“Did you hear my thoughts earlier?”
He stiffens. “Yes.”
I give him an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear. It was just an observation, but one that I should not have made.”
He relaxes, his face softening and his lips forming a small grin. “You can’t control your thoughts Ridley. No one can. At least you thought he was the second most beautiful man you had ever seen. Just know that sometimes what appears to be is not. Beauty can often be a mask to hide the ugliness of one’s soul.”
I smile at his poetic words. “Does he have to stay with us? The council said he is my guardian, I get that. Maybe can he stay close, but in a different house?” Tristan laughs out loud at my comment, and the beauty of his laugh steals my breath. It is deep and rich, its soft tenor warming my heart.
“If I have any say in it he will sleep outside,” Tristan says loud enough for Aiden to hear. To his credit Aiden remains silent. The rest of the drive is quiet, and I drift off into a peaceful slumber. I vaguely remember boarding the airplane, but I am so exhausted it all passes in a fog. I struggle to open my eyes once I settle into my seat.
“Sleep, my love. Just sleep.” I obey. My sleep is surprisingly nightmare free. I open my eyes just as the jet touches down.
“Where are we?” I ask with a yawn. Tristan’s warm breath on my ear erases my sleepiness. “Tennessee. I own a cabin in the mountains. It is breath taking this time of year.” Sweet! I love the mountains, and have often dreamed of owning a cabin and growing old in the hills, surrounded by nature and love.
“I know, and with the exception of growing old we will do just that.” Tristan whispers as we exit the plane. The drive to the cabin is short but mesmerizing. The leaves on the trees are a splendid mixture of greens, browns, oranges, and yellows, bringing September to life. The mountains roll in the distance, accenting the sky with their beauty. It is the perfect place to retreat; showering me in its tranquility. Tristan’s cabin is nestled high in the mountain, nature its only companion. I stare in wonder as we pull into the drive, the large cabin nestled quietly in its own little corner of the world. A huge porch wraps around the cabin; a wooden swing rocking gently to the beat of the wind. I jump out of the car as soon as it stops. I rush up the steps, and open the cabin door before the boys can get out of the car. Amazement pretty much sums it up when I step inside. Tall windows cover the whole back wall, providing a perfect view of the landscape. The hardwood floors and wooden walls gave it a homely quality. The living room is a mixture of neutral colors. A fireplace sits between the couches, and I so want to grab a book and cuddle up next to it. Soft plush rugs line the floors, and I can totally think of a few things Tristan and I could do on those. Footsteps approaching have me turning to the door. Tristan stands just inside, grinning from ear to ear.
“You like it?” I throw myself into his arms. “No, I like puppies and chocolate. This-this I love!” His warm hands grab my waist, pulling me close. “You want to see upstairs?” he ask in a husky voice. I smile and sprint for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Tristan’s arms encircle me from behind, picking me up off of the floor. I laugh hysterically as I try to wiggle free from his hold. He throws me over his shoulder, giving my bottom a playful smack. We near a door at the end of the hall, and Tristan pushes it open carrying me inside. The room is breath taking. The ceiling is open, revealing the clear blue sky. It is a little slice of heaven.
“Tristan this is absolutely perfect!” I gush. He gently tosses me onto the feather soft bed. “Now that you’re here it is.” I playfully tug him on top of me, and once again lose myself in the beauty of his eyes. The blue still sparkling with little flakes of silver.
“Tristan why do your eyes have silver flakes now?” He holds his weight off of me, returning my stare. “When we are pulled from death it changes us. I can only guess that the silver is a reflection of your soul, since your soul brought me back.” I had almost forgotten about nearly killing him with my powers. “I’m sorry. I would never hurt you on purpose.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “I know my love. Now that we know how powerful you are, we will be more careful. It’s pretty awesome that you have the power to bring people back from death. No Lamont has ever possessed that power, but we already knew that you were not like other Lamont. You, my angel are truly gifted. Your destiny will be full of great accomplishments.” I pull him to me, fully intending on working on one of those great accomplishments when the sound of breaking glass echoes through the house.
