Cain laughed. In his many centuries, no one had dared to call him dude. He turned back and arched a brow in question.
“Does this mean we’re going to become vampires now, too?”
So, that’s what this had all been about. They were hoping for immortality. Ah, the follies of youth. The bigger boy was much too eager and excited to truly understand what he’d just asked.
Cain walked back and watched sadly as they anxiously awaited his answer. He decided the only way to make them understand the dangers they were naively putting themselves in was to give them a demonstration.
“That’s not how it works,” Cain said contemptuously. “I told you once to go home, but now it’s too late.” He let a wicked smile slip across his face. “Now I want to play.”
Fear began to register on the blond girl’s features. Finally! Time to show the boy what he was messing with. Cain allowed his eyes to change and turn a demon red as he stared, willing her mind to obey his command. Cain then opened his arms and said, “Come to me, sweetheart.”
Her eyes glazed over as she fell quickly under his compulsion. With any luck, one of the boys would jump to her aid before she actually reached him, because he really didn’t want to touch her. But he had to do something, before they really did meet up with something evil. There was no way of knowing if Rafael’s death would scatter his followers to the wind.
Cain smiled cruelly as he became aware that she was trying to fight against his compulsion. Good. At least she wasn’t coming to him so eagerly now.
“Get down on your hands and knees. Crawl to me.” That ought to do it. No self-respecting boyfriend was going to allow his girl to crawl to another man.
“No way, asshole!”
Cain wanted to let it go at that, but for their benefit he knew they needed something that would make them err on the side of caution in the future. “Don’t interrupt me, boy,” he growled, then flung his hand out towards the bigger teen who had stood up and tossed him through the air. He landed on his ass several feet away and shook his head, dazed but unharmed. He let go of the girl’s mind and watched as she and the other one scrambled inside the car. “Where are you going, I was just getting started?”
“Screw you!”
“Not very nice,” Cain admonished. In two strides, he reached the car and with ease jerked the door completely off its hinges. The two girls screamed and huddled together, trying desperately to get the far door open so they could escape. Cain was delighted to see that the braver of the two boys wasn’t bothering to wait around to see what happened next. He simply ran over to his friend, yanked him up off the ground, and pushed him towards the car.
When he got within arm’s length of Cain he saw the car door lying on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. His bravado melted away. “Look, mister, just let us go, and I swear we won’t say anything about this to anyone.”
Cain tapped his lip with his finger, pretending to consider his request. “You’re certain you don’t wish to become like
me?” A smile almost escaped when he saw the teen shake his head no.
He shrugged, then stepped away from the car and gave them a grand exit. He lifted himself into the air and hovered just a few feet above them. They stared in horror when he contorted his features to appear more beast-like, then he shifted in midair and took off in a blaze of speed.
When he landed several streets away he saw a drunken man stumbling towards him and Cain groaned. Damn, the only thing worse than feeding off a man was feeding off a drunken man.
He quickly took care of the task of replenishing what he’d lost, then left the man to recover. He stepped around the corner and found another man alone. This time he took enough for Diamonique. She would be hungry when he returned, and he alone would satisfy her cravings.
Chapter Seven
When Cain reappeared inside his home, Diamonique still lay naked on the couch, her eyes closed. In two long strides, he was across the room and kneeling at her feet.
“My love, talk to me.”
Her eyelashes drifted upwards, green heat landed on his face. “You came back for me.”
“Of course. You are my world, Diamond. Without you, I am nothing. Don’t you know that?”
“Why did you take Sareena to bed, Cain? To our bed.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. It was like shards of glass cutting away at his skin. “You scared me, love. The things I felt for you scared me. I lashed out in the only way I knew. If I could take that day back, I would. Believe that if you believe nothing else. But I cannot. There can be no going back. Only forward. Will you walk into the future with me, Diamond?”
“Are you planning to...lash out like that again?”
He shook his head, more terrified than he cared to admit at the possibility she would leave him, and he’d be left a shell of a man. That he’d end up like Rafael. “I would rather cut out my own throat than cause you an ounce of pain. You are my precious Diamond, and I will always love you. No matter if you leave me right now, I will always love you.”
Diamonique reached up and stroked his cheek, then murmured, “I love you, too, Cain. But if you ever hurt me like that again,
I’ll cut out your heart and feed it to the rats. Are we clear on that?”