Chapter 22

22

H adley | Sacramento, California | Early 2000s

It had been three days since Hector had been in Sheng's kitchen. Three days of Hadley silently grieving the loss of her life. Three days of the constant rollercoaster filled with both lust and fear.

Hadley was beginning to get familiar with the Sacramento mansion and its grounds. She woke up in the morning, side by side with her new husband in his large bed as the sun crept into the east-facing window.

Hadley watched as Sheng opened his eyes, her heart feeling like it would beat out her chest as his bare muscular arms stretched out and then reached for her body, grabbing her and pulling them together. His lips would press on the outside of her shoulders and move across her back.

Hadley would feel his tongue lick the outline of her birthmarks, his hot breath on her skin inspiring a deep ache between her thighs. Her body would tense with desire, and Sheng would feel it. He would then slide his hand down the front of her body and underneath the silk nightdress that was one of the dozens that waited for her in her closet.

She moaned, his hand finding the warmth as she parted her legs for him. She would want this forever, need him forever.

Get away from him.

While Sheng made circles with his fingers through her wetness, Hadley would find herself begging, pleading for more. Her arousal was so high that she wouldn't notice those teeth that sank into the side of her neck. She wouldn't see the blood cascading down her collarbone and staining the expensive nightwear loosely hanging off her body.

She writhed, so thankful for his hand, so grateful for those little circles, and when Sheng plunged inside of her with two fingers while continuing to drink deeply from her veins, she would see stars while an explosion of fire and ice rang through her body.

Hadley would lie there limp, whimpering from the exhaustion and the soreness in her neck. Sheng cradled her, kissing her tender open wound.

The bed would be ruined. There would be blood soaked through the sheets, and Hadley suspected that he had the mattress replaced daily. Three days, three mattresses, three suspiciously quick healing bites in her flesh.

Any tenderness would be ruined once Hadley opened her mouth, her brain gaining back a tiny sense of control and needing answers.

Day three followed the same pattern.

Sheng had barely said a word to her since Hector left. She hated him even more for it since her body drove her insane, filled with the need to be with him, to be around him, to wrap herself around him.

"You have to talk to me sometime," she whispered, slightly scared of him hearing her as he pulled himself out of bed. She watched as he moved around the room, walking into the closet and emerging dressed, then into the bathroom coming out groomed. He winked at her before slipping out the doors and moving on to his day, leaving her without him. An uncomfortable ache filled her chest, anxiety flowing like electricity through water as his steps sounded further and further away until she couldn't hear them at all.

On day four, Hadley no longer felt like herself. The spell, the lust that grew in her body every time she spent time in bed with him, when his teeth sunk into her, solidified that she belonged to him in a way that she didn't want to fight.

Hadley sat up and let the straps of her slip fall over her shoulders, shimmying the rest off of her body while it painted red streaks on any part of her skin it touched. She shuddered, not appreciating the heavy, wet feeling of it, and noticed that she was getting entirely too comfortable with the copper scent in the air from her blood.

With immediate plans to step into the shower, Hadley moved off of the bed, leaving the mess behind her, only to confront Sheng as he walked out of his walk-in closet wearing a formal, dark gray business suit paired with dress shoes and a teal checkered tie.

"You look . . ." Hadley stared at him, careful not to accidentally touch him with the fresh blood still sitting on top of her skin. "Like a villain in a spy movie."

"Excuse me?" Sheng chuckled, looking genuinely amused. "I will take that as a compliment, but you should know that your neighbors are not the villains."

He was talking to her. She tried to remind herself to act normal, but the full smile that spread across her face like a child on their birthday gave her away.

"Would you consider yourself my neighbor in this metaphor?"

"I would consider anyone that lives their life on this planet my neighbor. For the purpose of this metaphor, of course."

There was an odd euphoria to him that he managed to cast on anything and anyone around him. There was no trace of tiredness or aging in his skin.

