Vampire's Crucible

by Yvette Bostic

  Three diamond studs pierced the top of his left ear, which was now partially covered by his hair. When we’d first met, he embraced a true gothic appearance, but I noticed it fading a little more every day. He no longer wore cut up black jeans and black t-shirts. While the top of his hair was still really long, the sides were no longer shaved. Was he growing it out for a reason? It would make sense for him to change his appearance. I wasn’t the only one on the vampire council’s hit list.

  “You realize it’s impossible to sleep with you staring at me,” Logan said, not opening his eyes.

  “Do you realize I’ve never seen you sleep?” I countered. “I’m always out before you and you’re always awake long before me.”

  He peered at me through his eyelashes, then rolled to his side and cradled his head in his palm. “Most people don’t need ten hours of sleep.” He didn’t even try to suppress that insufferable smirk of his.

  “Neither do I,” I huffed.

  “Sure you don’t.” He brushed a strand of hair away from his face with his free hand. “Come on, let’s go.” He rolled out from beneath our rock and stood, extending his hand to me.

  “What happened to waiting for dark?” I asked, crawling out after him. How did he do it so gracefully?

  “You’re obviously not tired and can’t entertain yourself while I sleep.” He pulled me to my feet then scooped me up like a sack of dogfood. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  The desert flew by as we raced down the hill to an uncertain welcome.

  Logan stopped just short of a narrow door on the back side of the metal building we’d been surveying and lowered me to my feet. Before his hand reached the shiny knob, the door swung open.

  “Logan.” A tall woman with dark blond hair slid out the narrow opening, closing the door behind her.

  “Elaine,” my vampire responded with a nod.

  “You cannot be here.” She glanced at me. “And neither can she. Take this and meet me at the blue house in twenty-four hours.”

  I stared at the smartphone she forced into Logan’s palm. Fear raced down my spine.

  “I had better not recognize either of you,” she said, opening the door and disappearing into the dark interior. It closed silently behind her.

  “Well, shit,” Logan whispered.

  “I guess we should’ve called first,” I said, “or waited for an invite.”

  Logan leaned against the building and pulled his hat from his head. “Yeah, that’s a long run for nothing.”

  The phone in his hand vibrated, and he flipped it over, revealing a single-worded text: “Leave.”

  “Wow. And here I thought they were allies,” I whispered. “Is that phone safe?”

  “We’re endangering them by being here, but Elaine wouldn’t return the favor by giving me a trackable phone,” he said, extending his arm out to me. “I need to get a better form of transportation.”

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty about making him carry me all the way back. “If I had two pennies to my name, I’d buy a car.”

  He grunted and flipped me up on his back. I wrapped my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. As we raced back across the desert, my mind whirled with ‘what ifs’ and ‘Holy shit what do we do now?’

  Chapter 2

  As soon as we arrived back at Logan’s house, he collapsed on the sofa in his sparse living room. Guilt churned in my gut. I’d become a physical, mental, and financial burden to him. He didn’t need to buy food before I arrived and only needed a car for long road trips. I assumed he rented one or maybe borrowed one of Jonathan’s. Carrying me around in public wouldn’t be an option for either of us. I needed to find a way to contribute or leave. I couldn’t expect him to completely change his life for me.

  I kneeled at the side of the sofa and unlaced his boots, then pulled them from his feet. My efforts to lift his legs onto the couch resulted in several grunts from me and a growl from him.

  “Don’t pamper me, woman,” he mumbled, rolling over and pulling his legs onto the cushion.

  “Whatever.”

  Stupid men, even as vampires. I stood and looked around the small room containing only the sofa and a round dining room table with two wooden chairs. A meager kitchen filled the opposite corner, with only the bare necessities in the cupboards. Logan’s place wasn’t really a house. It was one of those completely off-the-grid homes. The previous owner blasted a hole in the side of a cliff and filled it with furniture. He did a pretty good job of framing out the exterior door, but the only windows were in the front, which limited air flow. It also lacked heat, which left the stone rooms cold.

  The only thing good about the place was its water source. I was pretty sure the guy stumbled on it by accident. A natural spring flowed from the rock at the back of the cavern, supplying a commodity that everyone else had to have delivered. I wasn’t sure if Logan or the other guy installed the solar panels, but I was grateful for them regardless. Cold showers sucked.

  I made my way to the only bedroom, which also housed Logan’s library. Bookcases covered three of the four walls, all of them filled with books. I perused the titles, looking for something about the different supernatural families. I knew about the mages because I was one. Victor’s clan introduced me to wolf shifters. Then there were the vampires. Maybe that’s where I should start.

  My new connection to Logan made little sense to me. He’d told me as much as he knew, but parts of it still left me in the dark. Apparently, certain elements had to be in place for a bond to be created.

  Exchanging blood. Check.

  Having sex. Check.

  Pre-existing affection for each other. Check?

  It was there, but where the hell did it come from? I wasn’t attracted to Logan before all that, was I? He was funny and polite, but his vampire side terrified me. Something else was missing, but I still didn’t know what.

