Page 6 of Revelations

All thoughts of Jasper or the endangered couple obliterated from her mind. Guilt pervaded her every pore; guilt for every lustful action she hadjust taken. The very question as to why she should have felt guilty for making out with someone else vaguely floated across her consciousness. The simple innate truth was that it was wrong. The heart knew, but the mind lacked understanding.

In every way unable to continue a public make-out session with Jasper, she unraveled her legs from around his waist and jumped down. His hands came up to draw her back to him, but instinct pushed him away with enough force to make him stumble backward. His eyebrows furrowed together with confusion, and his eyes lightened to the pale blue of glacial ice.

“Sorry,” she stammered, craning her neck to peer up at him with what she hoped came off as a sincere apology. She went with the lamest excuse, but the only one that she could articulate in the moment, “Bathroom.” She pivoted, almost knocking into a vamp in too-tight black denim and too much eyeliner.

The DJ’s announcement that it was “last call for alcohol” barely registered in her ears. She felt more than saw Jasper dramatically shrug before sauntering over to the bar while Greylyn practically sprinted for the ladies’ room on the floor below. With every step, her head stayed rigidly focused in front of her, not freeing her eyes to roam around the room, and making every effort to not look in a certain direction.

Dealing with Kael right now would be dangerous given the right situation, but considering what he had just witnessed, she knew better than to believe they could be civilized about it. Worst-case scenario, he would pick a fight with Jasper, and they wouldbludgeon each other to near death, maybe even succeed in killing each other. Best case, Kael would wait to confront her personally and would entirely ignore Jasper. In turn, Jasper would not even know his nemesis was there.

The big empty abyss opening in her stomach knew that the first scenario was more likely. Regardless, she needed two minutes to calm herself, and to get her own emotions in check. If a portal to another dimension appeared in front of her right at that second, she would have gladly dived through it.

Luckily, the blonde female that the vampires had originally targeted rushed past Greylyn into the bathroom. At least she could keep an eye on the girl, just in case.

The restroom was not crowded, despite the throng of partygoers and the late hour. As she splashed cold water on her face and neck from the filthy pink ceramic sink, wild emerald eyes stared back at her from the fractured mirror. With her little finger,she wiped at the black smudges under her eyes. Her lips were swollen and now devoid of the ruby lipstick, which she hadso carefully applied earlier. Absentmindedly, Greylyn pulled what remained of her hair out of the scrunchie to allow her ebony locks to cascade down her back in unruly waves.

How does he affect me like this?More importantly, why do I allow him to affect me like this?

If she lived a thousand more years, she would never understand it. Kael had no right to be angry at her…well, other than they were immortal enemies. With her being a guardian angel and he being a dark guardian, the battle lines were pretty much drawn right there.

But Kael being angry about the thing with Jasper…that was none of his damn business!

The young woman came out of the tiny bathroom stall to wash her hands in the sink next to Greylyn. On closer inspection in the harsh LED light, she was attractive and in her mid-twenties, with long blonde hair, average height, and a waif-like physique. Sweat coated her body, causing her gossamer top to cling to her thin frame.

Greylyn locked eyes with her in the mirror as she reapplied a peach-colored lip gloss, and then patted her chest and neck with a damp paper towel. “Crazy night, huh?”

Greylyn cringed at her own inept attempt at small talk, but the glassy-eyed woman simply nodded with a small smile before adding, “Yeah, I can’t wait to get home. Alone with my man, if you get my drift.”

Oh my word! Does this girl think I’m coming on to her? Has she not witnessed my display of affection on the dance floor with Jasper?

Heat crept up Greylyn’s neck. Since when did a simple greeting come off as a come-on?

“Me too. Can’t get out of here fast enough.” Hopefully that cleared up the awkward confusion.

Just as the woman turned away to exit the bathroom, with her hand extended to grab the door handle, the door flew open, and a couple of the vampire women stalked into the room. Instinct kicked in to protect the blonde as Greylyn lunged forward to stand between her and the vamps. Her eyes darted around. There was noother escape route, not even a tiny utility window. Too bad a tall, pale, nearly six-foot tall redhead with candy-apple red lipstick and nails blocked their only escape path.

The unsuspecting blonde did not realize that anything was amiss, as she tried to slide by Greylyn’s arm and then by the overbearing woman in her haste to get back to her boyfriend. A long, slender hand reached out to snag around her wrist.

It took every fiber of Greylyn’s being not to rip the vamp’s arm away or punch their way out of the tiny bathroom. She did not want to alert them of her own true nature; not yet, anyway. Sometimes demons could sniff out a guardian, but other monsters, such as vamps, lacked the special sense to do so. That one fact alone had saved her hide a number of times.

Trying to play things cool, she slurred her speech like she hadhad too much to drink. “Excuse us. Just trying to get back to our guys.” She grabbed the other woman’s hand in her own and made for the door again.

Unfazed, the redhead piped up, “In time. Your gentlemen can wait. There’s someone else who wants to meet you both.” Her tone brooked no dissent.

By their stone-cold stares and thin-lipped smiles, Greylyn knew that this was not a request, but the young woman was still oblivious. She tried to wrench her arm free from the vampire, but nails sharpened into lethal daggers which dug into the delicate skin of the girl’s wrist eliciting an exclamation of “Ouch, bitch!”

With a sneer, the other vampire, with pixie-cut, platinum blonde hair, and a little less gaudy lipstick, made a grab for Greylyn. Trying not to blow her cover as a hapless human, she allowed the vampire to latch onto her upper arm and put up the appearance of a struggle.

“Hey! Hey! What’s the deal? Ladies, we already have dates and clearly we do notswingyour way, so let’s just walk away calmly.”

That earned her a resounding slap across her cheek, leaving a thin bloody scratch. The blonde vamp leaned over and licked the blood off her face.

Yuck!

Of all the grotesque things that she hadencountered, a vampire running its tongue along her face creeped her out the most. Even a shifter shedding its skin—blood, skin, and slimy tissue—did not make her stomach hurl as much as that.

The redhead grinned wickedly at the sight. “I said your men can wait. We have a friend who wishes to meet you. NOW.” She whipped the human girl around and clasped a rag over her mouth.

There was not much of a struggle. Already slow from all the alcohol that she had consumed, in addition to not realizing what she was up against in the first place, the chloroform overcame her. A bundle of blonde hair and long thin limbs slumped to the floor.

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