I Love You, I'll Kill You

The last thing I was looking to wake to today was being dragged out the door by Dawn and Ivan, Desmond lazily following behind. It was strange to have the two fallen angels show up on Desmond's doorstep unexpectedly. I still hadn't figured out if it was his house or not, but the fact that Ivan and Dawn knew where it was, it had to be. He had too many houses for his own good.

The last thing on my mind right now was whether it was Desmond's house or not. My mind was fixed on Dawn's words. The words "dress" and "ball" were the only things ringing in my head. I had to smack myself out of my minor trance to make sure I wasn't hearing things. Those two words were not ones I liked to hear in one sentence.

"Why do I have to go?" I asked quickly, trying to find some way of getting out of this. It was probably just a bunch of vampires—that's not what I needed. In fact, I wanted to be far from any large group of creatures in this world. I figured that if you were human and wanted to live, you did not want to be stuck in a room full of blood sucking creatures.

"Well—first off—I don't think you want to be left alone in a house in a world you are unfamiliar with, do you? Who knows what will happen? Second, I don't think Desmond is willing to leave you alone in his house."

"In other words, I have no choice," I put it in shorter words. Ivan came from behind and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Pretty much," he agreed with me, a smug smile on his face. I quickly glanced behind me to Desmond. He was sticking a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, one hand still stuffed in his pocket. Walking across the street, we reached Desmond's car. Dawn opened the front door and began to climb in.

"Dawn, sit in the back," Desmond said in a gruff voice before she could sit down. I was a bit stunned, and from the look of it, so was she. She blinked a few times, wondering if he were serious or not. He confirmed it when he climbed into the driver's side and sent her a dark look. She slowly backed away from the passenger seat. Even she was scared of him. Ivan had already gotten in the back seat. I was still frozen on the sidewalk. Before closing the door, Desmond threw his cigarette on the damp grass.

My eyes meandered and glimpsed around me, seeing the fog get thicker by the minute. It seemed like it was always dark in this world. There were a few hours of sun, but other than that, it seemed like the world was in constant darkness. The only lights that seemed to be on in this neighborhood were the streetlights. Not one of the houses had lights on, which gave the neighborhood a dead look.

"Grace, get in the car," Desmond demanded with no patience as he rolled down his window to tell me to get into the nice Dodge Viper. My eyes traveled across the area, a bad feeling creeping down my spine. Eyes—I could feel eyes on me from somewhere close by. I shook my head slightly when I saw a few creatures run swiftly across the distant lawns, all of them running on four legs. I shivered. They looked like 5 foot dogs, if not larger. There were at least three of them. All of them had hair of black, two of them with red eyes. My breath got caught in my throat while I stared with wide eyes.

I tried not to jump in the car, to get closer to Desmond in fright. When I slammed the door and shook slightly with wide eyes, he looked at me bizarrely when I looked like I was just about to have another heart attack. I stared ahead of me, waiting for one of the large dogs to jump on the car and try to bite my head off.

"Grace?" Desmond asked in a kinder voice than before. The panic on my face was probably worrying him a little bit. I finally remembered how to breathe and turned my eyes to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice, almost sounding offended that I was staring at him with wide eyes, but wasn't speaking. I swallowed hard, trying to let the terror slide down my throat. I took one deep breath while closing my eyes, trying to pull myself together. If I was going to survive in this strange world, I was going to have to get used to seeing outlandish things.

"I'm fine. I just saw something—that's all." I was trying with all my might not to let my voice waver. The last thing I wanted was another reason for Desmond to pick on me. His mouth opened and closed, stopping himself from saying something. Turning back to the wheel, he started the nice car and put the car in gear. I couldn’t hold back the impulse of looking back to see if the dogs were still there. They were gone.

Ten minutes was all that it took to get to the town. From the way Desmond drove, I wasn't surprised. He slowed his speed down to 30 MPH while we looked for a spot to park. The place was busy during the nighttime, but considering the type of creatures they were, I wasn't shocked. Though, it seemed just like an ordinary town with normal looking people. I knew most of them weren't humans; their pale complexions and graceful movements proved to me that much. I thought it was strange that none of them had red eyes like that other vampire, Bryce. Even Desmond had red eyes a couple of times, which scared me half way to death. I couldn’t help but stare in awe. Everything looked like the common human world, except the humans were replaced with blood craving creatures.

