Mortal Sentry (Raina Kirkland Book 2)

by Diana Graves

  I spent most of the past two days mourning Adia and hanging out with Katie in the hospital. I was distracting her and me from our pain by window shopping online for our new house. We couldn’t really buy much until we bought the house it would be delivered to, but it felt good to plan. Since we had such different tastes we settled on an eclectic look, mixing my taste of earthy rustic charm with her pretty in pastels sleekness. As odd as it may sound, they went well together. There was a balance of old and new, dark and bright, cozy and clean.

  Katie was healing well and fast and even I couldn’t resist the urge to hope that perhaps the Throne came through for us. She was in good spirits for a young lady that been through hell. The fact that Jed was dead helped, I was sure. Katie said that she felt safe for the first time since he came into her life. I didn’t tell her I had a hand in it. I just shared in her joy. Her mother’s death hadn’t hit home for her yet. Neither of us had brought it up, and I wasn’t about to any time soon. Katie would bring it up if she felt like it. It wasn’t my place to push her.

  I did everything I could to make her days better. I bought her a laptop so she could keep in touch with her friends. Since the hospital had no vampire visiting hours, Katie had video chats with Michael at night. She said he took all the bad news well, and couldn’t wait for her to be discharged so he could see her in person. But, I knew Michael was playing it calm for her. When he found out what happened, he was furious. He came over to Fauna’s Tuesday night. He didn’t have anyone else. His family, his friends, they all abandoned him when he turned. And Tristan, well he couldn’t be bothered, because in his mind, no one’s troubles could match his own. So Michael came to me and he ranted and screamed and cried, and I held him while he did it. I told him he could let out all his pain with me, but not with Katie, not yet. “Give it time,” I told him. “Wait for her to heal physically before you can share your pain. She needs to focus on her, and she needs only our love and support.” I was glad Michael took what I said to heart.

  Fauna was helping me hunt for a house. As a home owner, she knew what to look for, what questions to ask and where the better neighborhoods to live in were. We’d seen six beautiful homes already but as we pulled into the last one of the day, I knew it was the one. And, with hardly any time to spare. Damon would drop Thomas off on Saturday night.

  We pulled into a half circle drive way. The house was two stories high, a brick beauty with a clay roof and vines crawling up the sides. A white gravel walk way cut through a green lawn to a large wraparound porch. We climbed the steps to the white double doors, and I could already smell the cookies the owner had made in hopes to entice us to buy. Not that they were needed. Fauna knocked twice.

  “I love it,” I whispered with a huge grin.

  “Me too, but put on your game face. You don’t want to appear too eager,” she said, and we both brought our cheesy smiles down a few degrees; from shit eating to pleasantly amused.

  The man who answered the door had a good tan and a bright smile. He wore tan slacks and green polo shirt.

  “Hello, you must be Raina. I’m so glad you could make it,” he said.

  “You must be Robert.”

  We all exchanged hearty handshakes and he ushered us in. My heart leaped. The foyer had black tile with white grout and crown molding. The walls were a soft cream and the wrought iron chandelier gave off a soft flattering light. We moved into the library just off the foyer. It had one wall dedicated to shelving, floor to ceiling shelving. The mahogany shelves were empty, but I would have them filled to the brim in no time.

  “I know library space is important to sorceresses,” Robert said. I was all smiles as we moved on to the next room.

  Again, off the foyer was the sitting area, one of three, and they all looked very similar. They were all about the same size, had crown molding, a fire place and tall windows. The differences were in the floors and walls. One was painted green with light carpet, one was painted blue with hard wood floors, and one had white walls and white carpet. The kitchen did not disappoint. It was a witch’s kitchen. There were more book shelves; more than one cooking unit, and a whole lot of counter space. Too bad it was all wasted on me. I wasn’t a talented witch. The only potions I could brew were simple ones, elementary crafting, stuff most humans could do.

