CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sonya handed her phone over to the security guard, smirking inwardly when she felt the eyes of someone on her back. The twenty-year-old hoped Momo wouldn’t mind if they brought a few people back with them to party, the atmosphere of the club was exhilarating. She could see that her presence had been made known, familiar faces watching her with interest.
“I’ll get our phones back while you look for the guy.” She smiled at one of the other guards, seeing him slow his walk down the perimeter of the room once he recognized her.
Momo saw the way the two were looking at one another and her face turned sour. The teenager had grown irritated by her games but Sonya was having too much fun to give them up. “Got it.” Her voice was heavy with poorly hidden distaste as she walked off, disappearing into the crowd.
Years ago, she would have felt hurt by her friend’s obvious dislike for her promiscuity. The redhead found it hard to get people to listen to her reasoning for what she did. After years of constant explanations, she stopped giving them and just went with the flow. The rumors that followed her wherever she would go meant nothing when her efforts paid off.
Her fingers drifted upward to the top of her top, unbuttoning it enough that at first glance it would look like a mistake. Her hair was pushed to the side, allowing her breast to be seen. Skin peaked from beneath her clothing as the lights and music faded with her instincts purely guiding her actions. The security guard bit his lip, his hand on his walker holster as she walked over.
It had been a couple of months since the two had last seen each other. He had flirted with her constantly when they both worked at the club. When she left, he was at her heels begging for a conversation. So for a while, they messed around with each other. He had started to dislike her habits from what she had heard, and he pushed her to the side. It didn’t hurt her feelings but she would enjoy playing it up as it did.
“Sonya, what are you doing here?” He looked her up and down, swallowing thickly when he saw that she was dressed provocatively.
“My friend wanted to have some fun before she went back home, so I decided we should get drunk.” She answered, shrugging her shoulders.
While it had observed her, she had also made sure to check his appearance for any information. He had a ring on but it didn’t look like any wedding ring she had ever seen before. It must be something for one of the organizations he is involved in, possibly an inheritance. His body had also gotten extremely fit since they last spoke, he had more muscles than protrude through his shirt. They didn’t look like they were natural but from a drug such as steroids.
She wondered if he held her in his arms, would she break. His strength would become unstable when clashing with her deepest desires. She enjoyed danger but seeing how bulky he had become made her hesitate. If she continued to flirt and it led to the two of them alone, would the pain be worth it? Sonya sighed and leaned towards the man as these troublesome thoughts swam in her head.
“Are you sure she’s just a friend?’ He looked past her at Momo moving throughout the crowd of club-goers dancing with one another. “Or is she your fuckbuddie?”
‘He actually isn’t far off.’ She glared at him, feigning anger. “She isn’t one to settle on that type of relationship. I’m just having fun with an old friend.”
“An old friend who happens to be a part of one of the richest families in this state? Who happens to have a distinct sense of smell?” Sonya cursed under her breath, he knew about the nineteen-year-old without her having asked.
“And so what if she is a part of that family? That shouldn’t make my relationship with her so questionable to you.” He laughed at the way she hissed the words at his face, her body growing tenser by the seconds that passed by.
“Calm down Sonya, I'm only warning you. Word has gotten around that her family is getting greedy and will lash out on anyone who isn’t their blood. The newborn issue has really pissed them off as it’s spilled into their territory. You shouldn’t be jumping into bed with someone like her to play with her feelings. Her family might kill you if they find out.”
Sonya narrowed her eyes, confused by what he meant by Momo's family and the growth in newborns. She had heard that there was an increase in possessions but she didn't know it was getting that bad. Momo came from a very traditional family who held their kind values to the highest degree of importance. So it made sense they'd get angry but they'd never harm her.
"People will look at you differently if they know you're fucking with one of them. I know you're a horny bitch but this girl isn't someone you should play around with. Especially if you guys are more than just friends with benefits. Get her out of here before someone else recognizes you both." The man was worried for her well-being, making sure to pull her close out of anyone else's view. His voice has also gotten lower so only she heard what he was saying.
"Momo will kill anyone who even tries to lay a hand on her." She said knowing that if a fight broke out the nineteen-year-old would win or at least kill someone before they harmed her.
"But they won't just go after her. They'll see that you mean something to her, even if you're just her side piece and use that against her. I can't help you if someone decides to come after you after tonight. Whatever you have planned with her needs to end tonight." He looks around the crowded room before continuing with his rant. "I don't care about her but I care about you. So, I'll give you both your phones as long as you leave."
