by Amy Richie
“We have a very long time.”
There was a rumble in his chest, a sound of pleasure that made me flush with my own pleasure. “That’s true.”
“Will you teach me to fight?”
“I thought we were talking of love.”
“We are,” I laughed, “but you did say everything.”
“I said what you need to know.”
“I need to learn to fight,” I insisted.
“Maybe.”
It wasn’t a yes, but I would take it. “And how to run?”
“Don’t you already know how to run?”
“Yeah, but not fast.”
“That’ll just come natural.”
“How will I know how to avoid running into a tree?”
He laughed again. “I think you’ll be ok.”
“Will your brothers like me?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I like you.”
“I know, but…”
“So that means they will, too.”
I smiled without looking up at him. The warmth of his happiness almost took my breath away. I let my finger lightly trace the skin on his arm, reveling in the shiver that ran through his body and down my spine.
I moved my fingers up slowly, reaching the skin showing along his neck and just where the shirt ended. It was soft and moved easily with my fingers as if it, too, was eager to become one with me.
Another movement allowed me to trace his jaw line. This was my favorite part of him, the part of him that I had tried to avoid until now because I didn’t want to turn into a pile of girl mush. Now, I didn’t mind so much.
His jaw moved with his smile. “I don’t mind, either,” he half whispered.
“How long do you think we’ll have to stay here?” I asked after I had examined all the details in his face.
His finger was busy tracing the skin on my bottom lip so he didn’t answer right away. “I’m not sure.”
“Will the wolves give up?”
“Probably not,” he smirked.
“Now that I’m not even human…” I shrugged away the rest of my explanation. “Maybe they’ve already left.”
His eyes flashed darkly as he scanned the caved in rocks. I couldn’t hear anything, but he had more experience than I did, so maybe he heard what I couldn’t. His eyes narrowed briefly, but he shook his head.
“I don’t hear the wolves anymore,” he concluded.
“What does that mean?”
“What do you hear?” he asked softly.
“Your heart.”
He laughed again, causing warmth to spread through me all over again. “Besides that.”
“Hmm.” I scrunched my nose as I tried to concentrate on hearing something outside of the cave.
At first, all I could hear was the soft hum of water and then the drops as it hit against something. Maybe it was raining outside. Had that driven the wolves away?
The leaves in the branches were moving, but not very fast, so it wasn’t a storm. Besides, I didn’t hear thunder and I probably would have heard that even as a human. Paris was right, though. They weren’t right outside the cave anymore. Nothing was out there. At least nothing with a heartbeat.
“They’ve left,” I came to the same conclusion he did.
“Something must have happened.”
“So what do we do now? Stay here?”
“We can’t stay here forever.”
“I don’t see why not,” I grumbled.
“Don’t you want to know where they went? What happened to them?” he laughed lightly, but he was being serious.
“I guess,” I reluctantly agreed.
The wolves didn’t seem as important now that I had Paris’s blood flowing in my veins, but it was weird that they just disappeared. Even if they knew I was a vampire now, they still had us outnumbered and cornered. We had spilled enough blood on their side. It didn’t make sense for them to just disappear.
“Which is why we can’t just lay in here any longer.” Paris brushed my temple with his lips and rolled over me to get to his feet.
I jumped up after him, hitting my head on the wall in my haste. “Ow,” I winced down out of habit, but it didn’t hurt at all.
“You probably hurt the rocks more that they hurt you,” Paris teased.
“That’s not true.” I turned to inspect the wall just to be sure, though. “I didn’t hurt the wall.” My bottom lip jutted out slightly.
“I was only teasing.” He wrapped his arms around my waist so I could lay my head back on his chest.
“I know.”
He let go of me to place his hands against the rocks that had caved in to keep us safe. He pressed his face close to them, listening intently for any sounds. Finally, he smiled back at me.
“I think it’s safe to go now.”
There was no fear in me as I processed that we were leaving the safety of the cave. When I was with the sisters, I hadn’t allowed myself to slow down long enough to be afraid. If they told me to do something, I did it without thinking much about it.
I preferred it that way. Fear left too much space to make mistakes. I had been afraid these past few days and Miranda was gone and I had almost died. That was proof enough for me that fear was useless. I wasn’t spending any more time on it.
Besides, what was there to be afraid of now? I was a vampire so tiny human things couldn’t hurt me like blisters and knife wounds. And I had Paris for the other things. He would teach me to be strong enough.
“Yes,” he acknowledged, “so there is nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid.”
I wasn’t afraid—more nervous than anything else. And excited. I ran my hands across my thighs. My pants were torn and stiff from old blood; which surprised me. Already that seemed like a very long time ago.
“Are you ready then?”
Was I ready? “Yeah,” I nodded quickly. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 42
The rock wall had looked daunting and solid before, but now I could see the small points of light that showed its weakness. We weren’t stuck in here at all—we never had been. The wolves had just been stuck outside.
