by Tish Thawer
"But I love my job, you know that."
"Well, I love tequila, but I don't drink it because it's not good for me. This is something that I need you to do for me, Meredith. Just say you'll stay home and take care of our child."
Now I was getting worried. With his reaction to the home on our search, and now with this over the top concern about the baby, I was starting to wonder if my blood was no longer doing its job. I decided to test my theory and used our mind bond to attempt to change his mind.
As he turned to grab the last box that was sitting on the kitchen counter, he hesitated slightly as I sent the thoughts into his mind, but then, after a slight shake of his head, he lifted the box and walked straight out to the car.
Son of a bitch!
I was on the verge of a serious panic attack. If Jeremy remembered Rose and the fact that I'd killed his wife and Damien...at worst, he'd kill me on the spot––or at least try to––and at best, the wonderful concern he was currently feeling would cease to exist as he ran out my door.
I wiped a single tear from my cheek as he returned from the garage. "Are you ready to go to dinner, honey?" he asked nonchalantly. "I thought we could head to The Melting Pot again."
Yuck. I was so sick of that place. I wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy or not but if I had to dip one more thing into a bowl of melted cheese, I was going to puke. Why couldn't we just go to McCrady's? I was having enough trouble eating anything other than blood, but at least if we went there I could get a good steak tartar.
"Never mind. How about we go to McCrady's instead?"
I spun around, squinting in confusion. If I was just able to change his mind about the restaurant, that meant that the bond was still working. But if that was the case, then why didn't it work when it came to the baby? I tried something else completely random to test my theory.
"That sounds good, how about we take the bus instead of driving?"
"Sure, that sounds great. Let's take the bus."
What the hell is going on? I retracted my last thought from his mind and walked to the car instead. It looked like I was going to have to pay another visit to my grandmother and see if she had any idea as to what was happening, because for the first time in a long time, I didn't have a fucking clue.
* * * * *
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Request
(Evie)
I was flooded with relief when I received Christian's call, but when he made his odd request my nerves kicked back up again. As soon as we'd hung up I dialed Balam, just as I'd promised. I still wasn't sure if I should share all the details of our current situation with him or not, but as soon as he answered, I decided to stick only to the information Christian requested.
"Hola, Evie. How are you, my child?"
"I'm good, Sire, thank you for asking. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'm calling with a special request."
With a light tone to his voice he asked, "And what might that be?"
"I need you to venture into the lower caves below the lair and see if there are any petroglyphs carved into the walls."
"My, my, that is a special and very specific request. Is there anything in particular that I'm looking for?"
I knew this was his polite way of digging for more information, so I gave him what I could. "I'm not sure. In an effort to prepare our clan to stand against the demons, I've performed the Passing of Powers ritual with Christian. He is now our new Sire. I've asked that he stay with us until the threat is eliminated, and following his psychic gifts, he's asked that we check for carvings beneath Chichen Itza. That's really all I know."
After a slight pause, Balam replied. "All right. But the caves are extensive and obviously since we can only look at night, it will take some time to cover them all. I'll gather a team and get started right away."
I was so pleased that he didn't question me further because for one, I didn't have any more answers regarding Christian's request, and two, I didn't want to have to lie or hide anything from my Sire about Rose.
"Thank you so much, Balam. I'll be waiting for your call." I hung up before he even had a chance to say goodbye.
I sat in my office, contemplating what it was that Christian could possibly expect Balam to find. It didn't take long before I was rubbing my temples. Pushing away from my desk, I walked out of my office and into the club. I spotted Dax and Terrance looking over the railing from the second floor and made my way through the crowd. I climbed the stairs and eased my way between my consort and his best friend.
My heart swelled as I looked at Terrance. We had almost lost him when Meredith had him under her control. It had been a blessing from the gods that he'd fallen in love with Loraine, as it was that connection which had brought him back to us. I felt bad that he would never get the chance to be with the woman he desired and who had ultimately saved his life, but I was so happy we had him back in our clan that I couldn't help but to shed a tear.
"Evie? Are you all right?" Dax reached out and brushed the pad of his thumb over my cheek.
"Yes. I'm fine. Just a bit overwhelmed." I leaned into Dax's embrace while smiling at Terrance. "I'm so thankful that you're back with us, Terrance. I'm sorry I haven't taken the time to say that."
"Thank you, Evie." He clapped Dax on the back. "I'm definitely happy to be able to hang out with this guy for a few more centuries."