She shut her mouth, realizing he had known her intentions the entire time. If things were as bad as he really said, they should leave as soon as possible. A fight in the club may end on their side winning but then the backlash may not. She wasn't interested in having her body beaten and bruised for something she wasn't involved in.
Being able to get Zachary off of Momo's back over her behavior? It wasn't worth risking their safety over. It wasn't worth risking Momo's health over. Fifty or so non-humans against the two of them were difficult to think about. Sonya was willing to march up to the manor herself and speak to Zachary if needed. One cranky non-human was something she could easily deal with.
"Fine. Come over to my house later tonight. I want to know what's going on with these newborns and how they relate to Momo's family." Sonya said, receiving a look of confirmation before she moved in the crowd to look for the nineteen-year-old. What he told her weighed heavy on her heart as she began to wonder if they had made a mistake by coming that night.
She looked around for the other non-human woman but it was hard with all the other people in her way. A few of the parties recognized her and waved her over to join them but she held up her hands in a way to decline. If Momo's family had rubbed someone the wrong way and they happened to be here, she wanted to get to them first. Thinking about the other being in danger angered her.
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Walking by tables full of people, she didn't see Momo anywhere. When she saw someone with a similar outfit on they turned out to just be a look-alike or a trick caused by the room's poor lighting. Eventually, she headed over to the bar after failing to find any trace of the nineteen-year-old anywhere. All of the seats at the bar were taken, but she caught the bartenders' eye when she came closer.
"Sonya! Your friend was just over here getting herself into a bit of a tussle." Sonya cursed under her breath at the news. Of course, she would get into a fight with someone at the worst time.
"Did security escort her out?" She hoped they didn't try to calm Momo down, the woman would probably start to fight anyone who got in her way.
The bartender shook his head as he served someone their cocktail. "Nah, she ran off somewhere with the guy chasing after her. He's a nasty bastard, calls girls a few names to get them rowdy."
"That motherfucker," She sighed and thanked the man for his help. "I'll try to find them before it becomes an issue."
“I don’t know, Sonya. That guy was drunk off his ass and they ran off so fast I couldn’t call them back.” This comment annoyed her more than anything, the man is worried about an incident he could have easily stopped.
“Why didn’t you call for security when he chased after her?!” He flushed fumbling with the glasses he had in his hand when he saw the look on her face. It looked like he was about to come up with an excuse for his actions but she held up a hand stopping him. “Nevermind, thanks anyway.”
‘So some pervert is with her, great.’ Sonya hoped the bastard still had his limbs when she found the two. The music screeched around her as she pushed through the crowds of dancing people and tried to see where Momo possibly went.
***
Keao felt like a disappointment sitting in the car with Zachary. Her arms weren't bleeding anymore but they burned whenever she tried to move them. She worried about facing the man since he had acted so strangely when they left the restaurant. She was thankful he had helped and protected her when they were leaving, but she was also conflicted by it. What he had said was confusing and when she asked what he was talking about the shut her up.
He was acting too protective. She appreciated all the help he had given her but she knew he was hiding something from her. However, asking him about these secrets could only make it worse for her. And she needed his help when auntie began to mentor her in taking care of her newborn. It all was so confusing to her, in a way that made her body feel tense and her chest tight. A hand moved upward to hold it and she winced instinctively gaining his attention.
Driving, Zachary noticed her discomfort and gave a sympathetic glance to the child. "When you feel better we'll talk about everything, okay? I just want you healthy before I get you involved in this."
"Get me involved in the fact that you might be bribing the police? Or that somehow they know we aren't human?" Kaeo was small when she spoke, so small that her voice sounded muffled.
"We sway the police to our side when things get complicated. If we let the police run around knowing the truth they could expose you. Or worse, they might try to blackmail us with the information they have." Zachary watched as the child wilted and curled into herself. "That can never happen so don't worry about it, Mistress. You'll be protected by the boys in blue as long as they value their lives."
"You'll kill them if they turn me in." She felt conflicted on how to take this news. On one hand, is protected by so many people made her feel safe. But one the other, knowing that people were being threatened to do so made her feel sick.
"Of course I will." She knew the answer beforehand but hearing it made it all sink in.
The thought of humans being murdered in cold blood for her was sickening. She wanted to argue that what he was doing was wrong. But she couldn't because what he was doing was for her and to help protect them all. Due to the fact she had made a selfish mistake that could put their entire family at risk and possibly ruin the way they had been living for years nonexistent.
