by Unknown
He raised his eyebrows in a brotherly way. “Did you not want to?”
I ignored the question. “Where’s Kai?”
“Lexi!” Gabi exclaimed bounding down the stairs. She squeezed me into her arms and swung me around. “Oh how I’ve missed you. You don’t know just how torturous it’s been living with these heathens.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I smiled.
She sniffed me. “Hm. Seems things are going well with Kellan.”
“Is it seriously that obvious?”
“Totally,” she said pulling me into the living room.
“Hola Lex. Como estas?” Rafi asked, walking in from the weapons room.
“Muy bien, gracias. Y tu?”
“Bien, bien.” He sniffed the air.
“Yes, me and Kellan did the deed. Don’t ask or comment,” I pounced before he could say anything. He chuckled to himself and shook his head acknowledging my wish.
“So where’s Kai?” I asked again.
“Miserable. He’s been sulking and depressed ever since you left. He lives between his room and the library and only talks if he has to,” Gabi detailed. Her expression was one of concern. I knew she loved him despite their past.
“You really messed him up,” Rafi added.
“Me? How?”
“The guy is head over heels about you. He was never that way with any girl, even me,” Gabi stated in a ‘duh, didn’t you see it?’ sort of way.
“Nothing like a welcome back guilt trip… I feel horrible. I didn’t mean too.”
“A phone call or reply to his letter might have helped,” Kalel said.
“I figured I would tell him in person.”
“Well, you might want to get on that before he attempts vamp suicide,” Gabi ordered. “He’s in the library so go talk to him. We’ll catch up with you later. I need to plan a shopping trip with you.”
“Okay. Nice seeing you all again,” I waved as I made my way to the library. My nerves kicked into high gear.
I knocked on the door and entered right after. I suppose the knock wasn’t necessary. He didn’t even look up. His head was down staring at the picture of his father on the desk before him. His face was pale compared to his usually tan complexion. His eyes were sunken in a bit as if he hadn’t fed lately. He was the definition of depressed and looked it in every way.
“Hey stranger,” I greeted. His head whipped up and eyes instantly brightened. They were right…
“Leka!” He swooped me and held on tight. Once he collected himself he put me down and tried to play it off as if nothing was wrong with him. “How are you?”
“Good. How are you?”
“The same as always. Tell me what you’ve been doing.”
“School, catching up on missed assignments and hanging out with friends. It’s strange trying to get back into the flow of things after such a life changing experience.” Uh oh. His nostrils flared a bit. I knew he smelled Kellan. I braced myself for what he would say.
“So Hawaii, you coming or do I have to kidnap you?” he chuckled. He chose to ignore the obvious.
“Going. I decided it would be a good opportunity to see the islands. Someone told me they were beautiful and had fun adventures from sea to land to mountain,” I smiled.
“Hmm. I wonder who that wise person was…” he prompted sarcastically waiting for his plug.
“You know, I don’t remember his name. He was cute though,” I grinned plopping down on a chair.
“Oh. Cute, huh?” He sat in the chair beside mine.
“Yea.” We sat in silence for several minutes. I looked around the library and the many shelves of books trying not to acknowledge him gawking at me. Nothing like feeling awkward.
“How quickly you forget that I can read your thoughts…” he broke the silence.
“I told you not to and I trusted that you wouldn’t,” I defended. Perhaps I was being a little manipulative in twisting it around. It’s not so much that I forgot; it just slipped my mind. I felt so comfortable around Kai. He’s so easy to talk too even knowing how he felt.
“So they told you…”
“Yea. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you felt. And you know where my mind was. I think if the circumstances were different, we could have worked. But, I could never hurt Kellan like that,” I explained fidgeting with my fingers, something I hadn’t done in a while.
“He’s a lucky guy,” he said the words but all I heard was his heart cracking with each syllable.
