Lailah (The Styclar Saga)

by Nikki Kelly

“I’m pretty old, I get that. But I don’t age; I’ve been seventeen for a very long time. But I can die, it’s just … I wake up again. My dreams, my visions are the only windows into anything that came before, and I don’t pretend to understand them.”

  His face fell away from mine so I couldn’t see his expression. He leaned back before he said, “When was the last time that you … died?” His wide eyes flashed up to mine. He seemed to hold his breath as he waited for my answer.

  “Six years ago.”

  His shoulders slumped forward and I felt him tighten his grip around the tea towel. “So you don’t remember me at all, not really.…” He trailed off.

  “Maybe I don’t remember you, but I never forgot you. Who were you to me?”

  Glancing up to meet my eyes, I felt warmth resonating from his being, almost stroking my skin. “All that time ago, we were … well, we were close friends.” He smiled.

  “I see. If we were friends then how are you still alive?” I asked. “Are you a Vampire too?” I don’t know why I even asked that; I could tell he wasn’t. He was so different.

  “No.” He inhaled. “I’m an Angel.” He waited for my reaction.

  I sat silently. I hadn’t known Angels existed—well, not outside of myth at least. But then, I had thought the same of Vampires until a few years ago. To the best of my recollection, I hadn’t ever come across an Angel. I trod carefully with my next question. “If you’re an Angel, shouldn’t you be in Heaven?”

  “Angels don’t ordinarily live on Earth, that’s true, unless the Angel is fallen,” he answered. “If Angels choose to fall, they lose their connection to our world; their gifts cease. Rendered useless on this plane, they become mortal. Seldom is that choice ever made.”

  “But if choosing to fall means you become mortal, then I don’t understand. You are the same as in my dreams, you look the same?”

  “That’s because I didn’t fall. My situation is a little different,” he explained.

  “And these Vampires … Jonah? Are they somehow part of your different situation?” I pushed.

  “Yes and no. I have been on Earth a long time and I have freed a number of Second Generation Vampires. They were human once; the life they have now was forced upon them. If I see a chance to grant salvation, I take it.” He paused thoughtfully before continuing. “Jonah was, well, a special case. When I came across him, he showed through his actions that he was capable of change. I offered him his freedom, and I try, just like with the others, to help guide him back to some sort of humanity.”

  “How long has he been with you?” I asked.

  “Not long enough. He needs more time, and there are others involved—It’s not that simple. He remains loyal to me in gratitude of my help. When he is able to leave, and if he wishes to, I will let him go.”

  He must have known I was about to pursue the conversation further as he quickly changed the subject. “How’s your hand?” He peeled away the towel, raising my palm toward him. He met my eyes, disbelieving, when he saw that it had healed already. “How is that possible? You were—are—mortal.” He stumbled over his words.

  “It just is, I don’t know why. Let me ask you, if we were such close friends, where did you go? Why did you leave me behind?”

  He winced as the words left my lips and I sensed that I had asked the question he most wanted to avoid.

  As Gabriel pondered his answer, Jonah bounded onto the patio.

  “Hey, Cessie, you’re up and about?” he asked, somewhat surprised.

  Gabriel glared at him. I figured he was still unhappy about Jonah feeding from me.

  “Gabriel.” He nodded at his friend respectfully.

  “Yeah, I’m a lot better, how are you?” I replied.

  “All good.” He seemed far more humble than when we had first met.

  I stood, and both Jonah and Gabriel moved in my direction.

  “Here, let me help you.” Jonah scooped me up effortlessly. “You should be resting anyways.” His arms were solid and they held me firmly.

  “Put her down, Jonah, she’s fine. She can walk.” Gabriel’s tone was far less gentle than the way he had spoken to me.

  Jonah looked baffled, but placed me down.

  “Francesca, why don’t you take a warm bath and freshen up? Brooke will have laid out some clothes for you, you’re about the same size,” Gabriel said.

  I scowled back at him—I still had plenty of questions.

  “We’ll continue this when you’re done. I need to speak with Jonah. He’s been recuperating himself, so we haven’t had a chance to talk,” Gabriel said, nodding at me.

