The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  “I guess we will deal with that when the time comes then.”

  Theodore leaned down and pulled his other blade. He cut into Jonah’s arm and started to carve a symbol. It started to glow on his skin and Jonah took a deep breath. He fluttered his eyes and then they started to open. Theodore remained over him with the blade in his hand.

  Theodore’s face came into focus for Jonah and he grinned at him.

  “What a beautiful sight,” Jonah said as he cleared his throat.

  “I bet you say that to everyone before you eat them,” Theodore said as he smiled.

  “No, only my favorites,” Jonah said as he grinned at him.

  Jonah looked down at Theodore’s hand on his arm.

  “I can feel you humming,” Jonah whispered to him.

  “Oh… well, I apologize,” Theodore said as he took his hand from his arm and continued to stare at Jonah’s face.

  “Ummm, Theodore? Cannibal, remember?” Johnathan asked as he watched the two of them on the couch.

  “Yes… oh yes,” Theodore said as he stood up quickly and stepped back from him.

  Jonah sat up and looked around the room.

  “You would not happen to know where my hat has gone?” Jonah asked.

  “Yes, it is here,” Theodore said as he picked it up from the floor and handed it to him.

  Jonah sat up slowly and glanced over to Johnathan. He placed the hat on his head and stood up. Theodore started to step forward to help him and Johnathan cleared his throat and shook his head “no” at him. Theodore nodded and stepped back.

  “Where is Lily?” Jonah asked he swayed a little.

  “You should rest. She is safe,” Theodore said.

  Jonah looked at Johnathan.

  “I would take it that she is upstairs,” Jonah said.

  Johnathan nodded and stepped away from the stairs. Jonah walked to the staircase and looked over to Johnathan. He snapped his teeth shut at him and then grinned. Johnathan stepped back further and looked at Theodore.

  “Did you see that?” Johnathan asked him.

  Jonah laughed and walked up the stairs as Johnathan shook his head, walked to the couch, and dropped down on it. Theodore watched him until he rounded the corner.

  “Well, I think that went much better than I had hoped,” Theodore said as sat down on the chair and looked towards the ceiling.

  “Oh yeah… you do know that we have two freaks upstairs, right?” Johnathan asked him.

  Theodore leaned back in the chair and looked at his hands.

  “Theodore?” Johnathan said as he leaned forward.

  “Yes… yes I know,” Theodore said as he sighed.

  ***

  Sara stumbled through the woods. She had stopped a few times to hurl. Her stomach was on fire. She felt her hands vibrate violently and then fade. She knew that she was being pulled towards the carnival. She wiped her forehead and looked at the sweat shining on her hand. She leaned over and hurled again into the dirt.

  “Oh god,” she muttered.

  She could hear a voice in her head. It was Caine’s voice, calling her home. She stumbled forward and fell; a glowing symbol was under her chin in the dirt. She looked at it and pushed herself up. She looked out and saw that the carnival was almost packed up completely. She swayed a little as she tried to balance herself. She pushed forward and stepped over the glowing symbol on the ground and started to walk in a crooked pattern across the field. Suddenly she was surrounded by rogues. They stared at her and one hissed. She looked around the circle and held her hands up.

  “I need to see my master,” she said.

  A girl flashed forward to her and hit her across the face. Sara fell to the ground.

  Sam crouched down in the tree line and shook her head.

  “What the hell?” she muttered.

  Kai flashed up behind her and she grabbed his hand and pulled him down by her side.

  “What?” he asked.

  Sam put her hand on his mouth and pointed out into the field.

  Kai focused on the group and looked at her.

  “Is that Sara?” he whispered.

  Sam nodded and then slowly pulled her blade out.

  Kai placed his hand on hers and shook his head “no”.

  She frowned and looked back out at the group.

  “No way, Sam… there are too many,” Kai whispered.

  “Damn it,” Sam said as she let go of her blade.

