by Zara Zenia
I walk over to stand in the front of the room. The guys are staring at me. “It’s okay…” Roger whispers and coaxes me to begin with a pleasing nod.
“Well,” I chuckle. “The first thing is, we need to work together. As a team.” I glance around for reactions. The guys smile.
“We know that much,” Carl offers.
I pause for a moment and then I’m overcome with a rushing surge of confidence that bursts through me like a lightning bolt. I look up at the guys as if I’m their queen. “Each of us have individual strengths that can stop the destruction of Ethwan,” I explain. “We are all important and have qualities to offer to be the saving grace of the planet.”
Ken and Brent exchange a look of relief and then smile back at me, eyes gleaming with pride.
“The key unit is harbored in us as a whole,” I tell them. “As a unit.”
“I don’t understand.” Carl shakes his head and furrows his brow with confusion.
“We need to be a family. A true family,” I admit. My heart pounds. This is the part I’m nervous about. I don’t know if my suggestion will be well received, but it’s the only way.
“The five of us?” Ken asks in a squeaky voice.
“Yes.” I swallow hard and look at the floor. “If we become a family, then it will help bridge any lingering skepticism. It will turn the world on its axis. We will blow open the waters for a new normal.”
“Do you mean that we have to show the world that we can all live in peace together without clawing each other’s throats out?” Carl asks.
“In a sense,” I say with a nod. “But not as brutal. We want to show the planets at war that we can all get along and live in unison.”
“I’m willing to do what it takes to save the vampires,” Roger states nobly.
“Me too. For the dragons.” Brent looks around at all of us. “I think Katie is on to something. This plan has many optimistic points.”
I blush, prideful that they are engaging my idea in a way that offers a bouncing off point for success. “Thank you,” I acknowledge their praise. “If we are together, and Brent is the king, then it will show everyone all over the universe that there no longer has to be a divide among the dragons and vampires.”
The spark of recognition hits the guys like a lightbulb clicking on above their heads. “We finally have an answer, a way to save our people.” Roger grins.
“It’s not an easy answer and we might encounter struggles,” I counter. “But it’s a start, and one that could snowball into something magical.”
Brent walks up to me and embraces me in a hug that warms my soul. “I believe in you Katie,” he whispers into my ear.
“Thank you,” I whisper back. I really need all the support I can get, and their feedback means the world to me. Their conformity gives me the burst of energy I need to be motivated to actually achieve these goals.
“I’ve seen Ethwan so many times in my dreams,” I admit. “I didn’t know the planet before I went there. When I finally saw that it was the same place in my visions, I couldn’t believe I was actually witnessing it in the flesh.”
“What dreams?” Ken asks and crosses his arms, intensely scrutinizing me.
I glance at Roger who nods. He knows exactly what I’m talking about. “I thought I was going insane for a while,” I admit with a chuckle. I shift my weight and lick my lips. “As soon as I got to Ethwan, everything clicked in my mind.”
I take a step toward the guys. They form a protective, genuine ring around me. I squeeze each of their hands, uniting us before it’s even official. “It’s important for us to put our differences aside and become one family together,” I whisper softly. “Ethwan is the planet in my dreams. For whatever reason, it is choosing me to be the change it desperately needs in order to survive.”
“I’m on board,” Ken blurts out.
“Me too.” Roger says.
“I will support you every step of the way Katie,” Brent beams.
“I will do whatever it takes to save my vampire family,” Carl finally relents. “Even if it means becoming a new family.”
“Thank you,” I say and touch my hand to my heart. I’m moved by Carl’s yielding to the plan. I walk up to him and give him a hug, then I address everyone else. “You all need to leave now. I’ve mated with every one of you, and now Carl is the last one I need in order for us to finally bond together. Is this okay with you all?”
“Yes.” Brent nods and then everyone else follows suit. “We will support your wishes.”
“Thank you.” I squeeze his hand again. “After we mate, we must leave. We must fly back to Ethwan immediately.”
“We’ll be waiting for you,” Roger says and gently kisses the side of my cheek. His chilly touch on mine sends shivers of electric pleasure up and down outside. His eyes gleam as he walks away. “We understand why you have to do this, Katie. We’ll be right outside.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Roger
“How long do you think this will take?” I glance over at Brent for answers as we walk out of the den and into the fresh rays of sunlight.
“Argh,” I shout and immediately shield my hand over my eyes protectively as the searing pain roars through my sensitive eyes.
“Blood suckers,” Ken chuckles with a shake of his head. He glances over at me with a look of both pity and sympathy. I decide to take this as a promising sign that things are moving in the favorable direction that Katie desires.
“Hey now,” Brent bellows and stands between us. “You heard Katie. She wants us to come together. We must bond each other as brothers from now on.”
I flick my gaze at Ken who nods. “Agreed,” he states first.
I sigh. “Agreed,” I say and relent.
“So how long is this going to take?” I ask again.
Brent plants his hands on his hips and looks up to the sky with a vague expression. “It will take as long as it takes.”
“That’s not really an answer, big brother,” Ken laughs.
