Young Blood (A Witch Hunter Saga Novella)

by Nicole R. Taylor

  The first one was always the hardest when you weren't sure about yourself and she hoped it would be a little easier from then on. Walking into the classroom, she saw it was one of those large lecture halls with tiered seating like a movie theatre and a large whiteboard and projector screen at the front.

  Picking a spot right in the middle, she sat down and put her bag between her feet, pulling out a notebook and pen. Watching as other students continued to pour into the room, she suddenly felt very small for an immortal vampire. Who'd have thought Introduction to English Literature would be so popular? There had to be seats for at least two hundred or more and they were filling up fast.

  A girl sat in the seat next to her and she offered a friendly smile, but the girl glared and looked away. Okay, then. Rolling her eyes, she glanced away. Big city mentality was obviously worlds apart from the small town pleasantries she was used to.

  A guy was standing in the row directly in front and when she looked up, he offered her a small smile. Obviously he'd seen the exchange and she wasn't going for a repeat performance, so she glanced back at her notebook. College was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime, right? That's what everyone said it was. She didn't have to make friends day one, she just had to get through a whole day without getting lost…or found out.

  Anyway, could she make friends? Being what she was and everything… Maybe getting too close was a bad idea. Shit, Liz, she thought. Just get through one day at a time. Save the existentialism for Psych 101.

  Like a cliché, the professor was a balding middle-aged man in a tweed jacket. As he prepared the whiteboard with his name and the class schedule, the now packed room began to quiet down. Her gaze ran over the guy in front of her, the one that had smiled at her, and felt a weird sensation on the air. Something wasn't right and she wondered if her vampire side was trying to tell her something.

  He had curly blond hair, darker at the roots, so maybe it had been bleached lighter by the sun. But his skin was pale and had no sign of a tan at all. Maybe he'd moved here from someplace colder? She focused her hearing on his heartbeat, but it was regular, so was his breathing, but as if that would tell her anything. Pretending to sniff to cover her tracks, all she could smell from the guy was cheap cologne.

  As the professor rattled off the course syllabus and assignments for the semester, she couldn't take her eyes off the guy. Staring at the back of his head, she couldn't pinpoint it. Somehow he seemed familiar, but she was positive she hadn't seen him before. Remembering when Aya had first shown up in Ashburton, she'd felt the same vibration in the air. Was this guy a vampire? If he was, then what the hell was he doing in a college literature class? God, what the hell was she doing here?

  Before she knew it, the class was over and she hadn't heard a thing. She'd been that obsessed with figuring out the guy in front and when he actually turned around and caught her staring, she glanced away quickly, thankful that she didn't blush.

  “Are you as lost as I am?” the guy asked, leaning over the back of his seat.

  Liz looked him up and down and decided there was no harm in talking to him. Maybe it would settle whatever that stupid feeling was. “Glad I'm not the only one.”

  “I'm Will by the way.” He smiled up at her.

  “Liz.”

  “Wanna check out the coffee house?” he asked. “I don't have another class for a few hours. We can compare notes. I think I'm going to need all the help I can get.”

  She held up her blank notebook. “I didn't take any.”

  “Shit, well, all the more reason we need each other.”

  If the guy was a vampire, what harm could he do in a public place? “Okay,” she said. “My next class isn't until two, anyway.”

  “I totally sense I'm being used to fill up time,” Will said with a wink. “But I'll take it.”

  “Did you move here?” she asked as they walked across campus.

  “Yeah. Florida.”

  “Wow, that's a long way. Why LA?”

  “Long story.” He shrugged and looked away, obviously uncomfortable at her question.

  His caginess sent alarm bells ringing, but maybe it was just because of all the crazy witch and founding vampire mess she'd been through in the past few months. It would make any sane person over compensate. Maybe Will didn't want to speak about it because he genuinely didn't want to for normal reasons. Family troubles. Broken heart. That kind of normal.

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “Generic small town, Louisiana.”

  “Big city living, huh?”

  “Something like that.”

  It wasn't until they stood in front of one of the coffee shops, that she realized they'd walked all the way from the lecture hall in easy conversation. She'd always been good at making friends, but that was in Ashburton when she was human and this was the big time and she was a vampire with too many secrets to keep. Still, she wondered what Sam was doing.

  “What's your poison?” Will asked as they joined the line for the cashier. “My treat.”

  “Seriously? It's fine, I can get my own.” She made a mental note to mention her boyfriend at some stage.

  “Seriously. Consider it a one off welcoming gift.”

  “Okay, well, just a standard, classic cappuccino.” Glancing around, she saw how busy it was. Students sure loved their caffeine fixes. “I'll grab us a seat.”

  Finding two free chairs in the middle of the fray, she watched Will waiting in line. She scrutinized his every movement as he ordered and waited for their coffees to be made. Every step he took was graceful and super coordinated. Was it because he played sports, or because he had the heightened reflexes of a vampire?

