Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 8

Lucien's P.O.V.

I watch Bella stumble towards the facilities Ryan and Jeff put together, and then stare into my beer. She despises me so much that she'd rather get uproariously drunk than spend an evening with me? That's intriguing to say the least, completely different from any other woman I've come across. I have been planning on torturing her all weekend, small jabs here and there that I know will send her into a tailspin, but suddenly it doesn't sound like the way I want to spend the next few days. Huh. I wonder why as I watch her force more alcohol into her system, gripping the table as her body rebukes the intrusion. What's got her panties in such a twist? It's not like I've shown any interest in her. She keeps her femininity to herself and doesn't display her assets the way she should. Maybe she's not into guys, and when I think about that explanation, I grin evilly...maybe I can bring her back to this side of the playing field. Smiling inwardly at the challenge, I watch in disbelief as Bella sprints off into the woods.

I can hear twigs snapping as she races away from our campsite. She's high and more than a little soused. Should I follow her? Make sure she doesn't get hurt? Who am I kidding? I don't give a shit if she breaks her neck in her haste to get away from me. Then I think about how, even in her state of inebriation, she had the grace to apologize for speaking her mind. Hmm, maybe I can learn a thing or two from these people. I sit by the dying fire thinking about that. When the direction of my thoughts start making me uncomfortable, I distract myself by using my powers to bring the fire back into a roaring inferno. Smiling slyly, I watch as the flames tower over the tents, heading towards the low branches of the tree I am sitting under.

I hear the zip of a tent flap and Daniel's scared voice. "What the fuck! We've got to get this fire under control before we burn the forest down!" he yells, racing over to where I'm sitting. I hear another tent unzipping and sigh quietly, discretely lowering the flames with a flick of my wrist.

"Relax man, I just threw some garbage into the fire. I've got it under control, don't worry," I say soothingly. I stop staring at the flames and look over at Daniel. He's looking around the campsite, focuses on my tent, and then turns toward me with a worried expression on his face.

"Where is Bella?" he asks.

"Uhh, she ran off into the woods a few minutes ago," I tell him, indicating with my head the area of the forest I saw her run into.

Daniel's eyes get wide and he runs his fingers through his hair. "Alone? She ran out there alone? In the dark?" When I nod, he swears loudly. Trish and Ryan emerge from their tent, from all the commotion I assume, followed closely by Scarlet.

"What's the big deal? She's probably ran into the woods to throw up, she is pretty inebriated," I explain, trying to understand what the issue is.

"Bella's run off into the woods," Daniel tells Scarlett, Trish and Ryan when they reach us, ignoring my inquiry. I watch the three of them blanche and take a step backwards, looking around the campsite to verify Daniel's statement.

"Shit, this isn't good," Trish says, frantically searching through our gear. "Help me!" she yells, and Ryan steps up beside her, lighting the big lantern that hung over us when we ate dinner. Trish finds what she's looking for and hands Ryan a flashlight.

Scarlet races back to her tent and emerges with two more flashlights. "Which way did she go?" Scarlet asks me, a tormented look on her face.

I point in the direction I last saw Bella. "What are you guys freaking out about?" I ask, wanting to know what has the four of them in such a tizzy. "I'm sure she's fine."

Trish emphatically shakes her head and then steps into my space. "Bella was raped and left for dead three years ago when her car broke down in the middle of the night," Trish tells me. "She cannot handle being outside and alone in the dark," she says as she sprints off in the direction I pointed.

Oh shit.