by Shayla Hyde
Iris snapped her attention back on Elizabeth when she mentioned drugs. "Wha-what would that have to do with it?" Iris asked.
"We can’t heal an overdose," Elizabeth shrugged. "Just like we can’t heal certain diseases and sicknesses. It just won't work. He must have used a lot of it before he came over."
"He was using again?" Iris whimpered.
"I'm sorry, Iris," Elizabeth said sincerely.
Iris was quiet, and her bottom lip started to quiver. I'd only heard snippets about Jake's recovering heroin addiction, but I knew Iris had invested much of her time and energy in helping him withdrawal from it completely. Understandably so, she was hurt by the news that he'd relapsed before his death.
"Iris..." I whispered, reaching for her hand.
"He overdosed, Eve. That's how he died," Iris repeated loudly, pulling her hand away. "What if he hadn't had vampire blood in his system? He would've just died! How could he... How could he do that to me?" Her eyes were filling up with tears.
I took another step toward my friend, and she took one step away from me. Next to us, I heard the glass door slide open. Jake stood in the doorway, his eyes full of regret. The sun was high, but he stepped outside, anyway. He approached Iris slowly.
"Iris, I'm sorry," he told her, "I was depressed. My step-dad was still being a… himself. Without you, everything in my life had just gone to shit.”
"I told you. I told you could always talk to me," she glared at him, stepping back.
"It wasn't the same," he said softly. He was fast-approaching the end of the shaded area. “It felt like we were forcing a friendship every time I tried." Jake stepped directly into the sunlight, and his skin started to sizzle. He grunted loudly, but he kept on approaching Iris.
"Jake, get inside!" Elizabeth shouted at him as his t-shirt scorched to his skin.
A millisecond later, Kaden was standing in front of Jake. He firmly planted his hands on each of Jake's shoulders and shoved him toward the glass door. Jake tried fighting against him but to no avail. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Elizabeth regretfully repeated to Iris and I before turning away to help Kaden maneuver Jake inside the house. When everybody else was inside, I stood outside with Iris while she quietly cried to herself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
That night, as I crawled into my bed alone, my mind was racing nearly as quickly as my heart. It was just a waiting game. Just a matter of time before everything would hit the fan. I tried to stay optimistic, but I knew this game could only end one of two ways:
I would win and live,
or
I would lose and die.
I shifted uncomfortably in my bed, pressing the replay button in my mind. Iris had abruptly gone home after Jake's overdose confession. With tears rolling down her rosy cheeks, she had dropped me off in my driveway. I hated seeing her so upset. Even more so, I hated not having the right words to say to make it better. I kept coming up with different ideas, a variety of activities we could do to get her mind off of it, but nothing appealed to her. Not even a butter pecan caramel ice-cream from Gemstone.
I rolled over again in bed, tugging my blankets over my head.
Anxious thoughts hungrily picked at my brain. I reassured myself again-and-again that I shouldn't worry. Like Kaden had recommended, I tried thinking of what could go right instead of what could go wrong. I told myself Ida and Jane would get the reversal spell before the Primevals could get to me. Problem solved. For some reason, though, telling myself not to worry only intensified my fears.
I suddenly heard a soft crack, probably just the house settling, but my body jolted at the faint sound. I exhaled deeply through trembling lips and squeezed my eyes shut. Actually falling asleep was a long-shot, but I was going to try. I needed the anxiety to lessen somehow. Tap, tap, tap.
I leaped straight up in bed. Someone was at my window. I hadn’t imagined it. I covered my mouth, concealing a whimper.
Tap, tap, tap, I heard again.
I slowly and carefully eased my legs over the edge of the bed.
Tap, tap, tap.
My cell phone was charging on my nightstand. I unplugged it and held it close to my side as I tiptoed over to the window. If it’s a Primeval, you're safe. They can't get in unless you invite them in, I reassured myself, though I didn’t feel very safe. I slowly and hesitantly pulled my curtain to the side a couple of inches.