Brent flashes him a glare. “You agreed to allow Katie to make the decisions here less than five seconds ago,” he reminds Ken.
“I don’t know why she’s so powerful, but I trust her. Her energy is genuine and pure,” I offer.
Ken looks at me as if he’s seeing me for the first time through a non-judgmental pair of eyes. “I know exactly what you mean. I couldn’t explain it before, but you really nailed it on the head.”
“Thanks.” I can’t help but smile at his roundabout compliment because with a guy like Ken, you are always rolling the dice.
I find a log to sit on that looks sturdy enough not to cave in on me and crumble to bits as soon as my weight hits it. There is a little moss growing off the side and I pick at it absentmindedly, cradling my chin in my palm.
Ken paces around while Brent leans up against the side of a tree. He is the only one of the three of us who exudes complete control over his emotions. I understand that Katie needs to do this for the planets. I’m fully aware of the reasoning she’s working under. In order to save the dragons and the vampires, we have to be a family.
There’s just one enormous hiccup in the plan that might threaten to derail us all. The idea of having to share Katie is a concept that makes me cringe. My blood boils when I imagine Carl down there in the den kissing Katie’s neck.
I look up at Ken and Brent. “Do you guys hate having to share Katie?”
I don’t know why I blurt the question out as if I’m spewing bile out of my mouth. It just happens out of nowhere, like an uncontrollable urge.
Brent and Ken exchange a glance. Ken sighs and continues to pace. He won’t humor me with a response. Brent approaches me and places an olive hand on my shoulder. “We just have to get through these early stages. I promise that things will eventually get easier over time.”
“Are you sure?” I chuckle. I furrow my brow in denial.
Brent’s eyes gleam with amusement. “Even if I’m not, does it matter? We have to do it
anyway.”
I groan and lean up against the side of a tree. The bark scrapes into my skin and makes it itch. “I guess you are right. We have no choice in the matter.”
“We always have a choice,” Ken bellows. “Brent is the king of Ethwan. His best interest is in saving the planet and the dragons who live there.”
Brent nods in agreement. “Everything I’ve ever known is wired into that very statement. I have a job to do, and it involves protecting my people.”
“Do you guys care about Katie?” I ask. It’s the one plaguing question still gnawing on my brain.
I have loved her ever since we met, but it grew more intense once we fucked in the woods like animals after I drank the deer dry. I just want to know if the other guys feel the same about her as I do, now that they have had sex with her too. I’m not sure about how I’ll feel either way. I’m mostly unsettled, but hopeful about the future.
“I love her.” Ken’s flash with genuineness that can’t be forged.
“Me too.” Brent nods and pridefully squares his shoulders. “Her protection is equally as vital to uphold as the rest of all the living beings on Ethwan.”
* * *
Katie
Carl won’t make eye contact with me. I decide that it’s going to be up to me to get the conversation flowing. I clear my throat and Carl flicks his gaze over to me. He has a piece of string in his hand that he’s twisting and twirling around between his thumb and index finger.
“It’s crazy, how all of this is happening so fast. You know?” I chuckle in a friendly tone.
“Yeah…I just want to make sure my kind are going to end up safe and alive,” he whispers absentmindedly.
“They will be okay. They will be safe. I can make that promise to you.” I stand up and walk toward him.
It’s only when I make it a few steps away from him that I notice how he’s trembling beneath the shadows. His face is partially cascaded by the reflection of the lanterns dancing with flame shadows against the walls.
He lifts his chin and stares at me, expectantly. He has the same color eyes as Roger, because they haven’t been turned for more than five years. He leans his elbows against his knees and shakes his head.
“Everything is so complicated,” he mumbles.
“It won’t be this way for long,” I promise.
Carl is handsome in his own way. He’s tall and lanky, much like Roger, but less muscular. His eyes are hollow, and they have dark circles under them. He’s the only vampire I’ve ever seen that actually looks tired from lack of ever sleeping. I don’t know if that’s the real reason behind his issues, but I would like to try to help him heal whatever wounded emotions he’s still holding onto.
His gaze locks on mine. His cheeks curl into a grin. He looks innocently cute in this moment. I stroke his cheek slightly. He doesn’t flinch or recoil from the touch of my warm hand on his icy skin, which I take as a good sign.
“Carl, you know what we have to do in order for the plan to be successful,” I whisper in a tone that reflects that there is no room for debate.
“I know.” He glances at the ground, but doesn’t protest or argue.
I know that if I spend a few gentle moments with him, I’ll reach my goal. “It’s time for us to open up to each other,” I say softly. “From now on, there are no secrets. There will be no shame, regrets or sorrow. We are a team now, until the end of time. Any aggressions you have, you can leak out onto me. Share your burdens. They are mine to carry now too.”
Carl studies me as if he’s trying to decipher whether or not I’m telling him the truth. In the end, he relents. “Okay,” he nods with determination. “Let’s start at the beginning.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Carl
Katie flashes me a pleased smile with the idea of me being approachable and willing to open up to her. She inhales a deep breath and plops down in the chair beside me, where I’m sitting. She leans back. I’m still resting my elbows on my knees. I scuff the dirt floor below with my shoe and wait for her to open the gateway of conversation.
