Pretend With Me (Midnight Society #1) (15 page)

Katalin stared at me with her dark eyes literally glowing
blue. “I may be diabolical and merciless, Jenifer,” she
smiled, deliberately showing off two pairs of sharp, long
pointed teeth. I stared at her not being able to pull my eyes
away. “However I'm not crazy.” She leaned forward,
stopping when her lips were inches from my ear and then
whispered “It would do you well to remember that in your
near future.” I remained completely frozen, too afraid to
move a muscle.
Seconds dragged on feeling like days and when she
finally faced me again her fangs were gone, retracted back
to wherever they'd come from. Her eyes glowed intense
blue for a second longer and then a perfect ring of fire
blazed at the edges of her eyes, burning away the blue as it
danced its way to her pupils. Within seconds her eyes were
back to looking human. “Welcome to Thirdworld, Jenifer,
you've just been initiated,” she smiled shoving me hard
against the wall and then released me.
Initiated? Initiated into what?
As soon as her hand left me, Eric was instantly at my
side and in that same moment Katalin had vanished from
my line of sight. Her movement blurred for a second and
then my eyes focused on her sitting on the red, velvet
couch occupying the centre of the room.
“Sit,” she ordered nodding to the couch opposite her. I
stood absolutely still. My mind was still reeling around the
fact that in front of me was a vampire. I couldn’t cope
with the truth that was staring at me, with a blank, god-like
expression. Vampires were real. You could reach out and
touch them...
“I said sit,” she commanded, her voice growing harder
yet not rising an octave.
I felt someone take my hand gently, and instantly my
head snapped to the person. Eric swallowed as I stared at
him with an expression that was blank, yet confused and
terrified at the same time. He squeezed my hand and began
to walk to the sofa. My body followed as if I were a
zombie.
“Your carelessness almost cost us her life, explain,”
Katalin began when we were sitting. I was as far away as I
could get from both Eric and Katalin. It wasn't that I
feared Eric, I honestly didn't. Katalin though, it was
impossible not to.
“I've seen her take the pills, I never thought...” he
trailed off.
“It's not your job to think, it's your job to know!” I
couldn't understand how moments ago they had wanted to
rip each other's throat out, and now they were casually
talking. Neither of them looked to me or even talked to
me and I was glad. I doubted I could get a word out even
if I wanted to.
“We haven't been watching her so she could kill herself
now.” her eyes flickered to me for a small moment and
then back to Eric. “I will make this very clear, shall she die
under your watch I will have no choice but to make an
example of you, royalty or not. With something this
important, there can be no room for more errors.”
“I know” was all he said.
Finally I couldn't take it anymore. “Stop!” I blurred out
before I could stop myself. I felt as though my head was
about to explode. “What is going on? How can you be
real? I don't understand...” I trailed off, pleading for
someone to explain.
“We were always real, Jenifer,” Katalin answered, her
voice strangely gentle. “We've just been in hiding is all.
Any more questions?”
“What am I?” I whispered so low that I didn't hear
myself.
Eric turned to face me but it was Katalin who
answered. “Since your birth you have been consuming the
blood of one of our most strongest and oldest vampire
bloodline. By your eighteenth birthday you will awaken as
not just any vampire, but one of pure blood.”
“You mean... my medication..?” I frowned at her.
“Yes.” Katalin nodded.
“Why are you here, Katalin?” Eric asked and I was
thankful for the distraction. I needed time. I wanted to
scream or disappear where no one could ever find me. I
was not like them, I was human. How could I be like
them?
“There have been rumors of her existence in
Thirdworld, and the others all want her dead.”
“What?” Eric almost shouted. “How do they know
anything? How do you know? It's not possible...”
“Oh but it is. Someone up here leaked information
down there. After looking further into the matter the
culprit was found and dealt with accordingly. And I know
because Dean told me so.”
“What are you going to do?”
“What I do best, Eric,” she smiled.
“I mean while you're down there, who’s going to be up
here?”
“Dean and his pack will be watching.”
“Dean is one of them. He can easily turn on us,” Eric
frowned standing up. “Let’s not forget that it’s the shifters
who want her dead.”
“You do not have a choice. I am having this
conversation only because I need to, now sit down.”