“Stay here!” Tristan orders as he flashes from the room. Like hell I will. I have no idea what danger awaits downstairs, but there is no way that he is facing it without me. Besides, what better time to practice flashing. Here goes nothing. Please don’t let me end up in Alaska or something. I close my eyes and concentrate on finding Tristan. The airs whistles around me as the ground falls away. That is so cool. I open my eyes, slightly dizzy from my warp speed transfer. I now stand in the living room. Awesome! A faint whimper snaps me back into focus. Right…there was a crash. The whimper grows louder, and my eyes locate the origin of the sound. “No. Please no….” I cry as she comes into view. This is absolutely, hands down, my worst nightmare. Tyler stands in the middle of the living room, covered in a ridiculous amount of blood. In his arms he holds a very pale and limp Ali. Her usually tan face is pale, and devoid of life. Tyler gently places her on the ground, and in the light I notice that her neck is covered in….Oh my God! Are those bites. There are so many. Oh… Ali. What happened?
“I’m sorry brother. I tried to fight them off, but there were so many. I couldn’t stop it. I only pray that I was not too late.” I crash to my knees beside my friend, and take her cold hand into mine. I rescan her body, but can’t detect any more injuries. There is too much blood. That can’t be all hers. No way. Her eyes remain closed, her head rolling limply to the side. I refrain from shaking her, but I want to. I want to shake the life back into her.
“Is she covered in bites? Why? Why is she covered in bites?” I yell at no one in particular. Tyler kneels beside me and Tristan follows suite. “Yes. They are bites. It was Derek. He sent his men to get answers about Ridley. Ali didn’t know anything, but they didn’t believe her. I killed them all, but not before Zander used her neck as an all you can eat buffet. I am so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough.”
I see that Tyler blames himself, but that is wrong. This isn’t his fault. Nope. This is my fault. I left to keep her safe, but I should have known. I should have told her the truth from the beginning. What’s that saying? Ah, yes. Knowledge is power. I had the knowledge to help her, but I kept it from her. I left her powerless. This is just the beginning. It is never going to stop. No one I love will ever be safe, and neither will I. I barely even register when Aiden enters the room, but Tyler does. He jumps to his feet, but is quickly stopped by Tristan’s arm to his chest.
“What is the hell Tristan? What is he doing here?”
I look at my pale, lifeless friend. If only I could help her. I would do anything to bring her back…. Wait a minute. Bring her back. Sweet baby buffalos! That’s it! I can bring her back, just like I did with Tristan.
“Enough!” I yell. “This is not the time for childish bullshit! I don’t care that you two hate each other. Kiss and makeup. We have to help Ali! If you guys still want to kill each other after that, by all means feel free.” Tyler gives Aiden one more death glare before fixing me with apologetic eyes. “You’re right, but Ridley there is nothing we can do. She is gone.”
I refuse to believe that. My vibrant best friend will not die this way. Nope. She’s too stubborn for that. “You’re wrong,” I tell them as I study Ali’s lifeless body. I lift her head into my lap, and concentrate on my light. I will it to go to her and wrap her in its embrace. I push with all my soul; with all my heart. A silvery white light forms around my hands, encasing us both. I push harder. Ali’s lifeless body suddenly lifts from my arms. A blanket of whitish blue fog drifts all around her. It for
ms a thin line and pours into her open mouth. Her gasp for precious oxygen snaps my concentration as the light slowly starts to fade. She floats gently back into my arms, her dark brown eyes meeting mine. It would have been a hallmark moment except for what happens next. Her eyes change from brown to red in a flash. She grabs my arm, biting down hard. I stifle a scream as her teeth pierce my skin. I try to push her away, but she has one hell of a grip. Tyler finally succeeds in pinning her down. Tristan pulls me to him, causing her teeth to rip from my arm. I almost vomit when I notice a huge chunk of my flesh dangling from her mouth. She lets out a malefic scream. Her teeth…..Oh god, her teeth are no longer teeth. They are fangs. Ali no longer looks like my sweet best friend. She does, but she doesn’t. She looks different. She looks evil and just wrong. She struggles in Tyler’s arms, snapping and flashing her fangs. Her eyes are looking right at me, but I know that she doesn’t see me; not really. She sees her next meal. Tears fill my vision as the realization hits me. Ali is a vampire, and something that I did made her that way. My power may have brought her back from death, but she didn’t come back human.
