Sequel: Blanket of Fear ›
Bound to You
Chapter Forty-Three
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Eliza’s POV
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“Zack, can we talk?” I ask the black-haired vampire that I’ve grown to care for over the last…well, I’m not sure how long it’s actually been since he brought me to be with him. But I’ve grown to care about him, nonetheless, and I miss spending time with him. Though we have never had what could be considered a ‘conventional’ relationship, before the explosion happened, we spent time together. At night, he would hold me, rather than just touch my hip lightly. He would kiss me fiercely, letting me know how much he wanted me, which in a way, is how he showed that he cared. He doesn’t kiss me like that now; he hasn’t ever since Sean made the attack. Quite frankly, I’m getting upset. Has he just stopped caring, or is it that he’s under stress from all of this? I intend to get to the bottom of this today, however. I’m tired of missing him.
He looks up from where he’s sitting in front of the one lap top in the complex, watching security surveillance from outside the building in real time. His eyes looked strained, and I know it’s because he hasn’t been getting sleep at night. He tosses and turns for what little sleep he can manage to get, as well. I worry for him when I see him like this, even though I am upset about how he’s been treating me as of late. He says nothing, so I sigh impatiently.
“Get off the damn computer and go get some sleep.” I tell him, taking the mouse from him and firmly looking at him. I’m just as capable of watching security footage as he is, and he needs sleep more than I do. We can talk after he’s done getting a nap.
“Eliza, I ca—“
“Listen to her, V.” Brian’s voice says, also hinting that he’s been worried about Zack as well. I turn around to see Brian standing behind me, glaring at Zack. “How much sleep did you get last night? One, maybe two hours? You’re no good to us if you’re dead on your feet.”
“I’m no good to anyone if I’m sleeping, either.” Zack retorted, turning his gaze back to the screen of the laptop. I decide not to say anything; I know this mood of his all too well; right now, he’s angry, and if I say anything, he’s only going to take it out on me. Brian, however, doesn’t seem to care how stubborn or angry Zack is. Brian asks me to step out of the way quietly and I do so, not wanting to interfere in whatever it is he’s planning on doing. I watch as he jerks Zack to his feet and shoves him against the wall behind him, holding his shoulders firmly with his tanned, tattooed hands.
“Do everyone a favor and stop acting like we’re all the enemy, okay? Someone on the inside is one of them; I get that. But that doesn’t mean you can act like none of us are trustworthy and try to handle everything yourself, either. Before you can help anyone, you need to make sure you take care of yourself first.”
“We still haven’t figured out who’s behind it.” Zack replies angrily, his green eyes narrowing into small slits. I back away instinctively; making him mad is like cornering a rattlesnake. It can only lead to no good. “For all I know, it could be one of us.”
“Well it sure as hell isn’t me, goddamn it.” Brian spits at him, his eyes angry slits as well. I don’t know which one of them is going to win; the thought has never occurred to me that there might actually be a physical fight between the two of them, or any of them actually. “And the last time I checked, both Jimmy and Johnny are immobile because of injuries they received when they were attacked. That leaves Matt, and the day he turns traitor for Sean is the day I fucking see pigs fly.”
Zack sighs, and looks at me. His eyes aren’t angry when he directs them towards me; rather, they are only exhausted. There are also hints of other emotions in the green, but I can’t read them. He’s not an open book; he’s hard to understand, even when the emotion is written all over him. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He tells me before looking back at Brian. “Fine. Take over the security; you’re probably right. I do need some sleep.”
He turns to walk away but only gets a few feet before stopping and turning back to Brian and I. “Aren’t you coming, Eliza? You said you needed to talk, didn’t you?”
“You need sleep.” I say quietly, not wanting to bring up my discussion while he’s exhausted. It’s best to save those types of conversations for when he’s awake and fully alert; when he’s more in control of his emotions, when he’s not prone to yelling at me. “It can wait until later.”