  I took “recuperating” to mean feeding.

  Defeated, I reluctantly went back up to the room I had slept in and I ran a long, hot bath. The tub was wide and deep. I couldn’t resist adding some of the salts that were placed tidily next to it. I unhooked my necklace and placed it carefully on the nest of tables.

  Peeling off my clothes, I dipped my toe in but pulled it out quickly as it sizzled. I took a deep breath and tried again, this time stepping all the way in. I released my long, blood-stained hair from its elastic and let it flow down the nape of my neck and float on the surface of the clean water.

  Sinking in as far as I could, I bobbed my head under and swilled my face. I rested for what felt like too long, before cleaning my skin and scrubbing my hair furiously. I reached for the white cotton towel, though I could barely see it, the room was so steamy.

  I was anxious to return to Gabriel. I felt a powerful pull toward him and, strangely, out of the many questions I desired answers to, the only one I truly cared about was if he had loved me. I chuckled to myself, almost in disgust at my own indulgence. As if someone like him would have loved someone like me. He was exceptional, and I was not. But I knew his face, the way he smelled, and the way he had looked at me once before, in another lifetime. Mostly I recalled his smile, how it extended from the height of one cheek to the next; he was extraordinarily beautiful.

  As I emerged from the tub, I dried myself off and wrapped the large, cozy towel around my pale skin. I moved into the bedroom and saw, as promised, a tight silk spaghetti-strap racerback top covered in deep purple roses hanging from the mirror on the dresser. For added warmth, a knitted hip-length cardigan was draped over the hanger. A pair of black skinny jeans and some stiletto boots sat on the chair. A pretty makeup bag and a hairbrush with some clips were also set out. I smiled. As far as I knew, no one had ever cared enough to look after me before.

  Patting myself down, I set about trying on the clothes. They fit but were a little tight; despite my delicate frame, I had a curvy hourglass shape. But Gabriel had been accurate enough, this Brooke girl and I were a similar size. The boots were shiny and inviting, but the heel height was not, so I opted for my own flats instead. Wringing out my hair, I clipped it half up, half down, allowing the natural curl at the ends to dangle to my waist, leaving my side bangs to frame my face. Makeup was new; I didn’t wear it ordinarily, but I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, so I put a few strokes of blush across my cheeks and a little mascara on my lashes.

  Eyeing the reflection in the mirror, I almost didn’t recognize myself. I only ever wore practical clothes. Washing my face was about as much effort as I ever made to look presentable. I immediately felt self-conscious. Baggy jeans and flats meant that I blended into the backdrop; people never paid much attention to me. I didn’t know how to wear clothes like this, I worried I would appear awkward in them. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Shaking my head, I scolded myself; there was nothing wrong with me—why shouldn’t I look nice for a change? I attempted a more confident swagger toward the door.

  I was ready to return to my conversation with Gabriel.

  FOUR

  AS I PACED OUT ONTO THE LANDING, I could hear Gabriel and Jonah talking in the kitchen doorway. Their raised voices suggested they were arguing and so I loitered before I walked any farther forward.

  “… such power, I’ve never experienced
anything like it. I knocked them down as if they were nothing.”

  “You’d been starved? Did they do anything to you that could have had that kind of effect?” I heard Gabriel ask quickly.

  “Nope. I was completely weak and then she found me.”

  “You drank from her. You shouldn’t have done that.” Gabriel’s tone was sharp.

  “She didn’t exactly give me a choice! And if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here now.”

  There was a pause, and I moved back toward the bedroom door.

  “And while we’re on the subject, are you going to tell me how it is you know her? What is she? She’s not human, I know that.”

  “She is,” Gabriel snapped back, though not terribly convincingly.

  “I tasted her. She’s something else. Who is she?” Jonah’s voice lowered.

  I couldn’t hear the response; I started wondering if I’d been discovered, so I skipped down the winding staircase. As I reached the bottom, Gabriel’s attention immediately switched from Jonah and focused on me for a few moments before that sumptuous smile spread across his face. Jonah spun around and nodded earnestly in my direction.

