He leaned forward and replied, "But you are a human. You can't take care of yourself."
My pride was hurt, which fueled my anger and frustration. "Oh, so you think, you think—" I spluttered, "that humans are pathetic, inferior creatures and vampires are better?"
"Yes," he said without any hesitation.
I made an exasperated sound. "Well, then." I stared at him, and then concentrated on my breathing and dropped my eyes. "Sorry to have wasted so much of your time with my inferior existence. Goodnight," I told him heatedly.
"Goodnight," he replied tartly, and spun on his heel and strode out of the room.
I closed the door behind him, exhaling heavily. I rested my back against the door for a moment, then went into the center of the room and just stood there. I wrapped my arms around myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
Perhaps Liam had been right. Maybe giving Callum a little space while he was in a bad mood was a good idea. A genius idea. He was not a pleasant one to argue with. I understood that he was angry that I faced Lilynn alone so recklessly, but he didn't have to demean the entire human race. Another wave of anger rose up in me.
There was a knock at the door. My eyes flew open and my heart beat a bit faster. I walked to it and opened it warily.
Callum stood there, looking slightly dangerous. His hair was unruly, like he had run his hands through it in frustration, waves framing his face. His lips were pressed in a tight line, and his eyes were a darkened green.
My heart jumped at the sight of him. "What do you want—" I began.
"Shut up," was all he said before he grabbed my face and kissed me.
His lips were cold, sending a shiver from my head to my toes. I closed the space between our bodies and kissed him back. My thoughts jumbled into something incomprehensible and my skin suddenly felt feverish.
He pushed me inside the room and pressed me against the wall by the door. My breath caught and I made a sound. I reached up and wound my arms around his neck. One of his hands held my face, and the other snuck around my waist, clutching me against him.
Callum broke from the kiss and murmured, "I'm sorry," against my cheek.
Breathing heavily, I smiled. "I'm sorry, too."
He grinned, with a slight flash of fangs and that one dimple. Oh, God. I gripped his silk shirt and stood on my tiptoes to lay my lips on his once more. He trailed his hands down to my waist, fingers softly brushing my bare skin where my tee-shirt had ridden up. Making a sound, I deepened the kiss, almost forgetting to breathe. He responded immediately, sliding his hands up my back. The coolness of his hands sent a shiver down my spine, and I involuntarily arched my back, pressing into him harder. I felt him smile against my lips.
From beside us, there was a sudden cough and a drawling, "Oh, sorry."
I gasped. Callum looked down into my eyes with a small, knowing smile before letting me go. We both turned to face our interrupter. It was Liam. What a shock.
Liam was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed, a toothy smile spread wide across his face. His dark eyes were focused on me.
"Timing, Liam," I said, eyes narrowed. "You really need to work on your timing."
"Considering how Lester is coughing up his own blood, I didn't think timing was too important," he said, still smiling.
"What?" Callum said sharply.
Liam looked at Callum, now serious. "We think his blood source was poisoned."
"Is he going to be okay?" I asked.
"He'll live."
"Bring me to him," Callum said.
Liam nodded, and started off down the hallway. Callum and I stepped out of the room, and I flicked off the light and closed the door behind us. The hallway was dark, and it took my eyes a couple of seconds to adjust. Callum's hand found mine and we started off after Liam, heading for the stairs.
We wound down the stairs, walked through the entrance hall, and down a corridor I had been through once before. My shoes echoed on the hard stone floor, making me feel self-conscious since I was the only one making noise. Liam opened a door on the left, and we went into the room. It was sparse, with a bed and one weak light hanging from the ceiling. I could make out the form of Lester lying on the bed, with three others surrounding him. There was a loud groaning sound. Liam went to the bed.
Callum turned around, eyes glowing green in the darkness. He put his hands on my shoulders, and said, "You don't want to see this, Dahlia." He gently maneuvered me out of the room, and shut the door behind him.
