His Phoenix Page 8

  She nodded. “I’ll give it my best. I can hang out with my dad in between classes.”

  “As long as you’re safe, my sweet. Meet me downstairs when you’re done with your lady stuff.” I rinsed my mouth and kissed her before heading downstairs to make sure Mrs. Lent had breakfast ready.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Charlotte

  As soon as Ben left the bathroom, I finished brushing and sat down to put in a fresh tampon. I was a little shocked to find that the old one was still clean. I counted how many days it’d been since I started. It had only been two days. Today would have been day three. I’d had short periods before, but they were usually four or five days long. I'd never had a two day one. It didn’t concern me though.

  I threw an extra pair of underwear and a tampon in my bag before getting dressed and heading downstairs to have breakfast.

  Mrs. Lent greeted me as soon as I entered the dining room. “Good morning, Charlie.” She was setting the last of the food on the table.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Lent.” I sat down beside Ben and started filling my plate. I was starving. I might eat everything on my plate, but I wouldn't make a dent in the other stuff on the table. “I hope you don’t throw away the food I don’t eat.

  “Of course not, dear. I save a little in the fridge for you for later and the rest I box up and take to the homeless shelter downtown. I volunteer cook there during the holidays, so they know anything from me will be good.”

  I smiled at the sweet woman. “That’s amazing, Mrs. Lent. You’re an incredible human.”

  “That she is.” Ben agreed.

  Mrs. Lent blushed a little. “I’m just doing my part to help those less fortunate. That’s how my parents raised me. They did all sorts of charity work while they were alive.”

  “They sound amazing,” I said before taking a bite of bacon.

  “I was blessed to have them as parents.” Mrs. Lent gave a sad smile. I could see that she missed her parents. “Enough about me, you enjoy your breakfast, Charlie. I’m gonna go clean the kitchen.”

  I gave her a thumbs up because my mouth was now full of delicious hash browns.

  Ben chuckled. “Thank you for the food, Martha.”

  “My pleasure, Benjamin.” Martha smiled and then went into the kitchen.

  I ate my food while Ben told me about how he expected his day to go. Busy. Both of our days were looking busy. I had five classes and a shift at the coffee shop before I’d be coming home that evening.

  I finished my breakfast just in time to head out the door.

  “Remember to stay where people can see you, my sweet.” Ben reminded me for the fiftieth time that morning as we were getting in our cars.

  “I know, babe, I will. I’ll even do one better. I’ll text you after every class to let you know I’m safe. Sound good?”

  He rushed over and pulled me against his chest. I was still getting used to how fast the man could move. “I like that idea. I don’t mean to be insistent. I just want you to be safe, Charlotte. I love you.”

  My heart felt almost painfully full at that moment. “I love you too, Benjamin. I promise to be as cautious as I can.”

  He bent and gave me the sweetest kiss. I could feel how much he loved me. It made me a little emotional, or that could be the lingering period hormones.

  “I’ll be expecting those text, Ms. James.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Oh, I see how it is now. We’ve gone formal and demanding now have we, Mr. Valtor?”

  “If it keeps you safe.”

  “It’s gonna be fine, Ben. I’ve dealt with crazy exes before. Athena is no different.”

  “You’re wrong, my sweet. She’s a vampire. That makes her a lot different, and a lot more dangerous.”

  I pulled away from him and opened my car door. “I’ll be safe. I’ll also be late for class if I don’t leave now.”

  “Just remember to text me, please?”

  “I will. I love you.” I smiled and blew him a kiss.

  He grinned. “I love you more, my sweet.”

  “No way,” I got into my car before he could argue.

  I didn’t have time to argue who loved who more.

  He was a vampire with heightened senses, so there was a good chance he did possess the ability to love me more.

  ∞∞∞

  I was leaving the coffee shop after my shift when I saw a familiar face standing by my car.

  “Good to see you again, Charlotte,” Athena said as I approached.

  I looked around and saw the parking lot was mostly empty. The closest person was too far away to help if I needed it.

  “Can’t say the feeling’s mutual, Athena. What do you want?”

  She took a step toward me. “I want you to leave my mate alone.”

  “He’s not your mate. You’re delusional.” I reached into my shoulder bag to get my phone.

  “I don’t think so.” Athena snarled, grabbing my hand and yanking my bag over my head before tossing it. “You will do as your told or I'll make you.”

  I still had my car keys in my jeans pocket. If I could get inside my car, I could get away from her.

  I pushed her, only slightly making her off balance and attempted to run for my car.

  “Fuck!” I cried out when my hair was yanked back, causing me to fall on my ass. “What is your-” I was cut off when Athena’s fangs sank into my neck. I tried to fight her off me, but she was just too strong. She drank greedily until spots danced in my vision. “Thena, stop,” I begged. I wasn’t ready to die.

