The Masquerade (28 page)

I was done waiting for them. "You know I really hate
surprises. Let's get this over with," I shouted, sounding like an imbecile.

"Finally," a voice breathed into my ear. I jerked feeling their arms snag around my stomach. "You smell delicious," he
snarled.

"So I've heard," I scoffed. The man from the diner was in front of me, his smile was even more threatening when illuminated by the light cast by the street lamp overhead. "
You
again."

"I have to say I'm surprised you kept to your word," he mused.

The monster holding me forced me to move forward until we stood in the middle of the road. Two other men came to stand on either side of the
man who appeared to be calling the shots. All of their faces were perfectly sculpted and expressionless, like porcelain dolls with hollow eyes and a haunted presence. These monsters were different from Ben and his brothers. They still had remnants of their past attached to them, their emotions were still
human, in spite of what Ben believed. These so-called undead creatures were lost to their humanity. They were truly dead to the world.

"Did you?" I shot back, my voice fueled with anger
despite the trepidation I felt below the surface of my skin.

He nodded. "Your friends are fine."

"They better be," I snapped. "I swear to God if you lay one finger on them, I'm coming back to haunt the crap out of your
ass!"

He tilted his head to the side, his black eyes struck with amusement. "We're not going to kill you, Ella."

Something sank inside my stomach, but the feeling didn't
last long. The monster holding me captive tightened his arms around my torso. I assumed it was for a better grip until his arms continued to squeeze and I found it difficult to breathe. I gasped, searching for air that I so
desperately needed. His strength was bruising my stomach and I cried out as a way to tell them I couldn't breathe anymore. Whatever threat they were trying to ensue was working. I would comply with whatever they wanted if they would just let me breathe.

The monster's voice rang in my ears. "Your thoughts are probably a bit disoriented right now, but that will end shortly."

I whimpered a response. A thick sheet of fog clouded my mind. Any coherent thought swirled away from my reach. I couldn't grasp the
reality of the situation in front of me. Everything was beginning to blur together and I was seeing white.
What were they doing to me?

An earsplitting scream pierced through the grey clouds. My
mind snapped like a rubber band back to the street we were standing in. The white evaporated and my eyes blurred back into focus. One of the Undead who stood next to the leader was lying on the ground, his head sliced clean from
the rest of his body. My eyes focused on the blood squirting from the open neck.

Eli stood behind the body with a machete coated with crimson in one of his hands. His eyes flared on the Undead moving cautiously towards him. My stomach squeezed when I noticed the leader was moving in on him as
well.

"Eli!" I shouted.

The grasp the monster had on my stomach loosened, but it still ached from the forced he used on it. I struggled against him, thrashing
my arms out and scratching at his skin but it was like picking a fight with a brick wall. He sneered at every attempt I made to escape.

Eli swung his machete at the Undead that lunged for his throat. He missed his neck, but took a nasty cut to the monster's bicep. I
screamed in terror when the leader lunged at Eli from behind. He was inches from tackling my ex-boyfriend to the ground when someone intervened and knocked the leader off his feet. It was Ben. His large form was on top of the leader,
pinning him down, his hands at his throat.

The monster Eli fought said something to him. My attention turned to them when Eli responded with a sarcastic bark, "Yeah, eat me," and quickly followed it up with, "Wait, no! You probably
would."

The monster lunged for him again, his mouth open, ready to bite. Eli dodged the attempt. His movements were precise like he'd practiced it a million times. His feet worked in particular patterns, back and forth until
he managed to make a clean swipe across the Undead's throat with his knife. Detached from its body, the head toppled to the concrete.

My eyes moved back to Ben after I heard the snap of two
bones being broken. He snapped the leader's neck and the body was limp underneath him. Ben was on feet again and in one swift motion he was in front of me. His eyes were dark and murderous as they settled on the monster holding me.

"There's more where we came from," the monster
said. "You can't win this war."

"Watch me," Ben smirked.

A third voice from the crosswalk echoed down the small side street. "
Brandon
, is that you?"

Everyone turned to see Cam standing in the middle of the road, a few feet away from us, with his hands crossed over his chest.

The monster snarled, "I thought I killed you."

"I'm a legend. We never die." He shot back, his eyebrows raised, and a mocking smile hung on his lips.

A frown was on Ben's face, which told me he wasn't expecting Cam to show up. They exchanged a brief glance of communication and together
they lunged for Michael. Cam was at his side, his hands snapping his arms back so that I was instantly freed. I collapsed into Ben's arms as they formed around me securely.

Eli dashed in front of the Cam with his sword above his
head. "I got this."

