Page 39 of Resurrecting His Soul
When she got to the edge of the building, she realized she could smell a familiar scent… Allison. It occurred to her then that she hadn’t picked up Allison’s scent anywhere while running throughout the house. It was likely they’d brought her straight out back, straight to the shed. That made her angry. Allison was the only one of them susceptible to the elements. This was Jameson trying to piss her off; to show her that Allison was beneath him. It was something he’d tried toteachher previously, when she’d been too weak to leave him. He knew Allison wanted her to leave him, so he had tried his hardest to make her end their friendship. Luckily, that was the one thing Lisandra never gave into him on. He took everything else from her. There was no way he was going to take away her best friend too.
She should have taken more time to recognize Allison’s wasn’t the only scent coming from inside the shed. Listened to the sounds from the other side of the door. Instead, she yanked the door opened, eager to get Allison out of there, and wound up with them both caught in Jameson’s trap. Allison was sitting in a chair in the center of the small building. Her ankles were tied to the feet of the chair with chains that were so tight they were cutting into her flesh. Small droplets of blood marred her legs where the chains were wrapped around her ankles. Although small, the smell of fresh blood assaulted Lisandra’s senses. If Ricardo was right about anything, he was right about their desire for blood. No blood bag could compare to the thirst caused by being so close to fresh flowing blood. Her fangs descended and the pain in her throat flared. Maybe she had been wrong to limit herself to blood bags. If she’d had more experience with fresh human blood, surely she would have built more of a tolerance to the effects that the smell had on her. Allison would never admit it, but Lisandra didn’t miss the way her friend’s eyes had gone wide when her fangs dropped. If they survived this, she had to get Allison out of this world. It was too dangerous. Maybe vampires and humans couldn’t be friends, at least not the up close and personal kind. A long-distance friendship would be far safer for Allison.
Gripping the door frame, Lisandra held on tight, afraid she would lose control and attack Allison herself. She clamped her jaw shut and forced herself not to breathe. Breathing may not have been necessary for her, but it still felt weird to stop the whole inhale, exhale thing she had been doing her entire life. Still, it was better to feel slightly uncomfortable than to risk losing herself to her thirst and quenching it with her best friend’s blood.
It took longer than she’d like to admit, but she eventually got herself together and let go of the doorframe and stepped into the shed. That was when she finally took in the full scene in front of her. Not only were Allison’s ankles chained, but her arms were pulled behind her, wrapped around the back of the chair. Although she couldn’t see her hands, she was certain that Allison’s hands were also tied together with something. Otherwise, her friend would have been fighting to get away from Jameson, despite her feet being chained. Worse yet, Jameson stood just behind Allison, with his hands resting on her shoulders. He wasn’t holding a weapon, but he didn’t need a one. Thanks to Melina making him a vampire, he was a weapon.
“Get your hands off her!” she demanded.
Jameson cocked his head and smirked. He moved one of his hands and brought his finger up to Allison’s neck. He ran his nail across the side of Allison’s neck, and her face scrunched up in pain while blood trickled down her skin. Then he brought that same finger to his mouth, and sucked Allison’s blood from its tip.
“Mmm. Delicious,” he said. “You know, I never liked her.” He squeezed Allison’s shoulder. “But I’m glad she’s here now. She’s so tasty, and I haven’t had a drink in hours.”
Lisandra moved towards him, but he dug his hand tighter into Allison’s throat, making her cry out. She could hear Allison gasping for air, so she stopped. “Jameson, this has nothing to do with her. You want me? I’m right here. Let her go.”
She watched as he loosened his grip on Allison’s throat slightly before a wide grin spread across his smug face. “See, Lissy, if this had been before I might have believed you, but I can see that you’ve changed, and not for the better might I add. It seems you have forgotten your place since you left me. I’m not so sure you know how to listen. So, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He looked down at Allison and flexed his fingers against her throat again. “I’m going to keep her close until you convince me that you’ve learned your place.”
Frantically, she waved towards the building’s doorway, back towards the house. “I woke up in that house alone. I could have left then, but I didn’t. You don’t need her.”
He let out a short, forced laugh. “I am offended. All the time we spent together, and you think I am that dumb. Clearly, I was too lenient on you before if you think you can fool me that easily.”
“No,” she shook her head. “There are many things I would use to describe you, but a fool isn’t one of them.”
“Ha,” he chuffed. “Funny since we both know she,” he tugged on Allison’s hair, snatching her head back, making her cry out, “is why you’re still here. We both know you would have run straight out the front door if you hadn’t been worried about her.”
Lisandra couldn’t argue with him. He was right. She kept her eyes on him, watching his hands, his facial expressions. Looking for any opportunity to get between him and Allison, but he kept his grip on Allison’s neck so tight she couldn’t speak. Lisandra knew her friend was having trouble breathing too. She could hear the strained breaths Allison was working hard to suck in with Jameson’s hand being so tightly wound around her throat. She needed to at least get some distance between him and Allison or he was going to wind up suffocating her right then and there.
