I Love You, I'll Kill You

I finally slept without any nightmares. No red eyes, no demons, just darkness. That's how I liked it. Unfortunately, that pleasant sleep was broken by the feeling of a soft hand caressing my arm, and the coldness caught me by surprise. I didn't want to open my eyes, I wanted to continue sleeping. I feigned sleep, but I knew that Desmond could tell if I was asleep or not. An angelic and quiet chuckle shook the bed a little while the hand pressed against my cheek moved and tucked a bit of my hair behind my ear.

"You're cute when you sleep," Desmond whispered in a husky voice. My eyes snapped open then, making sure I wasn't dreaming. As soon as my eyes were open they were confronted with a plate full of fruit and a bit of ramen. I stared at it for a moment, not sure if the food was real or not. Did they have ramen in this other world? I sat up a bit, feeling my back crack a few times from sitting in a car for so long. Or maybe it was the rough car ride.

"It's not poisoned," Desmond reassured me as I continued to stare at the food. I finally sat up all the way, sitting next to him while he handed me the plate of food and sat it in my lap. I quietly thanked him, a bit shy from his 'you're cute' comment.

I slowly picked at the food, checking to see how it tasted before sticking more of it in my mouth. It felt strange having someone watch me as I ate. I looked at him from my peripherals multiple times while I slowly ate. I wanted to tell him that his gaze was making me uncomfortable, but dang; I just couldn’t say the words. Deep inside, in a place that I kept to myself, I secretly wanted Desmond to keep his eyes on me. I could feel him eyeing my every move. My first thought that he was eyeing me because I looked pretty, which I knew was probably not the case. And then I remembered what he was, and that made me think twice. I was food to him, so the likelihood that he was thinking innocent thoughts was less than likely. But even despite the fact that he might be staring at me in a way one stares at glorious food, I still liked it. Yes, I enjoyed being in the company of Desmond. Why? Perhaps I was a fool. Yeah, that sounded about right.

He snorted. "Can you eat any slower?"

I finally turned my head to send him an obvious look. "I'm not exactly used to people watching me while I eat,” I grumbled, stuffing a piece of an orange in my mouth.

He chuckled, making the bed move again. "Get used to it. I don't want to take my chances anymore."

I stopped nibbling on my food for a moment, turning to face him. I didn’t turn away this time when he stared straight at me with his perfect caramel eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? How long do you think it will take to find me a way home? I don't want to be stuck here." I was panicking a bit, the thought of never going back home terrifying me. I didn't want to be stuck in this human-eating world. I wanted to go back to my world; that's where I belonged.

Desmond shrugged his shoulders a bit, looking away from me as though hiding his eyes. "I don't know. But I will try to get you back home," he promised in a quiet voice. He now refused to look at me. I now didn't trust him on this one. I sighed and tried to shrug it off, still feeling tired from this long night. I sat the plate of food down on the large bed and lay onto my back and turned away from him. I was already feeling homesick. I sighed again, louder this time, trying to let all the traumatic thoughts pass so that I could fall to sleep again. I didn’t move when I felt Desmond set the plate on the nightstand and lie on the bed next to me.

I tried not to move away from him when he brought himself closer to me. I closed my eyes and attempted to ignore him, but it was probably unlikely to happen. I struggled not to forget how to breathe when he rolled over toward me, so that his breath was hitting against the back of my neck. It sent shivers down my spine.

"You're shivering," he whispered, bringing himself closer to me. It was then at that point that I turned rigid and breathless. His body was now less than a centimeter from mine, his breath trailing across the back of my neck even more. My mind was racing. I swallowed hard as I tried to think up something but could only think of the truth. I finally made my mind think more clearly.

"I...um, I'm just a little cold," I stuttered, making up a quick lie. Like he was going to buy that one! Only an idiot would miss the sudden panic and lying in my voice.

He chuckled from behind me, and then I felt something cover my feet and make its way up my body. "Well, why didn't you just say so?” he asked with amusement. I knew he was being sarcastic, but I would continue the act naïve anyways. He wrapped a blanket around me and brought the covers up so that I was now in a cocoon. It seemed like a kind and innocent gesture—that was until I felt him take a deep inhale of my scent when he drew closer to me. It was then that I did forget how to breathe. He brought his face down to my head, raising his hand to tuck a piece of my hair behind me ear.

"W-what are you doing?" I breathed in panic. My heart beat faster as I heard him let out a satisfied moan when he inhaled the scent of my hair.

He exhaled loudly, sighing. "You seem a little tense," he mocked in his whispering voice. I tried not to act like the virgin that I was by freaking out and trying to keep myself cool. I felt his fingers trail across my neck, making me tense ever more.

What the hell was he trying to do?!

I tried for scooting farther away from him, only to feel him follow me across the bed. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable next to him. A while ago he had told me I wasn't his type, and now he was trying to press his body against mine? I finally got some space between us and turned to sit up. He had awoken the defensive side in me. I glared at him as I sat up to face him. He raised an eyebrow from my sudden fierceness.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I think you should get the indication that I am uncomfortable with you being so close to me. If you don't, then you're an idiot. So I will only tell you this once tonight. Do not touch me and keep your distance." My eyes were looking dangerous as I glared at Desmond. He, on the other hand, merely lifted his eyebrow higher, a smug look on his face as he listened to my warning.

