I'm Half-Doomed and You're Semi-Sweet

“Kira. So nice to see you again,” their leader said, stepping closer to Pete and Kira.

Pete’s confidence drained through the soles of his shoes.

He froze in confusion, slowly turning around to face her, desperately searching for an explanation in her anxious eyes that were now locked on the smirking vampire’s.

“Who are you?” Pete growled, snapping out of his shock for the moment being.

“You didn’t tell them about us?” the leader laughed, still addressing Kira. Two of the vampires behind him were expressionless, backing their leader up dutifully.

The tall, lanky, black-haired vampire, however, was nervous and jittery, eyes darting anywhere but Kira’s face.

She avoided their eyes as well.

The leader circled the two. Pete felt her tense at his side and her hand latched onto his arm instinctively.

He didn’t know whether to protect her or hand her over, he didn’t even know whose side she was on anymore. He felt himself detaching her hand from his arm in order to get some answers.

“What is he talking about?” he asked Kira slowly. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded in frustration.

He didn’t even know if he was talking to Kira or the leader anymore.

“My name is Alex Gaskarth,” the new vampire informed him, thoroughly enjoying the confusion and frustration playing on Pete’s features. “Zack and Rian,” he lazily motioned to the two more muscular, stony-faced vampires directly behind him. “Jack.” The nervous one hovering in the back. “Oh, and she’s mine,” he suddenly reached over to pull Kira towards him.

He gripped her upper arm as if trying to cut off her circulation.

“Pete-” she struggled fruitlessly, looking at him for help, maybe something more.

He could only blankly watch her struggling and Alex keeping his grip tight with a bored but amused smirk on his face. When it finally occurred to Pete to help her out, the vampire spoke again.

“Tell you, what, Wentz. I’ll let you keep her.” He pushed her back towards Pete, letting go of her arm. She stumbled. “For now.”

She rubbed her arm, wincing at the feeling of a new bruise starting to form where her previous ones had already healed. She stood behind Pete, feeling protected as she gripped his arm in worry.

“Who are you?” Pete demanded again angrily, temper rising at the new vampire’s games.

“Why don’t you ask your little girlfriend here?” the leader retorted.

Kira was refusing to speak, still trembling behind Pete.

“Get out of here,” he whispered to her, as quietly as possible. He had no idea why he still felt the need to defend her. “I’ll take care of them.”

“We’re not here to fight,” Alex laughed harshly. “Not yet. I’ll see you soon, Wentz. Kira.” He turned, Zack and Rian obediently following, and Jack shooting nervously apologetic glances back at the two as he turned to go as well.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Pete shouted to their backs angrily. They ignored him, of course.
Kira and Pete wordlessly trudged back to the warehouse.

The thing that stung the most was the vampire’s connection with Kira.

How could he allow himself to fall for betrayal not only once, but twice?

“What did he mean, ‘mine?’” Pete asked when they were back in his room, narrowing his eyes at her. She averted her eyes, making a move to leave.

“N-nothing,” she stammered. “I don’t know.” He grabbed her arm before she could walk away.

“What did he mean?” he demanded again, gripping her arm as his irises turned red around the edges. His fingers were pressing into her fresh bruises. She gritted her teeth to keep herself from crying out.

“You’re hurting me,” she said, trying to pry her arm from his painfully tight grip.

“Tell me what’s going on!” he exclaimed angrily, now letting go and glaring. She flinched and closed her eyes at the red that filled his irises; it reminded her of when Alex would get angry.

“I-I don’t…I don’t know it all, exactly-”

“Tell me what you know,” he commanded.

“He said he’s kill me if I didn’t help him-”

“Help him what?” he yelled.

“I’m bait,” she almost whispered. He stared wordlessly at her.

“That’s why you didn’t kill me the first night,” he stated quietly in painful realization. She looked away.

“I didn’t mean for it to get this far, I-”

“Get out.”

“Pete-”

“I said get out!” he shouted. She hung her head and left the room, leaving Pete in his angry betrayal.

She was halfway down the hallway when she was stopped.

“Where are you going?” Patrick asked.

“Pete told me to leave,” she admitted quietly. She looked up to meet his gaze. “I only used you for safety. He was going to come back for me; he was going to kill me unless I-”

“I understand,” Patrick replied, interrupting. “You’re still welcome to stay.”

“Really?” she asked, biting her lip nervously in cautious disbelief. He nodded.

“I said you could stay with us as long as you needed, and I still mean that,” he assured her. “Let me get another room ready for you,” he offered.

“Thank you,” she replied gratefully.

“You were never actually with Pete, were you?” he suddenly asked, turning to give her a curious look as she followed him back down the hall.

“No,” she admitted. He nodded knowingly, not even questioning her as to why she had lied and why Pete had allowed her to in the first place.