How did this happen? Tristan’s strong arms carry me from the room struggling and kicking the whole way. “Let me go! She needs me! I did this and I can un-do it. I can help her. Why can’t you see that I can help her?” I’m crying so hard that tears clog my throat.
“Ridley. Baby. She is a vampire now. You cannot help her, no one can. She is damned.” He says it with such sympathy; such pity. It would be so easy to just give up, but that isn’t going to happen. That will never happen. There has to be something……Of course.
“No! Tristan I can help her. I can convert her. Gabby said that I could use my powers on good or evil. I think that when I tried to bring her back I messed up somehow. I could try again. I know that you say Ali is evil now, but she is not. She is the most pure spirit I have ever known. I can give that back to her. So let me go!”
His eyes shift to mine, the internal struggle playing on his face. “My love, if you do this there is no going back. Aiden will alert the council and they will punish you. I will not be able to stop it.” I narrow my eyes at him, kind of pissed that I would even have to explain my decision to him.
“No punishment they can give me would hurt me more than losing her. Some risk are worth the pain Tristan. My decision is made, so either help me or get the hell out of my way!”
I am tired of fate and it’s twisted since of humor. Fate can kiss my ass. It may have taken my life, but it is not taking my friends. Tristan searches my eyes and slumps his shoulders in defeat. “You are so stubborn. Let’s go get your friend back.”
We enter the living room moments later. Ali is now fast asleep on the couch. Tyler and Aiden are both silent, but the hatred between them is loud and clear. Tyler’s eyes met mine as I enter.
“I used my magic to put her out.”
I nod and start toward the couch. I am just about to Ali’s side when a strong hand grabs my arm. I turn to see a very angry Aiden towering over me. He opens his mouth to speak but never has the chance. Tristan wraps his hand around Aiden’s throat and pushes him into the wall.
“Do not touch her again or I will kill you.” Aiden nods and Tristan releases him. Aiden glares at me as I advance toward the couch.
“What are you doing Ridley? It is not safe to be close to her. Did you not learn that lesson when she tried to make you her chew toy?”
I snap my head in Aiden’s direction, beyond angry at his words. “I am saving my friend. Unlike you, I don’t just walk away when someone I love is in danger.” I know my words are a low blow, but I don’t care; not really. A look of pain crosses Aiden’s beautiful face at the maliciousness of my words.
“I will have no part of this. She is evil. Lamont detest evil. What you are about to do cannot be undone. There will be consequences. If this goes badly…well, let’s just say your immortal life will be very short.” he roars. With that he turns and walks away.
“Coward!”
I turn my attention back to my friend. She is all that matters to me right now. I carefully sit beside her. Once again I take her face in my hands. I reach for Tristan’s mind.
“What do I do? How do I make her Lamont? Is there a -how to create a race in three steps or less handbook- that you guys have been keeping from me?”
That earns me a smile. “No handbook, sorry. Just follow your instincts. Call on the power of your blood, and then give it to her. The blood will change her. If she has any light, she will become one of us. If not, then she will remain a darkling. Just a new breed of darkling. If this is unsuccessful, she will become the first evil Lamont. So be successful…. please.”