  Finally, she released my neck. “You’re delicious. No wonder Benny can’t get enough of you. I think I’ll keep you for a little while until your control on him has broken and then I’ll give you a quick death.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but I’d lost too much blood and ended up passing out instead.

  ∞∞∞

  I awoke sometime later in a dark room.

  My neck ached and I was extremely dizzy. I knew I needed to try and get up so I could find a way to escape.

  Very slowly, I made my way to an upright position. I squeezed my eyes shut willing the the dizziness away. Okay, so maybe it went away because I had stopped moving. I looked into the darkness in front of me to try and see anything. Light always seemed to find a way into even the darkest spaces.

  After a few moments of my eyes adjusting, I thought I could make out the faint outline of the bottom of a door. I eased myself to the floor, fighting the little waves of dizziness and began slowly crawling my way over to the sliver of light. I knew better than to try and stand with how dizzy I was.

  Just as I was about to reach the door, it swung open, letting in a flood of bright light. It was too much for my dizzy brain to handle and I began to gag.

  “For fuck sake.” A man’s voice complained. “You’re supposed to be in bed.” I felt arms lift me, the movement pushing me over the edge. I vomited all down the front of the person carrying me. He cursed under his breath but didn’t drop me and gently laid me on the bed. “Lay still while I go clean up. I’ll bring you back some water.”

  The door closed, shrouding me in darkness once again. I didn’t mind. I lay there thinking about Ben and my dad. I didn't know how long I'd been here. I knew Ben would come for me. I just hoped I wasn't dead by the time he got here.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Benjamin

  “What do you mean she’s not with you!” I yelled into the phone.

  I'd called Charlotte’s father when she didn't come home from work.

  This was not the first impression I wanted to make with him, but my mate hadn’t texted or come home after her shift at the coffee shop. I hadn't even gotten a text saying she was on her way home. She should have been home almost two hours ago.

  “I don’t know who you think you are, Mr. Valtor, but you're yelling at the wrong person. Have you called her? Maybe she went out with friends. It's rare, but she does do it from time to time.” He was trying to be comforting but I k
new something was wrong. I could feel it.

  “I’ve tried calling her and she’s not answering. She would never do that to me.”

  “I’m sure there's a good explanation, son. Don’t jump to conclusion and calm down.”

  “I can’t do that, Mr. James. I’m going to the college and see if her car is there.” I needed to do something.

  “That’s a good idea. Let me know what you find.”

  “I will. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” I felt I needed to apologize. “This was not how I saw our first talk going.”

  Mr. James laughed. “I might be mad if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re so concerned for Charlotte. She needs more people that truly care for her and I get the feeling you do.”

  “I love her.” I admitted. He needed to know how I felt about his daughter.

  “How could you not. Now get your ass out there and find our girl.”

  I smiled. “On it. How do you feel about dinner Wednesday night?”

  “Sounds good. Be here at six.”

  “We will. Bye, Mr. James. I’ll call you as soon as I have Charlotte safely with me.”

  “And if she’s not safe?” I could hear the concern in his voice.

  “I will still let you know.”

  "Good. Also, you can call me Lucas."

  "Of course, Lucas. I'm Ben."

  "Go get our girl, Ben."

  "Yes, sir." I hung up and headed out the door.

  My heart dropped when I pulled into the school parking lot and saw Charlotte’s car still parked there. Her bag was about thirty feet away, its contents scattered.

  I parked and gathered her stuff before returning to my car and calling Cid.

  “What’s up, Benny?”

  “Charlotte’s missing, and I think we both know who has her.” I'd told my brother about Athena’s little show at my house in the middle of the night.

  “Shit. Do we know where she might have taken her?”

  “No, but we have the tools to find out. Meet me at the office.”

  “See ya there.”

  I hung up and drove to the office, blowing through two red lights in my hurry. Cid was waiting for me in my office.

  I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer. “Why don’t you see if you can find her on any of the campus security cameras, while I search the traffic cams.”

  We got to work searching through hours of footage trying to catch a glimpse of anything we could use as a lead.

  “Got her!” Cid announced, turning his laptop toward me so I could see the screen.

  I looked at the date at the top of the screen. It was from the night Charlotte said she’d encountered Athena for the first time.

  It was also a clean shot of Athena’s face.

  “Run that picture and see if you can get a name and driver’s license. Hopefully, it will have an address too.”

  Most vampires played by human rules and respected their laws. In theory, Athena should have a valid driver’s license with an address.

  Cid turned his laptop back around and began typing. “Running the picture now. Hopefully, this won’t take too long.”

  I called Lucas and let him know what was going on with Charlotte and assured him that I would find her and bring her home safely.

  Athena best not have hurt her. I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions if I found my mate wounded or worse.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Charlotte

  I came to in the dark again with someone shaking my shoulder.

  “Wake up and drink.” It was the same male voice as before.

  I tried to sit up, but I was still so damn dizzy. “I can’t. I’m dying.” I whispered. My throat was extremely dry.

