Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6) (16 page)

“Okay.”

“Promise me that you will be safe and if you get yourself into a situation and need help, then you will call me…I told Lucy to give you my number, have you got it?” Hearing this made me smile back at him as I first thought it had been Lucy forcing the Sheriff’s services on me just as a precaution. So it was nice to know it had been done due to his concern as well. 

“I will and I have. The second?” I asked causing his behaviour to change. The first promise had been full of authority and said with the confidence that I would listen to a man in uniform. But this next bit was obviously something more personal if his uncomfortable shifting was anything to go by. He ran a hand on the top of his head and sighed,

“Ah hell, it feels like high school all over again.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better I never went, so I won’t judge.” He looked shocked but then his eyes grew soft as if things were fitting into place with his suspicions.

“I’m not sure if I should be sorry to hear that, school can be a nightmare.” He laughed once but in my head I was thinking I would take nightmare school days over living in Hell any day of the week…thankfully I didn’t say this.

“Anyway, what I was trying to say, in what could be the worst way possible…”

“Dex?”

“The second promise is to come back here so I can ask you out on a date…there whoa, that wasn’t so hard, now are you hungry, ‘cause I know how much you enjoyed those burgers and I could…” I placed my hand on his to calm his nervous rambling that I found endearing and said,

“Dex, I would love to.”

“You would?!” He said sounding shocked and I laughed,

“Yes of course I would but there’s stuff I need to do first and I promise it’s nothing law breaking but it’s some personal stuff I need to put behind me before I can move on with my life.”

“I understand and it’s good to know you’re law abiding, as that’s kinda important considering what I do.” He joked and we both laughed although my thoughts instantly went back to what happened in the barn and how I didn’t think it a good time to mention that in the eyes of the law, I might be classed as a murderer…no, dating a cop might not be a good idea after all I thought looking out the window. Although technically speaking he could have been a Vampire too and in that case would killing a Demon from Hell be classed as murder or doing the world a favour?

Although based on that same logic I had to ask myself, were all demons bad? I thought back to the one I was obsessed with in my dreams and the idea of hurting him had me soon realising that I never could…so what did that make me. Obviously not a very good Demon hunter, that’s what.

“I would love to know what’s going on in that head of yours.” Dex said snapping me out of my disturbing thoughts. This time I was the one laughing nervously and quickly changed the subject asking how long had he known Lucy and Denis.

We made small talk all the way to town until he pulled up outside the bus station. I felt like I had learned a lot about Dex in that short time and my overall conclusion was that he was a good man. And most important to this was that he obviously cared, not only about his town but about Lucy and Denis. He respected them and the way they handled their daughter Kelly, as she had gotten in with the wrong crowd a few times but due to a lot of help and support they had got her through it and now couldn’t be prouder that she had made it into a good college.

“So I guess this is it.” He said switching off the engine.

“Yep, but hopefully not for long.” I added unbuckling my seatbelt and also praying this was the case.

“So what are you a fish or meat kinda girl?” He asked making me laugh and frown at the same time.

“I’m sorry, if you can believe, that sounded so much smoother in my head.” This had me biting my lip before reaching across and saying,

“Thanks for everything Dex…” I then kissed him on the cheek and got out of the car. Then before I shut the door I turned and said,

“Oh, and meat every time.” Then I winked and slammed the door. But then I quickly replayed how that sounded and then opened the door quickly to say,

“That’s not what I meant…I mean, I like meat but fish is good…oh never mind…bye.” Then I shut the door hoping he would take the whole thing in good flirty fun. As I reached in the pickup to grab my bag I could still hear him laughing at my saucy parting line, one that was a first for me.

I never knew I could flirt or be funny before so achieving both was a new high for me. I walked away almost wishing I was wearing a sexy dress and heels just so I could achieve the sexy walk to go with the teasing. Thankfully though I was just wearing old sneakers so there was no possibility of humiliating myself by trying it. Because me in heels for the first time and sexy would be the last word that would be used when seeing it.

