Zola Flash (The Zola Flash Series Book 1) Read online

  The server just shrugs his shoulders. I head back to where Trevor stands, ready to give him a good, long piece of my mind. Before I can speak a word, though, Trevor backhands me across the face, sending me tumbling to the ground. I move my fingers up to my cheek and cringe. He hit me. I can’t believe he struck me.

  Trevor yanks me up from the ground. I try to pull away, but he takes hold again in an iron-like grip. He’s stronger than I expected. I didn’t realize just how strong people of Earth really are.

  “Let me go!” I yell at him in near panic.

  Trevor spins me into his chest and covers my mouth with his leathery-tasting hand. He must have had football practice before coming to me. He drags me out front to the vehicle we arrived in and roughly shoves me into the backseat.

  Sitting there, I debate whether or not I should morph. Morphing can be dangerous, especially as neither Trevor nor the driver knows my true identity. Exposing them to that can put me and Pin in jeopardy. Where the hell is Pin when I need him? Some guardian he is.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask Trevor as he takes the seat next to mine.

  “To the hotel I reserved for us.” He smiles, but it isn’t a nice one. “At least one of us can still have a good time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  WE TRAVEL MAINLY ON back roads that are not crowded with civilians. I don’t look or talk to Trevor. I suspected he was egotistic, but I didn’t think he would do something like this. Worst thing is, I’m positive he doesn’t even know he’s in the wrong.

  When we make it to the hotel, which I may say is huge and empty-looking, I notice a young boy, most-likely the same age as Cleo, standing on the corner with a cup. He has short, black hair, and cuts and bruises all over the visible parts of his body, as if he has been beaten. The boy is fairly thin and looks to be starving— I can see his ribs sticking out through the torn, ragged shirt he wears. I wish there was something I can do to help.

  Trevor comes around to my side of the vehicle and opens my door. He better be happy Earthlings invented child-locks, because, otherwise, I would have been gone. Reaching into the car, he seizes me by the waist and throws me over his shoulder. I’m actually surprise he can carry me.

  I hit Trevor in the back of his head with my fist. He laughs, not that anything is funny. It should’ve hurt him, and I think the only reason it doesn’t is because he’s had too many footballs to the head.

  “That only makes me what you more, Princess,” he says.

  Princess? Oh, gods, does he know?

  He can’t know. He’s human. It’s just a statement.

  “Put me down!” I demand.

  “No.”

  The hotel staff stand by and watch our entrance, without a word or attempt to assist me. Trevor’s father must own this establishment as well.

  Once inside the suite, Trevor places me on a bed covered in white rose petals. I watch as he paces around the room before disappearing into what must be the bathroom.

  I climb off the bed and creep to the suite’s door, but when I open it, a meaty, pale-looking man guards the outside. I see he has both a gun and Taser and as he turns to face me, my stomach churns. The man has the most hideous face. Red and blotchy. His eyes are too small for his round, meaty face.

  I glance back at the bathroom door. “Look, he’s crazy,” I whisper to the man. “You have to let me out of here!”

  “I’m sorry, Mademoiselle, but Monsieur Smith gave an order to keep you contained within this room.” His voice is soft but squeaky.

  “You don’t understand. He’s … he’s—”

  The man pulls the Taser from his waist. “Mademoiselle, I don’t want to use this. But I will if I have to. Now back away.”

  Oh, please. I can take him with my eyes close.

  He turns away from me, and I slam the door. As I spin back to the room, I find Trevor standing there, and I back up against the door.

  Trevor pulls me toward him, running his hand up and down my spine. I don’t speak. I don’t move. I don’t know how to fight Trevor without physically hurting him. Or revealing myself. Although, I don’t mind hurting him at the moment.

  “This can be really nice for you. Or really rough.” Trevor sneers. “You pick, babe.”

  I slap him, hard. “I don’t think Pin would approve of this.”

  At the mention of Pin’s name, his nostrils flare and his eyes narrow on me, and I realize hitting him probably wasn’t the wisest move in the moment.

