Page 1
Story: Ache For Her
Chapter One
Simon
Take some time, Galen told me.
Fuck that.
Why? Just because I didn’t like seeing his perfect fucking life with Kayleigh?
I closed my eyes and breathed in deep. I had to get my anger under control or my plans weren’t going to happen as I wanted. I was taking time—a lot of time—to do something I should’ve done a long fucking time ago.
Weird how one thing that happened in your life would make you think of something completely different. Somehow, my mind had made the connection between Kayleigh and my mother. Or maybe it was just Kayleigh’s pre-vamp life that sparked an intense rage inside me. She had it all. A doting family, college. I grew up on the streets with nothing. Then, she comes into my house, my world, and takes away the one person who was always mine. Galen. My sire. My friend. My father figure. So, not only did she have the life I should’ve had growing up, she was now at the estate living the life I had.
Take some time.
The words still rattled around in my head. I should’ve just killed Kayleigh when I had the chance. Killed her before Galen fell for her. Fuck, I should’ve just done what I’d intended to do when I saw her walking back to her place that night. If I would’ve drunk her blood then, Galen would never have known.
Just like he sure as fuck wasn’t going to find out about my plans now. He always thought I was ignorant, and immature, and even I could admit this was a risk. But, this was what happened when he left me to my own devices.
I peered through the bushes to the opposite side of the street where the Spanish-style mansion rose up from a manicured lawn. Down the street, a teeter totter blew in the wind, one side hitting the dirt, then the other. It was a perfect little gated community for the presumably perfect little families inside.
Only, I knew the truth. Inside that house with the pristine lawn and the flowers that bloomed under the moon was one fucked up man. Greene. Jacob Greene. My mother called him Greenie. In her high stupor, she used to tell me she needed to go see ‘Greenie’ for some more. Always with his name over and over again. From what I could tell after watching the house for a few days, he was head of that drug ring now. Back when my mother was an addict, he was probably just the dealer. But with his grayed hair and wrinkles, he’d retired to an easier life, living off the pain of others.
I wondered if he’d remember my mother. If he’d even known what became of her, or if he ever actually thought about her at all. He certainly hadn’t given a fuck then. No one had showed up at the funeral Galen arranged for her, and he certainly hadn’t been there when she went into tremors with the needles sticking out of her arms. If he thought about her at all, it was probably that he missed the money she gave him or whatever else she used to pay him with.
I sat back on my haunches and stretched my hands out to the side. I needed another train of thought. That one always took me into murder-inducing territory. Too much of that would make me run over there, kick the door down, and just slash his throat.
That wasn’t going to happen though.
The fucker was going to suffer just like I had. Just like my mother. No more living high off the people he helped destroy. He needed to atone for everything he’d done. I was sure my mother wasn’t the only victim. Not for as many years as he’d been doing this. There was probably a list a mile long, and he’d feel every single one when I was done with him. Every. Single. One.
A black sedan pulled up in front of the house. The night went still as I watched. I leaned forward, my claws descending into the earth in front of me as my gaze zeroed in. I sniffed the air as the door opened. Not him.
Her.
My insides constricted. After I’d asked around to find out where Greenie was nowadays, I followed the trail here. His people had big mouths. Then again, they probably weren’t all that worried. This place was like a fortress. It might keep out humans, but if I wanted a way in, I’d find one. Especially since I didn’t care. I’d leave a trail of bodies behind me as long as I got my revenge. What I didn’t expect to find here was her.
She stood, her head popping above the car for a moment before she reached back in. She pulled a strap up onto her shoulder and then closed the door behind her as her grandfather’s guard waited by her side. She was the picture of perfection. Straight, dark hair of which the longest strands flirted with the roundness of her ass. She had on a pair of designer shades even though it was already dark out. And no, she wasn’t high. She smelled like the perfect mixture of floral scents. Those who did drugs smelled like rotten meat. I didn’t know if it had something to do with the drugs mixing with their bodies as a poison, but I could always tell when I was near someone who was high. It made me want to gag.
