The Forbidden Chapters Part 1: Afterlife Saga

  His hands bunched the material of my top and for a moment I thought he was going to tear it off me. The idea both scared and exhilarated me. Especially when he found my bare skin and the feel of his fingertips running down my spine, well, I couldn’t help but moan, arching myself back and pressing further into his chest. Once at his mercy he took the opportunity to kiss along my neck, one that was being bared to him for his lips to taste. I moaned again and again and he in turn growled, rippling his breath along my sensitive skin.

  Then he sucked in my tender flesh, holding it for a time with his teeth. The small pain morphed into a pleasure of the likes I had never known and half of me was on edge, waiting for the bite I was expecting him to inflict. It was as if even he was losing control and thinking it seemed to be once more the red light he needed before he went too far. I thought this would be the end but before I had time to mourn his lips leaving my neck, my lips gained in the loss.

  I don’t know how long we kissed but it wasn’t long enough when he pulled back, leaving me gasping. My lips felt completely abused and he placed a thumb along them, caressing them lightly. I couldn’t help it but having him look at me like that, I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth.

  “Tut, tut, I told you how distracting that is,” he said pulling it free with the thumb he still held there. I swallowed the confused and bewildered lump down and I thought I would choke on it, it was that hard to push down. Was this even real?

  “Looking at me like that isn’t wise, beautiful,” he warned pushing my hair back from my face. I didn’t know how I was looking at him so braved speaking for the first time, even if it came out in a breathy whisper,

  “Like what?”

  “Like I just ravished a damsel…a clumsy one,” he added with a wink, referring back to our conversation last night.

  “Besides, the backseat of a car is hardly how I imagined making you mine for the first time,” he said as if this was a given and I coughed on a ragged breath.

  “I…you want to…make love to me?” I asked, sounding like this was my first time. This made him laugh, pull me forward and kiss my forehead as though he found me endearing.

  “What, you thought all I wanted from you was a single kiss?” he asked me as if I must have been joking.

  “Well, yeah.” I told him honestly and he looked at me like the very thought of it was unthinkable.

  “You really think one kiss is all it will take to quench the building thirst I have for you. You think one kiss will sate my needs to have you in my bed and keep you there forever?” he asked and the picture he painted was one that made me nearly weep and beg for it to happen! But surely, he couldn’t be serious…although if that demanding kiss was anything to go by then, yeah, I would say he was pretty freakin’ serious.

  “Even thinking about those perfect lips of yours makes me want to kiss you again,” he told me and I did the unthinkable and whispered,

  “Then, why don’t you?” Even the shy way I asked seemed to affect him. He leaned into me, pulled me at the waist so I was suddenly pressed against him, an action that made me yelp.

  “Because my beauty, if I did that then no force in Heaven, Hell or Earth could stop me from thrusting myself inside you and taking you right here and now. And the first time I want to hear you screaming my name is not in the backseat of a car but in my bed, where you will remain…do you understand?” he said and my reaction to this was my inability to breathe. Holy shit, was he serious? Looking at his face now then there was no other way for me to take it as anything but serious!

  I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even think a coherent thought let alone speak one, but this wasn’t good enough for him.

  “I asked you a question, sweetheart,” he said making me realise he was still waiting for something.

  “I…don’t know…I…” I stumbled on my words and I had to admit, it wasn’t my coolest moment.

  “Tell me you understand what is going to happen when I get you back to Afterlife,” he said helping me out with his early question of ‘do you understand?’

  “What is going to happen when we get back to Afterlife?” I asked again just to clarify, if what I had heard…well I had actually heard. He looked me up and down, still with me locked to him with a firm arm he kept behind me. With his free hand, he raised it to my face, cupping the side of it. Then he gave me a dark, short laugh before kissing my forehead softly before pulling back to look at me. His eyes, now pools of purple fire, just like they had done in my dream last night.

  This was when he issued his promise,

  “I am keeping you.”

  AUTHORS INSIGHT.

  Chapter 28 – Book 1

  In this next chunk of the book was another part I decided to cut because in the end I didn’t want Keira to see Draven’s true form for the first time, tainted by RJ’s influence. I also knew that for future books I needed to have Layla stabbing Keira at some point, so decided to join the two branches of the story and entwine them. Personally, I think it worked out better this way, which meant getting rid of them completely, another heart-breaking choice to make but in the end the right one I think.

  This next one starts with RJ and Keira spending time together after a shift in the VIP, weeks after receiving money for her new car, which she bought with Frank. Draven is still cold towards her after she refused to show him her arms after her run in with Layla dropping the tray. Keira is getting tired of the cold treatment from Draven and decides to finally agree to Jack asking her out making the mistake in telling Sophia.

  After college, she finds out Libby is pregnant, making her five minutes late for her shift, one that Draven doesn’t take lightly. I have added it from this point so that you get a sense of Keira’s mood, as this chapter would have gone quite differently had I kept it in, so here it is for you to enjoy.

  Oh, and FYI, after reading it, I do wonder how many of you will be googling if Kermit is married to Miss Piggy…?

