Clay's teeth sunk deeper into her neck. His hand muffled any noises she tried to make, and her eyes stared at the ceiling as her vision blurred with tears. Lola closed her eyes and held her breath, thinking that this was when she'd die.
"Lucien says hi."
He knew where she was. Clay knew who she was. She had tried to move on and put the nightmare behind her, but it followed her here, and now there was nowhere to run.
She felt the burn as he pulled his fangs out. Clay leaned back his head, and his tongue dragged over his teeth. "Holy shit," he moaned, and the taste of her blood engulfed his senses.
Lola's hand came up to cover the wound, and she pressed herself back. Clay cupped her face in his hands and leaned down. "Don't worry, Lola, I'm not here to kill you. You're much too valuable to die." He smiled, his eyes flickered to her neck as he heard the blood pulsating through her veins.
"Maybe just one more taste," he said gruffly.
Just as Clay leaned down, his body froze. His neck turned, and a loud snapping noise rang out.
His body fell limp to the floor, and behind him stood Jax, heaving in anger as he stared at Clay's lifeless body. Lola ran, jumped into his arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jax was still for a moment before he wrapped his arms protectively around her body and pressed Lola against him.
The pain started to subside. Her heart began to slow from its racing state, and her breaths became steadier. After she had eventually calmed enough to think, she leaned back and saw another standing at the door.
Melissa stared wide-eyed as she pressed herself back against the door. Her lips were parted, and her chest heaving as she looked at Clay. "You killed him," she squealed in fear.
Jax turned around. One hand was still wrapped around Lola's waist, and he held her close.
"No, he's not dead. Not yet," he said and clenched his jaw.
Jax's white T-shirt was stained from the blood on Lola's neck. He noticed the wound and carefully turned her head to the side.
His brows pinched together, and his eyes went from fear and worry to utter confusion.
"Whose blood is on you, Lola?"
She looked back at him and ran her fingers over her neck. She didn't feel a wound, no puncture mark or even a scar.
"I-" she started but didn't know what to say. How could there not be a wound?
The door burst open, and Melissa yelped. Ash stood seething. His eyes landed on Clay's body, and he walked over to where he lay. He bent down and lifted him, throwing him over his shoulder.
"There are people here. You can't just walk out with him like that," Lola said.
Ash turned, his green eyes circled over her neck.
"The school has been emptied." He turned to Jax, "I'll meet you back home."
Jax nodded, and they watched as Ash carried the body out into the hallways as if it were nothing.
* * *
The three of them walked out of school and headed to Jax's Chevy in the parking lot. Melissa stopped as they were about to get in.
"Come with us," Lola begged and held open the door.
She looked between them and dragged her fingers through each other. "I think I should go home," she said softly.
Lola sighed. Somehow, each moment that Lola thought they were closing in on each other, she was let down, and it felt as bad as the first time.
"I'll come by tomorrow," Melissa added.
Lola's eyes lit up. A flicker of hope attached itself to her heart, and she smilingly nodded.
Jax and Lola entered the car. Jax took off, driving away from the school and back to the mansion.
When they arrived home, Jax followed Lola to her room and hurriedly walked off to meet up with Ash. Lola took a shower. The blood rinsed off, and she tilted her head as she searched for the wound with her fingers. How could it be gone?
What was she going to tell Jax?
She let the hot water run down her face and stood like that for a moment, pretending that all of her worries washed away with the water, even though they were waiting for her outside the bathroom.
Lola dried off with a towel and put on jeans and a hoodie before walking out.
Nobody was in the hall, so she took her time walking back to her room. All the thoughts were making her dizzy, but they reached the same conclusion - she had to run again.
When she entered the room and turned to close the door, someone's hand shot in between, and it opened.
Jax walked in, the door slammed behind him, and he dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration. He paced around the room before locking down on Lola. His fast strides made her wince, but his hands came up and softly caressed her cheek.
"Whose blood was that on you?" he asked and stared intensively into her eyes.
A shallow sigh left her lips as she gazed into his eyes. Somehow, despite everything, when he held her close, she felt safe. Maybe because whenever something happened, he was there to protect her, to save her.
"It was mine," she whispered under her breath.
Lola felt his touch hardening, though he tried to restrain himself. He needed to watch how he touched her. She was fragile, a human.
"Where is the wound?" he asked through clenched teeth.
Lola shook her head and shrugged with a desperate glare. Jax pulled away and began pacing around again.
He bit down on his nail, and his head hung as he stopped in front of the window.
"There's no wound, Lola," he said softly.
"I know." She took one step but then stopped. She wanted to go to him, but she also wanted to run from him. Although she was torn in two directions, she didn't know which one was right.
"It's not possible. You should have a wound. You're not a werewolf," he said and turned around. "And you're not a vampire." He continued as he sized her up and down.
He scanned her, hoping to find an answer hiding deep inside, but he was met with a barred truth. Lola didn't know any more than he did.
"You shouldn't have gone away with him," he said through clenched teeth. The thought had him spiraling down a dark hole, and it showed on his face. He took heavy steps toward her.
"I know, it was dumb."
"I told you to stay away from him, and instead, you go with him alone into an empty room away from others!" He threw his hands in the air.
"I know! I just... I thought that maybe he was misunderstood. I thought that maybe-" She stopped and looked at him.
Jax nodded. "You thought I was wrong," he finished her sentence.
"Part of me was hoping that you were," she said, lowering her voice.
Jax took long, fast strides and closed the distance between them. He cupped her face and gazed into her eyes.
His eyes glinted with fear. "You are not allowed to get hurt, Lola," he ordered, not as an Alpha but as a man who loved the girl he held-the one life he wished he could protect forever.
"I won't," she whispered. She wanted to close her eyes, bring him closer, and feel the warmth and safety of his touch.
Her eyes flickered to his lips before she looked away. It was quick, but he caught it. Jax leaned in slowly, tugging away at times when he thought she would object. However, when she didn't speak or move, the air between them went away as his lips pressed against hers. His brows pinched together when the taste of her lips had him fighting all other urges that arose. His hand circled around her head, and his fingers tangled in her hair.
Lola reached up. The fear gently dispersed, and she grabbed Jax's cheek, deepening the kiss.