Becoming a Legend

by B. Kristin McMichael

  “Ari, the only way we can keep you safe is to stay away. Gabriel is on the roof. He will take you to Andrew,” Devin wiped the tear away. “Andrew will take care of you. I promise, you’ll be fine.”

  “You trust him that much?” Arianna asked, wondering now what had occurred while she slept at Gabriel’s house.

  “With your life? Completely,” Devin replied. “He will never harm you.”

  FIFTEEN

  Arianna felt weightless in Gabriel’s arms as he jumped from the roof of the Randolph estate. While her body had completely shut down again, her mind hadn’t. She sensed her connection break from Devin as they pulled further away from him, and couldn’t help the tears that came. Gabriel continued on through the city, carrying her tucked tightly against him. He moved as quickly as Andrew, but with more elegance that came from years of practice. With Gabriel’s masking, no one knew she had left the estate. She listened for alarms or any other indication, but there were none. Gabriel stole her from her house, and no one knew the difference. She knew that was partly due to the vial of blood left behind with Thomas and Molina, but it was still scary. Arianna had been taken once before, but at least this time, she was partially willing to leave with her abductor. Gabriel would never hurt her.

  Gabriel slowed as he carried her onto a train. Arianna heard the sounds, and sensed the smells, but couldn’t muster the energy to open her eyes. No one stopped the large man as he walked on. He was good at avoiding people, and those who crossed his path were normally terrified and wouldn’t say a word against him. Gabriel touched her forehead and whispered. Arianna’s world and consciousness began to dim. He had known all along she was still awake, and now put her to sleep. Arianna couldn’t decide whether she was willing or not, but she didn’t really have much of a choice as her mind shut off.

  Some time later Arianna woke to dim light filtering through the curtains. It took a moment to realize she wasn’t in her normal bed. The smells were all wrong, except for one. Outside her room, Andrew was waiting. He didn’t move as her eyes adjusted from sleep, and she looked around the room. The room was white, sterile, and unlived in, but it was her home by ownership. She’d been to this place only once; yet, she knew where she was. She owned over a dozen homes now and only had lived in two in the past year. Andrew waited, ever so patiently. Arianna slowly sat up and felt the dizziness that always followed after being put to sleep by a baku. Normally, she would recover through her sleep, but in her weakened state, she had not. Andrew was instantly next to her, lowering her head back to her pillow.

  “Don’t try to move yet,” Andrew said quietly as he laid her back down like she would break at any sudden movements. “Gabriel said he put you to sleep. You might feel a bit light-headed for a little while. Most of your senses are that of a day human right now.” Arianna felt the worry pour off him. “You don’t look too good.” Andrew felt her hands first, and decided they didn’t feel right; so he pressed his fingers to her forehead next.

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice croaking as she spoke. She knew that she shouldn’t worry so much for him, but she couldn’t help it. She reached up and touched his face to reassure him and take away a bit of his anxiety. He smiled meekly and nodded, still not letting go of her. He held her gently in his arms. It was betraying Devin to find comfort in his arms, but everything about Andrew felt right, as if the space she was resting in was made just for her. “I just need a moment to recover. I’ve been a little sick you know,” she teased, but it didn’t ease his worry. “How long this time?” The stronger her voice got, the less he fretted.

  “Three days,” Andrew replied, gently stroking her face. Arianna couldn’t force herself to stray away from his touch. It was addictive. Arianna was conflicted, but too weak to do anything about it, or even consider why everything felt just right with Andrew and Devin. “Devin should have never let you back in that house if he thought that they were poisoning you.” Anger radiated from Andrew. Andrew was the complete opposite of Devin. Where Devin had a controlled atmosphere everywhere he went, Andrew’s emotions showed through as if he were made of glass.

  “Devin didn’t know for sure. He thought I’d be safe spending my time in my room. He didn’t know it was in my room too. How they got to my room is going to be a problem, but I’m here now. Time for recovery.” Andrew reluctantly nodded and helped her sit up slowly. The dizziness was fading. Andrew took her hand and placed it on his chest, which was bare as it always was when he spent time between his day and night human forms. The connection kept them both concentrating, and ignoring the strain of sitting up for Arianna. Touching Andrew felt natural, right, even if she was betraying Devin.

