3 Hit the Road Jack

by Christin Lovell

  Chapter 21

  I stretched in his arms; it was human habit. He kissed my cheek and head as I rolled back into him. I smiled up at him shyly. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” he smiled, his dimple showcased with the action.

  “As much as I would like to lie in bed all day, we should probably go help Kalel and your dad. I also want to check on Gabi.”

  He pressed his lips to mine, silencing me for a moment. We were the same, but we weren’t. Our relationship had changed in the course of a few hours. Even the touch of his lips was somehow more powerful; my body reacted immediately as if it was more aware of him now. My heart skipped a slow beat as my skin warmed the second his lips touched mine. My body was ready to accept him all over again.

  He pulled back placing shallow kisses along my neck and right shoulder. Somewhere in between felt a little sore. I wasn’t expecting it so I winced a bit.

  “Sorry. Does it still hurt?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He sat back and looked directly at me, brows furrowed, a frown upon his face. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and my eyes immediately adjusted to the brightness. Looking in the mirror I instantly saw the cause of my pain; Kellan had bit me. It must have been pretty hard because it still hadn’t healed yet. Even my broken sternum earlier healed quicker.

  Looking beyond the bite mark, I noticed how flush my skin was. My cheeks were a rosy hue and my lips looked thoroughly abused, if how swollen they were still said anything. Kellan’s muscles were highlighted under the light of the space. Mine soft next to his hard; his angular cuts next to my languid curves.

  He leaned in and gently kissed the spot again, sending tingles down my spine. “As much as I would love to stand here and stare at you all day, you’re right. We should go help the others. I’m sure they’re probably wondering where we are.”

  “How long have we been M.I.A.?”

  “About five hours.”

  “What? Oh God!” I flew past him and grabbed my suitcase. I quickly pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans, my low cut, flat, soft black leather boots with a bit of fringe overlay, and a plum sweater that wrapped tightly around at the base but was purposefully over-sized on top. It still had structure and shape, or so Eduardo said, and that’s why Aunt Claire purchased it for me. “I’ll only be two minutes at most,” I said as I ran into the bathroom, hopping over debris along the way. At least the bathroom hadn’t been touched.

  I showered, but wrapped my hair in a bun so it wouldn’t get wet. Stepping out, I got dressed, threw on a pair of silver feather earrings and pulled the top half of my hair back in a clip. I walked out to find Kellan lying on the bed, hands resting behind his head, with all his glory on display.

  “Shower and get dress,” I chuckled. “I’ll see you in Kalel’s room after.”

  He leapt up, landing flat on his feet in the tiny floor space next to the bed. He pulled me in for another kiss, softly nipping my lower lip. Goosebumps broke out over me. My body was far too aware of him now.

  I put a bit of distance between us to prevent anything more from happening. He slowly licked his lips; a torture to watch. My breathing became labored and his eyes pierced mine. He knew what he was doing.

  “I, uh-“ I tripped, quickly catching myself as I began to back out of the room. A huge grin was plastered to his face. “Ay dios miyo. I swear,” I huffed. I left as quickly as I could, but not before I heard him laughing.

  Outside the door I took a deep breath. I checked both ways down the hall before going to the right a few rooms down. Before I could even lift my hand to knock the door flung open. Kai stood brooding in the doorway; his look anything but welcoming.

  “Sorry I took so long. I guess I was tired.” I offered him an awkward smile. He scrunched his nose, scowling in the act.

  He reached out so fast I didn’t see it coming. He pulled my collar first to the right, baring my left shoulder and upon finding nothing, moved to the other side. I immediately covered the love bite with my hand, but not before he got a glimpse of it. He let out a low, angry growl and pushed past me. My eyes followed him as he raced towards the door marked ‘Stairs.’

  I swallowed the lump in my throat as I turned back to the room full of vamps all looking at me with odd expressions, none of which matched. Craig was beaming, as was Will beside him; Kalel and Al’s expressions were reserved. I couldn’t tell what they were feeling. Gabi had a brow raised as she looked at me inquisitively.

  “Um, hi?” I slightly waved my hand as I entered the room.