I was alarmed to find two eyes staring back at me from the other side of the glass. Two familiar, midnight blue eyes. I pressed my hand to my sternum and sighed in relief when I realized there was no danger. I unlatched the window lock. Kaden briskly tugged the window open and leaped inside my bedroom with no invitation.
"How did you get inside without an invite?" I stared at him, puzzled. "I've been invited in three times. That means free access," he candidly said with a grin. He slammed the window shut, locking it back.
My eyes unintentionally scanned his dark ruffled-up hair and model facial features.
"What... What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Well, I assumed Iris went home after everything that happened." He scratched the back of his neck. “I didn’t want to leave you here alone.” I pushed my post-shower dampened hair behind my ear and lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “Thanks, but I would’ve been fine.”
"You were afraid," he whispered, stepping toward me until the space between us was closed. "When you were alone."
"A little, but I’m good," I said convincingly. “I would’ve been fine.” He smirked at me, causing my heart to skip a beat, "I know you would've.”
I cleared my throat, dropping my gaze.
"How is Iris holding up?" He suddenly questioned me.
"I'm not sure, actually," I quietly admitted. “She hasn't responded to any of my texts."
He glanced down at my phone, then up at me, "ah, I'm sure she's fine.
She shouldn’t have left you here like this."
"I hope so," I stated, stepping toward my bed. I dropped my phone on my nightstand and hoisted myself onto my bed, letting my legs hang over the edge. “It’s fine. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Kaden stood still, his eyes on the floor and a soft grin on his face.
"How's Jake?" I inquired.
"Well, he hasn't said much to any of us since this morning," he told me, shoving his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans, "Victor will watch him tonight. You know, to make sure he doesn't leave the cabin." I nodded, "yeah, good idea."
"Yeah," he said, stepping toward my bed.
"It's so weird," I stated, a smile stretching my lips. "You seem so normal..."
"What are you trying to say?" He lifted his eyebrows defensively. "You know what I mean," I rolled my eyes. "If I didn't already know, you know, what you are, I would never believe you're anything more than just a..."
"Human," he finished my sentence with a firm nod, "yes. That's what makes us so dangerous." "Yeah..." I whispered.
He suddenly lifted himself onto the bed next to me, making me swallow hard.
"Is this okay?" He questioned me, probably noticing my discomfort.
"Y- yes," I quickly and stupidly responded, "It's fine."
He nodded, dropping his eyes to the floor again, "I also wanted to talk to you about something else. About last night."
I thought about our almost-kiss, my cheeks immediately flushing. I sucked in a deep breath and asked, "what about it?"
"I wanted to apologize to you," he uncomfortably said. "No. Don't apologize," I interrupted him, "I wa-wanted it to h-happen." I stuttered mindlessly, my face getting even warmer.
He grinned, keeping his eyes on the floor, "did you?"
I nodded quietly, secretly hoping he couldn't hear how quickly my heart was drumming.
He lifted his eyes from the floor and stared over at me solemnly, catching me off-guard. His jaw was clenched tightly, making him look even handsomer than usual. "I did, too," he said just above a whisper, his lips tugging at the corners.
I bit my bottom lip
again and nervously glanced away. My heart only slowed when Kaden slid off my bed onto his feet and took a few steps toward my bedroom door. "It's late. Get some rest, if you can. I'll be in the living room."
I quietly nodded. "I would've been okay on my own," I stubbornly replied, "but still, thank you for staying, Kaden."
He objectively smiled at me, pausing in my doorway, "Goodnight,
Eve."
"Kaden?" I said, stopping him before he could walk away. "Yeah?" He asked, facing me.
I cleared my throat, "Do vampires sleep?" I peered at him.
"In short intervals," he explained, "Why do you ask?"
"Oh..." I shakily whispered and shrugged. "Just curious, I guess."
He squinted at me suspiciously.
Before I could even think it over, the words in my head spilled out of my mouth like word vomit. "Would you like to sleep with me?" I saw a playful smile tugging on his lips. He took a few steps toward my bed again, "Is that what you want?"
I nodded, "Yeah. I mean, the couch isn't very comfortable.”
