“Evie…” Caius’ tentative voice broke the silence.
Evie’s heartstrings jerked at the sound of his voice. A pang of pain and nausea. When he started to close the distance between them, she shook her head frantically and tried to force herself further back into the wall. Tears swelled and burned the backs of her eyes.
Caius paused when she lifted her arms to shield herself from him. Angst tightened his features. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his dressing gown when her eyes dropped to it.
“How long…” Evie finally managed to choke out. “How long have you been using blood whores?”
“This is the first time.” His voice was low, hoarse.
“But… why? You said you never would.”
“Because of you, Evie.” He stared at her flush in the eyes with so much intensity that a chill passed through her.
“What do you mean?”
His jaw flexed and he ran his fingers through his long, shaggy hair, shifting his eyes to the floor. “Ever since I drank from you… the bags haven’t been enough. I haven’t drunk from the vein for fourteen years. I never wanted to go back. But I can’t seem to help it.” He looked back up at her. “And living with you…” He sighed. “I can smell you. I can hear your heart beating. Hell, I can almost feel the blood coursing through your veins when I touch you.”
Red started to gather under his eyes as his lips trembled. “I promised I’d never feed from you again yet that night I did, without even realising it. I couldn’t let that happen again.” He didn’t look at her. “That place changed me, Evie. I killed. For the first time since the Rage. I was teetering right on the edge and your blood saved me. I crave that rush of being pulled back from the depths-”
A loud throat clearing cut Caius off mid-sentence. The girl he was just feeding from was in the doorway. She looked to Evie, then back at Caius. “If you’re finished with me, that’ll be a hundred.” She held her palm out flat to him.
Caius gulped, looking awkward, and turned back to Evie. She rolled her eyes and gestures to the girl. “Pay her.”
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a wad of twenties. A flirty glint sparkled in the blood whore’s eyes, making Evie’s jaw set, as she said, “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Before she could grab the notes, Caius held them out of reach. “Don’t utter a word of what you just heard to anyone.”
She scoffed and arched her eyebrow. “Please, I wasn’t even listening. I don’t care about your stupid lovers spat.” She plucked the notes from between his fingers and counted them before slipping them into her bra. “I hear and see tonnes of crazy shit doing what I do. I don’t even take notice anymore. So don’t you dare try and do that compulsion shit on me because my boss will know and he’ll cut you off.”
“I’ve paid you, now you can leave.”
She flashed him a charming smile as she backed her way to the door. She pointed at herself. “Remember, Anna-lynn.”
“I won’t be requiring your services again.”
She shrugged, glanced at Evie then fixes her eyes back on Caius. “Just if you change your mind.”
Evie watched her sweeping red hair disappeared behind the closed door before slumping against the wall. “She even looks like me.” The observation made her feel hollow inside. He probably chose her for the same reason she chose Michael come around when Caius was away. To feel closer to him. But Evie was right there.
“I’m so sorry-”
“You know what?” Evie cut through Caius’ apology, her anger almost boiling over. Caius’ brows lift helplessly. “When I came in and saw you… I was shocked.” She laughed without mirth, pushing herself back off the wall. “Shocked. I was shocked that you were using a blood whore. That is not what I should have felt after walking into my house and seeing my boyfriend’s head between a random girl’s legs.” Caius stiffened as her tone dipped into one laced with venom. “Not horrified. Disgusted. Cheated. Upset. Angry. All emotions that would have been completely acceptable. But no. I just felt shocked… because you weren’t drinking blood from a bag.”
Adrenaline was coursing through her blood, making her heart pound so much it hurt. Her body was shaking. She could hardly breathe. The world was pulsating. Swelling red and black at the edges.
Tears welled in her eyes. She yanked off her hat to run her hands through her hair.
“I’m human now, Caius,” she said in a calmer, resolved voice. “I shouldn’t be coming home to that.”
“It will never happen again, I promise.”
She shook her head, releasing tears. “I don’t want your promises. Or your apologies.”
“Then what do you want? Tell me.” He placed his hand delicately on her shoulder and she jerked away from the touch.
“A human life,” she admitted, finding it hard to bear the defeated look on his face. He stepped away from her and dropped his arm. They stayed there in the thick silence for a moment. “Vampires and humans, they just can’t be together.”
“Yes, they can. I’ve done it before.”
“I am not Catherine!” she screamed. “Stop comparing me to her!”
Caius shrank back, his pale eyes wide and fearful. “No, no, I wasn’t.”
“I know she was willing to put her life on hold for you. I know she was the most perfect woman in the world. But she’s dead. She died because she was with you.” It was a low blow. She regretted it instantly. Devastation slackened Caius’ features, making him look like a lost little boy. His eyes dropped to the floor. “This last week, I know we said we could make it work but this just shows that we can’t. Caius, we can’t even make love without you turning me black and blue.”
He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his messy head of hair as if to try and fend off her words.
