Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World)

by Brandy Nacole

  I push all those thoughts away, putting them on the back burner until after this mess is over and I have Addie back in my life. Once I have her back maybe it won’t be so hard to let him go. To let him and his brother live the life they never had but always wanted.

  Coy tilts my head up to look me in the eyes. He leans down, asking permission before bringing our lips together in a soft sweet kiss. His lips softly brush over mine.

  The kiss slowly becomes more passionate. His lips push hard and swiftly against mine, intoxicating me. He places his hands around my waist pulling me onto his lap. Now I’m cradled over him, my lips working and moving passionately against his. His hands wander up and down my back, down my legs, over my arms. He keeps pulling me closer like he can’t get enough of me.

  I run my hands under his shirt, feeling his skin burn against my palms. I want to rip his shirt completely off of him. Go where I never thought I would. The desire to feel alive and wanted overwhelms me. His touch brings my lonely emotions to the surface. A part of me tries showing reason, reminding me that this is a little fast, that he could hurt me in a matter of seconds. The other part of me lashes out at my reasoning. I could be dead in a few hours, and if not I still want him, still want his touch.

  My banter is interrupted when Coy breaks away from me. He cups my face, looking me intently in the eye. “Bite me.”

  My emotional train goes from raging hormones to an agitated confusion. “What?”

  “Bite me.” Coy starts lifting his shirt to take it off, to keep blood off of it I’m sure. But why? Why does he want me to bite him? Has he become some sort of junkie? Living in the lair might have turned him into a bite addict.

  As if sensing my doubts, he stops lifting his shirt and starts rubbing soothing circles on my arms. “I’m worried about you. I know what we are heading into. I just want to make sure you’re at full strength.”

  “I’m fine. I’m a little run-down but aren’t we all?” I go to move off his lap, the moment gone. He quickly stops me. Placing his hands on my hips and firmly holding me in place.

  “Listen, I was talking to Jared and he said he was going to need a boost when we landed. Here’s something I didn’t know about Vampires, which is funny considering I lived with them my whole life. He said that Vampires can get run down faster when fighting or injured. He said back in the old days when there were more wars Vampires would have a big festival, which was probably more of a massacre, to gear up for the fight. I just don’t want you getting run down and weak.”

  This new revelation makes me think back over my life and the times that I truly needed to find blood. Every time that happened, something had just happened to me. I was in a fight, beaten, or injured. Just like after the first attack.

  I had been on edge and felt like crap until I went to the blood bank for some replenishment. Then again after the London attack, until Coy came to my room and I drank from him, I was very weak.

  But what if it doesn’t work? What if no matter how much I drink I still get run down? I’m not full Vampire; I’m a mixture of them all. What if I run out faster because I’m different?

  I make my distress over the matter known. “What if I don’t need it? All I will be doing is weakening you.” I shake my feverishly. “I can’t.” I start moving again but his grip tightens once more. Does he not realize I could remove his hands if I wanted to? Then why didn’t I?

  “I’ll be fine,” he says. “We still have a few hours until we land. I can get some rest, stock up on sugar be. It’s worth it to me if it means you will be full and sustained.”

  I don’t know where to carry the argument from here, so I simply say, “No.”

  “Come on Racquel. Please.” He starts kissing me again, ever so softly. He gently trails down my neck, pulling me to him once more.

  My hands grip his shirt tight, his grip mine and together we pull each other’s shirts off. My heart is racing so hard it feels out of control as his lips come to mine. I can feel his doing the same under my palm.

  I pull away from the kiss and trail down his neck. God he smells good, a mix of sweat, soap, and blood. Intoxicating to me. I travel from his neck down to his chest then up again. I stop once more at his neck.

  He kneads his fingers into my back, pushing me up against him. One hand slides up to my head, his finger intertwining with my hair. He softly whispers, “Go ahead.”

