Well this one definetly isnt the best. I'll call tonight my off night..lol. Next one will be better, i PROMISE... Hope you enjoy anyway!
Chapter Twenty Three
Glory glanced around, and straightened her shirt. Aden was coming. That was clear. How she was going to explain her impromptu kiss with Damien, she didn’t know.
“ What’s going on, Glory?” Damien asked, watching her as she paced the room. Glory tried to ignore how she felt warm and tingly whenever he looked at her. This was not good. Not good at all.
Glory wrung her hands together and turned around, pacing the other way.
Damien’s blue eyes followed her every step.
“ Just stop, Sweetheart.”
Glory froze and then shot a murderous glare Damien’s way.
He smiled at her gently, and guided her back over to the couch with his mind.
“ You just need to relax.” Damien soothed.
“ You don’t understand.” Glory made herself calm down. She finally turned and looked at Damien. She ignored the tingles, and the memory of his lips on hers.
“Aden knows I kissed you, Damien. I don’t know if I can stop him from killing you or not.”
Damien’s sapphire eyes widened and then he grinned. “ He knows?”
Glory’s mouth almost flopped open. He was laughing.
“Damien! This is not funny. He will seriously kill you.”
Damien grinned, his eyes sparkled mischievously.
“ He can try.” His warm hand cupped her cheek, and then slid to tangle into her hair. He pulled her gently closer.
“ You don’t understand.” Glory’s voice was only a whisper as Damien’s lips came closer.
The iron door to the cavern flew open, groaning on its hinges.
“Damien!” Camille’s sultry voice almost sounded panicked. Damien sat back quickly, saying something under his breath. Glory didn’t have to be telepathic to know it wasn’t nice.
“ What do you want Camille?”
Camille seemed to have gotten her composure back and she swayed forward.
“ Joel came running upstairs, claiming that you had switched sides and a bunch of other nonsense.”
Glory breathed a sigh of relief. Camille hadn’t believed him.
Camille turned to her and narrowed her eyes.
“ What are you doing on of your bonds, (human)?”
Glory started to snap a retort back at the stuck up Vamp, when Damien took over. Her mouth snapped together, causing Glory’s teeth to clink painfully.
“I took the human out of her bonds. She said she’s willing to give us information now.”
Glory wished she could move so that she could punch Damien’s smug grin off his face. She should have known. He was lying when he told her he was turning good. Aden was truly her last hope.
Camille’s eyes sparkled, and a grin stretched her full lips, revealing lethal white teeth.
“ That doesn’t mean you can drain her yet.” Damien snapped as he caught sight of Camille’s elongated two teeth.
Camille’s lips closed to form a pout and she swayed a little closer.
“ Oh come on, Damien. Lighten up.”
Damien stood quickly, hauling Glory up with him.
“ I’m not going any where with you.” She snapped and jerked her arm out of his grasp.
Camille turned on them, raising an eyebrow up in distaste.
“ I thought you said she was ready to share information.”
Damien shot Glory a withering glare and she smiled sweetly back at him.
“ She’s kind of delusional. She has a fever.” Damien tried to explain.
“ Humph.” Camille turned on her heel and stalked out.
“ What are you doing, you idiot?” Damien snapped. Glory’s temper spiked. She decided she like Sweetheart better than idiot.
“ I am not going any where with you to share information!”
Damien frowned and leaned down to look her in the eyes.
“ Glory, you have got to trust me. I’m trying to get you up to a higher level in the building for the others to find you. So it will be easier.”
Glory stared up at him for a moment, debating whether he was being honest or not.
“ All right.”
Damien nodded, offering her a small smile.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Glory followed, praying that Aden and the others would arrive soon. She didn’t know if she could trust Damien. They exited the cold Cavern and once again, Glory was in the cobblestone hallway. Her heart started picking up speed until her blood pounded in her head. There was just something about this hallway. She knew her dream was just a dream, but it still creeped her out.
Something tickled her consciousness. She turned her head slightly as the sound of something padding down the hall caught her ears. She turned to look over her shoulder. Emerald green eyes stared back at her from the dark shadows of the hall.
Roslyn!
Glory’s mind threw the thought into the air, hoping one of the Montez’s would hear it and know she knew they were here.
Damien stopped with a jerk. Glory winced as her head snapped back.
