The scenery changed from the tidy, well kept greenery to clumps of russet soil complete with overgrown wild flowers. Katrina felt a lump of uncertainty in her throat. Cole was taking her further into the cemetery. This was a place not many people came to anymore. It was where some of the oldest graves were kept. Countless cracked and ancient headstones marked the final resting place for many of the earliest settlers in Morgan Springs. Katrina never had any desire to be so far inside the cemetery walls before. It was soundless and vacant. Goosebumps started to run up her arms as the haunting landscape grew dark and dreary.
Passing headstone after headstone, Katrina wondered how far Cole planned on going. She was sure they were going to reach the end soon. It seemed like they had been walking for hours before he finally stopped in front of a simple looking gravestone. Katrina felt his icy hand pull her in closer and gesture for her to look down at it. It read simply:
Caroline Reinhardt
1864-1880
“Who’s that?” Katrina asked.
“That was someone I knew a long time ago.” His voice wavered and Katrina could see the pain behind his eyes returning. Watching him fidget with his keys, Katrina knew whoever Caroline was, she must have been of grave importance to him.
“Was she someone close to you?”
“Closer than you might think.”
Sitting next to the gravestone, Cole retreated into his own world. He went very quiet and she could see the longing in his face. Katrina stood and watched him play with the weeds nearby. She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead, he reached out his hand and gently pulled her down next to him.
“How did you know her?” She tugged on his hand forcing him to look at her.
“She’s someone I met—a lifetime ago.”
“Who was she to you?”
As the words left her mouth, Cole’s face went blank. He stared back down at the ground and squeezed his fists around the violet weeds. He clenched them so tight, Katrina felt sorry for them. They looked like little specks of dust crumbling under his abnormal strength. She watched him grasp at the poor defenseless vegetation and waited for an answer. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked into her eyes and gave her one.
“You.”
“What? No. That’s impossible,” she argued, shaking her head wildly. “She’s dead.”
“I could try to explain, but it’s easier to show you.” He dusted his hands off and reached for her. “May I?”
“What are you going to do?” Katrina inched back, feeling the poking of the weeds into her shirt.
“Do you trust me?”
Katrina stared into his eyes debating. She did trust him, but she wasn’t sure to what extent. However, her curiosity beat out her uneasiness. “Yes, but—”
“Shh, shut your eyes.” He leaned into her and she opened her mouth to protest, but he spoke first. “Please?”
She exhaled a deep breath and nodded. Shutting her eyes, Katrina was startled by Cole’s cold touch. Even though his hands were firm, they cradled her face gently. The soft touch sent shivers of warmth up her spine.
With her eyes closed, Katrina was suddenly aware of the different smells around her. The earthy smell of eucalyptus mixed with a hint of spice permeated her senses. Without a doubt, she knew it was Cole. Katrina was so lost in his smell that she almost forgot where she was and what she was waiting for.
Then it happened. Like someone ignited a spark, floods of images ran through her mind. Bits and pieces of pictures were flashing until they formed into one. It was Cole; not the Cole holding her, but the Cole she had seen in her dream. Looking around at her surroundings, Katrina could tell she was in a different time.
Cole was staring into her eyes. His glowing white skin made him appear angelic. They were lost in each other. There was no one else except the two of them. Caressing her face softly, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. Her body became a raging inferno at the slightest touch. His firm and yet soft glacial mouth released desires in her she never knew possible.
His tongue tenderly slipped into her mouth and sent a vigorous tingling sensation into every part of her. It tasted as sickly sweet as the rest of him. His hands moved downward, tracing every inch of her delicately and lingered near her upper thigh. His lips slid down towards her neck, sampling it intimately with his tongue. She let out a deep sigh of excitement, as her breath became irregular gasps out of her control.
Cole squeezed his hand around her thigh and threw it around him. Impulse took over and she countered him. Her body coiled completely around him, like a snake. Her fingers ran through his soft auburn tresses, as he moved on top of her. His tongue flicked out licking her collarbone and Katrina moaned. She dug her nails into the middle of his back and begged for more. Neither of them holding back as the other went further.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the intimate surroundings vanished. In its wake a new, darker place emerged. Beneath her, Katrina could feel the chalky soil floor of the basement. It was just as she remembered in her dream. Her erotic feelings dissipated and gave way to panic and fear. Cole's face became strained and serious.
Cole climbed through the window and reached back inside for her. At the same time, she heard a loud vicious snarl behind her. Katrina turned to see a huge brown paw with claws, punch through the wooden door. A yellow eye glared back at her from the opening, as one of the beasts barreled through it and headed straight for her.
Katrina's panic consumed her and she froze where she stood. “This can't be happening!”
“Caroline!” Cole shouted her name, but it was drowned out by her own heart-wrenching scream.
Everything suddenly faded to black. After a few seconds, two familiar figures appeared. Cole was on the ground cursing. Anguish and fury filled his dark sapphire eyes. Lying still in his arms was the limp and lifeless body of a young woman. Though she couldn’t see her face, Katrina recognized one important detail. The body was wearing the same emerald gown she had recognized on herself earlier.