“You’ll always be my first second round pick though. He messes up and you’re in.” I was trying to make him feel better, but didn’t know if I was making it better or worse. I knew what it’s like to be rejected. And sometimes being told you’re in second place was worse than being told you’re last. Second means if you tried a little harder, you could have been first. Last means you never would have had a shot so you don’t need to beat yourself up.
“For your sake I hope he’s not that stupid.”
“Aw, so you do have a nice side,” I joked. “Come here!” I stood with my arms open. I pulled him in for a hug. His hands ventured down to the off limits zone. I smacked his arm and broke away. I took off through the living room out the back door and down the deck and pier to the jet skis. I hopped on one and cranked the engine. I heard Kai right behind me as I sped off. I pressed the button to shield me.
He rushed up on my side, revving his engine – show off! He divvyed out with a quick right turn; he successfully soaked me. I knew I was going to regret wearing jeans in the water. I spun around and chased him down. My mission: revenge!
An hour later we walked back inside both completely soaked from the splash war. I achieved my goal though. I’d cheered him up. He was beaming from ear to ear.
Still dripping wet, we walked into the kitchen. I grabbed two blood beers – my new name for their assortment – and handed him one. I watched him crack it open and guzzle the whole thing. I quickly handed him mine. He devoured both drinks in less than thirty seconds.
I approached him and ran my fingers under his eyes. His color was returning as each second passed. “Promise me you won’t starve yourself again.”
“Promise me you won’t make any permanent decisions about me or him right now. Give us both a fair chance. I can be right for you Leka,” he pleaded.
“Don’t be foolish.”
“Don’t torture me. I’m not asking for a commitment, just an opportunity.”
Why, oh why? I thought I’d decided. I thought I’d made up my mind that Kellan was my forever. There’s no one else. Why couldn’t I just walk away from Kai? Why couldn’t he just accept my decision for what it was right now?
“Because I’ve been where you are. I know the choice isn’t easy. That’s why you can’t make it so quickly. Love isn’t black and white. Just because he’s your first doesn’t mean he’s your last. Open the door for me; that’s all I’m asking. No strings attached.” I didn’t reply. I nodded once acknowledging that I’d heard his request. He certainly gave me a lot to think about. Was I making a mistake with Kellan? Did I rush into things? We’d been together less than two months and he’d already claimed me. Why does life and love have to be so confusing at times?
“I’d better get going,” I found myself whispering.
“At least put on a dry shirt. I’ll get you one,” he said. I followed him only as far as the living room. I stared out at the water. The lake reflected the many colorful hues of the sun as it began to set.
“Here,” he handed me a clean t-shirt. It smelled of him; a subtle mix of sand, coconut and cologne. Wait… I smell him. My nose didn’t work on vamps, humans and blood so I never tried to smell them. But I smelled him! He had a scent to me!
I yanked him closer and pushed my face into his chest and inhaled. This time I got a bit of a musky, forest scent blended perfectly with the others. I looked up at him and grinned.
“You really smell me?” he asked. Of course he’d read my thoughts again.
“
Yes! This is so exciting!”
“Glad I could be of service,” he chuckled.
“Thanks.” I took the shirt from him. I turned away from him and quickly changed. The shirt hung on me but smelled entirely of my first vampire scent: Kai. I lifted the collar to my nose and inhaled deep. I couldn’t stop smiling. At least I was making progress in one area of my life.
Chapter 20
“I’ll walk you out,” he offered. I shook my head in agreement.
“Oh, wait. I’m supposed to catch up with Gabi before I go…” He didn’t move, only stared at me, no expression. “Never mind. Can you have her call me?” He agreed with a quick nod of his head.
“Thanks.” We didn’t make any movements. I stood both comfortably and awkwardly looking at him, observing his features from his curly, now sopping black hair to his full lips. He returned my gaze unashamed.
“Uh, I should get going…” I stuttered knowing I needed to take a step at some point.
“You say that but don’t move. If you want to stay, you can,” he offered. I saw the longing in his eyes. He wanted me to stay which meant I really shouldn’t. I leaned into his chest once more to inhale my first scent. I was trying not to overanalyze it but why could I smell Kai and not Kellan?