“ Ouch!” She complained. She faced forward. The Montez’s stood in a line, nearly blocking the whole hall.
“Aden!” Her happy cry surprised even her. She took off running, not even knowing what she was doing until she was in his arms. Feeling his strong arms holding her closer made the bad memories start to fade.
“ You’re ok?” Aden detached her grasping hands from him for a moment, cupping her face in both hands, giving her a once over.
“ Yes! I’m fine. Better than fine now that you’re here.”
The words poured out of her, and Glory felt a stab of guilt. Where was all this coming from? Had her attraction to Damien disappeared completely?
She stared up at Aden, watching his melted honey eyes search over her face and scan her body. But then they glanced up, over her head and hardened.
“ You’re going to pay…” Aden’s voice was soft, almost too soft to be heard. But a quiet snarl slipped from Damien in answer.
“ Stop! Aden, please. Listen to me.” Glory pleaded. Aden acted like he didn’t hear her, and moved to walk around her. Glory stepped back, blocking him.
“ Please.” She slid a hand up to rest on his chest. She felt his breathing quicken and a burst of satisfaction. It was good to see he didn’t just effect her, she had an effect on him too.
He glanced down at her, his eyes melting as they met hers.
“I wouldn’t be here without Damien. I was literally freezing to death. He let me go and gave me a blanket to warm me up.”
Aden’s eyes darkened to amber.
Uh oh. Way to go Glory. Glory chided herself. Way to bring up a tender subject.
“ Oh I know what he did to warm you up.” Aden hissed, focusing his attention back to Damien.
Glory bit her lip. This wasn’t going well.
“Maybe we should just…be thankful Glory is alive.” Anna suggested, trying to draw the tension from the air.
“He should be thankful Glory is alive or else there would be nothing of him left.” Aden snapped.
Glory glanced back at Damien. The air around him was shimmering, and Glory knew he was prepared to shift in an instant.
“Aden. Stop.” Glory’s voice was strong, even though she was shaking on the inside.
“Why should I?” Aden demanded, turning his fury on her.
“ Because…Because I kissed him first. If you want to kill someone, kill me.” Glory said quickly, her mind whirling.
She could see Anna’s mouth come open, and when she risked a glance at Damien, he was looking at her like she was crazy.
“ You did what?” Gabe asked incredulously.
“ I…I kissed him.” Glory stammered.
“ Not you didn’t.” Aden growled.
“ Yes I did!” Glory persisted. Aden was slowly winning. She couldn’t keep this up much longer.
“ I think, technically, you would say, you kissed him back but you did not kiss him first.” Aden stared down at her, reprimanding like she was two years old.
“ Yes, I-”
“Glory just stop. They can read minds, remember?” Damien hissed.
Glory blinked. How had she forgotten that minor detail?
“ You better come and face the music, love boy.” Aden snarled from behind clenched teeth. The air shimmered behind Glory, causing the hair on her arms to stand up. She didn’t need to turn to know that Damien had shifted. But sure enough, when she turned around, there he was, crouched and ready. She hadn’t ever realized how much bigger than a normal cheetah he was. He seemed to almost fill the hallway.
Aden was staring him down, already crouched in a slightly defensive position.
Lupe and Roslyn materialized from the shadows behind Damien. He was trapped.
She acted without thinking. Again. She could see where this was going to get her in trouble some day. She hurried out to stand with Damien, placing on hand on his head to keep him still. She tried to ignore how silky his fur was, and keep to the task at hand.
“We’re wasting time, Aden. We need to get out of here now. Nicolas could be on his way down here any minute. You guys can fight over me later.” Glory commanded.
Aden looked at her in surprise.
“ She’s right, of course.” He muttered.
“ Yeah. Let’s get out of her before Nicolas catches that we’re here.” Gabe seconded and Lupe and Roslyn came out of the shadows, joining them as they turned. But someone was waiting for them.
“Ah, where are we going so soon, young friends? The fun is just beginning!” Nicolas’s powerful voice booming around the hall made Glory’s heart drop. She looked at Camille and Joel, who were both flanking him with pure fury.
A deep rumble sounded in Damien’s chest, echoed closely by Lupe and a snarl sounded from Roslyn.
“ Uncle Nicolas.” Aden’s voice chilled Glory to the bone.
