Sleeping Rose Read online

  Bones crack and contort in the wolf. I blink, and Drake is standing in Eli’s grasp, no longer a black wolf.

  “Clever, creating a diversion to draw me away from her.” Drake’s voice is more rough than usual.

  Eli smirks. “You mutts are so territorial, it was easy. If you didn’t have her locked away, I wouldn’t have resorted to this.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you, as if that wasn’t clear,” Drake wheezes out around the pressure on his trachea.

  “She no longer has a choice.”

  My breath comes in quick pants. I think I’m having a panic attack. I need to get out of here.

  Turning quickly, I run toward the garage while both men are distracted. Chauvinistic asses.

  I pick one of the sports cars Drake owns, not caring which one in particular. It just needs to be fast to get me away from here. I jump into a sleek black one and find the keys in the ignition. It turns over with a roar, and I peel out of the garage as soon as the door opens.

  Drake is running behind the car.

  I gun the gas pedal.

  Halfway down the driveway, Eli pops up in front of me. He doesn’t move, and I don’t slow down. If I run his ass over, then he deserves it. He moves at the last second, though, eyes blazing with fury.

  I drive as fast as possible, breaking every speed limit from Drake’s house to my apartment.

  When I walk through yet another new door, my apartment feels foreign, like it’s not home to me anymore.

  This is the first place both of them will look for me. I’ve got to get out of here. I run around, throwing necessities into a duffle bag. Most of my things are still at Drake’s, so I might as well kiss those belongings goodbye. I’ll have enough to make due for now.

  Instead of the sporty car, I grab the keys to my Maxima and walk out of the door within five minutes. My body feels drained of all of its energy. I just need to rest and lie low for a few days. Maybe they will have forgotten about me by then.

  Chapter Nine

  As soon as I slip into the driver’s seat of my Maxima, Eli appears at my stairwell.

  I peel out of the parking lot and take one last look behind.

  Drake is now standing beside Eli, and they are both watching me leave.

  Fuck, I’ve got to get out of here fast, but I have nowhere to go. I drive down the road aimlessly. If I keep moving, they can’t catch up, right? I sure hope not.

  Moisture fills my eyes. Oh, hell no. I’m not going to cry. Why does it feel like my heart is breaking in two? I want to turn around and drive back to Drake’s, but he hid things from me. At least, with Eli, what you see is what you get, even if it’s his pompous ass.

  And why did Eli’s eyes look like that? Why did he say he can only feed from me?

  Ugh, this is why I don’t get close to people. All they do is let me down and I get hurt as a result. Somehow, both of those assholes managed to break through some of my defenses. Hell, Drake was going to let me work temporarily in a real job.

  My phone rings and I glance down, but I don’t recognize the number. I reject the call, sending it to voicemail. If I don’t know the number, I’m not answering. Well… to be honest, I reject the calls of even the people I know.

  I pull over in a Publix parking lot and idle. I grab my wallet and open it up, finding only fifty dollars there. Ugh, not enough for a hotel room. Taking a deep breath, I grab my phone. There is only one person I can think of who would be willing to help me at this point. I go through my contacts and pull up Mia’s phone number. After pressing send, I put the phone up to my ear.

  It rings a few times before Mia picks up the phone and the club noise filters through. “Rose, are you okay?”

  Why would she ask that? “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was Thursday and that you were working. Just call me later if you want.”

  “Don’t you dare hang up this phone. You never call me, and I have time.” She shuffles around, and the music fades a little. “Where have you been?”

  Yeah, we are not going there right now. “I’m okay but don’t feel much up to talking.” Looking out the window, there are people milling in and out of the grocery store. I’d give anything to go back to the time when I wasn’t trying to hide from a vampire and a wolf-man. “I hate to ask this, but could I stay with you for a few days?”

  “Hell yeah, you can.” Her voice is enthusiastic. “Actually, I have an extra bedroom right now. My roommate moved out last week with her boyfriend and I’m looking for someone.”

