Lailah (The Styclar Saga)

by Nikki Kelly

  Gabriel stepped next to me, placing his hand affectionately on my back, and said, “Yes, and now yours.”

  We made our way inside. I followed Jonah’s lead as he opened the door, walking into the huge hallway that extended maybe thirty feet ahead; solid hardwood ran throughout. I pushed my hair behind my ears nervously as I stepped inside, slowly absorbing it all.

  “Oh, good, you’re back, love!” a sweet voice chirped from the room at the far end of the hallway. She flashed toward us and I shifted uncomfortably. A Vampire. Of course. I knew they would be here, but it was still strange to see.

  She swept past me as if I didn’t exist and moved into a lingering hug with Gabriel, kissing him softly on the cheek. I couldn’t help but furrow my brow, a surge of jealousy racing through me.

  I looked to Jonah on my right, who rolled his eyes in reply. “Hanora, this is Cessie.” Jonah forced the introduction.

  She didn’t move right away, but Gabriel took her arms from around his shoulders and turned her to face me. She was immaculate. Standing tall and slender at an easy five feet eight inches, her long dark brown hair cascaded in loose waves past her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright green with flecks of yellow, her skin was white as snow, and her face was perfectly symmetrical. She couldn’t have been more than twenty in human years, but she made me feel like a disheveled child by comparison.

  She eyed me, judging, instantly turning her pretty button nose up. “Nice to meet you, Cessie,” she said with a smooth Irish accent. With a crooked smile, she extended a hand for me to shake.

  I took it politely and returned the smile with a sarcastic one of my own. “It’s Francesca, actually.”

  Our hands parted and Jonah coughed a little awkwardly.

  “Jonah, why don’t you give Cessie a tour of the grounds?” Gabriel asked.

  I felt immediately rejected.

  “Come on, we can start with the gardens out back,” Jonah agreed, eagerly whisking me off down the hallway through an oversized eat-in kitchen and through a back door. It occurred to me that the kitchen was a pretty redundant room in this house.

  “He wanted me out of the way,” I huffed to Jonah as I bumbled over the decking and past the outside seating area covered with a canopy. My mind was in overdrive once again. I was expecting Vampires, but I wasn’t prepared for a beautiful Irish one to drape herself all over Gabriel as soon as we walked in the door.

  My annoyance receded briefly as I saw, outstretched in front of us, a beautiful woodland. Behind it, fields upon fields were tucked up in an icy blanket with a film of fog brewing on top. An idyllic setting, totally secluded.

  “Wow,” I mumbled.

  “Twenty acres roughly,” he said, answering the question I hadn’t yet asked.

  “Beautiful.”

  “Secure and well equipped. There are cameras everywhere and we know this village like the back of our hands, not to mention the booby traps,” he returned. “Are you all right for a little exploration?” he quizzed, nodding in the direction of my shoulder.

  I didn’t answer as I began strolling down the slate path. “What’s Gabriel doing?” I said, gazing toward the back door.

  “Sorting some stuff out,” Jonah answered. I rolled my eyes at him, knowing he was purposely withholding details. “Fine. He’s holding a mini-briefing.”

  “With who and about what?” I inquired, shivering a little in the chill.

  “With everyone who lives here. Letting them know you’ll be staying and laying down the ground rules, I’d imagine,” he replied. I slowed and he said, “You know, no drinking the girl and all that.”

  “Oh, great.” I examined the setting ahead and viewed the opening to the woods. Nestled inside was another building. The path veered off and a track took its place through the trees. “Who’s Hanora?” I tried to keep the quiver from my voice.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Who is she to Gabriel?”

  He thought for a moment. He was slightly ahead of me so he slowed down. “She is Gabriel’s oldest companion. He freed her back in the early nineteen hundreds. She was the first one he saved. They’ve been traveling together a long time, so they’re, shall we say, close.” His eyes glanced at me sideways, checking for my reaction.

  His words stung. I didn’t like the idea that Gabriel, my Gabriel, was close to any female. I felt betrayed. But how could I? It wasn’t like he belonged to me. I still didn’t know what he was to me or even what he had been to me in another lifetime. I gulped hard, but tried not to give anything away.