"Wow," he mumbled after a moment, pure amusement on his face. "That's a first." He ended with slight dissatisfaction. It was my turn to raise my eyebrow at him as he finally turned his eyes away; looking at his nails just like a girl would if she was trying to ignore someone.

"Excuse me?" I asked, moving away from him a little more. I was lucky that the bed was big, but not big enough for my comfort. Desmond looked from his nails and to me, hilarity in his eyes while he watched me bring my legs to my chest, making myself smaller.

"Congratulations. You are the first person to ever turn me down."

I snorted a little, not surprised at all by his comment. I shook my head slightly, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. "That's sad," I murmured after a moment of trying to think of a good comment that wouldn't make me sound like a total bitch, but bitchy enough. I thought of saying 'You're joking...why am I not surprised' but that would only lead me into another trap. I heard him chuckle at my boldness. I guess he found my remark funny. How strange...

"Well, you may think it is sad. But if you really knew how powerful I am, I don't think you would be saying such things. Plus, women usually will do anything to get into bed with me. Most would give their soul to be in your place right now."

I rolled my eyes. He couldn’t boast more than he was right now. "You're way too full of yourself. Besides, I thought you said I wasn't ‘your type’." I emphasized the 'your type'. I muttered a few curses to myself quietly, but of course he had good hearing and heard my words perfectly.

"Just seeing what your reaction would be," he mused. To my surprise, he lifted himself off the bed and stood to walk over to the other side of the room where there was a large couch. He lay down on the big couch, putting his hands behind his head, turning to stare at me from the couch.

"There, better?" he asked in an amused voice, but there was slight disappointment in his voice, which made me want to smile. I smirked and nodded my head in thanks, climbing back under the covers to lie down, feeling better already. As long as Desmond kept his distance for the moment, I was fine. I didn't want him in the same bed for a couple of reasons. The first was that I was sure my heart would pound so loud and fast that he would hear it, and when it stopped, he would only laugh. The second was that I didn't trust him. Sure, he rescued me a couple of times from being killed, but I knew he was lying about a lot of things. He wasn't telling me something, and that something was a big piece of the puzzle.

I pushed the thoughts away and I welcomed sleep again, feeling satisfied with a belly full of food. It had felt like forever since I had eaten any food. My welcomed sleep didn't last very long. Desmond sat up from his spot on the couch and floated over to me. My eyes snapped open when I felt him stand next to the bed, his eyes burning into my skin.

He said, "I forgot to try one thing.” He bent his hand down to my hair and pushed it to the side, revealing my neck. I tensed up, feeling his hand slide across my neck and to a certain crook. I jerked away when I felt a sting and immediately grabbed my neck in pain as he pulled his hand away.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I snapped. My neck stung. He pulled his hand back, letting my eyes see the red substance on his finger. He brought the bloodied finger to his mouth and sucked on it. I glared at him while I kept the hand over my cut neck, trying to stop the stinging.

He smirked down at me as he brought his finger away from his mouth, letting out a pleased moan while he licked his lips and winked at me. "Test taste," he replied innocently, turning around and headed back over to his couch. I glowered at him, never keeping my eyes off him. I kept a hand over my neck for a moment. I hated it when I bled. I had lost so much already in my life from previous wounds that I didn’t want to lose anymore. I didn't mind when other people did, but whenever I did, I would flip out.

I pulled my hand away from my neck to see a bit of blood stain my palm. I cringed when I returned my hand to my cut, feeling grossed out by the look of my own blood. I crawled over to the middle of the bed and rested my back against the headboard, resting my head against my shoulder, trying to ignore the cut on my neck. It wasn't the fact that I was still bleeding so that I had to keep a hand over my shoulder, it was that I could feel something different about this particular cut Desmond had given me. It felt like little splinters were trying to dig themselves in me. I did my best to ignore the itching feeling and closed my eyes.

********

"Grace...wake up, Grace." A distant voice was speaking to me. I struggle to open my eyes. They hurt, as though I had kept them open for a long time, when it was actually the opposite. The figure in front of me was a blur for a second or two while they hung over me. I could barely see the smile on their face, and I had to blink the tears from my eyes to really see a perfect figure. As soon as I was able to see, I gasped at the sight of the figure hanging over me, smiling down at me sweetly, just the way I remembered.

"Mom!" I practically screamed, jumping up and wrapping my arms around her neck to bring her into a tight embrace. I felt like crying tears of joy. "Mom, I was so scared. How did you find me? Was it all a dream?" I shot many questions at her. I didn't really care about the answers, only that she was here with me. I smiled when I felt a tear stream down my face as she returned the embrace. She hushed me, comforting me, trying to slow me down as she rubbed my back in a circular motion.

"It's okay now. It's safe. I'm here," she said, whispering comforting words while she held me close to her. It felt like nothing could make this moment change. I was home with her, and that’s all that mattered now. This moment made me feel so safe, so at home. Nothing could ruin the moment…that was until I heard a 'click' come from behind me. I tried to turn and see what had made the sound, but my mom refused to let me move from her embrace.

