Blayke

by Dawn Sullivan

  I knew that wasn’t true, but I just shrugged, swallowing hard.

  “Blayke, we can’t move past this if you won’t talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  My breath hitched on a sob as I once again raised my eyes to meet his. He was being so kind and sweet, and even though I didn’t want to tell him, I couldn’t help myself. The words just spilled out. “It’s my fault,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut as the memory of the vampire holding him down, her fangs bared, crashed into me.

  “What is?”

  I swallowed hard, shivering when I felt his fingertips softly skating over my cheekbone, then down across my jaw. “You almost died, and it was all my fault.”

  Asher was silent for a long moment, and then he said, “No, Blayke. If I would have died, it would have been entirely my fault, not yours.”

  “It was my duty to watch out for my team,” I argued. “I’m supposed to protect you.”

  “You did protect me, Blayke. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would be in heaven with the Goddess right now.” Gently stroking his thumb over my cheek, he whispered, “You saved me.”

  I shivered at the feel of his light touch, and my eyes slowly opened, staring straight into his. “I froze,” I admitted quietly.

  “What?”

  “I froze, Asher. After I killed the other vampire, I froze at the sight of his head on the ground, without his body. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything.”

  “It happens,” was all he said.

  “Asher! She could have killed you, and it would have been all my fault.”

  “Stop trying to take everything on yourself, Blayke. That was the first time most of us had been in a situation like that, and I think we did pretty good.”

  “But…”

  “Blayke, stop.” I stiffened, unable to tear my gaze away from his. Asher gently cupped my face in the palms of his hands, holding me still as he leaned forward. “You did nothing wrong.” Before I could respond, he lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Gasping in surprise, I lifted my hands to place them lightly on his shoulders. I felt him run one of his hands gently down my hair before he slowly pulled back to look at me. “Will you please stop avoiding me now?”

  I nodded, letting my hands fall away from him before he leaned in and kissed me one more time. Rising, he grinned down at me. “We are all getting ready to watch a movie in the family room, and I would really like it if you were there too.”

  “I will be,” I whispered, slowly raising my hand to cover my lips after he left the room. Asher had just kissed me. Blayke Wynters. A girl who had never even been on a real date in her life. It was my first kiss, and it couldn’t have been any more perfect.

  A few minutes later, I stepped hesitantly into the room where everyone was sprawled out on the furniture and floor watching a movie. When I saw what it was, I started laughing, and couldn’t stop.

  Brielle threw a piece of popcorn at me, joining in with giggles of her own. “Be quiet, Blayke! I love this show!”

  “You don’t get enough of this kind of stuff in everyday life?” I asked, sitting down beside her on the couch. Curling my legs up underneath me, I stole a handful of her popcorn as I watched a young girl running through a forest, being chased by a vampire, blood dripping from his fangs. She looked behind her in horror, screaming when he grabbed her by the arm. I’d never seen the movie before, probably because I was not a fan of horror shows. The girl managed to pull herself free from the vampire, but fell to the ground. I shuddered when a large, black wolf jumped in front of her from out of nowhere, obviously protecting her from the evil that stood hissing in front of them.

  “Never!” Brielle said, yanking her popcorn bowl away. “Go find your own snack.”

  “We have to watch this movie every time it’s her turn to pick,” Eben groused, from where he sat on the floor leaning against a chair Dahlia was in. “And she never shares her popcorn with anyone.”

  “You’re just jealous,” Brielle said absently, her eyes glued to the television.

  “Jealous of what?” I asked, accepting the bowl of popcorn Asher handed me, before sitting on the floor in front of me and leaning back against the couch.

  “Because no matter how hard he tries, he hasn’t been able to turn into his wolf.”

  My gaze swung to her in shock, but Brielle’s eyes never left the TV. “You’re kidding, right?” She had to be joking. There was no such thing as werewolves…was there? Of course, I had also just recently found out vampires were real. Who knew what else was out there that I didn’t know about? And grandfather had mentioned something about shapeshifters once before.