He halted at the foot of the bed. "Okay, Eve."
I quickly lifted my legs onto the bed and shielded my body with my comforter. I was facing away from him, but I heard Kaden's footsteps softly stepping toward the other side of the bed. I felt a dip in the mattress as he sat down beside me. His presence protectively loomed over me.
"Get some sleep," he whispered huskily. I felt his body shift and suddenly, my lamp flickered off, descending us both into blackness.
I didn't tell him I’d been sleeping with the lights on lately, simply because at that moment, I wasn’t afraid of the dark. Almost at once, I drifted into a peaceful slumber.
With Kaden next to me, my anxiety had temporarily been pushed to the side.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
Iris burst through my front door in the early hours of the morning with two ice-cream cones cupped in each of her hands. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kaden and I sitting together on the couch.
"Oh," she took a step back, "um, sorry."
"Iris," I leaped from the couch, "Why haven't you been responding to my texts? I've been worried about you."
"I know, I'm sorry," she poked out her bottom lip and shoved a chocolate ice-cream cone in my face. "Consider this an apology for me leaving yesterday."
I scoffed at the ice cream cone and folded my arms. "What's changed? You're suddenly Peppy Iris again?"
"Yeah," she smiled cheerfully, "What's wrong with that?"
I suspiciously eyeballed her. Behind me, I heard an amused chuckle from Kaden. I faced him and curiously cocked my head to the side. "I take it Victor didn't do a very good job keeping Jake in the cabin last night," Kaden explained, staring straight ahead at Iris.
My mouth reflexively gaped open as I turned back to Iris. She guiltily bit her bottom lip.
"Well, that explains everything," I scornfully said, staring at her in bewilderment.
"Don't look at me like that," she chuckled carefreely. "Clearly, I wasn't the only one with company last night."
At that, I bit my tongue a little harder than I'd intended to.
"Besides, nothing happened," Iris said with a shrug. "We just talked."
I nodded, feeling sick at my stomach at the thought of Iris being alone with Jake. "He went to your house?" I questioned her. "How did that blow over with your parents?"
"Dad was out patrolling, and Mom was sleeping," she shrugged again, "What they don't know won't hurt them."
I had no idea what Iris's adoptive parents looked like, but a mental image of Jake tearing them to shreds flashed in my mind.
"Sure," I ambivalently said, unintentionally wincing at the thought. Iris took a breath, but before she could say another word, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
We all fell silent, probably thinking and fearing the exact same thing. I was frozen there, my eyes on the door. Kaden was the first of us to make a move. He rose to his feet and stepped forward, a somber expression on his face. I held my breath as he inched his way to the door.
"Who’s there?" Kaden called out, his voice penetrating through the entry.
Everything was still. There was no response. In one quick motion, Kaden jerked the door wide open. I was partially relieved but confused to see no one lurking on the other side. Instead, a small rectangular cardboard box rested on my doorstep. It was wrapped in thick black duct tape, and as far as I could tell, it had no address label. Kaden smirked over his shoulder at me and wrapped his long fingers around the box. "Expecting a package?" He inquired, striding back inside my house with the box in hand.
I slowly shook my head side-to-side, swallowing hard.
"I don't think we should open it," Iris apprehensively peered at Kaden. "What if it's an explosive, or, I don't know, some sort of death trap? A quick, effortless way for the Primevals to kill Eve without physically doing it themselves?"
"Nah," Kaden said calmly, "it's nothing like that." "How do you know?" Iris skeptically retorted.
"I just know," he smirked confidently, unhanding the box and letting it plop down on the living room floor. The contents of the box clattered on impact.
I took a step toward it and dropped to my knees on the floor, "Iris, got your pocket knife on you by any chance?"
"Always," she sneered at me, reaching in her back pocket for it. Iris tossed the compact pocket knife on the floor beside me. I snatched it, flicked open the blade, and started slicing at the duct tape that concealed the box until I'd carved an opening. Kaden kneeled across from me and effortlessly tore it the rest of the way open. When he saw the contents of the box, he rose and took a footstep backward.