  Sara had been pulled up by two rogues and they dragged her along next to them.

  “What the hell do we do now?” Kai asked her.

  Sam sighed and started to stand up.

  “Deliver the bad news,” she said.

  “I am sure that we can figure out something, Sam,” Kai said he started to follow her back into the woods.

  “Yea, Sara’s funeral,” Sam muttered as she flashed back towards the house.

  “That sucks,” Kai said as he flashed after her.

  ***

  Sara tried to focus as she was dragged along by two rogues. The rest of them went back to their speedy tear down of the carnival. It was time to move. Things had become strange and dangerous, even for them. Jonah and Lily were now missing, along with Elin. Caine was hurt and healing, and they depended upon his recovery to lead them. The two rogues, dragging Sara, brought her to a tent still erected and walked into it, with her in and out of consciousness. Her head flopped down and she mumbled something about her dress. They looked at each other and dropped her to the floor. She fell on her side and moaned. Sara pressed on her stomach as a pain rolled through it and she covered her mouth as she thought that she was going to hurl again.

  “I would suggest that you do not do that,” Caine said to her.

  Sara tried to push herself up and looked around the room. She did not see him at first, but then she spotted him. He sat in the corner chair with a blade in his hand. She pushed herself up to her knees and tried to keep her stomach under control. She closed her eyes and sighed.

  “You have been a very naughty girl,” Caine said.

  Sara opened her eyes up and looked at him.

  “I don’t even know why I am here,” Sara said as she steadied herself with her hand.

  “My blood called you home,” Caine said to her.

  Sara laughed and then coughed into her hand.

  She held it up and looked at the blood in her palm.

  “Am I dying… or already dead?” she asked him.

  Caine stood up slowly and walked towards her.

  “You may wish you were dead once I am done with you,” Caine said as he stepped into the light.

  Sara looked up at him and saw that his skin was paler than usual. He had streaks of black lines in his skin.

  “Oh my god,” she muttered.

  Caine laughed and leaned down to her.

  “That I am, Sara… a ‘god’, to you,” he whispered.

  He grabbed her arm and stood her up in a flash.

  “I will admit that I would love to tear you apart for your foolishness, but I seem to be at your mercy now,” Caine said as he looked at her.

  “Ouch,” Sara said as he squeezed her arm tightly.

  “Please, keep your whining to a minimum,” Caine said as he tossed her to the bed.

  She hit it on the side of the mattress and fell to the floor. She rolled over as she held her knee.

  Caine flashed to her and leaned down to her.

  “What do you mean that you are at my mercy?” Sara asked him.

  Caine lifted her up by her shirt and dropped her onto the bed. She looked up at him.

  “You are the bait,” he said.

  “What?” Sara asked him.

  “It is fortunate that you are so loved by my mate,” he said as he leaned in towards her.

  Sara looked at his face.

  “You look like crap,” she said. Caine grinned and dropped on top of her.

  Sara struggled as he easily held her hands above her head.

  “You look like a ch
ild,” he whispered to her as he leaned in and pressed his mouth against hers.

  Sara cried out as the rogues continued to pack up the carnival, ready to move onto the next feeding ground.

  ***

  We found a sleepy little nowhere town. Josh walked with me scanning the buildings. They all looked old, one of those towns that never got a facelift. A man stepped out of a building to our right and Josh instinctively moved me to the other side of him. I guess he was in battle mode. I just wanted to go home. I was over the emotional crap. I wanted a shower and my bed.

  The man walked to the bench in front of his store and picked up the paper. He glanced at us and we just continued to walk down the sidewalk. I didn’t feel anything weird there, but Josh seemed to be on edge for some reason. I looked over at him and he turned when we heard another door open up. A girl stepped out. Very pretty, long brown hair braided over her shoulder. Josh stared at her a little longer then he needed to. I pulled on his hand and he looked at me.

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  “Were you just checking her out?” I asked him.

