Be Careful When You Bite Me

Chapter 14

I flickered my eyes open be greeted by yet again, another unfamiliar room. I looked around to examine that I was stretched out on a Queen bed, white sheets covered my thankfully clothed body. I stood up and walked around the modern room. Memories of last night flooded my mind and I remembered that I was at the guest room of Asia and Xavier's home.

I peeked outside the window and took in the beautiful busy streets of New York. It was a long way down but it was breathtaking. I took a quick shower in the bathroom inside of the room and spent some time admiring the place. The sudden smell of familiar breakfast entered my nostrils and I decided to go out and explore.

Asia, now dressed in a yellow summer dress, stood behind the kitchen island, cooking.

"Morning!" She screeched out without turning around," would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes please," my mouth was salivating at the smell of pancakes and syrup. It reminded me of back home. She turned around holding two plates stacked with delicious goodness and drizzled with fresh pieces of fruit and maple syrup.

Her beauty was breathtaking in a way that I almost had forgotten but I collected myself and grabbed the place," thank you," I smiled.

"You slept a long time," she said, coming around to take a seat on the black bar stools beside me," you must have been tired."

I nodded, stuffing my face," I am, I'm really over it. This whole thing with the Mark of Eros, I wish I can just erase it, or at least find whoever it is that I'm mated with and tell him I don't want it."

Asia peeked at me and gave me a sad look," unfortunately it doesn't work that way."

"How would I know, if I were to meet him would I just know he's the one?"

She shook her head, chewing gracefully," not necessarily, some people just know, for others the universe tends to give them a little push to bring their paths closer together, in hopes that one day they realize."

"So I could have already met the person?"

"Yes, you could have."

My mind immediately drifted to Damon. I wondered if there was even a slither of possibility that it could be him. I remembered how badly he had wanted to get rid of me last night and thought against it. I think Damon would be the last person it could be.

"He's a good guy."

Confused, I left my trance of thoughts and refocused on Asia," what?"

"Damon, you were thinking of him right?"

How did she know that?

"He's a good guy trying to make a difference. A little in over his head if you ask me."

"What makes you say that?" I wondered.

"The Cold Ones, they can't be changed. They may use the rest of The Underworld to their advantage, witches like me when they need a quick spell, werewolves to dispose of the bodies of their villagers, faeries to sleep around with, but they will never see us as equals and there isn't much Damon could do, even if he were King, to change that."

"He can try," I didn't realize that what she had said had upset me until the sudden sense of defense hit me," if he's King, they'll have to listen."

She smiled gently," yes, he can try."

"Tell me more," I pushed away my now empty plate," about this life, The Underworld, if I'm eventually destined to be with someone from this world, I'd like to know more about it."

She let out a small giggle that sounded like the chimes of a bell," what would you like to know?"

"Where do the people of The Underworld live? Are they all in New York?"

"No, they're definitely not all in New York, we're everywhere, all over the world, some of us choose to live amongst the foreigners, while others, much like the village where you came from, tend to live only amongst each other."

I nodded," so I could have come across someone from The Underworld, I just-"

"You just wouldn't have been able to tell."

"What about the Council, would they have a problem with a human and someone from The Underworld being together, like you and Xavier."

"The Council doesn't care who you mate with. It was Xavier's parents that had a problem with it."

"So then what gets the Council's attention?"

"They are more concerned with all things that include all races of The Underworld like rouge attacks against humans or non-consenting foreigners being thrown into our world-"

"Isn't that me?" I said almost sarcastically," I'm a non-consenting foreigner."

"Yes, I'm actually surprised they haven't found out about you yet."

It was with the sudden realization that I realized neither Xavier nor Damon were anywhere to be seen.

"Where is Damon?" I asked, looking around.

"He left this morning with Xavier back to the castle, he mentioned that it was safer for you here, you might get some visitors at the castle if you were to return."

I remembered Mathoes and Elizebeth and realized that just be who he was talking about.

I nodded," Isabelle's cousin, they're just as bad as she is, I wish Damon could see that."

She placed her hands above mine," I know it doesn't seem like it but he does, he's just got that pride."

Her eyes shun with something much more genuine than concern. I gulped back my nerves when I had remembered the pleasure I had experienced from having Xavier feed off of me. Before I could utter the words and as if reading my mind, Asia said," yes, I know that Xavier fed off of."

"I-I'm sorry," I didn't know why I felt guilty but I did, almost as if he had cheated on her.

She simply smiled," he said you had very tasty blood."

"So he never planned on asking you to help me, he played me."

She nodded," Xavier may be an ass sometimes but he's a good guy once you get to know him."

Asia stood up and walked towards the high-hanging television. She grabbed the remote and scrolled through some channels," it's going to be a boring day here for you, I'm not sure when Damon is coming back, but I've got to get to work soon," she walked over to me and handed me the remote," please feel at home."

I smiled this time not having to force myself," thank you for everything."

She grabbed a bag and some keys that were hanging by the door and left me all alone in her massive place.