  No, I don’t want to move in. “Well, I just need a few days until I can get my shit together.”

  “Yeah, no problem at all. I’ll meet you there in an hour. I’m about to perform my last dance for the evening.” She gives me the address and hangs up.

  Well, at least I have a place to sleep for a few nights. I pull out of the parking lot and drive around for another thirty minutes. I don’t want to stay idle too long in case they are still looking for me. I just need some time by myself.

  I plug her address into my phone and follow Waze as it directs me to her apartment. Within fifteen minutes, I make it to her place. She lives in a better area than me, but instead of apartments, I’m surrounded by older two-story duplexes made of brick.

  She has two spots with her apartment number spray painted on the curb. I pull into one, since she’s down a roommate, and turn my car off; I’ve already used enough gas.

  Silence descends, and I can’t help but look around, expecting Eli or Drake to pop up at my door. I mean, that’s crazy. They have probably stopped looking for me by this point, but I can’t kick the feeling. Just thinking of Drake makes my heart hurt. I mean, I expect shit like that from Eli, but I thought Drake was different. His face flickers into my mind, and I have to grab the steering wheel hard to prevent leaving right now and returning to him. Despite everything, he withheld information and I can’t trust him.

  There is a loud knock on my window, startling me out of my reverie.

  Mia is standing there laughing, in jeans and a short shirt that shows her toned abs. Her short hair has some gold speckles in it and lips are still red from her act. “Girl, you were zoned out.”

  Shit, she’s right. That’s not good. I can’t let these guys affect me like this. I have to get my act together.

  I open the door and get out. “Yeah, sorry. A lot happened tonight, and I must have not been paying attention.” I want to get inside her home. At least there, Eli can’t get in… hopefully.

  Mia’s eyes follow mine. “Expecting someone?”

  I reach into the car to grab my bag before answering. “No, I sure hope not.”

  “Well, come on. Let’s go check out your new humble abode.” She sashays to her door and unlocks it.

  I follow her in. The inside is dated, similar to my apartment, but it’s clean. That’s all I care about.

  We walk into the den. The stairs are behind the front door, and there’s a large TV and a worn brown couch sitting in front of it. The kitchen can be seen from the hallway leading from the living room.

  Taking a step up the stairs, she pauses and looks over her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get your stuff in your room.”

  When we reach the top, it splits off in two directions, leading to the bedrooms. She points to the one on the left. “This one is mine.” She then proceeds into the room on the right.

  While walking in, I take in the normal beige walls that landlords like to use. The carpet is still in good shape, so at least that’s a positive. The bed is queen-sized and already has sheets and pillows on it. Sitting in front of it is a chest of drawers with a TV on top.

  She plops down on the bed. “My former roommate left this stuff behind, so you are set. I washed the sheets and pillows when she left, just needing to. She was kind of a slob.” She points toward a small opening. “The only bad side to the place is we have to share a bathroom. Sorry, girl.”

  When I walk to the bathroom door, I note that I have my own sink, but there is a
door opening up to a shower and toilet with separate doors to each of our rooms. “No, this is perfect and more than I expected. Thank you so much. I’ll pay you back.”

  “Uh… no. This is what friends are for.” She stands up, touches my arm, and winks. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to go order us a pizza. Come join me when you’re ready.” She walks out the door, leaving me alone.

  I sit on the bed she just vacated and pull out the phone from my back pocket. There are several missed calls and more than ten new text messages. I open the text messages first.

  Rose, this is Drake. I’m so sorry. I was going to tell you everything tonight after dinner, but Eli showed up and ruined everything. Please, come home.

  My heart sputters to life at that message. He called his place home. Was he going to tell me everything? Of course, he wasn’t. That’s just what people say when they get caught. Why am I letting my heart rule? I sigh and read the next message.

  This is Eli. I need to see you tonight. Where the fuck are you? Get your ass back to your apartment now.