  I rubbed my hands over my arms as the chill continued to sting me.

  “You’re cold,” Jonah observed. “Here.” He whipped off his dark leather jacket and stood in front of me. Placing it around my shoulders, he pulled the collar edges together. Glancing down thoughtfully, his pupils swelled a little larger, inviting me in. I was captured momentarily by his expression, a wicked grin spreading across his face. I knew he was dangerous, and not only because he was a Vampire.

  He stepped a little closer and bent down suggestively, so he was almost nose-to-nose with me, his unwavering stare meeting my own. He held my gaze as he placed his hands into the pockets of the jacket hanging on either side of my body, brushing his thumb against my bare waist as he moved under the bottom of the shirt. I didn’t falter. He moved in a little closer, his hips now touching mine. I was the first to break.

  Self-consciously I jolted away, fluttering my eyelashes furiously, escaping the exchange. Bowing my face down I scratched at my head; he threw his own back and roared a little.

  He snatched his hands out of the pockets and produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Embarrassed, I hid my blush as he stepped back. Lighting his cigarette high in the air, he blew out the smoke through his nose. “Want one?” he asked, extending the box in my direction.

  I inhaled, letting the secondhand smoke pollute my lungs, but shook my head. “I’d say they’d kill you, but I guess that doesn’t exactly apply.”

  It took us about ten minutes to reach the woodlands. We entered the opening and the pathway led to a pretty but rather decrepit outbuilding. I lit up and Jonah offered to show me inside. “Gabriel’s been doing some restoration work to it. It won’t fall down now but it’s a long way from finished yet.”

  It was small but perfectly formed. I creaked open the old wooden door and was presented with an entranceway that featured a beautiful tile floor with a sun design. Four rooms came off it—a sitting room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It had been plastered and the plumbing was in but the rest of it was a shell. I wandered into the sitting room. A sheet hung over the fireplace, and I carefully peeled it back to reveal a newly installed log fire, ready for use. It felt so homey.

  “It’s incredible,” I gushed.

  “You’re easily impressed.”

  I shrugged off his comment as I fell in love with the building. I bounced happily from each room. They were all bare, other than a sink and toilet that had recently been installed in the bathroom; but even so, it captivated me. I felt more comfortable here than I did in the luxurious house. It was far less alien, and a palace compared to the places I’d lived.

  “How’s your shoulder holding up?” Jonah asked, breaking my train of thought.

  “Sorry?” We were back in the entranceway and my attention had turned to the tiled sun on the floor. It seemed to exude flashes of gold and white. I knew that was impossible, but it did.

  “You know, where you were shot?” He squeezed the back of my shoulder where Gabriel had patched me up just a few nights before. I didn’t flinch.

  “What are you doing!” I stepped away from him, irritated.

  “Funny, most people would feel something so soon after,” he accused.

  “I’m not most people.” I didn’t want to lie to him.

  “Let me see it. I’ve been feeling guilty about it since it happened.”

  “No.” I turned on my heel and started to make for the door. Gabriel had been quite adamant that
I shouldn’t reveal my particular gift to anyone, least of all a Vampire.

  I was reaching for the handle when he spun me around, pressing me up against the wall so that I was forced to face him. Jonah was tugging off his jacket and the cardigan from around me, holding me by the waist, restraining me.

  “Jonah!”

  SIX

  “SORRY, CESSIE. I JUST NEED TO SEE IT. I won’t hurt you.”

  Alarm rang through me. Reacting, I bolstered my weight into his chest, knocking him backwards a little, just as his fingers were gripped at the back of my shirt. He managed to tear the silk effortlessly, leaving it gaping open down my back. I huffed, aggravated, and he tilted his head, impressed with the strength I had exerted.

  He eyed me for a moment but, within a flash, his hand was at my hip and he spun me around once more, my hands forced flat onto the cold brick wall. His body was flush with my own, his legs slightly parted, as he used all of his weight to keep me pinned, his hands clamped over the tops of mine. “You’re pretty stubborn, Cessie,” he murmured, his tone close to seductive.

