C H A P T E R F I V E

{The frightened Angel...and the invisible man?}

Hoots and hollers filled the frigid cave as a group of four vampires awoke from their slumber, dropping from the pole and heading into the main part of their home, ready to reign destruction and chaos over the small town of Santa Carla. Ready to douse it's streets in blood.

The icy blond entered first and gracefully collapsed in an old wheelchair, pulling a cigarette from behind his ear, lighting it. A smirk twisted his lips as he watched the two blonds so often a headache to him wrestle and shove each other as they appeared, his silent and most trusted brother trailing behind them like a shadowy phantom.

Dwayne settled onto the opposite couch with a book—Bram Stoker's Dracula.

David snorted, still finding it funny that it was one of his favorites. How ironic.

Taking another drag of his cigarette, David watched the room with his calculating gaze out of habit, feeling for any signs of trouble brewing.
There was none.  None except the trouble his brothers caused.

But, currently, Paul was distracted from doing that, lugging his 'rockbox' onto the fountain's edge, flipping his wild hair as he nodded his head along to Aerosmith and lit a joint.

Marko was busy feeding his pigeons, scratching them under the chin like they were dogs, making them coo sweetly. He released his favourite, going to dance with his brother around the fountain.

Sighing obnoxiously, Pauls small attention span ran dry and he fell hard onto the couch next to Dwayne, nearly making the silently brooding man drop his book.

"So what's the plan, daddio?" Paul snarked at their leader, eyes already bloodshot as a result from the wake and bake he'd partook in. "I'm starving in more ways then one...if you know what I mean." He coughed before he wiggled his hips suggestively at him, cackling along with Marko when David sent him an unamused glower.

"Shut your fucking mouth Paul. Don't ever call me that again." It was said with a vicious snarl, but there was a faint hint of amusement dancing in his stormy blue eyes.

"Hey man," Marko butted in, his antagonistic sights pinned on Dwayne who was trying to read. "At least he doesn't call you Tiger Lily or something even more atrocious, Dwayne's never gonna get him to stop that." Marko chimed, an evil smirk aimed at his stoic brother who stared at his book intently, pretending he hadn't heard him. It was easier to live as if the two didn't exist sometimes.

Marko and Paul burst into laughter like two hyenas and even David cracked a small smile.

Their laughter was cut short as David suddenly froze, feeling an odd painful pull digging into his chest like the poisonous pointed tip of an arrow.

The most addicting scent smothered his senses, some sort of flower mixed with something citrusy. He inhaled deeply, eager to smell more before his body stiffened. The lovely scent was tinged with another that made him go wild, his eyes turning yellow and fangs digging into his lip as the pain in his chest grew, molten lava felt like it was travelling  through his veins.

His brothers felt the odd sensation too, their own faces warping into their bestial visages as they smelt the unpleasant scent that was smothering the enticing one, shifting uncomfortably as the pain hit them.

For moments they tried to regain control of themselves; it felt like something was physically pulling them towards the appealing scent, their minds only focused on finding the owner. Their vampire instincts were going crazy at the other smell, defensive and on edge every time they caught a whiff of it.

Snarling with animosity one last time, David sat back in his chair, breathing harshly as his face gradually returned to normal. Silently, he was pissed.

He'd never lost control like that. None of them had.

The sound of his fury reverberated throughout the room, snapping the others from their rage filled daze.

"What the fuck was that?" Marko hissed aggressively, struggling to gain control of the beast inside him that wanted to find the source of the unpleasant smell and get it away from the other one that called to him.

Paul shifted, self aware again, even more than usual he was antsy and feeling like he couldn't sit still, not able to contain a feral growl of his own. His hand shook slightly for the first time in decades as he struggled to bring the joint to his lips, inhaling the smoke like it was water and grinning an easy grin as he felt the strange feeling fade slightly.

Dwayne was the calmest of the four, his outward appearance suggesting nothing was afforded. The only sign was his muscles, stiff as a board, only relaxing when he smelt the citrus scent again.

He looked toward David and waited for his answer.

"I don't know boys...how about we take a ride and find out?" Chucking maliciously, the normally collected man could do little to hide how unsettled he truly felt inside.

He was the leader and they were dealing with something completely unknown. He needed to be strong for his brothers and live up to the role.

They cheered and yelled promises of destruction as they headed to their bikes, laughing as they sped towards the boardwalk.

Nowhere near legal, they achieved a personal record for Paul of getting there working eight minutes and pulling up in their regular spots in front of the carousel, David turned his bike off and yanked the cigarette from behind his ear, lighting it. 

The scent is near boys. Look for anything unusual.

Aye aye, boss man. Paul's lazy laugh echoed loudly in their heads.

They simultaneously rolled their eyes as he slapped his handlebars, his many bracelets jingling. He leant over and shoved Marko to try and lighten the tense atmosphere, forcing them to start joking and laughing with each other as Dwayne and David scanned the crowd for anything out of the ordinary.

David tensed at the feeling of eyes on him.

Turning his cold glare in the direction he could sense it was coming from, he froze completely.

The most stunning pair of amber eyes connected with his and he raised his eyebrows in surprise as he felt the aching lesson...growing smaller and smaller until he barely felt it.

The spellbinding stare belonged to a petite, beautiful raven haired woman. He stared at her face a moment longer, before looking at the rest of her, drinking her in greedily.

She was wearing a pair of shorts on her surprisingly long legs and wide hips, and a long sleeved white gypsy top that showed off her pale neck and small shoulders. She was beautiful and he struggled to look away.