Brian nudges me, giving me a stern look. “You should go with him.” He says. “You don’t get much sleep these days either.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, and stand up, walking towards Zack. When I reach him, he turns away from me again after giving me a small hint of a smile, heading towards the cots. He surprises me when he grabs my hand in his. Even though it’s a small thing, it’s one of the only ways he’s shown me he cares in awhile. It feels good to hold his hand in mine, feeling how cool his vampire skin is compared to my own human skin. He doesn’t feel like marble, like the Hollywood version of vampires. Rather, he’s lukewarm, as though he’s been standing in a cold shower for a few minutes. He has explained to me before that they’re not totally cold-skinned because someone cannot be dead to be turned vampire; they must only be on the brink. I don’t understand what he meant by that, or why he told me, but it makes sense now that I’m standing here, holding his hand.
He lays down on the furthest cot from the wall, leaving the second one for me. He scoots to the edge so that I have enough room to climb onto the cot next to him, and covers us both with a green, woolen army blanket before turning me around to face him.
“Sometimes you forget I’m a vampire, Eliza. And that I can read your thoughts.” He whispers, his eyes searching the dimmed room for mine. Down here, in the Complex, no room is ever in complete darkness, for what Matt says is security reasons. I look back into Zack’s eyes, wondering what he’s talking about. And then it clicks.
He knows what I was going to talk to him about.
“We don’t need to talk now,” I say softly. “You’re tired, and—“
“I’m sorry.” He cuts me off, leaning his face towards mine and pressing his lips against mine carefully, almost as if he’s apologizing. The cool metal of his lip rings feels good against my skin, and he pulls away much too quickly for my own liking. “I’m sorry I haven’t been showing you more attention, or that I sometimes act distant from you. It’s not that I don’t care, Eliza. I hope you’ll realize that after this is all said and done, when Sean has been beaten.”
I sigh quietly, closing my eyes as he touches his forehead to mine, his hands holding me closer to his body than we’ve been in awhile. “I know it’s probably selfish to think that way, Zack.” I tell him quietly, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as whiny as I think it does. “And I know that you care.”
“Don’t ever doubt it.” He whispers, before taking a big yawn. I smile softly at him, touching his cheek with my hand.
“I don’t.” I tell him. “Now let’s get some sleep, okay?”
Eliza’s POV
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“Zack, can we talk?” I ask the black-haired vampire that I’ve grown to care for over the last…well, I’m not sure how long it’s actually been since he brought me to be with him. But I’ve grown to care about him, nonetheless, and I miss spending time with him. Though we have never had what could be considered a ‘conventional’ relationship, before the explosion happened, we spent time together. At night, he would hold me, rather than just touch my hip lightly. He would kiss me fiercely, letting me know how much he wanted me, which in a way, is how he showed that he cared. He doesn’t kiss me like that now; he hasn’t ever since Sean made the attack. Quite frankly, I’m getting upset. Has he just stopped caring, or is it that he’s under stress from all of this? I intend to get to the bottom of this today, however. I’m tired of missing him.
He looks up from where he’s sitting in front of the one lap top in the complex, watching security surveillance from outside the building in real time. His eyes looked strained, and I know it’s because he hasn’t been getting sleep at night. He tosses and turns for what little sleep he can manage to get, as well. I worry for him when I see him like this, even though I am upset about how he’s been treating me as of late. He says nothing, so I sigh impatiently.
“Get off the damn computer and go get some sleep.” I tell him, taking the mouse from him and firmly looking at him. I’m just as capable of watching security footage as he is, and he needs sleep more than I do. We can talk after he’s done getting a nap.
“Eliza, I ca—“
“Listen to her, V.” Brian’s voice says, also hinting that he’s been worried about Zack as well. I turn around to see Brian standing behind me, glaring at Zack. “How much sleep did you get last night? One, maybe two hours? You’re no good to us if you’re dead on your feet.”
“I’m no good to anyone if I’m sleeping, either.” Zack retorted, turning his gaze back to the screen of the laptop. I decide not to say anything; I know this mood of his all too well; right now, he’s angry, and if I say anything, he’s only going to take it out on me. Brian, however, doesn’t seem to care how stubborn or angry Zack is. Brian asks me to step out of the way quietly and I do so, not wanting to interfere in whatever it is he’s planning on doing. I watch as he jerks Zack to his feet and shoves him against the wall behind him, holding his shoulders firmly with his tanned, tattooed hands.