  In reality, Devin had made it clear that being alone or even kissing another man was not betraying him. Regardless, part of Arianna felt that it was, no matter what he said. She had waited a year for Devin to admit he wanted her to himself, but that had never happened. The best she got from him was that he loved her, but if he truly loved her, wouldn’t he be the one with her now, poison or not?

  The other part of Arianna wanted to sit in Andrew’s arms and feel the safety and comfort of him. Arianna used to believe that Devin was the only one that understood her so well, but now she was beginning to see that Andrew maybe understood her just as well, or even better. Arianna was pulled back to Andrew and the rest of the world and her thoughts drifted away. With his emotions all over the place, he gave her something to focus on that wasn’t her own turmoil.

  “You look so,” he started but didn’t finish. He stared down at the floor.

  “Andrew,” Arianna said, pushing his face back up from the spot on the floor. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired, but now that I have three days of rest in me, I think I’m ready to get up and eat…” Arianna looked outside her room into the living room where light filtered in even more that the bright window above her. “Breakfast?” she guessed, looking at the angle of the light. Andrew nodded.

  “I think you need blood first,” he said, slyly moving her hand up to his neck. Waves of anticipation rolled off him. This was the first time they’d been truly alone in a year. Arianna was tempted but kept herself still.

  “Is this a good idea?” she asked, realizing they were completely alone. “I can sense Gabriel isn’t close, nor anyone else for that matter. Is it safe to be taking your blood when you’re the only one left to watch over me?” Arianna used the first reason that popped into her head. She was really internally screaming that this wasn’t a good idea. She was already lost in his touch. His blood would be enough to make her forget about everything else.

  “I’m full, so it should be fine.” Andrew kept her hand on him, enjoying her touch.

  “But.” Arianna searched for another reason and tried to pull her hand away. Andrew didn’t let her go. He needed her touch as much as she needed him. She blushed as she realized he wasn’t going to let go.

  “Aw, where’s the confident girl I fell in love with?” Andrew asked.

  Love. Arianna paused as new thoughts filtered through her mind. Andrew just told her that he loved her. She always knew that what she felt from him and Devin was the same. It was love. It was just harder to hear him say it out loud. A blush crept up her cheeks and her whole face was now red. She wanted to crawl under a rock and hide until it passed, but Andrew wasn’t letting go of her hand or taking no for an answer. He didn’t seem at all embarrassed to be saying that he loved her. His arm slid around her back, supporting her, sitting and holding her to him at the same time. Arianna wiggled, but there was no getting out of his grasp.

  “I’ll be fine,” he added seriously. “I have been stocking up on blood for days, and there’s a whole fridge full in the kitchen. I figured you’d need to eat once you woke.”

  “Then maybe I should go to the kitchen. I’m sure Gabriel left some of his blood here,” Arianna replied, trying to throw her legs out of bed only to realize she didn’t have any bottoms on, only a shirt, and it wasn’t hers. From the size, it had
to be Andrew’s. Her cheeks continued to flame, realizing someone had to have put it on her.

  “Yes, he left blood, but.” Andrew remained in his day human form. “My blood is stronger than his and will help you recover faster.” Shivers went down her spine as her hand was still on his neck. He no longer had to hold it there. His blood called to her. Blood pulsed beneath her hand. Arianna couldn’t help but focus on the beat of his heart under her hand.

  “We really shouldn’t,” Arianna started but was stopped as Andrew’s mouth met hers.

  As always, there was enough passion behind one of his kisses to last a lifetime. Andrew maneuvered himself on top of her, keeping her pinned beneath him, waiting for her to give in to what she already felt and he knew she was denying. Arianna’s heart raced at his kiss. She wasn’t ready for things to move so fast, lying in only a t-shirt beneath Andrew, but she couldn’t stop it if she even wanted to. Every cell in her body called for her to keep her hands wrapped around him and not let him get up. Arianna sighed as he pulled back only a few inches. This was why they couldn’t be left alone. The feelings between them were just too powerful.

