“There are only drug dealers and…” I snapped my mouth shut.
“I think you understand.”
“Yeah, we’re going hunting for scum.”
“That’s all a matter of perspective. I’m sure you’ve known people in your life who have had a respectable job but have been malicious underneath their pleasant mask.” A particular high school math teacher flashed through my mind. He turned the heater on low, warmth rushing around my cool bare feet. “Not all drug dealers are terrible. Some deal medicine to the homeless when they can’t afford medical care costs.”
I lifted a doubtful brow.
Samuel chuckled quietly. “You’ll understand better when we arrive at the park.”
I tapped my fingers on my knees and changed the subject. “So…how long have you been spying on me?”
“More than awhile.” He shrugged, not apologizing for his behavior. “Though it was much easier when your mother put down permanent roots.”
“Our chance encounter at the diner?”
“Not so chance.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were?”
His dark eyes flicked to mine. I stared. It dawned on me that Julius and he had the same black color. He lifted a black brow. “Would you have stayed around to chat if I had?”
“Good point.” I jerked my attention away from him. “How else did you invade my privacy?”
His own fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “I pretty much know everything there is to know about you. I had my men dig a little when I realized you existed, and then I took over from there.”
“You really didn’t answer my question.”
He smiled, staring at the road. “No, I didn’t.”
“Do you plan to?”
“Probably not tonight.”
“You didn’t stalk outside my bedroom window, did you?”
“Only once. Just to verify it was you.” He paused. “You were sleeping. That’s all.”
“You know those little warning bells that ding in your subconscious when something’s not right?”
“Yes.”
“Ding. Ding. Ding.”
Samuel grinned and laughed. He still had a nice laugh; that part wasn’t faked. “I assure you, Kenna, I have done nothing distasteful.”
I snorted. “I suppose that’s a matter of perspective, too.”
His smile was broad, creasing his cheeks. “Indeed.”
“Mom’s not home,” I grumbled. Her car wasn’t in the driveway. “I won’t take long to change.”
His forehead crinkled, and he picked at his cloak. “Mind if I change in the bathroom?”
My tone was dry. “Let me guess. You already know where it is?”
Samuel winked. “That’s a trick question. You have three bathrooms. One in your bedroom. One in your mother’s room. And one next to the laundry room.”
I slammed the door but bent and peered through the window. “Get out, smartass.”
He grabbed his bag from the backseat of the car and followed me inside. No directions were needed. The Dark Elf headed straight for the bathroom next to the laundry room.
I jumped into the shower real quick. Dirt covered my feet and twigs stuck in my hair from traipsing through the forest. Plus, I needed a moment of solitude to process my new life.
As a damn Dark Elf.
Exiting from the shower, I quickly toweled off and changed. I tugged my hair up into a ponytail. Stared at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t sure what an Elf wore to feed. My sweatshirt and yoga pants would have to do. I did make sure to tie my tennis shoes in double knots, just in case any drug dealers got the idea in their head to chase me down. You know, for feeding on them.
I grabbed a pair of scissors and stuffed them into my right pocket.
A little protection wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like I owned a gun or anything.
I walked into the living room and stopped cold. Blinked.
Samuel sat on the love seat on my right.
My mom sat on the couch on my left.
Both looked like figurines they were so still, their eyes averted from one another.
I raised my brows. “You two will learn to get along with each other.”
Mom snorted.
Samuel grunted.
My eyes lifted to the ceiling and I sighed. “The Light and Dark aren’t that different.”
In a flash, both sets of eyes swung to me.
“Both feed off humans.”
As one, they turned their attention away from me, averting their eyes once more.
Mom snorted.
Samuel grunted.
“Well, this is fun.”
Snort. Grunt. In unison, this time.
I chuckled quietly. “Okay, that was enough time spent together for the first evening.” I waved a hand at Samuel. “Let’s go feed on some drug dealers.”
Mom looked at him then. If glares were blades, his flesh would be bloody.
Samuel drove my car again. Demanded to. It gave me time to think anyway.
“Do I have to call you sir?” I asked as we stepped out of my car.
He shut the driver’s side door, meeting me on the sidewalk. “For now? Yes.”
“Like, in private too?”
“You can call me Samuel when there are no other Elves nearby.”
“That’ll work, I guess.” I shoved my hands into my pockets, peering out into the night. “Where do we start?”
“That’s easy.” He placed his hand on my back and pushed me forward into the grass. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the energy in the earth.”
I closed my eyes. “Do I always have to stand on soil to do this?”
“No. It’ll become easier as time goes by. You’ll eventually be able to do it from an airplane.”
“Okay.” I tilted my head to the side and tried to remember how the ground had tickled my toes during the Blood Tree call. That had been massive amounts of energy. “Can I take from the earth?”
Quick and short. “No. Never.”
“Why?”
“It’s too pure. Even for a Light Elf.” He paused. “It could kill you.”
My eyes snapped open. “So there is a way for an immortal to die.”
