The Stone of the Eklektos

by Britney Jackson

  “Okay,” he said. He used his abilities to take control of her mind. His smile faded as he answered, “I want you to tell me where Theron is.”

  Her brown eyes glazed over as his telepathic control took effect. “He has gone to kill the human woman,” she answered in a strange, emotionless tone.

  “Rose,” Kallias said with a worried scowl. “Where is he going to kill her?”

  “She stayed home tonight. He will have to go there,” Sofia answered.

  He cursed under his breath. “He knows where she lives?”

  “Yes, they told him everything about her,” she stated.

  Kallias frowned. “Who is they?”

  “The other vampires that are helping him,” she answered.

  “Shit,” he groaned. “How many of you idiots are there?”

  “I don’t know,” Sofia said, not realizing that was a rhetorical question.

  Kallias stared at a small spot of dried blood on the carpet as he considered his options. “Theron actually plans to break into her apartment? Doesn’t he know how dangerous that is? That could draw a lot of attention.”

  “He doesn’t care. She is important,” she answered robotically.

  His gaze snapped back to her. “Why?”

  “She is the key to power and freedom,” Sofia said.

  “What the hell? Power and freedom? You actually believe that bullshit?” Kallias asked incredulously, rolling his eyes at what had obviously been Theron’s words. Then he glanced at her curiously and asked, “Why her?”

  “I don’t know. She has something,” Sofia explained.

  “Well, that’s helpful,” he muttered. “How long has Theron been gone?”

  “Long enough to kill her,” Sofia said.

  —

  Rose ran as fast as her feet would take her. She didn’t look back. She didn’t pay attention to her surroundings. She just kept running, the concrete pounding harshly beneath her feet. Her heart pounded rapidly in her head, and her lungs felt too constricted, as if they’d explode under the pressure. She needed to stop, just for a moment, just to breathe, but she couldn’t. Theron moved much faster than her. Her only chance of survival was to force her feet to keep moving.

  She gasped as she suddenly collided with a large, hard object. The force of the collision knocked her backward, nearly knocking her flat on her back. Before she hit the ground, however, two hands grasped her shoulders to steady her. Her stomach sunk with dread as she realized that she’d run into a person. Terrified that it was Theron, she twisted and attempted to run from him, but with her head spinning so violently, the first wobbly step sent her toppling forward.

  His arms circled around her stomach to catch her before she hit the ground face-first. He pulled her back against him to hold her still, her feet leaving the ground as he lifted her. Her back pressed against his front, and she felt his breath on her ear. She continued to flail and fight until she heard him speak.

  “Rose, it’s okay. You’re all right. I’ve got you,” he breathed in her ear. “You have to breathe, okay? Your heart is beating too fast. Just breathe.”

  Her body went slack against him. “Kallias?” she said in shock.

  His entire body suddenly seemed to stiffen, as if he were experiencing the worst pain imaginable. “You’re bleeding,” he panted. “Your neck is bleeding.”

  “Your observation skills are impressive,” Rose muttered.

  Kallias dropped her on the ground and stepped back. He’d smelled her blood before he found her, but he’d been so concerned with getting to her before Theron killed her that he hadn’t considered how the blood would affect him.

  Rose pulled herself up onto her knees and rubbed her palms on her jeans to scrape off the little rocks that had embedded themselves in her hands. “You know,” she complained, still panting for breath, “it kind of defeats the purpose of catching me if you’re just going to drop me on the ground without warning.”

  Kallias continued to stare at her from behind, watching the blood slowly seep from the gruesome bite wound on her neck. His mouth watered at the sight.

  Rose stood, staggering from the dizziness, and she turned back toward him, slowly and unsteadily. She glanced around at her surroundings, at the trees and dark buildings, realizing for the first time how far she had run. The street was empty, which didn’t surprise her, considering it was barely an hour before dawn. She frowned at Kallias, wondering why he still hadn’t said anything. He stood just a few feet away from her, his black jeans hugging his hips, his leather jacket hanging open over his thin black T-shirt. His skin seemed pale, and she nearly gasped when she saw his eyes. They seemed much darker than usual and…feral.

