by Tarisa Marie
“Yeah, he’s just in the shower. Do you want to talk to him?” I ask and head for the bathroom. I get to the door, surprised that Kade is taking so long in there. “Kade? Open up.”
“Why are you with Kade out of all people?” Daniel demands, his voice sounding near hysteria. “May, where are you? Tell me where you are. I’ll stay with you. Where ever you are, I’m coming.”
I bang on the bathroom door again. No answer. Weird. I open the bathroom door and although the shower was on at some point it’s not anymore. The window above the toilet is wide open. I look out of it and see nothing. Where the hell did he go and why wouldn’t he have used the front door?
“Hmm...he seems to have slipped out for a minute,” I determine. “Anyway, how are you doing?”
“May,” Daniel whispers harshly, he sounds as though he’s in physical pain. “You have to tell me where you are. You’re not safe with him. Did he force you to go with him?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Of course not. He’s a good guy. You know him, you should know that.” Something dawns on me then. Why would Kade jump out the window on the midst of a shower? Vampire. I nearly drop the phone. “I think there’s a vampire here. He seems to have abandoned a shower and jumped out the window. I know that sounds nuts, but why else would he do that?”
“May, where are you? You can’t possibly think hiding from vampires with a vampire is a good idea,” he snarls, and I hear him start his car on the other side of the phone call. “Especially with this crazy blood thing that going on with you.’
“It’s fine. Kade is strong. It’s not the first one he’s fought off,” I reassure him.
Daniel groans as if in agony. “May, I’m not talking about the other vampire that’s supposedly wrestling with Kade right now. I’m talking about Kade. The vampire Kade. The one that got banished from the Bryxx community for draining a Bryxx child dry.”
What? Confusion causes my brows to wrinkle together but they relax slowly and instead my heart picks up pace when what my brother is trying to tell me finally clicks. No. It can’t be. I’ve misunderstood.
“Kade is a vampire?” I whisper with a shaking voice.
“You didn’t know that?! He never told you that before he started supposedly protecting you? Where are you, May?” he demands, sounding hysteric now.
“Uh, north of Green Lake in Saskatchewan, over a river. Oh god, I don’t know. The middle of nowhere. I’ll send you my location,” I ramble and can’t bring myself to move a muscle.
“Okay. Good. Relax. He can hear your heartbeat, May. As soon as he gets back he will know something is up. Relax.”
“I’ll tell him I was worried when I couldn’t find him,” I suggest. “I should go. He’s fast he will be here soon probably.”
Daniel grunts. “Text me every half an hour, May, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Then the phone disconnects and I’m left staring out the window in complete and utter shock. It makes sense. His stronger compulsion, his better hearing, the fact that he barely sleeps when I know he told me that Bryxx sleep, the way he’s been acting towards me since my blood has been changing.
I nearly scream when a hand lands on the window sill and then another. Kade’s head pokes up and he throws himself through the window a second later. I nearly shriek.
“Shit, sorry, May. I thought I could slip out before you noticed. I thought I sensed a vampire,” he mutters. “False alarm. I ran the whole property and it’s clear.”
Something else dawns on me. Bryxx can’t sense vampires. He’s the one who told me that once.
“You okay?” He asks, standing half naked in front of me, the only thing on are his pants.
I nod once. “You just scared me.” It’s not exactly a lie. “I need to lie down. I’m not feeling myself quite yet.”
He shrugs and nods as he pulls a shirt over his head.
In truth, I just need to lie down for a while and sort through all this.
I get into bed and slip under the covers. I shoot my location to Daniel, knowing he knows I am around Green Lake and he’s probably already on his way.
I have to think this through rationally. Kade has never hurt me. He’s never showed any intention of hurting me. He’s only ever saved my life and protected me. Do I really need to be frightened of him? I decide that I am pretty damn sure that he’s indeed a vampire, though there are differences between him and the other vampires I’ve encountered. Kade is friendly, caring, and has control, where as other vampires I’ve been around have been murderous, bloodthirsty animals.
