Hyde (31 page)

Hanna's eyes welled, "He knew you loved him.
Trust me he knew."

"I haven’t called him in six months. Maybe
longer." She cried into the mass of thick strawberry blond hair.
Hanna helped her down to her bed. She let her drape across her as
the tears poured out in a steady stream, equal in size with the
regrets she spoke.

Hanna tried not to think about her own father,
she tried not to remember his last words to her, or her own to him.
Tears fell from her own face as she thought of the millions of
things she'd wished in the months since her fathers death. Things
she never let see the light of day.

Giselle wept on Hanna's bed until she fell
asleep. Hanna never left her side. She remained stroking her hair
and humming one of the odd songs Annabelle would hum.

"Hey you in here?" She looked up to see Sam's
face in her doorway.

She didn’t look to see what was in his eyes, his
flat tone said it all and her heart was broken enough.

She put her fingers to her lips.

He rushed into the room, "Are you alright?"

She nodded whispering, "Giselle's father has
passed away. She got a text message from her mom."

He dropped to his knees, "Oh, wow that’s awful.
Is she asleep?"

Hanna nodded.

His hands covered hers, she looked at them. He
squeezed her hands.

"Do you want me to carry her to her room?"

She shook her head, "She shouldn’t be
alone."

"Oh okay. Well do you need anything?"

She shook her head, keeping her eyes on his huge
hands.

He squeezed once more and stood up, "If you do
just text me. I'll have my phone beside me."

"K."

He walked to the doorway, "Hanna."

She looked up, meeting his eyes for the first
time.

He smiled softly, "You're a really good
friend."

He walked from the room.

She watched as he closed the door. Tears filled
her eyes again. She felt silly crying for a boy she tricked into
liking her, meanwhile her friend had just lost her father.

She waited until Giselle was completely asleep
and she slipped her leg out from under her. She crept to Aleks's
room.

She knocked lightly, "Aleks?"

She turned the knob and poked her head inside,
"Aleks you here?"

She glanced around the room but he wasn’t there.
She closed the door and crept to his bathroom. She knocked and
opened the door, "Aleks?"

She sighed and walked back to the door.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk."

She froze facing the door. The voice was
unmistakable.

"My love did you really think I wouldn’t find
you? I will say I'm disappointed you're creeping around calling for
that wanker."

She turned, "Marcus you scared me. Seriously you
have to leave."

He sat outside the window smugly.

She felt anger welling inside her, "You're going
to get me into trouble."

He leaned in the window grabbing her arm and
dragging her to the windowsill.

"Hanna no one can tell me that I can't see you.
These Roses are brain washing you."

She tried to pull back but he pulled her through
the window. She screamed as he jumped to the next building. He
grabbed on like spider man.

She clutched to his chest screaming. The cold
air of the night pushed at her, as if tempting her to jump. She
knew she could survive the fall but she dreaded the pain. She
looked down to see the ground below and screamed again.

"Hanna for the love of god and all things holy.
Stop the screaming. I have very good hearing, it's annoying."

She gripped him, feeling her fingers
slipping.

He made a few strategic jumps and landed safely
on the ground. When her feet touched the ground she collapsed to
the cement.

She touched the cold wet cement with her
fingers.

"Oh thank god."

"Hmph, I saved you not him." He grabbed her
arm.

She tried to pull back but he dragged her to a
black car. She saw the bowler hat in the front seat. Marcus threw
her inside the car and climbed in as well.

The smell of him was there instantly. Her
instincts kicked in as she savored the scent of him filling the
car.

He grabbed her face, "You will not cry for that
wanker Aleksander one more day. I see even a glimpse of sadness and
I will burn the entire building down. With Hellfire. Even Lorri
wont live."

His tone frightened her but the dead look in his
eyes scared her even more.

Henry drove like a madman through the dark
streets.

"Marcus I wasn’t crying for Aleks."

He grabbed her face again closing her mouth, "Oh
please, I can see the tears. I saw you creeping in his room. You
looked upset. I've smelled him on you. He's told me all about you
and he."

