by M. Leighton
I lay my head back down and my eyes met Bo’s again. We looked questioningly at one another.
“What just happened?” I asked in a whisper.
“Did you see it, too?” he inquired, his voice husky with desire.
“Yes, I saw it. And- and I felt it, too,” I confessed, feeling suddenly shy.
One side of Bo’s mouth pulled up into a satisfied grin. “So did I.”
I felt a flush of warmth suffuse the skin of my cheeks and I couldn’t quell the nervous giggle that bubbled in my throat.
“I- I don’t understand,” I admitted.
Bo shrugged, shaking his head in amazement.
“Neither do I.”
“Maybe it’s because we drank each other’s blood.”
“But we’ve done that before and never had this happen.”
“True,” I said, chewing my lip in thought. “Of course, I wasn’t a vampire then.”
“Good point. Maybe our connection is just getting stronger,” he said, shifting his weight to one side and brushing a strand of hair from my cheek with one hand. “We’re destined to be together. That’s just more proof.”
“Maybe,” I answered agreeably.
I knew that my attempt to be casual was a miserable failure. It was undoubtedly belied by the smile that I felt wrinkle the corners of my eyes and beam out at Bo from my face. But I couldn’t help it. To hear Bo speaking about our destiny, about our lives as if they were forever joined by divine will was like pouring sweet, warm honey all over my heart.
Tracing my lower lip with the tip of one finger, Bo asked, “So how do you feel?”
I felt the blush again as I answered, “Wonderful. How do you feel?”
Bo chuckled and my stomach clenched in response to the rich, sensual sound.
“That’s not what I meant, but I feel wonderful, too,” he said, brushing my lips with his. “I meant, how do you feel thirst-wise?”
“Oh,” I said, making a concerted effort to pry my focus away from Bo long enough to take inventory of my body. “It’s under control. Why?”
“If that’s the case, I’m thinking we should probably go check on Cade.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, crap! I forgot all about Cade and Annika. Oh my gosh, I—”
“I’m just referring to Cade and his throat.”
I frowned at Bo in confusion for only a fraction of a second before my memories came flooding back. I gasped.
“What have I done?” I wondered, slapping a hand over my gaping mouth.
“I’m sure Annika was able to take care of him. What happened?” Bo asked, watching me carefully. “What was he doing in here?”
“I don’t know. I was asleep and I think it was the smell of his blood that woke me. I saw the doorknob twist and the next thing I knew, I was drinking from him.”
A vague feeling of nausea over what I’d done warred with a rising thirst at the remembered pleasure of his slick blood sliding down my throat. I closed my eyes against it.
“Mr. Hearst,” Bo said flatly.
My eyes popped open and Bo was looking at me, chagrined. I smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry.”
Once Mr. Hearst helped me to bring my wayward body back under control, Bo and I dressed in intimate silence. Then, taking my hand, he led me from the bedroom.
We made our way to the den where Annika and Cade sat. Cade smiled at us as we entered. Annika, however, seemed a bit perturbed.
Spearing Cade with his eyes, Bo asked without preamble, “What were you doing in her room?”
Cade looked to Annika before turning his attention back to Bo.
“Maybe you two should sit down.”
His answer was one that seemed to throw open the windows of foreboding and usher in the dark cloud that settled over the room.
I thought Bo might argue or become antagonistic, but he didn’t, probably because he felt the cloud, too. I could sense the tension in him as if it were my own. And maybe, somehow, it was.
“I’m sorry about that, but it had to be done,” Cade said as we sat.
“You mean you had to go into my girlfriend’s room while she slept and nearly get yourself killed? What were you trying to do?”
“She had to drink my blood. That’s why Annika was so adamant about going with you to bury the bodies and feed. She knew I wanted to be alone with Ridley.”
A surge of jealousy rose up inside me and I heard nothing beyond the part about Annika and Bo feeding together.
“She went hunting with you?”
Bo had the decency to look guilty for not telling me.
“Yes. She has to feed, too.”
When I looked back at Annika, the corners of her mouth twitched as if she was having trouble containing a smile. I wanted to throttle her.
“And why, exactly, did Ridley need to drink from you?” Bo asked, undeterred by my aggravation. He was like a dog with a bone.
“Because I can give her something she desperately needs,” Cade answered calmly.
Bo shot to his feet.
“I can give her everything she needs, and the next time I find out you’ve been near her in my absence, even Annika won’t be able to save you.”
Cade stood also, still calm and unruffled by Bo’s ire.
“You can’t give her my blood and my blood is what she needs.”
“And why is that?” Bo demanded tightly, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.
“Because I can see the future and I know that she needs something that I alone can give her.”
CHAPTER TEN
“You can what?” Bo blurted incredulously.
“I can see glimpses of the future.”
Bo snorted derisively. I knew he wanted to scoff, but he didn’t. I think we’d both seen too much by that point to seriously doubt what he was saying.
“Alright, so you can see the future. What does that have to do with Ridley? Why does she need your blood?”