  Of course, he’d find my number. Asshole. Yeah, not happening. He can starve for all I care. That hurts my heart to think about. I’m going crazy. I read the next message, which is from Drake.

  Please, come home. I miss you.

  Okay, I’ve got to stop. I already want to go back to Drake, and reading these only makes the need worse. He comes off nice and caring, but he still hurt me.

  I throw my phone on the bed and head downstairs. I can’t bear to read the rest of them or I’ll wind up doing something I’ll regret.

  Mia is sitting on the couch, hanging up her cell phone. “The pizza will be here in thirty minutes. Hope you like pepperoni.”

  Sitting down next to her, I pull my legs up in front of me and wrap my arms around them. “Pepperoni is perfect.”

  It’s silent for a few seconds before she turns to me. “All right, girl. Time to spill it.”

  Yeah, I should have expected this. And yet, I still don’t know what to say. “Just needed to get away.”

  Barking out a laugh, she crosses her arms. “Nope, not good enough. Needing to get away is a vacation, and this, my friend, is not that, despite my delightful demeanor.” She arches an eyebrow. “So, spill it.”

  She is taking me in against a vampire and a man who can shift into a wolf, so I guess she deserves to know part of the story. “Fine…” I lay my head back against the couch. “All right, well, you remember how I told you I went to Club Fetish?”

  Her hands drop to her lap. “Hell yeah, I do. We’re so going there together. I hear it’s epic.”

  “Yeah, well, you can go, but I’m not going back. That’s where my problem started.”

  Her face lights up with curiosity. “Do not make me pull this out of you. It won’t be pretty.”

  I laugh. “Okay, so, I ran into the owner there.”

  She leans toward me. “You met fucking Elijah? He never leaves his exclusive VIP section and he’s hot as hell.”

  Yeah, that sounds like his arrogant ass. “Yeah, well, I wish he would have stayed there.” I sigh. “I met him, and he has pretty much been stalking me since then. He’s the reason Tip fired me.”

  Placing her hand over her heart, she leans back with her mouth hanging open. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, he keeps showing up at my place, and I needed a place to lie low for a while until I come up with a plan.”

  Shaking her head, she chuckles. “You are something special. I’ve always told you that. You’ve captured the attention of the elusive Elijah and have him going crazy over you. That’s most women’s dreams, but here you are, hiding from him.” She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “That’s one reason I love you. You’re different, and I like it.”

  Being different isn’t all that great. All my life, I’ve felt disconnected from everyone and everything. Even though my connection with Drake is strong and amazing, there is still something missing. Something is still foreign inside me. I’m not sure if that’s ever going to be filled, and that’s something that I’ve had to learn to live with.

  There’s a knock at the door. How the hell did they find me? I get up and open the door, stepping into the intruder’s face.

  The poor pizza guy stumbles back, terror clear on his face. “I’m sorry. I thought you had ordered a pizza.”

  Mia steps beside me, looking at me with amusement shining in her eyes. “We did. We were just watching a scary movie and she was ready to take down It. You’re lucky you aren’t wearing a clown costume.”

  Oh, my God. I just scared the daylights out of the poor guy.

  Mia pays the guy and takes the pizza into the kitchen where there is a small round table with four chairs. She glances at me. “I swear, he peed a little. I saw a spot.”

  I laugh so hard that my sides hurt. I really needed that.

  My phone beeps, causing me to wake up. I grab my phone and see a message from Drake.

  I miss you. I’m sorry. Please, come back to me. You’re all I can think about.

  Ugh, he needs to stop. I miss him, too. I throw my phone down and escape to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower.

  I immerse myself in the water, just wanting to forget my worries. With the hot water hitting my back, I try to let it work out all the kinks caused by the last few days’ stress. I drag myself out and get dressed in some short blue jean shorts and a small, pink tank top. Deciding to let it dry on its own, I leave my hair down.

  I walk into the kitchen and grab a sugary toaster pastry, needing some fuel. I notice a note from Mia sitting on the table.