  It was an intriguing sight to behold; the two of them side by side, such a contrast. Angel and Vampire—by definition, polar opposites. Impossible even.

  Before I had a chance to speak, a male Vampire came charging through the hallway, slamming the front door so hard the floorboards under my feet shook. “We have to leave, they’re coming!” His words tumbled out, barely coherent.

  “What? Why would they track us? They fled when I fought them and they’ll know there are more of us here,” Jonah replied arrogantly. This was the Jonah I had first met.

  “I sense Eligio,” the other said. “He’s coming with the clan.”

  “What’s left of them,” Jonah scoffed.

  “There’s more, it’s not just Eligio. Another Pureblood and his clan travel with him, I can feel it.”

  That seemed to quiet Jonah.

  “Two Purebloods? Two clans? That’s an awful lot of effort to put Jonah in his place.” Gabriel was thinking aloud.

  Almost at the same second, all three of them glanced up at me.

  “The girl?” the Vampire said, looking to Gabriel.

  Gabriel contemplated this for a few moments.

  “Erm, the girl has a name—Francesca. And who might you be?” I asked, a little annoyed.

  He inspected me quizzically. “Michael. I’m sorry; I don’t mean to be rude. The situation’s quite serious and we don’t have much time,” he replied through gritted teeth.

  “Francesca? But why? As far as they’re concerned she just happened to be there. A human girl shot down seemingly by Eligio’s own, assumed dead.” Gabriel had a confused and somewhat worried look spreading across his face.

  “Maybe they do want me. I ended a hell of a lot of them,” Jonah offered, almost hopeful.

  Michael’s face screwed up and I sensed he was holding something back. I guessed their relationships were a little strained.

  “I wonder how many of them I actually took out in the end.…”

  “Enough,” Michael snapped, baring his fangs.

  “Hey, you’re one of us now, you don’t belong to your Pureblood anymore. You wanted out and we helped you,” Jonah argued.

  “I wanted Thomas to have his freedom more than I wanted my own. I’ve only been separated from them for a short time and I felt every single one of my clan’s demise when you decided that they didn’t deserve their existence anymore. Do you know how difficult that is?” Michael replied coldly.

  “They aren’t your clan anymore, that’s the point. They have no desire to change. They’re beyond saving. You said you wanted your humanity back, that’s why you’re here and they still belong to their Purebloods. Well, now some of them belong to the dirt.…”

  That was too much for Michael, who launched himself in Jonah’s direction. To my surprise Gabriel began to glow as he stepped in between them and both Vampires halted.

  “Stop, right now. Michael, I will try to help Thomas, in whatever way I can, but right now we have to leave,” Gabriel said. “How long until they reach us?”

  “Minutes, not hours. But we need to go back for Thomas—he’s my brother. I’m the reason he was turned; he was trying to save me. Now I must save him,” Michael replied, stepping back from Gabriel. “If they are coming here, Thomas has surely been left behind, bound and chained. Now is the time to go back for him.”

  “We need to get Francesca away from here. I’m sorry. We will have to find another way, but trust me, I will help him.” Gabriel’s word was final.

  Michael glanced at me with narrowed eyes, concluding that I was the reason Thomas wasn’t with us now.

  “Okay, gather the others, take them home. We’ll follow behind.” Gabriel hadn’t even finished his sentence and the Vampire was gone. “Jonah, get Francesca to the car.”

  Jonah grabbed my hand and as we touched I felt a tiny spark pass between his palm and my own. I released him automatically and he gaped back at me. He’d felt it too. “Come on!” he yelled.

  Shaking the moment off, we pelted through the front door and into the Range Rover. Jonah jumped into the driver’s seat, ready to speed off.

  “What about the others? There’s only one car?” I quizzed frantically.

  “They’ve gone on foot.”

  “But surely—?”

  “We’re faster on foot. We’re only in the car because you wouldn’t be able to keep up.” Jonah winked at me.

  I felt a blush sweep over my cheeks. In the cold light of day, he was just as attractive.

  “Where’s Gabriel?” I asked. “What’s he doing?”

  The thought of an army of Vampires tearing toward the house was terrifying and I wished that Gabriel would hurry.