Cam, twisting the monster's arms behind his back and holding them together, threw a glance at him. Eli didn't wait for a response. He swung
and the machete made a clean sweep through the monster's neck. Cam let out a shout when he ducked just in time to avoid getting cut as well. Angry, he threw the limp body to the side and stared incredulously at Eli.

"What the fuck?"

Eli gave a simple shrug to the close call while he wiped the blood off the sword with his two fingers. "You moved."

Cam looked at Ben. "You hungry?" Eli's eyes snapped to Cam.

I realized what he was referring to and gasped. "No!"

"Face it, no one is going to miss this loser." Cam said. His eyes moved from Ben down to me. "Oh, Ella. I'm sorry about the," he motioned to his neck, his eyes filled with measured sympathy.

"You're forgiven if you promise not to touch him," I nodded to Eli.

"Come at me." A hint of excitement gleamed in Eli's eyes. "I dare you." Cam grinned and stepped forward.

I pushed myself out of Ben's grasp and moved in between the two. "Okay, both of you stop."

"Why are you defending that creature? Especially after
he apparently took a snap at you." Eli stared down at me as if I were some foreign species he had yet to understand.

"Yeah, well you need a haircut." Cam spat behind me.

This time Ben spoke. "What were you doing here,
Cam?"

"More like
who
was I doing here?" He shot him a pointed look with one eyebrow raised. I stared at him thinking of how well he would get along with Hayley. Feeling my gaze he turned to me and
flashed me an award-winning smile.

Ben rolled his eyes and turned to me. One of his hands touched the side of my face. "Are you okay?"

I let out a shaky breath. "I'm fine."

From the corner of my eye I saw Eli flinch at Ben's gesture. "How can you stand there and let him touch you? It's his fault those zombie brats are coming after you."

Ben shot him a black stare. "That's none of your
business."

"I wasn't talking to you," Eli snapped before he turned his eyes back to me.

"He's right, Eli. It isn't any of your business." I told him.

"If it weren't for me, your zombie boyfriend wouldn't be here right now.
You
wouldn't be here right now." His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me it isn't my business. Anything that concerns those Undead freaks, is my business."

I moved around Ben so that I could face Eli. My eyes searched his cold and detached face for any semblance of the boy I once knew. When his eyes found mine we were no longer strangers. The horror that I had experienced within the past week had permanently scarred my perception of the world I thought I knew. Eli's eyes lacked the ignorance that most humans carried. He'd saw the world for what it was.

"How do you know about the Undead?" I asked, my
voice softer than before.

"Everything I know, I learned from Neil. He created the group that I run with now. Killing zombies is what we do, Ella baby." He touched my arm, his hard, calloused fingers brushed along my skin. "It's
become my job and I intend to follow through with it if your boyfriend so much as looks at you with that disgusting hunger in his eyes."

Ben's hand shot out, grasped Eli's wrist, and tossed it to
the side. "And if you touch her again I'll bite your fingers off."

"If we're playing that game, then I touched her first," Eli countered, a taunting smile growing on his lips.

Ben's posture straightened. The perilous look that struck
his expression made me move directly in front of him so that Eli was out of reach. I couldn't have Ben doing anything drastic that would be hard to clean up. Eli was asking for it, but tonight wasn't the night to rip any more limbs
off.

Ben allowed me to move in front of him, but his eyes were no longer for me. They were stone cold and on Eli, daring him to say one more thing to push him over the edge. I tensed in anticipation of my Ex and my
boyfriend facing off.

"Could someone pass the popcorn?"

We all turned. Cam looked to his side, waiting for a response, as though someone stood next to him. He looked back at us and shrugged. "I need snacks, this shit is getting dicey."

"Get out of here, Cam." Ben snapped.

He rolled his eyes, but put up his hands in surrender. "I'm gone." He looked at me. "We cool?"

I nodded, "Ice cold."

"Nice," he said before he disappeared before my eyes. I blinked a couple times, still unable to adapt to their quick mode of transportation.

The tension still hung in the air as Ben and Eli continued
to glare, silently murdering the other with their eyes. "You should go, Eli," I suggested, "Please."

Eli let out a sharp breath. "I let you go because I
knew you deserved better." Eli frowned at Ben. "You're not what I had in mind." I could detect the bitter tone of resentment in his voice that I ignored.

I was desperate to have Ben to myself. I didn't want him
getting any ridiculous ideas that I deserved better. Parents, friends, and even the media all tell girls they deserve better than what they have. I didn't find any difference with Ben's case. He was a monster, but who wasn't.

"Stop being an ass, Eli. Just go."