  “Yea, I’m all jacked up,” he said, like he was talking to another boy instead of me.

  “Awesome,” I muttered.

  “No… no, oh god. Listen, Rue, I am humming right now; a tree would turn me on,” he said.

  I laughed.

  “A tree, huh?” I asked him.

  “Yep… a tree, a rock… just about anything,” he said.

  I looked around the street and sighed. I spotted a car and stopped.

  “There is a sweet ride,” I said as I looked at the black BMW sitting on the street.

  “Oh… a BMW?” he asked me. I looked over at him.

  “Yea… why not?” I asked him.

  “Isn’t that what Johnathan drives?” he asked me.

  “Yeah… the seats move way back,” I said before I realized it.

  “Nice,” Josh said as he let my hand go.

  I raised my hand to him, but he was already half way to the car. He stopped by it and waved his hand on the door. I looked around, to make sure that no one was watching us. The street seemed barren enough I guess. I ran to the car and Josh slipped in the driver’s side. I opened the door up and jumped in. I slid down in the seat and looked at him.

  “Let’s go,” I whispered to him.

  He waved his hand over the ignition and nothing happened.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

  He shook his head and waved his hand over it again. Still the engine remained silent.

  He leaned back and closed his eyes. I looked at him and shook my head.

  “Are you gonna do this or…”

  He lunged at me and grabbed my face. He kissed me so hard I felt like I was floating in the air. He ran his hand down the front of my shirt and let his fingers gently touch the side of my chest. I sucked my breath in and he moaned in my mouth. I grabbed the back of his head and pulled his hair.

  He stopped all of a sudden and I saw the color swirling on his skin in a crazy pattern. His breathing was harder than usual and I could still feel his hands on me, although he was not touching me now. He waved his hand over the ignition and the engine fired up. He grinned and looked over at me. I sat there with my hand on my head and my heart beating like a drum in my chest.

  “Okay,” I said, completely out of breath.

  He cleared his throat and bit into his lip as he pulled out and we were finally mobile.

  I adjusted in my seat as we rolled out of town. I blinked a few times as the trees flashed past us.

  “Would you like to tell me what the hell that was?” I asked him.

  He didn’t look at me; he kept his eyes on the road.

  “I needed to focus,” he said to me.

  “That was supposed to help you focus?” I asked him.

  He still didn’t look at me.

  “Yep… it did,” he said.

  “Why won’t you look at me?”

  “I can’t. If I do… I am going to slam on the brakes and throw you in the backseat,” he said.

  I looked out the window and watched a little house go by. Two kids played in the front yard.

  “Do you ever want kids?” I asked him.

  “What?” he asked me.

  “You know, like kids, a house… all that grown up stuff.”

  He kept watching the road and then he sighed.

  “I have a terrible feeling that you are asking me a trick question, Rue,” he said.

  “No… I’m really not. I just want you tell me,” I said.

  “No, I do not want kids,” He said.

  I leaned back in the seat and looked out the window.

  I pushed my shoes off and put my feet up on the dashboard.

  “I take it that you are mad now?” He said.

  “No… not really. I don’t know that I want kids either,” I said as I closed my eyes and felt the sun on my face.

  “Really?” Josh asked as he looked at my feet. I wiggled my toes and opened my eyes up.

  “Nope. I don’t know how I’d teach them anything, anyway,” I said.

  “Well, you are cool,” he said… like that was the only criteria that you have to have, to bring another life into the world.

  “Thanks, I guess,” I muttered.

  “No really… you are. You are a pain in the ass, but cool anyway,” he said.

  “So… if we were normal, just two normal people… would you of asked me out?” I asked him.

  “I don’t understand this line of questioning,” he said as he smiled.

  “You know, on a date,” I said.

  “Oh, like I call you up and ask you to a movie, or whatever?” he said.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  I looked at him and he was still watching the road.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “You are asking me to think about a situation that never happened, and never will happen,” he said. I sighed and continued to look at him.