"What is this place?" I wondered aloud, staring at all the creatures of the night walking on the sidewalks of the town. I shivered as we drove past a couple sitting on a bench, necking each other with want. I could tell they were vampires by the fangs that shined from the streetlights as they kissed. They looked like they wanted to eat each other, but really just lost in bliss.

"This is called a town," Desmond replied candidly. He was being a jerk again. Whenever he was around other people/ creatures, he was just plain mean. At first, I thought it was because he really didn't like me, but after last night and this morning, I knew it was all just an act. Maybe he didn't want people to think he was a softy. I shook my head, knowing that wasn't the case. Maybe I was being naïve, thinking he was just pretending to be macho, when actually he was just hiding his affections. I almost laughed aloud at the thought. Desmond was not the type of person to fall for some normal girl like me. I guess it was just wishful thinking.

"I got that part. I just can't believe that it looks so...normal." I had to pause to say the right words. I didn't want to offend the whole car by saying that I was expecting lots of screaming and blood in the streets; that was how I first imagined the town.

"Perhaps we're not so different after all," Ivan added warmly in the back while staring out the window. Dawn was doing the same, but with a frown. I had a feeling Desmond's cold shoulder toward her was not helping my relationship with her, if I had one at all. I didn't understand one thing; if she liked Desmond, than who was Ivan to her? Sighing, I pushed the consideration away, deciding that I shouldn't trouble myself with more useless questions.

Desmond pulled his sports car into a parking spot next to the sidewalk and turned off the engine. He didn’t take his time in getting out of the car, and neither did Dawn and Ivan. By the time I was opening my door, they were already waiting for me on the sidewalk.

After closing the door to the car, I walked over to them on the sidewalk, wanting to be particularly close to Desmond. I could feel eyes on me in all directions. Desmond's eyebrow lifted when he saw me scoot closer to him while he lit up another cigarette. Ivan and Dawn exchanged glances with the same lost look as Desmond's. They didn’t say anything and merely shrugged their shoulders before they began to walk. Desmond blinked a few times while I remained standing next to him with uneasy eyes. He caught on quickly and smirked with the cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

"Don't worry—I won't let anything happen to you." He was smirking with confidence as he assured me with his words. I gulped, still feeling hundreds of eyes on me, staring at me hungrily. I felt much better when standing next to Desmond; everyone was afraid of him. Well—almost everyone. I kept up with his pace while he stuffed his hands in his pockets, following Ivan and Dawn as they walked ahead of us. I wanted to bite my nails off; I was so worried. I did not want to do this today. I glanced up to Desmond as he towered over me when it came to height.

"Do you know where we're going?" I asked in a low tone. He stared ahead of him with his cigarette puffing out smoke, blinking a few times.

"Not a clue," he replied nonchalantly.

I glance behind me and gasped and leaned closer to Desmond. There were vampires and creatures stopping what they were doing, staring after Desmond and me as we walked down the sidewalk. It felt like we were famous celebrities walking down the street, but everyone was too afraid to walk up to us and ask for our autograph. Again, Desmond noticed my apprehensive figure draw closer to him. A short smirk crossed his features.

"Why are they staring at us?" I asked with a loud gulped while each pale creature stopped what they were doing and stared.

Desmond shrugged beside me. "They're probably surprised to see you with me." His smirk didn’t falter, his head held up high. He seemed so proud about something.

"And why is that so surprising?" I spoke before I could stop myself. He closed his eyes, taking a deep inhale of smoke, and then letting it out with a sigh. His eyes remained closed while he walked. From the looks of it, he wasn't going to tell me. I did the same and let out a loud sigh. He was so open to me the other night. Now he was back to being Mr. Narcissistic. Taking a quick glance ahead of us, I made sure that Dawn and Ivan were out of hearing range, so I could ask him a few questions.

"Your family, do they know about what you do?" I tried my best to put it in words without really insulting him. Desmond stopped walking, freezing as soon as I asked the question. I did the same after two more steps. Staring at him, I waited for him to say something. He was staring at the ground, as though finding the cracks more interesting. For a moment, his eyes looked sad, making me regret saying anything. Swallowing, I took the two steps back toward him, standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, it's not my business. I have no right..." I stopped in mid-sentence as he raised a hand up in front of my face, gesturing for me to stop speaking. His eyes rose from the ground after he grabbed his cigarette from his mouth and dropped it to the ground, stepping on it to put it out.

