“Are you missing a lot by being away from school right now?”
“I was ahead anyway. I’m sure I’ll make up the missed time. It’s not that bad. I just might not graduate early now. I haven’t thought too hard about it.” She put on a brave act. He didn’t need to know how far behind she was getting. She grinned, tugged him closer and changed the subject. “And recently, I haven’t given much thought to anything but you.”
He took the bait and tipped her head to meet his kiss. She wound her arms around him, braced her heels against the rock and moved closer to the edge. She didn’t have the willpower to resist him. One touch, one kiss had her throwing herself at him, ready to beg him to take her on the forest floor.
Emma opened her mouth to do just that when Kai stiffened and shoved away from her. Confused she studied his stony face. He placed a finger to his lips and listened, concentrating on the slight change in sound. Emma listened too. The forest was unnaturally silent. Even she knew that the forest always sounded alive. Silence alerted just as much as noise. The source of Kai’s wariness revealed itself with a throaty growl rumbling from above. Kai spun around just seconds before a large golden cat leapt at him claws extended. The combatants crashed into the ledge, and Emma. She shrieked and flailed while she fell from her perch and landed on her stomach.
The mountain lion tore at Kai with sharp claws, leaving bloody gashes in its wake. Powerful jaws strained and snapped at Kai’s neck. Emma shrunk against the stone wall behind her and watched in horrified fascination as Kai grappled with the wildcat. “Look out!”
Kai’s head snapped around at Emma’s warning. The beast slashed Kai’s flesh with razor sharp claws and gnashing teeth. Too late Emma realized her mistake. Distracting Kai could mean his death. The wildcat had the advantage of surprise and built in weapons. How could anyone survive such a brutal, frenzied attack? Blood spattered the ground beneath them. There was too much blood and Emma was terrified most of it belonged to Kai.
Rolling and grappling in the dirt, the cat slashed and bit, sinking his teeth into Kai over and over. The cat had Kai’s forearm trapped between the steel trap of its jaw. Kai managed with his other hand to unsheathe a long blade with a serrated top edge from his boot. Emma had never been so happy to see someone carrying a concealed weapon. He slashed the hunting knife across the beast chest. The creature reared back and Kai plunged the blade between its ribs. He pulled back the blade and stabbed once more. The huge cat’s body convulsed and stiffened before flopping on top of Kai.
The cat’s fatal wounds spurted blood over Kai’s hand when he withdrew the knife. Kai shoved the unmoving body onto the ground and collapsed on his side. The wildcat lay on its side wheezing painful gurgling sounds. Its breaths came slower then stopped altogether. She strained to see around the lifeless body but it faced away from her. “It stopped moving. Is it dead?” No answer. “Kai?”
Emma scrambled away from the ledge. Please be alive! Please be alive! She rushed to Kai’s side and rolled him onto his back. Deep slashes lined Kai’s torso, arms and legs. Blood poured from the wound covering his body at an alarming rate. Emma tore off her jacket, ripped off her shirt and pressed it hard against the deepest gash to staunch the bloods flow.
“Stay with me Kai!” Tears flowed down her cheeks.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Emma heard the whisper, his voice weak and strained. With one arm draped over his stomach, he struggled to sit up.
“Stop! Moving is making it worse!” A gaping slash along his side opened and blood gushed through the fabric of his tattered shirt and oozed between his fingers. He ignored her.
“Damn it Kai! Stay put!” She pushed against his shoulders to hold him back. “You’re losing too much blood. Please, I’m begging you to stay still! I can only do so much. Please, let me help you.”
“I’m not going to bleed to death.” He was pretty damn calm for someone lying in a growing pool of their own blood.
“You can’t know that.” Fresh tears stung her eyes. She struggled to hold them back. Keep it together girl. There was so much blood. He was probably going into shock. She had to get him to stop moving. “I have some training in this and I’m not willing risk your life for something stupid like your pride. Now stay still!” He stopped fighting her. “These wounds are deep and bleeding like crazy. We have to stop the blood flow, or you’ll bleed to death. So lay back and let me take care of you for a change!”
