by Tamara White
My eyes narrow. Is she being serious right now, or is she just messing with me? Why give me that stupid book if she doesn't think I'm worthy of her time? Enough of this crap!
"I don't know what your problem is, or why you think now is the time to play these games, but enough is enough!" I get to my feet, my chair sliding back and scraping across the hardwood floor. I lean forward, my palms splayed out on the table and glare at my grandmother.
"If you don't want to teach me what you know, fine! I can go to my soul-ties and ask for their guidance instead. I don't need you."
She bares her teeth at me, also rising to her feet, using her height to try to intimidate me as she moves closer. "Don't pretend with me, girl. I don't know who you are, or what you plan to achieve here, but I won't teach you a thing. Wolves raised you, and my guess is they sent you here to infiltrate our coven. I won't allow you to get any more information about us than you already have."
"You think I'm some kind of spy?" I laugh, unable to believe what I'm hearing. Even though she saw my blood turn white in the chalice, which proved my bloodline, she still thinks I'm here for some nefarious reason.
I sigh in defeat and decide to leave, taking the huge fucking book with me. I stop at the door and turn back, needing her to understand. My gaze finds hers; she watches me with arms crossed and a glower on her face.
"You judged me based on what I am. I understand why, but still. It’s been made abundantly clear I’m not one of you, but... I’m not one of them either. I’m part wolf, but I’m also part vampire too, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about either of those,” I say with a shrug before focusing a glare on her. “I came in here hoping to form some kind of relationship with you because I know it would make my mother happy, but it’s not worth being made to feel like I'm some traitor. I didn't choose to be this random hybrid between species. Just like I didn't choose for my mother to be taken and for me to be ripped from her womb! I chose to come here in the hopes of maybe finding the family I never had. I can see now that was a mistake." I take a deep breath before adding one last comment. "You may have been the best person to teach me, but I think I will need to speak to my mother about finding someone who isn't a bitter old fool."
I take a step out the door before she calls out. "Wait! Come back in here, child."
"I'm not a child," I grit out through clenched teeth as I turn back around and face her.
"No, you're not. Come back inside and close the door."
I do as she requests, but only because that twinkle in her eyes is gone, replaced by a vulnerability that surprises me. My footsteps echo in the otherwise quiet room as I approach her.
She bows her head and sighs deeply before meeting my eyes. "I won't say I trust you completely, because I don't. But... you’re right. My prejudice towards your kind comes from everything that was done to my child. When you have children of your own, you will understand the fear that comes from the thought of anything that could hurt them. I will teach you what I can today, but that will be all. The book in your hands contains everything you will need to know about our history, so there is little else for me to teach you. I will leave my door open for you, though, should you have any questions.”
I nod as she speaks, happy to agree to pretty much anything. I know it may seem pathetic, but I've never met my father's parents, and it would be nice to try and form some kind of bond with her. Ugh, I’ll have to try to remember to say uncle next time. It’s all getting confusing in my head right now.
"Very well. If you’re ready to learn, then let's begin." With that, she settles back into her seat. I return to my original seat, placing the book on the table beside me and waiting for my first and only lesson to begin.
Fifteen – Joan of Arc
Emerald
"Pay attention!"
Ugh, I rub at my temples and look down at the notes on my page with a small smirk. All I've done is write ‘sex,’ ‘blood,’ and ‘vampires’ all over the page when I should have been taking notes on our currency system.
My grandmother walks over and looks at what's written on the page before I have a chance to conceal it, and she sighs in annoyance.
"I get this is not the most interesting thing you could be doing right now, but you really need to know this subject, Emerald. Our system of bartering and trading is complex. You can easily get swindled on the value of an item by not understanding the correct way to negotiate."
She's been going on and on about this currency system for what feels like ages, but it seems easy enough to me. That doesn't stop her from launching back in from the beginning, though.
"Blood has the highest trading value. As vampires we need blood to survive, and with the introduction of cloned blood over the past few decades, organic blood is becoming increasingly more valuable. Despite people being able to survive on cloned blood, we still crave blood that comes directly from the vein. But some sellers have their own soul-ties out there and so won’t offer blood from the vein, which decreases its value. You need to remember this because there are going to be times when you will be forced to offer your blood and you need to be fully aware of its value. You may even resort to selling your blood to get certain items or offering to trade it for valuables you come across. Though, I would advise against selling or trading your blood to a witch because sometimes they’ll use it for one of their spells."
"Yes, I know." I sigh and begin doodling on the paper in front of me.
She walks past me towards a glass display case that houses a huge broadsword. She pulls a chain from her neck, using the key at the end to unlock the case. She tucks the chain back beneath her pantsuit to dangle between her cleavage and pulls the sword out with reverence.
She brandishes it in front of her as she strides towards me, and I jump out of my chair, backing away with my hands raised.
As she gets closer, I realize she's not wielding it to hurt me, she's just showing me a priceless artifact. I get excited when I see five small crosses on the blade, and wonder if it’s really the sword I’m thinking of. I absolutely adored the person who owned such a sword as this. She was strong, but also a champion for the people, and someone I had been fascinated with when I went through the human history books.
