High Stakes

Part Seventeen

Part 17

OWEN:

I hate that I let Sang just walk out of here, but she needed time. She knew it. I knew. Even the boys knew it. The state of her family--and I use that word loosely, "family"...

Now, we're getting started cleaning up the scene. That bastard "Master" didn't make it easy for us to clean, blood's everywhere.

About halfway through the cleaning, I start to feel a little strange. Nothing major, just slightly hazy, as if there's gauze over the lens of a camera.

"So..." Sean starts, "Your brother, huh?"

I whip toward him and his eyes widen at the speed. I stare at him for a second, at the look on his face, and then I crack up laughing. I know it's the complete opposite to the reaction I should be having to all that information dumped on me before, but it's the only thing I can do at the moment.

To make matters worse, when I start laughing, I can't stop, and my entire team gapes at me like fish out of water. Those faces? Yeah, they don't make me laugh, they piss me off.

Suddenly I'm growling, my mood switches so fast it's as if someone simply flipped a light switch in my brain. I don't want them looking at me, staring at me, watching me. Who do they think they are to judge me?

I grab Kota because he's closest. I him by the throat with one hand, lifting him off the ground so he's flailing and looking down at me. He claws at my wrist and hand, but I ignore him, squeezing harder.

Then the rest of them are on me, tugging at my arms, shouting. What the hell? What's he doing? Stop! Stop him! Owen! Fuck!

Somewhere in the scuffle I jerked my elbow back, connecting with someone's mouth no doubt. Now, I smell the blood. I drop Kota like a stone, turning to the wonderful scent--it's Silas. He's wiping at his split lip, staring at me in shock.

I know my eyes are red and my canines sharpened and enlarged. It feels...right. This is who I am. This is me. Not the stoic, glasses-wearing, control freak vice principal. I am blood. I am vampire.

"Owen?" I hear Sean speak but it goes in one ear and out the other as I stalk toward the big Greek. I walk slowly. There's no need to rush. My prey can't escape me.

"What's he doing?" Silas looks at the other guys quickly before his eyes dart back to mine. I grin at him and he blanches.

"Mr Blackbourne?" Kota's voice is raspy and breathy. Probably because I just squeeze the life out of his throat. Wait? I squeezed the life out of his throat? Me? That's not right...

I shake my head, feeling even foggier. I look back at Kota, who flinches slightly at my sudden movement, and it feels like a punch to my gut. He flinched. From me.

"I don't feel so good..." I mutter, shaking my head again.

Sean immediately is in front of me. "What? Why? What is it? What the fuck was that about, Owen? Talk to me."

"How can I talk if you keep asking me questions?" I grumble, before staring back at Silas, who's Adam's apple bobs up and down as he gulps. I trace the motion with my eyes, enjoying the way the veins move in his throat. I take a step toward him, but Sean moves to block me.

"OWEN! Snap out of it! What the hell?!" Sean bellows, even giving North's shout a run for its money.

Speaking of North, the boy moves to stand beside Silas, his arms crossed over his chest, protective. Protective against me. Am I the bad guy here? The villain? The monster? The vampire?

Yes.

"I feel foggy." It's the only way I can explain it. At the moment, my brain doesn't want to function properly.