Laney (16 page)

Chapter 20 - Oz, the Great and Powerful—I Mean, Weasely

The next thing I knew, Kiera was shaking me awake. “Hey, I didn’t know you were here. I thought you were staying with Oliver.”

I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?” I asked, pulling my ear buds out. My iPod had died sometime during the night.

“It’s eight.” Her cheeks were flushed like she was embarrassed about something. “I’m sorry. I would have woken you up earlier, but I didn’t know you had come home last night.” Ah, last night—that explains the pink cheeks.

“No biggie,” I said, rolling out of bed.

“Oliver’s here,” she said, leaving my room.

I grabbed what I needed to change into and headed for the bathroom giving Oliver, who was waiting in the living room, an awkward wave on my way. “I’ll be just a couple minutes. You can go ahead without me.”

“I’ll wait.” He smiled.
What a sight to wake up to—that’s the first thing I want to see every morning.

The day went like most days: class, Oliver-gazing, lunch, more Oliver-gazing, and then home. Lately, we had added the kissing, which was a big bonus in my book.

I needed to hit the library and Oliver insisted on going with me. He also insisted that we could use the fresh air, so we walked. Fall was settling in, the leaves were changing color, and a subtle breeze rustled them and our hair. I love the fall—not too hot, not too cold.

We sat where I had sat before, by the window with a small square table and two, not so comfortable, mustard-colored leather chairs. There weren’t too many people in the library that night and the low murmur of voices wasn’t bad. But, being at the library with Oliver made it hard for me to focus on anything but him. I found my thoughts constantly wandering to places and things we could be doing rather than sitting quietly in the stuffy library. Several times, I caught him watching me. He’d smile his dazzling smile and I’d blush and shy away.

“You know, you’re rather distracting,” I whispered, gathering my things.
I give up. I can’t concentrate with him around.

He beamed at me. “Done already?”

“Like I can get anything done with you around.” I gave him a playful smile.

He frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, right.” I grabbed his hand, tugging him out of the musty smelling library. “I can think of better things we could be doing.”

He furrowed his brow, pondering what I said and then he caught on. I thought I saw just a hint of pink in his cheeks and his nervous smile returned.

He was quiet as we began walking home. It was dark; the streetlights glowing against the night sky. I gave him a playful hip bump, but he didn’t budge and I ended up knocking myself off balance. He caught me and pulled me down on the grass, planting a rather intense kiss.

“Get a room,” someone chided as a group of college students passed by. We started laughing through the kiss and he pulled me to my feet.

I jumped on his back, kissing him on the neck, and he piggybacked me for a little while. He wrapped his hands under my thighs, just above my knees, to hold me up and I wondered if he was nervous holding me up by anywhere else, like my bum, or if it was just more comfortable for him to hold on to me there. It was a nice view from back there watching his broad shoulders and tight biceps holding onto me. I could easily play with his wavy hair. I ran my fingers through the back of it. It was so soft and there were actually a few ringlets where it hit his neck.

I slid down as we reached the edge of the college. He grabbed my hand, pulled me to him, and looked into my eyes. He leaned into me. I wiggled free, dropped my backpack, and started to back away with a crooked smile. I received a mischievous grin in return and I took off running. I tried to hide, but between the autumn leaves crunching under my feet and my giggles, he caught me with no effort, held me tight against him, and kissed me—really, really kissed me.

“Hi, Ollie.” A man’s voice came out of the darkness. Oliver froze; his body went rigid.

He pulled back and looked straight into my eyes. His own were full of panic. It caused me to feel a spasm of fear. “Hide!” he whispered fiercely. He shoved me into the large nearby bush. It caught in my hair and scratched against my skin. But I stayed put.

“Honestly, Oliver. Like I didn’t see you with her?” the voice said. I could only see Oliver’s back as I peered out from the bush.

“What do you want?” Oliver’s voice trembled.

“You know what I want!” The man spat.

“I can’t do that,” he said quietly.