She cringed, "You're hurting me."

He seethed, "I haven’t even begun Hanna."

She tried to pull back but his mouth was on
hers. His teeth raked her lips. It was a savage kiss.

She hit him feeling her strength filling her. He
bounced against the opposite car door grinning.

"I like it when you fight Hanna. If I recall you
liked it too."

Tears filled her eyes, "You're not listening to
me. I don’t love Aleks, well no more than any woman. Every woman
feels that way about him."

"I don’t want to hear your excuses. No more
lies."

She grabbed him, "You fucking idiot Lorri is
going to come for me."

He laughed, "Lorri will think you betrayed her.
Like you did me."

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing,
"Betrayed you?"

"With Aleksander."

She groaned, "Marcus he took the elixir. I'm
like a sister to him. Believe me. He loves a girl named Giselle,
her father died today. I was looking for Aleks to tell him to go to
my room to comfort her. She fell asleep in there."

He flexed his jaw staring ahead as if unmoved by
her words.

"Marcus you have to believe me. Nothing has
happened. I like my training, I like being a Rose. I'm done in a
couple weeks. I get to go home soon. Please take me back before
they suspect something."

He sat stoic. She hated him.

She growled, "You stubborn ass."

"Hanna I have a special place for you. We will
live there together." His eyes focused on her bracelet, "Minus that
thing."

She gulped, "Marcus the distance has been good
for me. I see now there is a difference between love and lust." She
tried to tread carefully, "If I loved you my Siren side would be
faded. It's stronger than ever."

She didn’t see his hand move but she felt the
impact as her head was knocked into the window. She saw stars as
she was pulled into him.

His anger seethed though his fangs, "You love me
Hanna. You're confused."

He pushed her back into her seat. She looked at
him once last time. Quickly she grabbed the lock on the car door
and flipped it up and opened the door simultaneously. She rolled
from the car. She got up instantly and ran. She ran as hard and
fast as her legs would allow.

Her inner anger filled her with enough rage to
carry her. She felt the beast's senses starting to fill her. She
looked at the building next to her and leapt hard and fast. She
scaled the building using her hands and feet. She got up to the
roof with a leap. She sprinted across the roof leaping to the next
building. She knew he was stronger, faster and more determined than
she was. It was futile but she also knew her cell phone was in her
bra.

She speed dialed the first number in her call
list.

"Yeah?"

"SAM I'M OUTSIDE RUNNING ON THE ROOFTOPS! MARCUS
IS CHASING ME! HELP ME! TELL LORRI!"

"Hanna?"

"SAM HELP ME! HE ALMOST HAS ME!"

She prayed he would care enough to help her. Her
legs pumped as she zigzagged across the city leaping from building
to building. In the moment she assumed would be the end of her
life, her heart ached for one face. One face, in the crowd of men
she held in her mind, stood out. She ignored it, desperate to get
away.

She could feel the beast desperate to come out.
Her body and mind were strong enough that the beast was nothing
compared to her. Instead she forced its strength to work for her,
driving her on, forcing her to ignore the pain.

Her sock feet were starting to burn, she knew
they were bleeding and leaving a trail of Marcus's favorite snack
to follow.

She face palmed herself. It was like Hansel and
Gretel but leaving dog treats for a hound to find them.

She looked down at her phone ringing. The cold
wind rushed past her. She answered the phone.

"Hello."

"What do you see?"

It was Lorri, pissed couldn’t describe her
tone.

"I don’t know I can't stop running. I'm in bare
feet and they're bleeding everywhere. I'm running across rooftops.
He's chasing me and he has Henry."

"Son of a fuck. Try to notice something
Hanna."

Hanna looked seeing golden arches, "MacDonald's
and a subway station beside it."

"Got you. Be there in three. Run straight for
the next two blocks, try to get to the ground level."

Hanna hung up the phone and looked down. The
huge buildings were ending. She jumped down onto a small church.
She heard the snap in her foot and winced. She slid down the
roof.