  Hey,

  Be ready. We are going out tonight. Don’t worry, it’s not Club Fetish. It’s another new, kick-ass club that just opened. I’ll be home by 8 so be ready.

  I glance at the clock and realize it’s already five in the evening. I slept a lot longer than I realized. Granted, I tossed and turned until seven this morning, not able to fall asleep.

  I finish my breakfast, or I suppose supper by this point, and head upstairs, needing to find something to wear. My phone chirps again, but I just turn it off. Nothing good comes out of reading their texts.

  A night out is just what I need, and I’ll have Mia there so nothing bad should happen.

  Chapter Ten

  When Mia walks through the front door, she looks me up and down then shakes her head. “No, go change into something sexier.”

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? It’s the sexiest outfit I brought with me.” I pull at the white sequined top, inspecting it. This is sexy.

  “Uh-uh, no. Not happening. Come with me.” She grabs my hand and drags me behind her.

  “I look fine.” My voice sounds whiny. Oh, my God. I need to stop. I am not a whiny person.

  “Sure, if you’re going for the sweet girl-next-door look. And that’s so not you. No offense.”

  I shake my head with a smile playing on my mouth. This is what I expect from Mia. Brutal honesty. “Well, it’s the best I have right now. So, you’ll have to deal. Besides, that means more attention for you.”

  We enter her bedroom, and she rummages through her closet, passing over many hangers and throwing dresses onto the bed.

  “This is to cheer you up and get you out of this moping mood you’re in. I’ve been wanting to check this new club out anyways,” she glances at me over her shoulder, “and that will not work for where we’re going. Don’t worry. I’ll fix you up.”

  I cross my arms. “I have not been mopey.”

  She arches her eyebrow and places a hand on one hip.

  “All right, damn it.” I laugh.

  She picks up a short black dress and a cerulean-blue dress, holding them both up to me. “Hmm… the blue, definitely. It brings out your eyes.”

  “I can’t wear this. There’s no way my ass would look as good as yours when you wear it.” I stretch it across my body from side to side to see how short it would be on.

  Mia strips her clothes off and pulls the bla
ck dress on. “Oh, shut the hell up and put the dress on.”

  Huffing, I take my outfit off and replace it with the blue mini-dress.

  Holy shit. It looks great and hugs my curves in all the right places.

  “Damn, girl. You are smokin’. We’ll definitely have some fun tonight.” She winks before squatting down in front of the closet and pulling out a matching pair of four-inch heels, plus a black pair for her.

  Of course, Mia has matching shoes. I roll my eyes at her.

  “What? I like to accessorize properly.” She shrugs her shoulders then walks over to her vanity to touch up her make-up from her day at the office.

  I laugh. “I didn’t say anything,”

  “No, but you were thinking it. Come on. Let’s get in line. Maybe your good luck will work its magic tonight.”

  Neither of us bother with a purse. We stuff our IDs and some cash in the front of our bras and head out the door.

  The line at The Vault is three blocks long. What the fuck are they giving these people? Crack? There isn’t a club I would wait that long to get into.

  I raise my voice to be heard above the chatter. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. This line is ridiculous.”

  “Nah, girl. We need to try our luck, or should I say your luck. Come on.” She grins at me.

  That expression looks like trouble, but I let her pull me along the sidewalk. As we get closer to the bouncers, Mia links her arm through mine and sashays her hips toward them.

  A sexy guy in line calls out to us. “Hey, babes. Want to join us in line? We could use the company.”

  I want no part in that. I have enough problems with men at the moment.

  Mia winks over her shoulder and blows him a kiss. “Maybe you can find us inside.”

  Mr. Smooth clutches his chest with an exaggerated, “Oh.”

  We both laugh. Why didn’t I realize how much fun Mia is to be around? I’ve been so closed-off for so long, this is refreshing.

  We approach the bouncers, and they look us over. The bigger of the two reaches over and opens the door for us, nodding us in.