“Why does a white man befriend a black man, but tell racist jokes? It’s because they acknowledge the friend as being above or outside the perimeter of the subject.”
“So, they see the difference between their friend and other black men?”
“Precisely. Or they respect the friend for another attribute despite his stereotype.”
“Hm.” I’d never considered that. It opened my eyes a little more to what I was dealing with, what we were dealing with.
The more I pondered the conundrum, the more truth it held. My grandfather was fighting every vampire as if they were the ones who had shunned his father. He was stereotyping them rather than offering them the chance to prove that they were different, that they deserved his respect and friendship.
“One last thing. Is it true that vampires gain strength with age?”
“No. They gain wisdom and tact. That is what gives them the edge. Now, if you will excuse me, I have another patient to check in on. Kellan, you have my phone number should anything new arise. Alexa, it was a pleasure. Take care.” He bent his head slightly before he turned towards the door.
“Um, thanks.” I slightly waved as he left.
Kellan leapt out of his chair, keeping hold of my hand in the process. He lifted me off the table, my feet landing without a tingle on the linoleum floor.
“Where are we?”
“Dr. H’s Charleston office.”
“I didn’t think he had an office.”
“Where else would he deliver a baby?”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” I glanced around the room. Framed watercolor pictures hung on beige walls. A small wash station was located in the corner with cabinets above and below the sink for storage. The examining bed was on the opposite diagonal side with two chairs caddy-cornered to it. “Where exactly would he deliver a baby in here?”
Kellan chuckled. “He does have more than one room.”
Kellan and I walked hand in hand down the hall, through the lobby, and out the door. The stars lit up the night sky as a crescent moon seemed to wink at me. Small offices and boutiques lined the lamp-lit, empty street, but nothing looked familiar.
“Where are we?”
“Between Mt. Pleasant and Charleston.”
“Oh. And how exactly did I get here? Last I remember your dad couldn’t touch me.”
“When you blacked out, you literally blacked out. Your light show shut down, and he was able to grab you. He carried you all the way back to the helicopter. We were all flown here. Craig was able to leave almost right away, but I took a bit longer.”
I looked at his green polo shirt. I knew what had been beneath it hours ago: proof that my grandfather and his gang abused him.
“I’m fine, babe. We all are, thanks to you.” I watched as his face grew serious; his eyes began to glisten.
“What’s wrong?”
He opened the passenger door of a black SUV. He hoisted me up and in, the smooth leather sliding along my jeans. I recognized his move for what it was, though; he was using the car as a distraction to ignore my question.
I waited for him to climb in on the driver’s side and shut the door. I linked my fingers through his, the green stone of my ring glistening in the moonlight, proof that Aunt Claire had been with me at some point. “Kellan, please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.” He shrugged, throwing the key in the ignition and revving the engine. It was hard to take a step back when I knew something was wrong, but he’d made it clear he needed the space, so I didn’t push.
Chapter 5
The drive home was silent. I didn’t know what’d set Kellan off, but tension filled the air and kept me on edge. I was grateful to have him beside me, safe and sound, but feared what was next. I refused to allow myself to consider this being the end for him, but the idea had knotted my stomach back in the cellar. I wanted to squeeze him, to kiss him and show him that I loved him in every way.
We pulled into the garage and hopped out of the car. A flash jolted me, reminding me of what I’d walked into twelve hours ago. So much had happened in such a short span of time.
Sensing my hesitance, Kellan secured my hand and escorted me through the door. “The Bladangs sent a few of their men to scan the house. No bugs were left, and nothing was tampered with.” His gaze landed on the back of the sectional. “Although it looks like we might need to replace a few things.”
I felt myself blush. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’ll work through it.” His eyes traveled up to the gaping hole in the ceiling. His brows etched inward just enough for me to notice. “Maybe we should stay at my place.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Auggy assigned my dad to connect with Romanov.”
“Who’s Romanov?”
Kellan frowned. “The Cesar of vampires.”
Something about that didn’t sit well with me. My serum level elevated in the back of my throat, fear twisting thoughts on Al’s safety.
“Where’s Aunt Claire?”
“With my mom. They’re studying with Will.”
“Should I even ask what they’re studying?”
He smirked. “What else is there?”
He pulled me into him as he rounded the corner towards the stairs. I still hadn’t brought myself to move anything or touch my parents’ bedroom. I guess a part of me hadn’t let go of them yet, hadn’t gathered the strength to face the truth.
Kellan lifted my thighs around his waist and sped up the stairs.
“How about a shower?”
“Are you trying to hint at something?” I teased. I’d smelled the burnt odor of my clothes. They’d stood up to the electrocution surprisingly well, but they would probably never smell like laundry detergent again.
“Maybe.” He shrugged.
I could tell he’d showered already, especially since he wore clean clothes. His hair had grown out to the point where he had to tuck it behind his ears. Part of me thought he was trying to be more like Kai, but I didn’t broach the subject.
“Point taken.”