“I told you I would keep you safe.”
I wasn’t sure if he said it out loud or only thought it. How did they know? The sisters often had silent conversations. Maybe that was how all vamps talked. Maybe…
“Here,” Paris threw a small rock at me, which I instinctively caught. “That was out loud.”
“Oh, aren’t you a comedian?” I cocked one eyebrow but still went to help him dig out of the cave.
The rocks gave way easily, even the large ones. I was having too much fun crushing the tiny pieces to dust to be considered much help, but Paris’s smile stayed plastered on his face anyways.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” he teased.
“Shut up!”
“Can you fit through this?” he called out to me.
I was surprised that the hole was already so large. We had just started clearing it. “Probably.”
I took a few steps forward, but he stopped me with an upraised hand. “I’ll go first.”
“Then why did you even ask?” I rolled my eyes. “If you fit, then I’ll fit.”
“True, my muscles…you hardly compare,” he grinned.
“Just go.” I pushed hard on his back, surprised when he stumbled. “What was that, Mr. Muscles?”
“You took me by surprise.” I laughed loudly, but I didn’t see his return smile. He was already crawling through the opening.
I glanced behind me one last time before following Paris. I would always remember this cave. It was where my life changed. This was the place I had found Paris.
“Come on,” he called impatiently.
With one small sigh, I crawled out after him.
My mouth fell open at the sights around me. It was almost too much to take in. The wind in the trees was so loud—like the roar of a loud car. The kind of vehicl
es the army kept. When I was a little girl and they passed by our house, the roar would scare me. I used to bury my head in my pillow, hoping they would go away.
I almost covered my ears now, but there were so many other things to hear. The rustling of the leaves, the snap of a twig, a rock sliding down the cliffs. How could Paris stand it?
“You have to block them out,” he said close to my ear.
I jumped away from the sound, but instantly corrected my reflexes. “How?”
He shrugged. “I guess you just have to get used to it.”
Another thing I forgot.
“You haven’t been human for a long time.”
“It’s like seeing in the world for the first time. Seeing it through your eyes.”
I swallowed loudly, surprised when my throat burned. A brief memory of being burned in the cave scared me.
“It’s ok,” he said with a slow smile, “you’re just thirsty.”
“Thirsty?”
I touched my throat gingerly. It was strange to think of myself as thirsty. I had never shied away from the sight of blood, but I never really liked it either. I was just like any other human; avoided bloodshed. Well, most of them anyways.
I would have to live on blood now. The sisters rarely ever took human food, although they could if they wanted to. Melody said at first, she ate because she liked the taste of human food, but eventually it faded until you no longer ate. Would that happen to me?
I didn’t feel hungry—not like before. Even though I knew I hadn’t been able to eat much the past few days. Thirsty? I tried to imagine it—the feel of human blood sliding down my throat. The thought made my throat burn stronger.
“It doesn’t have to be human blood,” Paris explained happily. “We can practice on animals first so you don’t accidentally kill anyone.”
“I don’t want to kill anyone.”
“Kiera doesn’t let us. Especially after Jewell.”
“Damien killed my parents.”
“Kiera didn’t know.”
“Would she have cared?”
“Yes, she would have.”
I bit down on the inside of my lip. There was no one around us now. No humans, no werewolves, no vampires. We were alone. This would be the best time to hunt, since there was no one around to mess me up.
“It’ll come natural.”
So now I was a natural killer? What made the vamps any better than the werewolves? It was a fine line to walk—one that got blurry along the edges.
“We don’t kill.”
“Not on purpose.” But we both knew that vamps did kill. All the time.
All the pets that the vamps took were dead now. They had been human, lived lives before being taken. They might not have been holding the weapons that took their lives, but they killed them.
Miranda was gone because of vamps. If they had just let her live her life…
His guilt washed over me like a heavy blanket, weighing me down. Inside, I felt like I should fall to my knees, but I stood my ground easily. The guilt changed though, searing through my body in tiny pin pricks of pain. It was almost unbearable.
Was that really how he felt? I reached out to him awkwardly, ashamed that I had thought of him as a monster. He wasn’t like the wolves.
“You’re not,” I finished my thought out loud.
“No, I’m not.” His tongue ran lightly over his bottom lip. “And neither are you.”
“No.”
“Just like humans come with different personalities and morals—so do vampires. There are evil ones that kill…”
“But not you.”
“Not me.”
I nodded. “Ok.”
“Let’s hunt.”
The sisters hunted. All the time. Usually their hunts resulted in us having to run away in the middle of the night. Bloody massacres is what they did; and the humans didn’t stand a chance.
When I was with them, I never gave their hunts much thought. It was a part of that life and like all other things—I learned to accept it. I never went with them when they hunted, but I doubted if it was something I would’ve wanted to see.
I wouldn’t be like that, though.
“I’m right here, Lex,” Paris broke through my dark thoughts. “I’m always going to be right here—as long as you need me.”