“ Uncle?” She whispered, horrified.
Chapter Twenty Three
Glory glanced around, and straightened her shirt. Aden was coming. That was clear. How she was going to explain her impromptu kiss with Damien, she didn’t know.
“ What’s going on, Glory?” Damien asked, watching her as she paced the room. Glory tried to ignore how she felt warm and tingly whenever he looked at her. This was not good. Not good at all.
Glory wrung her hands together and turned around, pacing the other way.
Damien’s blue eyes followed her every step.
“ Just stop, Sweetheart.”
Glory froze and then shot a murderous glare Damien’s way.
He smiled at her gently, and guided her back over to the couch with his mind.
“ You just need to relax.” Damien soothed.
“ You don’t understand.” Glory made herself calm down. She finally turned and looked at Damien. She ignored the tingles, and the memory of his lips on hers.
“Aden knows I kissed you, Damien. I don’t know if I can stop him from killing you or not.”
Damien’s sapphire eyes widened and then he grinned. “ He knows?”
Glory’s mouth almost flopped open. He was laughing.
“Damien! This is not funny. He will seriously kill you.”
Damien grinned, his eyes sparkled mischievously.
“ He can try.” His warm hand cupped her cheek, and then slid to tangle into her hair. He pulled her gently closer.
“ You don’t understand.” Glory’s voice was only a whisper as Damien’s lips came closer.
The iron door to the cavern flew open, groaning on its hinges.
“Damien!” Camille’s sultry voice almost sounded panicked. Damien sat back quickly, saying something under his breath. Glory didn’t have to be telepathic to know it wasn’t nice.
“ What do you want Camille?”
Camille seemed to have gotten her composure back and she swayed forward.
“ Joel came running upstairs, claiming that you had switched sides and a bunch of other nonsense.”
Glory breathed a sigh of relief. Camille hadn’t believed him.
Camille turned to her and narrowed her eyes.
“ What are you doing on of your bonds, (human)?”
Glory started to snap a retort back at the stuck up Vamp, when Damien took over. Her mouth snapped together, causing Glory’s teeth to clink painfully.
“I took the human out of her bonds. She said she’s willing to give us information now.”
Glory wished she could move so that she could punch Damien’s smug grin off his face. She should have known. He was lying when he told her he was turning good. Aden was truly her last hope.
Camille’s eyes sparkled, and a grin stretched her full lips, revealing lethal white teeth.
“ That doesn’t mean you can drain her yet.” Damien snapped as he caught sight of Camille’s elongated two teeth.
Camille’s lips closed to form a pout and she swayed a little closer.
“ Oh come on, Damien. Lighten up.”
Damien stood quickly, hauling Glory up with him.
“ I’m not going any where with you.” She snapped and jerked her arm out of his grasp.
Camille turned on them, raising an eyebrow up in distaste.
“ I thought you said she was ready to share information.”
Damien shot Glory a withering glare and she smiled sweetly back at him.
“ She’s kind of delusional. She has a fever.” Damien tried to explain.
“ Humph.” Camille turned on her heel and stalked out.
“ What are you doing, you idiot?” Damien snapped. Glory’s temper spiked. She decided she like Sweetheart better than idiot.
“ I am not going any where with you to share information!”
Damien frowned and leaned down to look her in the eyes.
“ Glory, you have got to trust me. I’m trying to get you up to a higher level in the building for the others to find you. So it will be easier.”
Glory stared up at him for a moment, debating whether he was being honest or not.
“ All right.”
Damien nodded, offering her a small smile.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Glory followed, praying that Aden and the others would arrive soon. She didn’t know if she could trust Damien. They exited the cold Cavern and once again, Glory was in the cobblestone hallway. Her heart started picking up speed until her blood pounded in her head. There was just something about this hallway. She knew her dream was just a dream, but it still creeped her out.
Something tickled her consciousness. She turned her head slightly as the sound of something padding down the hall caught her ears. She turned to look over her shoulder. Emerald green eyes stared back at her from the dark shadows of the hall.
Roslyn!
Glory’s mind threw the thought into the air, hoping one of the Montez’s would hear it and know she knew they were here.
Damien stopped with a jerk. Glory winced as her head snapped back.