  After poking about the kitchen and enjoying a few cookies and juice, Robert said, “Shall we head upstairs?”

  “Yes. How many bedrooms does this have again?” I asked.

  “There are four official bed rooms and one small office space, but the basement has been remodeled to create more livable space. We can’t claim the basement rooms as actual bedrooms because they have no closets and the windows are too small to satisfy regulations,” he said.

  I didn’t know why Robert was selling his house, but it was listed as a quick sale by owner, which suited me just fine because I was looking for a quick buy. I didn’t read his thoughts or emotions to find out either. That’s just rude when unprovoked. Anyway, by his body language I could tell he didn’t enjoy being there as much as I did; going through each room, reliving whatever life events might have taken place in them.

  All the rooms looked just lovely; with the same crown molding and tall windows, but with variations in flooring and paint. The only room that stood out from the rest was the master bedroom, and only because it was larger and had its own bathroom.

  “Well, that’s the house. I can take you down to the basement if you like.”

  “Lead the way,” Fauna said with a smile.

  The basement was divided into four rooms, and one room was dedicated to laundry. After going through them I turned to Fauna with a smile. “I would have a place for myself when I turn.” This house was somehow everything I needed and more. And, just over three-hundred thousand dollars, the house was a huge bargain to boot. It was too good to be true.

  Robert walked us to Fauna’s car and we exchanged handshakes again.

  “I’ll set up an inspection for tomorrow morning. My guy is very trustworthy and thorough,” Fauna said. “Will you be here tomorrow to let him in?”

  “Yes, of course, just email me with the time and I’ll be here. Hopefully you’ll be signing the paperwork tomorrow and be moving in by Saturday, Miss Kirkland,” Robert said.

  “That’s the goal. I just love your home. It’s beautiful,” I said. “I can’t imagine why you would want to leave it.” He said nothing, and we shared a few moments of awkward silence until Fauna broke it.

  “Soon it will be your beautiful home, Raina,” she said.

  I climbed into the car, still smiling. My phone was full of photos of every room. I couldn’t wait to show Katie our new home.

  DINNER PLANS

  I STARED DOWN at my phone in my hand and let it vibrate and ring. The caller ID said it was Damon. It was strange how much a difference a few days could make. He was the same man I felt so fondly toward that I was willing to risk death to come to him when he said it was imperative that I do so. And now, I hesitated to simply answer the phone. Why? Because, I felt guilty that I was taking away someone he loved at the whim of a demon to save my own skin. Sometimes, I felt like I was a curse on the people I loved. This was one of those times.

  I took a deep breath and answered, “Hello, Damon.”

  “I was wondering if you were going to pick up,” he said.

  “Yeah, sorry—stupid purse. I should be more organized,” I lied…sort of. Well, I should be more organized.

  “Indeed,” he said. I could tell he didn’t believe me, or was it just my guilty conscience? “I want to tell you that I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting lately.”

  “You’re sorry? Why would you be sorry, Damon? I’m the one that’s tearing your family apart.” And, somehow I felt worse having said it out loud.

  “Raina,” he breathed. “It’s Raphael, not you. It’s not your fault that he has put us in this situation, but I’ve been taking it out on you. I’ve been avoiding you, and I’m sorry. Would you come to
dinner at my home tonight? I think you and Thomas need more time together before Saturday.”

  “Of course, that sounds good. I was just thinking something along those lines. Saturday is coming fast…oh, speaking of Saturday; I found a house for us.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, as long as the inspection goes well tomorrow morning I should have the keys in my hand by Saturday.”

  “So quickly?”

  “It’s a sale by owner thing, so as long as the money is in his bank account we’re not going to wait on the paperwork. I just left the house actually, and now I’m walking through the hospital parking lot to tell Katie the good news.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your sister. How is she?”

  “Physically, she’s doing better. Mentally, it’s going to take a while,” I said.

  “And you?”

  “Me? I’m fine.”