His eyes moved to mine. "I may be an asshole, but at least I'm not a cannibal." He stepped towards me. "Tell me something. Does your boyfriend kiss you after he takes a chomp at you? How is the taste of
your own flesh?"

Before I could grimace, Ben was in front of him. His hands were around Eli's throat when he shoved him up against the side of the building. I heard the sound of Eli's head smacking against the bricks. I stared
in shock at the scene at the two men in my life. Ben's eyes told me he was ready to kill him while Eli hardly looked phased. He continued to stare Ben down, despite the fact that his hands were cutting off his airways.

"Ben!" I shouted.

"I'm not going to kill you, but I'm going to make your life miserable if you say another word," he spat, ignoring me. "You're a trained, badass hunter. I get it. But I'm not a bratty little
Undead that you're used to fighting. I'm older. I can rip you to shreds so don't cross me." He dropped his hands abruptly and stepped back.

Eli threw his head against the wall, his eyes on Ben. "She's not like you. She's human. If you love her at all in the way that I
do then you'll let her go."

I could feel my throat closing at his words. My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I fought back the urge to scream. I hated that overplayed movie line.
If you love her then let her go,
bullshit.
If you love someone, you
fight
for them.

"You let her go because you're an idiot." Ben stated coldly before turning back to face me. "Do you want to get out of
here?"

My eyes moved between the two of them. Eli's eyes darkened when they bore into mine. I didn't care about what was right or wrong with humanity in consideration. Ben was the right choice for me. I turned to him
with a soft smile that I only wanted to save for him.

"Yes, please."

Ben threw Eli one final glance. "I'll let you take care of the bodies."

I managed to catch Eli's eye roll before Ben led me out of
the side street to his motorcycle that was parked beside the curb. My eyes scanned the empty town in search of more uninvited visitors. They knew where I was now, but they didn't seem as scary as I had imagined. Ben and even Eli took
them out pretty quickly. While riding on the back of his motorcycle I allowed my thoughts to get lost in the feel of my arms wrapped around his torso. In our small moments on his bike I felt like I could do anything, be anyone. With the
wind in my hair and the biting cold rush against my skin I felt alive.

Ben killed the engine when we arrived in front of my house. I hopped off his bike, noting how each time became a little less arduous than the last. Before I could smile at myself for not losing my balance when my feet
hit the concrete, he pulled me into his arms and locked me in a secure embrace where an unspoken thoughts were shared between the two of us, promising I could stay forever.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, running one
of his hands through my hair.

His arms that enveloped me around my shoulders hid my smile. "I am now." I leaned my head back to gaze up at him. "I do have some questions though."

He laughed and motioned to my house. "Can I come in?"

"Does my house seem more inviting because I'm in it or because my mom isn't home for the week?

"Both," he winked and walked alongside me up the
driveway.

In our small silence I took a plunge with my first question. "Why did it seem like those Undeads were so easy to kill?"

"They were new zombies. Most of them are not much older
than a decade. We refer to them as newbies or zombie brats because they're inexperienced, overconfident, and sloppy." While he spoke his fingers brushed against mine until they were close enough so that he could grasp my
hand and intertwine our fingers. His movements with me were natural in a way that was becoming absentminded. He didn't question himself anymore than I did. We were possessed in such a way that claimed me to him.

"The Undead send their newest zombies to do their dirty
work as part of their scheme. It lets our guard down for older zombies like me because we feel we can take on the Undead. That's when the ancients show up and slaughter us all."

"Oh," I said, feeling my other questions sink into
the pit of my stomach. "How long do we have before the ancient ones show up?"

Ben shrugged. "It depends. We won't have much longer until they bombard us. Their reason for existence is searching for people like
you. They don't have patience. When they realize I haven't kept my word they'll come for me too."

After unlocking the door I stopped without opening it. "How can you be so calm about this?"

He smirked. "I have a plan."

I trusted his confidence, but it didn't make me feel any better. "Care to share?"

He shook his head. "When it's finalized you'll know. I
promise." He looked down at our joined hands. His thumb brushed over the back of my hand. I noticed the word
endless
tattooed along the line of his thumb.

"What about Eli and his friends? You called him a
hunter."

He shrugged. "We run into those from time to time. Hunters are just a group of humans who know about what we are from a personal encounter or folklore. They're dumb enough to think they can handle us, but
smart enough to learn how to fight us. Any hunter you hear of has only come in contact with new zombies because they're easy kills. The ones who have dealt with the real deal don't live to tell the story." I nodded as the
information sank in. My ex-boyfriend is a zombie hunter and my boyfriend is an actual zombie.
Figures.