  The vampire bond must have been nearly non-existent if it required the vampire to actually care about the person he or she bonded. Or they just didn’t want it to be widely known so they came up with a ridiculous requirement that only the most ignorant would believe. I might as well throw myself into that group of stupid, because I believed. How could I not?

  I stared at the shelves in front of me, not really seeing them as my thoughts wandered back to Mr. Smith’s compound. Which one of the council members had been there? Logan said his name was Braden, but which one was he? I remembered each of them from my interrogation at the hotel after they kidnapped me, and they were all terrifying, even the one sitting off to the side who appeared disinterested in the entire affair. Maybe he scared me the most. The others wore their hatred and disgust openly, but that one hid his true feelings. I shivered involuntarily. I’d have to ask Logan which one was looking for us.

  I reached for a book on the history of Transylvania, my hand stopping on the thick leather spine. In the meeting with Kellen and Jonathan a week ago, Jonathan had said he had a small group of vampires on his side. Could he have meant one of the council? That’s stupid. Council members would only be the most loyal to the vampire cause. But, why would this Braden guy show up at Jonathan’s compound to just talk? Unless Jonathan was in league with the vampires and his whole story about wanting to stop them was a bunch of bullshit.

  Too many questions and no way to get answers. I wondered if Logan had a computer. My time might be better spent searching for a new hairdo. The tall woman, Elaine, said she better not recognize us, which meant a disguise. At least that was something tangible that I could achieve. Only it wasn’t. I didn’t have any money, so I’d have to rely on Logan to pay for it.

  That needed to change. I’d never been able to do more than keep from starving, but at least I did it on my own. I hated relying on someone else for even my most basic needs. This whole situation sucked beyond belief. Except for Logan’s company. That was kind of nice. Get a grip, stupid.

  I left the book in its place on the shelf and looked around the room. A
bed, tall wardrobe, and two low dressers occupied the space. The trunk we took from Kellen’s rested on the floor beside the wardrobe. I knew it was empty because I’d unpacked my things and stashed them in one of the dressers. Unless there was a secret desk that pulled out of the bookshelf, there was no place for a computer.

  I wandered back into the living room, but I knew there wasn’t a computer out there. I’d only been here two days, but the space wasn’t big enough to hide anything. The room served as living room, dining room, and kitchen. A stacked washer and dryer took up a corner in the kitchen, so there wasn’t even a laundry room.

  I turned in a slow circle and ran my fingers through my hair. I couldn’t stay cooped up in this small space with nothing to do. Anxiety I hadn’t realized I harbored bubbled to the surface. My heart started racing and my breaths broke into short gasps. What the hell? Did I all of a sudden get claustrophobic? That didn’t make sense. I’d been here for two days already. But we’d been busy and hadn’t stayed inside. And Logan hadn’t left me alone, but I wasn’t alone right now.

  I looked over at his long body stretched out on the sofa. He’d rolled over again, now lying on his back with one arm thrown over his head. My anxiety settled just a little, making me frown. I did not need a man to keep me calm. I’d lived without them my whole life, but here I was walking across the room and standing over him.

  I shook my head and kicked off my shoes, then crawled into the tiny space next to him. He moaned and I poked his ribs, forcing him to scoot over. He wrapped his arm around me and I nestled my head just beneath his collar bone.

  “Are you comfortable yet?” he mumbled.

  “Yep, thanks.”

  I pressed my hand against his chest and sighed. All my anxiety seeped away. Well damn. I hated that I depended on him and I really needed to work on being away. I shouldn’t need him by my side in order to function. This was stupid.

  I sighed again and drank in Logan’s delicious spearmint. Really stupid.

  Chapter 3

  I woke up in exactly the same place I fell asleep. My neck ached, and the arm I’d been laying on was completely numb.

  “Well, shit,” I muttered, pushing against Logan’s chest and sitting up on the edge of the sofa. My fingers refused to move and tingles rushed up and down my arm. “Oh, that hurts.”

  My vampire pulled me back against him and wrapped his hands around my arm, massaging it with his long fingers.

  “I wondered how long you would sleep,” he said, rubbing life back into my blood-starved arm.

  “What time is it?” I mumbled.

  “Two in the morning,” he replied, releasing my arm and wrapping his hands around my waist.

  I leaned against him trying not to enjoy his warmth against my back. His finger traced a circle around my belly button, igniting desires I didn’t want to feel. Yeah, right.

  “Any ideas for disguises?” I asked, lacing my fingers in his in a futile attempt to put out the fire.

  “Of course,” he replied. “I have a friend who can take care of everything, but I need to find out how soon she can meet us.” He pushed his hands lower, deftly releasing the button on my jeans with his long fingers.

  “Logan,” I whispered. “We shouldn’t keep doing this.” I tightened my grip on his hands, but it was useless.

  “Doing what?” he asked, his voice dropping in volume as his hands continued their path.

  I wanted him and he knew it. His coy little question didn’t fool me. My traitorous hips rose to meet his fingers and I moaned. We couldn’t keep doing this. Every time we had sex, my need to be near him deepened. He had to feel it as well, didn’t he?