“The only way. And it’s suicide.”
I shifted on my left hip. “Do many Elves take that way out?”
“Only a handful of the Dark have.”
“And the Light?”
“Twice as many.”
My brows furrowed. “Do you suppose that’s because the world’s been going to shit?”
The original chuckled. “The Light aren’t that innocent, Kenna.”
“Then why double the numbers?”
“It’s a long story from a long time ago. It was a clusterfuck of miscommunication.”
I slid my finger across my throat. “Why can’t we die if our heads are cut off?”
“They can’t be cut off.” He flicked a finger against his neck. “Once you’re immortal, nothing can penetrate our skin.”
My eyes shot wide. “Seriously? I didn’t know that.”
He nodded and tapped his right foot. “But it’s best to not be captured by anyone. There are other holes on the female and male bodies. It’s hell if someone shoves a grenade down your throat…or stuffs it up somewhere else. The healing process for wounds like that takes months.”
My mouth bobbed, and I choked on the words. “Have you had that happen before?”
“I’m old. I’ve had many unpleasant experiences.”
I stared, and then turned my back to him and closed my eyes again. “I think we should focus.”
He snickered. “I would agree.” He waited a long moment. “Find the energy.”
It was easily found. I wiggled my shoulders as it ran like fingers on the underside of my feet. “What do I do now?”
“Search for the voids in the power.”
I clenched my fingers into fists, pushing farther and farther into the earth’s power. It traveled out
from me, and I could see the landscape without opening my eyes. Grid lines of green spanned the lawn. The trees were green fireworks shooting from the ground. Wooden park benches were dark brown and charred. Trashcans were purple and solid. The sidewalk was red checkers.
I breathed, “Wow.”
“Found them?”
“No. Not yet.” I kept my eyes closed and turned in a circle. I paused in Samuel’s direction. Where he should be standing there were squiggly lines of silver shooting far into the sky. “You’re not a void.”
“Nope. All Elves appear silver in color.”
I kept turning until I paused. My brows twitched, and I leaned forward. I squeezed my closed eyes tighter.
In the distance, two hundred yards away, there were holes in my vision.
It was nothing but black.
“Got ‘em.” I shoved a finger in front of me.
“How many?”
“Three.”
“Open your eyes. Let’s head over there.”
With reluctance, my regular vision returned as I opened them. “I like it the other way.”
He shrugged, walking in the direction I had pointed. “Some Elves prefer it that way. You’ll learn to control it. In a few months, you won’t have to close your eyes to concentrate. You’re powerful so it’ll come quicker than most.”
We threaded through trees, marching on twigs and leaves. Human voices eventually carried to my ears. There were three different people talking. Two men and one woman.
“The voids are humans, huh?”
“That would be correct.” He lifted his finger to his lips, indicating I needed to be quiet. He stopped our progress and whispered, “Can you feel your hunger?”
“Um, no.”
He tapped on my forehead. “Up here. Not in your stomach.”
I stared. “Uh…hold on. Let me check.” My brows furrowed. “How exactly do I check?”
“Do you have a headache?”
“A little one.”
He grinned. “That’s your hunger. Elves are never ill.”
My eyes widened. “Damn, that’s cool.”
“Do you want to relieve that ‘headache’?”
“I wouldn’t mind. It’s annoying me.”
“Focus on it. Once you find that pounding, become that beat.”
“Become the beat.”
“Yes, pour all of your being into the music thumping inside your mind.”
I stared at the ground. My head really started to hurt as I focused on that annoying ticking inside my head, my headache growing even further. I didn’t let go of it, though. I kept pushing it, striving to enhance the beat. I blinked and shoved a hand over my mouth to stifle my scream. On the ground, where I was gazing…my feet had disappeared.
Wait. I patted at my body because it was no longer visible. “Holy shitballs.”
“Shh,” Samuel hushed. But I could no longer see him either. He was invisible, too. “Grab onto the back of my shirt so you don’t bump into me. As I said, you’ll be able to see other Elves when your eyes are open, using the earth’s power, but you can’t do that now. The humans can still hear you, so you need to stay silent.”
I waved my left hand in front of me. And smacked Samuel straight in the face by the feel of it. “Sorry.” Though he did deserve it for deceiving me for so long. I patted at what felt like his shoulder until he turned and let me grab the back of his shirt. “How do I know which one to feed on?” I knew feeding on the light energy would make a Dark Elf vomit, and I somehow doubted anything that spewed from my body would be invisible like me.
“That’s the easy part. You’ll be able to tell which is more light than dark in a human when you’re near them.”
“Okay, lead me to the feast.”
“Just stay with me. No matter what I do. And don’t make a sound.”
I nodded as we walked.
I pulled the scissors from my pocket.
Samuel stopped so suddenly, I slammed against his back. He hissed, “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m following you. Like you said to do.”
“No! With those scissors?”
“Oh. I brought them with me for protection.”
