by K. R. Willis
“Keira! Is that you?” Jamie asked. She’d been on her way into the dressing room with a pretty blue blouse hugged to her chest.
“Hey Jamie, fancy meeting you here.” I tried to sound genuinely happy to see her, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t like her, and I had no idea why.
Perhaps it’s because she’s the first outsider to challenge you for Sam’s affections. Sam has been a big brother to you and Sally your whole lives.
Was that it? Was I jealous she was an outsider encroaching on the close bond the three of us had? It had always been me, Sam, and Sally. The three musketeers. How did Jamie fit into that?
If she noticed my uneasiness, she didn’t show it. She smiled brightly at me, and asked, “Hey, are you busy? We could have that lunch you promised me. I know a quaint place just outside of town.”
“Oh, um...I’m sorry, but I really can’t. I’ve got so many things on my plate right now”—understatement of the year! —“but I promise as soon as things slow down we’ll have lunch.” Crap, I really didn’t want to have lunch with her, but especially not right now. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to come into Sam’s life, and want to get to know me.
Some of the brightness faded from her eyes, and something strange passed through them—a flicker of some kind—but it disappeared so fast I wasn’t sure I’d seen anything. “Look, I’m not trying to cause any trouble, but like I said before, you’re a huge part of Sam’s life, and I would really like to get to know you better. The best way I know to do that is for us to hang out, just us girls, and swap stories. I’m sorry if that’s too much to ask.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me, no longer smiling.
Now I felt guilty. Maybe I was being unfair in not giving her a chance. “I’m sorry,” I said, and meant it. “You’re the first girl Sam’s been interested in and I guess I’m just trying to figure out where you fit in. I would love to have lunch with you, but it can’t be today. As soon as things are less hectic, we’ll get together. Soon. I promise.” I had no idea when “less hectic” would be, but I’d just have to find the time somewhere. If nothing else, I’d do it for Sam.
That seemed to pacify her because she nodded and said, “Great, I look forward to it.” With that, she disappeared into the dressing room.
I sighed. When had my life become so complicated? I paid for my clothes and got out of there as fast as I could.
∞∞∞
The clock on Old Red’s dash read 11:00 by the time I pulled into the shop’s parking lot. Sam’s Cougar wasn’t there, and I vaguely remembered he’d had an appointment this morning. I let myself in and opened the doors, thankful most of our customers didn’t make their way in until noon or later. With Sam not here yet, and our upcoming uncomfortable conversation postponed for the moment, I set to work catching up on my backlog of parts ordering, paperwork and even cleaned the office. Before long, my to-do list was considerably shorter, but all too soon I heard the unmistakable growl of Ellie as Sam pulled her into the parking lot.
A few seconds later, Sam stepped into the office and dropped a box of doughnuts on my desk. “My doctor’s appointment went well, so I picked these up to celebrate.”
I returned his smile, opened the box, and pulled out a chocolate-filled one, while he grabbed a couple of doughnut holes and popped them into his mouth.
“That’s good news,” I said, stalling. The sugary doughnut melted on my tongue as I took a bite, but it quickly turned sour as I thought about the conversation we were about to have.
“How’s your morning been?” he asked. He shoved another doughnut hole in his mouth and leaned back in the leather customer’s chair, getting his first good look at me since he walked into the office. Sam froze, and his face lost all humor. “Where’d you get that bruise on your cheek?” He leaned forward, examining me more closely.
Damn, I’d put a little bit of Sally’s foundation on to try to cover up the bruise, but apparently I hadn’t done a good enough job. I sighed.
“We need to talk,” I told him. “And I need you to listen to me all the way through before you get angry.” I watched as his expression transformed from upset, to concerned, to a little bit angry, before he settled on neutral and leaned back in the chair. He gripped the chair arms tight enough to make them squeak, and waited.
I tried to calm my racing heart, but it didn’t help. Here goes. My voice quivered slightly as I told him everything. About us finding George at the club by accident, Leo’s help, our rescue of George, the fighting, the poisoning, all of it. And then I told him about the Aqua Vitae, and my plans of retrieving it. His face had stayed passive through all of it, and that scared me more than anything else. If he was angry and yelled at me, I could deal with that. But this quietness, I didn’t know what to make of it.
Now it was my turn to wait.
Sam sat perfectly still, only the rising and falling of his chest betraying him. He watched me for what felt like an eternity, before he finally spoke.
“Have you ever wondered why I don’t have a Spirit Warrior, Keira?”
The question threw me, and I sat back, stunned. He continued before I had a chance to formulate any words.
“When I was five years old, the same time your father told you about your blood, mine told me about it as well. Then he told me that I would be the one to train you for what was coming, to guard and protect you throughout your life. My father trained me relentlessly for the next eight years, preparing me for the day when you would be ready to start your training. All of my Spirit quests were postponed so that I could prepare you.” Sam pushed to his feet and began pacing the small office.
