William stopped moving and stood very still. He appeared to be listening to something and didn’t answer me. “They’re coming.” He kneeled down and slipped my sock and boot back onto my injured leg.
“I’m so tired, William.” I winced when I pressed my foot onto the floor.
“We have to go now.” He pulled me close, so I could lean on him. “When I open this door we have to move quickly. If something happens, keep moving. Take the stairs down to the side entrance. Help is waiting there.”
I looked at William through my tears, trying to understand what was happening. He smiled at me, but it wasn’t his usual cheerful grin.
“Ready?” he asked, pushing a few loose strands of hair behind my ear, and tucking the bag of blood into the neckline of my hoodie. I nodded, and he threw open the door. I guess I expected to see mayhem in the hallways, but it was actually quiet. Only a few nurses moving patients up and down the hall.
“The stairs are at the end of this hall,” William said, walking quickly, bracing me so that I barely had to put any weight on my injured leg.
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the stairs. The door to the stairwell flew open and William pushed me into a room, and eased the door closed behind us. He leaned me against the wall while he rushed across the room to the window.
“What are we going to do, jump out the window?” I whispered nervously.
William pulled the pillow from the empty bed and placed it against the window. “Turn your head.”
As soon as I did, I heard the sound of breaking glass. I promptly opened my eyes and William was already next to me, and gently picked me up.
“Close your eyes.” I watched his eyes turn completely black. Before I had time grasp what was happening he ran to the window and leaped with me in his arms.
I closed my eyes somewhere in mid air. I felt us hit, but it wasn’t anything like I had expected. We were three stories up, and even with the added weight of William holding me, he still managed to land on his feet. Adrenaline raced through me and my whole body shook.
I must have passed out again, because one minute we were on the ground running and the next minute we were racing away from the hospital in the back seat of a truck with two of Luna’s brothers, Joseph and Joshua.
“Where are we going?” I raised up and asked William.
“Somewhere with people who can keep you safe,” Joseph blurted from the front seat, and then looked over his shoulder glaring at William.
I saw William’s eyes start to turn dark, and knew he was getting angry. I reached into his lap and slipped my hand into his. He gave me a sidelong glance, but held his jaw tight. I brushed it off and smiled at him.
Joshua, who was driving, readjusted his rearview mirror so he would have me in his sights, then he turned to Joseph. “Lay off, Bro, he’s only trying to help.”
The level of testosterone in the truck was so high I thought they would pull over any minute and have a pissing match. I tried to ignore it by going to my “happy place” but even that didn’t help.
Finally I’d had enough. I sat tall, folding my arms tightly across my chest, and yelled. “Will someone please tell me what is going on? I swear this place makes even L.A. seem mild, and ‘normal.’”
Joseph turned toward William and scowled. “You haven’t told her?”
“When should I have done that, Joseph?” William shot back sarcastically. “When I was running with her in my arms, hoping she wouldn’t bleed to death? Or, when I was saving her from the clutches of Zane and his clan at the hospital just now?” William glared furiously at Joseph. Joseph’s eyes narrowed and he held William’s stare.
“Uh … fellas. I’m right here.” I waved my hand in between them. “How about one of you fill me in on just what exactly in the hell is going on?”
Chapter 19
I had no idea where they were taking me, but I couldn’t wait to get there. It appeared everyone but me knew what was going on but wasn’t willing to tell me. Even when I asked William, he simply told me I needed to wait until we arrived, then I would be filled in on everything.
We drove far out of Haven. Asphalt turned to gravel and civilization was left far behind us. Grass was exchanged for snow as we drove further into the mountains. When I looked at William, he was looking straight ahead at nothing, but kept taking sidelong glances at me.
“How much farther?” I asked dryly. I was trying hard to mask my fear, but William could read me like a book. He slipped his hand around mine, gently rubbing his thumb inside my palm, but still didn’t look at me.
“We’re here,” Joshua answered and turned the truck into a group of trees.
I sat forward in the seat, watching as we pulled through the trees to an opening that revealed several run down looking shacks dotting a hill side. They were shaped similar to Luna’s house, not very wide, but they were long. Eskimo children were running around playing kick ball, or soccer, I really couldn’t tell which. A few Eskimo women were exiting what appeared to be a large greenhouse.
We pulled through heading toward the furthest house in the back, and Aunt Bev’s bright-red truck came into view. “Did you know she would be here?” I snapped at William and he just silently threw his hands up in surrender.
“I called her,” Joseph answered quickly, but didn’t look at me either.
“What… is this some kind of conspiracy? Everyone knows what’s going on but me?” I had said that more for my benefit, so I wasn’t at all surprised when I didn’t get an answer.
The truck came to a stop, and I scooted away from William to the other side and threw open my door. When I stepped down, I made the mistake of putting too much weight on my ankle, I fell to the ground wincing from the pain.
By the time Joseph managed to open his door William was already around the truck. At first, neither one reached to give me a hand. Instead they were having another stare down. Finally, William reached for my hand and I slapped it away and managed to get myself up.
