Chapter 4

{Merryn's pov}

 "Merryn, wait!" Dakota shouted, jumping between Josephine and me before I could tackle her to the ground. A large crowd began to form around us as everyone began to cheer, chanting for us to fight. However, Dakota lifted his hand to block me from stepping closer to Jo. He shook his head, frowning at me. "Think before you act, Eryn. If something happens tonight… If you get into a fight, Samael will never let you leave his sight again. Do you want that? Do you want to be a prisoner?" He questioned me in a hushed tone so the students could not eavesdrop on our conversation.

 I huffed at him, watching as Jo smirked and raised her hands, wiggling her fingers at me. I glared at her, flipping her off before Kota pulled me away to prevent me from getting into trouble. Once we were far away from Jo, I sped-walked over to the beverage table and poured myself a drink. This time I added more alcohol than before. I could see him shaking his head at me from the corner of my eye. Which just angered me even more. I was practically an adult and was plenty old enough to make my own choices. It would be my choice if I wanted to get drunk and have fun. Whatever happened to me during that time would be my fault. I am perfectly capable of taking responsibility for my own decisions. Glancing down at my drink, I barely even noticed that I had already swallowed it in one gulp. I frowned, shrugged my shoulders, and then poured myself another one. 

 "Eryn, wait. You shouldn't drink that much." Kota grumbled, reaching out and taking the glass away from me.

 "Stop it, g-gib…." Pausing, I pouted at myself while trying to remember the right words. "Give it back!" I glared at him.

 He shook his head, laughing as he held it up in the air out of my reach. "Listen to yourself, Eryn. You are drunk."

 "Nope!" I giggled, making a pop sound for the P.

 "Yeah," Dakota chuckled, rolling his eyes at my childish antics. "you're officially done drinking for the night. Here, have this instead." He held a bottle of water out in front of my face, and I swatted it away, still trying to jump for the plastic cup he held in the air. "Merryn, stop it."

 "Gib, give me that b-back." I slurred, smacking his chest. He watched me jump up and down as I swung my hands in the air, trying to hit my cup out of his hand. His laughter was contagious, and soon, I was laughing with him. I stood bent over while holding my stomach and cracking up. "I am… d-drunk, huh?"

 "Oh yeah. You are intoxicated, gorgeous." Kota smirked, lowering the cup before pouring the contents onto the ground. He placed the water bottle back in my hands. "Drink up. It'll help you feel somewhat more human."

 I nodded, twisted the cap off the bottle, and then took a long sip. Kota wasn't lying because as the water slid down my throat and into my stomach, I started to feel a bit better. My head was still a little dizzy, and my vision was still slightly blurry, but otherwise, I felt a little more human. "Thank you, Dakota."

 He shrugged his shoulders, grinning at me in his typical boyish way. His light brown hair hung low in front of his grayish-blue eyes, sticking to his sweaty forehead. Slowly, I raised my hands and moved the hair away from his eyes. Heat crept up my neck as he bit his bottom lip, watching me curiously with his beautiful eyes. "Anytime, gorgeous."

 "You really shouldn't call me that." I laughed.

 He smirked, laced his fingers through mine, and pulled me against his chest. "Maybe not, but I don't care." 

 "People are watching us," I whispered.

 "Let them, Eryn. Who cares what they think," he replied, leaning close to my ear. "I only care what you think."

 "What do you mean?"

 "I mean," he whispered, lowering his voice as he leaned closer. "I want to know what you think of me. What if I…. kissed you?"

 "You wouldn't dare!" I gaped.

 Dakota smirked, getting closer to me so that his lips brushed against mine. I could feel his breath fan my face as he froze in place before whispering, "Do you wanna bet?"

 Without a second thought, I slowly nodded. Dakota closed the last bit of space between us, pressed his lips against mine, and I melted into his embrace. His mouth moved rhythmically over mine, devouring and tasting my lips as if he had been starved. I felt his tongue glide along my bottom lip, asking for entrance into my mouth. Immediately, I parted my lips and allowed his tongue inside. 

 The kiss exploded after that as he slid one hand down to my hips, tangling his other hand through my hair. Our tongues wrestled together in a heated passion, leaving me breathless and wanting more. I needed more. I wanted him to kiss me like he meant it and didn't give a damn what Samael would think if he watched us. Then, when Kota pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine, I was a complete mess. Aroused. Dazed. Confused. Lost. Afraid. Angry. My emotions were all over the place, contradicting each other as my mind couldn't make its own mind up.

 "You shouldn't have done that," I mumbled breathlessly.

 Dakota shook his head at me, frowning. "You could have pulled away, Merryn, but you didn't."