Ben was watching me closely. When I looked up to meet his gaze the compassion in his piercing blue eyes made the rest of the world
dissolve around us. He understood how difficult this was for me, but he didn't realize how much easier it was to accept when he was with me.

"I know it's a lot," he began.

I quickly shook my head and put a finger to his lips.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

One of his dark eyebrows arched. "What do you want to do?"

I gave a coy smile. "I don't want to talk."

"Done." In the next second he scooped me into his arms and consumed my lips with his own. I tightened my legs around his waist while my hands traveled up his back and locked around his neck. I sucked on his bottom lip until my teeth occupied it with a slight tug. He made a low growl in
his throat and kicked the door open with his foot. He kissed me fiercely, his hands grasping my ass to support my weight, while he carried me through the threshold. His lips owned mine, refusing to let me have the slightest break for
air even when he moved down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Ben," I gasped into his mouth when his lips left mine for a brief moment to suck on the skin on my neck just below my jaw.
Warmth rushed from the tips of my toes to my stomach and in seconds I was on fire. I needed more of him and I was going to loose it if I didn't get my way. I nearly collapsed as his lips moved up my neck. My forehead leaned against his shoulder as I gasped allowing his lips to control me.

When we entered the kitchen, he pulled me back so that his lips could collide with mine again. Our mouths ravish the other, each break in the kiss outdoing the last. I had no say anymore and I wasn't complaining. He could
do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't stop.

But he did stop.

He snapped his head back abruptly at the sound of a gasp that I caught the end of. Together we turned our heads to the kitchen where
Hayley, Shiloh, and Adam stood speechless, wide-eyed and open mouthed. My heart skipped a beat. My legs lost their hold around Ben's waist and I almost fell to the ground before Ben realized I was slipping and hoisted me up before I could
hit the ground.

Their eyes followed the motion simultaneously until they locked on his hands underneath my butt. Their awestruck silence was shocking. Even Hayley stood, by the fridge, her eyes moving between Ben and I with her
mouth ajar.

My eyes searched the countertops for an explanation of their unexpected appearance and found it covered in my favorite deserts. Shiloh must have thought something was wrong and they decided to cheer me up. My heart
lurched when I realized that my best friends were more than I could ever ask for and I'd been lying to them about the biggest part of my life.

"You slut," Hayley finally breathed.

I looked at Ben, nodded, and unwrapped my arms from around
his neck. He allowed me to slide down until my feet hit the ground. I stayed by his side, but we kept our hands to ourselves. I turned back to face my friends.

Adam shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again. The
shock contorted his features as though he didn't expect Ben to be standing in the doorway when he opened them again. Shiloh was beside Adam, staring at the two of us like we were strangers.

"I can explain," I began when I finally found my
voice.

"
Sloane
," Hayley stated before she threw her head back and laughed. "You failed to mention
Ben
freaking
Sloane.
" Her eyes snapped to Ben. "I know that's not your middle name."

"Ben, that's Hayley." I motioned to her and she shot him her cutest mocking smile. He nodded to her with one eyebrow raised.

Shiloh cleared her throat, "I, um, I'm Shiloh."

Ben nodded, "Nice to meet you."

"Adam," my neighbor stated with a head nod, which Ben returned.

"Ella," Shiloh shook her head as though she was
trying to sort her thoughts. "I don't get it. Why didn't you...how have you...are you two," she looked to Ben for an explanation.

He looked down at me with a barely there smile. "Ella's my girlfriend. I'm trying to keep our relationship under the radar so she
doesn't get shit from anyone."

"Holy crap," Adam muttered. "My best friend is dating a famous rock star."

"Thank you for the clarification, moron," Hayley
snapped.

"Slut," Adam shot back.

"Bitch."

Shiloh groaned. "We just found out our very own Ella Moore is dating Ben Sloane and you two are picking a fight."

I looked up at Ben. "Hayley and Adam don't get along, but they still love each other." Ben smirked in response.

"I can't formulate affectionate emotions towards
peasants," Hayley disagreed, feigning the dismay in her voice as though his social status was a tragedy.

"Fuck you," Adam glared at her.

She shrugged. "You're all talk, but you never bring
your cards to the table. You know what to do if you want some."

Shiloh's hand tightened on Adam's arm. We knew Hayley was kidding, but at moments it was like she forgot he was dating her best friend. Her best friend, someone she could never hurt, but the continuous jabs would
make a wound eventually.

Ben's eyes moved between my three friends with measured amusement. Listening to them was tiring and I found myself leaning my head against his arm. He adjusted his arm, wrapped it around my waist, and pulled me
to him so I could lean onto his side. Their attention turned back to us.