"What the hell?" Iris shrilly exclaimed.
Puzzled, I outstretched my fingertips and caressed the pointed tip of one of the wooden stakes in the box. Altogether, I counted four of them in the package. Tucked away beneath the wood was a tiny sheet of paper. I carefully slid it out, scrutinizing the thin cursive writing on the page.
It read:
Evelyn,
As a precautionary measure. Four stakes, one for each Primeval. Each blessed, each perfectly whetted. See you soon.
Ida W.
"Ida," I read aloud from the note, "says she sent them as a precautionary measure."
"So, this is an actual thing? A wooden stake through the heart kills vampires?" Iris gaped at the stakes.
"It's very actual," Kaden uncomfortably clarified.
I huffed and slid the box out of sight, "am I the only one catching the vibe that Ida doesn't believe we'll get the reversal spell in time?"
Iris and Kaden exchanged an anxious glance, then stared back at me.
"Not necessarily. It's just best to be prepared for any outcome," Kaden said sympathetically. "Which is what I believe Ida is trying to do."
I stressfully rubbed the back of my neck.
"Maybe that's what we need to do today, as well," Kaden spoke up again, recapturing my attention.
"Do what?" I asked.
"Maybe we should prepare ourselves for every possible outcome," he quietly explained, an uncertain crease between his brows.
"How do we do that?" Iris questioned him.
"You don't," I frankly told her, "you're not going to be a part of this."
"Eve's right," Kaden shook his head. "It's not your battle."
Iris disgruntledly lowered her eyes to the floor without argument.
"I'll gather the others. We will, uh, prepare in the forest tonight,"
Kaden sternly said, "in the clearing."
"That's where it will all go down, isn't it?" Iris quizzed Kaden, chewing on her bottom lip.
"More than likely," he admitted, "but that’s not an invitation. We get to choose the spot. Wherever we are, they’ll find us."
Kaden's dark leather shoes stepped around me as he strolled toward the front door. It was written all over his face.
He was worried there would be a fight, after all.
That afternoon, Kaden, Victor, Elizabeth, Sebastian, Jake, and I hiked our way to the clearing. One quick glance at the leaf-covered ground sent me flying back into my nightmare. I shivered it away. "I'm sorry, but does no one else see that we don't stand a chance against these guys?" Sebastian folded his muscular arms over his chest. I winced. I felt Kaden step closer to me and place a steady hand on my lower back.
"I believe we do," Victor argued, "but we won't if we stay pessimistic."
"It's not pessimism, it's realism," Sebastian growled.
"It may not even come to that," Elizabeth said quietly, "but if it does, we have to at least try."
Sebastian widened his eyes at his sister. "Sure. You feel obligated to do something since this is your fault," he snapped, "but I had nothing to do with it. I shouldn't be here."
"Neither did I," Jake suddenly spoke up to Sebastian, "but here I am." Sebastian, looking irritated, stepped toward Jake, his upper-lip curving into an angry snarl as he spat the words, "Because overdosing didn't work out too well, huh? You're obviously only in because you have a death wish."
Jake didn't break his icy glare from Sebastian. He calmly responded, "Not anymore. Do you even care about how your brother feels, man?
Your existence is his burden. He has saved your ass so many times, but you won't fight for him, not even once."
Sebastian, taken aback, scoffed at him, "That's only because it's not for him. It's for the girl."
Jake blinked hard, "Yeah, exactly." He glanced at Kaden and me.
My cheeks started to burn, but I didn't look away from the altercation. Sebastian glanced at his brother. Kaden didn't acknowledge him, just continued to stare at the forest floor with his arm around my waist.
Sebastian's hard facial expression became almost sympathetic.
"Are we done here?" Victor questioned, visibly annoyed.
"Yeah," Sebastian huffed. "We're done."
"Let’s prepare then," Victor gruffly commanded. He stepped further into the clearing, bumping shoulders with Sebastian as he passed by. Sebastian scowled at the back of his head as we followed Victor to the center of the opening. Sweat started nervously beading on my forehead despite the crisp air outside.