  “I don’t think you are, Raina.”

  “I’m dealing,” I said.

  “You’ve avoided talking about what happened to you and your brothers long enough. And, now you have to cope with your sister’s rape and recovery. I think you need to unload.”

  “I’m fine, Damon. Really. I’m…,”

  “You’re not fine,” he interrupted me. “You need someone to talk to, now more than ever. Please. Once we get Thomas to bed tonight, we need to have a talk. It’s been long overdue.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Perhaps he was right. As much as I wanted to pretend that I was strong enough to deal with things all by myself, as much as I wanted to play the macho-lady with nerves of steel, I felt vulnerable, exposed. I thought I was one tough cookie, but Jed proved me wrong in the worst way. On the flip-side, I didn’t see how talking about my feelings would help me. Like what, suddenly I wouldn’t feel like I failed my mom and Tristan. Blab blab, and whoa, I don’t hate myself more than anyone in the world. No amount of sharing my feelings would fix anything. Nothing would change. But, I didn’t feel like arguing about it over the phone either.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tonight. Where and when?” I asked.

  “My place, at seven,” he said.

  FAKE FRIENDS

  IN THE HOSPITAL I found Katie entertaining company. She had several girlfriends hanging out in her room. I could hear their giggles and gossip before I even got out of the elevator. I walked down the corridor and past the nurse’s station, but I didn’t go in her room. I knew Katie was hostile toward non-humans. I could only presume that her friends were like-minded in that regard. I didn’t need that kind of negativity right then.

  Instead, I leaned against the wall outside her room and went over my recent purchases on my smart phone. Katie and I had planned everything to perfection; rugs, lamps, bedding…I had them all scheduled to be delivered early Saturday before Thomas would arrive. Yes, I was totally jumping the gun. I didn’t have the keys or anything yet, but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t wait to make that house our home.

  As I waited I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation— Okay, that was bull shit. I could have tuned them out, but I was curious about her friends. The company you keep says a lot about who you are, and I needed to know what kind of person I was inviting into my new home, around my new son. Thomas was infected with lycanthropy, after all. He was going to get enough guff about that throughout his life, he didn’t need to get it at home, too. Homes are supposed to be safe places. For the past week Katie’s been everything I ever wanted her to be, but I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure if that was due to a genuine change in perspective or if she was just using me. Her thought’s never stopped being judgmental, but her words and action never reflected her thoughts. Though, that was when she knew I was there. I needed to know what she was like when I wasn’t.

  All of her friends were acting loud and obnoxious (their usual selves I suppose), but their thoughts were all dark. While they huddled around Katie’s laptop, enjoying the wonders of the internet, their minds were all abuzz with probing questions and cruel comments. They didn’t know much for certain; only that Katie had been seriously hurt by her almost-stepdad, who then killed her mother and himself. They also knew that she was moving in with the famous living vampire, Raina Kirkland—not that I felt all that deserving of fame. But, what they didn’t know they speculated on. The rumor mill had been working double time, and it was not being kind to Katie.

  One reoccurring thought was about the nature of Katie’s condition. At least two of her friends thought she was pregnant. Another friend thought she was too, but that she got an abortion, and she did not approve of that at all. She was already making plans to talk behind her back the moment they left her room. Just a taste of the thoughts roaming through their fevered minds:

  “This is what happens when you sleep with your mom’s boyfriend.”

  “She shouldn’t have worn so much makeup.”

  “Being raped is no excuse for murder!”

  “Slut.”

  “Can she still have babies? I hope not.”

  “She looks like shit. I wonder if I can get a picture of her to show Brandon. He won’t think she’s so pretty anymore.”

  Giggles and jolly pretense aside, the tension was building between the girls. Katie was barely aware of the judgmental frenzy that was about to befall her.

