Escaping from the Vampire Rogue- Chapter 2

Published: January 19, 2020
Edited: January 27, 2020

2

KAYLA

As per protocol, Derrek stood next to the shiny black
Tesla sedan her father loaned her when she started school at Piermont. She didn’t
even know how to drive for Pete’s sake. Yet, there it was every day, sitting curbside
ready for Derrek to squash her social life like a bug. It was another reminder
of how guarded she was.

When he saw them, Derrek adjusted a coat that looked to
be twenty years older than her and opened the back door. There were no pleasantries
between them as she scooted by him to get in. Not even a hello. Derrek said he preferred
it that way. He was terrible at small talk. She could see why.

As a beefy man who towered above most people, his girth scared
most of them shitless. His magic didn’t help him make friends either. Not with normies
at least. Normies felt the underpinnings of their power even though they didn’t
realize it. The more powerful the mage, the more off-putting they could be. Derrek
had off-putting in spades.

Once she was in the car, her beefy guard moved in
Breanne’s way. Kayla gave him the hardest eye roll of her life. Freaking Derrek.
They didn’t have time for this.

Breanne was already on the case. “I barely have any
clothes on, I’m sure you don’t need to search me this time,” she said, hands flying
to her hips.

Everyone else may have been afraid of him, but Breanne was
not. Her friend seemed immune to mage power. Derrek raised his right brow and
studied Breanne.

“Open your purse,” his thick voice rumbled as he stared
down at the petite bag at her hip.

No, scratch that. This was the hardest eye roll of her
life. Kayla leaned over to peek her head out and let disapproval color her tone.
“Come on Derrek, we’re going to be late.”

Her bodyguard’s jaw hardened. He didn’t like to be told
what to do. Especially not by her. Her phone beeped.

“See? That means we’re late.” A white lie never hurt anyone.
Especially when it got her exactly what she wanted. He moved to the side and let
Breanne in.

A quick glance at her phone flashed a message from her
dealer.

Chem: Be fucking ready. I’m on my way.

Bastard. She’d have to figure out how he made her tonic
so she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. Clean cash. Who even wanted
clean cash anyway? Normie’s couldn’t tell the difference. But she had to play by
his rules.

Fine. She’d get clean cash.

Kayla deflated a little when she turned to the bodyguard
forcing himself in the front seat.

Derrek had been her bodyguard since she was 13 and in the seven years, she’d known him, he’d always been hell-bent on following her father’s rules. Even though they both knew they were outrageously ridiculous.

He’d even said it himself that the only reason he’d only
been hired because her father was eccentric. But trying to convince Derrek of
that or anything resembling defying protocol was like talking to a potted plant.
But she had to try. Her love life depended on it.

“Derrek,
we have to make a stop.”

“What’s
that?” He called from the front seat as they unlatched from the curb.

“I
have to go to the ATM. We need cash for the party.”

“I
didn’t realize there was a cover,” Breanne said from beside her.

“Yeah, the sorority house is raising funds for charity or something. Don’t worry, my treat.” She tossed Breanne a brief smile and hoped her lie was convincing.

“How
much?” Derrek asked.

Her
smile faded. “Enough to need to go to the ATM for my own money.”

The
message was coded, but he didn’t bite. “What’s the cover?”

Come on Derrek, work with me.

“I
want to use my own money.” From the flash of understanding in his eyes, he knew
exactly what she meant. She didn’t want to use magicked money, especially not
his. If her father had given it to him, it wouldn’t let her use it for anything
on his disapproval list.

She’d
tried it once when she was eleven. Her father had sent her into the grocery
store to get eggs. While there, she’d tried to sneak a pack of gum, which he’d
said would rot her teeth, and the money wouldn’t unstick from her hands when
she’d gotten to the register. It wasn’t until she’d returned the pack of gum
that the money loosened from her grasp.

If
the money in Derrek’s pocket was just the same, she wouldn’t be able to get her
tonic. She couldn’t take that chance.

“There’s
a bank on Broadway, take a right.”

The car didn’t turn. She ground her teeth. “Did you hear me, Derrek?”

“I
heard you alright.”

Alright,
asking nicely wasn’t going to win her any points tonight. “So, are you going to
take me or not?”

Silence
spread between them and Derrek kept the car pointed toward campus. No, that was
not what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to respond not keep his face
smooth and unreadable.

Gritting
her teeth, she pushed herself forward in her seat and grilled him in the rearview
mirror. He’d better thank his lucky stars her magic was completely gone or it
would have come raging out of her in a ball of hellfire aimed at the back of
his head. “Derrek…”

Just
when he turned up a side street a few blocks from their school, they stopped. Several
orange and white striped wooden barricades lined the road, blocking their way.
She smirked.

Hmph. Take that for protocol.

Triumphant,
she sat back in her seat and crossed one arm over the other. And did what any
other practical person would do in her situation: gloated. Was it childish?
Sure, but she couldn’t help herself. Derrek deserved it.

“See?
If you’d just taken me to the bank, we wouldn’t be stuck on a closed road.”

