3 Hit the Road Jack

by Christin Lovell

  “That sounds… it actually sounds like something out of a book of Victorian society scandals,” Mel shrugged struggling to define the situation.

  “So then the uh… the umm… bed… stuff is true?” Kellan nodded once. Nerves instantly set in; I began fidgeting with my fingers, twisting my ring in circles.

  “Bed stuff?” Mel asked, an eyebrow raised showcasing her confusion and curiosity.

  “Are you skirtin’ about Miss L riding your jolly lolly?” Craig winked.

  “Jolly lolly?” Mel and I cracked at the same time. Kellan groaned covering his face with his hands.

  “Pah. You know. Shackin’, riding the disco stick; doing the bippity boppity boop, playing knight rider?” he smiled devilishly.

  “Seriously?” Mel scrunched her face exhaling with sarcasm. Craig shrugged. Abruptly they both looked at us anxiously. “Well?” she prompted.

  “Well what?” I tried to side step the horror in this topic.

  “Is that what we’re piddlin’ about?” Craig pressed.

  I looked to Kellan, his eyes peeked between his fingers. He slung them down heavily onto his thighs and ran his hands up and down towards his knees. Seeing his discomfort brought out the protective side of me.

  “Mr. Jameson said that we need to have sex, that since I have so many other vampires in my bloodstream, it’s the only way for us to unlock all our powers together,” I said leaning into Kellan for support. I felt myself blush with embarrassment.

  “Merry Christmas, Brother Ben!” Craig’s eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Uh, wow! Umm… Craig, we should go. I need to get home for… uh… Kyle! He’ll be home soon and can’t be alone.” Mel stood and tugged on Craig’s arm prompting him to come along. “I’ll… uh… we’ll see you tomorrow guys.” She waved and scurried past us to the door.

  “Uh… ok?”

  “Bye!” she called.

  Within seconds they were out the door. I turned to look at Kellan who began laughing. “Oh gosh. Those two are perfect together.”

  “Yea, that’s an understatement,” I agreed. We both got quiet and just looked at each other. We gazed at each other like star-crossed lovers though we’d never gone that far. He reached over and tucked a few strands behind my ear. He ran his fingers along my cheek giving me goose bumps.

  “I’d like nothing more than to take you to bed right now, but I’m not going to,” he mused caressing my lips with his fingers.

  “Why?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Because I want you to want to. Right now you’d be doing it because you feel you have to and this sort of thing should never be a chore.” I couldn’t help but smile at that.

  “You’re great, you know that?”

  “Yup. You forgot smart and sexy too,” he smirked.

  “Pompous airhead,” I smacked his arm playfully.

  “Hey, careful. You’re pretty strong these days,” he chuckled.

  “So I’ve been told.”

  He sighed. “I guess we should get busy. Looks like we have a lot of reading to do.”

  “Sure. You want a beer?” I got up and went to the fridge to retrieve my second favorite form of blood: bottled and chilled.

  “I’d rather have your hot blood than a cold bottled substitute,” he replied at my side in a split second inhaling the scent at my neck.

  Buzz, buzz, buzz.

  He sighed in frustrated defeat. I broke away to answer my cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Leka, you have to get out,” Kalel warned.

  “What’s coming?” I asked immediately alarmed. Kellan was at my side in a flash listening in.

  “More assassins; Jack has hired more.”

  “How do you know?”

  “We caught one lurking around here for you. He’s being tortured as we speak. I don’t know how many there are. Grab some clothes and come here. Claire is out of town for another week so there is nothing keeping you there.” His words were rushed; he was on edge. Despite admitting to feeling something for me Kalel had taken to playing the older, big, well, muscle-head big I mean, brother role in my life. In all that had happened to me, it was him and Kellan that were the most protective and proactive. I looked up at Kellan. His face was solemn; he gave nothing away. I knew it was bad though because he blocked his thoughts.

  “We’ll be on our way.” I heard myself speak but it’s like my mind was separated from my body. The color drained from my face and the serum threatened to flood my mouth.