"How long has this been going on?"

"How did you two even meet?"

"You're in serious trouble for lying to us, Ella Grace."

I looked up at Ben. "Maybe I should call you later."

"We know what that means," Hayley muttered
suggestively.

I bit down on my lip, not looking at them. The hunger ignited in Ben's eyes. He nodded once and I saw the unfinished business we had yet to pursue flash in his eyes. He blinked and gave another nod to my friends
exchanging closing remarks to the conversation before he turned and pressed his lips to my forehead as a lingering goodbye.

"Lock your doors," he murmured against my skin before he pulled away. He waved once more to my friends and disappeared down
the hallway. When I heard the front door shut I turned to face the wrath of my friends.

Adam was the first to move. "I don't care." He kissed Shiloh on the side of her head. "Date whomever you want. Just get
me an autograph from that drummer, PJ." He moved past me muttering something about avoiding the girl drama. The three of us watched him leave. We shared the same eye roll we saved for Adam when the hormones got too much for
him.

Before they could yell at me I decided to play the innocent card. "I like him." I said, staring at a tiny speck of dirt on the hardwood floor. I could feel their eyes on me, contemplating how to respond. They knew without exchanging thoughts that I was sorry. I couldn't tell them
the truth about why I kept Ben a secret and I couldn't explain why I never told them about last year without hurting them. I had to lie to cover up another.

"Yeah, we noticed." Hayley laughed.

I looked up then to see them both smiling. They weren't smiles that displayed loads of enthusiasm, rather smiles of approval. They were happy because I was even if I lied to them.

"Is he what's best for you?" Shiloh asked me, her
eyes sincere. I knew she was referring to the rock star persona he carried, but I answered her truthfully.

"Probably not."

"But you still like him."

I nodded.

Hayley and Shiloh exchanged looks before Hayley spoke. "I'm happy for you, but if you lie to us again we're kicking your ass."

I laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

"How did you two meet?"

After a brief pause, I moved to the counter and pushed myself onto it to get comfortable. With their attentive eyes on me, I proceeded
to tell them about the night of the concert last year and the run in I had at the graveyard during Halloween. I told them everything, minus the zombie details. When I finished they stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths, similar to before.

"I can't believe Ben saved your life that night,"
Shiloh said.

I nodded, "He's saved me in a lot of ways."

"Oh, Ella!" She ran over and threw her arms around me. I leaned down so that she could reach me. "I'm so happy for you,"
she whispered, squeezing me tight, and then pulling back to look at me. "My best friend is dating a rock star."

I laughed. "How many times has that been mentioned
tonight?"

She shrugged, "What does that matter? It's difficult to grasp."

"I would agree, but to me he is only Ben. Not some rock star that girls all over the world obsess over." I bit down on my lip again.
"He's mine."

"You two have been getting it on!" Hayley practically shouted the accusation with a knowing smile on her face.

"No!" I quickly shot back with wide eyes.

She put her hands up, palms facing outwards. "Looks like someone wants to," she sang lightly, teasing.

I shook my head. "Ben isn't like that."

"Ben isn't the one I was referring to," she said
with an arched eyebrow.

I blushed and forced myself to look away. We were quiet, lost in the conversation we shared. It felt like huge deal, but they only knew
the half of it. My eyes were on the counter that was covered in glorious food products that caused my mouth to water when I stared for longer than a couple seconds.

"Thanks for the food," I mumbled sheepishly.

"I thought you were upset about Eli so I wanted to
throw you a food party."

"You're the best Shi," I told her, smiling.

She shrugged, "You can show your appreciation later.
You have a phone call to make."

I looked at Hayley and she winked. "We'll leave so you can get back to your business." She cleared her throat to emphasize the meaning behind her words.

"Guys," I began, but they shook their heads.

"Just don't stay out too late. It's still a school night."

"It's Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. It's all the same, but thank you for the reminder,
Mommy
." Hayley mocked,
rolling her eyes.

I laughed pulling my best friends into an uncomfortable hug that we'd mastered over the years. Before they left, Hayley made at least a dozen more suggestive comments about my sex life while Shiloh managed to counter
them, telling her to behave. I leaned against the counter, a smile on my face, listening to my friends bicker as they left. I didn't see their car in the driveway so I imagined they were going to Adam's house or walking home.

When they were gone I heaved a heavy sigh of relief. I had come clean to my friends about Ben without managing to hurt them. They didn't ask why I didn't tell them because they knew the reason didn't matter. Caught up in the moment, I hardly heard the noise upstairs. The creak in the
floorboards above me snapped me out of my trail of lingering thoughts.