She didn’t feel nearly as confident as she tried to sound. She was terrified. She knew more than just first aid but her training as a nurse was limited. She was a first year student and had yet to finish her practicum. So far she had a lot of book knowledge and limited hands on experience. If she was going to deal with an emergency of this magnitude she needed to stay calm. Okay what did I learn about triage. She did a quick head to toe. She dealt with the worst injuries first. She pressed her shirt and jacket against the worst wounds applying as much pressure as she could. There were just so many cuts and tears. She couldn’t cover them all on her own. Kai placed a bloody hand over the one she had pressed to his chest.
“Emma, it’s okay. I’m not gonna die.” Kai assured her.
“You don’t know that! You’ve lost so much blood!” Her tears had dried but she was frantic. How can he sound so confident when he was lying there bleeding to death?
“I’m going to be fine.” Did he sound stronger? Nah. That’s just what I want to believe. His voice was still weak. It was just like him to reassure her when he was the one injured. “I heal fast.” A small smile quirked the corner of his lips. How can he joke? She checked his wounds again. Impossible! The minor nicks and scratches that covered his face had disappeared only a few remained and they were shrinking in front of her.
“Kai, what’s going on? This isn’t possible! Do you know how fast your cuts are healing?” Kai nodded. He watched her, waiting to see how she handled what her eyes were telling her.
Emma took inventory of his other injuries. The blood oozing from the deeper wounds was a great improvement over the gushing flow from a few minutes prior. One of Kai’s arms lay draped over his midsection, putting pressure on the worst of his injuries with Emma’s T-shirt. She shoved his hand away and plucked the bloody fabric off the wound. She watched, fascinated as the edges of the gaping tear knit together right before her eyes.
“Is this some kind of joke? Cause it’s not funny! How is this even possible?” She turned to look him in the eye. His rate of healing was off the charts. It felt like watching the injuries happen in slow motion reverse except the pool of blood remained. It was incredible and impossible. “Kai, what is going on? This isn’t normal it shouldn’t even be possible! Nobody heals this fast.”
“I know and if you give me a chance, I’ll explain.” She ignored his hand when he held it out to her.
“No.” She shook her head and hastily retreated from him. Don’t touch me. I’m not ready. I need answers first.” Emma kept scooting away from him in the dirt until she backed into something soft yet immovable. “What the hell?” Horrified, she scrambled to her feet. She’d backed into the body of the dead mountain lion. A terrified screech echoed through the woods and it took Emma a second to recognize it was her. She stumbled away shaking her head. The carcass at her feet was no longer the body of a mountain cat but that of a naked man.
“This can’t be happening. I’m having a nightmare.” Emma collided with the rocky outcropping as she backed away. “What’s happening Kai? I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. None of this is possible.”
“Emma. I can explain.”
“How?” She gestured to the man on the ground. “How can you possibly explain any of this?”
“If you can try to keep an open mind and calm down…”
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! Considering everything I’ve just seen, I am calm! That,” she pointed at the man/cat, “was a cat when it attacked you!” The man lying dead in place of the cougar was as golden as the wildcat had been. He was qu
ite hairy for a blond. The nude body had golden blond hair sprinkled everywhere.
“So start explaining. How is it possible I watched your wounds heal? I actually saw the edges coming together!” She watched Kai struggle to his feet. Most of his wounds had healed fast but the worst ones, the ones that should have been fatal, needed more time before they’d be gone altogether.
“I will explain, I just need a minute or two.”
Emma could see he still felt weak from the blood loss. It was no small wonder. Any normal human would have been on their deathbed or gone by now. Any normal human. Ah hell! What if he isn’t even human? She’d shared her body with him. Now she wasn’t even sure if he was human. But, if he wasn’t… what the hell was he?