  Trevor seizes me, and I pull away, but trip over my own feet. Grabbing my arm, he drags me towards the bed.

  Tears stream down my face as I struggle to get away from him. He throws me on the bed, and I try to stop the tears. I’m not a weak person. Weeping, due to him, makes me weak.

  Trevor pins my hands up against the pillows, as I try to knee him. His hands tighten, and he narrows his eyes at me. He presses himself down on me. I grind my teeth and attempt to pull my hands from his grip, while he moves one of his hands down my body until he reaches the spaghetti strap of my dress.

  This can’t be happening. He was supposed to be my friend. “Trevor, please, please don’t,” I sob.

  Trevor doesn’t acknowledge my pleading.

  “Trevor, stop. I don’t want to—”

  “Of course not!” he interrupts me. “Even if you tried, you wouldn’t win either battle.”

  Trevor slides from the bed and crosses the room, pulling me along with him.

  I don’t fight him.

  I also don’t restrain what I can feel happening to my body.

  Trevor’s hands move to my zipper and tug it down. As the dress falls to the floor, Trevor stands there, his lips parted as his eyes widen.

  Probably because I’ve done the one thing I’ve hoped I could avoid since he started acting like a jerk.

  Trevor’s amorous expression morphs even further into one of terror. His mouth opens wider, as if to let out a scream, but I’m on him in a nanosecond in an effort to keep the burly guard at the door at bay. Growling, I grab Trevor’s mouth and squeeze, hard enough to hurt, but not to do damage.

  “Zo . . . La.” His pleas push past my claws.

  Who’s pleading now? I want to ask him.

  My only purpose is to ensure that Trevor respects me, as I turn him around and shove him onto the floor. Trevor lies in a lump on the floor, like a doll.

  Leaving him there, I go into the bathroom in tears and lock the door, where I slide down the barrier and clutch my stomach, as anger and panic and triumph consumes me.

  This is not who I am. I am not this person. But he deserved it, yes? He won’t be treating me like that again. At least, I hope not.

  Oh, gods, I just revealed what I am. Pin is going to go insane.

  I silently weep into my hands.

  Calm down, Zola.

  Calm down.

  I just have to scare Trevor into not telling anyone about this. That should be simple. He’s already scared.

  I push up from the floor and dry my tears. In the mirror, I see that I am again myself.

  I walk out of the bathroom and find Trevor still in unconscious. Keeping an eye on him, I pick up the dress off the floor and put it on.

  A touch of my palm wakes Trevor from his shock state. “How are you feeling?” I ask. I know I shouldn’t care, but I’m not going to be cruel and coldhearted like him.

  He doesn’t speak, as though disabled by his fear. When I move, he shudders and cringes, and I smile.

  “Take me to Pin.”

  “Fine. Just don’t hurt me,” he says with a miserable feebleness to his tone.

  When he doesn’t move, I let out a fake growl. “Move!”

  Trevor nearly trips as he scuttles to the door. He opens it and instructs the guard outside to take me wherever I need.

  Rolling my eyes, I walk out of the suite. Though, I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I was able to protect myself without Pin.

  I smile to myself as I dial Pin’s number. I can protec
t myself.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  LAST NIGHT WAS THE first time, in a long time, that I slept without dreaming. After disturbing Pin’s date, we took Trevor’s jet back to New York. He insisted on staying in Paris and calling his dad, which was fine by me. Listening to Britney complain the entire seven hours was enough.

  Not dreaming though is different than what I expected. There’s no tossing and turning. My world doesn’t feel so messed up, like it’s a tornado and I’m just standing in the eye, along for the ride. I feel safe knowing that things are about to change. Maybe for the better.

  Getting up from my bed, I walk into Pin’s room. I neglected to tell him why I cut his and Britney dinner early last night. He actually looked kind of relieved that I did. Though, that could have just been me being presumptuous. But he wasted no time in taking Trevor’s jet and getting back to New York.

  I glance around his room and notice what few items he’s packed in a small bag. Obviously, he wasn’t joking when he said he was leaving. I wish he wasn’t.