"Hadley, before you get in the shower," Sheng continued, "I wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving for a few days."

Hadley's eyes instantly teared up. She didn't know how her body could cope with his absence long term. She could barely make it until the end of the day .

"I must take care of that family business I once told you about. My mother . . . can be quite demanding. In fact, I'm hoping that I can keep her as far away from you as possible. Amis will take good care of you while I am out."

"You can't go," she blurted out. "What am I supposed to do here?"

Sheng smiled at her gently and, careful not to get blood on his suit, leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"Do you love me yet?" he asked.

Don't say yes.

Hadley didn't say a word, confused as her mind temporarily broke through the hold, the obsession that flowed through her body, her blood. Her body won in the end.

"There is nothing that could pull me away from you," she said, and her eyes fluttered for a moment as she pushed into the lie, her body believing it to be true.

"I promised you that you would come to love me," he chuckled. "With that talent for romantic words, why don't you take some time to focus on your writing? I'll leave Amis with instructions to get you a new laptop."

"Can I get my computer from home?" Hadley's brain was slowly fighting its way through the blood-drinking pheromones.

Sheng's eyes briefly filled with rage, and Hadley had the urge to flinch, but her trusting hips stayed in place, facing the man who owned them.

"You are home. You will never have reason to leave," he said before turning and exiting the bedroom, the locks clicking open on the double doors. Hadley listened as his footsteps softly thudded down the hallway carpet before she moved on to the bathroom to clean herself up.

After stepping into the large shower opposite the soaking tub and watching the red water pool at her feet, Hadley dried herself off and walked back out into the bedroom, entering the walk-in closet that belonged to Sheng.

Moving to the back wall, she pushed on a large pane of glass that clicked open and pulled back to reveal a new closet that now belonged to her. There was a dresser in the middle of the dressing room, longer than she was tall, with the finest pieces of jewelry and accessories laid out in velvet showroom displays on the top.

The two sides of the closet walls to Hadley's left and right displayed long sections of hanging dresses, slacks, and blouses much more formal than her taste. The wall opposite her was covered with shelving, displaying at least thirty pairs of footwear.

A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling over the dresser, leaving glittering bounces of colorful light across the closet. She had gotten used to the luxury now, but the first day Sheng showed her this closet, Hadley wanted to do nothing but sit on the carpeted floor, staring at the grandness of such a gift.

What are you doing here?

She dressed in black fitted slacks and a short-sleeved, light gray cashmere top.

He's gone, and you should be, too.

Hadley's body tensed; a sudden pressure built up in her chest as her heart fought the intruding thought. She stood there for a few minutes before getting herself back under control and exited with only breakfast on her mind.

Once down in the kitchen, Hadley walked up to the barstools and table to see a silver platter waiting for her with a note addressed to her from Sheng. She picked up the folded piece of paper, lifted it to her nose, and inhaled.

Sheng's scent, lavender and leather.

She had the urge to find his dirty laundry and roll around in it, covering her body with his musk now that she wouldn't be able to reach out and touch him. She pulled her shoulders up to her ears and closed her eyes, imagining the cotton shirt and jeans he wore the previous day brushing against her skin.

"Hungry?" A voice came from behind her, and Hadley turned around, startled out of her newfound addiction. Amis looked at her, the note still held up to her face, and winced once he likely realized what she was doing.

"I am," Hadley said, bringing the note down on the countertop and lifting the lid covering the plate. She looked at the food, mouth watering at the crab eggs benedict and fried potatoes. The extra side of hollandaise sauce only told her that Sheng's chefs were starting to catch on to the fact that maybe she didn't care so much about the food itself, just the condiments. She smiled at the simple thought of this place becoming a true home and welcoming her with arms opened wide. She could belong here. She could be happy here.

Stupid girl.

"Does Sheng being gone mean that you will be hovering over me?" she directed towards Amis with a mouthful of potatoes. The salt and fat gave her anxiety instant relief, and the pleasure of the food in her mouth became her entire focus.

