by Lila Rose
Mine.
Standing on top of Isaac’s table, I swished my tail from side to side while I watched Freckles’s shocked face.
The feline part of me thought it was fun and wanted to play more with her prey.
Succumbing to instinct, I climbed across to Jeremiah, causing Freckles to back up away from Jezanna. I pounced again and landed on top of him, sending his body to the ground. I thought vampires were supposed to be strong?
Was he in shock?
My teeth sank into Freckles neck. He screamed. Turning with his flesh in my mouth towards the door, it crashed open to reveal Caelen. My heart lurched with relief. I had sensed something was coming, and knowing he was on our side calmed me a little.
“Caelen, help her,” Isaac ordered.
“Help who, lad?” He looked around, confused.
“Leila.”
“Bloody hell, mate, don’t tell me that huge cat is tiny Leila?”
Dropping the vampire’s neck, I stumbled to the side a little. Shit. His blood seemed toxic to me, enough to disorientate me.
“Caelen,” Isaac yelled.
Something was happening. I knew I didn’t have much strength left, and what I was about to do would drain me even more. Still, I had to. I reached my mind out to Caelen’s and with a small battle, I squeezed my way in to his to make the connection I needed. Caelen don’t. I’m fine. Untie them.
“Righto, woman.” He stalked over to Isaac first and started on his chains by covering his hands with the clothes that had fallen from my body to prevent the silver from burning and weakening him, as they had the others.
“What the hell are you doing? Help her,” Isaac snarled.
“Sorry, mate, she told me to untie you lot first.”
Stumbling back to Freckles, I felt him move. Too disorientated to stop him, he raised a knife and plunged it into my ribs. A howl escaped me.
I swiped at his face with my paw. I was growing too weak from his blood and the power I expended to connect with Caelen. I swiped again, but failed. He pushed me away and stood, smiling. Blood still poured from his neck wound, only he seemed to be healing quickly. He went to grab the knife back out when a roar filled the room and a flash crossed my path, knocking Freckles at least three feet away. Blinking rapidly, I saw Isaac rise from his tackle, arms out ready for an attack.
I heard a sickening snap behind me and knew Lenny’s life had just ended.
A whimper fell from my mouth. My stomach was ready to revolt.
Isaac’s gaze glanced off me before he ordered in a growl, “Jeremiah, Caelen, deal with him and any others they brought.”
“Already taken down the ones outside,” Caelen said.
Shit, how did I not see them or even sense there were more of them? I wanted to make a telepathic connection with Isaac, but there was no chance of it. My powers were diminishing.
Caelen, is Jezanna okay?
He paused and knelt beside me. I hadn’t realised I was lying down.
“She’s fine, love.” He ran his hand over my head.
There was a noise beside me. With my mind fuzzy, I found it hard to stay awake. Hey, Caelen, Isaac saved me by jumping Freckles, didn’t he?
“Yes, love.” He smiled down at me as the others talked around us, only I couldn’t comprehend what was being said.
Hey, Caelen. Isaac’s my hero and he’s hot.
He let out a bark of laughter.
Darkness swirled before me. Caelen, I don’t feel too good.
“Isaac, she’s about to pass out,” Caelen informed.
As I was being lifted from the ground, blackness swept over me.
Sometime later, I woke, still in my cat form. I only noticed when I went to wipe at my face and I got a full view of my paw. It took me a second to remember where I was and what had happened. I tried to move, to get up and find Isaac. All I managed was to lift my head. Weakness consumed me, nausea a close second. Placing my head back down, it landed on something firm, but soft.
“Shh, it’s all right. You’re all right. I won’t hurt you,” the person comforted me, patting my fur on the top of my head. She smelled of female. Her voice was a soft melodic tone, and slightly similar to Isaac’s. My cushion was Jezanna’s legs.
I wanted to ask questions and study the dark room I was in, but I felt too faint.
My black eyes would have helped me see in the dark if I weren’t dizzy. Even in my human form, I could see better than most. What made it possible was because of the one eye that stayed black, which was the only visible part of my cat form showing while I was human. When I was a feline, both of my irises turned black, the green bleeding into the white area leaving no white behind.
“Isaac will be in soon. He’s just finishing the clean-up with Jeremiah and Caelen.” I heard the admirable tone she used when she said Caelen’s name. Someone had a crush. “Your knife wound has already closed, but I’m sure you’ll still feel a twinge from it. Thank you for coming to us. If… if you hadn’t, we would be dead.” Her voice broke at the end. I rubbed my head against her legs, reassuring her she was okay. I started to purr and eventually her sobs subsided.
She rubbed her head against mine. “Hush now, we have to be quiet if we want to listen in.” I broke off midpurr and listened carefully to the voices that were coming our way.
“Caelen, tell me how Leila managed to be here?” Isaac asked. His voice was loud enough to have been in the next room. They probably thought I was still unconscious. Even if my body wanted to do just that, I refused it.
“As I said before, lad, she came into Boozers to find Hardy. She wanted to ask him for your address. Knew your papa and he are friends, but he wasn’t there. So I was kind enough to give her a ride. Not realising just what predicament I was driving her into. Then you sensed I was here and told me to leave. I went to, but the woman kicked me in the gonads and ran off.”
