Bonded With Love by Tiffany Heiser (the giving tree read aloud .txt) 📕

screamed at me.
Stop! You need to stop.
I jerked back before Cryder's lips found mine, and place a hand on his chest. “I can't,” I said huskily as I tried to catch my breath.
“Why? What happened?”
I stood up and took a few steps away from the bed. “I don't know. I just can't do this.” I shook my head. “I mean I can. I really really can, but shouldn't.”
He started to stand up.
“Stop. Don't move,” I commanded with force behind my voice.
Cryder stayed in his sitting position, staring at me, and not moving. His lips curled to one side. “Very...interesting.”
“What?”
He tried to stand up again, but his movements were slow. He strained to straighten his body as if a force tried to hold him down.
“What's wrong with you?” I asked taking a step closer.
He smiled. “This...is...all...you.” His words slowly slipped from his lips.
“What do you mean me?”
“Your...mind...is...holding me.”
“Cryder, what the hell are you talking about? Just act normal.”
With those words, he stumbled a few steps forward, and stretched his arms above his head.
I didn't know what he was talking about. “What happened?”
“You happened, my love. Your powers keep growing.” The corners of his eyes wrinkled by his huge smile.
My mouth dropped. “How did I...What did I?”
“Your mind is a powerful thing. You didn't want me to stand, you wanted me to stay in place, and so your mind built something similar to a force field around me. Any mere human, or less powerful vampire would be basically stuck there until you commanded them to do otherwise.” His eyes glowed in the dim lighting, filled with giddiness.
I started to walk toward him, but stopped dead in my tracks when one of his thoughts slipped through a crack from his mind block.
She is the chosen one. I need her.
My mind was right. “That's it isn't it? I feel a connection through our touch, thinking there is some deeper meaning, but it's probably just something you are doing to make me feel that way.”
“What are you...”
I interrupted his question. “Don't. I heard your thought. All you want is the queen, someone to fulfill your prophecy. All you want is the power. I'm tired of being that stupid teenager. I'm done with this shit.” With those words I stormed out of the room, not waiting to hear anything he had to say.
I walked over to Cecile's room, expecting to find Drake with her, but she had been asleep.
She opened the door rubbing her eyes. “What?” she asked in a raspy voice.
“I'm leaving,” I said.
She finally looked straight at me and I'm sure she caught sight of my red face. “Rena, what happened?”
“I'm tired of being a puppet following on these guys every whim. I thought Cryder and I had something or it was starting, but I was dead wrong. So do you want to come with me?”
“But isn't that creepy vamp guy out there now?”
I rolled my eyes. “We're just driving. No big. I just know I need to get out of here.”
She stared at me. “I-don't-know-Ren. That makes me...nervous.”
“Fine I'll go by myself.”
She sighed loudly. “No. Fine. God you are crazy and seriously scaring me.”
“I'll wait for you downstairs.” I walked off ignoring every other comment besides the one I wanted to hear, and headed downstairs.
As I made it to the foyer, Cryder's footsteps pounded the floor as he made his way to me. I crossed my arms as he stood at the bottom of the steps watching me.
“It isn't safe out there.” He said.
“Probably safer out there than here. With people that claim they are looking out for our own well-being, but instead it's for their own benefit.” I stopped his words again as I lifted my hand up, open palm facing him. “Or how about making us think we are falling for you, or vice versa, only to find out yet again it's for personal gain. Thank you for making me feel foolish, but I'm done with it.”
Cryder started to say something, but was interrupted again by a pleading coming from Drake.
“Please don't go. It's dangerous out there,” he begged.
“I'm sorry, but Rena needs me. If she's not comfortable being here, I won't let her leave alone. I'll try to calm her down, then we'll come back. Okay?” Cecile reassured him.
I heard a loud sigh, assuming it came from Drake. “But Bristol is out there. He wants to kill you. Do you not understand that?”
“We're just going straight home. That's it.”
They made their way down the stairs.
Drake protested again. “Your house isn't protected like ours is. He can walk in whenever he wants to.”
This time Cecile sighed dramatically. “It's one night Drake. Chill out. We'll be fine.”
She finally stomped away, stepping around Cryder, and made her way to me.
Cryder stepped forward. “Rena, don't go. It's imperative that you stay. For your safety.”
“And for your people right? That's it. That's what I'm good for.” I responded. I knew it was unsafe outdoors unarmed and untrained, but I couldn't stand being in this house any longer. His words swam circles around my brain, reminding me that I'm needed on a whole other level than just plain-old love. I knew it also seemed selfish of me, or stupid, but I needed to breathe. It felt like the walls were closing in around us and soon they would topple on top of us and we wouldn't have a chance to escape if we didn't try now.
“You ready?” I asked Cecile.
“Rena, I demand that you stay.” Cryder growled.