Despite Amis' reaction to her eating like a savage animal, he did his best to hide it and looked down at his feet.

"How has this transition been going for you?" Amis asked after a few moments of listening to Hadley gulp a glass of grapefruit juice.

"What do you mean?" Hadley looked at Amis sharply, not lifting her fork to her mouth. Amis stared back at her, not saying anything but studying her face.

"Please excuse me," he said, breaking the tense silence and walking back out of the kitchen.

Hadley felt her stomach drop when she was alone once more. She pushed her plate of food further away from her unfinished, stood up, and walked outside to the patio. She lounged all day on the plush couch under the exterior ceiling fan as various staff moved around the grounds, tending to tidying or gardening.

Her eyes would tear up as her body ached for more of Sheng. Even being away from him for a few short hours proved unbearable. She needed his touch, his stern gaze, and his authoritative but protective words to wrap around her like a heavy blanket.

This is wrong.

The thought flashed suddenly in her mind like a neon sign. Pushing it back, Hadley fell asleep thinking about incorporating a love story like theirs into her writing. When she woke, she stood up, walked back in from the kitchen, ignored the dinner placed out for her, and went straight up to the primary bedroom. She covered herself in the brand-new sheets and blankets that had been replaced after the morning's blood bath. They didn't smell like Sheng.

That night, Hadley tossed and turned. Her skin felt impossibly hot and clammy, sweating through her dark blue slip. She whimpered, pulling Sheng's pillow into her chest and cradling it, letting herself cry freely before finding sleep again.

The bright sun hit her eyes in the morning, and she groaned, reaching her arms out for the warm body that was not there next to her. Her head was pounding, and her body ached as if she had a fever.

She touched her neck; the wounds from Sheng's teeth had already disappeared. Were they healing even faster, or was she just imagining it?

Tucking herself into the bed, hiding underneath the blanket, Hadley decided not to move. She was to live right here until Sheng came back and held her, touched her, and drank from her. She let hours pass until she uncovered her face, taking a sharp breath.

Fuck this.

Hadley's brain felt like it was suddenly turning back on. It had been just over twenty-four hours since the two of them were so intimately sharing this bed, and now it was so clear that she had been in a daze.

You are being drugged. You are in danger. You are not a part of this household in any meaningful way.

"Shut up!" she shouted to herself, the sound muffled as she slammed her head into the pillow she still cradled. The heat and muscle aches in her body intensified. Her head was so heavy she didn't think she could stand up. Shivers ran down her arms from the sweat clinging to her body.

"I'm sick," she said to herself before screaming into the pillow she held against her, her head throbbing more in response.

No, no. You are not sick. You are in withdrawal. Get up, get up, and get out of this house.

She was in a tug-of-war with herself. Her body was on fire and clinging to the life she had been living for the past couple of days. Her mind, however, was awakening. It was fighting back, no longer stuck behind a fog. Hadley was beginning to listen.

Run. Get out. Go.

With all her energy, Hadley swung her feet off the side of the bed and pulled herself out of the blanket. She stood up, not fully able to raise her head without searing pain shooting in between her eyes. She'd had hangovers that felt similar to this after going out to parties with Hector, but attempting an escape at the same time pushed a sense of defeat into her. Hadley's body quivered, and she was about to fall right back into the sheets.

Move. Move your feet.

Right, that's what she needed to do. She accepted the command from the back of her mind, comprehending that with every passing minute, the tug of her body, the love and addiction that held her to this house, was fading.

In little more than lingerie, Hadley stepped softly until she walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Her breathing quickened as she could hear staff walking around and lightly chatting with one another downstairs. Would anyone say anything? Would someone try to stop her?

She hadn't seen anyone other than Amis from the group at the barbeque since the ceremony, and Hadley could probably assume that those were the people to watch out for. She exhaled, letting thoughts of Saul and the harm he likely had meant for her on the night of the masquerade enter her mind.