He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. I reciprocated before gently disentangling myself. I turned on my heels and walked towards the door. He followed in step beside me; he placed his hand on the small of my back, the simplest of gestures.
At the door I announced, “I can take it from here. I am a vamp after all. There’s not much that can kill me.”
I started to open the door but stopped abruptly. “What can kill us or what does kill us I should ask?”
His lips lifted in the corners slightly and his eyes sparkled with amusement as a small chuckle escaped him. “Are you serious?”
“Yes…” I replied suddenly embarrassed. He scrunched his forehead switching into business mode.
“Decapitation and fire,” he answered. His look now showed little worry lines as if I should have known this. “No one educated you on this?” he asked. I shook my head.
“Those are the only ways?” I checked remembering the stories with wooden bullets and arrows.
“The main ones more or less,” he snickered.
“Stop reading my thoughts!” I scolded though I was smiling as I said it.
“Decapitation severs your head from your body.”
“I know that,” I sarcastically bemused.
“Without your head, your body can’t move to find itself since the brain controls the nerves and movements. That and all your serum and blood drains.”
“Makes sense. And fire?”
“Fire is tricky. It depends on the strength of the vamp as to whether they can truly die by fire. It’s like the sun. It weakens you. But if you fed that day, you could make it to water miles away and put it out. It would take at least a day or two for the burns to heal, but you’d live,” he explained.
“So the only sure way is to chop off our heads and burn us?” I checked. The entire time I couldn’t stop thinking about Mel’s mom. She actually did this for a living…
“There are ancient swords that can kill a vamp with one stab of their heart. They are rare and worth billions,” he added, eyeing me carefully as if I was going to pass out.
“Your gold daggers?”
“Yes. Gabi and Rafi have mini Samurai swords.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” I stretched up and pecked his cheek. “Thanks.”
I opened the door and casually strolled to my car parked in the drive way. It’s probably the first their neighbors had ever seen. I pressed the button to automatically unlock my doors. I turned to wave at him. He stood on the porch, his hands in his wet pant pockets, feet shoulder width apart in their stance, as he watched me like an over-protective parent. I slid into the driver’s seat, kicked off my wet shoes, started the ignition and put the car in reverse.
As I began to back out I saw the flicker in my rearview mirror. It was quick forcing me to jerk to a halt. Had I not been vamp, I would have missed it. Kai had just walked back inside, of course. I sniffed the air cautiously willing myself to smell something out of the ordinary, but, thanks to my nose, came up empty aside from the pine cones and slight floral mix from the trees outside.
I sat motionless and listened for any movement. Nothing; no cars, no birds, not even wind.
I brushed it off and started to pull out again when a thin silver wire flew around my neck and cut me. My hands flew to the cord and yanked it away. I felt the blood trickle down my neck.
I did a quick maneuver of my feet. My left foot took the brake pedal and my right whisked upwards to hit the horn. I prayed Kai or someone came to my rescue. I could see only a flurry of movement in the mirror facing behind me. I tried to focus during my struggle to see something, anything of detail. Black, they wore a black shirt and had short black hair.
Suddenly the wire I was tugging at was released and hands began grabbing at me. The horn blaring, I was beginning to panic. Whoever or whatever was behind me was strong. I barely withstood their attack. I stopped fighting off their hands and reached for something solid behind my seat, some part of him, her, it… I gripped a shirt skin tight over bulging muscles.
My seat broke giving way to my strength and sent me flying down and back. I swung what I grabbed forward through the windshield. He was quick. His hands snatched my jeans midflight but lost their way dropping me on the hood straight into the pile of glass. My car was moving, still reversed backing at an angle into the fence at the curb.
I didn’t have time to think. The vamp was on top of me cut but not harmed from my slam. I got a clear view of his face for a millisecond before I was jerked about. His features were a cross between Asian and Hispanic. Almond eyes, tan skin, a slightly wider nose upon full rose colored lips. It was a wrestling match of speed and strength. We moved so fast. I was so focused on defending his moves that I couldn’t attack. My sliced neck stung in the whipping of the wind against us.
