by Unknown
“You’re lucky I don’t drag you there now.” He sighed, his hands taking mine tightly. “Vermont?”
“Do you think we’ll lose?”
He paused pondering that. “No.” He shook his head. “I am worried we could lose people though.” His shoulders stiffened. “I know that some will get hurt.”
I started to argue, but he shook his head. “Don’t doubt that, Lianna. It would be a dangerous mistake. These Crossbreeds will make us all look tame. You’ve never been subjected to this. I’m not meaning to be pessimistic by no means, but you need to be prepared for what’s going to happen.”
He thought a moment, watching me closely, reading me. “And yet I’ve never seen someone quite so ready.” His hand brushed my cheek. “That, too, worries me.” No, it frightened him. He knew I had a violent streak. No one knew how big it may be. Unable to answer him, I kissed his cheek, forced a smile and drug him to the garage.
A ramp led down from the doublewide garage door below the rest of the house, matching square foot for square foot in size. Only a slight platform about the size of your standard three car garage stood at ground level.
They had a ton of cars. Though they only drove a couple of them. Damien’s Jeep Rubicon- otherwise known as the “baby hummer” and of course Hendrick’s true H1 Hummer and Jez’s Ferrari. I hadn’t really paid much attention to the others. There was one old classic I liked to sit in sometimes when I needed some space.
“Remember, the city first. I don’t want you followed. Take detours. We’ll give you as much of a head start as we can. I won’t start running until I have to.”
Jezabell nodded at my instructions, and hugged me tightly quite suddenly. “I’m so sorry for everything, Anna. I’m such a harpy. I hope you still love me.”
As she hugged me, images flashed through her mind in quick precession. The sudden shock nearly froze me in place. I saw her going to Phoenix, and asking him to go to Nekayla. I saw her with Lara. I knew as well as she did that she’d lied to him. Once I recovered I pulled away from her quickly. Without a word I nodded to them as the garage opened.
“Stay close to her, Phoenix.” Damien slid his hands around to hold my hips. I was still nearly paralyzed.
It barely registered when he kissed my cheek. Had anyone else seen what I had? Had Phoenix or Damien picked up the thoughts? Phoenix nodded to him understandingly. Phoenix didn’t seem taken aback as I did, so surely not.
Damien seemed completely normal. Not at ease, but no shocking revelations for him either apparently. Well, okay then. Deal with it later, my brain snapped at me.
Damien took his Jeep separate from the others. He watched me through the mirror until he was out of sight. I stared after them for a long time, still as stone and perfectly expressionless.
Phoenix came up and stood before me with a sigh. “I did it for you. Not her. I just would have done it differently if she wouldn’t have come to me. Yes, Damien knows. Don’t worry. You’ll come to terms with seeing and hearing crap you seriously wish you hadn’t” He smirked ruefully. “Eventually.”
Uhg. How do they deal with it all? “As I said, you’ll eventually get used to it.” Uhg. Phoenix snickered.
He handed the metal bottle back, again filled to the brim. “You need all the advantage you can get.” I smiled my thanks as I took the bottle and drank it down in one steady long swig. Shaking his head, Phoenix took the emptied aluminum bottle from me and set it up on a key shelf by the garage door.
“You do look ready for this,” he commented with an amused yet bitter smirk. “I don’t recall the last time someone bossed them all around without anyone fighting back.”
“Did I scare them?” I asked with a smirk of my own.
He chuckled shaking his head. A hand placed to the small of my back urging me outside. “No.” He chuckled. “But you did intimidate them. You’re still a New Blood, just not average for a New Blood.” Stopping, he moved to enter the number on the key pad allowing the garage door to shut.
“So I’m a freak. I’ve certainly heard that enough.” My eyes rolled as we waited for the door to close.
“Not at all. You’re unusual, yes. But you’re also more controlled than you give yourself credit for. Despite the black outs of course. You’ve learned how to shut off your anger and fear. It’s not instant, but it’s given you an advantage.” We strolled from the house leisurely, needing to give them plenty time for a head start. “You’re by far stronger than most New Bloods.”