  Gabi came up to me, bent down near my ear. “You reek of Kellan, as in we know you did it with him because your scent is thoroughly mixed with his,” she whispered. So that was why Kai was so pissed, and also why they were all gaping at me. “Not to mention you both weren’t exactly quiet. I’m surprise hotel security didn’t bang down your door,” she continued.

  I groaned inwardly knowing my cheeks had to be bright red. I covered my face with my right hand, not wanting to face any of them in that moment. Talk about embarrassing. Even worse, Al was Kellan’s dad. It was almost as bad as if he had walked in on us.

  I took a deep breath. It did me no good to run away; I was going to have to face them at some point. I looked sideways and up at her, my hand still firmly in place. “How bad was it?”

  She didn’t respond, only patted me on the shoulder and walked out the door. That meant it was bad.

  Ready to face the firing squad, I looked up at the remaining male vamps in the room.

  “Feeling dapper as a pony prancer yet?” Craig grinned.

  Kalel took one hard look at me and Craig and walked out of the room.

  I sighed, collapsing into the closest chair. “Is it really that bad that I made a decision to take my relationship to the next level?”

  Serum began to swell in my throat as my emotions got the best of me. I hadn’t done anything to them. This only involved me and Kellan; no one else. So why were they acting as if I’d committed the ultimate betrayal? They acted as if I’d slept with the enemy.

  Craig sat next to me on the bed, wrapping his arm around me. “It’s alright love. The bros just had a thing for you, and vamps, well, we’re jealous mongers who always want what we can’t have. They’ll get over it.”

  “I think that’s the first time you’ve spoken without a crazy word somewhere in the middle,” I chuckled.

  “I aim to please.”

  “I make it a rule not to get involved in my son’s affairs, but for what it’s worth, you waited longer then Beth and I.” That caught my attention. I looked up at Al, standing by the computer with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look mad, but not happy either.

  “Thanks.”

  “And he’s right. We’re assholes when we want something we can’t have; we act like two year old brats. Just forget about them for now Lexi. We have a mission to focus on,” he added. I shook my head. He was right. I couldn’t focus on people I couldn’t please at the moment; I needed to focus on saving my own rear and as many of my friends and family as possible.

  As if on cue, “Knock knock!” Aunt Claire called outside the door. I opened the door in a split second, squeezing her the moment I saw her. “Glad to know I was missed,” she chuckled. “Hm. Although I can tell I wasn’t missed just a little bit ago by your scent. Care to talk about it?”

  “Apparently having sex with one vamp will piss off at least two others, that’s all.”

  “God, isn’t jealousy a bitch? Now are you going to let me in or not?”

  “Sorry.” I grabbed two pieces of luggage while she picked up the other three loose bags. “What is in here?” I pondered aloud as I set them just inside the door.

  “A little of this; a little of that. You know clothes, shoes, jewelry, make-up, weapons and other things.”

  “What kind of weapons? I didn’t even know you owned any.”

  “Of course not honey. I don’t kiss and tell everything.” She walked past
me. “Hello gentlemen,” she smiled.

  “Hello darling,” Craig said, failing horribly at a British accent.

  “Hello. I’m William Jameson.” Will extended his free hand towards Aunt Claire; his other was holding that same notepad. I swore I was going to steal it one day and read exactly what he was always writing.

  “Hello William. I’m Claire Maxwell,” she replied, shaking his hand.

  “Hey Al. Thank you so much for looking out for Lexi. I really appreciate it,” Aunt Claire stated, giving him a half hug.

  “Of course.” He didn’t look uncomfortable, but also not comfortable...

  “So what are we working on? I’m ready to kick some vamp ass.”

  “What did you have on the plane? You’re extra feisty right now.”

  “A delicious pilot. I’m lucky we landed safely.”

  “You didn’t!”

  “Of course not. I waited until he landed the plane and then jumped his bones,” she laughed, flicking her wrist as if it was nothing.

  My eyes widened of their own accord. “Ok! So Al, you and the guys were tapping into the cameras around the city. Anything else? What have you found?”