“I was happy with you, Caius, don’t think for a second that I wasn’t. I loved every minute we spent together. But I’m human. I want to embrace that.” She laughed whimsically. “I want to have picnics in the park. I want to watch the sun set. I want a career. I want to get married. Have children. Have grandchildren… and I can’t have any of that with you. And I’ve wanted that. I always have. I can see it now. I can’t hide from it anymore. And I don’t have to.”
He watched her through his fallen strands of hair before picking his head up fully. Blood tears ran down his cheeks staining two streaks down his face. “You’re ending this?”
The words pulled Evie inside-out. But what felt even worse was the honesty of her reply. “Yes.”
“Y-you can’t.”
Tears blurred her vision. “I have to.”
“But you are all I have.”
“We both need to move on. I’m not your progeny anymore, Caius.” She paused for a moment, the déjà vu knocking her sick to her stomach. “I’m nothing to you now.”
“But I love you.”
A lump lodged in her throat at the raw desperation in his tone. “I love you, too. But sometimes that’s just not enough.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“I’m going to pack up some stuff. I’ll come back for the rest.”
“Wh-where are you going to go?”
She shrugged as she headed towards the stairs. “I’ll figure it out.” She looked over her shoulder. “I got you a new phone. It’s the silver one in the bag down there.”
They moved around a lot so it was easy for Evie to travel light. But she grabbed a backpack and filled it with some clothes and toiletries. She walked over to their bedside table and lingered, her hand hovering over the drawer. No, it’s best if I leave it. It’s all I have left of him. I can’t lose it. Caius will keep it safe for me.
She slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed back down the stairs. Caius was still in the hallway looking completely lost in his own home – like a patient waking up after a coma and realising everything had moved on without him. Fresh tears burned the backs of her eyes but she willed them away.
“Please don’t do this,” he croaked.
Her heart thudded. She has to be strong. He covered her in bruises without even realising it. If he could do that, what’s stopping him from doing serious damage? A heated argument could cause her to be hospitalised. He could heal her physically, but how many accidental injuries could she endure before she began to hate his guts? She had to leave him while there’s still love there.
“I don’t want to hide anymore. I can be normal. I don’t want to be trapped, staring at these four walls.”
“It’s only been a few weeks.” His eyes shined at her. “I just need time. Things can go back to how they were.”
She shook her head. “No, they can’t because we are not how we were. I don’t want to have to train myself to become nocturnal. I like the sun. And I’d like to be able to share it with someone.”
He stood before her, studying her face as if for the last time. Her skin prickled and a warmth spread through her chest as he cupped her face lightly with his big hands. Her eyes closed as their lips touch. They’ve kissed countless times before but this time it was different, it’s as if they both knew that it will be their last. Her fingers curled into the sides of his dressing gown and she pulled him against her. He deepened the kiss. Tears ran down their cheeks as she clung to him.
The kiss was so long and so intense that when they finally broke, Evie was left gasping for breath. Caius squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead against hers. “Please. I can’t live without you.”
She framed his beautiful face in her hands, pressing her nose against his. “But I can’t have a life with you.”
With dragging feet and a heavy heart, she made her way to the front door.
“You’ll still have to hide, you know? Nico’s men. They might be out there. And if you leave, you are putting yourself in grave danger.”
“I’ll watch my back. As you said, you can’t protect me anymore anyway.”
Pausing for a moment, her eyes wandered around the hallway. “I’ll be coming back for my stuff so, this isn’t goodbye.”
“Sure feels like it.”
“We’ll never be over, Caius. We both know that.”
They watched each other for a moment. No truer words had ever been said.
His brows fell into a scowl. “Then why are you leaving?”
“I have to at least try.” She smiled half-heartedly. “We both need to at least try.”
As she walked down the street, she wondered, with a thick lump lodged in her throat, how long she was last before her emotions took hold and she completely fell apart.
Chapter 10
Evie sat by the bar, her eyes on the screen above showing CCTV footage of two people robbing a bank. No, not just people. Vampires.
‘Two vampires, later found out to be Norman Welsh and Edward Finch, robbed Milward & Co. bank last night at 8.43pm. Milward & Co. is the only bank in this vicinity to be open at such a time and deals with vampires on a nightly basis. Welsh and Finch were able to easily take the money by compelling the new members of staff to do their bidding and hand over the money. It was the workers’ first night on the late shift and had not been correctly briefed about ways to handle such encounters. Police have no leads as to their whereabouts-’
A tutting turned her attention to the man on the stool beside her.
“Its men like that that give vampires their bad reputation,” he said, shaking his head.
“Are you a-” Evie started but her voice trailed off when his eyes landed on her.
“A vampire?” he finished. “No. No I’m not. You?”
His casual tone surprised her. It was as if he’d just asked her if she was vegetarian. Like it didn’t matter either way.
She shook her head. “No.”