"HANNA!"

She looked behind her to see Marcus chasing her.
His face had changed to the angry monster she'd only ever seen
once.

She gasped and jumped from the roof. The broken
bone in her foot made her scream.

She ran hobbling, he would have her any
minute.

Her feet were almost dragging along the
pavement. She felt sobs filling her throat as she looked ahead of
herself.

Marcus stood two stores away. Somehow he had
gotten in front of her. He wore a sickening grin on his face.

"My love why are you running from me? I'm here
to help you."

She shook her head, "You want me to be yours,
like a possession not a person. I will never be yours. I never was
Marcus. It's not love."

She reached down gripping the bracelet. She
noticed the many people on the busy city street ignoring her. She
pulled the bracelet off, letting it fall to the ground. The shells
smashed everywhere.

"Miss are you alright. Let me help you."

"Miss, no let me help you."

"Fuck off buddy I got her first."

"No. Let go of my girlfriend."

They surrounded her. The humans became a
barrier. It was a petty pathetic move but she was desperate.

Marcus laughed as he started throwing them
aside.

Every step he took he removed another human, as
she backed away from him five more surrounded her. She felt their
hands on her. She felt them grabbing her arm.
Their greedy fingers pinched her skin as they ripped at her
clothes, in an attempt to get her to come with them.

The wall of humans grew. She felt herself
getting swallowed up in it. The beast tried to rage its way to the
surface. The strength of her crushed it, sending it back into the
dark.

She pushed back, sending people back a few steps
but again they would swallow her up.

She felt a hand on her arm, it grabbed her hard,
pulling her more forcefully than the others.

She turned her head to see Sam.

Her Sam.

He pulled her to him as she shoved people out of
the way and collapsed into his arms. He lifted her up and flashed
outside a dark black SUV.

The door was open, he placed her inside and
jumped in with her.

"Hanna are you alright?"

Most of her clothes had been ripped from her
body. She looked like she had changed again.

Sam was holding her like he'd won the prize. Ben
leaned toward her earning himself a growl from Sam. She wished his
feelings were sincere but she knew it was the bracelet being gone.
She could feel her own sexual energy pulsating from her. Whoever
was driving was wasting no time. The SUV was bouncing all over as
corners were rounded like it was a Maserati.

She looked around the SUV for one face.

Lorri smiled bitterly at her from the driver's
seat, "I told you to stay away from the fucking windows kid."

"He dragged me through when I went to Aleks's
room. I'm sorry."

Lorri nodded, "I'd imagine you are."

Aimee looked her over, "What's the damage?"

Hanna shook her head, "Don’t know. Foots broken
for sure."

"God she reeks of blood." Ben leaned in to
smell. "Sexy blood."

Again Sam growled.

Hanna looked up into his handsome face, "Sam
it's okay. It's not his fault. Just like it's not yours."

He looked confused.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed being in his
arms for the moment it would last.

Instantly the SUV stopped dead in its
tracks.

Hanna felt herself skid forward on the seat.

"For shit's sake." Lorri cussed under her
breath.

Hanna looked out the window to see Marcus
standing in the middle of the road with Henry. Henry's hands were
in the air.

The SUV spun for a moment.

Hanna squeezed Sam, she was terrified. As much
as she wanted to get away from Marcus she didn't want the price to
be Sam or the others dead.

She wondered what Lorri would do.

Lorri opened the driver's window as the SUV
halted, "Evening Marcus." Her voice was full of anger.

He walked up to the window of the SUV casually,
"Fine evening Lorri. Hanna my love, don’t make me get angry. You
come with me or Henry will start extracting them."

Lorri growled, "Don’t move Hanna. I can take
him."

Marcus grinned, "You will kill me, I'm certain
of that but Henry. No Lorri we both know he will make a meal out of
you. There is also the fate of Aimee's ever-beloved sister. Alise
isn’t it? I do know of her location. I will trade what is mine for
that information."