“I don't like this, Katalin,” Eric said still frowning, but
he sat down. “Dean may be your little pet, but I don’t trust
him. He has every reason to want her dead, he is not like
us.”
“You do not have to like it Eric. You only have to
accept it and do as you're told. As for her medication... To
ensure something such as what she attempted never
happens again, I want it injected directly into her blood,
and eliminate its weakening stage.”
“Why?” His voice suddenly changed going hard and
rough. I forced myself to look at him then. His eyes
narrowed at Katalin, murder written plainly on his face and
eyes. “You know what that will do.”
“Eric,” Katalin sighed, closing her eyes. She brought
her fingers to her temples, massaging the area. “Your
constant questions are giving me a headache. Honestly,”
she opened her eyes staring at him tiredly. “Why do you
insist on questioning my every move?” She was silent for a
second. “Did you know, you are the first person to do so
and live? Amazing isn't it? I must really like you.”
“Katalin, I'm not going to kill her,” Eric growled,
suddenly in front her face. He grabbed her neck, shoving
her into the back of the chair so hard that it turned over
with them both. “I will not let you poison her, Katalin,” he
sneered.
“It isn't going to kill her,” she gave in, rolling her eyes
shoving Eric off her. I felt like her personality had changed
completely. Katalin was unstable, yet somehow sane and
focused. She was whole and separated into pieces at the
same thing. It was like watching a split personality slowly
take form. “Do you honestly think that after all my hard
work to keep her alive, I’ll kill her? Because she didn't take
it for while, she's too weak for that to happen. I'm
surprised she's awake and not dead actually. She’s too
human Eric. Her eighteenth birthday is in a few months, at
this rate she won’t change. There aren’t enough pureblood
cells, she’s too human... She’s so human in fact that I want
her...”
She stood up and dusted herself off. “Dean is here, my
cue to leave.” Katalin then began making her way, at a
human pace to the door. I was silently thanking God.
“Katalin, wait,” Eric both demanded and pleaded
suddenly in front of her. “I want to talk to him, now,” he
demanded.
“No,” she said simply and then disappeared from the
room, leaving no trace of herself behind. For a split
second everything was quiet, like the aftermath of an
accident and then Eric was kneeling in front of me.
“Are you okay?” he breathed out running his eyes
along me. I remained silent, not being able to find my
voice. It was hidden somewhere deep inside me. “Jen, talk
to me,” he pleaded.
I wanted to, I had so many questions. So many things I
needed someone to explain before I really did go crazy. I
opened my mouth, trying to speak, but not looking at him.
I stared at everything else in the room, but nothing could
hold my gaze for long. My eyes kept wondering at random
things, searching for something, but I didn't know what.
Eric grabbed my face and my eyes focused on his face.
“You...” I heard myself whisper. “You lied to me..?” I
asked and in the same moment realization hit me like a
bullet to the brain. I was stunned and angry and awake at
the same time. I slapped his hand away from me and
immediately shoved him aside. “You lied to me!” I
screamed as loud as I could.
I knew that there were other things I should be angry
about, things that I should try to figure out. I had just
learned about an entirely different, scary world, and I’d
been initiated into that world – whatever the fuck that
meant. All I could focus on though, was that Eric had lied
to me.
I shot off the sofa and Eric began backing away. “You
fucking lied to me, Eric!” I grabbed the closest solid object
that I could find and lugged it at him without aiming. It
shattered into pieces at his foot. “I am going to become
one of you and you knew . You lied to me!”
“At least I'm not suicidal,” he spat back. “You're a liar
too, Jen!”
“That's different, you ass!” Hot angry tears rolled down
my face. “How does someone not mention that they're a
vampire? I am being forced to marry you - and you you're a vampire,” I spat back, making the words as dirty
and offensive as I could. “How the fuck could I become a
vampire? How could I have trusted you?”
“You trust me?” he scoffed. “You said you were fine.
You said there was no reason to worry.”
I grabbed another object, this time a lamp, and threw it
at him, hoping it would smash his head in. “Stupid son of
a bitch, I hate you!” I sneered throw ing something else at
him, aiming this time. Eric stepped out of the way and it
shattered against the desk.