“Even with Rya now by your side, I am still your protector. Do you have any idea what it does to me each time you go out on one of these quests alone? Or what I went through when you nearly died?” He shook his head. “I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty, I’m telling you this so maybe you’ll understand my side. Each time you go out and come back injured, I fail you as your guardian. If something were to happen and you were to die, I would fail not only as your guardian, but also as a warrior of the tribe, never to gain my Spirit Warrior or walk proudly among my ancestors.”
Shocked at his words, I jerked back as though he’d slapped me. Sam came to a stop in front of my chair, and reached down to wipe away the tears that suddenly ran down my cheeks.
“Keira, you are my charge. My friend. My family. I cannot stand idly by and watch you destroy yourself without doing something. You have to understand that.”
The tears ran in earnest now, and I blinked to try to clear them. I’d never known the full story of how he came to be my friend, my teacher, and my brother. I’d never known what he gave up. My chest tightened, and the pain that settled there—the pain that lanced straight through my heart—threatened to consume me. The knowledge of the things I’d cost him, was still costing him, rang through my bones like a disease. But, Great Spirit help me, I also knew that my next words were just as true now as they’d been before he’d spoken.
“I’m so sorry, Sam. I had no idea. If I’d known, I would have figured out a way to change it.”
He shook his head, then knelt in front of me so we were eye to eye. I sniffled and wiped my eyes on my shirtsleeve. Sam started to say something, but I pressed forward before I lost my nerve.
“But you have to understand, I can’t take you with me everywhere I go. You can’t be my shadow, trying to protect me every minute of every day. There are some places you just can’t go.” I placed my hand against his cheek. “I have to be my own person. Not dictated by fate, the Evil One, the Vampire Council—no one. You have to trust Rya to protect me when you’re not with me, and you have to trust yourself. You’ve trained me since I was old enough to carry a sword. You taught me well.”
Tears ran down his cheeks. He stood up quickly, and half turned to walk away, but before he could I jumped up and bear hugged him. It took him a moment of trying to resist, but then he caved and wrapp
ed his meaty arms around me and hugged me just as fiercely. We stood like that long enough both of our shirts were damp from crying, then he pulled back and looked at me.
“Deep down, I know you’re right,” he said. “I can’t be with you all the time. I do trust Rya, and I know you’re good with a sword.” He grinned a little and bumped me on the shoulder, breaking the tension that had risen between us. “After all, I am the one who trained you.” Then the smile faded, and the seriousness returned.
“But you have to understand where I’m coming from as well. You can’t continue to leave me out of things. I know there are going to be times, like confronting the Vampire Council in regards to the Aqua Vitae, where Leo will have to go in my stead because of who he is, or you feel you must go alone. But there are other times when I can go with you. That’s all I’m asking, is for you to try harder to include me so that I can continue to do my duty, and you can still be what makes you who you are.” He looked me in the eye, searching for something. “Deal?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “Deal,” I said. The rest of the tension evaporated, and I wiped the tears from my face.
“When do you leave to confront the Council?” he asked. Sam walked to the coffee pot I’d turned on, poured himself a cup, then discreetly wiped away his own tears.
“Tonight, if Leo can secure an audience.” I shuddered at the thought. The last thing I wanted to do was go before the Council. Leo and I both had barely made it out of there the last time, and with Dorian being the one in charge now, it didn’t bode well for us. But I didn’t voice any of that to Sam for fear he would insist on going too.
He took a sip of coffee, then set the cup in the microwave for later. “All right, let’s go then.” He spun on his heel and headed for the open office door.
“Go where?” I asked as I chased after him. His strides lengthened with his intent, and before I made it out of the office he was halfway across the shop floor.
“We have more training to do,” he called over his shoulder. He climbed the steps of the metal staircase two at a time, and disappeared through the hole into his dojo. I hurried up them after him, and squeaked when his waster smacked me on my right shoulder before I’d taken a full step off the winding staircase.
“Hey!” I protested. “That’s not fair.” I rolled to avoid another blow, leapt to my feet, then ran across the breadth of the dojo to the weapons mounted on the wall to grab my own wooden training sword.
“Fights are never fair,” he said from somewhere behind me. My sword blocked another blow as I spun to face him, the clack of the two hickory swords reverberating through my bones, making my teeth hurt. “You’re fighting werewolves, vampires, and goodness only knows what else. They’ll beat you in straight-up speed every time. You have to be able to think on your feet, in the heat of the battle, and make life or death decisions in milliseconds.” As if to prove his point, he swung his waster in a sideways arc straight for my neck.
My eyes widened for a split second, then I dropped into a low crouch, his sword passing close enough to skim my scalp. I winced, then swung upward into his groin area with the tip of the sword. It was his turn to look shocked, but then he pulled himself together in time to avoid the blow. I rolled to the left and came to my feet, sword at the ready.
“Very good,” he said with pride in his voice.
Fun, Rya snickered in the depths of my mind. Yeah, right, maybe fun for her. The sugar from the doughnut I’d eaten coursed through my system as I watched Sam. He resembled a predator; body tensed, sword at the ready, eyes narrowed as they calculated his next move.