  She thought about the vampires she knew. Zac and Sam she’d become so familiar with, she couldn’t tell the difference between human and vampire anymore. Arturius was different again, but he’d been a two thousand year old founder. She’d never met Caius or Regulus, but wouldn’t they be the same? Remembering the night they’d gone to save Gabby from the basement of that house, the night that Arturius had taken Aya and Zac along with her…standing out in the back garden, standing over her unconscious friend…she knew if she had to fight, she could do it now. She’d killed two vampires then and what that meant for her, she didn’t know, but if she was threatened...

  Will placed a takeout cup in front of her and she smiled. Yeah, she could defend herself if it came down to that.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, sitting across from her.

  She shrugged. “Nothing.” Obsessing.

  “You were someplace far away then.”

  “I’m just thinking about my major. Mainly, the lack of one.”

  “You just started,” he said. “Give it some time.”

  “What's yours?”

  “I'm doing Engineering mostly,” he replied. “I need an arts to balance out my transcript and literature seemed…”

  “Easy?” she prodded.

  Will laughed at being caught out and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but I'm not so sure about that now. Do you have any ideas about yours?”

  “Not yet. I'm taking it slow first semester.”

  “No harm in that. I've got a buddy who has been here for two years and still doesn't have one.”

  It was then she decided to take a risk. If he was what she thought he was, then he would hear a word whispered lower than a human could possibly hope to register. A word that would cause him to look up in panic, or something else. It seemed silly, but she didn't know what else to do.

  So, she muttered the one word that would cause him to panic and falter. Raising her coffee, she went to take a sip, instead she said, “Vampire.”

  He was looking down at the table, reaching for his cup, but she saw it. His movement stalled so slightly, it was almost not there at all.

  “What's your next class?” he asked, not even skipping a beat.

  “Psych.” Damn. She'd need more proof.

  The more she thought about it, the mo
re she believed there was something not quite human about him. The more she thought about the first few weeks Sam and Zac had been in Ashburton, the more she saw similarities. There was a gracefulness in his movements that most people didn't have and he seemed to hear things that others couldn't. But that didn't mean anything.

  When they were trying to figure out if Aya was a vampire, Zac had spiked her food and drink with concentrated garlic and silver. Maybe she could try the same thing - or she could just tell Sam. That was probably a bad idea, considering how cut up he was about Zac's absence. She didn't want him to worry any more than he had to and it was about time she stood up and took one for the team. This was one mystery she could solve on her own.

  It was only day one and Sam was beginning to feel angry with the whole College thing. He was one hundred and forty nine years old and everyone else…yeah, that might be the problem. It wasn’t so much his first few classes than trying to deal with people that were a lot less mature than he was. He wasn’t the same person he’d been the first time round and he wasn’t talking about the obvious.

  This College thing was going to grate, but as long as it was what Liz wanted, he was going to be here.

  When he saw her up ahead, standing out front of a coffee shop, he came to a halt. A guy stood with her, a tall, handsome kind of clean-cut college kid. They were talking and laughing like old friends and he felt jealousy rising in his chest. Instantly, he prowled forward, totally intending to make himself known.

  He was still ten paces away when Liz looked up and caught his eye. She smiled, her whole face lighting up and he began to feel a little better.

  “Hey,” he said, sliding a hand over her waist.

  “Hey.”

  He glanced at the guy, who was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. Clearly, she hadn’t told him she was taken.

  Liz squeezed his hip. “This is Will. We have a literature class together.”

  “Hey,” the guy said, holding out his hand.

  Sam stared at it, then glanced at Will and didn’t even bother to shake it.

  “Okay,” he said, with a grimace. “I’ve got to go or I’ll be late. I’ll see you later.”

  Sam felt Liz’s gaze burning into the side of his face as he watched Will walk away.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “What’s his story?” Sam asked, ignoring her question.

  “He’s from Florida studying Engineering.”

  “And why does he need to be in a literature class?”

  “He needs an art-” Liz stopped and slapped his arm. “Seriously? You need to mark your territory now?”

  “Did you tell him?”

  Her expression fell slightly and he knew she hadn’t.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “It never came up.”

  His eyebrows rose and for the first time in his afterlife, he was surprised at the force of his jealousy. Even when Liz had kissed his big brother, Zac, he hadn’t felt this kind of rage.

  “Sam,” she said with a sigh. “He’s just a guy in my literature class. That’s all.”

  “You better tell him that.” He glanced the way Will had disappeared and saw him in the distance. He was just standing in the middle of the path, staring back at them, not moving, his face expressionless. Sam didn’t like the look of this guy at all. Something wasn’t right.

  He didn't have these kinds of problems when he was on his own before. Then, he'd literally been alone. Zac would be able to cook up a diabolical plan to catch the guy out, but he wasn't around to ask.

  No. He didn't like the look of him at all.

  Chapter 8

  The more Liz watched Will, the more she realized that she was just being paranoid. He'd done nothing to hurt her or done anything that lead her to believe that her suspicions had any truth to them. Actually, she liked him. Her stupid obsession seemed, well, stupid.

  She started making friends in her classes and kept her 'special needs' under wraps. She was invited to parties and study groups and all her fears that first day faded away. She really started to like college and everything was normal for a change. No crazy curses, witch drama or founding vampire sightings at all.

