Something Bolder (Book Two)

XXXIV. Antics

Despite taking the high road, I was still furious with Jane. Running into Heidi for the first time and being forced to talk to Alec certainly didn't help, either. It was just more fuel added to the fire.

I felt so indignant. Jane made me look like a fool in front of all the core coven members, and Alec had the nerve to ask me to the ball out of pity. On top of that, over half of the gifts I bought were broken in the fall when Jane killed Giorga - so Christmas was a wash.

Those twins were on my last nerve.

How much longer would I realistically have to deal with them?

I was so irritated that when I got back to my room I kicked the shopping bags under my bed and took an angry nap. What else was I supposed to do? At the very least, I hoped to wake up calm enough to maintain my course of being the bigger person.

That didn't happen.

I woke up in the middle of the night, still deeply annoyed. As I lay in bed and thought about the day before, the annoyance blossomed back into full on anger.

God, I hated the high road.

I grew even more irritated when I began to feel thirsty. It wasn't a normal thirst, either. It was that special sensation of being completely parched that only comes around in the middle of the night.

I was reluctant to get out of bed because it was icy cold in my room. The main source of warmth was the fire in the fireplace and the many layers of blankets I had in bed with me, so once I was in bed I didn't like to get up until the sun was up.

I seriously considered getting up myself, but it was so cold...

I picked up the phone from my bedside table and considered which vampire to call upon for assistance.

Initially, I felt self conscious about being needy, but then I realized that everyone in the castle was a horrible person in one way or the other, so in my mind they deserved to be harassed.

But who to summon?

I refused to bother Afton for favors - I respected him too much for that. I also didn't want to run the risk of pissing off Chelsea any more than I already did - I was cheeky and there were still swirling rumors about my apparent fetish for the undead.

So bullshit. But whatever.

I didn't want to deal with Alec for obvious reasons. Considering his weird confession the day before, I didn't want to do anything that would send the wrong message.

Demetri and I were on good terms, but we were business partners more than anything else. Why complicate things with late night calls and petty favors?

At the end of my list, I dialed the front desk number and waited impatiently to see if Anita would pick up so late.

No dice.

Thoroughly inconvenienced and angry that I couldn't avoid getting out of bed, I snidely decided to use my current predicament to get back at Jane. This was all her fault, anyway, right? Everything that was wrong with my life was her fault.

Suddenly wide awake, I decided that it was time to get her back for all of the grief she'd caused me. Sure, it was very vindictive of me, but I was only a product of my environment.

I haphazardly threw on my snowy white cloak, lined with fur for the sake of warmth, over my nightgown and pulled on a pair of slippers before stomping out into the hall. I charged down the tower staircase and through the dark corridors; I only knew my way around enough to get to the library and the front door, but that would be more than enough. I was still worried about getting lost in the cold, dark castle but I had more important matters to attend to.

I didn't know where Jane was so I stopped in the foyer in front of the library and chose to cut to the chase.

"JANE!" I yelled. "JAAAAANE!"

"WHAT?" she screamed, appearing on the opposite side of the large foyer.

"I'm thirsty," I said, repressing a smile.

"I don't care," she snapped, fuming.

"Get me some water," I commanded, dialing up the brattiness. "Now!"

"The audacity!" she hissed.

"You killed Giorga and Bria. It's only fair that you fill in for them until I get a new one. Who else is supposed to feed me and clean my room?" I said, crossing my arms with a smirk.

"You entitled little shit!"

Oh, the irony.

I knew I was laying it on pretty thick, but my plan was working. She was growing irate very quickly and it felt so good to watch.

"Did I stutter?" I demanded. "I'm thirsty!"

Petty! Petty! Petty!

I couldn't wipe the shit eating grin off of my face.

Until she slapped me.

Hard.

My head snapped to the side from the force of her hand, which felt like I was smashed in the face with the aluminum bat. I was sent skittering across the floor from the force of the blow.

Shocked by the blow, I shakily pulled myself back up to standing when excruciating pain wracked my body.

I'd been through the wringer over the past couple of months, but I still hadn't felt pain like that. It was indescribable. There was absolutely nothing to compare it to. I was in horrible, paralyzing, all consuming pain.

Then, after several long seconds, the pain ended just as abruptly as it began. I crumpled to the ground, completely wrecked and stunned.

"Maybe that'll teach you where your place is," Jane said coldly, her voice laced with amusement.

Rage boiled within me, hotter than I'd ever experience in my life. I was numbed by it; I was completely consumed by it.

I drug myself to my feet and wheeled around, impulsively throwing a punch at Jane with all of my might.

She saw it coming, of course, but she didn't move to dodge it. She stood there and waited for the crunch of my bones shattering against her marble face.

But that's not what happened.

The sheer, uncontrollable rage that radiated throughout my body manifested as rippling soundwaves that hummed against my skin. When my fist connected with Jane's face, a loud cracking sound exploded in the room. The waves surged forward in a blast, which sent Jane shooting backward into the wall before she fell to the floor.

Jane let out an appalling, animalistic shriek. She looked up at me in horror. Her lovely face was marred by fine cracks that fanned outward from the spot I hit her like intricate spider webs. The cracks faded rapidly as her smooth skin immediately began to heal itself, but she was still in pain.

I was still reeling from the anger, and it was compounded by the horrible agony that she'd inflicted on me, so I threw myself at her.

I wrapped my hands around her throat and squeezed tightly. Violent sound waves emanated from my body and into Jane's through my locked grip on her. As I held her, her neck and face began to crack again, spreading upward across her terrified expression.

"If you ever do that again, I will kill you," I spat.

Jane screeched in agony and she stared back at me, her eyes wide and brimming with fear, when the world suddenly went black.