"No—you have every right. I'll tell you everything you want to know, but not here," he explained in a low tone, his eyes piercing mine. I felt like I was in a trance. His eyes were soft and warm at times, it drew me to them like a magnet. Knocking myself out of my reverie, I nodded my head in agreement.

"Hey! What's taking you two so long?" I growled mentally as Ivan yelled from the small crowd, sending all eyes to Desmond and me. That's just what I needed—more eyes to feast upon my weak and human form. I tensed when I felt Desmond wrap an arm around me in a protective hold, telling all those who stared upon me with hunger to be careful of what they eyed. I mouthed a 'thank you' when I glanced up to him. He replied with a low grunt before pulling me beside him while we caught up to the two fallen angels.

"Seems like everyone is eyeing you like candy, Grace," Ivan mocked when Desmond and I finally made it to them. A small frown was playing on Dawn's lips. A bit of jealousy, perhaps? Most likely. I stared at her, hoping her eyes would meet mine. They did after a moment of her eyes staring hopelessly at Desmond. I quickly mouth 'I'm sorry' as her eyes caught mine. Her eyes seemed to lighten a bit, her frown lifting while she shook her head and lifted a hand for me to say no more. I already felt a little better. I didn't want to be Dawn's enemy, especially when she was much stronger than me.

"So, where are we going, exactly?" I dared to ask. Only bad could come of this shopping. I was not the kind of girl who liked to go out shopping for clothes. Yes, I was a very different kind of girl when it came to shopping. My friends never got me on that part—always wondering if I had some sort of illness. Now days, I believed I did have one. I was seeing vampires and fallen angels...and Lucifer's son.

Desmond released his hold around me while Dawn reached out and grabbed my wrist before I could react in any way. She pulled me down the footway for about twenty steps before she dragged me into a spiffy looking store. I froze as soon as I walked in the door, staring with bulging eyes. My mouth dropped to the floor. I began to breathe faster, panic rushing through my veins. I struggled to speak words, but nothing came out. Dawn simply laughed and dragged me further into the store. This was turning into a nightmare!

"Grace, snap out of it. You're not going to die from trying on a few dresses," Dawn said with a nudge of the shoulder. I was still flabbergasted. This had to be one of the fanciest and most expensive looking dress shops I had ever seen. The place looked like it was fit for a queen. It was at least three floors high, full of some of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen, and I was still on the first floor.

"Well—are you going to go try something on, or what?" Desmond asked me as he and Ivan strode into the store, lagging behind and not looking enthusiastic at all. I gulped loudly, feeling the lack of enthusiasm as well. Ivan nudged me in the back to get moving. I walked forward and looked at the first row of dresses. A lot of them were not my type. I could hear Desmond and Ivan sighs together, both thinking that this was going to take all day at the pace I was moving.

"Before I start searching for a dress, I should at least know as to why I am being forced to this so called "Ball". What's the point of it?" I made quotation marks with my fingers when I emphasized the word 'ball'. Ivan smirked and glanced to Desmond when he frowned. I glanced beside me to Dawn, who was making the same face as Ivan.

"Desmond didn't tell you?" Ivan asked before Dawn could. I shook my head, completely clueless as to why they both seemed to be amused.

"It's Desmond's birthday," Dawn spoke happily from beside me. I froze for the second time, staring with wide eyes at Desmond. He, on the other hand, looked like he could care less. Even his shoulders were slouched as though he were disappointed they had even said anything.

"Why didn't you just say we were going to a party? I wouldn't have been so freaked out then." This was all a lie. In fact, I was now more panicked than before. Desmond was bound to have many friends, considering his high stature in this world. But what scared me the most was the thought of Cain showing up to the party. Dawn and Ivan pointed their attention to Desmond.

"Ask him. He's the one who told us not to call it a party, but a ball. If you want to blame anyone, blame him." Dawn explained, pointing to Desmond in accusation. I shook my head, shaking off all the bad thoughts of what could happen at this 'ball'. With a sigh, I turned and walk toward the stairs on the other side of the room to go to the second level of the large dress shop.