Why did you come back? How could you be so stupid?

The regret of not using yesterday, a day where she went unsupervised, to find her phone, had begun building in her as she made her way down the hallway and to the top of the stairs. Her stomach had begun to turn, and nausea crept in from the pain of forcing herself to stand upright. She debated whether or not she could descend the stairs on her hands and knees. Her head was just so heavy.

Pulling her strength together and focusing on supporting most of her weight with the railing, Hadley put one foot in front of the other until she touched the first floor, still undetected. Creeping along the wide hallway directly in front of her, she emerged into the entryway, the pentagram ceiling more sinister than ever over her head.

Go out the door. Run.

She did it. She was here. Where would she go? She didn't know, but if she could just find somebody, anybody, who would let her use their phone for just a minute, she could get Hector back over here.

With a deep breath, Hadley placed her hands on the door handle and pushed, stepping out onto the smooth stone with freedom finally in front of her. Her body hovered momentarily, a low pull of desire trying to prevent her from leaving Sheng's scent, but she pushed through and nearly skipped down the path, passing the fountain and hitting the driveway.

Run.

Hadley picked up her feet, pumping her legs faster, her strides longer and longer until she had broken out into a full sprint during the mid-November morning. Her slip was riding up as she kept going, harder and stronger. She didn't care. She couldn't care. She was no longer under his spell, and she would never come back.

With birds singing in the nearby trees of Sheng's neighbors, she felt like she was in a cartoon nightmare. It was over now. She would run until she couldn't any longer and find a phone, a person, a woman, anyone that could help her get home. She wouldn't be a victim.

Her muscles throbbed, and she almost toppled over as she turned the block. The heavy feeling in her head moved down to her upper back. The pain took her breath away.

She moaned loudly, falling on the sidewalk, scratching her face on the rough cement in the process. That fire, the pain that she felt, was like someone was chopping into her with an axe. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She could only whimper and hope that someone would see her and call an ambulance.

"Help," she managed to scream meekly under a rush of air to her lungs as that invisible axe hit her again and again.

"Help," she whispered, trying to crawl forward .

Find a driveway. Find a door.

Arms scooped Hadley up off the sidewalk as nausea hit her again. Her head and her body hung limp; whoever had run up to help held her weight easily.

The invisible axe hit her back again, and she cried out, opening her eyes to see the blue sky with dark gray clouds rolling in from a distance.

"Thank you," she whispered into those arms. "I thought I was going to die. I thought that I would die and no one would care."

Hadley closed her eyes, feeling her stomach turn and her back ache, not paying any attention to the fact that the feet carrying her did not seem to be taking her nearby. No police sirens or an ambulance were pulling up to a victim screaming for help on the sidewalk, but Hadley was too defeated to notice. She was exhausted.

"I would care," Amis' voice said softly as he carried Hadley back up to Sheng's property. "We would all be devastated if you died."

Panic filled Hadley's veins the next time she opened her eyes. She wasn't being carried, and she was no longer outside. Her situation was quite the opposite.

Where am I?

She was laying out in pitch-black darkness.

"Hello?" she shouted before screaming; more pain, more axes hitting her shoulder blades. Hadley let the wave pass over her before she stood, holding her arms out in front of her, trying to feel her way through the darkness. She stepped and stumbled, hearing the sound of a chain and the discomfort of metal hitting her toes. That chain was around her ankle.

Her hands grasped the shackle and tried to claw at it, praying it was not locked. It was immovable.

Panicked, she crawled on her hands and knees, still not able to see anything. There had to be something in this room to give her a clue, an idea of where she was.

Hadley ran headfirst into a very solid structure and felt like someone had just slammed her face with a baseball bat. She whimpered for a few moments, feeling the blood gush down from her nose, pooling in her mouth. She spit it out and realized how soft the floor was. Wherever she was had plush carpet.