I send Daniel a quick text at the half an hour mark. ‘I don’t think he will hurt me. He’s been living with me for weeks and he’s done nothing but protect me and be kind to me.’
Daniels response is almost immediate. ‘You overestimate a vampires control. He might not want to hurt you, but eventually he will lose control. With your blood being so potent to vampires, he will be walking on egg shells fighting for his self-control. Keep your distance from him. Do not entice him. He is in physical pain when he is near you. Give him space.’
With that, I decide to listen to my brother. He knows more about vampires than I do. Could Kade actually be in pain every second that he’s around me? I lay in bed, sending my brother the necessary half an hour texts he requested. Later in the afternoon, Kade knocks on the door and comes in.
“How are you feeling?” he asks sweetly and sets down a cup of juice beside me. “You’ve been in here all day.”
“Better than yesterday but just tired. Upset about Betty,” this isn’t a lie but it’s not the full truth either.
He sits on the edge of the bed beside me and feels my forehead with the back of his hand. “Your fever is almost gone. You look much better, too. Do you want me to make you something to eat?”
“No thanks I’m okay,” I answer quietly.
“You should eat something. After I feed the cows, I will make us something okay?” he decides.
“I can make something while you’re feeding them,” I tell him and sit up.
He asks, “Are you sure?” He’s not looking too convinced that I’m okay.
“Yup. You go take care of the cows,” I encourage and he nods before leaving the room.
I swallow hard and then I head out to the kitchen and pull out a loaf of bread. Sandwiches sound like a good idea tonight.
I pull out four slices of bread, a couple lettuce leaves, a tomato, some sliced ham, and two cheese slices. I put together the sandwiches quickly. I lastly slice into the tomato and cut two slices. In my haste, the knife slips in my wet hands and slices my index finger ever so slightly. A small bead of blood collects on my finger tip and I turn on the tap to wash it off. Darn knife. Way to go, May. Clumsy as always.
My heart sinks into my stomach when I hear the front door open and close and suddenly Kade stands in front of me gripping my hand with the cut finger. He stares intently at it as if transfixed.
“Kade?” I squeak and try to pull my hand back to no avail.
He pulls it closer to him.
“Kade!” I shout loudly, panic settling in. I really don’t want to die this way. Why am I so stupid?
His grip lessens slightly and then he pushes my hand under the running water before scratching a red line into his inner wrist with his index finger of the other hand and pressing his bloody wrist to my wound. He pulls us apart almost immediately after and I watch as my skin heals before my eyes. He then runs his wrist under the water until all the blood is washed off and his wrist has healed.
We both stand there in shock, neither one of us speaking.
“I’ll be more careful,” I whisper uneasily.
He squeezes his eyes shut. “You shouldn’t have to be.” He sighs deeply and his jaw tenses and untenses.
“But I do. You almost fricken ate me,” I slip out nervously in a rush before thinking, my mind going into freak out mode.
He takes two steps back from me, his eyes wide.
“I know, Kade. I know you’re not Bryxx,” I admit sheepi
shly. “I didn’t mean to cut myself. I shouldn’t have even used a knife knowing what you are.”
He opens his mouth slightly then closes it again. The says, “How did you find out?”
“To be fair, I would’ve found out on my own, eventually I would’ve put all the pieces together, but I hadn’t yet and then my brother called me after hearing that I was dead. He asked who was protecting me and I told him, and he almost exploded.”
Kade closes his eyes briefly, tilting his head up. “When is he going to be here?”
I shrug. “Last I heard he and Kai we’re getting on a plane to fly here. That was an hour ago.” The fact that I tell him this reminds me that I do indeed trust Kade whether he’s a vampire or not. He can’t help what he is. He could’ve killed a thousand times already, but he hasn’t and after seeing how hard it was for him to restrain from killing me, I know how much he cares about me that he was able to resist that urge. I might not be safe with him because of what he is, but I trust him more than anyone in my life vampire or not.