  “Hurry, Leka. I won’t relax until you’re here.”

  “I will.” He hung up and Kellan took off upstairs. One minute later he returned with a duffle bag in hand.

  “Grab our book bags. I’ll carry the books,” he ordered. He was detached as well. It hadn’t even been two weeks since I fought the last assassin.

  “I take it vacation is not in the vamp dictionary,” I huffed.

  “Afraid not babe,” he confirmed as we raced to my car.

  Kellan leapt into the driver’s seat tossing the bag and journals in the back seat and pressing the garage door opener simultaneously. I copied placing our back packs in the back. I started pressing all the buttons and activating all the tech savvy software, satellites and shields installed in my car by the Bladangs. I was literally driving a military speed machine disguised as my Mercedes coupe. Kellan reared the car into reverse, pulled out and put the pedal to the metal. We were just speeding off when a loud sound broke through behind us. I turned in time to see an assassin chasing the car and firing his gun aimlessly.

  “Thank God for the shield,” I sighed facing forward as we ducked out of sight.

  We parked in the underground garage a solid mile from their lake front home. We traveled the long cement hall to the door. I pressed my hand to the keypad and waited for the lock to click open.

  I had the entire ride to stew. I was angry, upset with my life being turned upside down yet again. I barged into the living room and dropped the bags on a chaise lounge. Kai ran upstairs from the torture chambers below to greet us.

  “Hello Leka,” he smiled slightly. “Kellan,” he nodded once acknowledging his presence but no grin was present in this.

  “Where’s the bastard?” I demanded.

  “Nice to see you too,” he offered sarcastically scorned.

  “Sorry Kai, but I’m sort of pissed off right now. Will you please just take me to this pendejo.” He sighed but motioned for us to follow him.

  We trudged downstairs to the hallway of doors, each highly secure with a different code to enter. Every time I came down to these rooms I was reminded of when I first arrived and met the Bladang Leaders. He went to the third door on the right, pressed a few numbers and pushed it open.

  Inside the round room of marble I quickly spotted my assailant. A tall, dark brown African man towered over Kalel and Gabi; he could easily passed for an NBA player. His eyes though, they were rare. He had the ice blue eyes of the scanners; those vamps with an x-ray vision of sorts.

  “I’m not an assassin. I am a scout. They send me in first to scan the properties and locate the target. I do not participate in the capture or slaughter of creatures,” he explained. He carried an accent that crossed into British domain.

  “What’s in it for you then? What sick pleasure do you get from this job of stalking?” Kalel was stern, trying to keep his composure.

  The man’s arms were roped together behind his back. He had fresh cuts and burns along his chest and arms, a sign of torture. I knew limbs would be chopped soon if this vamp didn’t give a good answer.

  “I get no pleasure from this. It is merely a job. It is my way of paying the bills for my family.” His eyes closed and his head bowed as he mentioned his family.

  “Back off. It’s my turn with him,” I cut in moving toward the battered soul. I yanked Kalel’s dagger from his grips. I turned to the others. “You all can go. Clear out now. I’ll call you if I need you. Kellan unblock me just in case,” I ordered. They passed glances among
st each other debating whether or not to oblige me. “Now!” I yelled.

  “Don’t be stupid with him. He’s dangerous,” Kalel warned.

  “I’ll decide that, now go!” After a few muffled choice words from the grumpy bunch, they cleared the room. I looked around at the tiny gold lions lining the bridge between the wall and tiled floors.

  “Sit.” He hesitated for a moment before settling Indian-style on the cold floor. I copied sitting directly in front of him a good two yards away. “Why would you choose to work independently rather than for the vamp army? The pay is steady which is what a family man should seek.” I studied him as he responded. He didn’t hesitate. He was well rehearsed.

  “I make more money for less work. The biggest draw is the time. Less work means less time at work and more time with my family.” I stood and walked behind him. I took in his bound hands. On his left ring finger sat a plain yellow gold band.

  “Your wife is vampeen?”

  “No. She is vampire too.”