  “What?” he asked me.

  “You…” I said.

  “I take it that you are starting to finally get mad now,” he said.

  “No not really,” I said.

  He shook his head and laughed.

  “What?” I said.

  “You… you’re weird,” he said to me.

  I pulled my feet down and looked at my hands.

  “Why would you say that?” I asked him.

  “You are immortal, Rue. Do you even know that?” he said to me.

  I shook my head and looked up at the sky.

  “I don’t feel immortal,” I muttered.

  “Why is that?” he asked me.

  “I don’t even understand what I am,” I said as I turned to him.

  I placed my hand on his arm and he closed his eyes for a second.

  “Please don’t touch me,” he said.

  “Oh,” I said as I pulled my hand from his arm.

  A swirling blue color stayed on his skin where my hand had been.

  I looked at it and he glanced over at me.

  “Do you see that?” he asked me.

  I nodded and leaned back in my seat.

  “Like I said… I don’t understand what I am,” I said as I closed my eyes and popped my feet back up on the dashboard.

  I bit my lip and looked at my feet.

  “What’s all this ‘Lord’ stuff?” I asked him.

  He stiffened up in his seat and cleared his throat.

  “It’s complicated,” he said to me.

  “Well, we got time for you to dumb it down for me,” I said.

  He smiled and sped up a little.

  “There have only been five,” he said.

  I looked over at him.

  “Five what?” I said.

  “Five Lords in the history of our race,” he said.

  “You are the fifth then?” I asked him.

  “Yea,” he said, like it bothered him to think about it.
r />   “What is a Lord, anyway?” I asked him as I shifted in my seat to face him.

  “I wish I knew,” he said.

  “How can you not know?” I asked him.

  He slowed down a little. I watched him tighten his grip on the steering wheel.

  “I am a hurricane,” he said to me.

  “Wanna expand on that a little for the code-breaking impaired?” I asked him.

  He smiled and looked down, than he looked at me. His eyes looked like black swirling water.

  “I am a harbinger of death,” he said.

  I blinked and he looked back at the road.

  “Like the grim reaper?” I asked him.

  “Kind of… Look, I was trained my whole life to protect. I am a warrior of Valon, with no Valon… it is not the best case scenario,” he said to me.

  “So what? You are like the ultimate protector then?” I asked him. He glanced at me.

  “Yea… I kick all ass,” he said as he laughed.

  “Is this your arrogance or the truth?” I asked him.

  He slammed on the breaks as he held his arm out to stop me from moving forward.

  He put the car in gear and looked at me.

  “I am in exile, Rue. My parents chose to fight the idea of feeding on humans. up until then I was a war machine… I can kill anything, anytime, anywhere, with no conscious. I am built to do it. Sophia banned me during the war; she made it impossible for me to do what I was made to do. So now, I run around protecting you,” he said.

  I took a breath as I stared into his eyes. He looked bothered by the fact that he was exiled from home, left to rot. Like teaching someone to operate on people and then cutting off their hands, I think. I tilted my head at him and tried to read his face.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to him.

  “For what?” he asked me.

  “I am a waste of your ability,” I added.

  I looked down at my hands and he touched my face. I looked up at him and he grinned at me.

  “You are the best thing in a thousand years,” he whispered.

  “Oh shit!” I screamed as I looked out the window and saw a car barreling at us.

  It hit us so hard that our car flipped off of the road and rolled three times before it came to a stop upside down. Josh started to cuss as he undid his seatbelt and fell from his seat onto the roof of the car. I blinked my eyes; my vision was extremely blurry. He reached over and placed his hand on my heart. I felt it speed up. He undid my seatbelt and I fell onto him. He rolled me over and looked at my face. I blinked as I felt blood drip into my eye. He touched my forehead and I hissed. I obviously have a nasty gash on it.