"Let her go, now," I heard the familiar growl of Desmond. I knew it was him, no mistake. I tried for a second time to pull away from my mother, but she still refused to let me move.

"Mom, what are you doing?" She pulled me off the bed rougher than she ever had. That’s when I began to panic. I finally had the chance to turn and look behind me. Desmond held a gun in his hand, pointing it right at me...or more like my mother. My eyes widen when I noticed that his teeth were gritting and his eyes were dark. I stared in panic, afraid that he was going to shoot us.

"Desmond, what are you do-"

"Let her go, Cain," Desmond cut me off before I could finish. His voice was calm, but dark. I slowly turned away from him to look back to my mother. I gasped and jolted in shock. My mother no longer held my arms. Cain did. I stared in horror at the beautiful blond, my eyes so wide I was sure they just might pop out. I tried to remember how to think. Cain smirked, looking down to me while he held me in his arms, and then back to Desmond. I gasped again when he twisted me around, bringing my back against his solid chest, facing me to Desmond.

"Desmond, why are you wasting your time on a childish girl? She means nothing to you and everything to me. So why don't you just let me take her so I can return home without having to kill you a second time." Cain's voice was no longer kind, unlike the last time I had met him. He was so kind when I first met him, the perfect image of an angel. The angel part of him was definitely gone now and was replaced with little demon horns. Desmond didn’t move a muscle and continued to keep his gun pointed at Cain.

"You heard me. Let the girl go," he repeated for the third time, his voice getting angrier after every syllable. I started to breathe faster when Cain's arm wrapped around my waist, his other hand moving to my neck. His touch was still icy.

"Come on, Desmond. You and I both know you don't have the heart to feel anything for this girl. Just let me have her and reduce the troubles for you." Cain's breath slid against my cheek while he pulled my hair back to the side to reveal my ear. I shuddered in fear. I could now feel the evil surround him, like an aura of wickedness.

I closed my eyes for a second, wishing this would all end. I opened my eyes to stare straight at Desmond, desperation in my eyes, begging him to help me. I had never felt so weak until now. Desmond's eyes turned warm for a second, but fierce again as they traveled back to Cain once more. A look sparked in his eyes, and I screamed and ducked as I heard him pull the trigger, followed by a loud bang, making my ears ring. I felt the hold on me release and all the evil disbanded.

"You will pay, Desmond," the dark voice echoed in the dark room and slowly faded away. I blinked a few times, feeling my knees become weak. I blinked once more and let out the breath I had held in almost the whole time, letting myself slump to the ground and onto my knees. Desmond put the safety on his gun and stuffed it in the back of his pants, just how all the other guys did when they were trying to hide a gun. He walked over to me and kneeled down beside me, looking over my face. I jerked away when he put a hand on my shoulder. I felt so paranoid.

"I know you're going to get tired of me saying this, but are you okay?" His voice was so leveled, how could he not feel any bit of panic after shooting a gun and almost hitting me? I was in a bit of a daze, not believing what had just happened.

"She wasn't real...she looked so real..." I was sounded like a lunatic, one that belonged locked up after uttering things over and over again.

Desmond merely nodded his head, trying to help me out a bit. "Yes, Cain has great power and uses it for his own twisted pleasure. He was the one who created the illusion he put you in." I heard his word perfectly, but didn't want to listen to them. They didn’t register anyways. The mind denied some things it didn’t like. I wanted to stand to my feet and scream. Instead, I began to cry. I had thought I saw my mom and was in her arms again, only to find I was in the Devil's son's arms.

Desmond stared at me with a bit of sympathy, watching the tears fall down my face. I didn’t try to deny him when he pulled me toward him and into an embrace. He was probably only doing it to make me stop crying. I didn't care. I just continued to cry like the little girl Cain said I was.

"It's alright now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Desmond whispered as he vowed quietly to himself. His arms slid under my legs and lifted me up as though I were paper and began to carry me out of the house.

He said, "We need to get out of here. They will be able to find this place now that Cain knows where we are, and he will send others to fetch you." I didn’t know what to say, and I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to do anything but cry, and that's what I did.

Some would call me childish, but after tonight, I deserved a good cry. I wrapped my arms around Desmond's neck while he carried me down the stairs, out the door, and down to the sports car. He opened the door with ease and slid me into the passenger seat. He appeared on the other side of the car and slid into the driver’s seat before I had the chance to blink.

"Where are we going now?" I croaked. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be able to stop crying for a while. The sun was beginning to rise, the first bit of sunlight I had seen in what felt like ages.

Desmond sighed, rubbing his eyelids. "I don't know. I've got to get somewhere to hide from the sun. I can only withstand the sun for a certain amount of time before it begins to take effect on me." I had always believed that vampires couldn't step out in the sun. But I guess when it came to a vampire as strong as Desmond, you had special abilities.

I nodded my head, snuffling a couple of times. He started the car and took off on the dirt road once more, off to find a new place to hide.

How long was this chase going to last?