Chapter 34: Chapter Sixteen = Part Two

Maxwell

I have no idea what has come over Charlie. The pained look on her face says it’s more than just her hand hurting. We enter our room with her arm intertwined with mine, but as soon as the door slams shut, she rips her arm away. I brace myself for the storm that’s about to come my way.

“You need to explain yourself,” she says in a calm voice.

“I know I should have told you about the kiss…and about the bloodletting, but I knew it would only make you more nervous.”

“Not that, Maxwell. You need to explain what Benjamin said. I waited for you to say something about it first, but you remained quiet the whole ride over here. Is it true, that I’m the only female that’s a direct descendant from the Travors bloodline? That you’re ending my life because I’m your last chance at having a meal for how ever many more years?”

“Charlie, stop,” I demand.

As usual, she didn’t hear me or she doesn’t care as she continues to accuse. “Oh, I’m definitely the person you’ve been looking for, all right. Not for anything other than being a girl born to the right father.” Her hate-filled glare doesn’t waver.

In a blink of one’s eyes, I come to stand in front of her. “Charlie, stop.” I watch her body go rigid when I demand that she stops, but within a few seconds, she loosens up. Her eyes move to stare at the ground midway through my explanation.

“Why does Benjamin dislike you?” she abruptly says.

“That’s not my story to tell.”

“Not your story to tell. I don’t care whose story it is, this is about me pretending to know everything about you—when I clearly don’t—to the man who hates you and most likely hates me too. Amuse me, whose story is it to tell?”

“Grace’s.”

“Of course. Well, Grace has some explaining to do herself. However, you’re just going to have to betray your friendship and tell me. You might answer the questions I have for her, but I think she would understand. Now tell me why or I leave. After everything I went through because of you, this is the least you can do.” I can tell she means business. I have never heard such anger in her voice before.

I reluctantly tell her what she wants to know. “Benjamin dislikes me, because Grace found a friend in me. When everyone thought I was cruel—”

“You were cruel,” she interrupts.

I correct myself. “When everyone saw how cruel I was, she still saw the best in me. Benjamin, however, lost her trust and companionship when he took a second bride and he grew jealous.” I feel better after saying the words. I examine the confused look on Charlie’s face. Before she can ask, I answer her question. “Grace is Benjamin’s first bride.”

I wait for her to process the information. “You and Grace?”

That’s what she got out of what I said, Grace and I together…intimately? “No, we’re merely friends. He blames me for giving her the courage to move on. He blames me for helping her love someone other than him. He hates me because the woman he loved at one point in time, maybe still does, prefers to be with a murderer than him.”

“I watched her jump at his words. She’s still loyal to him.”

“She has no choice but to obey him at events such as these.” It kills Grace more than anyone will ever know to be Benjamin’s little lap dog. He takes advantage of her since he knows that she has to obey, which leaves Grace physically and mentally drained.

“His questions sounded like he knew…like he knew I don’t want to be like...you.”

I want to breathe a sigh of relief once she speaks the words. I thought she was going to say he knew she didn’t love me. Benjamin certainly didn’t help smooth out that bump. “I assure you, Grace is on our side. She would never deceive me and she would never put you in harm’s way.”

“I don’t like him. Maybe even more than I don’t like you right now,” she claims.

“You just don’t like me right now? Meaning that you’ll forgive me for getting you hurt and pushing myself on you?”

“Yeah that. What other things are you keeping to yourself?”

“I’m not hiding anything. I didn’t find it important and it’s not. I wanted you not for your blood.”

She cuts me off. “Let’s be honest, Maxwell.”

“Okay, maybe a little for your blood,” I rephrase, but her arching eyebrows say otherwise. “Fine, at first for a lot of your blood. Is that better? However, once I saw you—”

“Spied,” she corrects.

“Spied, whatever. I knew you were more than just a feeding. I’ve been through this already, Charlie. Nothing is more important than how I feel for you. Either you believe that or not.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? You believe me? Or okay you still hate me?”

“I don’t hate you, Maxwell. I want to, trust me, I do, but I can’t. You’re just too cute when I put you on the spot.” Just as she finishes, her stomach growls.

“You must be starving.”

I watch her nod in approval. Within minutes I get lunch ordered. “It’ll be here in fifteen minutes. You should change. That can’t be very comfortable.”

“Ya think?” She snaps retreating to the bedroom door. “Maxwell?” She asks, standing in the doorway. She starts speaking when I look her way. “I need help with the zipper again.” She sounds annoyed, but I, on the other hand, am quite grateful.

She turns her back to me and within seconds I reach for the zipper. I try to keep my cold fingers off her warm body this time around as I unzip it to a point where I know she can reach. She turns around to face me just as I let go of the dress.