 "You shouldn't have kissed me!" I shouted at him, starting to hyperventilate. "No. No. No."

 "Hey, hey. Relax, Eryn. Deep breaths."

 "NO! We-we shouldn't have done that."

 Dakota rolled his eyes before he gently grabbed my face in his hands. "Do you regret it?"

 I blanched, staring at him with wide, startled eyes. "Wha-what?"

 "You heard me," he replied, lifting my head up to meet his gaze. "Do. You. Regret. It?"

 I thought about his question for a moment, wondering if regret was what I felt. Soon I realized that no, I did not regret kissing him. However, I regretted that I had put his life in danger. Many students around us have met Samael, and I wouldn't be surprised if he compelled some of them to spy on us. I tried to shake the fear out of my mind. I was being irrational. Foolish. Samael would not waste his time hiring high school students to spy on me. He had Dakota for those types of jobs.

 Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I looked up at Kota and shook my head. "No, I don't regret it," I answered him.

 "Good." He grinned before pulling me over to the crowd of students near the bonfire. He pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. We could hear music booming from two giant speakers, blasting Avicii's song, 'Lonely Together ft. Rita Ora.'

 "Close your eyes, Eryn. Listen to the music and let your body move by itself." He husked in my ear.

 Following Dakota's instructions, I let my eyes drift close and felt my body sway to the melody's rhythm. After the first verse ended and the second began, I had already memorized the chorus. Dakota and I sang the chorus together, moving our bodies to the beat of the music. He unfolded his arm, making me spin out of his embrace before he pulled me back in and lowered me into a dip. Then he lifted me back up and spun me around a few times before holding me against his chest as we swayed back and forth.

 It was a beautiful moment I would forever hold in my heart. After the song ended, I lifted on my toes and kissed his cheek before stepping away to get us two water bottles. I felt his eyes watching me as I walked to the beverage table. Reaching into the cooler on top of the table, I didn't notice when Llewellyn walked up behind me and only sensed his presence when I caught his onion scent burning my nostrils. 

 I wrinkled my nose and turned around to face him. There was something off about him today. His puke green eyes seemed to glow, and his nails looked dangerously sharp, like the claws of a beast. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat, and despite my logistical side warning me to walk away, my sarcastic nature took control.

 "Louise, always a pleasure," I smirked up at him, making his growls grow louder. I frowned, patting his chest with my fist. "Are you choking, my dude? You don't sound too good." After the words left my mouth, I quickly regretted it. He stepped to the side as another buddy stood beside him. I gulped and stared up at them both. "Gentlemen… may I pass through?" I asked, trying to walk past the slightly shorter guy. They were both football players at our school. Llewellyn was the quarterback, and the other guy, whose name had slipped my mind, was also on the team. Of course, he would be the one to speak up as they blocked my path before I could escape.

 "Merryn, the Vampire King's little whore!" The shorter one that wasn't Lou barked out. His dark brown eyes seemed to glow, and he was also sporting dangerous claws.

 "I am nobody's whore!" I retorted.

 Lou raised his arm and shoved me back into the table, causing me to knock it over and land painfully on top of the mess. Drinks spilled everywhere, and I could feel them wetting the ground below me. I was also sure my back held a nasty bruise from the fall. Llewellyn crouched in front of me, roughly grabbing my chin in his calloused hand. "Maybe I should find out for myself. After all, you're the only girl that wouldn't put out." He threatened.

 My stomach churned in disgust from his cruel and disturbing words. "You are disgusting. I will never spread my legs for you, you sick pervert!"

 Both of them laughed, and I could feel Lou's eyes scanning the length of my body. His eyes lingered on my bikini top that exposed way too much cleavage. Then he stared down at my bare legs, licked his lips, and reached out, wrapping his large hand around my ankle. I screamed when he touched me, but not a single student seemed to care. My eyes searched for Dakota and what I saw made me almost vomit. He was being held up by two other football players while another one kept pummeling his face with their fists. Blood poured out from Kota's nose and the nasty scratch wounds on his face, and his eyes were swollen shut. 

 I watched in horror as he struggled to get out of their grip. It didn't make much sense. He was a vampire, and they were human, right? Yet, as I glanced up at Lou and the other guy in front of me, I realized one fundamental fact. These students aren't human like I had been told my entire life since living with Samael. He…lied to me. They were also supernatural creatures. I wasn't sure what, but it seemed I was about to find out.

 "What are you?" I growled out. I needed to know the truth so that I was aware of precisely what I was dealing with. This way, I could find the quickest way out of the situation before it could escalate. I had to figure out what to do before something happened to me that I would never be able to change. Before… Before he could take something from me that I could never get back.