“Oh, the feeling is mutual,” he sneered back. “I can't
believe you. You trust no one, you make yourself so hard
to read, I have no idea what is on your mind on most days
and I'm a mind reader. It's impossible to tell you
anything!” he screamed, suddenly in my face. “And then
you wonder why everyone around you keeps keeping
things from you,” he whispered, his breath washing over
my face in the same instant that fresh tears spilled out my
eyes.
“It's because you make it impossible, Jen,” he breathed
out. Before I could answer he was gone from in front me,
walking to the door. I stood there angry and crying not
sure what to do. I heard the door slam shut and it made
me jump in my skin, scaring me into movement. I was
soon out of the room and after him. I found him walking
down the stairs, almost to the end of it.
Before I could stop myself, I grabbed a picture hanging
on the wall and hurled it towards his head with all the
force and strength I could manage. It clocked him at the
back of his head and immediately he turned staring at me
with hate and murder plain in his eyes.
“Take it back,” I said my voice surprisingly steady and
a little calm. “That's not true Eric, take it back.”
“Oh it's true Jen,” he snorted, “you just refuse to see it.
Everyone else can, and I’d bet Daren saw it too.”
I flinched at this. “Don't talk about Daren, he has
nothing to do with this. You didn't fucking know him
Eric!”
“I know enough. Why is he really dead? How did he
die Jen? Why do you feel so guilty?” I stood at the top of
the stairs frozen, not sure what to do. I couldn't move. My
heart was beating loudly against my ribcage and at that
moment, I wanted to rip it from my chest and fling it at
him too.
“So you don't know?” he continued bitterly when I
didn’t respond. “He died because he loved you. Loving
you, it's a curse, because to love you means to die for you.
That's why he's dead, Jen. That's why you feel guilt,
because you know deep down in that little black, selfish
heart of yours that you killed him.”
“Eric, enough,” Mrs. Wilson demanded suddenly
standing at his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder and
as soon as she did he shrugged it off roughly.
I didn't take my eyes off Eric for one second. Instead
they zoomed in on him as if he was my target. All my tears
had stopped now. I felt pure anger building in me, boiling
in my veins, licking my insides like fire consuming a house
filled with gasoline. Steam rose inside me and my breathing
became hard, fast and furious. My entire frame shook.
I stormed down the stairs, moving so fast that before I
could recognize what I was doing, what I meant to do I
was already in front of his face. My hand curled up in a
tight ball and I smashed it into his jaw using all the
strength and force I had in me. Eric didn't move aside or
try to block it; instead he stood there and absorbed the
blow which only fuelled my fury.
“I hate you!” I screamed in his face. “I hate you, Eric!”
My hand tightened again and it shot out at him. But before
it could hit him again, another hand clamped around my
knuckles, stopping me. My eyes blinked and in that short
time someone was behind me, holding me back as Eric's
mom stood in front of him.
I kicked and trashed at the person, digging my nails
into their neck and hands, any part of them I could reach,
making the person's hand tighten around my waist.
Adrenaline shot through me, making me see everything
foggy and red from anger. There was nothing I wanted
more than to hurt Eric Wilson.
“Calm down, Jen,” Eric's dad said in my ears and I
realized that it was him holding me back.
I took an angry deep breath, forcing myself to stop
trashing around. “I'm fine,” I told him and the second his
arms loosened I shot towards Eric not caring about
anything but beating him to a pulp. Before I could reach
him, Jason was in front of me, stopping me from going
any further.
“I hate you!” I screamed again over Jason’s shoulder,
fighting as he held me back. “And I'd rather be dead than
married to you!”
“Yes, I know just how much you want that,” Eric said
blankly, but his eyes were hurt and livid. Then without
saying another word, he turned away from me and
stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard that
it sent shock waves running through the house. The
aftermath of that; was that it left the house completely
silent and devastated. It was worse than not fighting with
Eric.

I was in my bedroom, sitting on the bed while Dr.
Wilson was on a chair in front of me, cutting away the
crumpled cast from my hand. After Eric had stormed out
Dr. Wilson and Jason brought me in here. Mrs. Wilson
had stayed back to apologize to everyone who had
witnessed the fight. As soon as I had stopped screaming
how much I hated Eric and w anted him dead, Jason had
left to find him.