Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 42

Several things happened after Josh's body fell to the floor, but I wasn't sure in which order each action had occurred. It seemed that once I had swung the blade my mind no longer functioned properly.

At some point I replaced the shirt that had been taken off my body. I pulled my pants and underwear back on, though it was useless. Everyone in the room was unconscious. I think I checked to see if Josh was still alive, but I couldn't be sure. All I could remember was not wanting to touch his body and hovering over it for a long time. I recalled picking up the phone and dialing a number, but I couldn't remember if I had dialed an emergency line or if I had punched in the phone number that belonged to Alistair's parents. The only thing I could clearly recollect was asking for Jasper repeatedly and telling them to bring an ambulance. I needed help and I needed it fast.

And once I made the phone call everything just stopped.

There was blood on my hands. I stared at my open palms for a long time. Too long. The blood was drying, becoming sticky and uncomfortable on my skin. I think it was Josh's blood, but it could've been my own from an injury I wasn't sensing. Then my eyes moved to Josh's form. He was still there, exactly where he had crumpled. Still splayed out of the floor with the crimson liquid discoloring his shirt. He would be so furious if he ever woke up. He loved very few things the way he loved his clothing.

I think that some part of me knew that Alistair and Sophie were nearby. And I truly hope that there was something in me that was concerned for their well-being, but I wasn't able to sense it at the time. I think I wanted to go to them. I wanted to touch Alistair's face, bring his eyes to mine and see all of the emotions that constantly whirled within him. I wanted to hold Sophie and cry into her bloodied hair as I thanked her profusely for all she had done for me. But I was terrified. And I had been since Alistair went silent again. I was scared that he had fought too hard to stay conscious, that he had exerted energy that his body couldn't maintain in such a state. I was worried that Sophie's body had simply shut down from all of the pain and fear. I didn't think I could bear touching my friend's dead skin. Not yet.

So I stood in the kitchen, in between Josh's unmoving body and the people who had done everything they could to save me.

I was frozen. Numb.

And I still hadn't moved when the front door was flung up by a hoard of people in dark green gear.

There were several male voices and the heavy stomping of feet that entered the air. It would've woken the dead. My eyes remained trained on my hands. The dried blood that coated my skin from the violent act I had committed.

"Camila."

I knew that voice. It wasn't Alistair's, but it was so similar that it drew my gaze upwards.

The person before me seemed to be more beast than man. Strong arms that pressed at the seams of his tee-shirt, a broad chest that was covered by a bullet proof vest and a hefty gun strapped to his hip. His face held an intimidating amount of intensity as his features were incredibly angular and his brown eyes were actively monitoring the scene around him. The lines of a dark tattoo curled around his left arm. The same tattoo that Alistair had.

"Oh God," His attention shifted to the two people who had saved me. The two people I had left tied to my dining room chairs. Then to the body behind me, "Oh my God."

"Jasper." I whispered, feeling my chin quiver. The impassiveness that had fallen over my shocked system was fading.

It was like a switch had filled. The horror that had filled his expression vanished as his brown eyes darted back to my shaking form. It was replaced with vivid concern. I expected him to run to me and hug me tightly, to chase all of the bad feelings away as best as he could. But that was not Jasper. Instead, he slowly raised his hands in surrender.