella popped her head in.
“Are you okay?” She asked, as Persephone sighed and sat up.
“If being hated by your cousin is okay, then yes, I’m ecstatic!” She spoke sarcastically, as Stella closed the door and sat down on the bedside next to her.
“I know it seems like that, but I don’t think he hates you,” Stella spoke, as Persephone scoffed.
“Right, ‘cause I really create such warm feelings inside of him.” She spoke as she sighed.
“He’s just.. Confused, his emotions are currently all over the place, just give it some time, and I’m sure he’ll come around.” Stella reassured.
“It’s nice of you to try to comfort me, Stella, but your forgiveness and friendship is more than I ever could have asked for.
I don’t expect everyone else to do the same, at least not before I’ve earned it, and especially not Jaze’s,” Persephone replied, as she looked at Stella with a regretful look.”
“He is right, you know.. I did compel him, the day I saw you and him in the forest. He was supposed to have brought you back yesterday, but he didn’t, and we already know what happened after that.. Anyway, I said some pretty stupid things, and therefore it’s only natural he's angry with me,” Persephone explained, as Stella took her hands.
“You’re a good person Percy, don’t you ever forget that, just that you feel bad and wanna make up for your mistakes shows that!” Stella reassured, while Persephone smiled.
“Thanks! I’m trying my best.”
[..]
A few days later, Persephone was trying to find her way around on her own, even though Stella and Bella had tried their best, it was still tough, ‘cause the place was huge.
Then a group of three guys walked over to her, as they all smiled and a tall guy with blond hair and blue eyes stepped forward.
It was the complete opposite to Jaze’s brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Hey beautiful! We heard you chose to stay, so we wanted to offer our services, if you’d like a tour around the place!” He spoke as he gave her a bright smile, which she returned, while she tiptoed slightly. Persephone was only around 5’3”, so she felt quite small around all these people, being a foot, or more, taller than her.
“Thank you! That’s very nice of you,” she spoke, as she gently touched his arm.
“My name is Sonny, by the way, and this is Giles and Blake!” He added, she nodded when he took hold of her hand and shook it.
“Persephone, or just Percy for short!” She replied, as she suddenly felt like she was being watched, and from the corner of her eye she could see Jaze glaring at them, but when she turned towards him, he just huffed and walked away.
She knew he didn’t like her, but did he really have to be that obvious about it?
“So, Percy, this Friday, there is this party, you should totally join it!” Blake spoke, as her attention diverted back to them.
He was just a few inches shorter than Sonny and had black hair and brown eyes.
“Really? I’d love that!” She replied with a smile.
She was surprised how nice most people were. Maybe things actually were going the right way.
When she finished the conversation, she continued down the hall, where she saw Jaze leaning against the wall, like he was waiting for someone.
She glanced at him, but he didn’t meet her eyes.
She had kept her distance like he wanted, and had no wish to aggravate him further, so she decided she would continue to stay out of his way, but the moment she had passed him, he called out to her.
“Can I ask you something?” He spoke, as she turned around.
“Sure, what is it?” She replied, curious about what he wanted.
“What did Sonny and the others want?”
“They just offered to show me around and invited me to some party this Friday,” she replied as his face became slightly agitated.
“You shouldn’t hang out with those guys,” he stated, making her knit her eyebrows, confused.
“Why do you care?” She asked.
“I don’t! I just believe you should think for once, instead of jumping at every guy you meet, it’s kinda pathetic!” He stated coldly, as she felt a weird pain in her heart, as she tried hiding how badly it actually hurt hearing him say that.
Was that really what he thought she was doing?
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied before turning away from him.
She wasn’t used to being around so many new people. From an early age she had always kept to herself, avoiding unnecessary attention, and when Cain turned her, she only did what he asked.
She never really had a mind of her own, and her lack of social skill was a result of that.
Did she really come off as pathetic to him?
It wasn’t like he did anything to help her, all he did was judge her from a distance, which also came off as a peculiar thing to her, and now he suddenly wanted to comment on her behavior too.
If she was only in his way and he already asked her to stay away from him, why would he meddle in it?
“Fine, if pathetic is all he sees, then I’ll give him pathetic,” she huffed to herself.
[Friday]
When Persephone arrived at the party, she was immediately met by Sonny, who walked up to her and gave her a hug.
“I’m so glad you came. What do you like to drink, then I’ll get it for you?” He spoke with a big smile plastered on his face.