Instead I waved over my shoulder when I heard him beep and that was it, I was back to where I started…alone. And to be honest, I thought this was a good thing as the last thing I wanted was to drag more good people into this trouble. No, this next bit I had no choice but to do on my own.

So I hitched up the strap on the holdall Lucy had packed for me and walked over to the gate number it said on my ticket. There wasn’t many people waiting but I was a bit early so I dumped my bag on the floor and waited. I decided to get out the phone Lucy had given me to use and sign into the free Wi-Fi they had here to do some more research to pass the time. I had been amazed to find out you could do this on your phone but it had also been another one of those cases where I probably wasn’t as shocked as I should have been.

I didn’t understand it but then again that was the same feeling I had with most things these days. I think in the short time since I had escaped the Colony it was obvious that the chains they wrapped around my mind were slowly breaking away one by one. I felt stronger, braver and even smarter every day I was away but more than anything I felt like…well, more like
me.

I decided there was one search I had been putting off and that was finding out about my crazy Gypsy stalker
,
Nesteemia. She told me she was what they called a Shtriga, although who she meant by ‘they’ I had no clue…was she in a club? Somehow I couldn’t see her having many friends but then after what the search came back with, I couldn’t see her having any!

“She’s a Vampire Witch that sucks the blood of children!”

Chapter 14

Buses and Bad Asses

   Needless to say that after blurting this out in public, it granted me with a few odd looks.

“Sorry, book I’m reading.” I said hoping this explained my crazy behaviour. This got me mixed reactions, with one smirk from a younger, hippy looking girl and a grunt from an older man who only had three teeth max. I couldn’t stop staring because the lone top one looked big enough to pierce tin cans, which was the only use I could see for it. I quickly looked away when he sneered my way.

“Well this is a good start.”
I muttered to myself and then heard a woman who was breast feeding next to me huff.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean…
anything by it.”
  I finished the sentence to myself as she promptly took her baby, changing bag and exposed boob with her to the empty seat next to smiley Mc’Grunts a lot over there. Geez it must have been bad if I was getting traded in for a man who had obviously never got his head around the technical marvel that was the toothbrush.

Thankfully I didn’t have to wait around too much longer before my Greyhound coach was pulling into its designated spot. I can’t say I was disappointed when Mr Hygiene and Mrs Hormonal didn’t stand up for this one. I decided to keep my bag with me as Lucy had set me up with enough food to feed everyone on the bus, should terrorists attack and we were stuck for a while whilst the terms were being negotiated with the President.

Bless Lucy but why she thought something bad was going to happen was beyond me. I think in my situation the worse type of thing to go wrong would be if Dracula himself were to step on the…uh…what was I saying?

All my thoughts left me because just before the doors could close the sexiest sight I had ever seen in the flesh just stepped on to the bus.

“Do you have a ticket, Sir?” The lady driver asked and I couldn’t help but lean around my seat just to catch better sight of him. I saw him bend slightly and whisper something in her ear. I didn’t know if he had a ticket and from the looks of it neither did she. He straightened up and left a dreamy eyed driver behind him as he scanned all the empty seats.

At first I had been happy that the bus had been over half empty but now, I was thinking differently, wishing next to me was the only space left. He was tall, that much was clear and his stonewash jeans fit him like he was born to wear them. A worn brown leather belt matched his worn leather boots, giving him a cool edge that said, ‘I don’t care, I don’t dress for you’, kind of vibe. With this he wore an open black shirt on top of a tight black t-shirt that I wished was just that little bit tighter so I could see more.

God what was wrong with me? I was never like this before, it was as if I was finally catching up on the horny teenage years I had missed. On top of all this though it was the black leather jacket he wore that had me near salivating. It was like some vintage speed racer jacket that was tight around the elbows and had zips up the forearms. The high collar sat over the messy honey coloured hair that had been styled back in a way that looked like it only stayed there because he ran his hand through it a few times. I don’t know how I knew but its name was the controlled bedhead look.