Letting her hands explore, Hadley touched the surface she had run into, feeling wood carved and painted over. Her fingers delicately caressed over familiar, thin metal handles spread an even distance apart.

The lights turned on, blinding her. After a few moments of exaggerated blinking, Hadley's suspicions were confirmed. She was in her own closet inside Sheng's house. The chain shackled to her ankle was fastened to something behind the left side clothing rack and looked as if it had a good five or six feet worth of slack to it. She might be able to reach the door.

Her eyes flickered to the exit, the hidden door behind Sheng's closet, to see the man who had brought her here. Amis stood there, wearing his normal attire of a button-down dress shirt and slacks. The look on his face was something that she could not decipher. Was it a surprise? Was it satisfaction? Was it lust?

It seemed like a combination of all three.

"Why am I chained here in the dark?" she asked simply.

Amis put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door frame, smiling down at her.

"On your wedding night," Amis stated. "The priest said you were an angel. Do you remember that?"

"That was not my wedding night. I signed no certificate," Hadley snapped back at him, wincing slightly at the throbbing in between her eyes.

"Oh, you are most certainly married," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Not that it matters too much. Just a piece of paper, I always thought."

"There was no piece of paper."

"Not that you remember, it seems." Amis shifted, unable to take his eyes off hers.

"Why am I here?" Hadley demanded.

"Well, that's very simple. You are still in that jaded, strong, empowered woman phase, not yet thinking about the greater good. Without Sheng's venom pulsing in your blood, you seemed anxious to run away. As I've hinted before, we cannot lose you."

"And what's so special about me?" Hadley shook her head. This was all wrong. She couldn't believe she willingly sat in this house, even unsupervised. How could she not have fought past whatever was flowing inside her blood? Was she really that weak?

Amis responded by flashing a mischievous grin, and then he plunged his hand in his pocket to pull out a folding knife with a mahogany handle.

"Look," he said as he unfolded the blade and held out his hand in the air before cutting his palm deeply with the blade. "We are the same."

Hadley let her annoyance at this worthless analogy show on her face. It didn't matter if they both bled when hurt; they were both human. That wasn't an answer to her question.

"I don't understand . . ." Hadley stopped mid-sentence once she realized what Amis was showing her. His wound, the blood that was slowly trickling down the side of his hand, was the deepest, darkest blue.

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that you don't know what this means?" Amis asked, his blood now dripping down onto the carpet.

"It looks like you broke your nose there. Don't worry, it'll heal quickly. I'd say by tomorrow, you will look brand new."

Hadley touched her fingers to the skin around her nose, wincing from the tenderness as her hands became wet and sticky from the blood. She examined her hand, her eyes wide and confused as she, too, seemed to be covered in blood that matched the color flowing from Amis's hand.

"What did Sheng do to me?" she whispered, horrified, still staring at her hand.

"He didn't do this to you, little girl." Amis almost looked sympathetic. "You are here because of what you are. Though we share the same type of blood in our veins, you are the first and only of your kind. We have no rule book for you quite yet. "

Every question he answered, every time he spoke, resulted in more and more questions. Hadley's breathing began to pick up. She was horrified at the thought that she, too, might have to drink blood or act morbidly in some way.

"My blood was normal, red, just a few days or a week ago. I had pricked my finger on a rose," she muttered, shock prevalent in her eyes. "What does it mean?" she demanded, bursting out in acute rage. She was scared. She needed Hector. She needed her mom. She needed someone, anyone. Her reality was quite different, leaving her alone and locked up. No one was searching for her. No one would help her screaming in the street.

Her heartbeat began to catch up with her quick breaths, and Hadley leaned over, panting. The pain in her back, in her shoulder blades, was back, creeping its way up through her spine. Then, the invisible axe hit harder than it ever had. She could only stare at Amis with pleading eyes and mouth open wide in a silent scream.

"It means"—Amis cocked his head—"that your wings will be coming in soon."