It came a flick of the wrist later, the tip of the wooden sword aimed straight at my abdomen. I anticipated the hit and swung upward with my waster, blocking the blow. Sam had shifted his weight slightly forward, leaving his neck exposed, so I let my swing follow all the way through, and stopped the sword just as the wood made a small indentation in the tender skin of his neck. Sam froze, wide-eyed. I smiled, did a mental happy dance at my victory, then removed the waster and let it fall by my side.
Sam sucked himself up to his full height and smiled down at me, eyes twinkling. “Excellent,” he praised. “I’m not happy about you going out to face these things alone so often, but I feel confident you will do well in a fight. You make me proud as your teacher.”
Rather than get all teary at his praise, I threw out my arms with my right hand holding the waster at a downward angle, bowed my head, and curtsied. Sam busted out laughing, and I joined him, avoiding the tears that had bubbled to the surface. Again.
Somewhere below us a Klaxon car horn—better known as the ooga horn—sounded, letting me know my first customer of the day had arrived. Sam took my waster and motioned toward the fireman’s pole. “Get to work,” he said, smiling.
I smiled back. “Thanks, Sam.” Then I raced off toward the pole, slid through the opening with my hands and feet wrapped around the flaking metal, feeling like I could conquer the world.
∞∞∞
The first thing I did when I got in the office after my first few customers left was call Vicki back. She hadn’t answered the other day, but this time she picked up on the second ring.
“What?” she snapped. Her crisp tone hadn’t been what I expected, so it took me a moment to find my voice.
“Um, sorry, is this Vicki? This is Keira Blackwater of KNB Classics. I left you a message about the truck.”
“Oh!” Her voice immediately softened, and excitement replaced her earlier harshness. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ve had telemarketers harassing me all morning for some reason. I thought you were one of them.” Some of the tension caused by her rude hello eased, and my shoulders relaxed.
I spent the next ten minutes telling her what I’d found, discussing the finder’s fee and anything else I could think of. She sounded super excited about finally having a solid lead, and then said if it worked out and this really was the truck she’d been hunting for, she’d drop the money off personally as soon as possible. I gave her the address to the shop so she wouldn’t have to hunt for it online, then we hung up.
The prospect of having that much cash in hand sent a thrill down my spine. Sally and I could do some major shopping, which would be a nice break for both of us, and some things I’d been putting off fixing on Old Red could finally get done. I may have owned my own shop, but I still had to pay for the parts.
Kit showed up soon after my call to Vicki, pitching in wherever he could. The workday was busy and exhausting, but it at least went by quickly. Sam left to go pick Jamie up for their date, and, seeing that the sun had started to set, I left a few minutes later, leaving Kit to clean up a few things then close up shop. I had just placed my order and sat waiting in line at the drive-thru at Benny’s Burger Barn when my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“The Council has agreed to meet with us,” Leo’s silky smooth voice answered. I swear, for someone who slept all day like death and rose with the sunset, he never sounded as though he’d just awakened. Then his words struck me, and all my thoughts centered on what that meant.
“That’s it?” I said, disbelief clear in my voice. “Just like that. What’s the catch?” If they agreed to meet us on such short notice without a bunch of arguing back and forth, there had to be a reason. One I knew I wouldn’t like.
Leo sighed on the other end of the phone, sounding troubled. “I do not know. They accepted my request for an audience without preamble, which is not normal. I am concerned there is something they want, but I do not know what. I can cancel, and see if I can dig up any information, but I risk angering them if I do.”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see the movement. “No, George doesn’t have much time. We know enough about them to know they must want something from us, so we aren’t going in completely blind. We’ll just have to rely on our strengths to deal with whatever they throw at us.” I just hoped our strengths would be enough. “What time are we supposed to be there?”
We spoke for another minute, then hung up. My food was ready, so I paid for it and headed home to clean up and prepare. I popped a French fry into my mouth while I drove, and mulled over what they could possibly want from us. Or from me in particular.
The fact that I was alive suggested they didn’t know what I’d done with Loukas, so I didn’t think they wanted to question me on that matter, though it did make me nervous. How would I explain to them where I’d put him, and what would I do if they demanded I return him in exchange for the Aqua Vitae? No way would I return to the Evil One’s lair voluntarily, and Loukas would likely kill me if I did go back for him. None of those scenarios played in my favor, so I tried not to think about them.
I still carried the Lorum, the mark Loukas branded me with so he could find me anywhere, but I didn’t think there was anything they could do with it to use it against me. As though talking about it had awakened it, the Lorum burned on my back, forcing me to grab the steering wheel with both hands and just concentrate on breathing for several seconds until the pain subsided. I had to figure out a way to get this stupid thing off my back. The biggest problem with that though was, according to Leo, and I had no reason to doubt him, only Loukas could manipulate or remove the blasted thing. Which sucked for so many reasons.
Rya, do you have any thoughts?
Unfortunately, no, I do not. Damn, we were going in unprepared as plans went, but there was nothing to be done for it. We’d just have to play it as best we could.
With no more answers than I started with, I pulled into my parking spot and made my way up to my apartment. After quickly showering, I stood in front of my closet trying to figure out what I had that fit the requirements Leo had mentioned. Dressy, but easy to move in. Hmm...