Where the hell is Kai, Kalel, Gabi… anyone?!
Though it was a lot of action, it had only been about thirty seconds. I was just shocked I had no hero yet given how loud my struggle sounded, to me anyways.
I was suddenly airborne, tossed again the house with brute force and strength. Damn, I’d gotten distracted. The window below me shattered. It must’ve gotten their attention because Kai and Kalel flew outside at max speed just as I hit the ground.
My eyes darted trying to locate my attempting murderer. I saw only the two brothers in utter shock at the scene before them. Kai was at my side and I in his arms in less than two seconds. His jaw was clenched and hands in fists as he angrily glared at me.
I winced feeling the shards of glass in my arms and back for the first time. I looked in the direction of my freshly wrecked car. Kalel cut the engine and ripped a piece of paper taped to the wind shield that I hadn’t seen before.
“What the hell happened?!” Gabi exclaimed. Rafi and Art burst through the door to my side right behind her.
“Ay dios miyo!” Rafi gasped. Kalel walked back over still scanning the area on high alert.
“Get her inside. Rafi put everyone on high alert. Tell them we have a vamp assassin in our perimeters,” Kalel ordered, his voice scarily monotone.
“I can walk,” I offered, my voice low and afraid of the Kai holding me. I saw him struggling to maintain his composure.
He didn’t respond. Rafi took off towards the forest as Kai, still gripping me, Kalel, Gabi and Art silently escorted me inside. The atmosphere reminded me of a funeral.
Kalel took charge again as Kai sat on the couch holding me in his arms straight out away from him.
“Gabi, contact Leka’s parents. Tell them we have her and she’s not leaving but they can come. Art, gather the first aid kit and a pair of tweezers and scissors to remove the glass.” They were off. Kalel turned to me. “I’ll get you some clothes but I’m a
fraid you’ll have to strip down so I can get all the glass out.” I shook my head, defeated by the fast change in events.
“You can set me down,” I stated to Kai; we were alone in the room as the others dispersed.
“Actually I can’t,” he spoke through gritted teeth.
“It’s okay Kai. I’m fine,” I assured him softly. I couldn’t tell if he was mad at me, the situation or all of the above.
“I’m not mad at you Leka. You have glass in your feet. Damn it!” he yelled. “You have glass, cuts and scrapes all over you!” I shut up. I stared at him wide-eyed caught off-guard by his outburst, though a part of me suspected it was coming.
He sighed dramatically taking in my reaction. “Sorry… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” he huffed fidgeting like he couldn’t find the words. I reached out, wincing as a piece of glass cut deeper, and ran my hand along his cheek to soothe him. He leaned into it for a moment; I sensed his new peace battling the anger raging below.
Gabi popped up beside me, no warning – she’s so quick and quiet – with Kalel trailing her. Art returned moments later.
“Your parents didn’t answer. I left them both a message,” she reported. Her phone started ringing. She looked at the ID. “It’s your mom,” she announced strolling towards the library again. I didn’t bother asking why she left the room considering it’s my mother.
“She doesn’t want you to hear her distress and feed off the fear,” Kalel explained taking the tweezers from the bowl of supplies in Art’s arms.
“Why does the glass hurt? I thought vamps healed fast?” I asked absently trying to distract myself from his quick hands removing the pieces from my feet.
“The sheer fact that it penetrated your skin shows how hard you were pounded into it. Once it’s all removed you should heal though. I’ll make sure you feed; it’ll speed things along.” He didn’t stop while answering. He worked swift and steady, proof in the plink, plink, plink I heard of the glass hitting the bowl. He removed the glass from my feet and face first.
There were times when vamp strength helped and times when it hindered. This was definitely a hindrance. Had this been a human fight I would simply be scraped up in a few places with minimal glass engrained, but because I was fighting a vamp that continually slammed me into the shards, I was covered.