“And then what did you do?” Jeremiah barked.
“Ah, come on, mate, you already know. I took off, but my silly conscience made me come back. I hated the thought of leaving her to walk in and be slaughtered. Besides, I knew Isaac would have killed me if I didn’t come back.”
“Yes, I would have,” Isaac said simply, which made me think he was actually stating a fact. “Especially if Leila had been killed. It was bad enough she had a reaction to Mervin’s blood.”
“He must be one of those few who can turn his blood to poison if attacked,” Caelen said.
“Yes, must be,” Isaac replied, though he seemed distracted with other thoughts. “The real question is, why would Leila come here today of all days?”
“I can find out,” Jeremiah offered. Somehow, I knew he was smiling with glee when he said that.
A growl sounded, before Isaac ordered, “You’ll do nothing of the sort. I know your type of questioning, brother. What I don’t understand, when we already know none of us can read her, was how you, Caelen, were able to speak with her while she was in her feline form?”
“It was all her, mate. Even with all my walls, she was still able to penetrate through them and get across what she wanted to say.”
“And what was that?” Isaac asked with suspicion in his tone.
Caelen laughed. “Come on, Isaac, don’t get jealous on me. I already told you she asked how Jezanna was doing.”
Isaac jealous?
No way in hell.
Protective, yes, jealous, no.
“I still don’t believe that’s all, Caelen.”
“Look, it wasn’t anything important. Besides, if I told you, she’d kill me herself. She’s awake by the way.”
“How do you know that?” Isaac bit out.
“Wouldn’t have the foggiest. My guess would be because of the connection she made.”
I heard the door to the room open. I pried my tired eyes apart. The glare from the light in the other room made my stomach roll and sent a stabbing pain to my temples. I shielded my eyes with my paw.
“Jeremiah, turn off the light,” Isaac ordered
sharply.
How wrong did I have it? I thought Jeremiah was the one in charge when it was obvious it was Isaac.
“Jezanna, I didn’t realise you were in here,” Isaac said with his soft tone.
“I didn’t want Leila to be alone when she woke.”
“That’s very nice of you.” He smiled and knelt in front of us. His eyes moved to me. I stared back. “Leila, how are you feeling?”
My mind reached out to his, only I didn’t get far. A sharp pain shot throughout me, causing my body to quiver. It was too much, too soon. My mind wasn’t up for anything.
Instead, I extended out to the one connection I already had. That way I wouldn’t cause any more harm to myself. Caelen, tell him I’m okay.
“You don’t seem to be okay, love.”
Isaac spun his head to face Caelen, who was standing just inside the doorway beside Jeremiah.
“See there, love. You’re gonna get me in trouble here.”
I let my laugh echo through his mind. I doubt that. Tell him I’m not able to make contact with anyone else at the moment. I still feel—
“She’s told me the reason she ain’t in your head at the moment is because she still feels like crap. So she can’t connect with you when she isn’t at her fullest.”
Thank you, for that, and for coming back.
“Don’t fret, pet, I couldn’t leave a honey like you behind,” he teased. Isaac hissed.
Why does he do that?
Caelen laughed. “Lad, she wants to know why you do that.”
Isaac turned back to face me. He rested his head on his crossed arms, which lay flat on the bed. Then he reached a hand out to run one finger down my nose to the side of my mouth.
“I don’t like him speaking to you as he did, that’s all.”
Both Caelen and Jezanna scoffed, which caused them to smile at one another.
“Leila, can you answer a question for me?”
I gave a small nod, only it left me regretting doing it because the movement sent more dizziness my way.
“Why did you come here today?”
Caelen relayed everything I wanted to say. You didn’t come to get me on the weekend. I thought… When you didn’t show up at school, I knew something was wrong. So I found Caelen, and he brought me here.
“But Caelen warned you there was danger. Why would you still come inside? Why risk your life for us?” Jeremiah demanded.
Nothing changes the fact you all needed help. I knew I was the only one around who could.
Caelen quickly translated.
“You’re a very foolish girl. I was unable to catch Mervin. More will come for us, and now he knows about you. You’re at risk,” Jeremiah snapped.
I may be foolish, but at least I saved your arse.
Caelen chuckled and repeated what I had said. Jeremiah let out a growl and left the room.
Isaac seemed amused, a smile curving his lips, but it faded before he said, “At least I know you’re not scared of us… I think.”
I would never be scared of you, Isaac. I wanted to say more, but not while I was in my other form. I wanted to talk to him. Caelen, I’m sorry, but can you carry me to a bathroom? I need to shift back, and it’s not something to do in front of people.
The pain I went through with every change was excruciating, and I didn’t want them to witness it. At least I was used to it, but it was hard for someone else to watch. Also, there was the fact I’d be naked. As well as the way I felt, there was a chance I could pass out or vomit. Really, none of it was a pretty sight.
“Of course, love.” He glided over to the bed and leaned down to pick me up, until Isaac’s hand clamped down on his arm.
“What are you doing?” Isaac growled.
“She wants to go to the bathroom to shift back.”