  I know I did

  Chapter 28

  Cold Mistakes

  Book 1

  “I'm sorry I'm late, Karmun!” I said as I whizzed past him taking my first tray to my tables. When I came back for my next one he stopped me.

  “Umm, sorry honey, but Mr Draven wants to see you.” My heart dropped. This had been the last thing I was expecting. I couldn't help but ask,

  “What about?”

  “I don't know, but he wants you to go over to his table right now.” He said it as if he hated being the one to tell me this. Once again, I felt like running. I had never been over to his table before and it was somewhere I never wanted to go. Not only did I have Draven to face but now I had to face a whole table of unfriendly faces! Sophia was the only one I wasn't scared of but against six others, I didn't think it was going to make much of a difference. So, I placed down my tray and took a deep breath feeling as if I was about to be thrown to the lions.

  It was like walking towards the electric chair, I couldn't stop from shaking and I could feel my pulse pumping under my scars at what I was about to do. I could see them all as I got closer and their faces became clearer. But my eyes focused on the man who had requested my presence at his table.

  I decided that I wasn't going to speak. I would just nod. This was because I didn't think I could have formed the words even if I tried. I walked up the steps to the same level of his table and was stopped by the biggest guy I had ever seen. It was one of Draven's bodyguards, but this guy looked like he ate other bodyguards for breakfast.

  It was the same guy who I had seen briefly twice now, once when they first arrived and the second was when Draven had come to my aid in the carpark. His face was scarred and full of potholes, his eyes were small and dark but rimmed with red. His hands looked as though they could have crushed the head of a cow and he reminded me of a Viking warrior. He stood in my way with his arms folded, which looked like hard work considering how big they were.

  “Ragnar, let her through!” Draven's voice ordered. I shuddered as I walked past h
im.

  Once I was next to the table, I froze. It was like being in front of a king and his court. His sister looked up and smiled which gave me a bit of courage, but not enough to get me to move or speak. I looked at the other two, whom I had never seen fully, but I didn't hold my eyes to them long as everyone was staring at me as though I was their next meal. It was like being in a confined space with every type of deadly creature and they were all thinking the same thing...

  Snack time!

  “Why were you late?” Draven said without looking at me and the others raised their eyebrows at the sound of his words. I still couldn't find my voice and Sophia was about to say something to her brother but he held up his hand to stop her. She gave up and turned back around to face the front.

  “So, let’s have it,” he said with no emotion and my heart sank at his coldness. The anger I felt from this replaced a bit of my fear, so I gritted out,

  “It's personal.” Which wasn't a lie but my angry voice made it sound like one. I bit down on my lip and tasted the blood as it cracked inside.

  “Right, well in that case, you will work tomorrow night to make up for it.” Sophia looked up at me, eyes full of sorrow, but my face must have got the message across that I wasn't happy because she quickly looked away. The way he had emphasised the word ‘Will’ was a clear indication there was no getting out of it.

  “Fine! I could do with the extra shift, so that’s just great, it’s just dandy,” I said with my angry take over in the form of sarcasm and the man next to Sophia shot me a disapproving look. He was very serious and the huge scar that went down one cheek wasn't the only thing that added to his frightening look.

  All of one side of his face was covered in a strange series of tattoos which snaked around the scar and ran the full length of his face. The black ink passed through the damaged skin but the ink disappeared when it reached the injured tissue. It made it look as if there were pieces missing from the design.

  Apart from this, he had a very serious but handsome face with long platinum blonde hair that fell down under the black hood he wore over his head. He was ice white and scary. He was also the first albino man I had ever seen. So, when I received this look I couldn’t help but find my feet with my eyes before braving another glance. Draven shot him a glare and his eyes looked elsewhere. Then Draven spoke again.

  “That will be all.” And then he picked up a shot glass shaped like a claw that had been defying gravity by staying up on a single point. He shot it back and placed it back on a tray that Layla was holding out to him. Again, the claw stood up, floating as she took it away. Ragnar, the giant, motioned for me to leave and I did gladly, without looking back!

  The rest of the night I worked in a red mist of anger. I couldn't believe that ten minutes of being late warranted that! Jack was right, what a stupid rich pompous ass! Who the hell did he think he was? I just didn't get him. One minute he was acting like the most amazing guy and the next he was some scary bad ass godfather type, getting pissed off because I was all of ten minutes late! It was ridiculous.

  I finished my shift and changed back into my normal clothes, as if to make some point when I walked past his table to go home. Okay, so I didn't know what type of point I was trying to make but his eyes followed me all the same. When I got downstairs, I was met by Jack and the rest of the gang. RJ had wanted to catch this band playing that was called ‘The Dizzy Bandits’ who were a mix of punk and rock.

  “Hey, what's wrong with you, you look tense?” Jack said as he joined me at the bar. I looked back at the VIP area and glared in the direction I knew he could see me from up there.

  “Yeah, tense is a good word but pissed off is a better one” I said as I ordered a coke from Mike and then changed my mind saying,

  “Ah hell, give me a shot of tequila.”

  “Whoa, aren't you driving?”

  “Yeah, but one won’t hurt and trust me, I need it!” I said downing it in one without the lemon or salt.