  “Kallias,” Rose said nervously. “Are you okay?”

  Sucking in a ragged breath, Kallias tore his gaze from the blood on her neck and forced himself to meet her gaze. The blood loss had left her skin papery white, but a deep flush darkened her cheeks as she panted for air. Blood covered the top half of her blue T-shirt, turning the fabric a dark, blackish burgundy.

  She took a step back. “On second thought, stay away from me.”

  He blinked out of his daze. “What?”

  Her wide, blue eyes narrowed at him. “You heard me.”

  Kallias noticed the spike in her racing pulse. “You’re afraid of me,” he realized. He could smell the adrenaline in her blood. “Why are you afraid?”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted?” Rose snarled suddenly.

  “Excuse me?” Kallias said, his brows furrowing.

  “You wanted to make me afraid of you,” she said. “You tried to scare me.”

  He scowled at her. “Yes, because I wanted you to run, to save yourself.”

  “I don’t want to hear another word from you!” Rose snapped, her blue eyes flashing with rage. “Anything you say will probably just be another lie.”

  Kallias raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Could you explain to me where all of this is coming from? Because I can’t keep up with your irrational mood swings.”

  “I am not irrational!” she snarled.

  He crossed his arms. “Let’s agree to disagree on that.”

  Rose glared at him. “Are you saying that you have never lied to me?”

  His smug look faltered. “Well, I mean, I…” he trailed off.

  “I knew it,” she said. “You told him where to find me, didn’t you?”

  Kallias stared blankly at her. “You think I’m helping Theron?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. You’re the one who told me to stay home.”

  “Because I didn’t figure that he would kick down your damn door and risk being seen by any human in your apartment building. I figured he was smarter than that. A bad judgement on my part, I’ll admit,” Kallias said, taking a step toward her. “But why the hell would you think that I would help Theron?”

  “You warned me not to trust you. I should have listened,” Rose said.

  “Well, yes,” Kallias agreed, “but still, you’re being ridiculous. Think about what you’re saying. Why would I save you from Theron if I were helping him?”

  “To gain my trust,” Rose said easily.

  “I don’t want your trust,” he growled. He took another step toward her. “Why would I want your trust? So I could kill you? Is that what you’re thinking? If I wanted to kill you, Rose, I could do it right now. You’d never see it coming.”

  “You seem awfully sure about that,” Rose noted. “Tell me something. How many people did you have to kill before you felt that sure about it?”

  He froze, and pain flashed in his light brown eyes.

  Rose took a step back. “I knew it,” she whispered.

  “Rose,” he said hoarsely. “You’re panicking. You need to stay calm.”

  She threw her hands up. “Sure, I’ll stay calm while you kill me,” she said sarcastically, her voice cracking with nervousness. “No reason to panic!”

  “Damn it, woman, for the last time, I’m not going to kill you!” Kallias growled, his e
yes dark with fury. He leaned closer to her. “Listen to me closely. I hate Theron. My hate for him runs so deep that someone as kind and pure as you would never even be able to comprehend that kind of darkness. So, you can believe me when I tell you that Hell will freeze over before I will ever help him.”

  Her resolve faltered. “Why do you hate him so much?”

  “It’s none of your business,” he said. “All you need to know is that I would never help Theron. You’re an intelligent woman. Use your damn brain.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I am using it, and something is not right about you.”

  Kallias paused. “You’re right,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m trying to kill you. Did you see how badly I injured Theron? Do you honestly think Theron would let someone split him open just to gain some human’s trust?”

  Rose shrugged. “He seems psychotic enough to me.”

  Kallias chuckled, his eyes softening. “Yes, but not smart enough.”

  “Okay, you have a point there,” she relented. “But how did he know where to find me? Last night, you made me promise to stay home.”

  “He’s had vampires watching your every move, Rose,” he explained with a sympathetic scowl. “Probably humans, too. They’ve been stalking you.”