“I’m fine.” I scoffed. “Why don’t you two go somewhere and have a pissing match.” I glared at them both and pushed past them, hobbling to the house Aunt Bev’s truck was parked in front of. I hated it, but I had to wait for someone to help me up the steps. There was no hand railing and my leg was killing me.
William was so in tune with me that he was by my side in a flash. I glanced at him, and he bore a pained expression, which tugged at my heart. I expected him to wrap his arm around my waist to help me climb the steps. Not William.
He gently pulled me close, his hand pressed against the small of my back. I thought he might kiss me and the excitement sent my heart into overdrive, causing my body to tremble. When I peered up at him my bottom lip quivered faintly. Our eyes locked, his lips parted slightly, and I closed my eyes and waited.
My eyes shot open when I felt him lift me up into his arms. The first thing I saw was that amazing crooked smile, and I knew he had been toying with me. I was furious, and relieved all at the same time. Even though I wanted him to kiss me more than anything, I wanted our first kiss to be special. Not on the front steps of an Eskimo Indian abode, not that’s there’s anything wrong with Eskimos or where they live. I just wanted it to be special and not with an audience.
When we got to the top step, he gently let my legs drop, but still kept his arm around my waist. Aunt Bev heard us and threw open the door.
“Genevieve. Oh my God, honey,” she cried out, and ran onto the porch. She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing way too tight. When she pulled back just enough to look at me, her eyes were red and puffy like she’d been crying.
“Are you all right?” Her eyes flew over me.
“Yeah, except for my leg … but it’s not that bad.” I tried to play it down so Aunt Bev wouldn’t be so freaked out, but the truth was, it hurt like hell. I let her dote on me for a minute, then I started with my own set of questions.
“What are you doing here, and why did they bring me here?” I asked suspiciously, as she helped me
inside the house.
The living room was quite a bit larger than I’d expected. It was warm and felt very inviting. On one wall sat a fireplace big enough I could step into it, you know, if it didn’t have a blazing hot fire going inside it. There were two hand carved couches and three matching chairs. All of them had beautiful overstuffed cushions, which I assumed were also handmade, with bold colored fabrics on them. There was also a chair made from real antlers that I thought was awesome. I assumed they somehow had electricity, because there were two lamps in the room and they were both lit.
“Sit down, Gen.” Aunt Bev helped me to the couch, and then sat next to me. Aunt Bev, pulled the empty blood bag from my shirt and pinched the tubing because my blood had started to backfill into the tubing. “You need blood going in not coming out.” She smiled, but I still saw fear in her eyes. I placed my hand on her shoulder. “I’m fine … really.” I forced a smile.
William leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest on the opposite side of the room. I motioned for him to join me, but he didn’t move. Joseph and Joshua promptly disappeared somewhere into the back of the house.
She scooted down to the floor and sat back on her knees. “Let me have a look at your leg.” She examined the bandage.
The hospital had cut my pants leg off right above my knee, and after they stitched it, wrapped gauze around my leg. “It’s not that bad.” I forced a smile. “And besides, they have it all wrapped up.” I didn’t want her to see how bad it really was. It would just cause her to worry that much more.
“Don’t argue,” she said calmly and gently patted my leg. “Turn your leg.”
I lay against the back of the couch, turning to my side, and Aunt Bev slowly unwrapped my leg.
“Mary … come look at this,” she called out to Luna’s mom who was in the kitchen.
“Is it that bad?” When I leaned forward, my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe that was my leg I was looking at. The wound had already closed and the stitches were gone. “But … I don’t understand. How is that even possible?” I couldn’t take my eyes off it. “Where did the stitches go? There had to be stitches. I saw my leg before William wrapped it. There was a crater-sized hole in my leg,” I rattled frantically.
Aunt Bev held up the gauze and there were several little black knots stuck to it. I furrowed my brow. My mind had to be playing a trick on me. How could I be on the verge of death one minute and the next minute my leg was almost completely healed. It was like I was in a dream and couldn’t wake up. Suddenly, all the weird things that had been happening started to make sense. A million questions that I wanted answers to raced through my mind. Inside I was screaming, but on the outside I was shaking violently.
I looked to William for answers, but he just glanced at me for a second. His expression quickly faltered and he lowered his eyes. Even though I sat perfectly still, the room started spinning and I placed my hand on the couch trying to steady myself. My heart began to pound in my head and then the room slowly faded to black.
Chapter 20
I woke up abruptly and sprang forward, looking around. My heart raced as I panted, out of breath. William sat in a chair across the room.
“Where am I?” I asked with trepidation.
He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. “Someone’s bedroom at Luna’s grandfather’s house. You fainted.”
Everything that happened came rushing back, and I felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of being weak and fainting. “I did not faint … I … I passed out from…” I trailed off, and tears filled my eyes. I gulped down air to keep from crying. What was the point in trying to hide anything from William? He could read me like a book.
William sat next to me on the bed, and put his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close and I buried my face in his chest, quiet tears spilled from my eyes. He stroked the back of my hair, which was now almost completely straight.
“Why is this happening to me?” I was confused and just wanted to go home. Back to mom. Back to when I thought my life was normal.