  “Nope,” she said, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth before going on. “He’s been trying, but there’s no one here to teach him how, so he hasn’t figured it out just yet.”

  “Shut up,” Eben growled, throwing a small pillow at her. “I’ll figure it out soon enough.”

  The movie forgotten, I watched Eben closely, looking for any sign that what they were saying was not true. That they were just playing a joke on the newbie of the group. But there was nothing. He looked angry, and I could tell that he was upset more with himself than anyone else. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” I asked, my hands tightening on the bowl in front of me. “You really are a werewolf?” Eben shrugged, glancing at me before looking quickly away, refusing to answer. “Eben,” I tried again, because I really had to know the answer, “do you really turn furry with the full moon?”

  “Werewolves don’t need the moon to be full to turn,” Dahlia said.

  “Then what do they need?” I asked, my gaze wandering around the room, trying to gage everyone’s reactions to see if what we were discussing was real.

  Dahlia’s eyes left the movie and met mine. Tilting her head to the side, she smiled, “Magic.”

  The room was quiet for a long moment except for the sounds coming from the television, before I whispered, “Eben?”

  “What?” he growled, tearing his gaze from where the wolf was now standing over the girl he had just saved to glare at me, his eyes dark and brooding.

  “If what all of you are saying is true, then I’m sure we will find someone soon who can help you.”

  “It’s true,” Asher muttered from in front of me.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?” There was so much I needed to learn. If there were other creatures out there besides vampires, I needed to know.

  “Because they are all just learning to trust you,” Chandler said softly. “It’s hard to share your secrets with someone you hardly know.”

  “But they share them with you,” I realized, unable to keep the hurt out of my voice.

  “I share mine with them,” she replied quietly.

  I stared blindly in front of me, fighting the tears that threatened to break free, knowing what my sister was trying to tell me was the truth. She spent a lot of time practicing her craft, but she also took the time to do things with the others. I trained with them, and we sat together in the lunchroom at school, but that was pretty much it. I spent all of my free time in the basement hitting the punching bag and working out, or in the barn working with my knives and throwing stars. I trained harder than anyone else, because I felt the pressure of being the leader of our team on my shoulders. I had so much to learn if I wanted to be what everyone needed me to be, but I was beginning to realize there was more to leading others than just training to fight. I was pushing myself to become the best vampire hunter I could be, but that wasn’t going to earn their trust. Brielle and Dahlia told me about some of their past, but I had given them nothing in return. Even though I’d thought we were becoming close, Asher hadn’t shared his story with me. I had no idea where he came from, or what happened to his family. He did kiss me though, so that meant he must trust me some. Maybe.

  I sat through the rest of the movie in silence, not really seeing any of it. My mind was racing with what I could say or do to fix the damage I had done by not open
ing myself up to the others already. When the credits flashed across the screen at the end, I still was no closer to an answer.

  Brielle stood and stretched, smiling happily. “That movie never gets old.”

  “Trust me, it does,” Eben grumbled, but I could hear the affectionate tone in his voice. He rose, yawning widely, and for the first time I saw the sharper than normal incisors in his mouth. How had I missed that before?

  Asher moved from the floor to sit beside me on the couch, grinning at them. “It may have gotten a little old after the tenth time we saw it,” he teased.

  Brielle shook her head, “You all just don’t know what you are talking about. Tell them, Blayke. It’s a classic.”

  I bit my lip as I looked at them, and then blurted out, “I hear people’s thoughts.”

  “What?” Chandler whispered, her eyes widening as she stared at me in shock. “You can really do that? I mean, you said some things in the past, but I didn’t realize you could really read people’s minds.” That was when I became aware of the fact that the others on the team weren’t the only ones I had been holding things back from. I hadn’t really sat down and talked to Chandler about my new curse either. And it was definitely a curse, because I refused to call it a gift right now. The only ones who really knew were my father and Alyiah. Asher had to suspect, especially with some of our conversations in the past, but I’d never really confirmed it.