  He felt her worry. “I promise I won’t let anything happen beyond this,” Andrew murmured into her ear as his kisses moved down her neck. “But, before we continue.” Andrew got in a few more kisses. “You need to feed, and I’m your best option. Stop being so stubborn and just let me take care of you.” Andrew changed into his night human form. Arianna paused. Accepting his blood would more than likely lead her down a path she didn’t know if she wanted to take yet. By admitting the feelings between them, Arianna would eventually have to make a choice between Devin and Andrew, and that would in no way be easy to do. She loved them both.

  Arianna wanted to refuse, but his baku form kept her pressed gently to the bed. He tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck. A baku of Andrew’s strength would never have to be vulnerable to anyone, yet here he was, exposing his neck. He was showing her his complete commitment to her. Arianna’s hands gently traced down his neck to his shoulder. No matter what anyone told her back in the Randolph clan, Arianna knew that Andrew meant something to her, something big. Changing into her night human form, she resisted the urge to find his lips. She pulled herself up and bit down, releasing blood into her mouth.

  As Arianna’s hunger faded and she began to lick the wounds closed, Andrew impatiently pulled her back to him. Arianna felt a different kind of hunger radiating from him. Arianna was unprepared for the feelings that welled up inside her. She wanted him as much as he did her. He slipped her shirt off, leaving her only in her underwear and bra and him in his pajama pants, but she didn’t care. She tried to stop her hands as they wandered around his body. His porcelain baku skin was smooth, yet warm to the touch. Her hands moved more, tracing the muscles in his abs as his kisses moved back to her mouth. His hand brushed over the length of her body, and she shivered from the new touch. Her feelings in her night human form were so much more than in her day human form. His skin was intoxicating. Arianna stopped as her hands found the waistband of his pants. Andrew sighed and moved off her, settling onto the bed next to her.

  “I think we both might need some more rest,” he said, changing back into his day human form. Arianna sighed too. Her heart beat quickly and wasn’t slowing down as easily as his was. Andrew quietly left the room while Arianna lay back down, trying to will her heart to stop beating so fast. Quickly enough, she was completely asleep.

  It was now dark outside the curtains, and crickets chirped all around the cabin. Arianna woke sometime during the night. She moved as quietly as Gabriel had taught her and she grabbed her shirt from the nightstand to quickly pulled it on. Andrew was already out of bed and on the computer talking to someone. Arianna walked out into the large living room and followed the sounds of the click of the keyboard. Arianna waited for a wave of embarrassment to hit her from the morning, but she wasn’t uncomfortable with Andrew. Something about waking up almost naked made her realize there was nothing to be shy about with him.

  “Where are my clothes?” she asked, pulling at Andrew’s t-shirt that was big, but not enough to cover her completely while she walked into the living room. From the looks of it, it was actually his only shirt as he sat topless at the computer.

  “Gabriel took everything,” Andrew replied while continuing to type. He reached behind him and pulled her down for a quick kiss before taking her hand in his. Holding what looked like a pen, he pricked a finger without warning.

  “Ow,” she complained, putting her finger in her mouth before he could do it again.

  “Sorry, Mori needs a readout from your blood in order to see how much better you’re getting.” Andrew began to type again.

  “Clothes?” Arianna questioned again. Andrew stopped typing and looked up at her. He assessed her from head to toe and smiled. Arianna blushed as his eyes said more than he could with words. Maybe there was still a bit of embarrassment left.

  “I like you the way you are.” He went back to typing. Arianna playfully hit his arm.

  “Andrew,” she complained. “I don’t even have pants.”

  “You can borrow mine,” Andrew replied, standing and beginning to pull at the tied waistband. Arianna stopped him, now completely red from blushing. Andrew smiled mischievously and brushed her cheek with his thumb. He was enjoying her embarrassment.

  “No, I’d like some clothes that actually fit me,” she replied. Andrew began to tell her his pants would fit her, but the printer began printing. Andrew ripped off the report sheet.