Dax and Terrance had been best friends since the day we'd decided to turn him to save his life. When Terrance was infected and facing the potential of the true death, it had really hit Dax hard. This was just another reason I was grateful that Terrance had pulled through. If he would have remained dark, I would have had no choice but to kill him, and I wasn't sure if Dax could continue to love me in the same way, if that had been the case.
Dax must have been scanning my thoughts, because he whispered in my ear. "Nothing could ever change how much I love you."
The emotional rollercoaster I was currently experiencing must have got the better of me, because the overwhelming sense of love and lust I felt for Dax in that moment had me crushing his mouth to mine as I pulled him into the nearest private room. Terrance laughed out loud as he walked away.
After shutting the thick curtains behind us, I led Dax to the velvet couch. I'd always been so involved with being the Sire and making sure everyone else was taking care of, that at times, I forgot to take care of us. He always understood and knew it was just part of being the consort of the Sire, but at times like this, when I was emotionally drained, he was the only one who could fill me back up and restore balance to my life.
* * * * *
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Home
(Rose)
After fleeing Mt. Vernon, it only took twenty minutes before I was standing at the entrance to the caves in Hannibal, Missouri. It was nine a.m. and the area was crawling with tourists. I was feeling possessive over the underground lair that awaited me and wanted everyone to leave so I could claim my new home.
Home. The word caused an odd reaction in my brain. First it became a question. Where was home? Then it became a slideshow of memories: a two-story house with a nicely manicured lawn, a night-club with a red sign flashing above its door, and finally an ancient cave where stone and fire surrounded me.
The images were knocked from my mind when someone accidentally bumped into me. The growl that escaped me had the woman backing away with wide eyes. Trying hard to control my bursts of speed I turned and ran toward the tree line that surround the area. I had to remain calm or else I'd end up ripping out the throats of everyone around me.
After I was out of range from prying eyes, I leapt into one of the massive oaks. I decided to get some rest while I waited for the tours to close. I leaned back against the rough bark, balancing myself on the thickest branch. The awkward location didn't bother me in the slightest and within minutes I was drifting to sleep.
A roar of threatening menace ripped from my throat. Echoes of terror filtered to my ears as the villagers I now noticed screamed in
reply.
I felt myself drifting above the scene. My fangs throbbed at the amount of blood that coated the ground and the strength that flowed through my body had me feeling like a god.
The scene remained the same until a large beast entered the other end of the village. I couldn't hear his words over the buzzing in my head, but I somehow knew he was talking to me. He had long jagged fangs, just like mine, and upon staring a little longer, I could make out large wings that wrapped around his body.
As he moved forward, the tribesmen scattered in all directions like cockroaches scurrying away from the light. The massive winged being stalked toward the center of town, heading straight in my direction.
"Ixtab!"
The roar in my head continued to increase as the creature got closer.
"Ixtab!"
I hovered above the beast and watched as he unfurled his wings. They were leathery––almost skeletal––and stretched at least six feet in each direction. He launched into the air, stretching his hands out to grab me.
It was then that I awoke, screaming and finally free of this nightmare. Birds flew from the tree as the branch shook, setting loose its leaves as if to save them from my wrath. Breathing hard, I quickly scanned the area making sure there wasn't an actual threat. After realizing I was safe, I leapt from my perch. My feet hit the ground, causing a slight tremor. I slowly walked out of the forest and approached the mouth of the cave. A tingling sensation radiated from deep within my belly, spreading up and around to my back.
The temperature dropped as I walked further into the dark. My eyes adjusted instantly and a smile crept across my face. The stone walls were smooth yet jagged at the same time. The ground was compacted from years of tourist activity. There were lights and hand rails that ran throughout the trails, but as I walked deeper into the cave, I knew I'd find areas that were untouched by man. Those were the places calling to me.
When I reached what felt like the center of the tunnel system, I heard a trickle of water as I rounded the corner. After a few hundred feet I came upon a room that had a small pond in its center. Looking to the sky I saw a waterfall that fell from an opening far above straight into the pond below. Besides that hole, the room was a dead-end and therefore had only one main entrance, which meant it was easily defendable. I giggled and jumped into the air, grabbing the edge with both hands and lifted myself out of the opening to scan my surroundings. I found myself deep within the forest, surrounded by ferns and enough trees to blot out the sky. There weren't any trails as far as my eye could see and the hole in the ground was the only additional entrance to the cave system I could find in the area.
I jumped back down and landed with ease. I knew this was going to be the perfect location for me to hole up in. But the question of why kept drifting into my mind. I wasn't sure why I felt the need to hide and defend, but as long as this cave served my purpose, I'd remain here while I figured it out.