  I took a deep breath, gripping the half-empty popcorn bowl I still held tightly. “It started right before I came here,” I said. “I didn’t understand what was happening at first. Remember the night the vampires came to our house, Chandler? I told you I could hear them.”

  “Yeah, but I thought that was just a vampire and hunter thing,” she confessed.

  I shook my head, “No, it’s with everyone.”

  “You can hear what we are all thinking?” Brielle asked hesitantly.

  “It used to be more random,” I whispered, hugging the bowl to me and bowing my head to stare at the white, fluffy kernels inside. “I still can’t fully control it, but I’m learning.”

  “Can you hear what I am thinking right now?” Asher asked quietly.

  I shook my head quickly, not looking at him. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking. “No, but I’ve learned to kind of block it out some.”

  “How does it work?” Eben questioned, moving closer to me until I could see his dark blue tennis shoes out of the corner of my eye.

  When I heard interest in his voice, but nothing else, I slowly raised my head to meet his gaze. There was no anger or condemnation there, just curiosity. “I don’t really know, to be honest,” I admitted, glancing quickly at the others before looking back at him. “Sometimes, I just get fleeting thoughts. I’ve been practicing though, and if I concentrate, I can connect with someone if I want to.”

  “That is so cool,” Dahlia breathed.

  “Not really,” I whispered, rubbing a hand tiredly over my face. “I don’t like knowing what everyone else is thinking. It hurts sometimes.”

  “Hurts?”

  I nodded, looking over at Asher and seeing his confusion. “Yes, it hurts,” I whispered. “When I find out someone I thought was my friend, really isn’t. Or when I know someone is lying to me.”

  “Yeah, that would suck,” Eben agreed, “but still, it would be an awesome gift to have when going into battle against the enemy.”

  “That’s the only time it’s a plus,” I replied.

  “Read my mind,” Eben said, stepping even closer to me. “Tell me what I am thinking right now.”

  “No, Eben,” I protested. “I really don’t want to.”

  “Can you?” he pushed. “Do it. Prove that what you are telling us is true.”

  And there it was. He didn’t trust me. Slowly I stood and looked around at all of them. I could tell they all thought the same thing as Eben. That what I was telling them was a lie. “Tell me something,” I said quietly. “You all pledged your loyalty to me just a few weeks ago. You said you would follow me wherever I would lead. Why did you do that if you don’t trust me?”

  “You are a Jackson,” Eben said. “I follow the Jacksons.”

  I nodded, resting my hands lightly on my hips as I inhaled deeply and then looked around the room once again. “I don’t know how you can blindly follow someone you don’t trust,” I finally said. When his eyes narrowed, I gritted my teeth and concentrated. “Right now, you are thinking that maybe it would have been better to pledge your loyalty to Asher instead of me. That his lineage goes far enough back, and your trust for him is strong. You would rather die for him, than for me.” It hurt, but it was no more than I had expected.

  Turning to look at Brielle, I went on, “You like me. You consider me a friend. You have seen me train hard, and you are thinking that your loyalty still lies with me, but you are wondering how far you can really trust me.”

  Chandler was next. “You love me unconditionally, and know that I never lie if I can help it. You believe in me. You think I was chosen by destiny to lead my followers to victory against the vampires, and will do everything in your power to help me.”

  Before she could respond, I moved to Asher, and I froze. “You believe me,” I said. “You know I tell the truth because you have spent more time with me than the others, and have seen me do things in the past that prove to you what I am saying is true.” Tears filled my eyes as I whispered, “You care about me. Your loyalty is with me, and you trust in me.”

  “Always,” Asher promised, rising from the couch. “I would die for you, Blayke. For our cause. I follow you where you may lead.”