“Please.” My eyes rolled as my lips spit disdain.
“Please? Oh you’re begging me now, huh?” Phoenix grinned wickedly. His fingers pinched and prodded at my ribs making me jump and swat at him. “Oh I love it when the wild ones beg.” He laughed as I grabbed his forearms.
In a simple twist he’d caught me in his arms and contorted my wrists unnaturally backwards forcing my back flush against his chest. “Owe!” Laughing despite my pain, I kicked him in the thigh as he lifted my feet off the ground.
“Awe poor Sticks. Did that hurt?” Phoenix chuckled wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a loose hug as he sat me down.
Grumbling, I gave a whiney mocking sound. His hand ruffled my hair. “I meant it. I get it, Lianna. I really do. You feel out of control am I right?”
Shrugging. “Maybe.”
“You only see how we act. You forget the youngest other Vampire in this House is still over a hundred years old. You’ve yet to meet another New Blood. They’re like out of control teenagers on every drug imaginable. You’re strong, Lianna, believe me.”
I let out a sigh, leaning my head against him as his arm stayed on my shoulders. He complied only by not pulling away. “I’ve never seen another Vampire as young as you are control themselves enough to keep from killing a human. And you managed not only that, but you didn’t even hurt Paul.”
“I wouldn’t let myself touch him. If I would have, I’d have ripped his spine out. You know, you say that and it’s nice to hear, yet they treat me like a child,” I grumbled to myself irritably, thinking of the times they fawned over me as if I were an infant.
“Do I?” he asked, honestly curious. His lips curled into a grin though his eyebrows lift curiously.
“Don’t be absurd.” I had to laugh.
“I mean it. I know how people think of me better than most usually. But I dunno. I just try not to do that with you.” My brow rose, obviously not believing him.
“Okay. I do.” He shrugged the other shoulder. “But only when you have that certain look about you.” He looked to me for a long quiet moment as we came to a stop near the edge of the woods. His eyes shown with complete honesty.
“Why is it you seem more connected to me than Damien?” I’m not sure where it came from but there it was. And nope. Never did answer his question.
“I’ve drank more than he has. And more recently.” He didn’t look as if he regretted it at all. I nodded. I thought that may have been it.
“What would change if I were to ever feed from you?” This seemed like a rather important question, didn’t it?
“Well for one thing, Damien would kill me.” He laughed freely. The threat didn’t bother him though.
“No. I think I put a stop to the childish behavior. And anyway, that’s not what I mean.” I stared at him as we walked, completely serious.
Phoenix took a deep breath. He seemed to be contemplating. “I guess it is time that some of my secrets finally come out.” My brow rose to the intrigue.
Taking my hand in his, Phoenix stopped walking. Pausing, he stared down at our hands a moment before motioning me to follow with his head, pulling me to a fallen tree to sit.
“It’s different when I drink from you. I don’t just mean the bond, Sticks. If this same situation had happened between you, Damien and Hendrick for example, things would be very different.” He released my hand. Leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs. Phoenix watched the woods intently for a long silent moment.
“Damien is worried that I
may fall in love with you. More than that he’s worried you’ll fall in love with me.” My brows furrowed unsure where this was leading or how to respond. “You don’t. You let me finish.” Fair enough. “What Damien doesn’t know is that I get more from your blood than anyone else possibly could. Like the mind reading, I can read your blood as well. No one else can do that you see.”
Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his shaggy obsidian hair. “We’re bonded yes. I’ve only been so connected one other time in my life. I never would have expected for it to happen again. But it has. There’s no point in ever wishing to change our past so I don’t. I have no regrets in my life. That includes you, Lianna.” A long pause of silence. “I do care for you a great deal.” Phoenix looked back at me. Our eyes locked for a long quiet moment.
Leaning forward just as he was, my hand slid into his and laced our fingers together. “How do you read blood?” Didn’t figure there was anything else to say.
