11 Jealousy?
Nefretiri
Ricky glares at her, clearly annoyed that she'd offered her opinion, but unlike me, he doesn't hit her. He never touches them, only throws the occasional insult their way. I'm the personal punching bag, not Darla. Maybe he thinks she's too pretty to hurt like that. After all, few women were as perfect as she was.
If I had to describe Darla, I'd have to think of the women in magazines who drive you to an eating disorder because you think you're too fat. She was flawless. Her face was the ideal amount of beautiful without having to go under a knife. Her body was slim, but she didn't look anorexic, and her ash-blonde hair was never disheveled and always had that glossy shine. Everything about her is natural. She is what any man would desire.
Her beauty was enough to outshine Ricky, and that was saying something. I once heard someone compare him to an angel. But, ironically, it was nothing more than a mask to hide the monster within. It might seem innocent to think this, but Ivan doesn't give off that vibe. He's gorgeous, but I don't see it as a mask. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm not, but from what I've experienced so far, Ivan doesn't hide who he is.
"Would you like that?" Ricky makes his voice sound caring, but it always sounds like he's talking to a little kid when he does it. "It's been a while since we've gone out."
"Sure." The last thing I need to do is give away that I won't be here in the morning. I need him to go to his room.
"Don't be like that, Diana." Ricky grips my chin tighter when he tries to kiss me, and I pull away. I didn't want his lips on mine. Not when it felt like he was tainting them.
He tries again, and I freeze. I thought I heard Ivan growl for a second, and I hoped he didn't move from the den. You can't see in here from the back, but if he's in the hall, he might catch a glimpse. Then, mistaking my attitude for fear, Ricky lets me go, the flash of anger that threatened to release itself subsiding.
"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." The only word that comes to mind is liar.
"I'm going to get ready for bed," I mumbled, stepping back. "Darla... do you have any laundry?"
"I do, sweetie." Then, perking up, she showed me the laundry bag of the clothes she had for me to clean. "Remember, delicate, and don't use the green bottle detergent."
"Okay." Ricky sighs, thankfully giving up on his crusade to woo me. I never thought I'd be grateful to be bleeding. It kept Ricky from trying to get me to fuck him.
"Come on, Darla." He orders, walking to his bedroom door. I don't move, watching him walk away from me. He has no clue that this is hopefully the last time he'll see me. I don't know what'll happen once I leave, but I don't plan to be back or ever be under him again.
"Goodnight." That's as close to goodbye as I'm willing to give him.
"Night." He calls over his shoulder before slamming his door open. He's angry, but he's keeping it in check for once.
"Be nice to him tomorrow." Darla brushes up against me, giving me a curious look. "Show him a little affection; you might make it a whole weekend without getting yourself in trouble."
Giving me one last scrutinize, she follows Ricky into the bedroom and shuts the door. I don't move, watching to see that they don't decide to come back out. Then, when I'm sure they won't, I move quickly. First, I ran to Penelope's room, threw my shoes on, and grabbed my favorite jacket before running to collect Darla's laundry. Turning off all the lights as I go, I grab my makeup kid and hairbrush from the bathroom before heading to the den.
Ivan snatches me the second I walk through the door, a glare on his face. He's checking me over, obviously concerned that Ricky hurt me.
"I'm okay." But, unfortunately, the assurance doesn't seem to appease him. "Come on."
Throwing the last of my things into the bag. Satisfied that I haven't forgotten anything, I encourage Ivan to follow me into the laundry room. He kept glancing behind him, and I knew what he wanted to do, but I set Darla's clothes down and turned him toward me. I don't speak, afraid they'll hear us, but I press my lips to his. Trying to show him what I want, his body relaxes a little.
Instead of heading to the door, I stop at the washer and throw Darla's clothes in. Ivan raises a confused eyebrow until he notices what I'm doing. Grabbing the green bottle of detergent instead of Darla's preferred brand, I pour it in with her clothes and a cupful of bleach before setting the whole thing on heavy duty. The cycle starts, and I can't help smiling brightly at the werewolf, which now gives me a mischievous grin. It's petty, but I couldn't leave without giving Darla a farewell gesture.
"She knew who you were," Ivan was still upset when we stepped outside. I shut the door as quietly as I could before sighing.
"Yeah," How to explain Darla? "She's in his harem."