"This sword, while an absolutely remarkable artifact for most, is my most prized possession. The man who found it had no idea what it was worth and was selling it for only two bags of blood. After he handed it over, I revealed just who I was."
"Joan of Arc," I whisper, completely awed by the woman before me. I'd heard rumors that she was a vampire, but I never believed that I would actually get to meet her, let alone that she would be my own grandmother!
She's over six hundred years old!
“Yes, Emerald. I was known in my human life as Joan of Arc. But that was a long time ago. My name now is Jeannie."
She lets me stare at the sword a minute longer before taking it and locking it back in its case.
"As I was explaining, that sword of mine, while a useless trinket to many or an artifact to the humans, was absolutely priceless to me. The vampire who had it requested only the two bags of O-negative blood. I would have gladly paid every dime of my fortune, which totals almost ten million human dollars."
She looks pointedly at the empty notepad on the table, and I hurry back to my place to resume taking notes. No wonder my mother wanted her to teach me. If she's been alive for over six hundred years, there would be plenty of things she would know that could help me. At least, that's what I hope.
I jot down 'Joan of Arc–my grandmother' on a new page and add a few notes about her sword. I'd love to come back down here sometime when we’re not in the middle of a lesson to study the sword in more detail.
"So while I would have given up my entire fortune to have such a memory from my human life, most other vampires would have only been willing to pay a small amount. I don't know if you've had the chance to visit our marketplace yet–"
"Yeah, I did. Nik took me down there. There were so m
any stalls and I couldn’t believe the different things people were selling," I cut in, before closing my mouth when she purses her lips in annoyance.
She stares down at me, as if to see if there will be any further interruption before continuing. "As I was trying to say before you rudely interrupted me, the market has various different stalls, and their wares change from day to day. Some days, there will only be a few items, while on others, the booths will be close to overcrowding."
She pauses as I jot down a few notes. When I look back up, she resumes speaking. "Vampires will come from other covens, and wolves and witches do the same, traveling between the individual marketplaces we have set up."
I raise my hand with a roll of my eyes, hoping this is better than interrupting her. "What is it, Emerald?"
"Sorry, I think I'm confused. The way you're talking about the marketplace makes it sound like anyone can visit them? I thought wolves weren’t allowed in the coven.” Her wording suggested pretty much everyone could go to these things, but how the hell can they even get in the coven when Brittany alluded to the church being under the witches’ protection?
My grandmother gives me a pleased smirk. "Very good, Emerald. You are quite right. It’s true that anyone can visit the marketplace. There's a portal on the back of the church wall which allows any supernatural to pass through it. The witches of the local coven managed to tweak their protection spells so the whole market is available to everyone, but no one can enter the elevator unless they live here. Think of the church as a living entity that knows who comes in and out. No one is getting past the elevator that it doesn't want to, unless they use some extremely powerful magic which is rare enough to pass detection."
She paces along the wall, pulling out another book from the collection of hundreds that line the shelves. "As long as our kind has existed, we’ve used this bartering system as well as the traditional way humans tend to swap currency for possessions. We have markets all over the world, at various times. We also like to have a bigger one once a year, where people from all countries are invited to sell off various possessions they have gathered over the course of the year. Humans are also a part of that market, offering themself for donors or as slaves, but you'll see that in a few weeks."
"I will?"
"Yes, Sierra has sought out our council’s advice in this dark time, and we decided to use the opportunity to introduce you to the entire supernatural world at once. We will reveal your nature and gauge the reactions of everyone present, thus determining who already knows and who is frightened by the news.”
Oh great, just what I wanted to hear. Like life isn’t hard enough already.
"Anyway, you can trade for pretty much anything you might need. All you have to do is offer. Wolves like to hire themselves out as security. Have you noticed how few children there are here? Well, wolves are often hired to ensure their protection. Basically, they’re glorified babysitters. One woman in the French coven pays approximately two million US dollars every year to ensure the safety of her children. So yes, if you can think of it, there is probably someone there who does it."
I scribble down notes, trying to keep up, but I'm sure I'm going to need to ask the guys about all this soon, as there’s just so much still to figure out. Especially as I don't have much cash to my name, and I don't really want to rely on my soul-ties if I need things.
"My suggestion, Emerald, would be to sit down with your mother or your soul-ties, and get them to help you make a chart of sorts. Something that helps you identify what kind of price you will be paying for the most common items. Until you have a handle on our values, I wouldn’t advise going after items that you don’t understand. Or at least take someone with you so you’re not ripped off.”
My grandmother checks her watch, her eyes widening as she gets to her feet. "I'm sorry, Emerald, but I have to cut this lesson short. If you would like to have another one later on, I would be open to it, but instead of a one-on-one, maybe we could have your mother join us?"
I nod, feeling a sense of relief that the lesson went well considering how it started. I go to grab the large volume she first gave me, and she hands me the second book she grabbed from the wall.
"Take this one, too. It will explain a few of the key items that have been traded throughout the many centuries of our existence. I'm glad we got the chance to clear the air, but I really do need to run."