“Reading blood is like reading someone’s soul rather than reading someone’s mind. It’s very difficult to explain beyond that. Now you may be interested to know, very few humans ever actually reincarnate. Not as many that think they are anyway. From the day we met, that first small taste told me there was something truly different about you. I could taste the power inside of you. Anna, you were an extremely powerful shaman. Of course at the time I had no idea what it meant or where it came from.” He shrugged.
My brow rose skeptically making him snicker. “Let me explain this easier. On a scale of one to ten. You, cupcake, were an easy twelve. Your blood has a very unique taste.”
My brows remained high with surprise, and it was kind of an ego boost at that. Interesting. “Though getting back to the question at hand if you drank from me, we’d be even closer still. I could also show you certain things that I chose to. It’s sort of a part of the gift of blood reading combined with the telepathy. Through the bond we become so connected I cannot only read your mind, but I can project as well, but only while you feed.”
After a minute Phoenix stood, pulling me up to get me walking with him again. He gave me time to think on the things he had said. We strolled a while in the quiet. Mostly quiet.
I hadn’t yet mastered the art of stealth. That’s why Phoenix called me Sticks. You could hear every stick I stepped on. Crunch, snap, crunch crunch crunch.
“So is it just the blood that draws people together?” I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth. My fangs didn’t pierce the flesh as easily these days so no accidents this time.
“You mean you and I?” No. I didn’t. But I just shrugged, not answering him. His eyes narrowed, but he kindly ignored my thoughts. “In part yes. Of course there is more to every bond than just blood, Lianna.”
His brows rose skeptically. “Damien told you of the bond. Did he tell you anything else? Other consequences? Other parts of blooding?”
Blooding? “You can’t mean that there’s more?” I laughed once in dark disbelief.
“Oh yes. Quite a bit more. And tonight you may see it firsthand which is why I asked.” He sighed, slowing his pace even more, and speaking low so that only I could hear despite that we were alone.
“Has he gone over anything about drinking the blood of someone you were not close to? Or fond of? Draining another supe to the point of death or drinking their life blood?” His brows lift questioningly. Curious to see how much he would have to explain.
“Why would I do that? He told me once that it would hurt more if I were bitten in a fight. What’s life blood?”
Shaking his head, Phoenix snickered. All I could do was shrug an apology for my ignorance. “Yes, it is comparable to a human being ripped into by a shark.”
That reminded me of the goldfish to baby shark analogy I had used for myself once. He laughed hearing the comment. “That’s just too funny. Piranha, hah. Sorry.” He recovered himself after a second. “Life blood is the last drop of blood in a supernatural that brings him to the point of death. Anyway, no it’s not pleasant at all. But the feeling a Vampire gets from drinking another Vampire’s blood that is their enemy is quite different.
“It’s a drug. It’s power. Raw power that will give you every bit of their strength. Especially if you drain them completely. Some become frenzied with it, nearly rabid in comparison. For in doing so they take that Vampires complete power into them. When you drink from Damien, or when I drank from you, you were giving me your power which is why it healed me. Giving is more pleasant than having it taken, however. You could compare it to sex in that way.”
Shaking his head at a thought not shared with me, “It’s not as good as it sounds of course- blooding that is. Depending on the age of the two, how frequently the victor has done so in the past, and how they have learned to handle it, as well ultimately their sheer control, in the end the outcome could be very dangerous and very bad. I’ve seen Vampires go over the edge, losing their sanity to never come back. They make your Hollywood movies look tame.”
Silently I thought on this, and shuddered at the images my mind created out of nowhere. “Hell, I sure hope I’m ready for this.”
“You’re not. The creatures we’re facing tonight... You need to know that they regularly fight amongst each other. Many die. But they’re stronger for it as well. They eliminate the weak quickly, taking what power they had. Even a weak Vampire has more powerful blood than the strongest human.”
He seemed tense. There was more. I looked to him expectantly. “They drain the ones they kill. It’s their tradition. Ironically, they live by Blooding. It is how they become stronger. The one who’s done the most Blooding leads the others.”
There wasn’t a really good way to respond so I nodded. “So not only Vampires participate in the act of Blooding?”