“Because she is the key to killing our father,” he explained evenly.
“She didn’t have to drink your blood for us to know that. We already knew.”
“No, but she’ll need it to give you the information you need to kill him.”
That gave Bo pause. That gave us all pause, even Annika. It made me wonder how much she knew (or rather how much she didn’t know) about Cade’s presence in her life.
“Well, you’ve accomplished your mission. She drank your blood, so now you can stay the he—”
“Oh, no. She will need it until every word of Iofiel’s letter is written on her skin.”
Bo shook his head angrily.
“Absolutely not. We’ll find another way.”
“There is no other way. This is what must be done if you are serious about ending Sebastian.”
“Of course I’m serious about ending him, but it’s my destiny. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. You can’t forget that I’m the son of a fallen angel, too. I have a role in his destruction and it’s to help Ridley get you what you need.”
“She could kill you. She could accidentally turn you. Or the loss of life could drive you to madness. You’re willing to risk that because you think you can see the future? Because you think you know what Ridley needs?”
“You know as well as I that her fangs are too immature to infect me. She won’t hurt me. She can’t.”
“You couldn’t possibly know that,” Bo said, but I could see that he immediately regretted his hasty words, knowing what Cade would say.
“As a matter of fact I can.”
“Well, this is not up to us to decide. It should be up to Ridley,” Bo said, looking back at me.
“Of course,” Cade agreed, “but I can assure you she won’t mind.”
Bo’s head swung back around to Cade, his eyes narrowing.
“And neither will you, is that it?” Bo’s voice was low and calm. Deadly calm.
“I’m sure you’ve been told of the…sensation that
humans can experience with a vampire bite.”
“Only you’re not human. Not really, are you?”
“In some ways I’m very much human.”
I wanted to slap Cade. He wasn’t helping matters at all.
Annika had been merely an observer up to that point, and of course, she would choose that moment to jump into the fray.
“Surely you trust her to drink a little human blood, don’t you, Bo?”
“I trust her completely.” He didn’t need to finish the sentence to get his point across. The words he didn’t say hung in the air like a tangible entity, his intent quite clear to everyone.
Annika snorted. “As if Cade could force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. She is a vampire after all. Remember?”
“Annika!” Bo snapped, turning his displeased gaze on her. “You’re not helping.”
“Look, Bo,” Cade asserted. “Let’s be reasonable about this. I know what kind of…thing our father is. I know he needs to die and I know that you are the only one who can kill him. I also know that, in order to do that, you need the help of your mate, the mate. The chosen one. What you have to understand is that she needs me.”
Silence stretched out between them like a living, breathing thing, grumbling and pulsing with animosity.
As I thought about Bo’s destiny, the importance of his ultimate mission in life, I felt a surge of panic at the thought of spending eternity walking the earth without him after he regained his mortality. As I’d done many times in recent days, however, I ruthlessly squashed those thoughts, reminding myself that Sebastian was a danger to virtually every human on the planet. He was like a disease that could easily spread out of control if he wasn’t stopped. And Bo was the only person alive that could stop him. How could I ever stand in the way of that?
It was with that in mind that I came to my feet and spoke into Bo’s ear.
“Bo, if that’s how I’m supposed to help you then maybe you ought to trust him. Maybe his blood had something to do with what happened between us earlier.”
Bo searched my eyes for several seconds before turning back to Cade.
“I don’t want you near her when I’m not around. We can discuss this in more detail later,” Bo said gruffly.
Cade nodded once. “Fair enough.”
Cade’s ebony eyes slid to me before they moved on to Annika. In that one brief instant, I would’ve sworn that I saw anticipation in them. Luckily Bo didn’t see it and I certainly wasn’t going to mention anything.
I was just about to suggest that Bo and I go do something to get out of the house for a while when my phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was Savannah.
“What’s up, chickie?” she asked by way of greeting in her typical Savannah way.
“Savannah!”
“Uh, yeah. Who were you expecting?”
“Oh, nobody, it’s just that I, um, I’ve been thinking about you.”
“Good stuff I hope. How much you love my hair, how good my perfume smells, how you wish you had my incredible eyesight.”
I was beginning to get used to her coping mechanisms. Since she’d lost her sight in a skirmish with Trinity, Savannah had collected an entire arsenal of blind jokes and flippant remarks related to sight (or lack thereof). At first, I was shocked and a little uncomfortable by her comments, but I’d come to realize that it was just Savannah. Her kooky coping method was as much a part of who she was as her flame red hair.
“Ha. Ha,” I teased sarcastically. “Actually, I was thinking of coming over for a visit tomorrow night. You game?”
“Sure, but why wait? Is it too late to come over tonight? Isn’t your mom passed out by now?” At my silence, she leapt to the wrong conclusion. “Sorry. That was in poor taste.”
“No, don’t worry about that. I’m just thinking,” I explained, glancing at Bo who hadn’t moved an inch and was still giving Cade the stink eye. “Can I call you right back? I need to check on something.”
“Yep. I promise not to take off in the car until I hear from you.”