  “I gotta pee,” I said, wriggling out of his grasp and falling off the sofa.

  He chuckled as I raced towards the only bathroom. I would’ve hit him if I thought it’d do any good. But it wouldn’t. He might have actually liked it, which didn’t ease my frustration. He drove me crazy, both emotionally and sexually.

  The bathroom was probably the nicest room in the whole house. The natural spring ran from the wall into a tiled basin. Logan explained the storage container and pump and whatever, but it was really just whatever to me. I understood none of it but appreciated the small beauty in an otherwise plain house.

  I leaned against the small cedar counter and stared at my reflection in the mirror. So much had happened to me in the last couple months. There was very little left of the young woman bouncing between jobs and struggling to get one meal a day.

  “How did this happen?” I asked myself.

  “Beats the hell outta me,” my reflection replied.

  I shed my clothes and turned on the faucet to the shower. It wasn’t really a shower, more like a shower head attached to the stone wall in the corner. There was no enclosure or shower curtain, but the original owner, and now Logan, didn’t really have a need for privacy. As soon as the water got hot, I made quick work of getting myself clean.

  Wrapped in a towel, I peeked out the bathroom door. The bedroom was empty. A moment of disappointment and longing lingered, but I pushed it aside. That’s the perfect example. I shouldn’t want him all the time.

  A set of clothes were easy to find in my limited wardrobe, and I didn’t waste any time putting them on.

  “Good, you’re ready.”

  Logan’s voice drew my attention as I pulled a tank top over my head. The only thing left to put on were my shoes.

  “We need to be in Reno by eight, which gives us just enough time,” he continued, pulling his own shirt off and tossing it on the floor.

  I tried to ignore him as he continued to undress, focusing on retying my sneakers instead.

  “Why are you trying to resist this?” he asked, now standing directly in front of me wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

  Did he seriously have to ask? Was he okay with the growing need for me? Or maybe he didn’t feel it the same way I did.

  “The growing connection scares me,” I mumbled, “and every time we’re together it gets stronger. Which has only been twice since we arrived here.” I stood and looked up into his eyes. A subtle red ring circled his irises. “Do you not feel it?”

  “It’s not much different for me now than it was before,” he whispered, cupping my face in his hand.

  “Well, it’s very different for me,” I said, leaning against his palm. “I need to slow down and sort this out.”

  His other hand cradled the other side of my face and his gaze pierced my heart. Was he doing that mind control thing? Something made me move closer to him and it wasn’t me.

  “Logan, stop,” I said, placing my hand on his bare chest. “Either that or explain what you’re doing to me.”

  “I’m doing nothing,” he responded, stepping closer. “I feel the same pull you do, but I’m not resisting it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  I frowned at him and tried to push away. “Because isn’t an answer.”

  “I know. I have theories, but not answers.” His thumb caressed my jaw, sending shivers down my spine. “Do you remember the emblem carved into the Magister’s door?”

  His sudden change in direction made me blink several times. I thought about the night Kellen and I stood outside her private rooms. It was only a few days ago, but it felt like a lifetime. A large ornate symbol was carved into the wooden surface, spreading across both doors. Symbols for the four elements surrounded a strange, winged something. I still couldn’t come up with words to describe it.

  “Yes, I remember,” I finally answered.

  “I believe there are five elements,” he said. “I also believe you and I have that elusive one that no one knows about. It’s why I was drawn to you the moment I saw you.” His hands glided down my neck to my shoulders. “As a vampire, I should not have compassion or love. All of that should’ve died with me. But something keeps it tied to my soul that also shouldn’t be here.”

  What was he trying to say? That a secret element hid among us? Did Niyol and G�
�ksu know? Would they tell me? I was definitely asking as soon as I could.

  “And you think this secret elemental is what ties us together?” I asked.

  “You don’t believe that stupid explanation about vampires having feelings for the one they bite, do you?”

  His crooked smile made me blush. Of course I believed it, sort of.

  “I couldn’t think of anything else that made sense,” I replied, putting more space between us. “Your feelings are very real.”

  “Yes, they are.” His hands dropped to his sides and a flicker of disappointed washed over me.

  “Damn,” I muttered. “I’m not rejecting you. Please, don’t ever think that. I just need time.”

  “I know.” He turned away with slumped shoulders and disappeared into the bathroom.

  “Well, shit.”

  I leaned over and tied my other shoe. The idea of another elemental seemed foreign and unbelievable, but my entire life fell into the witch’s brew last month. Maybe it wasn’t so farfetched.

  “Niyol?”

  Yes, princess? his voice echoed in my head, but he didn’t reveal himself.

  “Is there another elemental besides the four I know?”

  A gentle breeze caressed my face moments before my air elemental appeared. His almost humanoid form always amazed me. It flickered each time he moved, and I marveled at the way he glided rather than walked.

  “There are some things I cannot speak about, even to you,” he replied, his transparent form drifting to my right towards the bookcase. “The world holds many secrets that are best left shrouded from all the species.”

  “So there is,” I stated, joining him in front of the wall of history books.

  He chuckled, his whole body fading with the movement. “I will not confirm your suspicions.”