I hold my hands up to her to show my innocence. Her skeptical eyes scan my hand that has been cut open not long ago. The wound is completely healed now. Only dried blood that stains my palm shows any indication that I was injured at all. Deciding against saying anything, she turns back into the bedroom and shuts the door in my face.

The fifteen minutes fly by and I take her food from the room service personnel, only to have it sit across from me on the table as I wait for Charlie to exit the bedroom. When another knock raps on the door, my senses go on overload. Everyone knows that the rest of the day is for Charlie and myself to be together…alone.

I open the door without looking to see who it is, assuming it to be Grace. Without warning, a tall woman throws herself on me. Her dark wavy hair covers my face. A glass bottle that’s tightly grasped in her right hand smacks against the doorframe. A sickening feeling takes over my body as her fingers bury themselves in my hair.

“Benjamin sent me,” she whispers in my ear. I feel her cold lips touch my neck. Her hand harshly tugs my hair, stabilizing my head for a fraction of a second. That second is all she needs for her mouth to find mine.

I try to pry her off me, but the harder I push the more she latches on. Seeing that she’s a vampire, overpowering her takes some effort. “Stella,” I mutter out as her mouth still presses up against mine.

“You know this woman, Maxwell? Would you mind introducing me?” Charlie yells from behind me. The woman detaches herself from me to look at Charlie. I can sense Charlie’s anger. “Why exactly did Benjamin send you here?” Charlie asks with severe pronunciation to each syllable.

The woman’s hand tightens around the neck of the bottle. “Benjamin said you wouldn’t mind. He said that Maxwell might be getting blood from you, but he’s not getting all of his needs met by the great Charlie.” Her blue eyes move to gaze at me. The words come out in a purr. “Come on, Maxwell, it will be like the old days.”

I can hear Charlie stuttering in rage as she searches for her remark. I can only imagine what she’s going to say. The stomping of her approaching footsteps tells me to move aside. I assume she’s going to stop at my side to embrace me, telling this sleazy woman to get the hell out, but as she comes into view, I see her arms crossed over her chest.

“I think I’m going to have a chat with Grace. I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” she spits out while she stares Stella down.

I watch Charlie propel herself forward to shove past the unwanted woman, but I catch her by the elbow. “Not so fast, love. Stella here will be the one on her way. I think she gets the point and realizes her services won’t be necessary. Go and tell Benjamin that he needs to keep his nose out of others’ personal lives and that my needs are very well met.” I slam the door in Stella’s face and walk back into the kitchen area with Charlie still in hand.

It takes great effort to hold back my anger that vibrates through me. Benjamin is going too far in his tactics of trying to separate Charlie and myself. Did he really think I would choose Stella over Charlie? It’s true that years ago when I saw the donors within my bloodline as food and nothing else I engaged in sexual activities with Stella. However, Charlie is the only woman that my fantasies revolve around now and she’ll soon be the only vampire who will fulfill my desires as well.

I push Charlie onto the chair by the table; the tray of food sits in front of her. “Eat,” I tell her.

“I lost my appetite.” I watch her as she tries to hide her hands under the table as they ball into fists, but she winces in pain as her fresh wound splits open wider.

“Charlie, you didn’t eat breakfast this morning. You have to eat, don’t punish yourself because of Benjamin. He sent her because he knew you would react like this. Now prove him wrong and for once do as I say.”

“What did she mean when she said like the old days? You know what, never mind, I don’t want to hear it.” She bolts up from her chair; it falls over from the force. She storms past me, but once again, I catch her by the arm.

Aggressively, she yanks her arm out of my grip. “Don’t. Touch. Me. I get it, I really do. I’m not stopping you, Maxwell, go have your fun. I don’t love you like she does, obviously.” The words come ruthlessly out of her mouth and she speedily walks into the bedroom to slam the door behind her.

I immediately follow her only to find the door locked. Wiggling the knob profusely, I begin to pound on the wood out of rage. “Charlie, open the door.” I wait. With no response, I continue to pound on the flimsy door and demand her attention. “Charlie, open the door right now.”

Silence.

“She’s my past and nothing more. Haven’t I proven to you that my past is in my past, that I’m not the same person I was then? Don’t you think if I was still that person we would be here? That you wouldn’t have more than one bite mark? That you would you still be alive for that matter?” My fists pound on the door. When she doesn’t respond my head drops to the door with a thud. She’s so goddamn stubborn.

I hear things crash behind the door.

“I will break it down,” I threaten.

“I’d like to see you try,” she retorts.

Her silence and backtalk brings the monster out in me. And after a minute or two of peace I slam into the door at full force. Creaking and cracking fill the rooms as the door proves to not be able to hold up to my strength. If she wants me to break down the door, well hell, I’ll break down the damn door, and I might just lay down some ground rules while I’m at it. She wants the old Maxwell, she just might get him tonight.