“Beer is fine, I’m not picky,” she chuckled slightly, which he did as well.
“Okay, just wait here, I’ll get it for you,” he replied, before walking away, and while she waited she looked around the room.
It didn’t take long before her eyes caught Jaze, who was sitting on the sofa with some girl in a small red dress.
He smiled at this girl in a way Persephone for some reason wished he would smile at her, but he clearly hated her, so she knew it would never happen, she had already made sure to ruin that.
“Here you go!” Sonny chipped in her ear, from behind her, as she quickly plastered a smile on her face.
“Thank you!” She spoke. If she was good at one thing, it was hiding away her true feelings, and that was what she decided to do.
She was there to have fun and not to sulk over some guy who wasn’t even hers to begin with, so she just tried to ignore it.
After some time had passed, and Persephone had gotten a few more drinks, she was starting to feel less on edge.
“Some of the others are going to go into the other room to play a game. Wanna tag along?” Sonny asked.
“What kind of game are we talking about?”
“It’s called strip-poker,” Sonny replied, as Persephone tilted her head slightly.
“I’m not sure that I’ve heard of that before. What is it?” She replied curiously, as he started to elaborate.
“You can use any kind of card game. The only difference is, if you lose, you remove a piece of your clothes.. So, what do you say, are you in or out?” He asked with a grin.
Persephone thought about it for a moment, not sure what to do, so she once again turned her head to look at Jaze, but then she saw he was kissing that girl he had been talking to.
Like the other day, she felt a weird pinch in her heart, so she decided to just go with it, then she at least didn’t have to watch Jaze and ‘red-dress-girl’ get it on.
“I’m in, that sounds like fun,” she replied as she followed him.
As they were playing, everyone took turns at losing, except Persephone, who clearly was an expert at the game.
In the end, it was only her and Sonny left.
“Are you sure you aren’t cheating, ‘cause you seem a little too good at this,” Sonny chuckled, as he was only sitting in his boxers.
“Nope, but I might have tried this game numerous times before, without the stripping part, of course, but this is definitely more fun!” She replied.
“Oh, so you’re having fun now, huh?” He asked as she nodded.
“Then how about this, four aces!” He grinned triumphantly.
“Well, you got me there,” she spoke as she lost for the first time. She got raised from the floor, as she pulled the dress over her head, while all the guys started to make wolf whistles, before she sat down and started to mix the cards again.
But before they could start a new round, the door was opened and Kyan and Jaze stepped in.
“Everyone goes home to themselves, NOW!” Jaze growled, as they all looked at him confused.
“Jaze, what’s going on with you? You have always been one of the fun guys, but now you wanna ruin the fun for everyone else?” Sonny asked.
“He said píss off, Sonny!” Kyan snapped, as Sonny shook his head in disbelief.
“Fine, what a buzzkill!” He stated as he banged his shoulder into Jaze as he passed him, and everyone else followed shortly after.
As they all had left, Jaze closed the door and turned his attention to Persephone, who had taken her dress back on.
“Why would you agree to play strip-poker with them? Can’t you see what they’re trying to do!?” Jaze scolded angrily.
“I can take care of myself, Jaze! Don’t pretend to care, okay! It’s fine if you wanna hate me for what I did, but it would be nice if you tried to be less obvious about it or at least just keep it to yourself, instead of trying to ruin every little spark of happiness in my life!” She hissed, as she fixed her hair and was about to leave, but then he turned her around and kissed her.
She was stunned by it, but she had never felt anything like that before, so she let herself get swooped up in it.
And before she knew it, he ripped off her dress while she tore his shirt into pieces and soon both of them were lying naked on the bed, while their clothes were scattered around the whole room.
[..]
“Go home Sonny!” Kyan ordered, but Sonny didn’t look like he was planning to go anywhere.
“I’m waiting for Percy!” He shot back as he crossed his arms.
“Well then I guess you’re gonna wait for a long time, she and Jaze have some things to discuss, so you better get going,” Armaros interfered, making Kyan frown at him.
“What kind of things?” Kyan asked, as Sonny had stomped away in anger.
“It’s not my place to say, you have to speak to Jaze about it yourself,” Armaros dismissed, before he turned to leave, but then Kyan grabbed his shoulder.
“Hey! What aren’t you telling me?” Kyan snapped, as Armaros' features hardened, as he grabbed Kyan’s wrist and removed his hand from his shoulder.
