Chapter Twenty Six - Part Two

Maxwell

Sadly, Thursday evening was uneventful. Friday wasn’t much better as I sat and thought about what Charlie said yesterday about Morgan meeting the green-eyed stranger and how James could possibly know who he is. I recall the conversation he had with me the night Charlie was attacked. He claimed to not know his name, so why would he invite him along with a snack to Charlie’s workplace? Things just don’t add up, and with James as well as Morgan in Austria, I won’t be able to find anything out for a while.

Today seems like it’s headed down the same path.

“Well…are you going to say something instead of just staring at me like that?” Charlie demands.

I could say a lot of things, but I’m having trouble being able to formulate words. I can’t help but to gawk at her barely clothed body. She poses in front of me in a black bikini. I know she’s still angry at me, but causing me distress makes her a bit chipper.

I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Four gold eyelets run along her bust and hips, with chain connecting the actual swimsuit to a waistband and choker. Being more modest than her attire, she wears a sheer wrap dress on top.

“What is this for again?”

“The event I have scheduled for this afternoon. A beach themed event. Swimsuit.” Her voice alerts me of her annoyance.

“And you’re going to be there on your own?” I know I said I thought it might be best of Dave were called in to assist with the situation, but now I’m glad I didn’t push.

“No. I do have venders who need to come and set up. If you’re worried, you should be, but I have work to do. So be brave for just one day.”

Before she leaves me behind, her highly glossed lips press into a small smile making her confidence seem more fake. She wants me to be worried, but she’s worried too. All I can do is watch her walk away. Boredom immediately takes over my day within seconds after she leaves. I debate whether to watch pointless TV or go and lie down to stare at the ceiling. Since I’ve never been one for television, I go for option number two.

I place my stiff body in the middle of the bed. No matter how much I want to dismiss the truth or ignore the signs, my tired body begs to be heard. It’s been years since I felt like this. It’s been years since I even had the option to feel like this again. Closing my eyes, I force breaths to come slow yet steady to release some of the tension that’s bound to overwhelm me sooner or later.

The sound of my phone ringing jolts me awake. I didn’t even realize I fell asleep, but a quick glance at the clock tells me it wasn’t that long. Rushing to pick the phone up, I answer it without looking at the number displayed across the screen. “Hello.”

“Maxwell.”

“Grace, what a pleasant surprise.”

“I have been doing some research and I just wanted to tell you I haven’t found anything. No one is aware of a vampire out to get Charlie or yourself.”

“Looks like your visit is paying off,” I say, annoyed. “Are you ready to tell me what you’re doing up there yet?” My curiosity getting the best of me.

“That’s a long story,” she hesitantly says.

“I have all day. Charlie’s conducting business at the moment.” I want to add in a bikini, but I refrain from releasing that information, because I know Grace, she’ll tauntingly laugh at me.

The sound of her huffing on the other end causes me to smile. I know from past experiences that this is going to be good. “I was actually looking forward to talking to her. How is she?”

“Grace.” My voice is stern as I wish to get the answers I asked for.

“I happen to be a witness.” She finally reveals.

“A witness for what?” My patience always seems to be tested.

“I’m a witness in a small trial accusing Emma of contempt.”

Emma is Benjamin’s second bride. She’s the reason Grace turned her back on Benjamin. “Contempt of what exactly?”

“She tried to kill Benjamin. Turns out she doesn’t allow any sexual activities with the donors who happen to be their maids. She walked in on a task that was never listed on their agendas. Apparently, she’s a very jealous person, which is extremely hard to live with seeing as she’s in a shared relationship.”

“Are you testifying for her or against her?” Grace isn’t very fond of Emma and the thought that she’s helping her is astonishing.

“I’m on Benjamin’s side...unfortunately. And he owes me for this. Trust me, if I could refuse, I would.”

“Grace!” I hear someone yell her name in the background.

“Listen, I got to go. I should be back home within a week or so.” That’s all she says before the line goes dead.

I fall onto the bed with the phone still held tightly in my hand. Only how many more hours before Charlie’s back? I shut my eyes to calm the panic building in the pit of my stomach. We are no closer to finding out who is after her than we were weeks ago.