  I sit on the edge of the bed and run my fingers through his hair. This is probably going to be the last time I feel that silky softness.

  Moaning, he turns in his sleep without opening those gorgeous eyes, and I sigh.

  He’s really leaving.

  Back in my room, I find a piece of paper and begin to write. There are some things he really needs to know. What happened last night, for one. I know he will be angry, but I can’t let him go without him knowing everything. No matter how obvious most of them are. Pin needs to know that he means a lot to me, and that’s not going to change just because the Payohlini Guardians have called him back.

  After reading over the note, I fold it and take a deep breath. Hopefully, this won’t anger him too much.

  There’s water running and his scent fills his room when I head back into there. Tiptoeing over to his bags, I place the letter under one of the many swords he owns. I have no idea how he got them, seeing as we were running for our lives and didn’t have time to grab anything. I run my fingers along the blade. I have no doubt that he knows how to use these expertly. He is a trained Guardian, after all.

  “What’s that?”

  I grab the letter and spin around to a very wet Pin. Water droplets run down his bare chest, each twitch of his muscles making them shimmer, and I immediately want to touch them.

  Slowly moving away from Pin, I clutch the letter behind my back. Pin takes a step towards me, but I glance away from him, not wanting his male beauty to delude my feelings. I don’t want to be anywhere around him when he reads this letter.

  “What is that behind your back?” Pin asks, closing in on me.

  “Do you mind putting a shirt on?” I bite down on my lip. Why are the Victian gods so cruel to me?

  “I will. Once you give me that letter.”

  “Letter?” I look back to him, feigning confusion. “What letter would that be?”

  “The one you don’t want me reading, apparently.”

  “It’s not yours. Trevor left it for me.”

  “Really, Princess.” He reaches behind my back and pries the letter out of my hand. Unfolding it, he sits on the bed.

  I wish he wouldn’t read it while shirtless. I can literally feel the blush creep up my cheeks. Still, I watch him as he reads, his teeth grinding as his eyes scan from line to line. He must be reading about Trevor.

  I move to the bed and sit down beside him. Pin balls up the paper and throws it across the room, and I gasp. I took the time to write down my feelings for this man, and he throws it away like it’s nothing. Seeing that is more painful than watching him kiss another girl.

  “I can explain,” I say.

  “There is no need.”

  No need? “Yes, there is.” I pause. “I know I’m young. And you cannot commit yourself to me but—”

  “This has nothing to do with your crazy fantasies towards me,” he cuts in. “I’m upset because you allowed yourself to be placed in a dangerous situation. What you did is understandable, but unacceptable.”

  “I couldn’t let him do what he had in mind. I could not help but try to fight him. I just scared him. Nothing more.”

  Tears roll down my face. I can’t believe he just insinuated I should have let Trevor use me like that. Wiping the dampness away, Pin pulls me into an embrace. Like a full-on, lap-straddling embrace. One of his hands rubs my back in a soothing motion, while the other just holds me close. Relaxing into him, I get a strong whiff of him, and I push away.

  This is too much, and Pin doesn’t have a shirt on. The closeness isn’t helping, either.

  As if interpreting my expression, he grabs the silk shirt he wore the night before and throws it on over his bulging biceps. Pin’s face shows his anger, loud and clear. It stings to think I’m the cost of his discomfort. “Princess, I know you don’t want Trevor hurt, but when I think about his hands on you, your feelings are the least of my concerns.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s quite simple to understand. Trevor. Will. Pay.”

  Before I can respond, to tell him that Trevor has paid enough with his fear, Pin leaps from the bed and storms out of the room.

  ***

  The time is exactly 4:16 A.M. Pin has been gone for almost six hours. I pace back and forth across the living room floor, waiting for him to come home. I cannot believe he is going to kill Trevor. He’s the one who said I should have gone through with what the jerk wanted. He’s the one who said we can’t do anything to draw any attention to ourselves.