“This
road is not closed. It was checked a few minutes ago.” Derrek grunted.

She
stared at Derrek’s reflection in the rearview mirror. Instantly, her jubilation
crumbled to her feet. Her thick-necked bodyguard didn’t return her gaze, but alarm
made a deep crease in his forehead. The sprinkle of greys in his hair seemed to
stand on end. He looked like he’d aged ten years in a few seconds.

Wait
a minute, was there really a reason she needed to be guarded at all times? Someone
she needed protection from? Some villain only her father knew about that she’d
dismissed as one of his eccentric oddities?

All questions she planned to ask Derrek but stopped when she glanced at Breanne.

Guilt
clawed at her stomach. She was keeping so much from her already. Concealing certain
things about herself kept Breanne safe. Heck, it was already a miracle that her
only friend soldiered through the many routine checks Derrek happily put her through.
The girl was steely.

That was probably because she didn’t suspect their routes were checked too. That would’ve freaked her out more than the routine checks did. Breanne would have run out of there faster than a racehorse at the Belmont Stakes.

She
might still when she heard what had to come next. Radio checks.

Glancing
up, she eyed Derrek as he pulled out a radio from the middle console wishing
there was a way out of it. “Blue Team, Blue Team, this is Watcher, copy.”

“Watcher,
this is Blue Team.”

This
was it, there was no turning back now. She snuck a glance at Breanne. Breanne’s
chin met her chest for the second time that night. This time, there wasn’t a
mirror displaying a gorgeous girl back at her. Now, her roommate realized she was
smack dab inside of the bubble her father created. Kayla knew what came after
that. Dread squeezed her gut into its tight fist. Breanne was going to run.

As soon as they made it back to their apartment, the only real friend she’d ever had was going to pack her things and high tail it out of there. Any sane person would. The thought of her wanting to distance herself made tears sting Kayla’s eyes. She didn’t want to lose her.

“Confirm
the route, over.”

“Kayla,
what’s going on?” Breanne whispered beside her.

Plucking
at the seatbelt, she pretended not to hear her. What was she supposed to say? ‘Hey
I know we’ve been friends for almost a year and I have never told you this, but
my father sent a team of people to watch over us. Yeah, that guy who cuts the
bushes? He’s really another bodyguard like Derrek. The woman who lives across
the hall? Probably sent by my father too because I can sense her magic. I never
did confirm that one though.’

Yeah,
right. That was a pill too large and too dry for anyone to swallow.

“Come
in, Blue Team,” Derrek said again, before setting the radio into his lap. Derrek
checked the side mirrors and out of the windows as if searching for something off
about the neighborhood they were in.

Nothing
as far as she could tell. Outside of what looked to be a power outage, nothing
looked out of place. Sure, the street was vacant, but it was late. Most people
would be sleeping by now. Especially in this neighborhood that was more
residential than city.

“Radio
check, over,” Derrek called into the radio. Static fell into silence. That was
not good. Derrek’s jaw cracked as he fiddled with several buttons to switch
channels. “This is Watcher, come in Red. I need an alternate route. Copy.”

Silence.

Derrek
slammed the car into reverse. The tires screeched against the pavement as the
car whipped around. Breanne yelped as she was knocked back into her seat.

“Whoa,”
she said.

“Derrek,
calm down, you’re being scary.” Her voice shook. Unconsciously, she tightened
her seat belt to feel the comfort of the strap across her chest. It made her
feel secure. Safe. She should do the same for Breanne just in case she was scared
too. She reached over and tightened hers as well before readjusting her own.

“What’s
happening?” Breanne whispered fiercely as she leaned over.

“It’s
probably nothing.” Not once could she meet Breanne’s gaze.

Derrek
switched to another channel.

“This
is Watcher. Falcon and Sparrow are en route. Need an evac. Over.”

“Affirmative,”
a voice finally said. “Head towards banker’s row.”

Her
shoulders eased. Derrek turned up Euclid Avenue toward the street that lived up
to its namesake. A set of headlights followed them. He turned off the route.
Again, the headlights bobbled behind them. He pushed on the gas. The car raced
forward. So did the truck behind them.

Derrek
pressed the radio against his lips. “Confirm yourself, by protocol, over.”

When
no one answered, Derrek’s foot eased off the pedal. The car slowed, but the headlights
behind them grew brighter. She glanced over her shoulder through the back
window.

Shit.
The truck behind them wasn’t stopping.

“Go,
Go!” She screamed, sliding forward in her seat.

Too
late.

The truck smashed into their bumper, sending her jerking against her seatbelt. The tires squealed as they scuttled across the pavement until coming to a halt. The airbags deployed, decking her in the face with an ear-deafening boom.

Flashes
of white, red and black speckled her vision. The world spun until it faded to
black.

“Get
the girl who looks like the picture and don’t get a scratch on her,” a commanding
voice said behind her.

What?

She
blinked and tried to lift her head but a pair of blinding white high beams sent
a wave of sharp shooting pain through her skull.

Had
she passed out?