  Rose shuddered at that, suddenly feeling sick. “That’s creepy.”

  “Vampires are creatures of darkness. Creepiness comes with the territory,” Kallias said in a disgusted tone. His gaze remained fixed on a closed Italian restaurant across the street as he spoke. He could barely look at her without wanting to attack her and drink her blood, to drink the blood that called out to his predatory nature and threatened to overpower his self-control. “I told you to stay home because vampires don’t usually attack humans in their homes.”

  “Well, Theron did,” Rose said. “And I didn’t even invite him inside.”

  Caught off guard by the last part, a short laugh escaped his lips before he scowled at her. “Why would it matter whether you invited him inside or not?”

  Rose shrugged. “In the stories, vampires have to be invited inside.”

  Kallias suddenly burst into laughter. “Right. Vampires are terrifying monsters that enjoy brutally murdering humans, but don’t worry. They’re actually really polite. They will wait until you invite them inside before they kill you,” he snorted. “You actually believed that shit? That’s hilarious!”

  “No, it’s not! It’s not funny!” she snapped, her eyes welling with tears.

  Kallias froze, stunned by her reaction. He sputtered as he saw the tears threatening to spill out of her bright blue eyes. “Oh, shit,” he muttered.

  “You told me I would be safe at home! But I wasn’t safe! Theron attacked me! He tried to kill me! And he tried to… He tried to…” she trailed off, sobbing.

  His eyes narrowed. “He tried to what?” he asked, his voice a quiet, dangerous growl. He heard the answer in her thoughts. “Shit,” he muttered again.

  Rose shoved him with both hands, which accomplished nothing, really, because he didn’t even budge. “It was your fault!” she cried, shoving him again.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. She stiffened, shocked by the embrace, but then, she felt herself relax against him. His touch comforted her on a level she didn’t understand. She hugged him back.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his face in her hair. His voice became a low growl as he added, “He will never touch you like that again. I will make sure of it.”

  Rose didn’t know how to react. The kindness he showed her now was so drastically different from his usual callousness. It was as if she were seeing a part of him that was normally buried deep inside, beneath all the bitterness and anger.

  “It’s not your fault. I know that,” she admitted quietly, her voice muffled by his chest. Her body shook with emotion. “It’s just that there’s just so much pain and anger inside of me right now. I feel like it’s going to rip me apart.”

  “It’s all right,” Kallias assured her. His hand seemed to move of its own accord, much like his body had done moments ago, and soon, his fingers began to stroke her hair, soothing her. Her pulse, which had been racing since he’d run into her, slowed to a normal pace, and her blood flow slowed to a normal rate as well. His eyes fell to the wound again, and despite everything, the hunger ignited inside of him. Her blood smelled so sweet and powerful, and he was so close.

  Even though Rose sensed that there was something very wrong about him, that he was dangerous, for reasons she didn’t understand, she felt safe with his arms around her. She felt him lean his head on her shoulder, and she shivered as his lips brushed her neck. It felt nice…well, that is, until he sniffed her neck.

  Rose froze and then pushed him away from her. “Did you just sniff me?”

  Kallias took a step back, and to her surprise, rather than wearing his usual cocky smirk, he seemed nervous, embarrassed even. He rubbed the back of his neck. “No…I mean, yes, technically, but…it was an accident,” he stammered.

  She raised her eyebrow. “You accidentally sniffed me?”

  “It’s instinctual,” he muttered, cursing how stupid he was acting.

  “Instinctual,” she repeated, scowling at him.

  Kallias glanced around anxiously. “Could we just forget about this?”

  Rose suddenly felt insecure. “I don’t stink, do I? I just showered…”

  “No, you smell delicious, actually,” he corrected without thinking.

  She gaped at him. “Delicious?” she repeated in shock.

  “Damn it,” he groaned in frustration. “What is wrong with me tonight?”

  “Just so you know, you’re a little creepy sometimes,” Rose commented.