  “Then how is it you have children?”

  “I do not discuss my children with enemies.”

  “So you would rather not return to them than to speak of them and have a chance.” He was silent. “You’re protecting them,” I stated when I drew the conclusion. “Would you like to call them?” His eyes lit up at the opportunity but he quickly buried the pleasure leaping from the idea. I pulled out my blackberry and placed it on the floor in front of him as a form of temptation and torture. He was going to weaken at some point; I was going to see to it. I went and sat on the floor with my back against the door to wait out his deterioration.

  The hours passed with nothing but silence between us. He was wearing down. He was staring at the phone before him more often and for longer periods.

  “I’m not going to hurt them. If you haven’t noticed I have other things to worry about. Plus, I’m not that kind of monster. I only take a life if they first threaten to take mine, hence why I haven’t already killed you.”

  “You cannot trust in this world. Mind games are our best weapons. You can’t even be sure I’m telling you the truth,” he stated locking a dark glare on me.

  “You’re not lying. Your eyes momentarily lit up when I mentioned the phone call,” I countered.

  “You are observant.”

  We fell into the quiet abyss for another hour. I was shocked the Bladangs nor Kellan had checked on me yet.

  “My wife was attacked one day on her way back with water for us. The well was a few miles from our hut but she made the journey regularly. Nightfall came and she hadn’t returned. I knew something was wrong but I couldn’t abandon our children to search for her. Several months passed before she returned.” He paused and I sat up straight anticipating what I knew was coming.

  “She returned with water in minutes instead of hours. She cooked but never ate. She was physically there, but she had changed. I called in our tribe’s Shaman to cast out what I thought was a demon in her. It didn’t work. It was one day when a pack of rabid hyenas closed in on our tiny village that I discovered her new identity. She killed and drained the creatures of their blood. She saved us all and that’s when I knew she wasn’t possessed by a demon. We sought the Shaman once more. He detailed the ancient discrepancies of vampires. Most believe they are descended from a demonic plague; but we believe they are of angelic grace for even angels fall into hell and rebuke innocence and embrace evil as most vamps have.”

  “She changed you,” I said.

  “Yes. We couldn’t doom our children to forever. Once they reached the age of maturity they were offered a choice. My son accepted it readily. He became cocky though. He boasted his new abilities, drew attention to himself as a form of power. It was his ignorance that got him killed by the mortal men of a nearby tribe he taunted. Our daughter chose to remain human. She grew older, got married and bore children. We have watched our grandchildren grow, marry off and have families of their own. Our youngest granddaughter’s daughter died giving birth to her third child. Her husband was killed hunting months before and her siblings disowned her for the man she chose.” He took a moment to subdue the emotion brimming at his surface. He inhaled and exhaled a few times though the oxygen we breathe is not necessary for a vampire; they get oxygen from the blood they drink. “They rebuked her children so we took them in. Narahna stays with them while I travel, working to provide them the best life I can,” he finished.

  “How old are they?” His face hardened at my dig for more personal information. He knew I had more than enough if I was going to do anything though.

  “Kaja and Neobi are eleven and eight. Her only daughter, Meosha, is three,” he sighed.

  “If I untie you, will you attack me?” I asked watching him for signs of brewing violence or potential threat.

  “There would be no purpose in doing so. I have no escape from this asylum.” I shook my head in agreement and made my way to him. With one slice his rope was cut and he was free.

  He spun quickly, too fast, and lifted me at my neck against the wall. He laughed devilishly. “You foolish girl. You should have heeded my warning. I told you our greatest weapon lies in mind games. You were but a pawn in my well-rehearsed play. Vampeens,” he spit out the word with disgust. “You might as well be humans with your sick emotional surrenders.”

  I laughed in his face causing confusion. “You laugh at death?” He became serious, his face taut and features sharpened.

  “No, I laugh at your stupidity.” I kicked the wall sending the tiny darts flying from the mouth of every lion around the room. Me being pinned off the floor led to this violent vamp saving my life. The needles shot into his feet and calves. Within seconds his grip released as he fell dead to the floor.