I let out a long sigh. I tried to calm my nerves, to think clearly. I had very little doubt about who poisoned Lester's "blood source". Lilynn Blaise. I had been warned that she was tricky, clever, rich, and capable of a lot of things. And blind with the loss of Damian. I wondered if her target had been Lester, or if she planned for Callum to get infected.
All of a sudden, I felt like a sitting duck. Lilynn just kept coming after me. I was always on the defense, making it out alive because of vampire allies and sheer luck.
Well, damn if I wasn't going to do something about that.
Chapter 23
* * *
"Come on, come on, come on," I muttered, closing my eyes.
I found myself back in Callum's garden. Just as I remembered, the high, ivy-covered brick walls encased the stone path that wound through the garden. Unruly flowers and plants grew on either side of the path, beautifully serene in the darkness. I knew the path ended in front of a giant willow tree, with Callum's special, magical place within reach just beyond its branches. I wanted to go and lie in the sun again and hide from the real world, but it was Callum's personal haven and I didn't want to intrude.
Eyes squeezed shut, I concentrated every thought I had on making it rain, just like I had in Thanatos' house. If I could master this unpredictable Letalis Flora power in me - whatever it was - I could possibly use it against Lilynn. I hadn't quite believed in the power before, my purely literal and human mind not managing to wrap itself around the idea of the possession of supernatural powers. But after the events of the past week, it was getting hard to ignore what my body did on its own accord.
Like make lightning strike. And making my skin burn a master vampire's hands. And making it rain inside.
The wind picked up, blowing stray hairs from my ponytail into my face. My heart leapt, my eyes flying open. Was I doing that? I purposely stopped concentrating. The wind blew at the same rate, making the plants lash around. Guess not. That was just nature, doing its thing.
I ran a hand over my face. Damian had told me that my Letalis Flora powers were triggered by strong emotions. Maybe simply thinking wasn't enough; I had to feel. Loosening my shoulders, I forced myself to remember that night in Thanatos' house. What had my emotion been then, when the droplets of rain began to fall?
"We were losing," I said to myself. My mind flashed to the image of Ophelia lying in a pile of glass shards, Lester kneeling, gasping in front of his opponent, Liam surrounded by three vampires, Raven being thrown across the room. I remembered the panic that had flared up in my chest when I couldn't find Callum.
I had been scared and feeling useless. I had felt that electric tingling run through my veins, welcomed it, and that's when it had begun to rain.
I tried again. This time, I used those emotions to direct my thoughts.
"Come on," I murmured, wrapping my arms around my body.
Nothing happened. Not one single droplet. I cracked my eyes open and looked into the sky. It was a clear night with no clouds, just a giant yellow moon looming over the garden. I sighed, turning to look back at the house. Callum and his vampires were still inside that dark room with Lester, and had been for a good hour. I tugged at my tee-shirt, anxious.
There was a terrible itching feeling in my chest. The next few days weren't going to be pretty and I feared what was going to happen. Damian and his group were gone, but Lilynn almost seemed more dangerous than him. She was a woman scorned and a woman who just lost the man she loved. That was never a
positive mix. I wanted to come out of this alive, and I wanted Callum alive, along with Lester, Ophelia, Raven, Chantal, and even Liam.
I made a sudden sound, something bordering on a sob. I clapped a hand to my mouth. Everything seemed to crash into me at once. The pain, the fear, the events that had brought me to stand exactly where I was. I was just a girl, a private investigator just living her life day by day. And now, I was some sort of threat to vampires? I had seen vampires explode into dust. I had made vampires explode into dust. I had feelings for a vampire. I was disconnected from all the people from my previous life. I was responsible for putting Will in the hospital. Another whimper escaped. I gritted my jaw, eyes hot. This was bound to happen sometime. But now was not the time for an emotional breakdown. Not right now—
"There you are, sunshine," Liam's voice said, exasperated. He stepped out of the doorway of the mansion. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
God, his timing was horrible, it really was. I turned away from him to collect myself. I dropped my hand from my mouth, inhaled deeply, and bit my lip.