“Don’t! I have no issues with you, okay? Talk to your brother,” he warned, before he let go of his wrist and walked away.
[..]
“What are you doing?” Jaze asked as Persephone rose from the bed and started looking for her clothes.
She felt stupid for jumping right into bed with him, but in a haze of lust and alcohol, her logic went out the window.
“You don’t have to pretend to be all nice and cuddly with me, just to make yourself feel better.
I know what men want, I’ll see myself out,” Persephone dismissed, as she pulled on her panties and took her bra, which was hanging on the lamp next to the bed.
But suddenly, Jaze grabbed her from behind and pulled her back to the bed.
“Do you think I did this because I just wanted sèx?” He asked, as she looked confused at him.
“Isn’t it? You always act all cold and hostile, and then you suddenly kiss me out of the blue, what else should I think?” She asked.
“Really? Because I get to watch you flirt with every damn guy you pass by, and that pisses me off.
That’s why I’ve been acting cold, Persephone!” He hissed.
“So this is a revenge fück, right? To see how easy I would be? You really know how to make a girl feel special!” Persephone snapped, as she pushed him away, and raised from the bed once again.
“Wait, Persephone, that’s not what I meant..” he tried, but she stopped in her steps and turned back around.
“Then why? Why does it píss you off? I’m a nobody to you anyway, so tell me!” She hissed as she, for some reason, started getting emotional.
What the hell is it with this guy?!
Why does he keep getting so close?
She needed to get away, so she quickly picked up her dress and took it on, before she headed for the door, but he wasn’t letting her leave, instead he placed himself in front of the door.
“Because you are my..” he started, but he stopped himself.
She continued to observe him, but he clearly wasn’t sure what to say.
[Jaze POV - the past week]
“Find her!” Kyan yelled, as Jaze ran over to his brother, and helped him off the ground.
“Are you okay?” Jaze asked Kyan, who just nodded.
“I’m fine, but Jaze, I bit her, I really bit her, she is going to die from that, isn’t she?” He asked, as Jaze nodded.
“I’ll see if I can find her. She is bleeding pretty much, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Then I might be able to ask her some questions before she loses continuousness,” he stated before he shifted to his wolf and ran in the direction of the blood trail.
But when he found her, the other vampire was already there with her.
“Please, Dmitrij, you gotta help me!” She begged, as she was clearly in a lot of pain.
“I’m sorry, Percy, but you’re already as good as dead,” he replied before he disappeared with no trace.
Jaze knitted his eyebrows at what he had just seen, as he could hear her cry, while she was shaking all over, and soon he found himself standing next to her.
She was still conscious, but not really there, she was clearly having a fever while her shaking got worse. The bite-mark was in a horrible state, and he knew she would die soon if he didn’t do something, and for some reason he couldn’t let that happen.
“I don’t wanna die,” she sobbed, as he squatted down next to her.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen,” he replied, as he picked her up in his arms and started to head back.
“Stella!” Jaze called through a mind link, as he started running, when her breathing turned shallow and she became completely numb.
“Jaze? Where the hell are you? Did you find that vampire?” Kyan interfered.
“I did, but I need you to find Stella for me, now!” He replied.
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Just find her and meet me at the clinic,” he dismissed.
When he arrived at the clinic, he could see a nurse, Dr. Canis and Bella, who were by the counter.
“Dr. Canis, I need a room now!” He called, as Dr. Canis looked up and nodded.
“This way!” He spoke and opened the door, as Jaze proceeded to place Persephone on the bed, while Dr. Canis grabbed a little flashlight from his pocket and checked her pupils, which immediately made him look at Jaze in shock.
“She’s a vampire!” He blurred out.
“I know Kyan bit her, and she’s not responding to any communication,” he explained, like it was normal for her to be there.
“Jaze wasn’t she one of the..” he started, but Jaze talked over him.
“She’s in a lot of pain and needs help, aren’t you a doctor?” He hissed, and Dr. Canis proceeded to sigh.
“Fine, Bella, get me some painkiller and some antiseptic now!” He spoke.
Bella nodded and soon Dr. Canis tried everything in his power to help her, but she just kept getting worse.
“She is not responding to any of the medication Jaze, I can’t do much more than keep her free from pain,” he explained.
“Just keep her alive until Stella shows up!” he told.
- Writer