  “Tying up loose ends,” Jonah answered.

  “What loose—?”

  “If they are coming for you,” he said impatiently, “your blood is still all over the bedroom, your scent all through the house.” He made this statement as if the rest were implied.

  “I thought you said I had no scent?” I argued.

  He hesitated before answering. “No, I think you were right. I was starved; I wasn’t myself. I can catch your scent now.” He raised his eyebrows and said, “Tasty…”

  I dismissed his remark with a half smile.

  Minutes later, Gabriel at last appeared, and as he jumped into the backseat, Jonah slammed the car into gear. Instinctively I reached for my chain; it wasn’t there.

  “Wait!” I shouted. I didn’t have time to explain—I flung open the door and began running back to the house.

  “Cessie!” Jonah yelled after me.

  No!

  Strange. It sounded like Gabriel’s voice, but it was like I had imagined it.

  As I approached the entrance, Jonah appeared and blocked me, grabbing my arm. I didn’t have time to think about it. I forced my way around him and somehow, despite his strength, I found myself in the hallway with the winding staircase in front of me.

  I sprinted up as fast as I could, telling myself we’d still have time to get away. The boards creaked loudly as I sprung up each one. Pushing the bedroom door open I charged through, snagging the cardigan on the bedpost, and raced into the bathroom.

  There it sat, glinting and glimmering, its light reflecting off the glass table.

  I scooped it up and quickly lifted it over my head, placing it back in its rightful position around my neck. At that moment, I heard a thunderous explosion. I spun around and, in a blink, there were flames engulfing everything, blazing up through the landing and filling every room and every crevice. The heat was so fierce that I thought I might melt before the fire reached me. I froze.

  As the flames raced toward me, I felt the heat graze my face, but only for a moment; my feet swept past the carpet and my body was being elevated off the floor—Jonah!

  We burst through the window; he covered my face with his shoulder
, protecting me from the shards of shattering glass as we hurtled through the pane. He tried to brace me from the fall, spinning me, taking my weight on top of his as we crashed onto the ground below. Unfortunately, even he couldn’t prevent us from being launched farther with the blast that followed.

  I landed several yards away from Jonah, facedown in the grass. My ears were ringing and my hands failed me as I tried to prop myself up. Immediately Gabriel was at my side, and in one swift movement I was in his arms and being bundled into the back of the car. Jonah was already at the wheel and we flew away from the furnace.

  What were you doing? Gabriel shouted.

  Automatically I raised my hand to touch my necklace. “I left it inside.”

  Bewildered, his wide eyes met mine as he whispered, “I didn’t say that aloud.”

  The car sped down the country roads. Gabriel, silently helping me into a more comfortable position in the backseat, began fastening my seat belt. The mood was tense and I could sense that Jonah was biting his tongue; he wanted to speak but followed Gabriel’s lead.

  “Are you all right?” Gabriel said, casting his eyes over me.

  “I’ll live,” I replied.

  “That’s not what I meant. Are you hurt?”

  “Perhaps a little bruised and embarrassed, but otherwise I’m fine.” I surveyed myself. “Oh, I ripped the cardigan, I’m so sorry.”

  Gabriel looked confused. “That’s the least of our problems. Brooke won’t mind, don’t worry.”

  “Thanks, Jonah. I think I owe you one,” I offered in gratitude.

  “Even Stevens now!” he replied playfully. “How did you get past me anyway? I’m pretty strong, you know!”

  I thought I saw him flex his bicep as he asked, just to demonstrate his point.

  Gabriel moved back to his own seat and, pulling out a map, he began studying it. But I knew he was focused on my response.

  “I think you must have tripped or something, I’m not sure. I just got by you somehow.” I wasn’t entirely sure myself.

  “Hmm yeah, I guess so; no person…” he hesitated, “… could get by me that easily.”

  His fingers met the dashboard and he started fiddling with the radio buttons. I thought about it for a moment and tried to recall. He had stopped me, hadn’t he? He grabbed me and I couldn’t move, but then … he was just out of the way and I was inside. As I focused on it, my head started to ache and I winced. Gabriel peered down at me.