On his feet now, Kai was closing the distance between them. Emma couldn’t back up any further. Her back was literally against a wall. She held up her hand to warn him off. Kai stopped in his tracks. “I mean it Kai. Don’t touch me. I want answers.” Kai turned away but not before Emma saw the flash of hurt disappointment in his eyes.
Emma was freaking out! Her mind raced through different possibilities. He was strong and fast. He seemed invincible; nothing fazed him. Vampire? No, he couldn’t be a vampire. She’d seen him in the sun numerous times. He was in the sun now. If he were a vampire, he would have burst into flames. Plus, he’d cleaned her bleeding head wound and never vamped out. And they’d had sex. Vampires couldn’t control themselves around blood or during sex, or so the movies would have you believe. Maybe he was more like the sparkly creatures in that popular book series. Maybe he could control his blood-lust. Or maybe the legends were wrong, maybe vampires could walk in the daylight. Too many 'maybes. What did she know anyway? Up until a little while ago, she’d never have believed that vampires even existed.
Alien? She dismissed the thought. It was unthinkable. At least if he were a vampire, he’d have been human once. She discarded every fantastical creature of myth and legend that popped into her mind as fast as they came. Some things were too farfetched to entertain even for a second. She’d drive herself crazy searching for a plausible explanation on her own.
“What are you? And what was that?” She pointed at the figure on the ground. Emma saw she’d hurt him when she’d asked what he was not who.
“It’s a long story. I’m asking you to trust me.”
“I have trusted you, Kai. But unless you tell me what’s going on, I’m not sure I can anymore.”
“Can we go back to the cabin? You can ask me questions and I will tell you everything you want to know.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me something.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you even human?”
“I’m immortal.”
“Immortal? What does that even mean? Does it mean you can’t die? You'll what? Live forever?”
“It means I was human once; now I’m immortal.” His ever constant patience with her was slipping. “Look, I’ll explain everything to you when we get back. Right now I want to get you out of here in case he wasn’t alone.”
“You expect there to be more like him around?” Emma looked around, searching the area for other creatures lying in wait, ready to leap from the trees. She hadn’t even wrapped her head around what that thing was and now Kai tells her there could be more lurking in the woods.
“Okay, I’ll come with you, but this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
Chapter 16
Kai felt the strength returning to his body as his wounds healed. It was slow, but he was recovering. He’d lost a lot of blood even for him. It wouldn’t have killed him, he didn’t know what would, but it still sapped his energy and strength. Kai pushed his senses to their limits on the return trip to the cabin. He stayed alert and ready for any potential threat. Was the run in with the shape shifter a coincidence? Had someone sent him?. Had Garrick found his hideaway? Were there more out there waiting? Kai didn’t know. He did know he’d have a better chance protecting Emma back at the cabin.
“Do you want something to eat? Drink?” Kai was stalling. He didn’t know where to start.
“No, I’d rather get on with it.”
“Well at least let me get the fire started.” Still buying time.
“Okay, fine. If you’re gonna start a fire then I’ll heat some water. Go clean up. I’ve waited this long for an explanation. What are a few more minutes?” She’d calmed down a lot during the trek back. “But then we talk!”
Kai looked down at his tattered, bloody clothes. Sticky, congealed blood covered his body. Most of it his. Not a pretty sight. What a mess. She probably can’t stand the sight of me right now. She has plenty of reason and who would blame her?
He was aware of Emma’s every move as she heated water in a kettle and a huge pot. Kai went into the washroom to clean up.
Kai splashed cold water from the crank pump into the sink. Emma’s words earlier stung. After all they’d shared she’d turned on him in an instant. That wasn’t really fair. She’d witnessed a lot in the woods. Still it hurt when she’d shrunk away from him in fear. She hadn’t said more than two words to him on the hike back either. She was scared and confused. He understood that. Who wouldn’t be afraid when faced with shape shifting mystical beings and immortals?