“YOU WILL!” he screeched and I jumped. “Do it!” he added in a level tone. A cold hand came from behind me and covered my mouth. I struggled and tried to scream; it was muffled, but Oliver heard it. He spun around as I was shoved out of the bushes by someone I couldn’t see. I was still being restrained. I could see the man who had been talking now. He looked like Oliver at first and I realized he must be his brother. Oliver’s eyes met mine and he looked terrified. A wave of terror rushed through my entire body. I was shoved past him to his brother and I could see the differences now. His face was worn and hard and he looked a few years older than Oliver. He was scrawny. His hair was dark and slicked back with one curl that hung down onto his forehead. His features were different, not as defined as Oliver’s, rounder and softer. He also seemed a couple of inches shorter than Oliver’s six-foot-one.

I was shoved right up to him and he grabbed my arm, hard. It hurt and I winced, letting out a muffled cry. It made me feel like ice was trickling down my spine; I shuddered. It was the opposite of the feeling I got when Oliver touched me. The hand was released from my mouth and I quickly turned to see the person who had grabbed me in the bushes. He was skinny, which surprised me considering how strong he had felt. He looked really young, possibly early teens, and he wouldn’t look into my eyes. His hair was shaggy, dirty looking, and he had a twitch. His shoulder kept twitching forward. I looked past him and met Oliver’s eyes. He looked helpless, but ready to pounce.

“Let her go, Oscar,” Oliver said, his voice still trembling.

“How about yours for mine?” Oscar smiled and it carried a hint of darkness and arrogance.

“No,” Oliver said flatly.

With rage in his voice, Oscar gripped my arm so hard it felt like he might snap the bone. I cried out and tried to pull away. Then he screamed which scared the hell out of me. “She was mine and you took her from me!” I jumped and tried to cover my ears. “So, now I’ll take yours.” His voice was evil.

Oliver stepped forward. A fierce growl rumbled out of him; the sound was startling. It was obvious he wanted to protect me, but he was outnumbered. Four other guys stepped out of the shadows toward us. Oscar turned his gaze on me. He let go of my arm and circled me, looking me up and down with a smug grin. I took in as much of him as I could while he circled me. I wanted to run, but I was frozen, my heart racing. He drew closer and I held my breath. He leaned in and inhaled, then quickly pulled back with a smile. He was so close I could see his eyes. The streetlight caught them just right and I could see a sparkle of dark sapphire-blue like Hayden’s; they were Hayden’s eyes.

I felt his cool breath on my face. He stared into my eyes and I could see a hint of pain. Then, faster than I could follow, he grabbed my neck. At the same time, Oliver tried to rush forward, but was caught by two of the flunkies. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t. It was like that night at my car. I was paralyzed with fear. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. I was afraid they were going to hurt Oliver. He stopped struggling and slumped against the arms that prevented him from getting to me. He looked defeated being held back by those two dirt bags.

I returned my gaze to Oscar and, without looking away from me, he said, “Human life is so fragile and can end so suddenly.” He ran his other hand across my cheek. I shuddered again and tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. I looked away, but when I glanced back at him, something caught my eye—he had fangs, just like that other creep that had attacked me outside the library.

My first thought was
“I need to stop going to the library at night”
and then panic started to consume me; my breathing became rapid. Oliver couldn’t save me this time. He was outnumbered. Tears stung my eyes.

“A mortal life is so easily taken,” and, with that, he leaned in.

“NOOOO!” Oliver screamed with a fury I’d never heard before. It sounded like a roar. Oscar pulled back and watched with a smug smile as Oliver was able to toss the two guys off of him. They rushed back at him once they had regained their footing, but Oscar held up his hand to stop them. They hovered just behind Oliver, pacing like animals waiting to attack.

Oliver was much closer now, but not close enough. “Let…Her…Go.” He spoke slowly, his chest heaving. His voice was controlled, but barely; it seemed to be taking a great deal of effort to keep it steady. I was sure he’d kill them all to protect me. I had no time to think about whether I was okay with that or not.

“It’s only fair, Ollie,” Oscar said with a pompous sneer.

“No…it’s…not! You should not have involved her.” His control started to break.

“Ah, brother. It was you who involved her.” Through my panic, I still managed to wonder what the hell they were talking about. “Ah, I can sense she has no idea.”

