Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 18

Victor gazed impassively back at me while I tried to slow down my heart. I didn't want to be afraid of my best friend...but it was difficult when he seemed to want me to fear him. "It can't be possible," I breathed, still swallowing tears.

"You see my eyes?" He pointed and I looked up. "They tell you if I'm thirsty or not, if I'm about to attack." He smirked now, hands in his back pockets. "Why don't you ask me what I eat? What that 'specialized diet' of mine really is?"

I tasted raw fear now, and it froze me in place. When he stepped even closer, leaning down to my ear, I was numb. Vampires always went for the jugular... "That's how Strandton won you over, isn't it?" he said huskily. His voice was enticing even as his words terrified. "The whole bit about not actually hurting people?" He drew back only slightly, his eyes locking on mine. "I hurt people. All the time. It's kind of what I do."

"Stop it, okay?" I half yelled. "This isn't you, Vic. Why're you doing this?"

He leaned back, his eyes hooded as he gazed down at me. "This isn't me?"

"You're not a monster." I took a deep breath, getting myself under control. "You're my best friend."

"When the hell did I become that?" He exploded, suddenly furious.

In contrast, I calmed down. "You asked to be my friend when we met."

"How slow are you? This is me un-asking you."

"You don't mean it." I looked up at him, realising that I was still just looking in the face of my friend. "I'll never leave you, Vic. Ever. I'm your friend. You can't get rid of me."

"Then why, Belle? Why did you have to choose him? If you're with him, we can't be friends. He and I only work as enemies, nothing else."

I frowned now. "He doesn't hate you."

"Oh, come on! Tell me you don't buy that? The only reason he's with you is to keep you from me. He noticed my interest in you, and I guess you wouldn't take his warnings, huh?"

"What?" I asked, my voice small.

He smirked again. "It hasn't even occurred to you, has it? You actually buy that Warren Strandton, the aloof royal of this town, wants you?"

"You're wrong!" I defended. "Warren wouldn't do that. He wouldn't have to pretend to like me just to keep me away from you."

"He's trying to keep me away from you, since you won't listen to him. Didn't he tell you about his life's work? He's basically -"

A few things happened in the next few seconds, and I barely caught it all. First, Victor's head snapped up, his whole body going rigid with fear. Second, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, but he ignored it. And then he hissed so viciously I cringed. A wave of what felt like static hit me, confusing me even more.

"You have to go. You have to leave." Victor was fully panicked, and he started pushing me away from the river.

"What? What's up?"

"You're in serious danger, Belle. Please, go!"

I glanced around me, panicking too. What were vampires afraid of? He growled and pushed me into the forest - clearly I wasn't moving fast enough for him - and disappeared. His push was, unfortunately, not a gentle one. I fell and rolled down an incline. Something hit me in the back of the head before I finally stopped in a sprawled heap. "Ow!" I groaned, heaving myself up onto all fours. My head throbbed and the forest spun before me. I got unsteadily to my feet and gingerly touched my head, looking around me. Okay, so school was - Well, I had no idea, so I just started walking. The forest had to end somewhere, right?