Forty-nine

Bradley reacted too, he growled viciously, turning his murderous eyes on me, watching me, studying me, he stood protectively over his now prey, Vanessa.

“Bradley it’s me, Elizabeth.” I took another step forward and Bradley growled louder, I stilled.

I heard footsteps behind me and Bradley growled again. They retreated back. Probably someone who’d come to take me away from him.

I took another step and he crouched lower, growled warningly, if I took one more he’d attack.

I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, you’re not as scary as you think.” I sank down and crossed my legs beneath me.

“Eli, please.” Carrie voice was teary. “He’s not himself. He’ll hurt you.”

I ignored her. I had to do this.

“Bradley.” I spoke slowly. “I know you can hear me , I know you can fight this. Come back to me.”

The creature in front of me stared me down as though he was waiting for me to dare try to take a claim on his prey.

“Come on.” I elongated my hand toward him.

He bared his gleaming teeth.

“Christopher do something, he’s about to attack her.” Carrie mumbled worriedly.

“No!” I cried. “Stay back. Bradley won’t hurt me.”

Bradley took a step toward me and pinned his ears back.

“Okay.” I mumbled. “I’ll just sit on the middle of the cold road, it’s not like I’m a princess or something.” Sarcasm dripped off every word.

For the briefest second his eyes turned black. He was fighting through the heavy fog trapping him.

I measured the creature’s beautiful angry expression for a moment before I spoke. “Take this.” I striped of my jacket. “It’s the nicest jacket I own. You’ll have to replace it, big guy.”

I threw it at him. As expected he lunched for it, tearing it up in shreds.

“Hey, go easy on it.” I wailed teasingly. “It’s my favourite.”

The creature continued as though I hadn’t said a word.

“Now, your princess will just wait right here for her prince charming to come back to her.” Surprisingly he looked up at the word princess his eyes black for a long silent moment.

I took that as my motivation. “You know Bradley, I never got why you call me princess.” His eyes widened. “Now I do.” I blinked back the tears. He was the centre of my world too. He deserved the finer things in life. I was his servant. I would give him anything he desired. He was my Prince.

Bradley took one step forward; he was but an inch away. I raised my hand and touched his face. He visibly relaxed under my touch, his eyes closed for a second, his expression pained as he fought to keep from going under.

“For what it’s worth you’re the most important thing to me.” A tear rolled down my cheek. “I love you.”

He opened his eyes and they were glowing yellow. The creature was confused. He didn’t know what he was doing here, with my hand on his face.

I leaned toward him.

“Not that close, Beth.” Rebecca cried. “He’s eyes have changed again.”

I ignored her.

“Bradley can you hear me?” I asked the monstrous part of him.

The creature whined.

“Good.” My hand trailed down to his neck. “You would never hurt me Bradley.”

The creature closed the distance between us.

“Try not to move.” Christopher called. “Your scent is muted by the rain, if you talk with him that close to you he might feed.”

I rolled my eyes. It was still Bradley and he could never hurt me. I knew that with every fibre in my body.

“I trust you.” I spoke to him. “Can’t you see that? I trust you with my life.”

His eyes were black for a second.

“Sit next to me.” He slowly sank down. “Relax.” I brushed his stiff shoulders.

“Look at me.”

He did.

“Now, I’m glad I met you okay?” I asked. “But I need you to give Bradley his body back will you do that for me?”

He whined again.

“Please.” I leaned again toward him, my heart reacted. “…for me.”

Before I could think through what I was about to do, I kissed his stunned lips with a fever I couldn’t understand.

But when he kissed me back with just as much passion, it went black for a second.

Gasps exploded behind me.

“Impossible.” Someone was saying. “She’s taming him.”

“I know.” Carrie ’s voice was just as surprised and astonished as Victor’s.

“Beth.” Bradley pleaded. “You can’t attack me and then faint on me.”

“You came back.” I threw my hands feebly around him and pulled him to me.

“I had no choice.” He laughed.

“You made me faint.” I was still weak from his kiss.

“I was acting in self-defence, you were attacking me.”

I laughed.

“Let’s go.” He got to his feet in one of his graceful movements.

“I think I need help getting up.”

He sighed. He picked me up as you would a toddler and set me on my wobbly feet.

“Come on.”

“I think I need help.” I admitted. My knees felt awfully weak beneath me. “I’m still intoxicated.”

He chuckled and threw me over his shoulder.

“Where’s the rest of your family?”

“They’ll meet us back at the house.”

“No.” I said. “I need to go home.”

“The witches, I can smell them.” Bradley’s voice was low and grave. “They have your scent.

“Strap her in,” Bradley ordered as he pushed me into the car without breaking stride. Zane slid in beside me.

Victor was starting the engine when Bradley slid in the front seat.

It purred to life and we swerved backward, spinning around toward the Carter residence.

It was too dark out for me to see where we were. Bradley kept glancing at me every few seconds watching me like a hawk, Zane stared out into the dark night – well dark for me, she could see as clearly as if it was day time.

“Faster.” She growled.

I was already nauseated with how fast we were going. Bradley handed me a paper bag. He knew what was coming, I wanted to shake my head stubbornly but my throat opened to make way for tonight’s dinner.

Bradley took the bag and leaned to wipe the side of my face.

“Thanks.” I mumbled.

He flung the bag out of the window.

“Ethan,” I finally remembered and the fear gripped me again.

No one answered.

“The witches, where are they?”

No one even looked at me.

“For the sake of all that’s holy. Answer me dammit.”

The phone rang once and Bradley pressed it to his ear, he listened for a second and his lips moved too fast for me to hear and he shut the phone.

“Dad says they lost him.” He swore in a foreign language. “Head east.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Christopher and Carrie were tracking down Ethan.” He sighed. “They lost him.”

A crushing thunder sounded behind us. I jolted, the fear freezing my heart for a second. I forgot how to breathe.

“It’s just Rebecca.” Zane said. “She’s just letting out some steam.”

I curled up to a ball as chills rocked my body.

“Pull over.” Bradley commanded.

“We don’t have much time.” Victor protested. “I touched his mind tonight. He wants her. He won’t stop until he finds her. I saw his thoughts – someone sent them but he’s remaining in the dark.”

“I can feel them.” Zane whispered into the night.

“Pull over!” Bradley roared again.

The car came to a stop with the engine still running.

“Let’s switch sides.”

Zane was in the front seat before I could blink and Bradley cradled me in his lap, we took off again, faster than before.

“Where are we going?”

"They are following, Beth — they have your scent — and they are good trackers, I have to hide you." He rocked my body as lightening lit the gloomy sky.

I struggled against his iron grip. “Let me go! I want to go home!” I shouted.

"How far?" Bradley asked Victor.

Victor snarled.

Bradley stiffened. “Do we have time?”

“No.” Victor said gloomy.

“That leaves me no choice.” Bradley mumbled. “We have to leave without you.”

“Where will you go?” Zane asked.

“I don’t know.” Bradley mumbled. “We’ll have to teleport to new York, France?”

“Do what you must.” Victor decided.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“They’re too fast.” He mumbled. “They’ll probably track us anywhere in the world with your scent. But if we teleport they won’t be able to find us for a while.”

"No! No, you can't do this."

"We have no choice, Beth."

"I do! It’s my life! And I choose to stay! Jennie has already called the cops – law enforcement is probably on their way to your house. I can’t do that to Carrie . No!"

"It’s no big deal, really Beth" His voice was bitter. "They’ll meet us there."