She slowly edged in closer to and found a steel blade sticking out of the young woman's chest. Nausea built in her stomach and Katrina went to look away, when something caught her eye. Clenched tightly in the young woman’s hand was the amber amulet. It slowly started to make sense.
Gasping for air as the realization hit her, Katrina opened her eyes to find Cole’s staring into hers. Everything rushed at her all at once. Now knowing the truth made her reel back like she’d been hit again.
“Shh, it’s okay.” Cole pulled her against his chest.
“N-no, it’s not.” Katrina began to cry. “Nothing about this is!”
Cole held her in his arms and she let the tears fall. “Don’t cry. We’re together again.”
“Cole, I—” Wiping her eyes she tried to speak, but there were no words. The images replayed themselves inside her head over and over. It was too much for her to take in.
“Shh, I know. I know—but now you do too.”
The two sat still, holding onto one another in silence. The croaking of frogs in the distance, the only sounded penetrating through the night. Minutes passed, but neither made any attempt to move. After forcing herself to pull it together, Katrina finally managed to speak.
“Nikolas is your real name?”
“Yes,” he nodded, softly. “Before you died, you promised you would come back to me. You said the amulet was the key to finding you.”
“The amulet?” She motioned towards her chest, and then remembered it was still in her backpack. “Where did I get it?”
“Your mother gave it to you. She knew you and your brother were—special.”
“Jake?”
“We called him Elias back then.”
“Special how?”
“Your mother was a witch, a very talented one, but not as talented as you or your brother. She knew she had given birth to the Powers. The ones to put an end to the War.”
“War, what war? The Civil War?”
“No.” He shook his head and pressed his lips together in a firm line. After a few seconds, he ran his fingers through his hair and continued, “Vampires and werewolves have been at war for centuries. No one can really remember how or why it started. With the violence between our species growing, all witches were forced into hiding.”
“Why?”
“Werewolves are savages. They want to enslave all of humanity. Imagine a world where humans are the ones on leashes, forced to do the bidding of a dog. Then, when they don't need them anymore, they'll rip them apart and devour every piece.”
“Eww, gross,” she crinkled her nose.
“We’ve been fighting over the centuries with the witches to keep their numbers from rising, to keep the balance of things. But if they were able to get their hands on you or your brother, that could change everything. They'd be unstoppable. It'd be open season on all humans.”
“I don’t understand. How could they do that?”
“By turning you or your brother into one of them. Being twins, the two of you share more than you realize. You’re linked to each other. If they find one of you, they’ll have no trouble tracking down the other.”
“They want to turn us both into giant dogs?”
He nodded. “But, I would die before I let that happen!” He practically spat out the words and his pupils became dark pools of blue, reflecting the sunset behind her. It was so intense she looked away. “You know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. So, what happens now?”
When he didn't answer, Katrina looked up and found his face blank, lost in a trans-like gaze. He sat motionless, staring off into nothing. Katrina sat there and waited it out. She wasn't sure how long he would be like that, so she tried to distract herself by listening to the croaking of the frogs. The time seemed to drag on for hours and she was beginning to wonder if he'd ever come out of it. Then, just as fast as he disappeared he was back.
“Something’s wrong. We need to go.” Cole stood and held out his hand to her. She took it and got up quickly.
“Go where? What’s wrong?” She brushed the dirt off her jeans.
“They’re in trouble.”
“Who? Jake?”
“We need to hurry. Forgive me,” Cole said, and moved so fast she barely had time to register what he was doing, until it was too late.
He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Her hands held onto the back of his legs for support and regained her sense of balance. She tried to yell at him but, Cole's shoulder dug into her stomach knocking the wind out of her. All that came out was a muffled yelp of protest. The second he ran off, Katrina thought she was going to lose her lunch.
A cloud of air swallowed her vision. The ground became a sea of blurry images. With each step his shoulder blade hit against her stomach, making the nausea build. She shut her eyes to at least stop from vomiting all over him. Just as fast as it started, her wild ride had come to an end, as Cole came to an abrupt stop.
Everything was still spinning, when Katrina heard the creaking of the car door. Cole’s cold hands threw her forward and slipped her into the black leather seat. The next thing she heard was the clicking of her seatbelt. By the time she caught her breath and fought back the nausea, Cole was in the driver seat. He turned the ignition and peeled out of the cemetery’s parking lot.
It took her a few seconds to calm down and find the strength to speak. When she turned towards Cole, ready to rip him a new one, his face stopped her short. He was in hunter mode and constantly roaming through their surroundings. His razor sharp eyes were those of a predator, ravaging across the darkening sky, searching. For who, Katrina still wasn’t entirely sure. Whoever it was might have gotten to her brother and Andrew already. Fear welled up inside her, as she thought the inevitable: not who, but what?