How would they explain having Lea? They couldn't just come out and say, hey we're actually a race of non-human entities that eat humans to maintain our form! And the human girl you've been looking for so badly isn't actually human anymore but a flesh-craving creature like ourselves! A reservation in a mental ward would be put in place for them along with a couple of electric chairs.
And where would they go after everything came to light? Thailand was a safe bet but her mother and auntie were mortal enemies at the moment. There was no possible way she'd ever let the other woman step a foot on her land. The household was too big to even sneak away from the states without any notice. They had family in California but she wasn't sure they'd be willing to risk their safety for distant relatives.
Her arms hurt as she held herself together in a hug, wishing that it didn't have to be this way. "I'm sorry that I didn't do a better job. I just saw all the blood and the flesh and I ran away."
"That's okay, Mistress. You are so young and you've had to deal with things that people ten times your age haven't yet. I wouldn't expect you to know how to properly dispose of a corpse or how to clean up a blood trail. You did your best with what you had and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. I'll handle everything." Zachary came to a stop as they hit a red light near their house.
The wait for the light to turn green was an eternity. His words weighed heavy on her heart, cracking it into pieces when she realized how caring he sounded. He actually wasn't disappointed in her and he spoke to her like she was on his level. This entire journey with meeting Lea and confronting Momo and hiding from the truth he had stayed by her side.
He was protecting her with everything in his power and she knew that he did it because he wanted to. Auntie hadn't commanded him to watch over her with warm glances and a helpful hand. Sure, he was meant to protect her but he was never taught or commanded to actually value her as a person. To others, she was just another potential heir who failed at pleasing the family head.
But to Zachary, she thought that he actually saw her as Kaeo. A fifteen-year-old girl who loved humanity and had a place in their family. She wasn't a waste of space to him, but his niece. He even called her by her name when they left the restaurant and barely anyone did that. They just said yes Mistress or of course Mistress like a slave. His voice uttered her name like it was a warm hug.
"You're important to me, Mistress. You remind me so much of your father but you don't have his callousness. Or his desperate need for power. You're more than a decent person. With everything you do, it shows me that you're someone I can feel good about worshipping." He continued with his rambling as if she wasn't there.
"Your aunt is hard on you because to others you look weak. You aren't bloodthirsty and you don't crave destruction. You can't hold your own in any fight, no matter how weak your opponent is. She's ashamed of it at times, but I know deep down it pleases her to have you on her side."
"Pleases her? She hates me and she hates my mom." Kaeo was in disbelief at his words. It hurt to hear him describing her as weak but she knew it was true. She was weaker than ever with her refusal to eat human flesh.
"She doesn't hate you. She wants you to get stronger and your mother is a topic that I can't discuss with you right now. "
"Auntie lets Momo threaten me all the time and she doesn't do anything. She looks at me like I'm a mistake because I'm not like my dad." She sighed. "If I really am someone she loves, she should treat me that way."
"Our kind love differently. Eventually, you'll see things her way and understand the choices she made regarding her treatment of you versus that of Momo's." He reassured her as they pulled up to the gate of the manor which opened upon their arrival.
The car came to a stop as they parked and Kaeo unbuckled her seatbelt. Her arms hurt from the action but she didn’t want to ask Zachary for more help he had already given her. By the time their conversation finished the bleeding had finished and the blood on her skin was dry. She stared at her ruined dress sleeves with discomfort, feeling her spine tingle at how much blood she had lost.
“We’ll clean up your wounds after I feed you,” Zachary said, opening her door for her as she hopped down with a little grunt of pain. He saw how bad her injury was as they walked towards the manor. “Are you alright, Mistress? I know what happened was a lot to take in.”
Was she ever okay? She bit her lip unsure of how to answer. “I’m fine. Thank you for telling me all of that. I guess the way I was taught to love is more human than I really should.”
“In a way you’re right. Your mother’s way of bringing you up conflicted with what we all wanted. But I believe it was a success at the end of the day.”
“But it made me weaker than everyone else,” She felt her chest ache from admitting something that was a dark thought for years openly. “And that’s why auntie can’t show she cares about me. Because I’m too human compared to you all?”
“It's more complicated than that, Mistress. ” Zachary replied, sounding as if he wasn’t sure of the answer. "As I said, this is something between your aunt and mother. You shouldn't worry about it."
"Sorry." And with a blink of an eye, the loving uncle was gone, replaced with her cold-hearted security guard. She silently wished he had stayed longer as they entered the manor and were enveloped in its cold exterior.