by Dawn Kirby
“Because she’s jealous?” I asked incredulously. “That’s why I lost my dad?”
“You lost him because he is a vampire,” he quickly clarified. “Vampires cannot reproduce. Not sexually anyway. You are a miracle. You, my dear, are a Dhampir- part human, part vampire. The painfully slow process your father endured is probably the only reason you are sitting in front of me today. The fact that Judith knows that has put you in danger your entire life. The rest of us have always been more than willing to keep his secret, but Judith still wants him in her bed.”
I was still unclear what difference it made one way or the other. As long as everybody who knew kept the knowledge to themselves, no one would be the wiser. David could have worked nights, and Mom and I could have had him with us all this time.
“I’m not a vampire, Donovan,” I said quickly. “I’m just a regular person.”
He patted my hand and stood up. “I understand you can smell remarkably well. In fact, you discovered the werewolf blood inside the store.”
“Whoa, back the truck up! I smelled a dog in the store.” Granted it was probably a big dog, but it was a dog nonetheless.
He looked back at me with a big question mark on his face. “You are willing to accept vampires without so much as a flinch, yet you question the existence of werewolves. I assure you they are real. There are three living in this house right now.”
It only took a second for me to realize whom he was talking about. That’s why Kale could smell so well. It also explained his first reaction to the blood on my hand. If I was right, that meant May and Raine were werewolves too. No wonder he’d been worried. He was probably expecting me to run from the room screaming.
“I believe you. It just took me by surprise. You eased into the vampire thing. The werewolf you just threw out there.”
“You do have a point,” he chuckled. “Does it bother you? I will not let you be uncomfortable in my home.”
Honestly it didn’t. Nothing had changed. Just because I knew they were werewolves and vampires, didn’t make me trust them any less. They had my best interests at heart, as my protectors and my friends. I wasn’t about to turn my back on them now that I know the truth.
“No, it doesn’t bother me,” I answered.
“I see you have inherited Mia’s capacity for understanding as well as her compassion. Unfortunately the rest is what has put you in danger.”
“You’re saying that David had to leave because I might have a good sense of smell?” Even saying it out loud sounded lame.
“In part, yes. He left to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” So far the only danger I knew about was Judith and this Michael guy. Her motive was strictly revenge. His I was still unclear about.
“Other vampires,” Donovan answered.
“Why? What could I possibly do for them?”
“According to your father, you can do all the things we can, but you can tolerate the sun.”
“My eyes can’t,” I mumbled.
“They burn?” he asked, looking for confirmation. I nodded. “Sunglasses help I’m sure.”
“They have to be really dark,” I explained. “The sun doesn’t hurt unless I’ve been out in it too long without my glasses on or if it is shining directly at me.”
“I see. And your hearing is also good if you can hear heartbeats. I am afraid you have a lot to fear,” he said apologetically. “You are the closest thing to a Day Walker I’ve ever seen. Better still, you do not require blood to survive.” He had finally gotten to the point.
Day Walker was a term that needed little explanation. Every vampire myth I’ve ever heard told tales of a forlorn vampire longing to see the sun again after enduring centuries of darkness. Of course they’d want to feel the warmth associated with daylight. Then it clicked. Michael needed a way to get that. What if the thing he needed was inside me?
“They want my blood, don’t they?” I asked horrified. That’s one thing I wasn’t exactly thrilled about giving away. I got the feeling these other vampires he’d alluded to didn’t really plan on asking me.
“They will when they find out what you can do. There is no way Judith would know which traits David has passed on to you, but what she does know is enough to snap any vampire into action,” he answered. “I am afraid I was away too long and she was released.”
“I know what happened. I heard David telling Mom the other night.”
He smiled broadly and sat back down behind his desk. For a few minutes he sat there, watching me. He must have expected me to have a delayed reaction and decide I wasn’t okay with all of it after all.
“You are not afraid?” he asked, tilting his head curiously.
“I’m terrified,” I told him. “But I would like to stay alive.” Twenty-two years wasn’t long enough for me. I had plans and none of them included being drained by vampires. “How can I help? I’m not gonna sit around and hide behind all of you.”
“Kale said you knew the blood in the store was male. How?”
“The blood smelled masculine. A man was the logical explanation,” I explained. “The blood at my house was feminine. Kale knew who they were though.”
“I expected good senses, but yours are phenomenal. Once we smell blood, we do not care who it belongs to. It’s like being in a state of euphoria for us. Of course, we can tell whose it is after we’ve tasted their blood once.”
“Have you killed?” I asked out of nowhere.
“It is hard to walk this earth for three hundred and eight years and not kill. I have never killed for fun, like some. Only survival. Sometimes hunger can take over and it is regrettably easy to go too far.”
Wow, he was old! Donovan looked to be about the same age as David. The thought made me wonder about David’s life as a vampire. It was hard to imagine him killing anyone, but then again I didn’t know him. I felt a little uneasy asking, but I wanted to know.
“What about David?”