  “You could ask your uncle; he’s running around here somewhere,” Andrew replied, while studying the chart. Andrew was lost in the numbers. If he could will her to get better, he would have already done so ten times over. But being isolated with her while she recovered did have its benefits. Andrew hooked his arms around her waist and pulled her to his lap at the computer as he began to type back and forth with Mori.

  ‘Gabriel?’ Arianna easily found her uncle a couple of miles away.

  ‘You’re finally awake?’ Gabriel said back. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Less sleepy, but still not great.’ Arianna didn’t refuse the arm around her, positioning herself so that Andrew could continue to type. She lazily traced the muscles down Andrew’s arms in front of her.

  ‘Time, dear. You just need time.’ Gabriel was happy to hear her, but was still worried.

  ‘What I actually need is clothes. Could you bring me something to wear other than Andrew’s shirt?’ Arianna leaned back into the hard, chiseled body that was actually quite warm even though he sat around topless. Thankfully, Andrew was like her own personal heater.

  ‘Glad to hear he’s actually sharing. He threatened to not share when you fought us about taking your clothes away in the first place.’ Arianna saw images from Gabriel’s mind flash that showed him arriving at the house and trying to get her to undress herself. As he’d told her, she certainly refused.

  ‘You changed me or did he?’ Arianna asked, though it was a moot point. Gabriel’s thoughts stopped before she saw that part.

  ‘Yes, I will do that right now.’ Gabriel changed direction. Without actually answering the question, he answered her question. Andrew changed her.

  Arianna looked back to the computer as Andrew was looking over her shoulder, typing and talking. Mori’s face peered back from the screen. Arianna saw Mori the least of her guard since he spent over ninety-five percent of his time at his computer, but she heard his voice the most as he kept in constant contact with everyone. It was strange to have a face-to-face conversation with him.

  “Hey Mori,” Andrew said to the computer, reaching over and turning the volume up. “It looks better doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, a little. I really thought she’d recover faster than that with your blood. I think we’re dealing with a baku/dearg-dul hybrid poison again. There was very little trace of it in Devin, and he’s almost cleared along with Jackson and Nixon, but Molina, Nelson, and Mica are s
till showing high amounts like Arianna.” Mori had very mousy habits, not looking directly at the screen.

  “What about Turner and Thomas?” Arianna asked.

  “That’s the strange part, I’d think if it was specifically made for you, neither would accumulate it, but it seems like it has some affinity for Turner also. He’s showing lower amounts than you and the dearg-duls, but still higher than the day humans. And Thomas is stranger yet. His blood is completely free until you prick a wing, which is where the toxin is found in him. He was actually the best choice to leave behind as he’s not getting sicker from it and not really accumulating it, since there’s only so much blood in his wings.” Mori shrugged his reply.

  “And did you find how the poison got in the house?” Andrew asked, anxious to look over the cabin to be sure Arianna was safe.

  “Yes, oh here it is.” Mori reached up to the camera with his pinky. “This little circle here is what’s causing all the problems.” A clear circle the size of a paper punch hole was on the tip of his finger. It glistened slightly in the light of the room, but was otherwise invisible. “Molina and Thomas have found eighteen of them in your apartment thus far, but none of them active. I could learn a lot more if they would bring me an active one,” Mori complained, even though an active one would infect him also. “You did get rid of everything she had on her?” he asked Andrew.

  “Yes, Gabriel took everything away,” Andrew replied. Andrew kept one hand on Arianna’s knee as they talked to Mori. He was discreet and kept it hidden from the camera, but it still made Arianna self-conscious. Everyone was back home trying to protect her and she was off making out with someone who, until a few days ago, was the enemy. “How could they be inactive if no one knows that we are here?”

  Mori wouldn’t look at the camera as he typed more. “I don’t know. I’ve checked all the cameras into and out of the apartment and can’t find a single person that is reoccurring during the times we’re looking at. I’m having Thomas and Molina look more for entrances that could be there, but I’m pretty sure we have every one of them covered. I’m sorry Arianna, but I can’t say at this time. I’ll work hard to not disappoint you. As soon as I know, I’ll tell you.”