  “Nothing so far. We haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary or caught any suspicious behavior. We set up this computer over here to alert us if anyone tries to dial out on a scrambled line so we’ll be able to tap into it and hopefully decode it in time. We’ve scouted the local hang outs to try and visit tonight.”

  “Which reminds me!” I pulled out my phone and text John. ‘Anything yet?’

  He immediately replied. ‘You’re a mind reader. On my way to Cardiff right now with the intel. You have a Judas in your group.’

  I paled the second I read it. I looked around the room. The only person I didn’t fully trust, but believed he wouldn’t betray me still was Will.

  “What’s wrong Lexi?” Al asked, looking up from the computer screen at me. I passed him my phone. He quickly returned it to me. “We’ll talk about it later.” I nodded. We couldn’t change what was heard or known; we’d just have to be extra cautious. Even the door alarms didn’t work with Jack’s group before. They somehow threw off every piece of technology; my necklace was a complete waste around them but worked fine when I tested it on the way to the airport.

  Having a leak was huge though. It meant regardless of where we went, how well prepared we were, Jack would still have the upper hand.

  “Last time we had the most success being out there, not cooped up in a room staring at computer screens and cell phones. Let’s go grab something to eat, walk around the city, eavesdrop; then we’ll hit a few clubs and parties later tonight.”

  “Finally we get to the good stuff,” Craig exclaimed, leaping up off the bed and heading toward the door.

  “Wait up. I need to check on Kellan. He was supposed to meet us in here.” I started walking towards the door but turned back. “Everyone meet in the lobby in five. Does that sound ok?”

  They nodded, only somewhat listening, as they began talking amongst themselves. Al and Will were talking animatedly with Aunt Claire about what’d happened so far. Will and she instantly connected on their in depth knowledge of basically my present and future life. I shrugged, catching up with Craig.

  “Mugger buggers!” Craig exclaimed, zipping off in a heartbeat.

  My heart pounded in my chest at the sight before us. Kellan and Kai were nose to nose, their chests puffed out; Kalel was nowhere to be seen. I heard no words exchanged though silently they were stabbing each other; their eyes were narrowed like daggers pointing straight at their opponent.

  “Hey now! Let’s not get our tizzles in a nizzle. Hey! I sound like snoop there it is doggy dog. Woof! Woof!” Craig laughed awkwardly, which was odd for him as he forced himself between the two of them.

  I stood back, frozen in place. I wasn’t angry or sad; I was almost numb. All this was about ego. That’s it. I was a prize to them; a prize to fight over. I wished I could crawl back into my fat suit so I didn’t have to deal with it. Perhaps I was being melodramatic and petty, but I felt cheap. Seeing this cheapened the act to me. I loved him; I always will, but I didn’t want to be in the middle of a pissing match.

  The feeling began to return to my limbs. I swallowed the depression trying to rear its nasty head and, as nonchalantly as possible, walked past them both and straight to the elevators. Thank God I had grabbed my wallet and cell on my way to Kalel’s room earlier. I needed some fresh air; a moment away from it all. I’d taken a huge step in my life a little bit ago and the last thing I wanted was to feel bad about in anyway. I knew I didn’t regret it, but I didn’t want any hint of a negative connotation surrounding it; and that’s exactly what the guys were creating.

  I stopped short finding Kalel in the lobby speaking to John.

  “Didn’t you just say you were on your way to Cardiff?”

  He looked up at me, shrugged nonchalantly. “The plane hadn’t landed yet; technicality.” He sounded a bit Nordic at the moment.

  I looked around for his luggage, but didn’t spot any. When our eyes met again, his nose was scrunched, head cocked slightly. He definitely smelled the difference. He raised a questioning brow when I didn’t volunteer any information.

  I sighed. “I’m going to go for a walk. Just text me when everyone’s ready to go and I’ll head back.”

  “Damn. Was it that bad?”

  I shook my head. “What do you mean?”

  He switched to a Japanese accent now. “It is man’s job to please the woman. If he fails; all will know. A happy woman is a satisfied woman, and you do not seem happy.”