He took a deep breath and I braced myself for his inevitable answer. “David is not a very good vampire. The thought of taking someone else’s blood repulses him. The only person he has ever bitten was Mia.” He shook his head pitifully and looked down at his desk. “More than a few times I have had to call her to the blood bank for him. He feels like he is betraying her if he even thinks about drinking someone else’s blood.”
So that’s why she’d gone to the blood bank religiously all my life. She was trying to keep David alive. Now that she was gone, I didn’t know what he would do. I was more than a little worried. He didn‘t look good when I saw him earlier and I doubt he’d even entertain the idea of allowing me to give him my blood.
“What do you do when she’s not available?”
“We will do what we have always done,” he assured me. “I promise you, he will get what he needs.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully. Knowing they had his back made me feel better. I had no idea how to keep a vampire healthy.
“Let me ask you a question,” Donovan said, leaning back in his chair. “Years back I spent time with an amazing young vampire. Her abilities were strong, but not like yours. I’m almost ashamed to say yours are unheard of in our world. According to David you may share her ability.”
I knew he was talking about Fallon and her ability to see hazes, but I didn’t want to give away too much just yet. If I could hold out a little while maybe I could find out more about him. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him or anything, I did. But, if I could catch him right I might be able to smell him. I was curious what a man who had lived as long as he has was truly like.
“What would that be?” I asked, surprised at how innocent my voice sounded.
“She claimed to be able to see a spectrum of color around certain people. The technique took her years to understand and many more before she could put it to use. Of course she was a full vampire,” he said. “It would be far too much to expect—”
“They take the form of hazes?” I interrupted.
When his mouth fell open, his guard came crashing down. The room filled with the scent the ocean. Like the ocean, he could be calm and steady. But there was also the other side of it. He could and without a doubt would be strong, merciless and deadly.
“You can see them?” he asked recovering himself.
“Only if a person feels something strongly,” I explained. “The truth is I’ve only been able to do it for a few years now. Most colors are still a mystery to me. The smells work a little differently.”
I felt safe telling him about everything now that I knew who and what he was. The abilities might come in handy. I wasn’t sure how, but he was bound to think of something.
“The smells,” he asked confused. “Do you mean the scents in the blood?”
I smiled slightly remembering Raine’s reaction.
“No, not exactly. I can smell who people are,” I clarified. “At least I think that’s what I smell.”
“How long have you been able to do that?”
“All my life.”
“Do you need to have the person in front of you, or can you smell a lingering scent?” he asked stroking his chin. “Like on a bed or in a car.”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never had a reason to try it before.”
“If I allow you access to two rooms, will you do something for me?” He leaned his body into the desk and looked me straight in the eye.
“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do what I can.”
“David said that Judith has been at your neighbor’s house. I must know if she has taken a very dear friend of mine with her.” I could see true concern in his face. “I fear he may have unwittingly released her and fell victim to her antics. No one has seen him since that night.”
“Do you think she’s keeping him somewhere?”
“I hope that is the case. It is possible she is holding him at your neighbor’s home,” he said hopeful sigh. “But a vampire is an easy kill compared to two werewolves. A sharp stake is all she would need.”
“How long has he been with you?” I could tell this man obviously meant a lot to him. For Donovan’s sake, I hoped he’d be found safe
“Over a hundred and twenty years. Raif is like a son to me,” he said distantly. His moment of reflection lasted only a minute. He came back to himself and leaned back against his chair. “Declan will show you to their rooms. If you can use that amazing talent to bring him back, I would be very grateful.”
“What do you want me to do if I do find something?”
“Check out your neighbor’s house for evidence,” he said flatly. “Are you still comfortable with Raine?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, wondering if there was more I needed to know.
“I assumed you may not want him that close to you,” he said casually. He was trying not to look at me, but I wasn’t sure why. Maybe he felt that David should be watching over me. Maybe Raine was unpredictable. “Of course, I could be wrong.”
“Is he dangerous?” I asked.
“Not at all,” he said, smiling at me. “He is a picture of restraint. Raine is the only werewolf I know that has complete control over the change. By that, I mean a full moon has no effect on him. In fact, I haven’t seen him change in quite a while.”
“Is he unpredictable when he is with other werewolves?” I pushed.
“Raine does not and will not run with the pack. You need to understand that now,” he said flatly. “Kale has gone through great pains to ensure that no one outside this house knows he can change. If Dane found out, he would no doubt hunt him down, and kill him immediately.”
“What difference does it make to him?” I asked a little defensively.
“Dane is the pack leader in this area. As leader, he believes he’s invincible. Raine’s uncanny resistance to silver and the ability to control the change would threaten his leadership. This man leads through fear. As long as he is oblivious to the facts, Raine will remain safe.”
With this revelation about Raine, I realized how complicated my life had become. Two days ago I was working in a candle shop leading a perfectly normal, boring life. Now my long lost dad, three vampires, surrounded me and as many werewolves- one of which has a secret as big as mine. Not to mention being hunted down by who knows how many other people. If there was a supernatural jackpot, I had hit it.