“ Ouch!” She complained. She faced forward. The Montez’s stood in a line, nearly blocking the whole hall.
“Aden!” Her happy cry surprised even her. She took off running, not even knowing what she was doing until she was in his arms. Feeling his strong arms holding her closer made the bad memories start to fade.
“ You’re ok?” Aden detached her grasping hands from him for a moment, cupping her face in both hands, giving her a once over.
“ Yes! I’m fine. Better than fine now that you’re here.”
The words poured out of her, and Glory felt a stab of guilt. Where was all this coming from? Had her attraction to Damien disappeared completely?
She stared up at Aden, watching his melted honey eyes search over her face and scan her body. But then they glanced up, over her head and hardened.
“ You’re going to pay…” Aden’s voice was soft, almost too soft to be heard. But a quiet snarl slipped from Damien in answer.
“ Stop! Aden, please. Listen to me.” Glory pleaded. Aden acted like he didn’t hear her, and moved to walk around her. Glory stepped back, blocking him.
“ Please.” She slid a hand up to rest on his chest. She felt his breathing quicken and a burst of satisfaction. It was good to see he didn’t just effect her, she had an effect on him too.
He glanced down at her, his eyes melting as they met hers.
“I wouldn’t be here without Damien. I was literally freezing to death. He let me go and gave me a blanket to warm me up.”
Aden’s eyes darkened to amber.
Uh oh. Way to go Glory. Glory chided herself. Way to bring up a tender subject.
“ Oh I know what he did to warm you up.” Aden hissed, focusing his attention back to Damien.
Glory bit her lip. This wasn’t going well.
“Maybe we should just…be thankful Glory is alive.” Anna suggested, trying to draw the tension from the air.
“He should be thankful Glory is alive or else there would be nothing of him left.” Aden snapped.
Glory glanced back at Damien. The air around him was shimmering, and Glory knew he was prepared to shift in an instant.
“Aden. Stop.” Glory’s voice was strong, even though she was shaking on the inside.
“Why should I?” Aden demanded, turning his fury on her.
“ Because…Because I kissed him first. If you want to kill someone, kill me.” Glory said quickly, her mind whirling.
She could see Anna’s mouth come open, and when she risked a glance at Damien, he was looking at her like she was crazy.
“ You did what?” Gabe asked incredulously.
“ I…I kissed him.” Glory stammered.
“ Not you didn’t.” Aden growled.
“ Yes I did!” Glory persisted. Aden was slowly winning. She couldn’t keep this up much longer.
“ I think, technically, you would say, you kissed him back but you did not kiss him first.” Aden stared down at her, reprimanding like she was two years old.
“ Yes, I-”
“Glory just stop. They can read minds, remember?” Damien hissed.
Glory blinked. How had she forgotten that minor detail?
“ You better come and face the music, love boy.” Aden snarled from behind clenched teeth. The air shimmered behind Glory, causing the hair on her arms to stand up. She didn’t need to turn to know that Damien had shifted. But sure enough, when she turned around, there he was, crouched and ready. She hadn’t ever realized how much bigger than a normal cheetah he was. He seemed to almost fill the hallway.
Aden was staring him down, already crouched in a slightly defensive position.
Lupe and Roslyn materialized from the shadows behind Damien. He was trapped.
She acted without thinking. Again. She could see where this was going to get her in trouble some day. She hurried out to stand with Damien, placing on hand on his head to keep him still. She tried to ignore how silky his fur was, and keep to the task at hand.
“We’re wasting time, Aden. We need to get out of here now. Nicolas could be on his way down here any minute. You guys can fight over me later.” Glory commanded.
Aden looked at her in surprise.
“ She’s right, of course.” He muttered.
“ Yeah. Let’s get out of her before Nicolas catches that we’re here.” Gabe seconded and Lupe and Roslyn came out of the shadows, joining them as they turned. But someone was waiting for them.
“Ah, where are we going so soon, young friends? The fun is just beginning!” Nicolas’s powerful voice booming around the hall made Glory’s heart drop. She looked at Camille and Joel, who were both flanking him with pure fury.
A deep rumble sounded in Damien’s chest, echoed closely by Lupe and a snarl sounded from Roslyn.
“ Uncle Nicolas.” Aden’s voice chilled Glory to the bone.
“ Uncle?” She whispered, horrified.