Not her though. She was the exact opposite. She was in her early twenties, living off her grandfather’s money. And he doted on her too. She got everything she wanted. Didn’t work at all, didn’t go to school, but still living the life. Almost like a celebrity. She had guards, those who waited on her hand and foot, but she didn’t even have the talent to back it up.
If I didn’t want to sink my fangs into her so badly, I’d probably kill her. She was perfect. My only restraint was Galen’s voice in my head telling me I was too impulsive, too immature. I could’ve taken his granddaughter the moment I first saw her. Like how I felt when I first saw Kayleigh. I’d just taken her without a thought to the consequences. This girl would be different. I had plans for her, this girl who lived off drug money without a care in the world. It made me sick, so she’d have to pay too.
All of them were going to pay.
I bit down on my lip as I watched her turn toward the walk, the alert guard by her side. Tonight was the night I’d finally put my plan into motion. In an instant, I retracted my claws and was at the sidewalk next to her by the time she took her first step. The power of my approach made the air spin around us and she teetered on her heels. My hand shot out and righted her.
“Excuse me, are you okay?” I said in the deepest, most trusting voice I could muster. Her skin on mine made my own flare with heat. I tore my hand away at the contact.
She turned moments later, her hand immediately going to her chest as she started.
“What the—?” the guard said. He was about five seconds too slow. If I’d wanted, they both would’ve already been dead.
I was still tinkering with the idea until her gaze leveled on me. She looked me up and down, taking her time perusing me. It was no doubt she was beautiful, but how she attained that beauty made me hate her. Squelching every knee-jerk reaction I had to just break her neck right then and there took a lot of effort.I had a plan, I reminded myself. I was not going to go out half-cocked and fuck everything up. This was too important.
I smirked at her the moment her eyes caught mine. I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, my hair gelled to perfection. Her gaze heated, the same stupid response of all humans, but what I didn’t expect was my own response. My heart beat once in my chest, slamming against my rib cage. My claws simultaneously tried to come out as my fangs itched to descend.
The guard pushed forward. “Sir, step back please.”
Simon
Take some time, Galen told me.
Fuck that.
Why? Just because I didn’t like seeing his perfect fucking life with Kayleigh?
I closed my eyes and breathed in deep. I had to get my anger under control or my plans weren’t going to happen as I wanted. I was taking time—a lot of time—to do something I should’ve done a long fucking time ago.
Weird how one thing that happened in your life would make you think of something completely different. Somehow, my mind had made the connection between Kayleigh and my mother. Or maybe it was just Kayleigh’s pre-vamp life that sparked an intense rage inside me. She had it all. A doting family, college. I grew up on the streets with nothing. Then, she comes into my house, my world, and takes away the one person who was always mine. Galen. My sire. My friend. My father figure. So, not only did she have the life I should’ve had growing up, she was now at the estate living the life I had.
Take some time.
The words still rattled around in my head. I should’ve just killed Kayleigh when I had the chance. Killed her before Galen fell for her. Fuck, I should’ve just done what I’d intended to do when I saw her walking back to her place that night. If I would’ve drunk her blood then, Galen would never have known.
Just like he sure as fuck wasn’t going to find out about my plans now. He always thought I was ignorant, and immature, and even I could admit this was a risk. But, this was what happened when he left me to my own devices.
I peered through the bushes to the opposite side of the street where the Spanish-style mansion rose up from a manicured lawn. Down the street, a teeter totter blew in the wind, one side hitting the dirt, then the other. It was a perfect little gated community for the presumably perfect little families inside.
Only, I knew the truth. Inside that house with the pristine lawn and the flowers that bloomed under the moon was one fucked up man. Greene. Jacob Greene. My mother called him Greenie. In her high stupor, she used to tell me she needed to go see ‘Greenie’ for some more. Always with his name over and over again. From what I could tell after watching the house for a few days, he was head of that drug ring now. Back when my mother was an addict, he was probably just the dealer. But with his grayed hair and wrinkles, he’d retired to an easier life, living off the pain of others.