For an hour I searched through the thousand dresses, not finding one that I liked. Dawn had offered a few ideas of dresses, but her idea of appropriate was more on the...exposed side. The last thing I needed was more attention. Even Desmond and Ivan found their liking of dresses and asked me to try them on. I knew they both wanted me to just try one on and get it so they could leave. Also, the dresses they picked were no better than the ones Dawn picked, if not worse. Their idea of a good dress was practically nothing.

"Here, how about this one?" Dawn asked, holding up another strapless dress, a slit going up the thigh. I frowned and shook my head in disapproval. She did the same, frowning while taking the dress back to its place. I sighed, finding shopping to be the most impossible thing for me. Frowning, I turned away from another rack of dresses, feeling all hope of finding one I liked impossible. By this time, Ivan and Desmond were down on the first floor, sitting impatiently in the chairs they had for those who just shook their head at those who took a lot of time in finding a perfect dress.

"I give up," I murmured to myself as I turned and give up all hope. When I turned, my eyes caught a glimpse of something sparking from the lighting in the room. My eyes lit up when I saw the perfect dress on the other side of the room, standing out amongst the rest.

"Dawn! I found the perfect one!" I screeched in excitement, running over to the dress as though there were a line of people waiting to get.

"Finally," Dawn said with a loud sigh of exhaustion. I took the dress from the rack and held it out for her to see it. "Wow—nice choice, I must say. You have good taste. Go try it on before the guys die from boredom." Ha ha. What I nice pun. Shaking my head, I rushed into the dressing room to try on the dress. I quickly put it on and looked at myself in the body length mirror. To my surprise, this dress looked pretty good on me. I was always told I had a smaller body, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

"Have you tried it on yet? You have to let me see before you take it off!" Dawn demanded while she stood outside of the dressing door. I smiled at the mirror once more before opening the door to reveal my chosen dress. Dawn's eyes broaden a bit, but she immediately composed herself. "If I were a guy, I would totally do you." I choked out a laugh at how serious she sounded. She laughed along with me.

"You think I should get it?"

"I don't think; I know,” she assured me as I walked back into the dressing room to take off the dress. After I put my clothes back on, we both rushed down the stairs with smiles on our faces, both now excited—well, sort of. I was beginning to like Dawn more and more. As we reached the first floor Desmond and Ivan looked like they were about to fall out of their seats. It had taken longer than I had first anticipated. Though, when it came to me, one was to expect such things. Desmond's eyes were half shut with his head leaning back against the wall, staring off into space. Ivan was doing something similar.

"We're done, I believe." Dawn's voice was enough to knock them out of their bored and dazed expressions. Desmond's eyes were dull, as though monotony had taken a strong effect on his body. Ivan jumped to his feet when he saw Dawn and me standing with large bags, waiting for them to move from their position on the chairs.

"It's about time," Ivan grumbled.

"A bit ridiculous," Desmond added. Dawn glanced to me with a smirk on her face, happy that she had found a dress, too. Hers was a bit more revealing than mine, but pretty none-the-less. Before my eyes turned back to the males, they both were already out the door. I quickly walked after them, suddenly feeling nervous again. As long as I was next to Desmond, I was okay.

We reached the car and climbed in after throwing our bags in the trunk. With nervous eyes, my eyes glanced out the window to see the many creatures still staring at me.

"You're still worried?" Desmond mocked while he revved the car to life. A smirk was playing on his lips as he put the car in first gear and began driving back to the house. As before, Ivan was staring aimlessly out the window while Dawn text messaged with her cell phone. They had cell phones here, too?

"May I inquire as to when this party takes place?" I made sure to stress the word 'party', just for Desmond's pleasure. He smirked, hearing the wonder in my voice, but not missing the dismay.

His frown quickly returned. "Tonight," He replied, almost sounding angry. I twitched at the reply. This was all so sudden. I wished I had been a bit more informed. From the looks of it, Desmond didn't seem any more enthused about this than I did. Dawn leaned over the back of my seat, her head right next to mine.

"You know you're going to let me do your hair and make-up, right?" I had a feeling I was not going to have a choice in this. Sighing loudly, I nodded my head, not wanting to push any buttons and make this situation worse.

This was going to be a very long night.