He just held me tight, making quiet hushing sounds to calm me with his uniquely smooth voice. “All of this is not the end of the world, Genevieve.” He gently kissed the top of my head.
“Are you … you know … one of them?” I pushed myself back for a second to see his face.
“No.” He pulled me in close again. “I’m not.” He smiled thinly.
My heart began beating like crazy, but his never changed. I pressed my ear closer and really listened. At first, I thought he didn’t have a heartbeat, which on a normal day I would find impossible. But then I heard it, very faint and beating slowly.
I quickly raised my head and shot him a look. “You’re lucky,” I smiled.
“Why?” He asked, a line formed in his forehead making him appear confused.
“For a second, I thought maybe you were one of those ‘blood sucking vampires,’” I giggled, doing air quotes for blood sucking vampires.
“A vampire? What would make you think that?”
“You have like, the slowest heartbeat ever. At first, when I didn’t hear it I was about to freak. But, you’re safe, because you’re alive. You know, vampires are dead and all.”
“Look, Genevieve. All I know is I care a great deal about you. It doesn’t matter what I am or what you are. I just want to be with you, regardless.”
I pushed away from him and stood. Surprisingly, my leg didn’t even hurt anymore. I paced the floor and then stopped when I was directly in front of him. His gaze locked onto mine.
“What am I, William?” I paused, giving him time to say something … anything, but he just dropped his eyes and stood. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?” A tear escaped and ran down my cheek. “Am I some kind of a freak, William? Is that what I am? A freak?”
He glanced at me but only for a brief second, and his eyes looked so sad. “Of course not,” he said, walking over to the window.
“Then explain how my leg healed in a matter of hours? Huh, William?” I folded my arms tightly across my chest, and furrowed my brows.
“When I first met you, I thought you were just this beautiful girl I wanted to get to know. But then—”
“I see you’re awake now,” Aunt Bev said after barging into the room. I nearly jumped to the ceiling, but William must have known she was coming, because he only slowly turned around. “Can you please come into the living room?” she asked, but it wasn’t really a question. “We need to talk. Everyone is waiting.”
Right away I noticed how she glowered at William when she thought I wasn’t looking.
“I’m feeling weak, and I have a major headache. Besides, William and I are talking right now,” I replied sharply.
“Gen, there isn’t much time.” A painful expression flitted across Aunt Bev’s face when she looked at William. “She doesn’t have a choice you know, and you’re just making the inevitable harder.” She looked hard at him before storming back out of the room.
“I’m not doing anything,” he shouted back, but the door had already slammed shut.
William wouldn’t look at me, so I crossed the room and made him face me.“What is she talking about? What’s the inevitable?” I searched his eyes for the answer, but his expression seemed cold and distant.
“Your legacy,” he said, trying to sound matter-of-fact about it, but sadness filled his voice.
“My what?” I laughed hollowly.
William wrapped his arms around me and squeezed so tightly I couldn’t breathe. Then just like that, he dropped his arms to his sides. “You have to go to your aunt. Let them explain it and then we’ll talk.” His gaze was completely mesmerizing. Whenever he looked into my eyes I kept having to remind myself to breathe.
“I don’t want to talk to her. Or them,” I pleaded, but William gently pushed me away.
“Go on, it’s something you have to do,” he said, not unkindly and pushed me harder, but in my heart, I knew he didn’t mean it. “We’ll talk afterwa
rd. I promise.” He turned back toward the window and I reluctantly left the room.
Aunt Bev, Mary, Luna, and her three brothers were all in the living room when I walked in. The three boys were shirtless and I tried not to stare at their taut upper bodies and muscular torsos.
I smiled thinly. “Okay, let’s get this over with.” I rubbed my hands together and took the only empty seat, which happened to be on the couch right next to Joseph. It was a little awkward to say the least.
“You’re not going to pile drive me into the wall are you,” he teased, and his brothers laughed loudly.
“I just might,” I shot back sarcastically, but couldn’t keep from grinning.
The room fell silent. I leaned back next to Joseph, and stared straight ahead, but felt him taking sidelong glances at me.
I wondered why nobody had started talking yet, and then I saw why. Luna’s grandfather stepped into the room. He stood silently in the doorway and scanned the room. He had long, silver-white hair, which he wore in a single braid down his back. He was also shirtless, and I was shocked to see how muscular he still was. He had on pants made from animal skins and mukluks covered his feet.
Joshua who’d been in the antler chair, hopped up and nudged his way onto the couch, forcing me closer to Joseph.
Luna’s grandfather took his seat and I noticed that he and his three grandsons each had the same red circle tattooed on the upper left side of their chest.
Mary stood and crossed the living room to stand behind her father’s chair. “Gen, this is my father, Chief Abe Okpik. Father, this is Genevieve Labreck.” She then said something to him in, I’m assuming, an Eskimo language. It must have been about me, because as soon as she finished he glared at me.
I felt very intimidated and wanted to crawl under the couch. “He-hello sir,” I muttered. He nodded at me but didn’t speak. I got the distinct feeling that he didn’t like me much.
I chewed the inside of my lip waiting nervously for him to say something, but at the same time, all eyes were on me.
Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition Page 10