  “Do me now,” Dahlia squealed in excitement, jumping from her chair and rushing over to grasp my hand.

  I stared down into her bright blue eyes, my heart filling as I dropped to my knee. “You think that I am a good person, and you want to be like me when you grow up,” I said in awe. “You trust me to keep you safe, to protect you from all evil.” Slowly I pulled her into my arms, hugging her close. “I will always be here for you, Dahlia,” I vowed.

  “I know.”

  Dahlia’s arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and I held her for a minute, before I finally pulled back and stood. “Thank you for trusting in me, Asher, Dahlia, and Chandler,” I said quietly.

  “Blayke,” Brielle murmured, her eyes filled with regret, “I do trust you.”

  “No, you don’t,” I said, backing away from her when she tried to reach out to me. Turning, I walked to the door before looking back, “I tried to share one of my deepest secrets with all of you. I opened myself up, put myself out there, so that I could try to gain your trust. I understand that it has to be earned, but when you are all thinking about this later, remember, I didn’t want to play your little game. I try to stay out of everyone’s heads as much as possible, but you pushed me. You wanted proof that I was telling you the truth. Well, you got your proof, and unfortunately, I got mine.”

  Before they could respond, I turned and left the room, the whole time wishing I had never said yes to the movie. It had placed me in an awkward position, made me tell one of my deepest secrets, and ruined the beautiful memory of my first kiss. Even though I had already known they didn’t all trust me, hearing it in their own thoughts hurt more than I could have possibly imagined.

  Two nights later, I crept slowly through the forest a couple of miles from The Manor, a sword in one hand and my dragon dagger in the other. The dreams of the night I was taken from my bedroom so long ago, when it was filled with flames, were still haunting me. They always ended with my birth father, his dark red eyes flashing and his fangs bared, as a roar left his throat when Alyiah ran from the clearing with me. He had let us go. In my mind, I knew that, but it didn’t make sense. He was so angry, so full of rage. He said he would be back, but according to Alyiah, she never saw him again. Why didn’t he come back?

  I wanted answers, which was why I was creeping through the darkness after midnight, shivering in my black leather jacket, p
raying no one would find out I was gone. I was dressed as if I were going hunting, several daggers strapped to me, and my throwing stars stored in various pockets, and I was alone. Something my grandfather strictly forbade us to do. He would be very angry if he found out I had violated his most important rule, but I told myself that I wasn’t actually hunting. I was just searching for answers. Besides, as far as I knew, it had been several years since a vampire had shown up on Jackson lands. Chances were high I would not run into one tonight.

  I knew I was getting close to the clearing with the small body of water. I vaguely remembered where it was, and had been heading in that direction since I left the house. I didn’t know what I really expected to find when I got there, but something inside of me was pushing me forward.

  Just when I was beginning to think I must have passed it, I stepped into an area free of trees, with a miniature version of the lake by The Manor. It was December now, and the lake was frozen over, even though there was no snow on the ground as of yet. That would change soon. I could smell it in the air.

  Gripping my sword tightly, I walked over to stand near the lake, my gaze slowly wandering around the clearing. Someone was out there. I could feel it. I knew it was not a vampire because the Jackson mark wasn’t warning me that evil was near. Who then?

  Closing my eyes, I tuned out all of the noises around me except for the sound of someone, or something, heading in my direction. There was the crackle of crisp leaves on the ground, the rustle of something brushing against tree limbs, then silence. Holding my sword out to my side, I crouched down, ready to attack.

  Why did she come all the way out here in the middle of the night? Alone? Is she hunting? She better not be hunting without the rest of us. I sighed when the thoughts slipped into my mind. Rising back to my full height, I waited impatiently for him to make an appearance. It didn’t take long.

  As soon as he stepped out into the open, I snapped, “What are you doing here?”

  He stiffened, “You left the house alone. In the middle of the night. You know that’s not safe, Blayke.”