But all of this was nothing when finally getting a chance look at his eyes. They were almond shaped giving him an exotic look that seemed to mix well with the dark shadows around them. This just made the stunning pair of steel grey eyes scream out at you even more and I bet if I ever got close enough I would be able to spot specks of blue in there also.

He was utterly breathtaking and I think the whole bus did a collective sigh at just the sight of him…or was that just me? Either way, I must have done something as his eyes found me and no one else. The smile he gave me must have come straight as a blessing from the Gods, as it was nothing short of heavenly. But through all this something nagged at me and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“I take it this seat is spare?” When he spoke I did a double take. Was he really talking to me? I frowned and looked to my right to see row after row of empty seats.

“Uh…” This was the only noise I managed to make and if I thought his smile was sexy, then his smirk was the stuff of legends.

“It’s not a trick question, Kitten.”
He whispered down to me behind his hand and I swallowed hard before giving him a very shameful snorted laugh…wait…did I just really snort! Oh God no! I quickly decided that biting my lip was definitely a better idea than making piggy noises, so I just nodded to indicate for him to take a seat…that was if he still wanted to after the farmyard impersonation.

“Yep, definitely you.”
He muttered and I frowned…had I heard him right? I didn’t question this for much longer as he nodded to the bag I had sat on the seat next to me.

“Allow me.” He said grabbing my bag before I had chance to protest and once more I was rendered speechless. The bus jerked forward yet he seemed unaffected. Instead he just reached up above us and I was rewarded with a full frontal few of tight jeans and a line of pale skin that definitely answered the six pack question.

“Oh my”
I uttered with an exhale of much need air.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that?” I turned my head and muttered,

“Thank God.”
…to the window before turning back to him, shaking my head, with my lips firmly closed. His lips twitched once as if he was trying not to grin at my odd behaviour. I on the other hand just wanted to slap myself on the forehead and start over.

He sat his big body down and suddenly I felt like he had trapped me in. I moved closer to the window to give him more room but he took this as more reason to spread out, so I decided the best thing to do was to offer him my seat.

“You can take the window seat if you like.”

“I’m not a fan of the glaring sun, but thanks for offering.” He said giving me a cryptic reason that had me frowning back at the window. For a start it was cloudy and looked like rain but in the end I mentally shrugged my shoulders and decided to introduce myself.

“I’m Katie by the way.” I said holding out my hand.

“Katie, did you say?” He asked making me nod.

“Funny, I wouldn’t have had you down for a Katie.” I laughed once and asked,

“Why, what name would you have said I look like?” This had him smirking again and then tapping his lips with two fingers.

“Umm, I don’t know, maybe…
Catherine.”
  The seductive way he said the name wasn’t the only reason it affected me. It was once again one of those times that had me wondering why hearing it made me feel an emotion that felt denied to me. As if a feeling I could barely touch upon was just out of reach from grasping hold of. The only word to describe it was…
Haunting.
 

“Are you alright? Do you not like that name?” He questioned in a way as though he had known what it would do to me. But no, that was silly, I had only just met this man and couldn’t take a simple comment as something more.

“It’s a lovely name but it’s just plain old Katie I am afraid.”

“Oh I very much doubt there is anything plain or old about you, Sweetheart.” The way he said it made my heart flutter or skip a beat, either way I struggled to breathe normally for a few breaths.

“Thank you.” I said blushing and again biting my lip. We had a moment of silence before I realised he hadn’t yet given me his name.

“You never told me your name.” I said turning back to face him to find him staring at me intensely.

“Forgive me, my name is Luc.”

“Luc…um, well I am happy to report it suits you, no other name needed.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He said smiling in a way that made handsome little lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. I don’t know why but every look he gave me was like he knew me and this was just one big tease to him.

“Have we ever met before?” I asked thinking it best to just get it out there and I was intrigued to see what he would say considering the impossibility that we had ever met before but he didn’t know that.

“In another life perhaps.” He replied looking past me at the world that flew by. I turned my head to see what he saw and for the moment it was the simple sight of life living in an ignorant bliss of the horrors that shared their world.  