She blinked again. The light didn’t hurt so bad when she squinted. She lowered her lids and scrambled to move, but a dizzying surge kept her flat against the ground littered with safety glass.

The ground? How in the hell?

“Ger
her out of the car,” he yelled.

What
the hell was he talking about? She was already out of the car.

When a figure stood in front of the headlights, that thought dissolve. The car was surrounded. A ring of black, armored trucks gridlocked them in, blocking the street. Two sets of strong high beams created a spotlight on them.

This
was bad news. She needed to get the hell out of there. Lifting to her knees should’ve
been easy. She’d done it a hundred times. This time, her body wouldn’t get up,
like her limbs were superglued to the ground.

“Boss,
looks like there’s life in the front seat. What are our orders?”

Alarm
bells rang in her head.

Derrek. She looked up at the car. Derrek was hunched over the steering wheel unconscious. She needed to wake him up—to warn him that someone was coming—but it felt like her tongue had outgrown her mouth. Too thick to move.

“Take
care of him, but do not disturb the street,” the first voice replied.

The silhouette a man shouldered his rifle before pulling off his gloves. A string of purple electricity shot from his fingertips. Oh No.

She tried to shout for Derrek again. When that didn’t work, she tried for her legs again. Her limbs remained stuck to the pavement like an invisible rope tethered her to the ground. Her stomach churned as she was forced her to watch the man’s magic travel up the car door, weave through the airbags, and tighten around Derrek.

He
convulsed violently, body jerking against the front airbag like he was being
suffocated by a boa constrictor. A matching sharp pain tightened around her and
squeezed. The more it crushed Derrek, the worse it’d gotten for too.

Her
vision blurred.

Oh, God. He’s killing him. Killing us.

Stop,
she tried to command the man’s magic away. It didn’t budge. It merely tightened
around Derrek’s body and squeezed so hard, she felt the air being forced from
her lungs.

Stop. Please stop.

She
gasped trying to get her lungs to inflate again.

Why
couldn’t she move? If she could just get to the man, she could make him stop. Beg
him to have mercy.

She
was going to pass out. No, she was going to die.

Lightheadedness
set in; her lungs were no longer contracting. Her body remained too tight to do
much besides stay tethered to the ground. It probably wouldn’t do her any good if
she wasn’t pent against the gravel. If she were free, she would probably be flopping
around like a fish struggling to breathe.

The
pain became unbearable. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her shallow
gasps brought her body none of the needed air.

This
was it. She was going to die.

The
pain burst. An invisible forcefield shattered around her. Derrek stopped
jerking. Then, his body slumped.

No.

Her
lungs released.

“Mmm,”
the man purred as the electric current slithered from the car and back to him. “I
love that feeling.”

How?

Her
eyes flickered up to Derrek again. He was gone. Tears leaked from her eyes like
he’d wrenched her heart from her chest and smashed it onto the pavement beside
her then stomped on it.

Her
body quaked. Her stomach flipflopped. A hole in her chest grew to the size of a
softball. There was nothing to love about this feeling.

All
magical beings felt their kin. Their presence was soothing like a warm hug from
a loving grandparent.

Even on her tonic, the sense had been dulled, but not deadened. That’s how she could feel the woman across the hall. But with Derrek, it was different. She’d always known he’d have her back. Felt it. It’d been her constant reassurance for the past seven years. Every time they’d gotten into the car to go to school. Whenever he’d taken her home to see her dad. When he took her to her soccer practice in high school. Throughout everything, he’d been there.

Now,
that security was gone. Her emotions scattered. She didn’t know what to feel first.
Loss. Sadness. Regret. Pain. Derrek’s essence had been ripped away and with it,
his protection.

She
dry-heaved.

“What
the hell? There’s two of them. You said take the girl who looks like the picture.
Looks like that’s both of them.”

The
man’s voice snapped her attention. They were in trouble.

After a short pause, another voice said: “Yeah, I see that.”

“Then
which one do we take?” replied someone else.

What
did he mean, which one? Her thoughts jumped to Breanne.

Please don’t let him be talking about her.

She
wouldn’t be able to take her loss too. She’d rather throw herself on a live
wire. She wanted to look at him to see but her face wouldn’t move.

“Splinters
won’t care,” the mage standing next to Derrek said. “Either one should do. They
look close enough. Let me have this one.”

Her
insides quivered.

“No,”
the first one said. “We need the right one for the auction.”

Auction? What did he mean auction? She tried to jerk her body up but it refused to move.

“Then
what do we do?”

“We take them both.”

Chapter 3 will be out on Monday (Jan 27)

Author’s Note: Yo, I never freaking published this! What the heck? I logged in and saw this has been in draft form for over a week. Whomp. Whomp. It’s here now. I revised chapter 1 and added to it and broke this out on its own to get more depth to the scene. If anyone’s still there, I hope you enjoy!

This time around we’re doing things a bit differently. When a new chapter goes live so will the voting. Voting will be open to everyone and will be linked at the bottom of the chapter.

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Until Next Time,

Sabrina