“I know what you did for Roger,” she mentions.
I glance up at her with surprise. “You do?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs as if the information is no big deal. “He told me.”
“Oh.” I nod once and continue to look at the floor.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” she adds.
I laugh, but don’t look at her. “I’m not exactly sure that’s the way I’d refer to it, but—”
“It’s a very brave and selfless thing to do,” Katie says and cuts me off midsentence. “I really respect you for it.” She places her hand on my back. I don’t try to stop her. “Roger owes his life to you.”
“He would have died. I had no choice,” I whisper softly.
“You had a choice,” Katie counters. “But you made the right one. Roger is eternally grateful for your sacrifice.”
“I couldn’t live without Roger,” I admit. “He is my best friend. He’s the only one who really understands me.”
“You have a new family now,” Katie reminds me.
I chortle with a cynical laugh and run a hand through my unruly hair. My knee begins to bounce and for a few moments I don’t realize it’s from my leg, moving up and down in jerky movements. I’m having another wave of anxiety.
Katie gently touches her hand to my thigh and causes a tranquil feeling to rush over me. My knee stops bouncing. I glance up at her as if she’s a miracle worker.
“You are different now,” I blurt out. I don’t mean to be brazen or rude. I’m simply stating the facts of my observance.
Katie warmly smiles. “Everything is different now. Not just me.”
I lean back in my chair, pondering the magnitude of her statement. It’s so ambiguous, but so incredibly on target at the same time for the veracity of our situation.
“We never really started off on the right foot with our friendship,” I mention and look at her.
“Relationship, not friendship,” Katie corrects gently.
I shake my head in confusion. “I don’t really understand.” I glance up at her for input.
“I intend to unite the four of you along with myself,” Katie explains. “We were brought together for that very purpose.”
I stare at her, really inspecting her features. I glance into her eyes, the window to the soul. Katie’s blue eyes aren’t exactly an open book, but they are kind. I still have an abundance of questions to press at her and I hope she’s either willing to discuss the important stuff or at least has the knowledge to satisfy the internal screaming of my mind.
“What do you mean, we were brought together for that purpose? What purpose?” My voice is one decibel below becoming shrill.
“Ruling.” Katie pats my knee again and smiles. “We need to rule Ethwan before it collapses around us.”
“We aren’t even on Ethwan,” I argue. “Or from there.”
“We will be soon,” Katie says, and her eyes drift off into space as she stares straight ahead. “Your kind is there, and they are suffering. They need our help.”
“We all have to rule?” I am still not following exactly what she means.
Katie looks at me and licks her lips. Determination is etched over her face. “Brent lacks a quality that we all possess inside ourselves. He’s a great leader and king, but his potential is lackluster. He can’t hold the weight of that kind of responsibility all by himself. He needs us, he needs me to help and support him.”
I laugh, even though I’m not trying to be cynical on purpose. I really do want to get on board with what Katie is trying to sell me.
“I am the key to bring you all together and to make Ethwan a better place. I’m not a vampire or a dragon. I’m the neutral piece in this game,” Katie explains. “I’m what will make the unity believable because I am not biased either way. I’m human.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I say, but I furrow my brow. There are still unanswered questions.
> “You grew up as an orphan and had no one to care for you,” Katie says.
It’s as if she’s opening up a ripe wound and pouring salt into it. I try not to visible cringe, but I wiggle around uncomfortably in my chair.
“You thought you could never love,” Katie whispers softly. Her face is only an inch or two from mine. Her breath is cool on my cheek and makes me tremble with some kind of mixture of pleasure and pain, suffering and loss, new beginnings and hope.
“Roger was the turning point for you,” she says assertively.
I dare to meet her gaze. “What are you saying?” Even though I already know the answer to this one.
“You were once a boy, going through life alone, trying to live one day at a time. You grew up loving Roger as a brother.”
“Yeah I guess…” I trail off. The conversation is making me uncomfortable, but it’s only because I’m not accustomed to discussing my emotions to this raw degree.
It’s unsettling the way Katie is able to read me like the pages of an open book, but I don’t mention it. I’m guessing that she’s already aware of that fact anyway by the sympathetic way she is peering at me. She stares at me as if I’m a delicate flower that she needs to water before it wilts and dies.
“Your relationship with Roger wasn’t enough to get rid of the darkness, even through all you’ve been through together. The hole you had sunk into was too deep. You were buried too far under the ground for Roger to unearth you again.”
“I raised him from the dead,” I say. “Practically…” I mumble as an afterthought.
“And it was a very brave thing to do, a very loving sacrifice to make for a brother, whether you are related by flesh and bone or not,” Katie praises. She strokes my thigh and makes me tingle.
“I have many intentions for this new family we are creating,” Katie breathes into my neck. I don’t know where this seduction is coming from, but she’s crawling into my mind and setting up camp. “I can show you how to control that darkness before it swallows you up like a black hole.”