“Why, do I seem familiar to you?” He asked drawing my gaze back to him. One honey coloured eyebrow was raised waiting for my answer. I thought about his question for a moment and then gave him the wrong answer,

“Not particularly.”

“You were always a shitty liar.” He commented more to himself and this had me frowning at him as I snapped,

“Excuse me?”

“I am merely making an observation that you can’t lie.” I crossed my arms and said,

“And you’re an expert at this, I take it?” At this he laughed and then said,

“I have had my fair share of occasions where the talent comes in handy, yes… but I never lie to myself.”

“And you think I do?” I asked getting annoyed at how handsome he still looked when acting smug.

“I believe you lied when saying that I don’t seem familiar to you and giving me the wide eyed beautiful look only increases that belief.” He said making me blush again…he thought I was beautiful? Wait, no I was angry but was that because I had been busted? Because in truth I did feel like we had met before but because I knew there was no possible way for that to have happened I felt confident giving him my answer.

“Okay look, the truth is I do feel like I know you from somewhere but I know that would be impossible, so I didn’t lie.” I said all this and couldn’t believe we were having such a heavy discussion after only just meeting one another. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then leaned into me, pushed my hair behind my ear and whispered,

“Nothing is impossible, my little Katie Girl.”
Then he pulled back giving me the space I needed to have my internal meltdown. Holy shit but there was that sharp jolt to the heart again. Hearing him call me this was the same as hearing myself say the name
‘Draven’.
It almost caused me pain and I couldn’t understand why? It felt like trying to breathe under water, knowing you couldn’t do it but it was try or drown anyway…
and everyone had to try, didn’t they?

So was that what I needed to do now? Did I need to try and listen to what everyone seemed to think about my life? Everyone was telling me I was someone else or implying as much, so why did I continue to hold back? But even as I asked myself this question I already knew the reasons why…
Ari.
She was my anchor to it all. Because if I wasn’t who I thought I was then that would mean Ari wasn’t either and this I wasn’t willing to accept, not yet and not without proof. Because she was my sister and every memory I had of us together taught me about love. And if I didn’t have that, then I was left with nothing.

Everyone needed at least one person in this world to love them and
Ari was mine.
        

“So where are you heading?” I asked Luc trying to get past the awkward beginning.

“Same place you are.” This made me laugh because it was either the worst pick up line ever or it bordered on creepy stalker and I so badly wanted to believe the first.

“And how do you know where I am going?” I asked feeling cocky which lasted about all of three seconds when he nodded down to my hand and said,

“Because that ticket you’re still gripping onto for dear life tells me where.” I looked down to see he was right and I hadn’t even realised it. But I guess he was also right because at this moment it did feel like my last lifeline.

“So what’s in Portland, if you don’t mind me asking?” Why did it feel like he was prying for information, or was I just being paranoid? I didn’t actually know what answer to give and seeing as I’d learnt my lesson before with lying I decided being vague was the way to go.

“I’m on a research trip.” Again I don’t know why but this made him laugh…damn him even more for having a sexy laugh! I thought bitterly because even though he was the most handsome man I had ever met he was also slightly infuriating.

“How about you, what takes you to Portland.” He gave me a sideways glance and again that half knowing smile was back.

“I’m meeting an old friend of mine.”

“That’s nice.” I replied trying to carry on the conversation.

“Not really, he’s a big pain in the ass.” I seriously wanted to roll my eyes at this point. Jeez it was like pulling teeth with this guy!

“Then why are you meeting him?”

“Like I said, he’s an old friend and besides, he’s having a few problems with his wife.”

“Oh no! That’s terrible.” I said now seeing Luc in a different light. I mean he couldn’t be all bad if he was travelling all this way to help his friend through tough times.

“Yes it is and so, although he may not be my favourite person this world has to offer, I do like his wife.” Ah…so this was what was really going on.

“What?” He asked when he saw my disapproving frown and crossed arms.

“Nothing, it’s none of my business.” I said and for some reason again he found this funny.