All Your Fault

Chapter Twelve

I sat in the chair as she pulled, plucked, and prodded me into her own Barbie doll. She spun the chair and made me stand in front of the mirror.

"What do you think?" she gushed, pushing her clasped hands to her lips, eyes shining.

"It's…wow." Was all I could manage, I no longer looked like the frumpy, bean pole, nerd; I had blossomed into a sexy siren intent on some ritualistic seduction.

The dress Andrea had dragged over my head was a sweetheart cut, slinky red that, hugged the right curves, ended mid-thigh and flared out in gossamer chiffon. The middle was cinched just enough to look right, the heels she forced me into were black peep-toe pumps, my nails freshly painted a rebellious black. She had used little make-up, highlighting the green in my hazel eyes, my lips had been painted with a nude lip-gloss. My dark curls had been tortured and tamed into an intricate half-up-do so they fell softly around my shoulders, something I never thought my hair could achieve. I didn't look like me and oddly, I liked it.

"Thanks Andrea. You are officially the goddess of dates." I mumbled, running a hand over the dress.

"Oh I know," the doorbell rang interrupting her, "oh that must be him. You wait here while I go bring him in and then you can make a grand entrance." She gushed like schoolgirl. I scowled at the reflection of me in the mirror, I hated this stuff, I wasn't about dates. This was going to be an interesting evening.

"Kasey!" my name was called from the bottom of the stairs.

I took a deep breath, smoothed the scowl from my face into a mask of faux confidence and grabbed the black clutch Andrea was forcing me to take along. I concentrated on not bumbling like an uncoordinated idiot down the stairs in what felt like skyscraper heels. There was an audible intake of breathe and I looked up. Carter was watching me slack jawed, his eyes wide, hands clutching a bouquet of roses tightly in his hands. Roses, I snorted inwardly, how typical; there was a twinge of doubt about how this was going to go. I forced a bright smile on my face, "Carter are those for me, you shouldn't have." I choked out, really he shouldn't have.

"Oh I'll take those." Andrea smiled, grabbing them from me as I tried to escape into the kitchen to plan my diabolical disappearing act.

"Great, now if you follow my gorgeous lady." He cheekily tried to sound suave, yet the way he said 'my' had my stomach twisting into a sweaty knot. I politely declined his arm, I don't like being touched. He looked stricken for a half second, but quickly replaced it with a bright smile. Somehow, it didn't reach his jade eyes, eyes like ice. Uncomfortable was the feeling that had replaced the feeling of sexy.

"Where are you taking me?" I tried to wheedle the destination out of him as soon as we hit the road in his cherry red GT Mustang—I was somehow disappointed it wasn't a Camaro, but quickly dispelled that thought.

"Ah Ah Ah, it's a surprise for my lady." His eyes never left the road as I cringed once again at the use of 'my'. I kept the conversation to a quiet minimum, furious that I even had to talk, I hated talking. I was trying to remember why I had agreed to this, oh yeah the look in his eyes as he held my hands caged in his own. In some way it was like I was hypnotized, I would have never agreed to this. I shook my head slightly, trying to pull away the dingy cobwebs on the control part of my brain.

Carter pulled in front of a club called The Ace and I clenched my hands around the black clutch, I hated clubs. Carter climbed out and tossed his keys to the valet, he turned eyeing me. Apparently, chivalry really was dead; I sighed and pushed open the door stepping out; the cold air bit into my bare shoulders as he grabbed my arm dragging me into the club. All I could focus on was his cold skin gripping my arm, he was touching me.

I inconspicuously pulled my arm from his as we stepped over the threshold into a wall of warm air. The clubs lights blinked in an erratic pattern of multicolored, epileptic seizure causing colors. I tugged subconsciously on the bottom of the dress Andrea had manhandled me into. I followed Carter to the bar, didn't he know I was only 19.

"What would you like to drink?" he shouted over the blast of the music.

I shook my head, "no thank you."

He shrugged, "suit yourself" and flagged down the bartender to order himself a drink.

As he did this I scanned the bar, hoping to find a familiar face, and froze when I did. Dorian sat in a booth in the corner of the wide club. Two beautiful twin blondes in matching hot pink skimpy dresses, if you could even call them that, rubbed themselves up his tattooed muscled arms, leaning in. My lip curled as I watched them blatantly; of course, he would be here.

"Kasey darling would you like to dance." Carter asked in my face with a droopy smile, his alcohol breath wafted around me.

"Are you drunk?" I asked shocked, "we've only been here for twenty minutes."

He laughed uproariously, placing a sweaty hand on my shoulder, rubbing it down my arm, "how about you and me go somewhere more…private." He attempted to seduce me.

Gone was the cheeky red head who saved me from an idiot, in his place stood a slurring drunken pervert. "I think I'm going to leave now." I mumbled, this is why I didn't do dates, they ended horribly.

"No" he roared, "you are not. You are here with me. Wait till Dorian hears about this." he giggled.

I cocked an eyebrow, "this is about Dorian?" I questioned, my anger peaking.

He nodded his head in an enthusiastic way only a drunk could achieve, or perhaps a bubbly blonde-haired person, "of course, he always got everything. Stupid demon. The women, the car, the powers." He rambled.

Demon? Powers? The words shifted across my brain, what was he talking about. I looked at him in alarm, he flashed me a smile full of razor sharp teeth, "you didn't actually think I was interested in you did you? An uptight child, it was luck that I bumped into you at the bookstore. His smell was all over you, but I couldn't resist."

My breathing hitched, his smell, not interested in me, "uptight child?" was all I could manage in a small voice.

"Of course I was planning on laying you, but you don't seem all that fun. Now that blonde from earlier, she seemed like loads." My teeth clenched together, focusing on the razors in his mouth.

The cobwebs had completely left my brain, I saw him for what he was. An illusion, he was not muscled but a wiry, lanky, youth with not fiery hair but carrot orange. He lied, he tricked me, and I felt utterly betrayed and dimwitted for even falling for it.

"What are you?" I stumbled as his eyes lost the white, the jade bleeding until it filled each eye.

"Me? I'm just a minor demon who's going to enjoy killing you." He smirked.

"Demon?" I echoed, completely confused, he must be really smashed.

"Oh he didn't tell you? This is going to be a joy" he grinned manically, my mind flashed to the night of my kidnapping.

He grabbed my arm tightly and dragged me through the throngs of gyrating, sweaty, sex twisted maniacs and out the side door into an abandoned alley. I just had to get myself in these situations regularly didn't I.

"I should've just stayed home and read." I muttered to myself.

My black clutch was ripped from my grasp; I stumbled in the high heels. I was slammed back into the brick wall and my head exploded in pain, I groaned, trying to focus on the face that was now twisted into a warped vision of a human being. Claws extended from his fingers, his tongue flickered out like reptiles.

"What the hell?" I groaned once again.

He grabbed me by the throat and lifted my heels off the ground; I gasped clawing at his cold hands. They felt like the collar that had been secured around my neck, I fought for air. I wouldn't scream, that always gave them satisfaction.

An inhuman growl resonated through the alley as darkness claimed my vision and the last thing I remember thinking was I hoped I didn't ruin the dress, I really liked it.