  Every week or so, she’d get an email from Gabby with updates on her European travels. Since it was coming up to Halloween, she said she was in London, preparing to go to a big costume party in some old haunted picture theatre. She was so jealous, but Sam just laughed at her and promised to take her once she’d graduated.

  Alex was languishing without them, but promised to come visit the moment he could get time off work. His business was growing steadily and he didn’t seem to want to leave it anybody else’s hands but his. That was the thing Liz admired most about her friend. He was hard working and dedicated beyond belief.

  Sitting on the sofa in her and Sam’s apartment, she balanced a Psych textbook on her knee, while trying to type one handed on her laptop. It was probably one of the hardest classes she had and there was a ton of assignments to work through. It only made her dread the final more than she probably ought to.

  Her cell dinged, breaking her concentration from her assignment. Picking it up, she smiled when she saw it was Will.

  Pre-Halloween party. You in?

  Smiling, she texted back, Halloween’s not until next week.

  Her cell pinged almost immediately. UCLA tradition. The pre-party sets the tone for the real thing.

  She doubted it was a tradition, but it was a party and she’d been studying pretty hard lately. Why not?

  “Sam,” she called out.

  “Yeah?”

  “Will said there’s this pre-Halloween party tonight. Wanna go?”

  Sam stuck his head out of the kitchen and grimaced. He’d never seemed to get over his territorial jealousy whenever she mentioned him.

  “We all know how much you like the guy,” she said rolling her eyes. “He’s seeing that Gloria girl. You know that.”

  “I still don't like the look of him.”

  “He's given me no reason to believe that he's anything but my friend, Sam.”

  “He’s into you.”

  “Seriously?” she cried. “Not a chance.”

  “I still don't like him. There's something off.”

  “I thought so, too but-”

  “You thought so?” Sam was on the verge of a full-blown rage and she flinched. She'd never seen him so angry at anyone but his brother. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since the first day of classes. But Sam-”

  “And you never thought to tell me? After all the shit we went through with Aya and Arturius and Regulus? Shit, Liz.”

  “He's a friend, Sam,” she spat. “A friend. Nothing more. Is that what you're so angry about? That I'm going to run off with him and leave you all alone?” Sam's expression fell and her heart twisted. She'd hit him right where it hurt and she felt a wave of regret crash into her. No, she wouldn't back down. Will had done nothing wrong. ”I'd expect this crap from Zac, but not from you.”

  “Low blow.”

  Snapping her laptop shut and tossing her textbook aside, she got to her feet and stalked into the bedroom. Wrenching open the closet, she pulled out the nicest top she had and changed into it, not stopping to acknowledge Sam, who was standing in the doorway watching her. Shoving past him, she went into the bathroom and fixed her makeup.

  “So, you’re going?” he asked, thinly.

  “Yeah, Captain Obvious.” She rolled her eyes and put on her favorite shade of red lipstick.

  “Liz, seriously. C’mon. I’m just looking out for you.”

  “You’re looking out for yourself,” she hissed. “I’m not your property.”

  His jaw started trembling like he was trying to hold himself together. Whatever he had to say, she wasn’t listening. She wanted to go to a party with her friend. She loved him, but he couldn’t control her. He had to let go once in a while.

  “I’m coming back, Sam. After all the shit we’ve been through, you c
an’t trust me?”

  “I trust you,” he said. “I don’t trust him.”

  Grabbing her cell, she shoved it into the pocket of her jeans. “I can look after myself.”

  “Don’t go out like this,” Sam said.

  “Go out like what?”

  “Angry.”

  “Yeah, well, that one’s on you,” she bit out at him and before he could retort, she slammed the front door in his face.

  Still fuming from their stupid argument, Liz strode down the sidewalk, determined to prove Sam wrong. His jealousy was cute at first, but now it was really starting to piss her off. How many times did she have to say it? Nothing was going on between her and Will. Nothing. What did she have to do? She’d made a mistake that one time with Zac, was she going to pay for it forever? Shit, she really did have forever.

  Going out to a party with the guy wasn’t really the answer, but she don’t like being told what to do. She was a big girl. She was a vampire for heavens sake, she had more than enough strength to help herself.

  Will was waiting for her down the street from the party just as he said he would. He was alone, which surprised her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket.

  “Hey,” she called out.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “Where’s Gloria?” she asked as she gave him a hug.

  “Well, we’re going through a bit of a rough patch…”

  They began walking down the sidewalk toward the sound of music in the distance. “What? Seriously? I thought you guys were solid.”

  “Um, no. There’s kinda someone else…” He trailed off and she frowned, hoping Sam was wrong.

  There was a shriek up ahead as they rounded a corner. The party was in full swing, music blared and students were all over the front lawn and the house was ablaze with light and movement. Shit. The party was in a frat house which probably meant there was that annoying barrier she couldn't cross. One, embarrassing. Two, it would expose her to a ton of students unless she could wrangle herself an invite. Stupidly, that part hadn’t crossed her mind.

  “C’mon,” she said, changing the subject. “Let’s have a few drinks, dance, mingle. It'll distract you from your Gloria problems for one night at least.”