  The mystery man chuckled. “You aren’t gonna die if you hydrate. You lost a lot of blood and need water so your body can replenish it.”

  Made sense. “Can you help me?”

  He sighed. “Come on.” I felt his hand on my back as he slowly pushed me into a sitting position. “Now drink.” He held a straw to my lips, and I drank greedily until there was nothing left in the glass. “Good.” He eased me back down. “I’ll be back in about thirty minutes with more. Once you’re dizziness fades, we’ll get you some food. Athena will want to feed on you again soon.”

  “You can’t let her do that.” I tried to grab for my mystery helper and got nothing but air.

  He was already standing by the door.

  “Those are the rules, Charlotte.” He was out of the room before I could say anything more.

  I laid there trying to think of ways to escape. I knew I couldn’t do anything until I regained some of my strength, so I laid and let my body rest while I felt the water be absorbed from my stomach. It was weird to be able to feel something like that. It must be another part of sharing a bond with Ben even though we weren’t completely bonded.

  Being with him was still changing me somehow.

  What must have been thirty minutes later, my mystery helper returned with more water.

  “Where are we?” I asked as he helped me sit up again.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that. Just focus on getting stronger before the next feed. That’s the only way you’ll survive it.”

  I wanted to cry. “Okay.” I choked out before taking the straw in my mouth and emptying the second cup of water.

  “Good girl.” He laid me back down. “Rest. I’ll be back in an hour with more water.”

  “Pedialyte,” I said.

  “What?” His voice was confused.

  “Pedialyte will hydrate me faster.”

  I could sense him nod in the darkness. “I’ll see if I can get some for you.”

  “Thank you.” I closed my eyes and let sleep take me until he came back.

  He managed to score me some better hydration liquid. I’m pretty sure he gave me gatorade, but I wasn’t complaining. We continued our routine for however long. I had no sense of time being in the dark. I slept in between every visit. Eventually, he started bringing me sandwiches and chips.

  I got so used to his coming and going that I was surprised when Athena’s voice woke me from sleep.

  “I heard you were ready to feed me again. You really are delicious, Charlotte, and your blood kept me fed for much longer than normal humans. There is something very special about you.”

  I backed up as far as I could on my bed until my back was pressed against the wall.

  “Please, Athena, just let me go.” I pleaded.

  She cackled. “Oh no, that’s never going to happen. I’m gonna keep you as my feeder until your heart wears out.” I felt the end of the bed sink down. “Don’t worry though, Charlotte. I’ll help Benjamin through the grieving process.”

  An anger stronger than any I'd ever felt before rushed through me and swung in the direction I thought Athena was. I felt my fist connect with her face and enjoyed my brief instance of satisfaction.

  “Stupid bitch!” Athena screeched, grabbing my arms and throwing me across the room.

  I hit the wall with such force it knocked all the air from my lungs.

  I coughed and gasped, trying to drag oxygen back into my lungs. “He’ll never be with you, Athena.” I gasped out. “He’ll still love me even when I’m dead.” I somehow found the strength to stand. My own words urging me on.

  Athena stood and approached me. “Think whatever you want, stupid girl. Benny could never be truly happy with a selfish human like you. You won’t even turn so you can complete your bond with him. He deserves a mate that’s not a coward.” She raised her hand to hit me.

  It was then I realized that I could see her in the dark.

  I ducked out of the way, dodging her blow. “You’re wrong, Athena. Our bond is strong enough that it’s changing me anyway.”

  “Impossible.” She stared right into my eyes, and saw that I was staring back. Her eyes went wide. “Your eyes.” She pointed.

  “What about them?”

  “You’re cha-changing.” She tripped over her words. “I'm
ending this now!”

  Athena came at me and once again, I dodged out of the way. I was fast. I turned and landed another punch to her face as she turned. She screamed and grabbed ahold of my hair and began clawing at my face. Using my hands to block her attack, I pushed her back as hard as I could with my leg. She ripped out a huge chunk of my hair as she shot backward and hit the wall.

  The door to the room suddenly burst open and my mystery helper ran in and restrained me.

  “What the fuck did you do, Athena?” He yelled as I threw my head back trying to hit his face.

  He was too tall and I just ended up smashing the back of my head into his chest. His hold loosened a bit, but not enough to break free though.

  Athena straightened her clothes and dropped my clump of hair. “I didn’t do anything. The bitch started turning for no reason.”

  “It’s because I’m mated to a vampire, you idiots.” I spat, still trying to break free from mystery man’s hold.

  “Or because you’re pregnant.” He said, sniffing my neck.

  I froze.

  Athena snorted. “Don’t be silly, Brody. Vampires can’t procreate.”

  Brody released me and pushed me behind him. “Sometimes, Athena, they can. It takes very special circumstances and a very special human. The offspring they create are even more special.”

  I still couldn’t speak. This was not real. It couldn’t be.

  “I don’t believe you. Just hold her down while I drain her and we can be done with this.”