“Promise?” It was a moment of weakness—making myself so vulnerable—but I couldn’t stop myself.
“I promise.” I was glad that he didn’t try to hold my hand like I was a little kid. It was easier to trust him that way.
“Alright.” I took a deep breath. “How do I hunt?”
“First, you have to listen.”
Listening was easier said than done, especially when I heard so much. The leaves above me moved in a constant chatter, the water danced along the rocks somewhere in the distance. The wind whistled through the rocks and all around me, the ground rustles.
“The rustling,” he said softly, “concentrate on that.”
“Right,” I muttered. It wasn’t easy to do, but I managed to block out the other sounds and only hear the rustling.
It was more than that, though. They were footsteps; scurrying footsteps. And beneath that was a heartbeat and blood sloshing through tiny veins.
Rabbit.
Without giving myself time to think, I lunged forward. The rabbit was to my lips in a flash and the warm liquid was coating the rawness of my throat. Somehow the blood was putting out the fire.
I wiped my mouth roughly with the back of my hand. There wasn’t much blood, which gave me hope that maybe I was a good hunter. But the rabbit lay dead on the ground, which plummeted the hopes once again.
“What is it?” Paris asked, concern making his brow wrinkle.
“I killed it.”
“Which is why we start with animals.”
“But… It’s dead.”
“Humans eat animals all the time.”
The truth of his words lightened my heart. “So we practice on animals.”
“Exactly.”
“It didn’t taste very good.”
“No,” he grinned, “but it will do for now.”
“Better than killing humans.”
“Considerably.” His head jerked suddenly, as if someone had called his name. I didn’t hear anything though. “The others are here.”
“Others?” I looked around frantically, tensing the muscles in my legs. The wolves were coming back.
“Not the wolves.”
“Then?”
“There,” he reached his arm out to point back where we had come from.
I followed his outstretched arm, allowing my new sense of hearing to make out the sound of voices. They were all there by the stream of water. The water flowing over sharp rocks was almost loud enough to drown out the voices, but if I concentrated hard enough I could hear them.
“Are they all dead?” Liza asked loudly.
Liza!
“The sisters are back?” I asked eagerly.
“Yes,” he nodded. “They’re all there, by the stream.”
“Lexi wasn’t with them,” I heard Melody’s musical voice.
“Neither was Paris.” A deep voice I didn’t recognize.
“They must be together,” Melody answered.
“More so than they realize,” Paris teased with a wink.
“We should go meet them.” Maybe they had found Miranda.
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Yes.” I glanced down, confused by his concern. Why wouldn’t I be ready?
“You’re a vampire now.”
“I know that.” I touched his hand lightly. What was wrong with him?
“What will the sisters say?”
“I can’t believe that you care what they think.”
He shook his head quickly. “I only care that you care.”
I smiled up at him. “Let’s go.” He nodded and took my hand.
Chapter 43
It didn’t take long to reach the stream.
It sounded far away before, but with my new found sped, we were there in a few short minutes. Paris let go of my hand as we broke through the tree line and came face to face with a whole crowd of vampires.
I skidded to a stop and ducked behind Paris. It was a coward move and I knew it, but all of the others were glaring our way, so I figured Paris would be better received.
“Brothers,” he greeted loudly, with a wide smile.
Brothers? I peeked out, instantly recognizing the large bald brother that had helped Paris push the wolves back at the camp. I guess I should have expected all the others to be there, too. I was just taken by surprise.
“Lexi,” a familiar voice called out, “you’re alive.”
“Liza!” It was good to see her again, even if she was scowling over the fact that I had somehow survived.
“You look…great, Lexi.” Melody smiled wide, holding out a welcoming hand.
I rushed forward, grasping eagerly to the familiar. “It’s really…good to see you.”
She smiled again, her usual “Melody” smile that meant everything would somehow be ok. “I told them you would be ok.” My eyes darted to Gloria, standing still as a statue but not glaring. “Our Lexi is a fighter—a survivor. I just knew.”
“It’s strange seeing you like this, though,” Gloria finally spoke.
“I don’t feel very different.”
“But you are.” She pulled lightly on my braids.
“And?”
“And…” she jabbed my shoulder playfully, “I’m glad you’re not dead.”
There was something to smile about. Even though I had become a Letrell, it was better than dying. I smiled up at her brightly.
“Me, too.”
“It’s weird,” Liza spoke slowly, “I bet you’d be able to keep up now. We wouldn’t have to carry you around like an overgrown toddler.”
I almost smiled at her words, remembering the way it felt on her back with the wind on my face. It was closest I would ever come to flying. Would I ever be as fast as Liza?
“Well,” she shrugged, “you’d be able to keep up with Melody.”
Melody punched her in the shoulder. “Lexi’ll keep up with you, too.” Gloria joined in their laughter, almost changing my mind about staying with Paris.
“Did you see any wolves on your way here?” A deep voice asked, reminding me that we weren’t alone.