I took a long, hot shower. I stood under the sprayer, wishing for the video on my grandfather’s phone of Kellan to be erased. I couldn’t stop the flashes of him being tortured. I winced every time I heard the crackle of electricity popping off him and echoing in my mind. And poor Mel. I’d have to call her in the morning. I knew I’d terrified her with my eruption. I hadn’t told her about it and could only imagine what deranged ideas were running through her head. I knew Craig would tell her the truth, but it should have come from me long before this.
I’d really messed up. We all had. Nothing had happened since the whole bout with Jack, so we’d let our guards down. Terrorism, assassination, and murder never take a holiday. They’d ambushed us with ease. We made it easy for them; we made ourselves an accessible target. I regretted Kellan having to suffer in order to learn that lesson. Things would definitely have to change, especially since my best friend would be joining us in a new and vulnerable state.
The second I stepped into the bedroom, dressed in my best bum clothes — VS capri sweats and one of Kellan’s tees — my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Why the hell did I not get a phone call?” she fussed.
“Hi to you, too, Gabi.” I rolled my eyes, laughing silently.
“Seriously, Lex. I’m in Miami, not India. You know I’ll be there in a couple hours.”
“I wasn’t about to interrupt your honeymoon.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not much of a honeymoon when you know your friends are being put through the ringer, or when they’re putting you through the ringer.” Her voice turned mellow.
“I know you and Jack didn’t come together under the best of circumstances, Gabi, but Rafi would have wanted you to be happy regardless. He wasn’t a selfish person.”
“Tell that to my conscience. I can’t stop the feelings I have for Jack, but I also can’t seem to forget that had
he not been messing with us, the vamp hunter wouldn’t have gotten a shot at Rafi, either. Every time I think I’m going to get past that little detail, a certain set of Hawaiian vamps remind me that technically I’m now married to my ex’s murderer.”
“I’m going to give you a bit of your own advice here. You can’t change what is, Gab, but you can change what will be. Wallowing won’t change anything; beating yourself up doesn’t change anything. Making the most of an awkward, tragic start, looking at the positive of the situation rather than the negative, will get you much further.”
“I know. It feels like I’m cheating on Rafi somehow, though.” I heard the distress in her voice. I knew that anguish wouldn’t be there if others would stop offering their opinions.
“Could you walk away from Jack right now?” Silence filled the other end of the line. “If you can walk away, maybe you should. Give yourself some time to properly grieve and heal. If not, then maybe you ought to consider the fact that Rafi gave you the best gift he could on his deathbed: another chance at a happily-ever-after.”
“I’m supposed to be the adult here, remember?”
“Then start acting like one.” I laughed.
“Yeah, yeah.” She grew quiet.
“What is it?”
“I talked to Jack about Europe and Puerto Rico. He was hired by Cecelia Romanov, Lex. He was just a pawn in her game, or I guess I could say playing her game for her. Ralph was hired by Romanov, not Jack.”
I thought back over the past. There was a time in Spain where the car was bombed. Al had said it wasn’t ninjas, which meant it was probably Cecilia’s crew. While I couldn’t fault Jack for taking the business deal, I could fault him for following through with it, knowing that he was messing with peoples’ lives. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem. I’ll see you in a couple hours. Imara was the one who told me what happened, so she already chartered a plane.”
“See you soon.” I pushed the “End” button on my phone and tossed it on the nightstand. “Where were we?” I pretended to ponder. “Oh, yeah. I believe you owe me a kiss, Mr. Bancroft.”
He struggled not to smile. “What for, Miss Jackson?”
“For saving your life, of course.”
His smile disappeared. “I owe you a lot more than that.”
I sat down on the bed beside him. “Kellan, I was joking. You know you don’t owe me anything. I love you. I would do anything for you regardless of what was there for return.” He nodded once, but his forehead was still full of creases.
Abruptly, he grabbed my shirt and pulled me into him. His lips landed firmly on mine; our minds instantly connected.
Flashes of images appeared. A black bag was thrown over Kellan’s head, cutting off his vision; something tightened around his throat immediately. He fought hard, exerting every bit of his vamp strength, but it was no use. When the bag was removed, he was in the cellar, surrounded by an army of vampeens.
I winced at the first slap of the whip, the edges studded with spikes. That was the cut on his shoulder. Craig was yelling beside him, but the words were muffled. All I could feel was the sting of the first hit, feel the blood oozing down him before it healed.
I held still, my lips offering first what my mind would convey. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t better prepared. We need to buckle down.”
“How’s Craig?”
“Shaken, but okay.”
Kellan pulled me deeper into him, his arms sliding down me, gently easing me flush against him. I relaxed into him, allowing him to take the lead. My hands landed on his chest as his tongue swept across my lips. I wanted to dive deeper into him, to devour him. I’d never get enough of him.
“Are you willing to try?”
“I’ll love you regardless,” he mentally replied.
“Let’s try.”
I squealed when I landed on my back, Kellan hovering above me. He broke the kiss and peered directly into my eyes. His emeralds reflected all the love I knew he possessed for me. I’d never find another man who’d love me the way he did, who’d do all he’d done for me. He felt insecure, as if I were the hero of the relationship, but in reality, he saved me every day I was with him.