“Maxwell? Maxwell!”

A firm hand slaps across my cheek and shocks me awake. A groan escapes my dry mouth, the throbbing ache makes my jaw feel very uncomfortable. With my eyes not even open yet, my ears do the seeing for me. The sound of the air whooshing off to my left side tells me that another slap is coming. I catch her arm at the wrist right before it makes impact with my cheek. Her fingertips graze the side of my face.

“Charlie.”

“About damn time. You were asleep…at least I think you were asleep. Do vampires sleep? Anyways, I tried to wake you up, but you weren’t responding, so I had to result to forceful actions.” The sound of worry in her voice makes my chest tighten with unexpected pleasure.

“I’m awake now.”

“You don’t look too good. I thought vampires don’t get sick.”

“I’m fine, it will pass.”

“What will pass?”

“Nothing for you to worry about. I have been through this before and I can handle it.” I don’t want to worry her, but I also don’t want her to feel.

“Maxwell, spill it. Now.” Her stern voice fills the room.

“It’s similar to what addicts suffer after they quit an abused substance.”

“Withdrawal? You’re having withdrawal like a drug addict?”

“Yes, but except my drug is blood.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Didn’t you have to go like one hundred years without blood? Why are you going through it now? You just had some a few weeks ago.”

“I told you I went through this before. I was well fed up until my punishment and it only took a couple of days for the signs of hunger to settle upon me. You can’t die from lack of nutrition, but you will feel as if you want to. I went through all those years in agonizing pain until my body adjusted to my circumstances. It’s only that once I drank from you my body started to crave again. The first time my body saved it, thinking it would never receive a drop again, but…”

“But what?” Her words are unsteady and I’m not sure what exactly she’s scared of.

“But the more I have the more my body responds. I can get through this without offerings.” I get up from the bed in the blink of her eyes, in the next blink I’m across the room.

“Don’t you show off to me. Now is not the time for your ego to stay intact. And now is not the time for me to be a bitch.”

I raise my eyebrows at her comment.

“Shut up.”

“I’m fine.” I can hear her heart speed up at the thought of getting bit again. Just another thing that scares her.

“I haven’t been the most accepting, but...our lives depend on your strength.” She blurts the last bit out, but I know that’s not what she was going to say. What she wants to say is too hard to say, so she’s covering it up with survival. “He’s going to be tapping his walking bottle of goodness every day…hell, maybe even more than once a day.” She rambles, nervous. “I want to do this.” She moves her hair to the side I previously bit her on. “Same side or would you like a clean slate?” she asks, flashing me the opposite side her of her neck that’s untouched…well, healed.

“No.” It takes everything I have to peel my eyes away from her slightly tan skin, but I know she doesn’t want to do this.

“Maxwell, I’m not going to say it again. Stop pretending to be a saint and I’ll stop pretending I can’t stand you.” She pushes me to a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

I don’t have time to think before she grabs the back of my head, pushing my mouth against her tender skin. My unnecessary breaths begin to get deeper and heavier in my chest. “I can’t bite you where it’s so visible again. It’s eighty degrees outside, you’ll overheat wearing a scarf.”

“Then where, Maxwell?” I can hear a faint quiver in her voice.

“There’s one other very common place, but you’re not going to like it,” I say slowly, as if trying to tame the storm that’s bound to come my way.

“Not any more than I already don’t like this conversation. Where?”

In a blink of condescending eyes, I grasp her around the waist and lay her down on the bed. My hand slides up her bare leg, stopping on her inner thigh, rubbing the spot with my thumb. “Right here, but it’ll hurt if I just take a bite.” I lean down over her to whisper in her ear, “Don’t you remember, you have to be—” my words get cut off by her shoving me away.

Her dark brown eyes stare up at me before she grabs a fistfull of my shirt. “Shut up.” She jerks me back down until my mouth is on hers.