Chapter 5
It didn’t take Cole long to reach their destination and for that Katrina was thankful. Her stomach was still recovering from earlier and his fast driving didn't help matters. Not to mention, she was still confused as to what was happening.
Cole slammed the car into park and her body jerked forward. The seat belt locked, pushing tighter into her stomach, making her nausea even worse. She took a deep breath and tried to take her mind off it, when she heard sirens.
“What the hell’s going on?” In front of her, an orange glow was bursting out of what use to be Trudy’s Salon. In a panic she took off her seatbelt, swung open the car door, and started to run. Then the smoke hit her. Air became scarce and her lungs started to burn.
“Caroline, wait!” Cole grabbed her from behind.
“Let me go!” she half screamed and half coughed out. She forgot how fast he could move.
“It’s not safe.”
“I don’t care. I need to find my brother.” She tried to kick back, but it was no use. He was too strong. She finally gave up and tried to catch her breath, while he held her. Seconds passed before he finally spoke again.
“No one’s inside,” he whispered in her ear, holding her so close she couldn’t move.
Katrina rested herself against him, trying to make sense of what he said. “Where are they?” Her voice sounded hoarse as she fought back tears.
“They’re fine.” He slowly turned her to face him. “My father came and picked them up before the police could ask questions.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Cole slowly let go of her and explained. “They just told me.”
“What? How?” She looked around, confused.
“Like you and your brother, we have certain—gifts.” He looked into her eyes and when she didn’t respond he continued. “Getting inside one’s head is second nature to us.”
“So, you can sense each other?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what?”
“It’s not like you and your brother. Distance isn’t an issue.”
“Then, you can read minds?”
“It’s another way vampires communicate.”
“Then what did you mean by getting into someone’s head?” she pushed. He hesitated and looked away from her. “What did you mean?” she asked again, this time demanding an answer.
Cole ran his fingers though his hair and averted her gaze. “We can get into a person’s mind and make them do anything we want.”
“You what?” Taking a few steps back and looking around for somewhere to run, Katrina couldn't believe what she was hearing.
He looked up and slowly edged forward pleading with her. “No, it’s not what you think. I would never do that to you.”
“Why should I believe you?” She crept backwards, but Cole had managed to suck up the distance between them. He was just inches in front of her.
“Because it’s the truth.” His eyes met hers and she could see so much pain behind them.
Katrina stood there, unsure what to do. It was obvious he meant it, but she was still hesitant. Tears were still running down her face, while she struggled to come to terms with everything and it wasn’t getting any easier. “But, that night with Brody—you did.” It wasn’t a question, as she slowly put the pieces together.
“To protect you. If things got out of control I couldn’t risk hurting you.” He reached up and held her face.
“I thought you said you don’t kill people?”
“We don’t. But when I attack I can’t control it. If you had gotten in between us, I could have—” Wiping her stray tears away, he gently leaned in and gave her soft kiss.
At first Katrina was too shocked to move, but then she soon found herself kissing him back. It lasted just a few seconds before Cole pulled away and said, “We need to get out of here before they start asking questions.”
Katrina slowly nodded in agreement. She was still recovering from his kiss and couldn't speak. Cole took her hand and after a slight hesitation, she followed him. Neither of them spoke as he helped her into the car and they left the grim scene behind them.
Looking at what was l
eft of Trudy’s made Katrina sick to her stomach. She was just thankful Jake had made it out in time. Tilting her head back against the leather seats, she tried to block out the horrible thoughts of what could have happened if he hadn't.
Feeling the car slow down and eventually turn off, Katrina looked up and was taken aback by the appearance of the house. It used to be the most run down home in the town of Morgan Springs, but now it had gone through its own renaissance.
Cole opened her door and her eyes were still taking in all of the details. It was like something out of a magazine and for a moment it took her mind off her troubles.
“Wow.” Katrina was stunned.
Cole smiled and took her hand. As he led her up the winding brick walkway, rows of flowers came into view. It was like a melting pot of colors mixed together to form one beautiful bouquet.
Nearing the front porch, Katrina could make out the vivacious 3-story Victorian style home. Its vibrant colors shimmered against the moonlight. The icy gray exterior had hints of lavender that radiated against the translucent white trim. Two Jasmine vines delicately intertwined along the two posts that supported the front porch. Following Cole up the front steps, they stopped at the large white front door and he seemed unsure about something.
Cole slowly opened the door and gestured with his hand for her to enter. Inside, the original character of the house was still preserved. Every piece of molding was adorned with swirled carvings embedded deep inside the wood. It was a craftsmanship rarely seen anymore.
Before she could take another step she heard a husky deep voice call out, “Caroline?”
Katrina turned to and found a pale stranger smiling back at her. He was as strikingly handsome as his son. It was like seeing Cole’s reflection. His emerald eyes were the only real difference. They sparkled against his translucent skin and his coffee colored hair hung against his youthful jaw.
Everlasting Bond Page 9