Page 17
Story: Ache For Her
It didn’t fucking matter. I was who I was, and she was who she was. Then again, as soon as the thought entered my mind, I knew there was more to it than that. She was as fucked up as I was, and maybe I wasn’t even that terrible of a person.
Taking a deep breath, I turned the cell over and stared down at the screen. Galen.
I picked it up. “Hey.”
I hadn’t spoken to him since I ransomed Delilah. At the thought of her name, I looked up. She stared at me intently, no doubt wondering if it was her grandfather on the line. I just shook my head.
Her eyes were dead. She looked away, continuing to eat slowly as if nothing mattered anymore. She probably worried about her future. If Greenie never gave himself up, what was going to happen to her?
Hell if I knew. I never thought about what I would do if he didn’t do anything. I assumed he would make some sort of move, and I would react from there. I never expected a non-reaction.
“What’s up with you?” Galen asked.
“Same old shit,” I answered, realizing how true that was. Kidnapping girls, torturing them, fucking them, drinking from them… But this one, this one was different. I didn’t even want to admit that to myself, but I was in over my fucking head. My very being balked at the idea of getting rid of Delilah. Hadn’t she been through enough?
“You sound weird,” Galen said.
I shrugged, knowing full well he couldn’t see me through the phone, but I had no intention of responding to his comment either. “How are things? Bored yet?”
“Never.”
I peeked up at Delilah as she took slow, deliberate bites. I’d done a number on her skin, thinking it would somehow make me feel better. Maybe even unintentionally I’d wanted to do that, so I wouldn’t be attracted to her. It didn’t work. She was still beautiful. “So you keep saying.”
“Coming home yet?”
“No. I’m in the middle of something here.”
“In Philly?” His voice immediately changed. Panic rising in his words. “What are you doing there?”
I cringed. Fucking Delilah distracted me. I hadn’t thought about the words that were coming out of my mouth. “Nothing big,” I said nonchalantly.
“Don’t lie to me, Simon. Do you need something?”
“No, I’m good.”
Delilah looked up, searching my face. She saw far more than I ever meant for her to see, and I didn’t even have to say anything out loud.
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Because you know all you have to do is call and I’m right there.”
“I know, Galen.” My throat closed as I said the words. My heart flooded with something like compassion. Galen had always been there for me. Even now that he had Kayleigh he was concerned about me, and I’d been nothing but a dick to the both of them since he brought her into our lives for good. “I have to go,” I said quickly. Before he could say another word, I hung up the phone.
Delilah pushed the rolling tray away from her. “Who’s Galen? You said the name before, but you didn’t say who it was.”
“A friend,” I said, my voice coming out harsher than I wanted it to.
“Vampire?”
I nodded. Wasn’t that obvious? “I only hang out with vampires. It’s easier that way.”
“Do you want to kill all humans or just the ones that piss you off?”
I snickered at that. I couldn’t help myself. “All of them. I’ve never met a human who didn’t piss me off in some way or another.”
“We are a rare breed, aren’t we?”
Taking a deep breath, I turned the cell over and stared down at the screen. Galen.
I picked it up. “Hey.”
I hadn’t spoken to him since I ransomed Delilah. At the thought of her name, I looked up. She stared at me intently, no doubt wondering if it was her grandfather on the line. I just shook my head.
Her eyes were dead. She looked away, continuing to eat slowly as if nothing mattered anymore. She probably worried about her future. If Greenie never gave himself up, what was going to happen to her?
Hell if I knew. I never thought about what I would do if he didn’t do anything. I assumed he would make some sort of move, and I would react from there. I never expected a non-reaction.
“What’s up with you?” Galen asked.
“Same old shit,” I answered, realizing how true that was. Kidnapping girls, torturing them, fucking them, drinking from them… But this one, this one was different. I didn’t even want to admit that to myself, but I was in over my fucking head. My very being balked at the idea of getting rid of Delilah. Hadn’t she been through enough?
“You sound weird,” Galen said.
I shrugged, knowing full well he couldn’t see me through the phone, but I had no intention of responding to his comment either. “How are things? Bored yet?”
“Never.”
I peeked up at Delilah as she took slow, deliberate bites. I’d done a number on her skin, thinking it would somehow make me feel better. Maybe even unintentionally I’d wanted to do that, so I wouldn’t be attracted to her. It didn’t work. She was still beautiful. “So you keep saying.”
“Coming home yet?”
“No. I’m in the middle of something here.”
“In Philly?” His voice immediately changed. Panic rising in his words. “What are you doing there?”
I cringed. Fucking Delilah distracted me. I hadn’t thought about the words that were coming out of my mouth. “Nothing big,” I said nonchalantly.
“Don’t lie to me, Simon. Do you need something?”
“No, I’m good.”
Delilah looked up, searching my face. She saw far more than I ever meant for her to see, and I didn’t even have to say anything out loud.
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Because you know all you have to do is call and I’m right there.”
“I know, Galen.” My throat closed as I said the words. My heart flooded with something like compassion. Galen had always been there for me. Even now that he had Kayleigh he was concerned about me, and I’d been nothing but a dick to the both of them since he brought her into our lives for good. “I have to go,” I said quickly. Before he could say another word, I hung up the phone.
Delilah pushed the rolling tray away from her. “Who’s Galen? You said the name before, but you didn’t say who it was.”
“A friend,” I said, my voice coming out harsher than I wanted it to.
“Vampire?”
I nodded. Wasn’t that obvious? “I only hang out with vampires. It’s easier that way.”
“Do you want to kill all humans or just the ones that piss you off?”
I snickered at that. I couldn’t help myself. “All of them. I’ve never met a human who didn’t piss me off in some way or another.”
“We are a rare breed, aren’t we?”