“Nothing you’ve told me makes me uncomfortable with him,” I assured him. “I trust him completely.”
Something in my heart told me I wasn’t in danger, not from him anyway. I believed without question that he would do anything to protect me. If it came right down to it, I’d do the same for him.
“He’ll be glad to hear it. I can see David knew exactly what he was doing.”
I did too. David trusted Raine enough to put my life in his hands. David couldn’t be there during day, so he simply asked for help. Luckily, Raine was nice enough to agree to it.
“There’s more to it than trust,” Donovan said, while he fiddled with the computer on his desk. The smell of the ocean washed over the room again. “So you’re willing to help when I need it?”
I was still stuck on his comment. Somehow he knew exactly what was going through my mind. Could he read my thoughts? I hadn’t even thought about that. If he could, I wondered if he did it all the time.
“Don’t worry. I only peek inside when I need honest information,” he said casually. “Now about my request, are you still willing to try?”
“If you think it will help,” I said still stunned.
He had gotten into my head again. This time though I felt the hair on my head tingle. Now I knew what David meant when he was talking to Mom. ‘Take a peek’ meant reading minds.
“Good,” he said. “Tell Raine, if you see him, to get ready to drive you into town. You might want to change your clothes before you leave,” he suggested.
Standing up, I glanced down at my sleep pants and nodded in agreement. Hopefully my clothes would be ready and waiting for me by the time I got back to my room. In the meantime I had to find Raine. I needed him to know I wasn’t planning on running away. They’d been looking out for me all these years and now that I knew everything it was high time I helped.
“Thanks for telling me everything, Donovan,” I said, opening the door to leave.
“You are very welcome,” he said. “Please let me know if you find anything useful.”
“I will.”
He nodded his head curtly and waved me from the room. The second the door shut behind me, my search for Raine began. I tuned my ears into his steady heartbeat and quickly found him waiting in the living room. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands; no doubt worried I would turn my back on them. A pale blue haze around him vibrated furiously.
“It’s okay, Raine,” I said softly. I went to him and put my hand gently on his shoulder. “Nothing’s changed.”
He didn’t look up. “He didn’t tell you, did he?”
“When I said nothing’s changed, I meant that I don’t care what you are. I’m not going anywhere.”
He stood up and looked down at me. My hand slid down to his bare forearm.
“Aren’t you afraid of us?” he asked still a little unsure.
“No, I’m not,” I said, smiling at him confidently. “None of you have done anything to scare me.”
“But we’re different. I’m different,” he argued. He was so sure I was going to flip out that he couldn’t hear what I was actually telling him. I took his hand in mine; amazed at how big they were.
“I’m different, too,” I told him. “According to Donovan, I shouldn’t even be here. But here I am, the biological daughter of a vampire. I can’t change that anymore than you can change being the son of a werewolf.”
Finally, he understood. His hand closed around mine. The haze around him went back to its dark blue shade. He smiled now, but only slightly.
“This whole thing doesn’t scare you?”
“Hell yes, it scares me,” I told him. “But th
e only way through it is head on. I have too much to live for to just give up. Now, I’ve gotta go get dressed; you and I may have a date. I’ll know for sure after I find Declan.” I stopped and listened for him and heard he and Kale upstairs fighting about clothes. “What difference does it make what color his shirt is?”
Raine laughed and threw his arms around me. He squeezed me tight for a few seconds and then let go. He smiled brilliantly when he put my feet back on the ground.
“Thank you, Leah,” he said.
“For what?”
“Understanding.” he said, disappearing into the kitchen door.
Chapter Ten
As soon as Declan saw my face I was pulled into their little drama. Apparently the black polo shirt Kale had on wasn’t dressy enough for Declan. He was trying hard to push a neatly pressed dress shirt on him. I didn’t know where Kale was going, but I thought he looked nice enough. Jeans pretty much fit in anywhere, right?
“Will ye please tell ‘im he looks like a bum?” Declan asked, gesturing towards Kale. “He looks all wrong.”
“Most women think I look fine,” Kale shot back. “Naked or clothed, I don’t get any complaints.”
“Ah, now ye’re being an ass,” Declan mumbled.
“You think I’m kidding?” Kale snorted.
“Where are you going?” I asked quickly.
“A place a friend of mine owns in Fort Worth,” Kale said, tying his shoes. “It’s a pretty relaxed spot. Brody opened up the place to give our pack somewhere we could let our hair down. Be ourselves so to speak. Getting together for runs once a month just doesn’t cut it. You know? Pack mentality.” He stood up and looked at me a second, then smiled. “I’m glad you’re still here.”
“Thanks,” I said happily. “I couldn’t think of anywhere better to be at the moment.”
He gave me a quick squeeze. “Have you seen my brother yet? He was really worried you’d hate us all,” he asked, grinning impishly.
“I’ve already seen him,” I informed him. “He knows I’m okay with everything.” I turned to Declan. “I really think he looks fine.”