  “Yeah,” Kallias agreed. He raked his hand through his long, brown hair, feeling humiliated for the first time since as far back as he could remember. His gaze shifted back toward her neck, and he frowned. “Why are you still bleeding?”

  Rose scowled at him. “Well, you see, blood flows through the veins,” she said slowly, as if she were teaching a child, “and when there is a wound…”

  “I know how blood works,” he interrupted. “I’m asking why your wound isn’t healing. The healing enzymes in Theron’s saliva should have healed you.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “And how did you get away from Theron?” he asked, suddenly confused.

  “I ran,” Rose said slowly. “Don’t you remember me running into you?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Kallias said irritably. “But there must be something you’re not telling me. Humans cannot outrun vampires. Vampires move too fast.”

  She shrugged. “I just know I ran.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. “And where is he now?”

  “Now, that is a good question,” Rose admitted, glancing behind her.

  “Come on,” Kallias said. He grabbed her arm and began to pull her along as he headed back to his car. “I have to get you out of here before he finds you.”

  Rose scowled at him as she allowed him to lead her who-knows-where. “What do you mean by that? Where exactly are you planning on taking me?”

  “Somewhere safe,” Kallias answered vaguely.

  “You’re wasting your time. Nowhere is safe for me,” she muttered.

  Kallias stopped and turned toward her. “I won’t sugarcoat this. Theron is stronger than I am, and I have no idea how many vampires are helping him. But I will protect you, no matter what it takes. I have friends. We can help you.”

  “Friends?” Rose repeated worriedly. “Kallias, I don’t know.”

  “It’s the only way. You’re not safe here,” he insisted. “Theron knows where you live, where you work, where you attend classes. He even knows about your friends. He won’t stop until he kills you. There’s nowhere left in this town where you can hide, and I’m outnumbered. Let me take you somewhere safe.”

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Last night, you said th
at the safest place for me was my apartment. And now you’re saying there is somewhere safer?”

  He sighed, “Last night, I didn’t consider what I’m going to do an option.”

  “Why not? What changed?” Rose asked.

  He looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. “I realized my choice is to either let you die or risk everything. And for some reason, I’m choosing the risk.”

  She frowned at him. “How will this risk everything?”

  Kallias shoved his hands in his pockets. He stared at his boots, avoiding her gaze. “I have secrets…secrets that are best left in the dark, but I’m sure you already realize that. I don’t need anyone uncovering those secrets. And no matter what you think you want to know, you don’t want to know what I’m hiding. You won’t like what you find. But if I do this, I’m afraid you’ll uncover everything.”

  “Then tell me now,” Rose suggested.

  “There’s no time for that. Theron could find you at any moment. He’s tasted your blood. He can track you easily. I honestly don’t know why he hasn’t already found you. There will be time for questions later, but right now, I need to get you out of here,” Kallias said. “If you want to survive, you’ll come with me.”

  She stared thoughtfully at him for a moment. “Fine. I will trust you for now, but I’m warning you: If you try to kill me or hurt me, I’ll kick your butt.”

  He chuckled, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Rose followed him as he led the way down several streets. They’d just turned down a back alley that cut between an apartment building and a clothing store when Kallias suddenly grasped her arm and jerked her to a stop. Before she could even open her mouth to ask why they’d stopped, Kallias clasped his hand over her mouth. She glared at him, but he seemed too preoccupied to notice.

  “He’s close,” Kallias said quietly. “Run. I’ll deal with him.”

  Rose frowned suspiciously at him. “How do you know where he is?”

  He glared at her. “The questions can wait. Right now, you need to run.”

  She returned the glare, tempted to tell him exactly how she felt about being told when she can and cannot ask questions, but instead, she just rolled her eyes at him and spun on her heels to walk in the direction he was nudging her. She’d barely taken three steps before she saw a flash of movement whirl past her. She gasped as she saw Theron suddenly standing in front of her. She stared up at him, noticing the dark blood that coated his lips and face…her blood, she realized.