"You should let me back in there," Ivan glared at the door, but I grabbed his arm and tugged him with me. "I don't like leaving him alive."
"I want to leave." He has no idea how anxious I am about Ricky coming out of the room and realizing I'm gone. "Please?"
With a sigh, Ivan nods and slides my duffle bag onto his shoulder. Then, he wraps his arm around my waist and hoists me up so I'm cradled in his arms. I don't protest this time, instantly wrapping my arms around his neck. I can't explain why, but this feels so natural to me. It's scary.
We don't speak, Ivan moving as silently as a cat, which was impressive for a guy his size. I hold my breath the whole way back to the truck, only letting myself breathe when Ivan sets me down, and I don't see anyone following us. If Ricky used security cameras or didn't think I was as stupid as he assumed. This might have been more difficult. Then again, I wouldn't have gotten out of the house if he'd been more cunning. Ivan throws my bag in the back, lifts me back up, and settles me into the passenger seat.
"I thought I'd feel something," I admit when Ivan starts the engine. "I don't feel anything."
"You don't see me complaining about that." He still looked agitated. "You hungry?"
"Is it bad if I am?"
"No, because I'm starving."
Ivan doesn't go to any of the drive-thru restaurants near the house. Instead, he seems determined to get as far from Ricky as possible. We don't say anything, and I wonder why he looks so angry. Was he upset that I didn't let him kill Ricky and Darla, or was it something else? I didn't know, but it worried me.
"Whatever you want, you get," Ivan instructs when we pull into a fast food place.
We shocked the guy taking our order, and he told us to park and wait after Ivan paid. We ordered a lot of food, which would take a minute to make.
I felt more at ease now.
"Will they notice you're gone soon?" Then, as if reading my mind, Ivan drapes his arm across the back of my seat.
"No," With a sigh, I notice how unaffected I am. I could've been talking about potted plants for all I cared. "Darla is pretty demanding. She'll keep him busy for a while."
"I need you to know something." with the tips of his fingers, Ivan traces my jaw to my neck.
"What's that?"
"I have to renege on our deal." I might believe his voice's regret if he wasn't smirking. "I won't be letting you go back in twenty-four hours."
"You think?" I couldn't help snorting at that, it's not quite a laugh, but it's as close to one as I've managed in a while. "I sort of figured that out when you ripped my clothes and licked me."
"Hey, I'm not the kind of guy who likes going back on his word, but..." There's a glint in his eyes that holds so many promises. And I'm confident he intends to keep them all. "I'm willing to make an exception to protect my princess this time."
"I think Pen-Pen was safe either way." But, honestly, it wasn't like I knew where his sister was or anything, so how could Ricky?
"I wasn't talking about her, though I won't let anything happen to her either. I was talking about you." Ivan gently wraps his hand behind my neck, pulling me closer.
"I'm no princess," I roll my eyes, but my cheeks burn. I'm not used to compliments and attention from a guy, but my sass only causes Ivan to chuckle as if he's enjoying it.
"You're my princess." Before I can protest further, Ivan closes the gap between us and brushes his lips against mine. All thoughts of arguing disappear, and a shameless moan escapes my throat. I'd craved this and eagerly returned every kiss until someone tapped on Ivan's window.
Reluctantly, my werewolf pulled away from me, opening the window to grab the food from the woman he was clearly flustered. At first, I thought she was being friendly, but after a second, I realized she was openly flirting with him. She's not being coy about it, and I wouldn't be shocked if she tried to give him her number on the receipt.
A part of me tries to convince me not to get upset. After all, I'd only met Ivan today. What right did I have to expect anything from him? He was a good-looking guy. Women were going to notice him. But, the larger part, a side slowly waking back up after being buried in a shallow grave for years, wasn't the least impressed.
"Okay, thanks, you can go now," My voice comes out clipped, and I glare at the girl. She finally notices me and frowns but suddenly jerks and returns to the store. Ivan turns to look at me, setting the food on the console. Then, glancing at the rearview mirror to see I was so mad, my eyes changed from hazel to silver and gold. Oh, fuck!
Had I been jealous? No, that couldn't be possible. I didn't get jealous. At least I didn't anymore. Fuck, and I'd shown Ivan how my eyes changed. I hadn't even summoned any magic. I just reacted.
"What?" I awkwardly squirm at his intense gaze.
"I like it when you're jealous." He grins, leaning across his seat to get to me again. "It's sexy."
