The Crying Wolf Chronicles: Forbidden (Book 1)

Colleen: Apology

Colleen: Apology

My throat was hurting. The pain woke me out of my sleep. My neck was sore. My arm was too weak to be lifted. I felt as if I was hit by a truck. My back ached painfully. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to sit up straight. I came face to face with my parent's room. What the hell? Why was I here and not in my dorm? This room was so tacky. Just being here made my skin crawl. Zebra print comforter. Really? I bet this was mom's idea. It was just like her to choose the most ugly and out of date accessories to decorate a bedroom.

My opinion flew out of the window at the relieved sight of JT. He slept in dad's arm chair across the room. He looked peaceful. He looked like he was dreaming happy things. I knew they were about me. I wanted to wake him anyway, just to see those gorgeous blue eyes. I managed to swing my legs over the edge of the bed so my feet touched the floor. Slowly and swiftly, I walked toward him. The tight bandage plastered against my neck stuck to my hair. It was hell trying to remove it. I stood in front of JT, trying not to jump him awake. He wiggled that beautiful nose of his, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Colleen?" he whispered. "Baby, what are you doing up?" His eyes highlighted his entire face. He sat straight in the chair and stretched.

I smiled gently. "I wanted to see you. I needed you."

"That's sweet babe, but you need to rest." His hand was gentle and soft around my waist. It felt good. He guided me back to the tacky bed like I was this fragile package. We sat next to each other, hands interlocking. His fingers were warm compared to mine. My hands were hot like the sun.

"I'm fine. Really." I said. Those beautiful blues had me slipping away into another world.

"Do you remember yesterday?" he asked, while playing with my hair. It was painful for me to swallow.

"Of course babe, you bit me." I wanted to laugh but couldn't.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"No. Why would I be?" I ran my fingers through his glossy black hair. Surprisingly, he pulled away from my hand. He'd never done that before.

"I almost killed you. And if Stephanie's mom hadn't stopped me-" his jaw clenched.

I pressed one finger to his warm, soft lips and met his gaze. "Don't worry about that. I'm fine. It wasn't your fault." I said.

"Not everyone thinks that." he looked away from me.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." he mumbled as he continued looking away. I pulled his face toward mine, feeling the urge to kiss him.

"JT, don't tell me it was nothing. I know you. Who blamed you for what happened to me?" Who could ever blame such a sweet guy like JT? Whoever did was a complete idiot.

He sighed. His sweet, warm breath covered my face. "Maggie."

"My mother? What did she say to you?"

"Nothing. I don't think she likes me very much."

A laugh bursted out of me, completely ignoring my injured throat. "Who wouldn't love you? You're smart, gorgeous, sweet, and did I say gorgeous?"

"Maybe you should talk to her then." he said. I leaned in a bit closer to his face. My lips touched gently upon his. His lips were soft. The taste of my blood was still sitting upon his lips, irresistible.

"Maybe I should." I kissed him again. "But not today." His hand touched the small of my back as I leaned in a bit closer to his lean body. He kissed me harder and deeper. My heart pumped even faster every time his warm breath entered my mouth. I was lost in thought. He pulled away and sat back, shaking his head.

"Colleen, wait." We were both breathing heavily.

"What is it?" I ran a hand through my hair.

"This is your parent's room." he whispered.

"You're right. Let's go back to my dorm."

"That's very tempting, but we can't." He took my hand in his.

"Why not?" I whined.

"Because you're hurt." He pointed at the bandage on my neck. I dared to look at it.

"It's not that bad." I said.

He gave me a sideways glance. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, fine. Maybe it hurts a little, but I don't care. You are all I can think about."

"You need to eat." He completely ignored me. He stood from the bed and was headed to the door. "Stay here." he said without hesitation.

I pointed to my wound. "Where am I going?" I chuckled.

He rolled his eyes, quickly pecked me on the lips then left. This felt good. Being with JT made me actually feel sort of human. Oh gosh, I was starting to sound like Stephanie. The human wannabe. Great. Just great. Being a immortal rocks. I don't understand why Stephanie wants to be human. Humans are so sensitive. They lack respect for life unlike us non-humans. I'm glad Mom turned me.

JT came back. Glasses in his hand. The red thick liquid that I always yearned for brought my senses to life. I never got tired of that fresh smell. He handed my glass to me and sat. I took a small sip, letting it slither down my throat like volcano lava and looked into his face. His mind seemed at ease. I guess doing as I was told and eating was apart of his master plan to keep me out of trouble. It was working.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes." I said. My throat wasn't as sore as it was before.

"Good. Your parents are gone. They went to see Stephanie." he said before taking a sip.

"Why? What's wrong with Stephanie?"

"Oh, she had an episode too." he said, swallowing. A tiny drop of blood was sitting at the corner of his mouth. He licked it up, then continued to drink.

My mouth dropped. "Did she drive home last night?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. She's okay. She got home safely."

"That's good. I would go mental if something would've happened to my cousin." I said.

JT nodded. "Ready to go back to the school?"

"Yes! Please!" I handed him my empty glass and leaped out of bed. "Let's go."

"Hold on," he said. "I have to check your wound. You don't want Lily and Logan getting suspicious. They're already suspicious about us."

I leaned my head to the side and waited. JT slowly pulled the bloody bandage from my neck and leaned in closer to examine it. He smiled wide.

"They're gone. The bite wounds. They're gone." he said cheerfully.

"Great," I said. "Can we go now? This place is giving me hives."

He threw back a loud laugh, took my hand, and guided me out the door.