Tears burned down Winter's cheeks despite the anger rising inside her. "I thought I made it clear that you should leave me alone, Cameron."
His eyes reflected anger in them, and she could see the red handprint burned into his cheek.
"Winter," he said too calmly, "you said nothing about leaving you alone. In fact, you said nothing in general."
She gave him a bored look. "You're not stupid. It was implied."
"I'm not," he uttered, still holding her to the wall.
She sighed, closing her eyes tightly as tears started to burn her again.
God... the cold hands were coming back, tightening around her throat.
She didn't want to suffocate again.
"Winter," Cameron uttered gently, "I can explain, I swear."
She closed her eyes tighter when the cold hands tightened, threatening to close off her airways.
"That night..." he told her, happened. Things... things that I can't explain. And I had to leave because... because I needed to."
She shot up then. "I TRUSTED you, you asshole!" she cried, making him wince. "You told me you were going to take me to Paris?" She waved her hands around them. "Then this?" Her eyes blazed with anger. "You've been gone for FIVE MONTHS after you left me at the HOTEL!"
She was practically crying now, throat burning as the hands tightened.
He was silent for too long, but he gazed up, blue eyes soft as he kept her to the wall. "I know you're angry," he whispered.
"I TRUSTED YOU!" she screamed.
"I know," he responded, grip still gentle. "I know you did. And you can now, too, okay? I know you're angry," he stated as her eyes blazed, "but I need you to listen."
She just shoved him away, making him grunt in surprise, and she activated her super speed, dashing through the streets as everyone around her blurred until she stopped at their local café.
At least this place never changed.
After quickly drying her tears, she stepped in, sniffling as she made her way to a booth and settled inside it.
A waitress skipped over to her then, stopping at her table with her pigtails falling over her shoulders.
"Hello, there," she uttered, making Winter blink in surprise at her Texan accent. "What can I get fo' you."
"Uhm..." Winter uttered, "I'll get a chai. The pumpkin spice one."
The waitress laughed gently. "Yeah, that's popular at this time of year. Anything else?"
Winter shook her head.
"Alright. It'll be right out."
Winter watched in confusion as she bounced away in her pink apron.
Well... she'd never get that image out of her head.
She stared off then, thinking.
It was nice, honestly.
She was a vampire, and she needed blood to survive, but... honestly? She could still taste foods she really liked. Blood was the only thing that could fill her and such but everything else she could still taste.
Before she turned into this thing, Cameron told her every food he ate was bland.
Her lashes lowered.
Cameron.
He'd find her again, wouldn't he? He was good about that.
She sighed and leaned on the table, waiting patiently for her food to come out.
But her ears caught on a breath, and she stiffened.
A breath that wasn't hers.
It was a man... she could hear a husky tone to it as if he were huffing dramatically.
But she felt a cold finger slide down the length of her neck, and she stilled, entire body freezing over.
Cameron was a hybrid; his body was warm.
This wasn't Cameron.
Acid swarmed through her veins as the man leaned over her booth and inhaled her scent as if she was wearing flower perfume.
"Mmm..." he whispered in her ear, her hairs standing on end, "your blood smells good, Princess. Mind if I take a little bite?"
Winter shot up then at an instant, making him yelp when the next second passed, and he was shoved against the wall, and she was in front of him, a dagger pinned against his throat.
He threw up his hands. "Woah-woah. Let's not get physical."
She pushed the angelic dagger harder against him, splitting the skin. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn't slit your air-pipe open right now, genius."
"I would originally say 'because I can't die,'" he uttered honestly. "But that was before I realized what type of dagger you have there, Princess."
Her lashes lowered. "Back off. Never come near me again unless you want me to slit your throat and feed you your trachea." And she shoved off him, making him exhale gasps as the spot where she held the sword reddened on his skin.
He then nodded and walked casually out of the café.
Winter spun her dagger around before slipping the blade back into the hilt with magic and pushed it into her pocket.
Right as she sat back down onto the booth, the pink waitress came waltzing out with her chai and set it kindly in front of her.
"Thanks," Winter uttered.
"Mm-hmm!" she responded, walking back off.
Yeah... vampires were considered immortal. But the dagger Cameron gave Winter was angelic; it would kill anything that it pierced-immortal or not.
Winter stared forward as she took a sip of her chai.
He trained her well; she had to admit it.
YOU ARE READING
Be Still (Chained: 2) (EXCERPT)
Novela JuvenilHe came back. It had been almost five months since Cameron left me stranded in our hotel room. I'd memorized how he looked so tired, hungry, in pain. And there was blood slipping off his neck and into his T-shirt. Almost a year ago, Cameron fou...