“Try not to kill me.” He smirked.
“Way to kill the mood, Romeo.” I pursed my lips.
His biceps bulged, his muscles flexing beneath the material as he looked at me, a gleam slowly appearing in his eyes. “I think I can fix that.”
***
We lay side by side, our breathing just beginning to regulate. His arms were wrapped around me possessively as he watched me through hooded lashes.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I felt the wrinkles on my forehead as I studied him closely.
“Quite the contrary. You made me feel very good.” He growled, pouncing on me, knocking me onto my back as he playfully nipped my shoulder.
I laughed, shoving him off me. “Stop! We need to get ready for school.”
“Ugh. Way to kill the mood, babe.” He groaned, dramatically dropping onto his stomach, face down into the pillows beside me.
“Yeah, yeah.” I leapt out of bed in search of clothes for school. “What time is it, anyway?”
He lifted his head, peering at the clock on my nightstand. “5:09 a.m.”
“Hurry up. I want to go see Mel before school.”
“You never told her about your year-round, on-command Christmas lights, did you?”
I shook my head ‘no’ as I walked into my closet.
“Lexi! Come down when you get dressed!” Aunt Claire called.
“Oh, God. I hope she hasn’t been here long. I didn’t even hear her come in.”
“We were a bit preoccupied.”
I yelped when Kellan slapped my rear. His arms snaked around my waist as he nuzzled my neck. “Sir Staten mixed in or not, you smell delicious.” He ran his tongue up the length of my neck, eliciting a moan from me.
“Kellan, put it back in your pants for now and stop monopolizing my niece,” Aunt Claire yelled.
“Yeah, stop monopolizing me, Mr. Bancroft.” I stuck my tongue out at him as I withdrew myself from his grip.
“I plan to monopolize you again later, so pencil me in.” He wiggled his brows suggestively.
My cheeks hurt from the big smile on my face. “Okay.”
“You have thirty seconds before I come up there, young lady!”
“Coming!”
I threw on a pair of light denim skinny jeans with a few decorative rips, a simple cami beneath an oversized grey sweater with a hint of silver, and my black ballet flats. I grabbed a hair scrunchie off my nightstand, throwing my hair up into a messy bun atop my head on my way down the stairs.
Chapter 6
“What’s going on?” I asked as I hit the bottom step. I halted the second I saw Auggy standing with Lawrence and Felipe. Heat hit my cheeks as I realized they’d heard everything Kellan and I had spoken aloud.
“Hello, Alexa,” Laurence stated.
“Hi.” My voice came out raspy.
“Buenos dias, Lexi,” Felipe said, a smile lifting the edges of his mouth. I nodded, acknowledging that I’d heard him.
“This must be important for all three of you to be here.” Kellan came behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Why don’t we all have a seat in the dining room?” Aunt Claire suggested. I heard her swallow hard. She was nervous, uneasy about something.
I blocked my thoughts, unsure of what I was walking into, or being led into. Kellan secured my hand as we headed into the dining area. I sat in the first chair and waited as the others sat on the opposite side with Aunt Claire at the head of the table between us.
“What’s going on?” I blurted the second everyone was situated.
“As you are aware, Dr. H. took multiple blood samples from you while you were unconscious. I’m sure you are also aware of what has infected your cells by this point.”
�
�Could you please cut to the chase, Laurence?” Serum rose in the back of my throat. I took a deep breath, trying to control my reaction.
“Essentially what he did to you was only possible because you are a vampeen. You must have human cells remaining in order for them to be rewritten.”
“Why does that matter?”
“We believe Cesar is going to try to bait you so he can create a stronger vampeen army. If he gets a hold of your blood, Lexi, then the vampire race will face extinction,” Laurence announced.
The weight of his words slapped me in the face. Kellan squeezed my hand beneath the table. I bit my lower lip, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a world without vampires. Six months ago, I didn’t know a world with them existed; now I couldn’t picture my life without them.
“How is all this possible? I still don’t even really understand how a body could be switched to produce electricity.” I struggled to control my upset. My heart beat loud in my chest; my anger thrashed about at the trouble my grandfather intended to cause.
“The human body is swarming with currents in a regular state of existence. The signal to the brain is actually an electric charge with information sent via the nervous system to and from the brain. So it is not such a foreign idea,” Laurence explained. He clasped his hands together, setting them atop the table in front of him. Pale green eyes watched me, a sense of compassion present in them.
“What do you have mind?”
“The only way to ensure your safety, and the safety of all vampires, is to stow you away,” Felipe said, his European accent slurring certain words.
“When and for how long?” I slid into a business mindset. This was a negotiation.
“Immediately, and for as long as it takes to capture Cesar,” Auggy’s rough voice bellowed in the room.
“I can’t. Mel changes tomorrow, and I promised her I’d be there the whole time.”
Auggy’s hands closed into fists on the table. “Do you really know what you’re risking here?” he pressed through gritted teeth.
My voice was small. “Yes.” I stared down at the ring on my left finger.
“What?” he demanded.
Kellan growled at my side. I tightened my hand around his.
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