Slowly, she took a couple steps forward with her hands in the air. “You win, Jameson. What do you want from me?”
He tilted his head with his mouth drawn taught. She could practically see the disastrous thoughts flashing behind his cold eyes. Staring into those dark globes, she was surprised she had not noticed before. There was no soul in those cold depths. At least not a good one. There was nothing but darkness inside of him. Maybe becoming a vampire changed him. Ricardo had taught her that becoming a vampire didn’t just come with incredible strength and heightened senses. At their core, they had a predatory, animalistic nature. One that craved blood and carnage; something sinister. She had seen this darkness in Melina, and in truth she knew it lived within Ricardo too. It was the one vampire trait she wished she hadn’t inherited, but she knew it was a part of her the moment she’d tried to kill Melina on Ricardo’s patio. And she knew it to be true the first moment she laid eyes on Jameson with Allison in his grasp. She had wanted to kill him. Still did, but she wasn’t sure if she could give into that part of herself, even if it was to save her best friend. On the other hand, Jameson’s humanity was lacking before Melina made him a vampire, and it was clear he had given himself over to the darkest parts of his vampire side, leaving even those small traces of humanity far behind.
As much as she did not want to give in to him, to give him anything he wanted at all, she wouldn’t risk Allison’s life by trying anything. Swallowing her pride, she slowly moved to the side of the chair Allison was tied to. She could feel Jameson’s eyes on her and it made her skin crawl, but she knew what she had to do to get him to take his hands off Allison. She dropped to her knees beside him and subsequently beside Allison as well, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. One thing Jameson hated was for her to make eye contact with him when he was in one of his moods. She would say kidnapping and threatening to kill Allison definitely counted as one of his moods. Without looking at Allison, she could feel her friend’s disapproving gaze raining down on her. Only Allison could have her life literally hanging in the balance and still refuse to give any leeway to an asshole like Jameson.
Jameson’s fingers slid into her hair before wrapping around a large chunk, then he yanked her head back hard and fast. “See, I knew this was the best way for you to learn some manners again.”
That newly awakened vampire instinct within her had her itching to rip that arm from his body, but Allison was still too close. She was afraid if she gave into the rage churning inside of her that she might hurt Allison in the process, and she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if that happened. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she could forgive herself as it was. Even if she wasn’t the one physically hurting Allison herself, she was still to blame for what had already happened to her at Jameson’s hands. At least Jameson had released Allison’s throat when he reached for her hair. If he wanted to hurt her, she could take it, but Allison’s human body was too frail.
Swallowing her pride, she said what she knew he wanted to hear. “I’ll be a good girl and do whatever you want.”
He smirked. “It is good to know that you aren’t a complete idiot. But just in case you think you are smarter than me, I’ve brought a little backup.”
He looked over to the door and Lisandra followed his gaze. Melina stepped through the doorway, a big smile on her face. “This has to be the best thing I’ve seen in weeks, maybe longer. Just where you both belong. Tied up and on your knees like the useless dogs you are.” She paused and looked directly at Lisandra. “I can’t believe Ricardo ever thought there was anything special to see in you. You are too weak for him. He needs a real woman who isn’t afraid to use all of her strength and live up to our potential as vampires.”
“Too bad that won’t be you,” Allison cut her off. “I’ve met piles of shit smarter than your ignorant ass.”
Melina crossed the space between them in a flash, but Lisandra was faster. Before Melina could land the blow she intended for Allison, Lisandra was between them and kicked Melina with such force she flew through the air, busting the door frame as her limbs hit it on the way out of the building, only stopping after flying several yards outside and hitting the exterior of the house. There was no time to think about what she’d done because Jameson was on her, his hands on her neck and she knew at once he was trying to break her neck, but she couldn’t risk being unconscious for several hours or days. Not when Allison was there alone with the two of them. Jameson was strong, but unlike when they had been together before, this time she was strong too. Grabbing his hands, she yanked them away from her neck and shoved him back, this time taking out one of the walls.
Her instinct was to fight. It felt like there was an animal inside of her that she had been keeping chained up, and once she gave in just the finest bit, that animal was on the hunt for any chink in the chain it could use to break free completely. Unfortunately, she wasn’t confident enough in her abilities to fight Melina and Jameson on her own, not with Allison tied up just behind her. Melina and Jameson were both barreling towards her, but she stood fast, refusing to move and leave Allison exposed.
“Get out of here,” Allison yelled from behind her.
“Not leaving you,” she answered.
There wasn’t time for them to say anything else. Melina made it to her first, grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground, pouncing on her with her fangs descended. Before she could react, Melina was pulled off of her.
“She’s mine,” Jameson growled in Melina’s face.
Melina moved in closer to him until they were practically nose to nose. “She is only yours if I say so. Don’t forget who made you.”