“I will carry her.” Isaac swiftly stood with me in his arms and took me to the door on the right. He opened it to reveal a huge bathroom. Big enough to have a party in. There was a twin shower, a double spa bath and a twin vanity sink. All of them were sparkling white.
He lay me gently on the tiled floor and sat beside me.
Is he expecting me to change back in front of him? No way is there a chance of that!
Isaac Grey was not seeing me naked.
Well, not under those circumstances.
Shut it, hussy brain.
“Ah, mate. I think she wants to do it alone.”
“I won’t leave your side, Leila. I saw the pain you went through to change so quickly before, and I know this will hurt you just as much. So I’ll be here for you.”
“Brother, you can’t stay,” Jezanna said from the door. “I doubt Leila is worried about the pain. I think she’s more worried about you seeing her after she changes.”
“Why? Doesn’t she want to speak with me?” Isaac looked to Caelen for an answer. But it was Jeremiah who came back and supplied what everyone else knew.
“Isaac, she’ll be naked in her human form.” Once he stated the fact, he left again.
Isaac faced away, but I could still see the blush running down his neck. “Oh,” he whispered.
“Isaac,” Jezanna started. “We’ll wait in the other room. I’ll go and get Leila something to wear, and you can ring Dad to tell him we’re all fine.”
“Yes. Yes, good idea.” He quickly stood and left without looking back. Jezanna closed the door after him, leaving me to shift back on my own. When I welcomed the pain, my body started to alter.
Chapter Seven
The transformation left me utterly exhausted. I wasn’t used to changing so fast in the first place and then altering back in such a short amount of time.
Curled up in a ball on the tiled floor, I shivered. I wanted to move, to go to the toilet and throw up, hoping it would help me feel better. Then it hit me, the other reason I wasn’t coping. The vampire blood. It was still working its way out of my system.
The thought of it, of the foul taste it had left, made me move. I crawled my way to the toilet just in time for it to come up.
There was a knock at the door and Isaac’s concerned voice called out, “Leila, are you okay? Sorry, silly of me to ask. I know you’re not, but do you need help?”
As nice as it was for him to ask, I couldn’t answer. Still, I managed a moan between heaves and prayed he didn’t take it as an affirmative for him come in. If he did, it’d embarrass the hell out of me because I was naked and bent over a toilet in his house, puking my guts up.
“Move aside, brother,” I heard Jezanna say.
The door opened and Jezanna squeezed her way in through a small gap. I didn’t mind her coming in; at least she was a girl and thoughtful enough to have brought a large black blanket, which she wrapped around my shaking body.
She knelt beside me and gently rubbed my back as I waited for the dry-heaving to subside. I swore to myself I would never take vampire blood into my mouth again, and I would never shift so quickly. Well, until the next situation arose, and I had a feeling being around Isaac and his family, one could come up at any time.
Finally, the heaving stopped. I flushed the toilet and crouched over it, trying to gain control of my heavy breathing.
“Thank you,” Jezanna said.
My laugh was unexpected. “For what?” I asked. “Throwing up in your toilet?”
She giggled. “No, besides, it’s not my bathroom. It’s Isaac’s. That was his bedroom and bed you were on.”
I groaned. Great, just what I needed to think about.
“I wanted to say thank you for not turning your back on us and running a mile when you found out what we are.”
Grabbing some toilet paper, I wiped my face and then sat back, securing the blanket around my still quivering, weak body.
“I knew Isaac was different when he first came to the school. I just didn’t know how.” I shrugged. “Now I do know, I honestly don’t care. I mean look at me, and still, he chose me to be his friend. I won’t turn my back on him and his family.”
She smiled
widely. “You like him, don’t you?”
“Of course, it’s why we’re friends.”
“No, you know…” Her voice trailed off because of the glare I gave her. I shook my head and inclined it towards the door.
“Oh. Isaac,” she called.
We both heard a deep sigh, and two others laughed.
“Yes?” he answered.
“Busted.” Caelen chuckled.
Jezanna rolled her eyes and then leaned in to whisper, “We will discuss these things later.”
Truthfully, I would’ve preferred not to speak of it at all. I wasn’t used to feeling the way I was about Isaac, or anyone for that matter. It still scared me.
He could leave like the others had.
“I’ve placed some clothes for you on the basket beside the door for after your shower. I have to apologize though, because I don’t think they’ll fit you right.” She paused to study me. “Do you think you’ll be okay on your own, or would you like some help?”
Climbing slowly to my feet, to prove I could manage on my own, I smiled. I felt terrible. My legs shook, my stomach churned, my skin pulled around the healed wound and my head thumped at my temples. I’d never received someone’s help in the shower before, and I wasn’t about to start.
“All right, if you’re not out in half an hour, I’ll be coming back in to check on you.”
“You might want to give me an hour. I’m going to be taking my time in here, ease some of these pains and aches.”
She nodded once, gave me a quick hug and whispered, “You would be good for my brother.” Before I could say anything, she left.
Stunned, I just stood there for a while. It was nice of her to say so, but I highly doubted Isaac would ever consider me that way. He saw me as a friend, someone he would protect, nothing else. And I couldn’t let myself think any different.