  I have a moment’s hesitation before I give in and bite. His blood fills my mouth while a slight moan leaves his. My body becomes lighter and the need for him fills me even more. I can feel his hands. Still feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. The ecstasy of his blood and the passion from his touch making me feel complete.

  Once I release him, I’m at a loss. Not from just letting him go but not knowing what to do next. I don’t want to gross him out by kissing him with the taste of blood on my lips. Yet I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to move from this moment of pure blissfulness.

  The decision is made for me as Coy throws me off him. He lays me down on the couch as he puts his full weight on top of me. His lips meet mine with no hesitation. The blood plays no factor in his need for me.

  I forget everything, I only feel and want him. His warm body pressed up against mine as my legs wrap around his waist. He goes to pop the button on my paints but I grab his hand. I feel like someone just dumped cold, Wake-Up Racquel, water on me.

  What was I doing? I was doing exactly what I swore I would never do. I was going down a road that would complicate my life even more. My family history runs through my head as I push Coy off of me.

  Of course he’s stunned. But before he can ask me about my sudden change of heart the captain voice rings out through the cabin. “This is your captain speaking. We’re coming up on some turbulence. It may get rough for a while. If you could please fasten your seat belt until the seat belt sign is off.”

  I pull my shirt back over my head and buckle in. Coy sits beside me but doesn’t say anything. I look over at him. Did I honestly care about him like that or was I just hung up on his acceptance of me? I liked Coy, I really did. But was it real?

  Coy looks over at me and gives me a shy smile. “I’m sorry if I was taking things too far. I just got wrapped up in the moment.”

  I hadn’t even considered that. Wow, that makes me sound like a slut doesn’t it? I run with idea for now. “It’s okay. You just surprised me.”

  He takes my hand in his as we ride through the turbulence. The plane shakes the way my emotions do, side to side, up and down, just trying to ride out the storm.

  Chapter Twenty One

  My stomach knots as we descend into Greenland, the nausea completely overwhelms me. My doubt and fear rearing back up as we come closer to the upheaval below. The descent feels more like a quick plunge on a rollercoaster, than a slow decline through the clouds.

  Danika walks out of her private room, a sense of forced calm emitting from her and masking her face. I’m sure she’s feeling the same as I am, wondering what’s to come. Victory or Death?

  Sitting beside me, Danika puts her seat belt on for the descent. Ethan looks a little hurt that Danika doesn’t sit in the seat next to him. He’s staring at her with a blank expression but you can see the hurt in his eyes, the worry in his tight hands. I bet he is aching to hold her, to reassure her once again. She, on the other hand, won’t look at him. In fact, I notice her looking everywhere but at him. Weird.

  “The Elders called. They’re waiting for us at the airport.”

  “What’s the plan?” I ask.

  “I’m not sure. I guess the first plan of action would be to find where they may be hiding.”

  I give her my best ‘oh yeah that will be easy’ look. “Do you remember what happened in Canada?”

  I continue on reminding her of all the crap we’ve through. Then in the end we were found. I don’t think that’s what we want to happen in this situation. I would rather find them rather having them find us.

  As we exit the plan, Eth
an gets behind Danika. I eaves drop, noticing the tension between the two. “Hey are you okay?” Ethan asks.

  Danika plasters on a fake smile and nods her head way too enthusiastically.

  “Are you sure? You won’t even look at me.” True. Even though they are talking, she still hasn’t looked at him. Glancing up at him finally she tries reassuring him, “I’m just trying to focus right now.” She quickly exits the plane, leaving Ethan to watch her go.

  Danika walks to a plane not far from us that looks identical to our own. The rest of us follow suit. The weather’s just as bitterly cold here as it was in Canada. I pull my jacket closer to me with a shiver. My body may not get as cold as a humans but it gets cold enough.

  Once aboard the new plane, a sense of déjà vu hits. The furnishings and layout of the plane are the exact same as the other Coven plane.

  Sitting on one of the side couches are the three women Elders. I wonder where Mr. Elder is.