I frown at her sudden change of attitude, and she grins wickedly. "Our lesson for today is done. You have training in the forest now."
My slow footsteps echo as I walk out into the hall, confused by the quick dismissal. I stand in the doorway, watching as my grandmother went around straightening the room up, not that it really needed it. The place was immaculate when I walked in, and we barely moved from the table.
When she notices me hovering in the doorway, she walks over and gives me a quick shove, pushing me out in the hall without a word, and slams the door shut in my face. Well, that was weird.
I sigh and make my way to the elevator, heading down to the forest level. I have no idea whether Talon is down there yet but I’m sure if he isn’t, he won’t take long to find me.
Sixteen – Training with Talon
Emerald
I saunter into the underground forest, heading straight to the open area I know is reserved for training. The path is littered with fallen leaves, and I watch as some of the trees with broken branches mend themselves before my very eyes. It's absolutely breathtaking to behold. I don't think even the grass has grown since I last came down here.
There's a clear worn path through the grass, though, which leaves me wondering just what magic they have on this place.
As I clear the trees, I see Talon in the middle of the open training arena, his shirt off as he stretches. He doesn't seem to sense my presence, so I stand there watching the slight bulge of muscles as he moves each limb precisely to where it needs to be, showing amazing control and flexibility. His movements remind me of the yoga videos my step-mother used to watch, and I admit it fascinates me. I can just imagine him using his lithe body for other, more promising exploits.
"Come here, Emerald."
I startle at his voice, slightly embarrassed to have been caught watching so intently, but still move towards him hoping he didn’t pick up the whiff of arousal that surely seeped off me while he moved. He goes over to a duffle bag that’s off to the side. He pulls out a set of workout clothes and hands them to me before pushing me to the changing cabin. Again as I walk, I take more notice of my surroundings, marveling at the way that the building housing the change area still looks natural in this forest, rather than standing out and appearing out of place in this serene. It blends into the wooded area, the colors on the outside a mix of greens and browns to better camouflage it into the background.
When I finish changing into the black sports bra and matching lycra pants Talon gave me, I head back out. I come to a stop directly in front of Talon, who is standing tall, raking me over with his heated gaze.
"If you were just planning to ogle me, we could have done that somewhere a little more private," I suggest teasingly, enjoying the way his eyes narrow.
He lifts his eyes to meet mine in challenge, smirking as he does so. "Oh, don't worry, Emerald, we are training today. I just thought what I originally had planned would be too easy, so I decided to make it a bit more of a challenge for myself." He lifts his hand, gesturing at me in my sparse clothing. "Seeing you like this, with my name scrawled on your neck for all to see, well that distracts me a bit. Here's hoping it distracts me enough to give you a chance." He grins cockily, obviously enjoying taunting me.
I roll my eyes and stretch my neck, enjoying the small pops I feel as I loosen up my muscles. I bounce around on the balls of my feet, my beast eager to burn off some steam after the mostly boring lesson I had with my grandmother.
Five hours locked away in a room is not good for any wolf, let alone me with my beast’s quick tendency to anger.
We circle ea
ch other for a few moments, both grinning. Then he lunges, forcing me to throw myself to the side, landing hard on the ground to avoid his quick succession of blows. I stumble to my feet, my eyes blurring as my head spins. I’m feeling off, so much so that I don’t even see his fist before it connects to my jaw.
I crumple to the ground, my legs no longer able to support my weight, and Talon freezes as he looks down at me, his wide with fear. "Holy shit, Emerald!" He drops to his knees beside me, and I rub my jaw, knowing it’s already bruised. He's lucky he was pulling his punches or it would have broken my jaw.
"You okay, babe?" He lifts my head to look up at him but I find myself unable to focus on him. Talon sits in the dirt and pulls me into his lap facing him, with my head framed between his hands as he stares at me.
He frowns and growls through clenched teeth. "When was the last time you fed?"
My stomach sinks, and I close my eyes, feeling stupid. "Um, last night? Unless you count the blood in the coffee..." I trail off, feeling the anger vibrating off of Talon in waves.
"And food? When did you last eat human food?"
I blush when I realize what he's saying. I denied my human, wolf, and vampire natures. I'm lucky I'm still up walking around. From what I know of vampires, if they don't feed, they can become weak, or even go mad with bloodlust, feeding on everything in sight. Really not something I want to happen.
"I'm sorry I forgot to feed. It’s just hard to remember because my body hasn't been giving me any warning signs. Usually I would eat the moment I felt hungry, but I guess the change in natures and habits has me a little off," I apologize and lean my head into his hand, feeling a bit lightheaded.
He sighs and lifts me into his lap to look into his eyes, my own just clear enough to see the sympathy they convey. "Em, I know this is hard for you, but with your dual nature you need to be more careful. Your beast usually holds back your vampire nature, but if you don't keep both sides of yourself fed, there's still every chance your vampire nature will overwhelm you, and you'll end up doing something you regret. Trust me, there are some things you can't be forgiven for."