  I knew I couldn’t hide my anger, so I hung my head, letting my hair act as a red curtain. I wanted to scream at every one of those ignorant little girls, but as long as they kept things pleasant on the outside, I’d let them be. However, when I heard a thought moving from brain to mouth I peered from behind my curtain and around the door frame. I had lengthy seconds to observe the room.

  Katie sat on the bed with her laptop in her lap and two friends on either side. All of her friends reminded me of the old Katie; putting way too much effort into appearing perfect. A tall burnet looked down at Katie as though she smelt bad. Her hateful words left her highly glossed lips before I could interrupt her.

  “So, I hope he was worth all of this,” she said.

  It took Katie a moment to understand her meaning, and when she did she looked shocked and hurt. Her lips parted but she couldn’t respond, and her other friends said nothing in her defense. One of them even chuckled a little.

  I stomped into the room, and I knew my face was a hard one. The girls responded to me the way I guessed they would. Ooh, a scary living vampire and a red eyed witch! They wanted to leave, but I was in their way.

  “What did you say?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  At first the burnet said nothing, but she quickly regained her composer. “I see the type of people you associate with these days, Katie. No wonder you became a murdering harlot.”

  “What?” Katie said in a small voice. “I didn’t kill anybody.”

  “Your mom died because you couldn’t keep your legs closed.”

  “Shut your mouth you stupid little girl!” I shouted.

  “Or what,” she smiled. “If you even look at me wrong I’ll have you marked.” To that I just raised an eyebrow. It was the ultimate ultimatum. ‘If you do anything I don’t like, I’ll have you killed, because I can.’ She gave me a wide confident smile. “Monsters.”

  I wanted to smack that smile off of her face, but I was an adult and she was just a girl…and she was right. It would take no great effort on her part to have me marked.

  “I think you should leave,” I said.

  She stepped away from Katie, who was now holding back tears, but she didn’t leave. “I think you should leave. I can’t believe they even let things like you in here. It’s unsanitary.”

  She was taunting me, as if a little twerp like her could insult me enough to hurt my feelings. I survived thirteen years of public school, fuck her. I walked to Katie’s side and put a firm hand on her shoulder. She was trembling with the effort not to break down. She had been through so much, and as she sat there healing her torn insides; her so-called friends were tearing her down.

  “Leave,” I said agai
n, and my voice was deep and full of anger.

  One of the other girls found her voice then. She cocked her hip and said, “Animals don’t command humans. It’s the other way around.” The girls laughed.

  “Leave!” I yelled, and this time I used that part of myself that could make them do so. It was an order backed by the demigoddess within me, and they left without protest. I didn’t watch them walk out of the room. With my hands still holding Katie and my eyes closed, I let the anger dissipate before I looked at her. I didn’t want to give Katie angry eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

  “No worries. I’m used to people like them.”

  Her face turned red and she looked down. “Because, I was like them.”

  Well, yeah, pretty much. Katie wasn’t the first person to treat me like a thing or a monster, but she was definitely the most consistent reminder of my non-human status. Even my dad was off and on. Sometimes he loved me, sometimes he barely tolerated me.

  I didn’t argue with her. I shrugged and let the truth be what it was. “And, here I came with such good news.”

  She rubbed the tears from her cheeks and settled in against her many expensive hospital pillows. “What?”

  I pulled out my phone and opened the album that held all the pictures I took that evening. “This,” I said while handing her my phone, “is our new home.” I let her look through all the pictures and watched her face light up dimly. Even with such great news her friend’s cruel words still casted a tall shadow over her. “I’ve ordered almost everything on our wish lists. By the time you’re ready to be released we’ll have our dream home.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she said. Her words were weak, but I didn’t doubt the houses beauty. She was just too distracted to care all that much and I couldn’t blame her.

  She handed me my phone back and closed her eyes. She swallowed hard and I knew her words before she spoke them. I was already taking her laptop from her lap and placing it on the table beside her bed when she said, “I’m tired, Raina. I’m sorry.”