  “Please have a seat.” Eldrida says motioning to the chairs in the middle of the floor. Instead of facing front, they are facing the side. I take one up front as does Danika. Coy sits behind me while Ethan takes the seat behind Danika. Jared just stands behind them, not choosing the couch rather his feet.

  “You must be Jared. Danika told me about you joining the group.”

  Jared says nothing. I’m hoping he at least has the decency to acknowledge her. Eldrida turns to Coy next. “You must be the human. Coy is it?”

  “Yes Ma’am.” A boy with manners, plus. Maybe we should sit him and Jared in a room together. Have Coy teach him a thing or two about being polite.

  “Well it’s nice meeting the both of you. As you know we have a big task upon our hands with no knowledge of how it will end. Not knowing how the outcome will be are you two prepared to keep going with us, even if it means your death?”

  Without skipping a beat Coy replies once more with “Yes Ma’am.” Jared is still silent but he must have acknowledged Eldrida’s question. She nods with a pleased smile.

  “Alright then. We believe the Vampire in question could be hiding here in Greenland. It is the only place in which the amulet did not land. It had even landed on the oceans a few times. The thing we don’t know is where exactly. Did any of you find anything that might lead us to a start?”

  We all shake our heads. Danika gives the Deline run down. The Elders sit and listen intently. I watch each one as they listen to Danika’s story, listening for anything that might be a clue. That’s what it takes to be a good leader, being a good listener.

  Speaking of leader. “Where is Witten? I know it isn’t vital information but I’m still curious as to why he didn’t think it was important to be here.

  The Elders all look at me as if this should be the least of my worries. Which it should be and if I ever catch that curious cat of mine, I’ll teach her lesson. Until then, I’m just going to have to deal with her popping up and asking unnecessary questions.

  “Witten had to stay behind with the Coven. We needed an Elder who was capable of running things and starting over in case something was to happen.” Hanalei says none too kindly. She doesn’t come across as friendly like Eldrida. Maybe it has something to do with becoming older and wiser. Not letting silly things get the better of you.

  The conversation moves on. We discuss possible locations over a map of Greenland. All the destinations we think may be possible still lead us to an open ending. Just because these places look good and plausible, doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing. It would take too much time plotting out each individual location that may or may not be the hiding place.

  In the end, Eldrida thinks it is more reasonable to split into teams. Coy, Jared, and Hanalei will go north of Nuuk. Ethan and Laveda will find adequate transportation to go farther north to the regions around Daneborg and the National Park. Danika and Eldrida will head southeast to the tip of Greenland.

  I’m heading to the skies again. But First. “I don’t know about you guys but I need some food. Flying takes up so much energy. I need to fuel up on some carbs.” Granted I just had a hefty snack from Coy but my stomach is still grumbling for something solid. The last thing I remember any of us eating was a sandwich in Deline.

  The boys all agree with eager proclamations.

  As we exit the plane and make our way through the airport, I spot Chimeras. They are well cloaked, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Could you imagine the humans’ reaction if they found out all the spooks of the night were real, let alone there are more creatures that are combined from all those spooky nightmares? Let’s just say chaos wouldn’t even begin to describe the panic that would bestow this place.

  I turn to the others pointing out our visitors. We steer away from the Chimeras, hoping that they didn’t see us. Eldrida pulls us into a small room for smokers. Once inside I can barely breathe. The room is so full of smoke from the cigarettes and cigars being puffed, I can barely see. Hasn’t this place ever heard of ventilation?

  “Are those the creatures you spoke about?” Eldrida is looking out the window. She scans the area making sure that we weren’t spotted. Sure enough on the other side of the hallway, I see the Chimeras slowly walk past the smoking area.

  “Yes. How did they know we’re here?” Danika is standing by Eldrida, watching the Chimeras closely, as if she doesn’t believe what she is seeing. After what happened to Ethan, I’m sure her fear of them has grown.