I chuckled. “Good to know the town is safe.”
We hung up and Bo finally dragged his attention away from Cade.
“That was Savannah. She wants me to come over. What do you think?”
Bo shrugged. “I don’t see any problem with that.”
“Since I’ve had some…some…”
“Human blood,” Cade provided from across the room.
Both Bo and I sent him a withering look. Cade held up his hands as if in surrender and turned his attention back to Annika.
“Since I’ve had that, she should be safe around me, right?”
“I think so, but if you don’t feel comfortable, maybe you should wait.”
I flicked my fingers as I pondered.
“Well, I really need to tell her what’s going on, especially since Trinity said that she’d seen Heather there. I was going to tell her the other night, but Sebastian called and I didn’t get the chance.”
“If you’re concerned about your thirst, I could go with you.”
“Would you? That way if she doesn’t believe me, maybe she’ll believe you.”
He shrugged again.
“It’s worth a shot.”
I called Savannah back and told her I’d be there in about ten minutes, but that I’d come to her window. She was curious, of course, so I explained that I wanted to talk to her in private. I think she was still a little suspicious, but she agreed without further question.
Rather than take any risks with the car, Bo and I jogged the distance and ended up getting there in half the time. Speed was one of the greatest upsides to being a vampire.
I crept through the grass and approached Savannah’s house. Bo hurried around to the side of the garage to wait in the shadows.
Savannah must’ve been literally at the window waiting for me. She slid the glass up just as I was drawing near.
I was immediately hit with the tantalizing scent of her blood. Even from around the corner, Bo must’ve sensed or smelled my reaction because I heard him whisper too faintly for Savannah to hear, Mr. Hearst. Between the comical nature of his timely reminder and the reminder itself, I quickly brought my focus (and my body) back under my firm control. I also silently thanked Cade for his blood donation, the thing that would most effectively keep my friend safe from my wayward appetite.
I approached Savannah. Even in the darkness I could see the flawless texture of her skin as if we were standing in broad daylight. Her hair was a more vivid red than I remembered and her eyes sparkled like chocolate diamonds. She really was a beautiful girl and I hated to be the one to have to bring my sweet friend bad news.
“This is awesome! I’ve had more visitors through my window since I met you than I have my whole life,” she teased quietly.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I could hear you,” she explained, lest I forget how heightened her sense of hearing had become. She stepped back from the window, presumably so I could climb through.
“I’ll stay out here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Come on in.”
“No, seriously, it’ll be safer for you if I stay outside. Trust me.”
With that, Savannah approached the window again, her porcelain brow puckering in worry.
“Why would you say that? What’s wrong?”
“Savannah, I’ve got to tell you something and I know it’s going to sound crazy, but it’s very important that you keep an open mind and try to give me the benefit of the doubt.”
“Are you an alien? Because I’m not one of those people that think Superman was a freak. I’m down with all the—”
I chuckled, interrupting her before she really got going. “Savannah, I’m not an alien.”
“Are you sure because I—”
“I’m positive. But there is something that I have to tell you and it is about me. And Devon. And your mother.”
Savannah’s frown deepened as she leaned on the window sill.
“What about Devon and my mother?”
I had to wonder briefly if she was already suspicious that something was amiss. Something about the way she asked, the way she half-turned her face away, as if she wasn’t quite sure she wanted the truth. Of course, it could’ve been my imagination, too; it was a well-known fact that it worked overtime on flights of fancy.
“The night we were attacked, did you think it was a little strange that Lars was so strong? And Trinity?”
“I don’t—”
“I know you’ve started to remember bits and pieces of that night, Savannah. And there are other things that don’t add up either. Like you being able to see Devon and all of a sudden your dead mother starts appearing to you.”
“But what does that have to do—”
“We’re vampires, Savannah. All of us. Bo, too. Trinity was, but she’s gone now,” I said, my throat closing up over the last words.
“Vampires.” Savannah said it matter-of-factly, as if she didn’t believe a word I said, but her eyes shone with a twinge of fear as she looked blankly past me. “Is that the best you can do?”
“I’m serious, Savannah.”
“So am I. You came all the way over here to visit me and feed me this line of unimaginative crap?”
“It’s not a line of crap. It’s the truth.”
“And you expect me to believe you?”
“I was hoping you’d at least give it some thought.”
“Of course I won’t give it any thought. It’s ridiculous.”
“Well, you’re making a huge mistake, because it’s not ridiculous. It’s true.”
At Savannah’s pause, I realized her disbelief was not ironclad.
“There’s nothing to support what you’re saying,” she argued.
“What about all this stuff with the Slayer? Haven’t you ever wondered what it’s really been about? How he was never caught, just sort of disappeared? And all the people we know that are now missing?”
She didn’t need to answer. Her expression said she had puzzled over it, too.
“Alright then, say you’re telling the truth. You said we. If you are all the same, why can’t I see you? Why can’t I see any of the others?”
“Because I have recently,” I tripped over the gruesome term, “fed.”