  I tensed at his suggestion. I wished I could hide my scent; wash it away. I hated the fact that everyone knew the moment I walked into the room. I hated the fact that they all had to point it out. What happened to my privacy? For once, I missed the company of humans. No one would have been the wiser in that group unless I offered up the information.

  I turned about-face and headed out the door seeking freedom. I was weary and weak; vulnerable. I needed to toughen up. I needed to get a grip. I couldn’t walk around with my emotions on my sleeve around Jack and his crew. I was already seeing a strong difference between myself and the vampires I spent most of my time with. I was clearly the vampeen in the group; the most human of them, and I no longer felt comfortable with that.

  As I hit the pavement outside, I walked towards the marina. A shiver ran through me. When we’d arrived in Cardiff, the weather was a manageable thirty six degrees Fahrenheit; it’d definitely taken a nose dive in the hours that’d passed.

  I tried not to think of anything as I strolled. I needed to let go of what was going on in my personal life and focus on this mission. Any sort of distractions were unnecessary and dangerous. That’s how vamps get you; they hit when you least expect it and when you’re the most vulnerable. Basically when they feel like they could easily overpower you. In my case, a distracted mind or a heavy heart was a death dart.

  It didn’t take me long to reach the marina. I immediately felt at peace; it reminded me of downtown Charleston. Boats were lined along wooden piers, tied to their docking stations. I didn’t see many fishermen, only a few men in many layers of well warn winter ensembles going the opposite way.

  Without realizing it, I found myself walking down a dock. The boats ranged from upscale mini yachts to economy sized fishing boats and even a few speed boats. The one that stood out was a weathered, dilapidated shack of a house boat. The boats bow was rusted metal, corroded by the salt water; the actual house portion was crackling wood that I was surprised hadn’t rotted through. There was little to no finish left on the eye soar.

  Perhaps its single redeeming quality was how quaint it felt. Odd pots and spoons and shells hung on nails dotting the peripheral. An old yellowish-white and faded red circular flotation device hung to the right of the door; the kind seen on every boat as the lone life raft you toss out to rescue a stray.

  Suddenly the door flung open an
d an older man with a long grey beard, weathered face and tattered sweats walked out. I leapt back, unsure of when I’d crept up so close to the vehicle.

  “I thought I smelled you. Come on in.” He waved his hand towards the door, walking through without a look back. I looked around the harbor to see if perhaps he was talking about someone else. “Don’t doddle! I haven’t got the years you do,” he grumbled.

  Years I do? He knows. But how?

  Curiosity got the best of me. Every horror film that depicted a single white female walking onto a boat with a strange lone male lurking about always ended with the female dead, yet I followed obediently. For some reason I felt safe. I couldn’t fathom why, but my body didn’t react to him. No serum rose; no panic produced sweat or heart palpitations.

  The moment you walked inside, to the left was the shining glory of the boat: the captain’s cockpit. The brass wheel still looked brand new as if it’d been shined daily. The nozzles and controls surrounding it were still a crisp black. Beyond this single area though, everything else resembled the outside. It was a straight shot from the steer to the twin bed with a one wall kitchen and a half table with two weak chairs.

  More eclectic charm was poured into the space inside though with a rusted aluminum can wind chime hanging over the tiny porthole above the kitchen’s extremely shallow sink. The scratched cupboards, having seen their better days, were obviously once a soft buttercup to play off the cornflower laminate counter top. There wasn’t much to the space, yet it was the special touches of random paraphernalia that made it feel inviting.

  “Well don’t just stand there, take a seat. I’m afraid I don’t have any blood, but would you like a glass of water?”

  It was a struggle not to stand open mouthed gawking at him, but I managed to nod my head politely on my way to the closest chair.

  “How do you know?”

  “My too-many-greats-to-mention grandfather predicted you. He left a copy of his journal to his last born descendent when he died. It was eventually passed down to me.” He set a glass of water in front of me before pulling out the adjacent chair. He grunted and groaned dramatically as he sat down, his joints sounded as if there were impacted with fluid and swollen, yet were limber at the same time.