  “Wow, you're hardcore, baby!” he said, giving my chin an affectionate little squeeze. Then, I don't know why, but I did something so out of character that I shocked myself, as I went on my tiptoes and kissed Jack on the cheek, not being able to help the look towards Draven as I did this.

  “Well, the band might be crap, but it was definitely worth coming tonight. But I have to ask, what was that for?” he said with the biggest smile on his face.

  “For being sweet and cheering me up,” I said as I ordered a more sensible coke.

  “So, come on, what happened… leader of the vamp pack been throwing his weight around?” he said as we walked back to the others.

  “Something like that, yeah! But hey, I'm really sorry I'm going to have to cancel our date.”

  “What? Well that sucks! But it's nice to see you all worked up about it. What can I say? I bring out the fighting spirit in every girl.” He laughed, leaving me feeling guilty. So, I excused myself and went to the ladies toilets to compose my thoughts. Of course, it didn't help that I felt like I was being watched everywhere I went.

  I looked in the mirror back at my reflection and didn't like what I saw there. I shouldn't have used Jack to get to Draven. I mean, why would it even affect him anyway? He had made it perfectly clear on his feelings for me and if not by treating me like a leper for the past couple of weeks, then most certainly tonight's humiliating torture.

  It had felt like 40 lashes to my heart and I hated that I still felt the same for him. I was like a magnet for the worst type of men, they would dig their claws in and I couldn't escape their clutches. Only with Draven, he would suck me in again and again, then spit me back out whenever it suited him.

  I splashed some cold water on my face and rubbed the back of my neck with my hands. What a fool I was. Here was Jack, who thought that I was angry because I couldn't go on a date with him and secretly I had been relieved. There was nowhere I would rather be than at the club. The reason I was so angry was the way Draven had spoken to me. His coldness, his disrespect and disregard for anyone else’s feelings just because he was angry was excruciating and completely unacceptable!

  NEW

  I decided to stay later than I had expected to, but I knew that if I had gone early I would have just spent the time in my room stewing over ‘Lord Draven’. So, I decided to have some fun with my friends.

  “Hey, I know, why don’t you leave your car here and get a cab with us, that way you can join us in having a drink,” RJ suggested and Jack joined in and said,

  “Well she’s already had a shot of tequila so I am guessing she deserves it tonight.” I smiled and thought about it for all of five seconds before agreeing.

  “Great! Now go and get the drinks in Gaston, I be having a thirst on,” RJ said in a posh accent to her brother, seeming like she was half way to happy town already. Meanwhile I had already arrived at destination Misery, so really, what did I have to lose?

  “Gee, thanks Sis, you’re all heart letting me pay…again.” Jack said sarcastically.

  “Actually, the next round is on me, just asked Mike if he could open a tab for me.” Jack smirked down at me and asked,

  “Think you will be needing one, eh?” I briefly looked up at the VIP and then turned back to him and said,

  “Yes, most definitely.” Making him laugh.

  A short time later and I was sat laughing with my friends as they all exchanged stories they had heard about the dreaded Reed and how half of the faculty thought that he still lived with his mother! Well, at his age that was as good a reason as any to be pissed off with life, I thought drinking down the last of my Corona.

  The night was coming to an end, as most of the club had emptied already and we were just working out who was travelling with whom in the taxis home.

  “Well I am further out of the way than most, so why don’t you just stay at mine RJ and that way we can travel together,” I suggested and Jack looked disappointed but this served more than one purpose as I didn’t trust myself not to do something stupid
after drinking as much as I had. All right, so I was no way nearly as drunk as RJ, but to be fair she had half the night ahead of me and there was no way I could catch up in the time I had.

  “Woohoo, party at Kazzy’s place!” RJ said getting excited.

  “What, you mean just the two of us?” I laughed and she then decided to change it to,

  “Woohoo, slumber party for two at Kazzy’s place!” making me laugh harder this time.

  “Well, it’s a good thing we got that all sorted as our cabs are outside waiting,” Chaz said as he had been the one to go and check. We collected our stuff and walked outside to find that one of our booked cabs had been taken by someone else.

  “Hey! Assholes! Come back here!” RJ shouted after the disappearing cab.

  “Look, you girls go first and we will…” Jack started to say but I saw the faces of the other three and decided to cut them a break.

  “No, you guys get this one and we can just wait inside, I’m sure they won’t mind seeing as I work there,” I told Jack and RJ loved this idea, getting it in her drunken head that she could have another drink. I decided not to correct her on this notion until the others had gone.

  “Are you sure?” Jack asked full of concern.

  “She’s sure, now come on, we are freezing our asses out here,” Chaz said giving me a smile in thanks before getting his ‘frozen ass’ in the cab. Lanie said good night to us both with a little hug and she too looked a little worse for wear on the drinking front, even though she was just better at hiding it than RJ.

  “Okay, but you guys text me if you need anything or have any problems,” Jack said being the one to get in the cab last. He flicked his sister on the nose, making her complain with a giggle. But he saved his hug for me and it lingered longer than friendly would have warranted.