  I turn to see what Ethan’s reaction might be. If I was almost killed by hideous creatures that seem to pop up out of nowhere, I would probably stir clear of dark corners. Ethan seems perfectly calm, though I can see his body preparing for a fight.

  His body is tense. His eyes have slight glow in this darker room. It’s a warning to others that he’s ready to change, becoming your worst nightmare. His face, however, is relaxed, focused and protective.

  I turn back to the small window, watching the Chimera slink around as they try to find us. How do they keep finding us? Everywhere we have gone, they have been there. Without warning, they were always catching us off guard. It’s as if they know when and where we are going to be before we do.

  Granted Ethan was sitting outside waiting for us at the Vampire lair. They could have caught wind of our location and got there just in time. But there was the park fight. We didn’t know that we would have to go to the park, yet they did. They were there waiting. How?

  My thoughts seem to be mirrored. “Every time we’ve been attacked, they caught us off guard. As if they knew we were going to be somewhere before we did.” Ethan looks over at Jared, who raises his hands in defense.

  Eldrida turns once the Chimeras have passed. Danika still keeps a close eye out the window, watching in the direction in which the Chimera had gone. “I’m not sure. Cerelia could be watching over you guys but she would need a personal item. Had she have come near the three of you,” she says pointing at Ethan, Danika, and myself, “we would have felt her power. The Coven in your hometown would have felt her power and reported it. Danika has been staying with us and we know she didn’t come there. We didn’t even know Coy would be joining you guys, surely they didn’t either.” She turns her attention to Jared. “What about you? Are you in ranks with Cerelia?”

  Jared looks furious. “Why would I give her a personal item of mine? So I could willingly die alongside of you guys? I was fighting right along with you guys in London. Why would I put myself in harm’s way like that?” If Jared is lying, he’s good at it. There was no delay in his response to the accusations.

  Of course Ethan is quick to come back. “So you could gain power with Cerelia. How do we know you don’t have some kind of protection on you? As powerful as Cerelia sounds, she could have given you something to keep you alive.”

  An all-out fight is about to start between them two. Jared steps closer to Ethan but I quickly interject. “I don’t think it’s Jared.”

  Ethan turns, looking at me as if I’m a traitor. I want to defend myself from that look but I pu
sh the issue at hand instead. “Think about it you guys. We were attacked long before Jared ever came along. I don’t know if he was at the lair but he wasn’t with us. However they are tracking us, it’s not through him.”

  “She’s right. He wasn’t with us and he did fight alongside us in London.” Danika has turned from the window and is now facing Ethan. She pleads with him to think it through, to realize it’s not possible for it to be him.

  Ethan eventually backs down. “So how then?” Ethans head is hanging now. I think that was the first time Danika had spoken to him since we exited our plane. Defending Jared was not his idea of a conversation he wanted them to have. If anything, he wants anything but to defend Jared. Dumb Lycans and Vampires and their stupid feud.

  “Let’s not argue over the how right now. Let’s just deal with the situation now and we can figure out the how later.” Hanalei seems all too eager to move on and away from the subject. My notch of doubt in her keeps climbing ever so slightly.

  “If there are Chimera here that could mean we’re close. They know we’re looking for them and that we are close, maybe a little too close.” Coy had been silent most of the day. I had been worried that I might have taken too much blood, leaving him weak. Yet maybe it was the imposing Coven Elders that had him on quiet time.

  Eldrida agrees with Coy. We revise our plan, choosing to stay close to Nuuk until we have searched the city and surrounding areas for anything unusual.

  Ethan and Jared make sure the coast is clear before we leave the room. As we exit the airport, we all keep our eyes and ears open. If it wasn’t for looking too suspicious, I would have been happy walking back-to-back.

  Instead of a luxurious limo waiting, the Elders have reserved two small cars that sit out front. This allows us to split up and cover Nuuk more thoroughly.