For thousands of years he’d led a mostly solitary life. There was little room for emotional ties in an existence that involved so much violence. He’d learned from past mistakes not to get close to anyone. The cost was too high.
Emma was an exception. With her, he’d had no choice. He hadn’t felt this close kinship with another human in ages. Not in over two hundred years. Not since Aiden. Aiden was his friend, the best of friends and he hadn’t revealed himself to him either. He should have realized his mistake with Emma sooner. Not that it mattered.
Nothing prepared him for the chemistry between them. He’d been so busy trying to protect her, he didn’t notice how important she’d become to him. They were two of a kind as weird as it sounded. Both utterly alone in the world. No family, no friends. She was just as alone as he was. Being together made perfect sense. They were wildly attracted to one another from the first. She’d come to mean everything to him. His chest swelled with some unnamed emotion when the realization hit him like a hammer. Until Emma, Kai had never wanted someone who belonged to him. Now she was all he wanted. She’d worked her way into his heart of stone
Kai should have seen it coming. Over the ages, he’d seen enough human interaction he should have recognized the feelings he felt for Emma for what they were. Love. He’d only known her a short span of time, yet she’d become more vital to him than breathing. Without her, his endless existence would become a daily torture from which there was no escape. He couldn’t die. And without her, he would want to. He loved her with every fiber of his being.
Who knew a tiny spitfire would be the one to take him down. She’d tugged his heartstrings from the first moment. She might look fragile, but she was anything but. She was strong, smart, beautiful and funny. She was everything he could want. On the surface, it might seem like she was his complete opposite but she was the missing half of his soul. He’d just discovered what she meant to him, he couldn’t lose her now.
He dried his hair with a towel and quickly changed into a fresh button down shirt. He’d avoided this long enough. He braced himself and opened the door. Kai started the fire then secured the doors and windows.
Emma came over to the fireplace just as Kai replaced the protective screen. A blazing fire crackled and popped. Kai stood and turned toward Emma. She waited for him to start explaining with her chin tilted up and her head cocked. She folded her arms across her chest. She was waiting for answers, and she wanted them now.
Kai cleared his throat. He’d just had an earth shattering revelation and now he was face to face with the one person who meant the world to him. “Why don’t you sit down, Em? It’s a long story. A story I’ve never told."
“I’d prefer to stand.”
“Okay,
whatever you want.” Kai paced away from her and ruffled his hands through his hair. “I wanted to tell you but didn’t know where to start. I’ve never told anyone my story. Not since I changed. There’s never been a reason to share this with anyone before.”
“Changed?” Her arms dropped to her sides. “What do you mean since you ‘changed’?”
“Since I became immortal.”
“That doesn’t tell me anything. How did you become immortal? Does that mean that you’ll live forever?
“Yes.”
“Stop doing that!” Kai smiled for the first time since returning to the cabin. He should have known she’d demand everything from him. Such fire in her! “I want real answers. Those weren’t all yes or no questions. First, are you human?”
“Yes. In a sense.” The question cut him. Did she think he was some kind of monster? “I was human when I was cursed. I guess technically, I’m not a human anymore. I’m an immortal and humans can’t also be immortal; you’re either one or the other.”
“So, you were cursed and now you’re immortal.
“Technically I wasn’t exactly cursed either. It was supposedly a gift.”
“Well that cleared up nothing. I feel like an idiot for even asking this, but after everything else I’ve seen I have to ask…are you a vampire?”
“No. And it’s not as stupid a question as you might think.” There were definitely vampires roaming the earth. He just wasn't one of them. He’d come across them more times than he cared to count. He could admit that not all of the vampires he’d met were vile stereotypical bloodsuckers. But even the ones that weren’t pure evil were hardly the romantic heroes you’d find in modern books or movies. They hunted humans and drank their blood to survive for crying out loud. Who’d consider blood drinking conducive to a romantic relationship with a human?
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