“Excuse me? Demand? Who do you think you are? You may be a king of fairy land but you aren't mine,” I spat back.
He stepped in front of my path to the front door. “I can't let you leave.”
“Can't? Or won't? It doesn't matter. I can control this. Move.” This time I demanded.
Cryder froze in his spot, and Drake came to his side. “You stupid fool. All he's done is take care of you and this is how you treat him?”
“Watch your words Drake. I'm in a pissy mood. All I want is to leave,” I said.
“You ca...”
“Drake. Stop. Just leave it alone. She needs this.” Cecile cut him off.
“Let's go,” I said to Cecile. Then to Cryder I commanded, “act normal.”
I turned toward the guys. “Thanks for the hospitality.” With that I opened the front door, waited for Cecile to follow, and slammed it behind us.
As we backed out of the drive-way, Cryder sprinted to my window with vampire speed. “Rena, you're gaining control of your powers, but you aren't in full control. Come back inside, let's really train and let me explain.”
I didn't roll down my window. “You always need damn time to explain, Cryder. But I'm tired of listening. I thought it all finally made sense, but I was wrong.”
I wanted to get away from him. Every time I glanced into those blue eyes my heart did flips and my mind was filled with him. I couldn't concentrate on anything else but him, and I enjoyed having a mind of my own. I sped off, away from him, and watched those sparkling blues disappear in the rear-view mirror.
“Rena, sweetheart, please slow down.” Cecile's words broke through my thoughts. “I know you're upset, but I don't think curves are suppose to be taken this fast,” Cecile said while holding the oh-shit-handle with a death grip.
I looked down and realized I was going eighty-five, so I took my foot off the gas. “Sorry. I wasn't paying attention.”
“It's fine. I understand. They're both just so...extreme.”
“He makes me insane, Cecile. I have never let someone affect me this way, and when I finally do it ends up being one-sided.” I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel so hard it stung.
“I don't think I have ever seen you get so worked up over some guy.”
“But he's not just some guy, is he? He gets under my damn skin and yet I have feelings for him. Ugh, you know what never mind. I never talked about this alright?”
“Sure, no problem,” she agreed.
There were nothing but back roads on the way to the house. And once it hit me that I was the one behind the wheel, the queasy feeling fell into the pit of my stomach. I needed to calm down before I had a panic attack.
Darkness surrounded us as I drove. Streetlights were non-existent and trees folded over us like we were traveling into another world. A strange feeling seeped into my skin and tightened around my bones.
Less than a mile to go before we made it to town, my car swerved and a slapping noise against the pavement bombarded the silence.
I stepped on the brakes and pulled it slowly to the side of the road. Getting out of the car, we found the front passenger tire had gone flat.
“Great, exactly what we needed out in the middle of effing nowhere. What are we going to do now?” Cecile asked.
The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up and the unnerving feeling inside of me thickened. My hands shook. “I-I don't know. I don't know how to change a tire. Do you?”
She shook her head. “Let's call Drake or Cryder to come and help us. I don't feel like standing out here in the middle of nowhere central. It's freaky.”
“The last people I want to talk to right now.”
“Who else can we call? Think Rena. We're out in the middle of nowhere with a flat.” She turned from me and mumbled, “I knew I should've stayed at their house.”
“Shut up. Okay? I was wrong, but now is not the time to shove it in my face. I'll just grab my phone and you can try them.” I reached into the car and pulled my phone out. “Of course this would happen,” I said through gritted teeth.
Cecile ran over to me. “What is it?”
“No signal. There's never a signal when you need it the most. Do you have your phone?”
She shook her head. “In my haste in following your outrageous plan, I left my phone charging. What are we going to do now?”
“Well, I have free towing service.” Cecile's eyes went wide with excitement, until I burst her bubble. “But I have to be able to call out.”
“Oh. Right. Can't you send your emotions or whatever out to Cryder? You were really good at that.”
I shook my head and laughed humorlessly. “Relying on vampire powers now. Great.” I sighed loudly. “Okay, I guess I can try that.” I closed my eyes letting my fear and frustration fly from me, hoping it worked as strongly as it had earlier.
“I hope that worked, 'cause I don't want to have to walk.”
I made my way over to the driver's side to get in, and Cecile got in on her side. We sat, not talking for a few moments.
Then Cecile turned to me and broke the silence. “Rena, I think you should give Cryder a chance.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not this again.”
“I know. I know. You don't want to talk about it, but you need to look into it a little deeper. What are your senses telling you about him?”
I looked down, soaking her words in, but to accept and go along with it wasn't me. “If only I knew that he cared, at least a little, and it isn't all about dedication to his clan. I couldn't handle being duped into falling for him, changing into a vampire, and then the rest of my life being stuck in hell.”
“What do