I stationed myself on the comfortable leather couch and flipped through channels until I landed one in particular that caught my attention. The background was an altering bright red and on the screen was a picture of me from my high school dance with the headlines Missing Teen

I felt my heart drop down to my knees and sat up, turning the volume up to hear what the reporter had to say.

"Holly Sloan missing since October 15th, last seen leaving Woodbridge, Pennsylvania, if anyone has any information on the missing teen, please contact the number displayed on the screen."

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. I felt the tears pooling at the edges of my eyes and suddenly felt a painful wave of guilt hit me. I had completely forgotten to call my parents. They must be worried sick.

I realized that I had been so caught up in my own problems I hadn't taken a second to think about the fact that they hadn't heard from me in over a week. Without a logical thought, I decided to scavenger the place for a phone. I need to talk to my mother and let her know that I was alright and that I wasn't stuck in a ditch somewhere.

It must have been about half an hour later and I had searched every room in the place, including Xavier and Asia's bedroom and all I was able to find was a password-protected laptop. I finally gave up and slummed down on the couch, making sure to turn the television off. A sudden knock at the door brought me back to reality from my drowning misery and I almost ran to open it. My first thought was that it must be Damon since Asia and Xavier would for sure have the key to their own place.

I flung the door wide open to reveal Luna.

"Hi," I muttered, slightly confused. I wondered if she knew Asia or if she was coming to see Damon," what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too," her sarcastic tone hadn't changed and she pushed past me and into the condominium as if she owned the place.

She took off the big black shades on her face and examined the height ceilings," it pays to sleep with royalty doesn't it?"

Didn't you know sleep with Damon? Your apartment is still crappy.

I resisted the urge to say anything rude and reminded myself she's something I'd need on my side," are you here to see Damon?"

She brought her gaze to meet mines and the look on her face caught me off guard," actually I'm here to see you."

"Me?"

"Yes you, are we alone," she glanced around.

I nodded my head," yes we are."

I felt a trickle of hope race down my nerves and wondered if she had changed her mind about helping me. She helped herself on the sofa and I followed.

"I changed my mind," she began.

"About?" I urged,

"About the ritual," she said," I can help you."

The words were almost foreign to my ears and before I let myself get carried away, I wondered what was the catch.

"Um...what changed?" I asked.

"I need you to do something for me," her big brown eyes were almost pleading.

I nodded," what do you need?"

"About a year ago, when I met Damon, he would sneak me into the castle and show me around the village, I thought that I had been in love with Damon until I saw the way the Cold Ones live."

I nodded, automatically knowing that she was referring to the villagers.

"It was sickening, a whole town that they breed just to drain them dry and feed them to the wolves, I quickly fell out of love with Damon but I met somebody, a boy down at the village."

"A human boy?" I asked.

She nodded, and I could swear I could see the tears pool up in her eyes," yes, Dimitri, I was only there for a couple of weeks but I fell in love with him and he did I. I couldn't help him back then I was with guards, they would have killed him and me."

"What do you need me to do," I couldn't see how anything I could do could possibly help her.

"I need you to get back to the castle and get him to me."

I remained silent. I didn't understand how she could think that I could handle something like this but I was so desperate that I was still open to listening to the rest.

"How would I get to him, there are hundreds if not thousands of villagers, and there are guards-"

"He works in town, at a fruit shop. The villagers trade food within themselves that's how they live, that's how I met him. There wasn't much food in the castle so Damon would take me down to pick out some fruit, when they wouldn't have the fruit that I wanted, I'd have Dimitri deliver it to the castle. It went on for a long time until Damon's banned me from the castle and I hadn't seen him yet."

"What if...what if he's dead," I swallowed back in an attempt to moisten my dry throat.

"He can't be," she shook her head," if you do this for me, if you find a way to get him here, I will go against the gods and I will perform the Ritual of Obliteration."

"I'm always with guards when I'm at the village, Damon wouldn't let me-"

She placed her long sharp nails on my arm," Damon doesn't know it yet, and you might not either but he's got a soft spot for you. If you're serious about going back to your real life, you have to get Damon to trust you and take you back to that village."

"But how, even if he trusts me, how would I get the boy over here, how-"

She reached into her purse and pulled out a drawing. It was almost picture-perfect, she had drawn Dimitri in color, long shaggy blond hair draped over his brown eyes. In the drawing, you could tell that he was built but not muscular. She traced her fingernail down his arm," right there, he has a scar, you can recognize him by it."

"Even if I knew what he looked like, I don't know how I would get him here."

"You don't need to bring him here, the next town over is only thirty minutes south of the village, it's called Oakridge. Get him to the castle and find a way to get a car, I've got some friends over in Oakridge that will help us get back here and after that, you'll get your ritual."

"How would I get a car, how would I even leave the castle-"

She reached into her purse and pulled out a small cellphone. Without giving me time to talk, she shoved it into my hands," use this to contact me, make sure to keep it hidden."

Luna stood up and began heading for the door.

"Wait, what if Damon finds this, I don't even know where to hide it-"

"Find a way, it's your future on the line."

Before she left, she turned around to face me.

"As I said, Damon has a soft spot for you, use it."

With that, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving me completely draped in confusion and doubt.