He just smiled and looked down at his beer. He was a rather stocky man, maybe in his late thirties or early forties judging by the sprinkling of grey hairs in his beard and short brown curls. She stared at him for a moment, thinking of what to say. “Do you… like vampires?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do I like vampires?” he laughed. “That’s a rather broad question. Let’s just say I don’t think all of them deserve to be treated the way they do. They have equal rights, after all.”
“Wow.” Evie’s eyebrows lifted.
He smiled and his deep brown eyes twinkled. “What?”
“It’s just… you don’t find many people who share that view.”
“But you do.”
She gulped. “What?”
“You also believe that vampires don’t deserve the prejudice they face. In fact, you’ve been in close contact with one recently.” Evie’s heart froze. “Is it possible that that’s the reason you are drinking alone on a Sunday night?”
She looked down at her untouched vodka tonic, she hadn’t drunk alcohol since she’d been Turned. There had been no point. Vampires couldn’t get drunk. “How do you know all that?”
“You’ve got vamp blood on your cheek.”
Evie scrubbed her cheek. Caius’ tear. The blood must have come from him. She had walked all the way here with blood on her face?!
“H-how do you know that’s vampire blood?” she asked tentatively.
“It dries a more vibrant red than human blood. Not many people notice.”
No. Not many people did notice. Even she hadn’t given it much thought and she used to be a vampire.
“Then how do you know?”
“I…” He cleared his throat and looked down at the bar. “…used to be very close to a vampire.”
“When you saw the blood on my face, why didn’t you assume the worst?” She paused for a moment, watching the man staring down absently at his half empty pint. She recognised the look in his eyes and figured he must have seen the same in hers. Heartbreak. “You and the vampire… you were together?”
His expression tightens but he nodded stiffly. “Yes.”
“What happened?”
He sighed and lifted his glass to his lips, staring at the back of the bar. “The world happened.”
Evie’s heart fell to her feet. She picked up her glass and takes a sip. “Nothing good comes from a vampire and a human being involved with each other.”
The man laughed bitterly. “I learned that the hard way.” He stuck his hand out to her. “I’m Joe.”
She smiled and took his hand. So warm. So… human. Her heart sank a little more. “I’m Evie.”
“Nice to meet you, Evie.” He smiled. “Anyway, back to the vamp blood on your cheek.” He crosses his arms on the bar. “I’m guessing there’s a story there.”
Evie’s brow creased as a pain lanced through her heart. “Yeah, a story I don’t really feel like sharing.”
“Well, you are involved with a vampire, I know that much.”
“Was involved.” The words tasted sour.
Joe arched a dark eyebrow. “Bad break up then?”
She tried to mask her pain with a laugh. “You are very good at making people talk.”
He half grinned. “I’m sorry. But like you said, not many people share the same view as me. This is a very refreshing conversation.”
“Why? Because we’ve been through the same thing?”
He whistled through his teeth and took a swig of his beer. “I wouldn’t go that far. No one has been through what I’ve been through.”
Evie twisted herself so she was facing him. “No one has been through what I’ve been though. Trust me.”
Probably seeing the challenging look in the fiery red-head’s eyes, Joe placed his glass down and focused on her. “My story is worse,” he said with absolute certainty.
Evie arched an eyebrow. “I bet you’re wrong.”
He watched her for a moment, mirth dancing in his dark eyes. But then he shook his head with a laugh. “I would agree to the bet but I can’t. It would mean I’d have to share something I need to keep hidden.”
Evie let out a short sigh of relief. She had gotten way over her head then. Ther
e was no way she was going to divulge her story, either. Not with Nico’s men possibly on the lookout for her.
“That’s probably for the best,” she said. He peered at her. She grinned and picked up her glass. “Because you’d be out of pocket.”
Evie left the pub just past eleven, feeling a little better than she had when she walked in. She made a friend in this new human world that she was now a part of, no longer a fake. Maybe life without Caius might not be as daunting and lonely as she first thought.
But when she slumped down on the mattress in the middle of her hotel room she booked for the night, she couldn’t help but feel there’s something missing. Even though the Maker and progeny tether was broken, she could still feel that invisible force yanking at her heart. Love. Whatever supernatural bond had held them together must have been amplified because of how she felt towards Caius. Because the connection compelled you to be loyal. It didn’t compel you to love. Caius did that all by himself. By protecting her. By being there for her when her whole life had been reshaped.
He was her rock.
Her guide.
Her mentor.
… and she left him.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes and she collapsed on her back, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. What have I done?
Caius had been there for her through thick and thin, and she had been convinced she would do the same. But where was Caius now? Stuck in the house, too afraid to venture out of the door and possibly returning to his old savage ways by drinking from the vein.
Evie shook her head, trying to rid the guilt that was threatening to swallow her up. He could have hurt me. He could have killed me. And then he’d never forgive himself. I did the right thing. I did the right thing…
… then why did it feel so wrong?
She dressed into her scrunched up pyjamas and headed to the bathroom. The light stung her eyes. When she looked at the clear tears down her cheeks, she was thankful she no longer produces blood tears. They always made a mess.
The Progeny Page 12