I wondered if he’d remember my mother. If he’d even known what became of her, or if he ever actually thought about her at all. He certainly hadn’t given a fuck then. No one had showed up at the funeral Galen arranged for her, and he certainly hadn’t been there when she went into tremors with the needles sticking out of her arms. If he thought about her at all, it was probably that he missed the money she gave him or whatever else she used to pay him with.
I sat back on my haunches and stretched my hands out to the side. I needed another train of thought. That one always took me into murder-inducing territory. Too much of that would make me run over there, kick the door down, and just slash his throat.
That wasn’t going to happen though.
The fucker was going to suffer just like I had. Just like my mother. No more living high off the people he helped destroy. He needed to atone for everything he’d done. I was sure my mother wasn’t the only victim. Not for as many years as he’d been doing this. There was probably a list a mile long, and he’d feel every single one when I was done with him. Every. Single. One.
A black sedan pulled up in front of the house. The night went still as I watched. I leaned forward, my claws descending into the earth in front of me as my gaze zeroed in. I sniffed the air as the door opened. Not him.
Her.
My insides constricted. After I’d asked around to find out where Greenie was nowadays, I followed the trail here. His people had big mouths. Then again, they probably weren’t all that worried. This place was like a fortress. It might keep out humans, but if I wanted a way in, I’d find one. Especially since I didn’t care. I’d leave a trail of bodies behind me as long as I got my revenge. What I didn’t expect to find here was her.
She stood, her head popping above the car for a moment before she reached back in. She pulled a strap up onto her shoulder and then closed the door behind her as her grandfather’s guard waited by her side. She was the picture of perfection. Straight, dark hair of which the longest strands flirted with the roundness of her ass. She had on a pair of designer shades even though it was already dark out. And no, she wasn’t high. She smelled like the perfect mixture of floral scents. Those who did drugs smelled like rotten meat. I didn’t know if it had something to do with the drugs mixing with their bodies as a poison, but I could always tell when I was near someone who was high. It made me want to gag.
Not her though. She was the exact opposite. She was in her early twenties, living off her grandfather’s money. And he doted on her too. She got everything she wanted. Didn’t work at all, didn’t go to school, but still living the life. Almost like a celebrity. She had guards, those who waited on her hand and foot, but she didn’t even have the talent to back it up.
If I didn’t want to sink my fangs into her so badly, I’d probably kill her. She was perfect. My only restraint was Galen’s voice in my head telling me I was too impulsive, too immature. I could’ve taken his granddaughter the moment I first saw her. Like how I felt when I first saw Kayleigh. I’d just taken her without a thought to the consequences. This girl would be different. I had plans for her, this girl who lived off drug money without a care in the world. It made me sick, so she’d have to pay too.
All of them were going to pay.
I bit down on my lip as I watched her turn toward the walk, the alert guard by her side. Tonight was the night I’d finally put my plan into motion. In an instant, I retracted my claws and was at the sidewalk next to her by the time she took her first step. The power of my approach made the air spin around us and she teetered on her heels. My hand shot out and righted her.
“Excuse me, are you okay?” I said in the deepest, most trusting voice I could muster. Her skin on mine made my own flare with heat. I tore my hand away at the contact.
She turned moments later, her hand immediately going to her chest as she started.
“What the—?” the guard said. He was about five seconds too slow. If I’d wanted, they both would’ve already been dead.
I was still tinkering with the idea until her gaze leveled on me. She looked me up and down, taking her time perusing me. It was no doubt she was beautiful, but how she attained that beauty made me hate her. Squelching every knee-jerk reaction I had to just break her neck right then and there took a lot of effort.I had a plan, I reminded myself. I was not going to go out half-cocked and fuck everything up. This was too important.
I smirked at her the moment her eyes caught mine. I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, my hair gelled to perfection. Her gaze heated, the same stupid response of all humans, but what I didn’t expect was my own response. My heart beat once in my chest, slamming against my rib cage. My claws simultaneously tried to come out as my fangs itched to descend.
The guard pushed forward. “Sir, step back please.”