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY
Mammoth
(Christian)
After I spoke with Evie and gave her my request, Justin, Jillian, and I took off like bullets from a gun. It took a bit longer to reach Kentucky, but we were now standing on the outskirts of Mammoth Cave National Park.
"Come on. Let's get inside and grab a map. We'll split up the sections like we did before," I suggested.
As we raced toward the visitor center, I tried to reach out to Loraine again. She had yet to reappear and my concern was growing. However, before I could sense anything, we were interrupted by a vehicle coming around the side of the nearest building. The headlights hit us before we even had a chance to react.
"Hey, stop right there!" a voice rang out.
Jillian and Justin looked in my direction and within a split second my fangs were buried in the park ranger's neck. I didn't have time to deal with any shit that would slow our progress, but as I erased our presence from his mind, I scanned him to see if there was anything of interest that I should know about within these caves. Surprisingly enough, there was. Apparently, just like the ones in Virginia, they were petroglyphs located in the depths of the caverns, far removed from the normal trails.
As we watched the ranger drive away from inside the main visitor's area, I told Jillian and Justin what I'd seen in his thoughts.
"I want to take that section so I can check out the drawings," I said as I pointed to the map. "Jillian, you take the section with the Frozen Niagara room, and Justin, you head to the Fat Man's Misery." They both nodded silently then kissed each other before breaking apart and heading to their designated areas.
My path led south. I followed curves and corners down and around the cold walls, all while hoping to glimpse something that spoke of Rose's presence. I'd gone about three miles in when I came around a sharp turn and caught myself on the edge of a massive hole. It was impressive and at first glance, could easily be compared to a bottomless pit. Suddenly, the images I glimpsed from the park ranger's mind dimmed in comparison to what I knew was hidden at the bottom of this abyss.
I jumped into the void without thinking twice. I fell for what seemed like twenty seconds with my eyes closed and my hair streaming straight above my head. Suddenly my senses snapped into focus just before I splashed into a sink hole at the bottom of the pit. It was deep, but once I got my bearings I was able to make my way to the water's edge and scrambled out onto what felt like a shell covered floor.
The loose shale that shifted under my feet had me wondering just how deep I was. It was clear that water had constructed this entire wonder; the small river entering one side, spinning in the center, then disappearing back underground, was evidence enough. I was momentarily stunned as I thought about the water and stone locked in a never-ending dance that resulted in this geological anomaly. I closed my eyes and let my senses expand. I listened to the constant ripple of the stream as it ran through the small pool and after a few deep breaths I felt a presence over my left shoulder. I turned back towards the pool to see Loraine hovering over the water, illuminating it and the space around us.
"Loraine. Thank the gods. I've been so worried."
I waited for a response but received none. Instead Loraine's eyes were wide and her mouth open as if caught in a silent scream. The normal light that accompanied her ghostly form began to shine brighter and brighter, basking the entire area in a blinding silver glow.
"Loraine, what's happening? Please, are you all right?"
I shaded my eyes against her ethereal light as I tried to make sense of things. In the thick fog her spirit created, flickering images started to play out like scenes from an old-time movie. Images of blood and violence, rage and murder, complete decimation and utter chaos, all raining down upon hordes of screaming people.
The flashes were so distorted I couldn't piece any of them together, and I certainly didn't understand what they meant or how they related to me or Rose. Once I realized the flashes were all the same, repeating over and over, I decided to focus on Loraine instead of the confusing picture show.
"Loraine. Can you hear me?"
She said nothing.
"If you can't respond, at least give me a physical sign if you can hear my words."
A slight nod to her head was all I got in return. I supposed it should have eased my mind, but in reality, it just upset me even more. I didn't understand why we could no longer communicate. Before I had a chance to form another question, the pictures disappeared and Loraine herself started to flicker in and out. Within moments she was gone again.
"Dammit!"
I paced the cave and ran my fingers through my hair. I had no doubt I had drifted dark again, and at this rate, I'd be surprised if I ever returned to my normal coloring. What was I suppose to do now? This turn of events left me frustrated and unfocused. I had to calm myself if I was to piece together any of the clues––if that's what they were––into information that could help me find Rose.
Sighing deeply, I forced my thoughts back to the reason I was in this hole i
n the first place...the petroglyphs. I walked around, my eyes slowly readjusting to the dark surroundings. The sink hole was in the middle of the round space, leaving the shale covered ground to circle the pool in a radius of about six feet. The walls surrounding the space were covered in strange vines which seem to burst through the hard surface on a life and death mission in search for the water below. I followed the curve of the room until I reached an area free of tangled roots. This particular expanse of stone was smooth except for the nicks and cracks, indicating the presence of the carvings I was looking for.