“Do everyone a favor and stop acting like we’re all the enemy, okay? Someone on the inside is one of them; I get that. But that doesn’t mean you can act like none of us are trustworthy and try to handle everything yourself, either. Before you can help anyone, you need to make sure you take care of yourself first.”
“We still haven’t figured out who’s behind it.” Zack replies angrily, his green eyes narrowing into small slits. I back away instinctively; making him mad is like cornering a rattlesnake. It can only lead to no good. “For all I know, it could be one of us.”
“Well it sure as hell isn’t me, goddamn it.” Brian spits at him, his eyes angry slits as well. I don’t know which one of them is going to win; the thought has never occurred to me that there might actually be a physical fight between the two of them, or any of them actually. “And the last time I checked, both Jimmy and Johnny are immobile because of injuries they received when they were attacked. That leaves Matt, and the day he turns traitor for Sean is the day I fucking see pigs fly.”
Zack sighs, and looks at me. His eyes aren’t angry when he directs them towards me; rather, they are only exhausted. There are also hints of other emotions in the green, but I can’t read them. He’s not an open book; he’s hard to understand, even when the emotion is written all over him. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He tells me before looking back at Brian. “Fine. Take over the security; you’re probably right. I do need some sleep.”
He turns to walk away but only gets a few feet before stopping and turning back to Brian and I. “Aren’t you coming, Eliza? You said you needed to talk, didn’t you?”
“You need sleep.” I say quietly, not wanting to bring up my discussion while he’s exhausted. It’s best to save those types of conversations for when he’s awake and fully alert; when he’s more in control of his emotions, when he’s not prone to yelling at me. “It can wait until later.”
Brian nudges me, giving me a stern look. “You should go with him.” He says. “You don’t get much sleep these days either.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, and stand up, walking towards Zack. When I reach him, he turns away from me again after giving me a small hint of a smile, heading towards the cots. He surprises me when he grabs my hand in his. Even though it’s a small thing, it’s one of the only ways he’s shown me he cares in awhile. It feels good to hold his hand in mine, feeling how cool his vampire skin is compared to my own human skin. He doesn’t feel like marble, like the Hollywood version of vampires. Rather, he’s lukewarm, as though he’s been standing in a cold shower for a few minutes. He has explained to me before that they’re not totally cold-skinned because someone cannot be dead to be turned vampire; they must only be on the brink. I don’t understand what he meant by that, or why he told me, but it makes sense now that I’m standing here, holding his hand.
He lays down on the furthest cot from the wall, leaving the second one for me. He scoots to the edge so that I have enough room to climb onto the cot next to him, and covers us both with a green, woolen army blanket before turning me around to face him.
“Sometimes you forget I’m a vampire, Eliza. And that I can read your thoughts.” He whispers, his eyes searching the dimmed room for mine. Down here, in the Complex, no room is ever in complete darkness, for what Matt says is security reasons. I look back into Zack’s eyes, wondering what he’s talking about. And then it clicks.
He knows what I was going to talk to him about.
“We don’t need to talk now,” I say softly. “You’re tired, and—“
“I’m sorry.” He cuts me off, leaning his face towards mine and pressing his lips against mine carefully, almost as if he’s apologizing. The cool metal of his lip rings feels good against my skin, and he pulls away much too quickly for my own liking. “I’m sorry I haven’t been showing you more attention, or that I sometimes act distant from you. It’s not that I don’t care, Eliza. I hope you’ll realize that after this is all said and done, when Sean has been beaten.”
I sigh quietly, closing my eyes as he touches his forehead to mine, his hands holding me closer to his body than we’ve been in awhile. “I know it’s probably selfish to think that way, Zack.” I tell him quietly, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as whiny as I think it does. “And I know that you care.”
“Don’t ever doubt it.” He whispers, before taking a big yawn. I smile softly at him, touching his cheek with my hand.
“I don’t.” I tell him. “Now let’s get some sleep, okay?”