Red Bullets in June

Chapter 23: Creep In The Night

     The creaking of my bedroom door jolts me awake and I push myself up to scour the black room.

    Did I leave the door unlocked? I've been locking it every night.

     My sleepy eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness, but are able to make out a black form creeping toward my bed. "Jaxon, is that you?"

     There's no response.

     I gulp.

     The black form draws closer and my throat constricts with panic while my stomach churns with dread. My heart begins pounding her drum in that steady and foreboding beat that precedes a beheading. "Who's there?"

     Still, dead silence.

     Am I seeing things?

     Is it a ghost?

     A demon?

     The dark form is at the foot of my bed now and snakes on top of the blankets. The mattress shifts under its weight.

     That is definitely not a demon.

     That's a human being!

     I need my gun.

     Throwing the blankets off, I swing my legs out of bed to fetch my gun, but the black form pounces on me, takes hold of my wrists and pins me down beneath him. "Don't even think about escaping, princess..."

     Khleo?

     "I'm gonna get a good taste of you and then I'm gonna kill you. I've had it with you. You're not one of us."

     My eyes finally adjust and the features of my attacker become more apparent.

     That's not Khleo.

     It's Ian!

     While transferring my wrists to one hand, his other hand slithers into my T-shirt. I writhe beneath him, attempting to escape, but I'm trapped in his venomous grip.

     Crap.

     Jaxon's self defense lesson resurfaces in fragments and begins whirling through my brain.

     First step. First step. What was the first step?

     I laid down.

     Jaxon got in position and started leaning forward...

     Then I started fantasizing about him...

     Think, Charlotte! Think!

     Hands on his shoulders with my elbows locked! That's the first step! If only my hands were free...

     Ian has ripped me of my dignity and tosses the sorry remains onto the bed. He pauses briefly to sit up and unbuckle his belt. With both hands.

     Idiot.

     New plan.

     Launching myself forward, I pummel his face with my fist and the crack that ensues slices the darkness. "Ow!" He topples backward and I bolt for the drawer that houses my gun, but a ferocious fist wrenches a handful of my hair.

     What the?

     "You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?"

     It's Kade.