Peering at the beauty of her face again he was completely struck by her like he'd never been by anything before. She had jet-black hair that shone in the moonlight, almost glowing under the Luna rays. Her face had a certain haunted quality to it. He wanted to know more. He needed to know everything.

Boys...front and centre.

Confused by his urgent tone they followed his eyeline and were soon mesmerized too, the intensity and fright all of their attention was known to cause not thought about. It was only being there, in a staring match with her, that the elusively odd feeling started to recede and their bodies relaxed.

The burning sting of pain had now faded when she made hesitant eye contact with each of them. All that was left was a soothing warmth.

Marko slouched, slack jawed, as she breathed shakily. Fascinated by the way her chest moved, the way her heart beat with the same vitality as a petrified rabbits moments before the predator killed. She had no idea how true that was.

Paul was busy trying to memorize every inch of her face, staring like a dopy idiot as she opened her plump lips and gasped in a breath. It was increasingly impossible to resist bounding over their and invading her personal space.

And Dwayne's eyes followed each coil of her hair in the cool sea breeze, until it floated and fell in front of her face. He felt the desire, fingers curling into a fist on his thigh, to brush it away, to cradle her cheek.

The four bikers were transfixed in a short minute. That was all it took. They were enraptured completely—with every move she made, the scent of what they now identified as jasmine and orange so strong it nearly overwhelmed them, calling to them like a sirens song.

Their empathy, long since missing with anyone who wasn't part of their little family, made them concerned for her—so unlike themselves—as she flinched and brought her small hand to rest over her heart, face twisted in pain.

She was on the precipice of hyperventilating.

Of the four, it was David who held the most knowledge. The first son of Max, the oldest of the bunch: from the way his expression of carefully indistinct astonishment dropped, he seemed to realize something long before they could even think to catch up.

His back straightened, a defensive stance, putting the cigarette out to provide her his full attention.

Whats wrong? Dwayne's quiet voice filled their heads, his tone was knowing, implying he might—no, that he already knew.

I think she's our fucking mate. David had to force that last word out as if it's very utterance made him sick but excited, his reply in a tone the others had never heard before.

The only thing they could relate it too was the dazed lilt similar to their victims voices when they played with their minds.

Paul whined childishly, You're shitting me. We gotta share?

David sighed with never ending exhaustion at his idiotic brother.

This means we've gotta pay dear ol' Max a visit, huh? Marko could do nothing to hide how unimpressed and unappealing the idea was.

None of them were thrilled at the prospect of having to talk to Max. He was a pain in the ass and they avoided him as much as they could when possible. But, as they watched their human mate seemingly struggle in pain, they realized they had to. They had no idea how to handle this, not even David.

He didn't respond, too busy snapping his head in her direction with a nasty scowl on his face and his eyes tinted slightly yellow. The reaction was abrupt, so different to the way he'd been relentlessly drilling his lusting, pining stare into her earlier.

Soon, though, the others had the same reaction as they looked. There was some man blocking their mate from their sight.

The disgusting smell was emanating from him, angering them beyond reason. It was suffocating hers in it's filth.

They chorused displeased grunts to hear him talking to her. He was clearly close to her, whispering and smiling with love and caressing her like they were closer than any would understand.

Vampires were possessive, jealous, greedy things. And now this particular gang were jealous beyond fixing.

The pair, unaware of the four vampires now wishing death upon one of them, spoke between themselves for a moment before the woman...with caution, took one final glimpse of them again. As if she, like them, just couldn't help herself.

They smirked, slow and daunting things as creeping as the dawn, when they saw a blush cover her cheeks as she watched them over the man's shoulder, but remembering his presence made them glower at his back.

She paled at this, cold sweat causing her skin to glisten in the moonlight.

Why's she frightened? Her hearts going wild. Marko questioned worriedly as if they had any answer, his eyes connecting once again with her terrified ones. Because if it was them who'd kindled such fear, he'd curse himself that they'd ever scared her.

His brothers didn't get the chance to respond. She mumbled something to her companion before jumping from the railing, speed walking away while still wearing that petrified grimace.

They watched her go with frowns decorating their faces, eager to follow at the pain returning as she got further and further away. They were lost and aggravatingly confused as her companion knocked arms with a man who rounded on her and snarled at her viciously.

What's that fat ass's deal? Paul snarled, feeling miserable as she left their view, the man wrongly accusing her winning his fury at the drop of a dime.

David looked into those alluring eyes one more time when he planted the lure in her head—with a struggle that cemented what he suspected—for her to look back, and he made sure she knew that this wouldn't be the last she'd see of them.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but it was almost like he couldn't see her little friend. No one even looked at him once. Marko, ever the observant type considered what seemed to be the impossible, sneering as he thought of the man with her, angry that he got to be close to her while his own pain and...longing? Grew the further she got from them. He brought his thumb to his moth and chewed anxiously, a habbit he couldn't shake.

At his words, his theory, David and Dwayne exchanged a look, one of speculation and worry as they realized people had been staring at her oddly as the two had left, all but ignoring the tall man next to her like he didn't exist.

Save that for later boys, I think we know what's on the menu tonight. David sealed their victims fate with a malicious smirk at the man who'd snapped at their mate, revoltingly stuffing his greasy face with a hot dog.

The others laughed as their bikes roared to life, speeding off, revelling in people having to jump out of their way if they didn't want to be crushed. David sent one last once over at where she had left, one last time beofre following.

Yes, tomorrow they would be the time for answers.