Liam's footsteps on the stone path echoed slightly as he strode towards me. "Uh, sunshine," he said uncertainly, "you're not…crying, are you?"
Swallowing, I whipped around to look at him. "No, Liam, I'm not crying," I replied, my voice harsh and flat.
He blinked. "Okay," he said warily, "good."
"How's Lester doing?" I asked with an involuntary sniff.
"We got most of the poison out of him. Mr. Knightley is trying to heal him right now."
I nodded and crossed my arms tightly. "Do you think Lilynn did this?"
Liam's dark eyes flashed in the darkness. "I do."
A tear leaked out of my eye. I wiped it away quickly. Liam, being the observant vampire that he was, noticed anyway. An alarmed and uncomfortable look crossed his face, completely erasing his usual confident, arrogant demeanor. The size of his eyes was almost comedic.
"You are crying," he said.
"No, Liam," I snapped, "I'm not."
His brow furrowed. "Yes, you are," he said, confused.
"No, I'm—" I choked on a sob before I could finish. I put a hand over my mouth and turned away again. Tears slid down my face, hot and thick. I tried to stop them, but I had lost all control. "I'm sorry. I—I'm sorry."
Liam stayed quiet for a moment. Then he asked, "Sorry for what?"
"For everything," I whispered, dropping my hand and frantically wiping away tears. "For put-putting all this on you guys. Lester. That's—that's my fault—"
He stepped closer. "Ah, no, it's not –"
I stepped backwards. "Sorry. Sorry. God, everything—everything—" I rambled on.
Liam caught my arm. "Sunshine," he said sternly, cutting me off. He jerked me towards him and looked me straight in the eye, no longer alarmed. He gripped me tight. "None of this is your fault. Lester will be good as new in a day. And frankly, I haven't had this much fun since I first became a vampire, so stop apologizing."
"God," I inhaled deeply, "this is my fault. If I wasn't…if I didn't—"
"Shut up," Liam interrupted.
"Would you just let me—"
"No," he said.
"I—"
"Sunshine," he warned, giving me a very pointed look.
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and bit down on my lip. Liam surprised me by putting an arm around my shoulders and drawing me closer. I thought about fighting him, but I knew that he was sacrificing a lot of his dignity, comforting a human. I leaned against him stiffly.
"Make sure you don't cry on my new shirt," Liam rumbled.
I pulled out of his grasp and stared up at his face, mouth slightly open.
He flashed a toothy smile. "Kidding."
I gave a weak laugh, and brushed the tears from my face with the back of my hand.
A light went on in Liam's eyes, something mischievous. "Follow me, sunshine. I've got the perfect thing to cheer you up." He set off towards the mansion, and after a second, I followed him.
* * *
I laughed humorlessly, putting my hands on my hips. "No."
"Don't be a coward," Liam said, falling gracefully onto the couch. He held up an unopened bottle of scotch and shook it gently, trying to tempt me.
"No," I repeated. "I'm not going to drink a glass of incredibly expensive scotch with you. There's no way."
Liam sighed dramatically. He set the bottle down on the small table in front of the couch next to two glasses. He had led me to another room in Callum's mansion, one I'd never seen before. It was small, neat, and comfortable. It seemed that his plan for "cheering me up" was to put a glass of scotch in my hand and get me drunk.
"One drink," Liam said. "Just one."
I shook my head. Liam narrowed his eyes, then opened them wide. They bored into mine, turning a dull black colour. I blinked.
"Are you…trying to use vampire wiles on me?" I asked with a frown.
There was a stunned pause, and then Liam gave an aggravated huff and sank into the depths of the navy blue couch. "I don't understand you," he said.
I walked over and sat next to him, leaning back and shifting my head to look up at him. "What do you mean?" I asked after a few seconds.
"I mean," he drew out slowly, "that you're this confusing combination between a human and a scary monster…thing," he paused, smoothing a hand over his dark, slicked back hair, "And you're not scared of me like a human would be. But you're not killing me like a scary monster thing would."