 "What if I show you rather than tell you?" Lou whispered in a disturbing attempt at seduction. 

 I tried not to let the fear show on my face, watching him with cautious eyes. That was when the most terrifying scene occurred right before me. Lou rose to his feet, standing above me with his legs on either side of my hips. Then he ripped off his clothes before his body began to crackle and pop. His bones broke apart, thick hair sprouting all over his body, and his face morphed into a large snout. In a few minutes, Llewellyn, the human, turned into Llewellyn, the monstrous wolf. His long and thick wolf penis stuck out straight, showing his intentions as he lowered his snout, licking my chest and up my neck in one single stroke.

 The shock of the situation wore off, and a loud scream ripped through my throat. I scrambled backward as fast as possible, trying to crawl away and hopefully run into the woods before his wolf could devour me in more ways than one. I didn't want to be anyone's meal. Not in a usual way or a sexual way. I managed to crawl away from the giant wolf, quickly stood up on my feet, and then went to sprint away before I crashed into two more football players. Looking up at their towering forms, I realized they were the ones who beat up Dakota. When I searched for him, I saw him sprawled out on the ground, completely unconscious.

 A slap echoed in the air, shocking the world around us into a stunned silence. Even the wildlife seemed to fall quiet from the loud smack that resonated through the air. I felt the sting on my cheek and slowly shifted my gaze back around. I wasn't surprised to find Jo staring at me with a look of pure hatred. Our friendship had apparently been a lie our entire high school career. My hands balled up into fists at my side. I was prepared to fight back, to show these werewolves that I wasn't just some weak human girl they could push around and beat up.

 "Where do you think you're going, Mer?" Jo taunted me.

 "I'm not going anywhere, Joseph," I smirked, watching as she frowned at the nickname. "Awh, what's wrong, Joey? Did I hurt your feelings? Are you going to cry?" I laughed. 

 Jo started to breathe heavily before a sly grin appeared on her face. Then, she nodded at the two stocky men beside her before they grabbed my arms and held me up in the air, just like they had done to Dakota. I didn't have time to process anything before Jo rammed her fist into my jaw. I felt my teeth sink into my cheek and tasted blood as it pooled in my mouth. When she drew back her hand about to hit me again, I spat in her face and laughed at the disgusted look on her face.

 "You think that's funny, bitch?!" She screamed at me before she kicked me in the stomach, and my laughter fell silent. I coughed from the amount of air that shot out of my chest. "Yeah, not so funny now, is it?!"

 I lifted my head as much as possible, still winded from her kicking my stomach but forced a smile nonetheless. "You're the one… who's a b-bitch." I smirked. She was a female werewolf, and a female dog is called a bitch. Therefore, technically it was scientifically correct.

 "That's it!" She growled before I felt her fist connect with the side of my face this time. 

 She punched me a third and then a fourth time. Truthfully, I lost count after the twentieth hit. A crowd of students surrounded us while Dakota was still passed out in the back. Most people cheered for Jo, but a few tried to tell her that I had learned my lesson. A couple of people looked scared for me as they hid in the back of the crowd, silently watching me get my ass kicked. Once Josephine was satisfied with my beating, I heard her tell the two guys that held me up to do something. Though I was extremely weary and disoriented, all I could hear was her muffled voice.

 The two guys carried me to the lake where everyone had been swimming. They shouted something to the crowd and immediately received loud hoots and hollers. I felt the two football players' hands reach down to my chest before they yanked off my top, tearing it in half and exposing my breasts. I hardly even noticed when they ripped off my bottoms and completely exposed my naked body to everyone. It wasn't until they tossed me over and into the lake, causing me to land with a loud splash, that I quickly snapped out of my delirium. My brain had all but two seconds to register what was happening. The ice-cold water rushed around me as a strong current pulled me under. I struggled to pull myself up to the surface, feeling the liquid begin to fill my lungs. My arms tried to tread the water in a helpless attempt not to drown.

 Just before I was about to give up and sink to the bottom of the lake, a pair of strong hands reached down and yanked me out of the water. My chest heaved in the air, causing me to cough up the liquid in my lungs. When my vision cleared and I could breathe again, I looked up into a familiar pair of flaming blue eyes. An instinctive gulp slid down my throat as a feeling of dread filled my stomach. 

 Samael looked completely and murderously livid. He tossed me over his shoulder, carrying me out of the lake. In the background, I watched as two guards emerged from the trees and walked over to Dakota. They grabbed his arms before dragging his unconscious body into the forest. I knew better than to ask Samael where they were taking him. In fact, I knew better than to speak at all. Whatever was about to happen, I had to endure it and not say or do anything to stop it. That would only make things worse for everyone. Much worse.