Cries of a Love Bat

“Be back home by three thirty the latest, understand?” Patrick demanded.

“Anything else I should keep in mind?” Pete asked in all seriousness.

Patrick looked us over before saying, “No touching each other; nothing physical.”

“Yes Daddy,” I laughed before hugging Patrick and joining Pete by the door.

“I’m serious you two! Don’t do anything stupid. Will’s probably out and about tonight and I’m not in the mood for anymore shit.”

“We’ll be on our best behavior,” I smiled, walking outside in the cold night with Pete.

He stood next to me, pulling his hood up and lead the way. “Ready to endure the best date of your life?”

“Mmm,” I mumbled, pulling the sweatshirt I stole from him closer to my body. “Where to first?”

“I was thinking dinner. How’s that sound?”

“Fine with me.”

This date that we were on wasn’t what I expected. We walked in silence for fifteen minutes, the only sounds were the air filling and escaping our lungs and the footsteps we imprinted on the ground. He didn’t hold my hand, or wrap an arm around me, almost like he was taking Patrick’s words seriously.

Pete was tense; his eyes set in a gaze on the roads ahead of us like he was spacing out, and his shoulders were set square. He was blocking his feelings from me, and there was again that blank state of nothingness amidst my own feelings.

“Pete, what’s wrong?” I asked, reaching out to grab his arm and stop him.

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Just the last date I was on…”

“Yeah?” I urged him when he didn’t finish his thought.

“I…lets not talk about it.”

I looked at him, confused. “Okay…”

We kept walking and he suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled my down an alleyway. I stopped and pulled away from him, shocked and frightened.

“I thought you said you trusted me?” he growled.

I glared at him, annoyed by his change in attitude. “I trust you, but I’m still scared of you.”

He looked away, distracted by what was behind me. After pulling me into his chest and letting out a sharp hiss, he snarled, “Go to hell.”

I pushed away from him, falling to the floor in front of us and looking up at him in astonishment. “What the fuck did I do to you?”

“Not you,” he breathed, pulling me back up and into him.

“I’m happy we found you, princess.” The voice was like silk, but it sent shivers down my spine. “Hand her over Pete.”

“In your dreams Beckett.”

I turned in Pete’s hold, looking at Will in the mouth of the alleyway. He was in full uniform with more of his clones behind him.

“Grab them,” he ordered, and before I knew it we were surrounded.

Pete was digging his hands into my arms, his tight grasp almost comforting as the Dandies came over to us. He let out some growls as they began tugging us apart, and he cried out my name when they finally took me from him. I was out of the alley and on the other side of the street in seconds; two vampires holding me back. Pete had six vampires holding him across the street while William stood in the middle, mindlessly tugging at his suit coat.

I didn’t know I was crying until William ran his thumb across my cheek and wiped away the drops of water. His touch was soft but I curled into the people behind me to get away from him.

“Touch her again Will and you die,” Pete spat, gaining William’s attention.

“Oh the things I could do to her, Wentz; if you only knew what I had in store for your girl,” he taunted, returning to the middle of the street.

“Will, you said that wasn’t in the plan…”

I looked behind me and was surprised to see that Brendon and Ryan were the ones holding me.

“Yes, thank you for reminding me, Brendon. I suggest we get on with it then,” William mused. “Take him back to the manor.”

“What?” I cried, as Pete was struggling to stay in my view.

“Oh darling, I’ll have use for you later. Now though I need to deal with Pete.”

“Emily get out of here,” Pete said through his teeth.

“No!” I turned to Brendon and Ryan. “You can’t just let Will take him. Guys I thought you were on our side!”

Brendon sent me a glare, stopping me from continuing.

“Let her go Beckett, she has nothing to do with this,” Pete requested.

“No, William let Pete go!” I pleaded.

“Stop,” Ryan hissed in my ear. “Stop doing this.”

“I had faith in you guys!” I yelled, now crying harder because I was just as confused as I was scared.

“Say goodbye to your sweetheart, love,” William stated, flicking his hand so his men began pulling Pete deeper in the shadows.

“Pete! PETE!”

“I’ll see you two back at the manor, remember to bring her home after you’re done playing with her,” William said.

I stopped struggling when he said that; shell shocked. When William disappeared I stuttered, “Play?”

“No,” Brendon said. “We lied to Will so we could get you back home. Only way he would trust us was if we made it like we were gaining something out of this.”

“Why did you let him take Pete? What is he going to do to him?”

“Shh,” Ryan said, running a hand softly through my hair in a soothing gesture.

“This isn’t fair, what’s happening?”

“Ryan, do it,” Brendon order.

“Bren, I don’t know.”

“Ryan do it, knock her out!”

So that’s when everything went black; the lights were turned off and I was lost.