The Joker

Suddenly

Previously:

Laura went a bit psycho and has been trying to kill Winter, she and the Sangue di Fenices sent Kat out of town to protect her, and Winter has been staying at the Sangue di Fenices' place. The last chapter ended like this:

"Why?" I managed to gasp, pulling ever harder at her fingers until it hurt. Before she could answer, however, several things happened at almost the precise same time.

Laura lunged, fangs out, straight for my throat. A deafening, painful crack emanated from my struggling fingers, radiating unendurable pain up my nerves, making me cry out, relinquishing my store of oxygen. As this happened, the window wall a few feet away shattered, shards flying in all directions, though not hitting me thanks to Laura's body blocking me, making me scream through pain and fear, losing more breath. But I did not need to keep my breath in check any longer, for-as the glass had splintered-a foot had appeared, bearing through the teensy fractions of sharp, solid glass, making contact with Laura's face. Everything was going in slow-motion, like in a movie. Laura's face showed shock momentarily before being forced to the ground, her teeth ripping into the flesh of my left upper arm, leaving two fairly deep parallel gashes. I may have been hallucinating due to lack of sleep or any of the other things that had happened over the previous few days, but I could have sworn I saw the familiar profile-with white-blonde hair in the moonlight and pale green eyes-of Ms. Ramone disappearing into the forest at a human pace. But my attention was otherwise captured when something soft and warm brushed my lips as my savior's head passed in the follow up of his kick, and everything sped back up to normal pace again.

So, here goes...

Chapter 15

Suddenly

Daniel.

His body quivered from head to toe as he landed in a cat-like crouch, one foot holding Laura's head to the floor. My spine seemed to tingle as well, making me shiver as he turned to look at me with his fathoms deep woodsy eyes. I would have been worried, as he stepped away from her and towards me, that Laura might escape, had I not been in complete shock, but I vaguely registered Chloe dashing in behind Daniel to kneel beside her now apparently back-to-normal twin.

Daniel, however, had my undivided conscious attention as he slowly moved closer, caressing my cheek as he brushed strands of hair out of my face and behind my ear, leaving a warm trail where his fingers had touched my skin and making my cheek flush strawberry red. I was completely ignoring the blood gushing from my arm despite the pain-I did not know how he was managing to, since he was probably more aware of fresh blood than I was. He leaned closer to my position where I was still pressed against the wall and I felt a few goose pimples erupt on my arms when he placed his hands either side of my head. It felt awkward for me to have the whole of his family-the rest of whom had just arrived-privy to this moment.

His lips brushed mine, gently at first as if to test his luck, then harder, pressing me up against the wall. His body was pressed into mine, so much so that I could feel the muscles in his chest and torso working, I knew-it was almost like I could read his mind-he was forcing himself to not get himself overexcited and crushing me to dust.

My arms, of their own accord, crept around his neck, my fingers tightening in his hair, holding his face close to mine as if I could keep him there forever. It was odd how right the feel of his mouth on mine was and I was gratified, as my arms fit perfectly into the gap between his shoulder blades and his neck, to find that we were physically compatible, like corresponding puzzle pieces. His hands, after a while of both being steadfastly planted on my waist, moved, one to the small of my back, holding me ever closer so our chests were rising and falling in time, our hips pressed into hips and my heart beating loud enough for the both of us, the other hand tangling in the hair closest to my scalp.