  I was so furious with him, yet a little chill of excitement flowed through me at the same time. He was playing me like chords on a guitar, in an attempt to change my tune.

  “I just want a peek, that’s all,” he reasoned. Lowering himself down, his top lip skimmed my earlobe as he said, “No big deal.”

  I couldn’t escape his grasp. I started to panic; I didn’t want to have to explain to Jonah. I didn’t even have an explanation.

  He repositioned his left hand and I felt his weight shift across me. He reached for my hair and began to sweep it from my back. As it brushed my skin, I realized that I was seconds away from being revealed. He clasped my wrist. I forgot how strong he was; it felt as though he was nearly crushing my bones. I was about to scream when suddenly he let go.

  I twisted to face to him, not entirely sure what had caused him to stop. I took a second to be thankful that my hair was still covering my shoulder blade. He had the strangest expression on his face: stunned.

  “Who did that to you?” he said, his tone bitter.

  I followed his line of sight. He was staring down at my lower back and up my spine where my skin was now exposed. I spun, immediately grabbing for the cardigan now discarded on the floor. He lunged forward and caught me midgrab, pulling me up and into him. Wrapping himself around me, he traced his fingers up and down the scar, which was protruding out of my skin, feeling it stretch from my lower back to the nape of my neck in anything but a straight line.

  He was silent and when he pulled away from me, fury filled his expression. “I asked you who did that to you?” His voice roared, bouncing off the bare walls.

  I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I was uncomfortable; the scar was hideous and I was embarrassed that he had seen it. I needed the cardigan. I wanted it hidden. I snatched for it again, but he raced over, seizing it from my clutch.

  “Cessie,” he pushed on, deadly serious, and I had no choice but to answer.

  “I told you I had known a Vampire once and the acquaintanceship hadn’t ended well.” It was the truth.

  Jonah’s eyes flashed from his usual hazel color into deep red infernos. He looked ferocious. His whole body stiffened, appearing ready to erupt. “You’re still alive?” He hesitated, a quizzical look spreading across his face.

  I guess it was unusual to get out of the grasp of a Vampire with your life intact.

  “Yes, and he, Frederic,” I stammered, “is not.” My eyes started to well up. I didn’t want to think about this, about him. It was a painful memory and one I had no desire to revisit.

  Jonah’s muscles started to loosen and his eyes seemed less hard.

  I wiped angry tears with the back of my hand, which now felt like ice. I was shivering—a mixture of emotion and the freezing cold. Jonah seemed to calm down and walked toward me. He rested the cardigan back around my shoulders over the top of my hair. I slipped my arms through it silently and then backed away from him. I was beyond mad, my cheeks flushing scarlet.

  “I’m sorry,” he offered guiltily.

  I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I stumbled through the door, out into the woods. I stopped in my tracks as Gabriel stood directly in front of me.

  What did he do? His thoughts filled me quickly.

  I bowed my head, holding back the tears that threatened once more. Gabriel’s eyes ran up and down my body hurriedly; I could feel him examining every inch of me and quickly his eyes set upon my wrist, which was bruising a lovely shade of purple. He looked to me again but still I didn’t answer him.

  Go back to the house and wait for me on the patio. I need to speak with Jonah alone.

  I did as I was told and made my way back up the slate path slowly, to avoid falling on the slippery surface and to gain time to pull myself together. I didn’t want to cause tension between them, but I was upset with Jonah. However, I felt more emotional over the memory of that Vampire, of that evening.

  Reaching the patio, I sat down and waited. I remained there for what felt like a long time, when finally Gabriel returned and took a seat beside me. “I’m sorry about Jonah,” he sighed. “He’s curious about you, but that doesn’t give him the right—”

  I cut him off. “I’m fine, honestly. Let’s just forget it.”

  Gabriel nodded dubiously before continuing. “I’ve spoken to everyone who resides here and they’re all comfortable to be around you. They have sworn to me that they’ll treat you as family. I trust them to look out for you, to help keep you from harm. I know it’s difficult for you to be here, but I need you next to me while I try and work out…” He trailed off.