  I’m pretty certain people will notice if one of the richest boys in New York comes up missing.

  I should have never written about Trevor in that stupid letter. What was I thinking?

  A knock on the door interrupts my pacing. My body stills, and I turn toward the door. What if it’s Trevor? What if he had the courage to come here?

  I move towards the door, and with shaky hands, open it.

  Pin stands there, and he smells horrid. His silk skirt is ruined, and there are numerous cuts and bloodstains on him. Though, I can’t tell if the blood is his, or not.

  Topping off his look, his perfect cat eyes are bloodshot red.

  As if too weak to hold himself up any longer, Pin collapses into my arms. I pull Pin in and shut the door before dragging him over to the couch, where he let out a huff of a breath full of a vile, horrid smell.

  I run to the bathroom and start a shower for him. Hopefully, cleansing his body will rid it of the odor.

  Returning to the living room, I find Pin drinking from a flat silver container. I take it from him and sniff. It doesn’t really have a smell. Pushing up, Pin reaches for the container, but I march swiftly into the kitchen and pour the liquid down the sink’s drain. Pin follows and grabs my hand, trying to stop the release of the vile fluid. I struggle to remove his hand away, but don’t quite succeed. He takes the bottle back to his mouth and gulps down the remaining liquid before falling to the floor, landing headfirst.

  I can only stare at him. I have no clue what to do in a situation like this.

  Carmen from school comes to mind. She’s a smart girl. She has to know what to do. I grab the phone and quickly dial her number. The phone rings and rings and rings. Finally, someone picks up.

  “Carmen?” I cry urgently.

  “Who is this?” she ask sleepily.

  “Zola.” There’s a moment of silence. “Are you still there?”

  Stupid earth phones.

  “Do you have any clue what time it is? We have school in a couple of hours, and you’re calling me at five in the morning!”

  “I know, but I need your help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  CARMEN STEPS INSIDE AS soon as I open the door for her. “What is so important?” She inhales and glances around. “What is that smell?”

  I point to where Pin lays. “That’s why I called. Help me. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

  Carmen walks over to where Pin lays on
the kitchen floor and sniffs again. Glancing my way, she waves me over. “Zola, do you know if Pin was drinking last night?”

  “Yeah, he had that thing with him when he came home.” I point to the silver container stranded on the floor.

  “In that case, he’ll be okay. Might have a killer headache when he wakes up, though.”

  “What is that stuff?” I ask.

  She takes the flask and takes a sniff. “It doesn’t really have a scent, so I’m assuming vodka. But judging by the smell of this place, and him, I’m positive he must have had more alcohol before he came home.”

  “Are those a type of poison?”

  “For stupid people, yeah.”

  “Where we’re from, we don’t have this alcohol you speak of.”

  She gives me a weird look. “That explains why he’s passed out.” Carmen pulls Pin’s arm around her shoulder. “Help me put him in the bed. The alcohol will eventually fade from his system.”

  I drape Pin’s other arm over my shoulder, mimicking Carmen, and struggling, we carry him into the bedroom. Man, he is heavy.

  We drop him on the bed, and I stare at him. Why did he have to act like an idiot and drink that stuff? Trevor isn’t worth this. I handled him. Pin didn’t need to go all Guardian and try to deal with something that was already taken care of.

  “Let’s take off his shoes.” Carmen suggests.

  Why would we need to take off his shoes? What’s next? His shirt? I think he looks perfectly comfortable with everything in place, but I don’t say that to Carmen. Instead, I do as she suggested. Because in all honestly, I really wouldn’t might seeing him naked, or even half naked, again. Especially since he’s leaving.

  Once Carmen sees that I can take care of things from here, she leaves the room to call her parents. I linger in the room with Pin and pull a quilt over him. He seems sound asleep, but just as I go to adjust the cover, two huge hands trap mine.

  I look into Pin’s blood-shot eyes for a second, but turn away before he can notice how worried I am. “How long have you been watching me?” I ask, quietly.

  “I’ve been awake the whole time. Even when you called Carmen for assistance.”