I kiss her eagerly on her still glossed lips. A smack fills the silent room as we break apart. Hovering over her body, I untie the thin string that keeps her sheer dress together. My fingers tightly grab ahold of her hips, sliding her down to the very edge. Dropping to my knees, I spread her legs apart, allowing me access to her inner leg. The pounding of her heartbeat is all I hear. In efforts to calm her more, I reach my hand up, placing it on her stomach.

Unable to resist, I lick the sensitive skin, causing her to shudder in anticipation of my bite. Her hands grip mine and silently I count to three before I pierce through the thin layers of skin. She instantly tries to sit up as she sucks in a deep breath, but for fear of hurting her more I push her back down, trapping her beneath my hand.

“Shit, that hurts. Wasn’t ready. Wasn’t ready,” she yells. Then there’s a muffled scream and I since I can’t see her face I have to assume that she grabbed a pillow and is smothering herself with it.

Her fingernails that dig into my hands disappear only to grab a fistful of my hair. Flashbacks to my past play in my mind, my past where I just bit people for the hell of it without a care in the world, unfazed and uncaring about their pain.

Charlie’s yelps in agony forces screams of my past to ring through my eardrums. I don’t have the chance to relish the warm liquid that runs down my throat when regret eats at my insides.

Without thinking, my hand glides down her stomach until my fingers rest upon her most intimate spot. I thought she would slap my hand away since I was asking so much of her already, but when her own hands knead against mine, pressing my own fingers harder against her, I know she wants it just as much as I do. Sliding my fingers inside her bikini bottoms, I begin a gentle massage. Her once yelps of pain quickly turn to groans of pleasure.

Feeling satisfied with how much blood I ingested, I release my mouth from her leg. Slowly creeping up the length of her body, I speak slowly. “Charlie.” It takes every ounce of self-control I have to turn this situation in the opposite direction, in a direction I didn’t want to turn away from, but we have things to discuss.

“Good,” she agrees, even though her hands are still holding me tightly against her. “Maybe not.” Aggressively, she pushes my mouth onto hers.

I can’t believe what I’m going to do. “Charlie.” My efforts of not taking advantage of her come to a halt as my words stop her needy fingers.

Her hands yank at the hem of my T-shirt before moving to the buckle of my belt. There’s no way I can refuse her. In a frantic mess of limbs we each strip away the articles of clothing that separate us. I encircle her waist in one of my arms and carry her up to the top of the bed. My body moves as my mind remains numb with excitement. Her knees feel hot under my palms as I move her legs apart to position myself perfectly center. Red streaks trail down the curve of her thigh.

One deep breath from her is all the hesitation I can take before I slide into her. A sharp intake of breath hisses through Charlie’s teeth and the pressure from her fingernails gradually lets up. Trying to tame the exhilaration that rushes through my veins, I grope her mouth with my tongue, occasionally sucking on her bottom lip. I can sense her chest begin to tighten along with her pounding heart. I can only assume that’s from the lack of oxygen getting to her lungs. Her heavy pants only make the need to go deeper get greater.

Burying my face in the curve of her neck, I let her try to catch her breath, only for so long, though. The increasing squeeze of her legs that are wrapped around me is my cue that our extracurricular activity is reaching its end. Each thrust gets harder and comes faster. A groan of relief escapes my mouth as I can’t hold back any longer. Seconds later, she follows, going completely limp beneath me from exhaustion.

She pulls a corner of the blanket we’re lying on to cover herself. “Lay with me.”

I’m just about to comply with I hear voices just outside the hall. “Just one moment, love.”

She gives me a quizzical look. “Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t.” I quietly leave the room as her eyes close.

I walk up to the door, listening to the sound of faint breathing on the other side. An envelope being shoved under the door throws me off guard. I know by the time I take my eyes off the letter the sender is already gone. The hall silent.

Swinging the door open anyways, I catch a glimpse of blonde hair rounding the corner. Set to go after them, but one thing stops me—Charlie’s restless groaning. Mumbles of my name sound from inside the room.

“I’m coming.” I bend down and pick up the envelope, weighing it in my hands. The same envelope from the previous notes that Charlie received. But she’s safe right now and I won’t let this get between us, this moment.

I let the envelope drop onto the table for some other time.