  “Work out what? What I am? I’m just a girl! Okay, maybe I’m a tad on the immortal side, but I am still human—I can die.”

  “Yes, but you come back to life, and that’s not exactly ordinary. It concerns me that not one but two Purebloods have come to seek you out. We need to know why.”

  I knew Gabriel was holding something back.

  “They might have been tracking Jonah and I was likely a coincidence,” I lied. It was me they were chasing. I knew this for certain after observing them in the vision.

  “Jonah drank your blood and he was able to end a large number of Second Generations with his bare hands, alone. You’re important to them and we must find out why. You won’t be safe until we do, and I need you to be safe, Lai.” His worried eyes shimmered and I became instantly agreeable. He cared about me, he wanted to protect me, and he wanted me here with him.

  I answered with the most definite of nods.

  “Come on, I need to introduce you to the family.” He stood and offered me his hand, which I gladly took; I followed him into the kitchen. I wanted to hide behind Gabriel as we entered to a reception of several Vampires. “Cessie, you’ve met Hanora.”

  I flicked a quick glance in the girl’s direction. She still seemed fairly aloof.

  “This is Ruadhan, Brooke, and Michael, who you met this morning.”

  I greeted them with a nod of my head.

  Ruadhan was the oldest in human years by far; he appeared to be in his late forties.

  His Irish name and symmetrical features made me wonder if he were in some way linked to Hanora.

  Brooke was curious. The nearest to my own age, she was small and incredibly skinny with shiny red hair cut into a long bob drifting at her shoulders. Plastered in makeup and with a Vogue magazine under her arm, she appeared every inch a Valley Girl. She was conventionally pretty, and I wondered how much of the venom that had turned them all had affected their appearances.

  Michael was by far the plainest of the group. He was in his late twenties perhaps, and dressed in blue jeans with a shirt layered by a knitted sweater. All their clothes looked expensive, and their obvious wealth intimidated me. Michael’s face was pale and shiny like the others’, but his actual features were fairly indistinct. Simple brown eyes, a small bump in the arch of his nose. His build was av
erage.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ruadhan offered first. “Gabriel has explained that you’ll be staying with us from now on.”

  “Yes,” I answered carefully.

  “Well then, welcome, love!” he chirped. “I’m sure you’ll like living here, it’s a beautiful property and we’re surrounded by glorious scenery. I would be delighted to show you around the village when you’re ready,” he offered kindly, and he seemed sincere. I liked him instantly.

  “Thank you,” I replied courteously. “That would be nice.”

  “Is it true that Jonah drank your blood?” Brooke’s accusation sliced through the air.

  “Urm … Yes. I didn’t give him a lot of choice.”

  “Brooke, you know what happened. Cessie helped Jonah. He is still with us because she assisted him.” Gabriel fired her an annoyed look that seemed to say “stop talking.”

  “Assisted him! Jeez! You’re lucky you’re still breathing! Honestly, who goes around offering themselves like that anyway!” she continued petulantly.

  I started to sense that it wasn’t my risky sacrifice that she was interested in; it was my connection to Jonah. “Really, there was no alternative,” I defended myself.

  A short, sharp snigger came from the far corner, where Hanora stood. And I couldn’t help but feel that she was rather enjoying this little exchange. I didn’t want to appear like an argumentative child, so I put an end to the conversation.

  “Gabriel, would you mind if I take a nap? I’m a bit tired.” It wasn’t a lie. I was torn between starving hunger and an overwhelming need to close my eyes, just for a short while.

  “Of course. I’ll show you to your room.”

  “I look forward to getting to know you all,” I offered uncomfortably as he whisked me off.

  Politely, he stepped behind me and guided me through the hallway and up a huge staircase. He directed me to the landing, passing several doors as we went, eventually ending up at the far end. He turned the heavy steel handle and opened the room up for me. I stepped inside and observed my surroundings. The room itself was sizable, decorated neutrally in whites, which contrasted with the dark wooden beams that ran across the ceiling.