Kade sighs. “Alright. As soon as they get here, I’ll go. Believe me when I say that you’ll be safer with me here until then than alone. I give you my word that you’re safe with me until then. Just don’t go bleeding again please.”
“You’re leaving?” I ask, hearing the disappointment in my voice.
He quirks a brow. “You want me to, don’t you?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t. I know you better than my brother and Kai both, and I trust you with my life. If Kai and Daniel are here, they can make sure you don’t kill me, and you can take breaks from me if you need to. Unless you don’t want to stay. I’d understand. Daniel said it hurts you to be near me. Is that true?”
Kade nods. “It’s true, yes, but it’s worth it. I care about you more than you know. They might not want me to stay.”
“Well that’s too bad for them,” I reply. “Because I want you here.”
“You’re not scared of me?” he wonders with curiosity in his gaze.
I nod. “I’m not scared of who you are, but I’m scared of what you are. I’ve seen the damage a vampire can do.”
He swallows. “I have to tell you something before you make the decision of whether or not I stay or I go.” He hesitates. It’s clear that he doesn’t want to tell me whatever is it he’s about to. “Last night, I got carried away with you. Your blood is always a temptation but so are you. The two mixed together is a deadly game. I almost lost control of my bloodlust because of my feelings towards you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask for clarification.
“Jane was right when she said that I care about you. I more than care about you, May. I know we only just met, but I’m freaking in love with you. I was drawn to you the day I met you and I risked my life only days after meeting you just to save your human life. I can’t keep away from you. I followed you to Seattle. I was relieved when they banished me because I knew I could go see you.” He peers down at the floor rather than at me, probably too scared to see my reaction.
“I care about you too, but I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you I love you. You kept a really huge secret from me and you did just about kill me because I cut my finger. That’s kind of a big deal breaker,” I ease.
He lifts his gaze up to mine. “If I hadn’t lied would you have let me into your house?”
I debate this. “I’m not sure. Living with a vampire sounds like a pretty stupid idea, so no, probably not.”
“Would you be able to say that you loved me if I was Bryxx?” he asks nervously.
This is a tough one, but I know the answer even if it might be painful for him to hear. “Up until last night I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think I could fall in love so damn fast, over a matter of weeks, but yes.”
His gaze drops back the floor and he nods. “I can’t say I’m happy about it, but I do understand. I am a danger to you. No matter how much I care about you and don’t want to hurt you, I will always be dangerous. It’s in my nature to want to kill you.” He winces at his own words. “The other night I got so carried away, I almost lost it. I had to get away from you before things went too far to turn back from. I went out to the pasture to get some air, but I was so thirsty. Your blood was in my nostrils and my lust was out of control which didn’t help any. I was so worked up that I...” he trails off with a sigh and the pain that fills his expression is almost unbearable. “May, it wasn’t a coyote that killed Betty, it was me. I drank her dry because I lost control. I knew you’d be heartbroken, but I did it anyway and I was up all night trying to figure out a way to make it better, but I knew I couldn’t. That could’ve been you and the look on your face when I told you what happened...I’ll never get that out of my mind. Ever.”
I hear myself gasp at his words and my hand flies up to cover my gaping mouth.
“I’m so sorry, May,” he grimaces in pain, shaking his head and the sincerity in his tone is overwhelming. His pain and regret is so strong that it overrides mine and I actually find myself feeling bad for him. He can’t help what he is. I repeat to myself.
“It’s okay. People eat cows all the time. We just had hamburger last night,” I attempt to joke before thinking about what comes out of my mouth, afterwards I realize how bad my joke is.
His grimace deepens and my mind races. I truly don’t know what to think about this. We stand in silence, neither of us finding the words.