“Don’t.” One flat word. “She is not a part of this.” There was desperation in Oliver’s voice now.

“She is now,” Oscar said, eyeing me again. “She doesn’t know anything, does she? She has no idea what you are.”

What he is?
I looked at Oliver, desperately trying to understand what was going on. He stared past me at Oscar, his eyes avoiding mine.

“Ha!” Oscar’s laugh was menacing—vacant, yet full of pain. “I feel so lucky to be the one to tell her.”

He leaned in close to my cheek and his grip moved from my neck to my wrist. He smelled sweet and dirty. My gaze broke from Oliver’s as Oscar began to whisper to me. At the same time, Oliver rushed forward, only to be stopped by the minions again. “Did he tell you that he stole my girl? That he won’t give her back and that he claims their love child is his
niece
? No, I doubt he would.” He stepped back, seeming satisfied with himself.

It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. My world started to shatter.
Julz isn’t his sister…

“He’s lying, Laney!” Oliver shouted, struggling in the arms of the two flunkies. The other two flunkies were pacing behind them now. “Don’t believe him for one second!”

It all makes sense now. She looks nothing like them…and she was so rude to me…

I felt like I might throw up.

“Ah, see? She’s figured it out.” Oscar seemed pleased with himself.

“No, Laney. It’s not true,” Oliver pleaded. I could see the desperation in his face. I could hear it in his voice. I wanted to believe him. But something didn’t make sense…

“It is true!” Oscar screeched. I flinched and blinked repeatedly, trying to force the tears not to come.

“The only truth I see here is that you are a cowardly weasel!” A level voice boomed from behind me.

Oscar released his grip and spun around in the direction of the voice.

“Alexander,” Oscar breathed.

I looked up at the sound of my last name, but no one was looking at me. They were all fixed on a huge blonde man coming out of the shadows. He was enormous, with a voice to match and shoulders that were so wide he probably had to turn sideways to fit through a doorway.

“What do you think you’re doing, Oz?” His voice was daunting. “You need to step away from the girl.” I searched around to find a girl and realized he was talking about me. Oscar’s underlings were now surrounded by several new guys who had come out of nowhere. All of the flunkies were baring fangs and hissing. My head started to spin.

Oliver stepped to my side and pulled me against him. He looked into my eyes, assessing me. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?” He was anxious, almost frantic.

I shook my head slightly, relieved to be in his arms.
Holy crap! Fangs! They all have fangs!
Then it hit me—a flash of that freak who attacked me that night outside the library.

“They’re vampires. They’re all vampires!” My voice shook.

Oliver sighed and nodded. He was searching my face for a response.

He let go of me, taking my hand with a strength I’d never felt before. My knees started to buckle. My vision blurred, going grey and fuzzy. I heard his voice say my name, but it sounded alarmed and far away.

“You…” I began, breathless, and then everything went black.

My eyes fluttered open and, oddly enough, my first thought was about my back being cold where my shirt had lifted and my bare skin was touching the grass. I was sprawled on the ground where I had been standing. Oliver was crouched beside me protectively. I could see the relief on his face when his eyes met mine. He jerked me off the ground into his arms and held me hard against his chest like he would never let me go. Over his shoulder, I could see that Oscar and the others were in what looked like a standoff. The really big guy they called Alexander was standing protectively near Oliver and me.

Oliver stood, lifting me easily off the ground. He held onto me while I caught my balance. I still felt uneasy.

“Felix,” he said and I saw his fangs. I swallowed a gasp.
Oh my God. He’s one of them!
My breathing became labored as reality set in. Alexander turned toward us. He was gigantic. “Take her.”

What?
“What?”

“Laney, I’ve put you in serious danger. I have to protect you,” he said, his fangs flashing the entire time.

“Then you protect me!” I said, grasping at him. My breathing became erratic, coming in gasps.

He took my trembling hands in his and looked deep into my eyes. “Laney, you have to get out of here. Felix won’t let anything happen to you.” I tore my eyes away from the very sharp-looking fangs in Oliver’s mouth to glance at the enormous man looming over us.

“What are you going to do?” I asked Oliver; my voice cracked.