Second Nature

It has been 3 days since Zach left me that message and to say I’ve been on edge would be a huge understatement. I’d been sat in Frank’s study desperately trying to search into the whole reasoning behind his revenge, but with no avail. Frank was no use all he kept saying was he didn’t know, but I knew he did. Every slight noise caused me to jump, I wasn’t sleeping and I couldn’t focus on any sort of plan to protect those in the house. The staff had been reduced, but Gerard fought tooth and nail, literally, with me to keep Anna by his side where she would “be in the safest possible place” as he kept saying. The sharp, nasty scar above his eye gave me great pleasure knowing that if he was wrong he had had a taste of what would come.
“Urgh!” I screamed kicking the chair across the room with a loud crash, causing Frank and one of the council’s men to come running into the room. That was the other thing, the council had insisted on having their people there to “protect” us but one cannot help but think that it was to ensure I was withholding my end of the deal with Linda. When they first arrived they clearly weren’t my biggest fan until Frank made it clear I had the same status as he himself and that they were to treat me like them treat him and Gerard.
“What happened?” Frank asked looking at me then the chair across the other side of the room.
“What happened is we’re all in danger, he won’t take her to a safe place, I can’t concentrate and you’re keeping secrets!” I screamed in his face as I noticed the councilman inch closer to us. “Stand down councilman.” I snarled at him as I was still in Frank’s face.
“I suggest you calm down Blake.” Frank spoke calmly, which only made me angrier. How could he be so calm in a time like this!?
“Calm?!” I screamed, “You want me to be calm?” I glared at him as I stepped back ever so slightly. “Tell me Frank have you ever been tortured” I watched him shake his head. “Have you ever watched someone be tortured until they beg to die?” He once again shook his head. “Then do not for one second tell me to stay calm. Calm is for a straightforward killing, torture is nothing to be calm about. You lying to me is nothing to be calm about.” He stared at me for the longest time but never opted to speak. I shoved him out of the way as I made my way over to the discarded chair.

“Leave.” I heard his voice finally and as I turned round to look at him I noticed his gaze on the councilman who was walking out of the room. “Fine you want answers, I’ll give you them. I met my one she had the scent of another. I trusted her with everything, I gave her everything I had. She was my one. She told me he was dead. She told me he was horrible. I promised to protect her, I promised I would love her for the rest of our time. I kept my promises. She promised she would never hurt me, never betray me and never leave me. She didn’t.” He spat out stalking his way over to me as I put the chair in between us very quickly.
“What happened to her?” I asked hoping my voice didn’t show the small amount of fear I had. For the first time since I got turned I actually felt fear, not a little but fairly a lot.
“I found her at home. My home. In my bed. Fucking another guy. A human. She looked directly at me and smirked. It was all a setup she had done all this to cause a rift. She thought it would turn me against the human race but when she realised it did not she killed him in the cruellest way possible, she let him bleed out.” He rested his hands on the arm rests on the chair staring at me. “Then she left. She just disappeared. Word came that she was captured and killed and a few months later I received her stuff, a parting shot my way. A photo album of all those she’d bled out.” He kneeled on the chair so he was directly in front of me. Face to face, his cold breath hitting my cheek. “So that is my secret Miss Darling.” He spat out as I stood there speechless staring down at him. I opened my mouth to speak to him but before I could even get the words out he stopped me, “save your breath Blake.” He got off the chair taking it back over to the desk refusing to look over at me.

“What was her name?” I spoke out quietly.
“Why does it matter?” He snapped glaring at me his eyes flashing red.
“What. Was. Her. Name?” I snapped back as he appeared in front of me backing me up against the wall.
“She’s dead. What does it matter what her name was?” He shouted putting his hands on either side of my head.
“Final time Frank. Name now.” I glared at him leaning forward showing him I wasn’t scared of him.
He stared at me for what seemed like forever. “Juliet Birch.” He relented as he told me. I shimmered out of his confinement and walked over to the computer searching for Juliet Birch and I scanned through all the information on her on Zach’s system finding everything I needed to know.
“Just leave it Blake why does it matter now? She is dead! Fucking dead.” He dragged me away from the computer holding my arms, tears filling his eyes. “I’ve moved on. She means nothing to me now. You do. I don’t want you ending up like her.” He stared at me biting his lip.
“He hasn’t moved on though. I’m not her Frank but she’s not dead. I will put my life on it that she is not dead.” I stared at him as I slithered my hand up stroking his cheek. “You’re my one Frank I’m sure of it and she was never yours. Please believe me. She is alive.” I whispered as I kissed his lips softly, feeling his tears drop wetting my cheek as he held me tightly. The ding of the computer made me pull away as I turned to look at the message.
“Bingo!” Is all it read until a picture was sent as I bent down to look at it properly I heard a crack of a window and Frank groan out as I saw him drop to the floor, a bullet hole in his shoulder as I turned to look at through the perfect hole in the window to see the gunman smirk and wave at me.

Notes