“Any supe may partake in an act of Blooding, but primarily only Crossbreeds and Vampires make up the frequent participants. Vampires are the ones that either benefit or become crazed by it. Some shifters have a tradition of eating their enemy’s hearts, but that’s mostly ceremonial.”
More silence lingered. Silence with Phoenix was never uncomfortable, much like being with Damien. “So are you happy?” he asked, truly curious once more. Unsure how to answer him, I said nothing. “Is that a no?”
I shook my head. “Not a no.”
“Then you are happy?” His brow remained lifted as he watched me, walking slowly through the woods once more.
“Why are you asking me this?” I was between confusion and disbelief but I almost sounded appalled.
“Curiosity. As I said before, just because I can read your mind doesn’t mean I always do.” He shook his head, his brow furrowing as he thought on something that bothered him.
“And when do I get a look into your head?” My lips curled into a teasing grin.
His voice carried through the woods in a single hard amused laugh, “As long as I have a fair say? Never.”
“Well that’s not very fair.” I teased back with a grin I couldn’t help.
“Nothing in life is fair,” he sounded somber. “Fair is me not forcing you to relive painful memories and horrific nightmares. Fair is me not hurting you physically with my gifts.” He grumbled and quickly looked repentant. “Sorry.”
“I don’t think I realized before how much that bothered you.” I sighed, not sure what else to say. I had forgiven Damien the moment it started. Even as it had continued, pain or no.
Phoenix stopped. “You’re not bothered by it at all, really?” he sounded disbelieving and revolted. I couldn’t speak. “What? Are you used to being treated that way or something?” The way he looked at me, nearly repulsed made my muscles tighten uncomfortably.
Shrugging, I refused to meet his gaze. “You read minds. What’s the difference?”
Jerking me to a halt, he pulled me to face him, holding my forearm. “You don’t listen very well. You’ve no idea how rarely I read your thoughts, do you?” He scoffed. “The difference is, I wouldn’t force you to relive things that hurt you like th
at, and I sure as hell wouldn’t ever make you feel like you were being ripped apart from the inside out. I believe those were your words, Lianna.” his voice was harsh but far from cold. The anger he felt from this had lit a fire in him. “And I am not repulsed by you. You’re so ridiculous.” His eyes rolled dramatically.
My mouth opened to speak but then instead of retorting, what he had said sunk in. “Wait, make? He made it that way? He had control over that part?”
It made me dizzy. I looked to the ground, letting the memory of that night replay in my head. The pain from reliving the dreams and feeling their deaths all over again. The pain of the ravaging itself. The physical pain had been more excruciating than I remember it being when I was human. Suddenly I found myself sitting on the ground.
Kneeling before me, he balanced on the balls of his feet. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t let anyone get away with hurting you. No matter their reason or how it is they do it. Or even no matter who it is, Lianna.”
His face creased into an angry sneer. “I should have stopped him. I knew he was doing it. I should have stopped him the second it started. I was being selfish though. I didn’t want the others to know what I can hear.” Phoenix was angry for allowing it to happen. “I’m no better than him. That’s half the reason it makes me so angry. I’m sorry.”
I hadn’t even thought to be angry about that. It wasn’t his place to protect me. “We should talk about something else.” Raising my hands, he grabbed them and pulled me to my feet swiftly. Wrapping my arms tight around my torso we continued on, even slower than before.
“Yes. We most definitely should.” He sighed, keeping his pace as slow as mine.
“So tell me this… What keeps you guys here?” He looked interested. He understood how I meant it. He didn’t seem the type to put up with someone like Jezabell for so long.
“I am very old, as you know… I think I just got tired. Tired of always moving, always looking over my shoulder. For years upon years I was a nomad, roaming this planet unaccompanied. There were plenty of people I knew, that I would go to see from time to time. But if you haven’t noticed, Vampires are arrogant. We don’t always get along with one another. Eventually, Hendrick and I met. We traveled together for some time. Then one day I ran into Jezabell again. We’d met some years before.” He shrugged, planning to leave it at that.