“I don’t want you to be scared of me, even though you really should be,” he whispers. “The incident that I don’t like to talk about was my becoming a vampire. I was turned while on the job. I was banished from the Bryxx community because a body was found drained of blood, but I swear it wasn’t me.” He shifts his weight. “I’ve never killed anyone because of my bloodlust, well, besides our cow. I have it under control or I did. When I lived with the Bryxx, my father would send me to the prison once a month to drink from one of the criminals who was locked up, awaiting death row. That was all I needed and in exchange, I’d guard the community and do whatever crappy jobs the council had for me.” He runs a nervous hand through his hair. “The reason vampires want Bryxx blood so badly is that it’s stronger than human blood. It calms the thirst longer, over a month. A human will only last a day or two and even then, you’re thirsty, it’s just enough to numb the pain slightly. Bryxx blood numbs it significantly more; although, there’s still pain. As the days go on, I’m getting thirstier and now your blood has literally become irresistible to vampires. They will die to taste you.”
“Why haven’t you then?” I find myself asking.
He purses his lips. “You’re my friend. I don’t have many of those. Not since I became a vampire. I still have morals. If I tasted you, I’d never be able to stop. I’d kill you.”
“Well, if I’m causing you pain and all this distress just being near you, then why take me all the way out to the middle of nowhere? What happens when you get so hungry that you snap?”
“I hired a lady to come clean and bring us groceries, remember? It’s not that I don’t think we can manage the cleaning or that we can’t go to town without getting attacked. She’s my meals,” he admits sheepishly. He seems disgusted by his own words.
Before I can stop myself, I cringe.
He takes a step back from me. “I’m sorry, but you need to know.”
Daniel and Kai are not going to want you near me,” I state the obvious.
Kade nods slowly. “I know. They’d rather see me dead probably.”
“You’ve saved my life so many times. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. You’ve never hurt me.”
He doesn’t reply.
“I trust you,” I decide. “I’ll tell them that I’m not going to go anywhere without you. They can’t give up their lives with the Bryxx to guard me for the next however many years I live.”
“I have no doubt that they won’t leave your side for as long as you live now that they know about your blood and the risk. They will do anything to keep you safe. Sending you
back to Seattle and cutting contact was to protect you. Daniel will protect you with his life and because of that, so will Kai.”
“Well, Kai could at least go back. There’s no sense in ruining his life. He has family to go back to,” I attempt.
Kade quirks a smile. “He won’t leave Daniel’s side. I am positive of that.”
Something in his tone has me wondering if I’m missing something.
“Look, I’m going to give you some space. You have a lot to think about before they show up here. I’ll be nearby, but I’ll keep my distance. I’m going to go for a long run. I have lots to think about, too,” he murmurs and before I can protest, he’s gone.
Chapter 12
When I hear the car pull up in the driveway, my nerves peak and I freeze thinking that it’ll take them a minute to get into the house. Wrong. As soon as I hear the car, they are blasting through the front door.
“Where is he?” Daniel demands, a long silver knife in one hand.
“It’s okay. I’m fine and he’s outside. Don’t hurt him!” I shout in a panic. What the hell is planning to do to him, stab him?
Daniel’s lips curls up angrily and Kai’s leather clad body hurls towards the door they just came in.
“If he was going to hurt me, don’t you think he’d have done it by now? He’s been with me for weeks! If it weren’t for him I’d have been killed more than a few times. Daniel, I swear to god, if you hurt him!”
Daniel closes his eyes briefly and takes a long, shaky, deep breath. “I know you don’t know much about our world, but you have to know that vampires are volatile and they’re not in control of their bloodlust. He could snap at any minute.”
I keep the fact that he already almost snapped to myself and also that fact that he killed a cow to myself, knowing that tidbit of knowledge won’t help Kade’s case any. “He won’t. I trust him with my life,” I admit partially to Daniel but also partly to myself.
A whoosh of air causes me to glance to my left. The blur slows beside me. Kade. Then Kai storms through the front door again. My senses are too slow to see Kai and Daniel both rush at Kade, but a moment later, I see Kai dazed on the floor looking confused. Kade is holding Daniel against the wall.