Quiet.
I couldn’t see the man, but I knew he was still there since I had ahold of him.
“What?”
The unmistakable sound of a bullet being chambered clicked in front of me. His tone was hoarse. “If you want to protect yourself, at least bring a weapon that won’t make the bad guy laugh at you.”
I blinked. “No scissors then?”
“I. Have. A. Gun.”
I slipped the sharp cutter back into my pocket. “Okay, no scissors.”
“Good fucking god,” Samuel muttered, and then we were moving again. “Your mother babied you.”
“She didn’t want me to be Dark.”
“And look where that got you. Right into my hands.”
“Shut up. I want to eat some humans.” I stuttered to a stop. “That came out wrong.”
“Shh…” He didn’t say another word as we crept up on the three unsuspecting individuals.
Instinct had me shoving at his back toward the woman.
The one buying the drugs.
Not the two men haggling her to pay a higher price.
Samuel headed straight for her.
My mouth slammed shut when…he walked right through her. My grip on his shirt was almost lost, but I held on tight. I closed my eyes as he pulled me through, too.
A creeping jolt of black electricity zapped my veins, and I was instantly more awake. I could run a hundred miles without stopping. I could build a house from the trees nearby—with my bare hands.
I was alive.
Samuel grabbed my shoulders as I stood between the three talking humans. On silent feet, he guided me back into the tree line. Within seconds, my invisibility wore off, my headache gone.
With wide eyes, I jumped in place. I had so much energy. “Can we do that again?”
I walked to my front door with a bounce in my step. Cycles of vitality rotated in my veins in a constant loop. I had never felt this wonderful in my life. It was hard to keep from laughing I was so energized. I grinned at Samuel, stating, “You don’t have to walk me to my door. I’ve got my key.”
His black brows were deep over his eyes. “I think I do.”
“Why?”
“Because your mom’s not alone. I’m pretty sure they’re waiting for us.”
My head snapped back to my home. “Who’s in there?”
“An asshole by the power signature.”
I walked faster. My mate was here. “Just him?”
“And your mom.”
I shoved the front door open, my chest heaving. My gaze scanned the living room.
He was here. Sitting on the love seat. “Julius?”
My mate pointed to the couch. “Sit next to your mother, please.”
Samuel shut the door behind him as he walked inside. “Julius. It’s always a pleasure.”
“Cut the shit out, Samuel. We need to have a discussion.”
“You mean you have demands.”
Julius’s nostrils flared. “If I had demands, you would know it.” His onyx eyes flicked to mine. “Kenna, please. Take a seat by your mom while he and I talk.”
I stood my ground, crossing my arms. Though I would try to be civil. “You were unkind today.”
He ran his right hand through his white hair. “I didn’t handle it well. I am sorry for that.”
“I’m a Dark Elf.”
“I know that,” he griped in irritation.
“Do you hate me because of what I am?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head and pointed to Samuel. “I hate that he owns you.”
I stared. “Come again?”
“Samuel owns all the Dark Elves. They are his to protect. And his to discipline.”
A buzzing started in my ears. “I think I will sit down.” I walked without blinking until I sat d
irectly next to my mother. Her thigh was warm and comforting against mine. I waved a hand between the two men. “Feel free. Chat away.”
Fix this, Julius.
Samuel leaned back against the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his dark eyes steadfast on my mate. His words were blunt. “Let’s skip past all the sweet words that I’m sure you’re about to say and get to the heart of the matter.” One black brow lifted. “What kind of trade are you talking about? Please remember, she is the second most powerful Dark Elf in existence. She is a rarity for such a young age.”
“I know damn well what she is,” Julius snapped. But he leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. I tried to ignore that they were talking about me as if I were a piece of cattle. If Julius could bargain for me…so be it. My mate shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll allow you to have your holiday back.”
My mom’s mouth gaped open, but she quickly shut it. And then pretended to act as if it hadn’t happened, placing her arm around my shoulders and resting her head against mine.
“My annual Dark celebration?” Samuel clarified.
“Yes.”
He tapped his right foot. “What else?”
Julius ground his teeth together. “I’ll give you that knife you’ve always wanted.”
Samuel froze. “From the gladiator?”
“Yes.”
Black brows lifted. “What else?”
Julius closed his eyes for a long moment, and when he opened them, his gaze was patient. “I’ll give you fifty billion dollars.”
My eyes damn near popped out of my head. “What?”
Julius just waved his hand at me, hushing me, his attention never leaving Samuel.
“Money’s nice, and I’ll take it,” Samuel murmured. “But I know you can do better than that.”
Julius kicked his feet out and folded his hands on his flat stomach. “Why don’t you just tell me what it is that you want? This negotiation will go much faster if you do.”
Samuel grinned. “I want half of her.”
“Explain.”
“You are her mate. I understand this. But she is my subject. I don’t want to lose her.”
“So your proposal would be?”
Blood Tree: Silver Edition Page 6