  “That’s what you get for wasting my time and threatening me,” I grumbled as I made my way past him. The door opened before I got to it. The four men raced in. “I’m afraid your services aren’t needed gentlemen. Thanks though,” I smiled as I brushed past them.

  Chapter 3

  I grabbed Kellan’s hand as the others stared at me in astonished confusion. I’d been in the room for quite a while and then just like that I had the vamp killed. It wasn’t like me. Since my parents’ deaths, I’d found myself becoming more cold; I was losing my humanity slowly and consistently, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.

  We went up to a spare bedroom. I paced the room; so much was running through my mind. First and foremost was William’s recommendation.

  "What do you think?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably at his side. I gazed into his eyes, searching for an answer. I didn't want to do it out of obligation, though I knew I wouldn't regret it.

  He pursed his lips and pulled me to him. "I think we should forget this crap and go to the beach." He smiled, leaning in and stealing my lips.

  I chuckled. "You do realize it's January and freezing cold?"

  "You do realize you're a vamp and completely unaffected."

  "I'm a vampeen, and I am a little affected."

  "Fair enough. How about a movie then? Just you, me and a dark theatre," he nuzzled my neck, inhaling me. I stiffened, my breath becoming ragged with his move. Scenting vamps at their neck is an intimate thing; you have to trust the one you've bared yourself to, for they could rip you to shreds in an instant.

  "Uh..." I cleared my throat trying to regain my composure. "Let's go see a movie." He pulled away smiling deviously. "Don't look so smug," I scolded half-heartedly. I rolled my eyes when he gave me a cocky wink. It was nice to know time hadn't changed him. And regardless of his confidence, I still loved him.

  "I love you too," he said, pulling me towards the garage.

  "I'd love you more if you warned me before you read my thoughts."

  "I'm reading your thoughts." He offered me a cheeky grin, his dimple on display. All I could do was smile and shake my head. I knew he was trying to distract me from the intensity earlier. He was doing a good job too.

  We saw a movie and wandered around the ma
ll for a while. I tried not to get sad when we passed my mom's favorite store. It'd been hard getting through some days without my parents. I had this hole, a void, inside me that I didn't think would ever heal, regardless of the time that passed or number of supporters around me. Every child needs their parents, or at least one of them, regardless of their age.

  "Shall we crack this thing open and read our fate?" Kellan asked shortly after we got home.

  I looked at the thick binder lying on the bed taunting me with its bulk. "Yea," I sighed, grabbing it and plopping down on the bed. Kellan followed suit taking the vampire's prediction while I read the vampeen's; we stuck with our own race.

  It was strange reading something that essentially was detailing my life, my future. It didn't seem real; it read too much like a myth. I just couldn't make the connection despite the uncanny resemblance in the first few chapters.

  I knew we'd both reached the same spot when my breath hitched and his face turned to pale stone. I re-read it several times hoping I'd missed something or misinterpreted it. Alas, I hadn't. I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat and the tears quickly welling. I looked at him, taking in the beautiful man predicted to be taken from me too soon. He sat still as a statue staring blankly down at the page before him.

  I studied my ring, not wanting to believe that the one who gave it to me would leave me a widow. I couldn't accept it; couldn't wrap my mind around it. He couldn't leave me too. It had to be wrong.

  "It has to be wrong," I stated breaking the silence. He turned towards me, a tortured expression on his face. My heart broke as I scrambled for a way to sooth his anguish, but really, how do you comfort someone who's just read about their death?

  In a second of victory, all shall be lost, for a lone stray shall have his way. A shot shall echo through the forest floor, an impact so strong he shant steal a chance. The question is not can he survive, for he surely does not; the question is who shall carry on holding her up in her despair, for her anger shall cause her enemies to weep; her own grief shall slowly consume her shall a new prince not resuscitate her. It ought to be known that no one shall love her the way he did; no one will fight with the heart he possessed. But alas, he shall pass her on to the finest suitor with nothing left but his final breath.