Tainted Fantasy

Chapter Eighteen: hate is a very strong word

“Jesus! Don't scare me like that!” I gasped, bringing my hand to my chest as my heart jerked around. Damien's hand was over his mouth, suppressing his laughter and his smile. “It's not funny!” I snapped at him.

“Come on, I left for 5 minutes. Nothing could possibly happen to you in that short amount of time...” The look on his face straightened out. He found it way too amusing nearly giving me a heart attack by disappearing like that.

“Where did you even go!” I was yelling mostly from my own fear rather then my anger towards him.

The look on his face hardened now.

“Nothing for you to be concerned about.” He muttered now.

I stared at him, somehow knowing what he ran off for. He left me for blood. He ran off to feed. He did it quickly, but still...Damien furrowed his eyebrows at me.

“Don't look at me like that, Kimberly.” He laced his fingers around mine. “You did good tonight. Better then usual. You weren't as clumsy.” He changed the subject and I narrowed my eyes at him. “And all that mud caked into your hair and dirt on your face kind of makes you look sexy. That is quit a turn on--”

“I still hate you sometimes.” I interrupted him. He squeezed my hand and smirked. That smirk really just confused me now. I almost loved it but a part of me also hated it. But he wouldn't be Damien if he didn't smirk like that.

“You keep saying that but it's really getting harder for me to believe you.”

I pulled my hand away from him and headed back to Melissa's. We actually didn't go too far.

“Well you should believe me.” I mumbled. I heard him chuckle behind me. I turned to look. He was gone again! I huffed and turned back around, sucking in a deep breath.

“Damien!” I hissed at him in front of me.

“You love me.” He taunted. I stopped walking and so did he. He cocked his head. “You like me at the very least then.” His lips twitched, seeming amused once again.

“Like is a very strong word.” I informed him, knowing way too well that my face was heating up but it was his first words that was getting me flustered. He said it so bluntly, like the idea of me actually loving him didn't bother him the way it would have not too long ago.

“So is hate.” He spun on his heels, continuing on ahead of me. I stared at the back of his head. He did have a point. And then I blinked and he was in front of me again, making my heart try to jump out of my throat. He was still smirking. He leaned down, kissing the bridge of my nose. I shut my eyes.

“You know I'm right.” He said in a low voice. I frowned a bit.

“Right about what?” I muttered, my mind felt lighter then usual.

“You're thinking about me naked right now. You want me. You love me.” He spoke into my ear.

My eyes shot open. “What?!”

He looked at me with a satisfied expression on his face. I wasn't thinking about him naked but my reaction was exactly what he was looking for. Jerk! He tugged on my arm and dragged me behind him, holding tightly to my wrist. He kept glancing back at me as if we just had the most amusing conversation ever and he couldn't keep his eyes off of me. First it was sexual torture and now this? Typical Damien...

I left Damien's side once we got inside the safety of Melissa's mansion. I was irritated with him so I was happy to leave him standing in the doorway as I made my way upstairs and into the bathroom. He was right about the mud and dirt all over my body. There was also dried blood that Damien had done well at ignoring when it was fresh. If there was one thing he took seriously, it was our training. He forced me to work so hard that every ounce of my blood, sweat and tears came running out of my pores, trying to escape him much like my heart always tried to do.