Wow. No pressure or anything. I can do this. I have to. I swallow the lump of fear in my throat. I need to save Ali, but at what cost? Will I be sacrificing her soul for the fear of losing her? I mean she’s already a vampire, so what harm could trying possibly cause? Will the girl that comes back to me be my sweet natured, strong spirited friend or an evil, demented shell of who she once was? I have no way of knowing what the outcome will be, but I have to try. If Ali remains a vampire she will be forever lost to the darkness. Well… until the hunters kill her. I cannot let that happen. What good is my gift if I can’t use it to help the people that I love? I close my eyes and call upon the power of my blood. It is like second nature to me, even though I have never done it before. The words fly from my mouth like a lost language, poetic and smooth.
“I the creator call upon my ancient blood to change this soul. I infuse in her my light, my life, so that she may forever be free. It is from death that I deliver her. Let it be. Ascendit ad novam vitam.”
Power hums through my body. Light so bright that it cannot be gazed upon floods from my palms. My hands start to shake as I will my power to go to her. My blood ignites, burning a path as it travels through my body. I wait until the fire reaches its climax before biting into my wrist and placing it to Ali’s lips. The blood drips slowly, staining her pale face with crimson. Her body shakes violently as a scream rips from her lips. She bolts upright, releasing me. Her eyes fly open. The dark brown orbs wide with both terror and confusion.
“Why am I burning? Make it stop, please… make it stop.”
I call to my power, focusing on easing the pain. She stops screaming, and her eyes finally meet mine. If possible, she pales another shade.
“Ridley?” she whimpers in shock. Then in a rush my power leaves my body, taking with it my strength. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and I’m out.
~~***~~
Tristan
She is astonishing. She is so powerful that the whole house shakes as she speaks. Her body is encased in a bright blue flame that actually hurts to look at. I can feel the heat rolling off of her skin. Ali’s eyes snap open, and I hold my breath. When dark brown eyes peek from behind closed lids, I exhale a breath of relief. She did it. She actually did it. Ali has a terrified look on her face as she tries to control her breathing. I can’t believe it, but Ali’s aura is now pale blue; indicating that she is indeed Lamont.
Aiden picks that moment to enter the room and from the look on his face he sees it too. His features suddenly change from awe to worry as he shifts his focus to my girl. Before I can react, he has Ridley in his arms.
“What the hell man?”
He gives me an annoyed look before handing her to me. “She passed out. I was just trying to catch her before she hit the floor. Are you really that insecure that you would have rather she crack her head?”
I want to hit him, but damnit if he isn’t right. I am glad that he caught her. I should have noticed that she blacked out, but I was too distracted by everything that had just happened. Swallowing my pride I attempt to thank him. “No man, it’s cool. Thanks.” I walk her to the couch and gently lay her down. She depleted a lot of her power healing Ali. She needs rest.
“Um, excuse me, but does anyone want to tell me what- the- hell- is going on?” Ali ask.
I turn
my attention to her, surprised at how calm she is. “We will Ali, but we need to wait on Ridley to wake up.”
“Wake up? How in the hell is she even here? I buried her? Ridley’s-Ridley’s dead.” She looks over at Ridley’s sleeping form and shakes her head. “Or at least she was.”
“Just wait for her to wake up. Please. Then we will tell you everything. I promise.”
She nods and hugs her knees to her chest. Tyler goes over to her and whispers something in her ear. Satisfied that he will take care of her, I turn my attention back to Ridley. She is pale and still. I want to help her, but all there is to do is wait.
~~***~~
Ridley
I am lost to the darkness, unable to find any source of light. My mind is trapped somewhere between slumber and awareness. There are voices all around me, but I can’t bring them into focus. A face keeps flashing in my mind, strange but familiar somehow. His rich caramel eyes and sun-kissed face constantly call to me. My body aches to go to him, but my heart-my heart knows better. I don’t belong here, in this never ending world of night. I don’t…but I do. I float helplessly in this pit of inky nothingness. This is his home. I have no power here. Here I am but a puppet.
“You are not meant for him. Come to me.” His voice is everywhere. Over and over again he whispers words of seduction. Closer and closer he gets, until his lips are inches away. I close my eyes. I don’t want this. I want to wake up. Please…. Seconds before his lips touch mine light fills the room, pushing him away from me.
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