Grinning, I said, "Scary monster thing?"
Liam looked down at me sharply. "Well, what would you call it?"
"A very unpredictable anti-vampire power, I guess," I replied with a shrug.
"Sure," he said disbelievingly.
I sat up a bit. "Liam, what exactly is the scary monster part of me?"
He almost looked sorry for me. He leaned forward to play with the bottle of scotch. "It's a legend. An ancient one. It's been passed down from sire to new vampire for centuries." He turned his head and looked at me. "There was a woman, once, who could see the future, and she told Cassius that one day a woman would be given powers that would be capable of eradicating vampires."
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. "Who's Cassius?"
"A very old and very powerful vampire."
"Oh," I said. "Is he still alive?"
He let out a laugh. "Yes, he is," he said. "He's the vampire with the highest status. Like the master master vampire. He's the one who ordered us to either kill you or turn you."
I exhaled loudly. It was hard to imagine that there was such an intricate world of vampire politics out there. "He knows who I am?"
"Not exactly," he replied.
"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning slightly.
"I don't know details, but he knows that the Letalis Flora is alive. Your identity has been a mystery, though, and it still is for the most part," he explained. "You see, Cassius was given information about the Letalis Flora, including times and places that you would be all after the year 2010, which might be when you inherited the Letalis Flora power, I don't know. He wrote that information down, which was how Mr. Knightley was able to find you." He shrugged his shoulders. "But, Cassius doesn't consider you much of a threat." He glanced sideways at me. "Which I think is a mistake."
I held his gaze. "So, I'm not really a priority for Cassius?" I asked.
"No," he answered. "That's one of the main reasons why vampires haven't already come to kill you or turn you. There's sort of a 'there-are-better-things-to-do' mentality within the hierarchy."
"What are the other reasons?" I questioned.
He scratched the bridge of his nose. "Well, vampires have been following all sorts of leads, and a lot of them don't lead to you. Much of that has to do with Mr. Knightley sabotaging their attempts at tracking you down." He laughed to himself.
"So, what does Cassius know about the Letalis Flora? Did that woman tell him anything besides the 'dangerous to vampires' p
art?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "None of us do."
"So, no one really knows anything more about the Letalis Flora except for something some old lady predicted centuries ago?"
Sheepish, Liam answered, "Pretty much."
"That's really great," I laughed without any hint of humour.
We were silent for some time. I was trying to process what I had heard. A couple minutes later, Liam opened the scotch and poured two glasses.
"Drink?" Liam asked again, extending a glass to me.
I stared at it for a moment, and then took it, the coolness of the glass in my hand oddly soothing. "What the hell," I muttered.
Liam took a sip from his glass. He closed his eyes, savouring the taste, opened his eyes, and smiled at me with a flash of fangs. "Almost as good as fresh blood," he said. How charming.
Swirling the amber liquid around, I took a drink and felt it burn all the way down to my stomach. "I didn't think vampires drank anything besides blood."
"We usually don't. It's useless to drink anything else. Alcohol may not have an effect on me, but it does remind me of being human."
I lowered the glass, balancing it on my knee. I never thought I would feel sympathy for Liam, but his words tore at me. They were so nostalgic and longing.
"Where did you grow up?" I asked gently. I didn't know how sensitive the subject was.
"Virginia, when it still belonged to the colonists."
My eyes widened ever so slightly, but I was proud that I only showed a small sign of my astonishment. It was going to take a while to get used to the reality of vampires.
"Did you—" I began.
Liam stopped me. "I don't want to talk about my past, Dahlia."
"Okay." I bit the inside of my lip and sipped at the scotch until it was all gone. An awkward silence settled over us, and I regretted asking him anything. I hoped Callum would find us sometime soon. Liam said that he was "healing" Lester, whatever that meant.
This new, silent, and pensive Liam was a bit disconcerting. I struggled to break the silence. "Hey, how do you think the Letalis Flora power works? I tried to…well, to summon it, if that's the right word, but nothing happened."
Death of Night Page 35