Sapphyre: Burden to Bare (The Sapphyre Saga Book 1)

by Felicia Leibenguth

“Because I couldn’t that’s why!” Donavon snapped at me without taking his eyes off Katrina.

  Katrina has yet to move her eyes from his. It’s like they are in a… trance.

  He’s not, he can’t be…

  Zach moved so quick that I almost didn’t see it. I still can’t get over how fast he is. He jumped on top of Donavon knocking him to the floor. Zach’s front paws pinned down Donavon’s arms as he snarled showing his white canine teeth inches from Donavon’s face. Garcia moved closer and replaced Zach’s paws pinning down Donavon’s arms and now she growled in his face.

  “Zach what’s going on!?” My voice showing panic.

  “Get in the closet! Katrina’s in danger!” Zach said sounding breathless.

  “But-”

  “NOW!” He growled leaving no room for protest.

  “Come on K!” I pulled her into the closet with me. She tried to fight me, but I have adrenalin pumping through my veins, which makes me stronger.

  I slammed the door shut behind us.

  “Zach what’s happening!?” I yelled through the door.

  “Our little guest is starving. He apparently hasn’t fed since his attack on Katrina and the smell of her blood set him over the top. So, keep her in there no matter what! We’re not going to hurt him! I promise!”

  “Lexi?” Katrina sounds scared and stressed.

  “It will be okay. They’re not going to hurt him,” I told her. Her shoulders relaxed.

  “What are you going to do?” I asked Zach loudly.

  “We’re gonna have a chat,” Zach said aloud. I didn’t realize he changed back to human.

  “Well, can I at least come out? I have questions of my own ya know,” I said sourly.

  “No. Stay in there with Katrina,” Zach said being authoritative. “I don’t want him reacting that way again.”

  “But-” I began to protest, but I’m quickly cut off.

  “Her blood has no draw for me. She’s tainted. You of the Supernatural should sense that yourself,” Donavon said in a harsh voice, I assume toward Zach. “Let her come out. I prefer to talk to her rather than you any day. She has a way about her,” he continued in a calmer voice.

  Zach mumbled, “Yeah, don’t I know it.” Then spoke louder, “Okay Lex, but Katrina you stay there and I mean it! You two don’t listen very well ya know!” He sounds annoyed.

  Katrina smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

  I walked out of the closet quickly shutting the door behind me, leaving Katrina inside.

  I looked around finding Zach in his human form, standing over Donavon as he sat on Katrina’s bed. Garcia, in bear form, stood in front of Donavon keeping her attention on him, and Thatch, still by the window in his human form.

  I walked closer to Donavon and stood next to Garcia. I figure that’s the safest place to be. Donavon looked me up and down and smiled the first warm smile I’ve ever seen on his face. He looks completely relaxed and at ease.

  “So, it seems you have been claimed,” Donavon said still smiling.

  “How-” I began.

  “I can smell it on you. There is also something else I smell on you. I’m not familiar with it. Your blood… it doesn’t smell right. Definitely not something I would want to drink. The small taste I had before… made me sick,” he made a quick disgusted face.

  What does he mean I don’t smell right? What am I supposed to do with that!? Of course, I’m glad I’m not appetizing to him, but still… was that supposed to be an insult? Uh, listen to me! I’m acting like I want to be a meal for this guy! Why should I care how I smell to him!?

  “The WHAT!?” Zach roared as he looked at Donavan then over to me.

  I cringed. “… Did I forget to mention… he bit me in the parking lot?” I bit my lower lip nervously afraid of Zach’s reaction.

  The fire roared in Zach’s eyes when he stepped in front of Donavan, but his father stopped him before he can do anything.

  “Deal with this later. Now go calm down,” Thatch ordered.

  Zach’s rage did not subside as he stormed out of the room for a moment. I looked at the door where Zach disappeared, then back to Donavan. Before either of us can speak, we heard a loud bang downstairs making me jump.

  I sighed… what did he break this time?

  Ignoring Zach, I turned to address Donavan. “Where were we? Ah, yes… my blood disgusts you?” I smiled.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to offend,” Donavon said.

  “No, it’s fine. I just don’t get what you mean is all.”

  “Your blood… It doesn’t smell… sweet like humans, but has more of a tangy smell, more… sour I guess you could say. I never smelled anything like it. It different that’s all,” he smiled again.

  “Oh. What does it mean though?”

  “Well, it means Vamps like myself won’t view you as food. That’s for sure.”

  I smiled slightly. I guess it’s a good thing I have tainted blood. Still weird though.

  Zach returned after a moment. “Enough, now I want to know what you’re doing here!” Zach said with rage still burning in his eyes.

  “I said I wasn’t going to talk to you,” Donavon said calmly and looked at me.

  I can see Zach tense at my side and his hands turned into fists. Before he can do anything, I stepped closer to him and took his fist in my hand. He quickly interlaced our fingers and wrapped his other hand around me protectively. At least his hands are busy so he can’t swing at Donavon.

  Donavon smirked.

  “Okay, so what are you doing here?” I asked calmly.

  “Because I want to be,” he said keeping the smirk on his face.

  “Obviously,” I said rolling my eyes. “Now you can answer me or I can stand here all night to get what I want out of you. Your choice,” I said cockily.

  “That’s what I like about you.” He smiled. “I bet you always win too, don’t you?”

  “Pretty much. Now I would appreciate it if you answer my question.” I looked at him with unwavering eyes.

  “Alright. I came to see Katrina.”

  “Why?” I urged.

  “To… make sure she was… alright,” he said reluctantly looking toward the closet door.

  “You really do care about her, don’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “Why would you want to kill her though? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Like I said before, my kind and your kind can’t be together. There are rules against it though some of us don’t seem to care about rules.” He paused to look at Zach. Garcia growled, but Donavon continued, ignoring her. “If I was found to be with a human, they would kill us both. I was determined not to let that happen. All I ever cared about was myself, my life was more important than a mere human. So, I figured if I killed her I wouldn’t be feeling the way I am and that my life would be spared. I could go on with my life, but that’s not how it happened. Every time I came back, I swore it was going to be the day I would kill her. Each time I couldn’t. As soon as I saw her eyes while she stood there without a word, knowing how easy it would be for me to kill her… She stood her ground and didn’t show any fear. The first night I came was the first night I started falling in love with her. I started thinking about her all the time while I was away from her and I hated it. I never cared about anyone else but myself, and now all I think about is a human. It infuriated me, I hated the way I was feeling for her. I wanted her dead and when I found out she told you… I found the strength and thought I could actually go through with it. I listened in the woods that night she told you. I knew then what terror I was putting her through and a small part of me regretted every moment of it, of everything I did to her. The furry took over again. I tried to stay away for a while to calm down, but my anger got the better of me and I returned the next day.

  “When she was lying unconscious on the floor… I looked at her again. I saw the girl I fell in love with. She never yelled, never said a word… never screamed. She was accepting death and as I looked at her, I
felt a pang of hatred, not for her, but for myself. How could I do this to her? I knew I couldn’t kill her. She somehow became part of me. I drove her to the school and waited, hoping someone would find her, but you came out. I was angry because you knew the truth about me. I wanted to…” He looked at Zach. I felt Zach’s hands tighten around my waist, and I rubbed his hand trying to calm him. Zach looked at Donavon with pure hatred clenching his teeth.

  Donavon turned back to me. “When you stood up to me and I saw the strength in your eyes, even after I bit you, it reminded me of Katrina. As soon as you closed your eyes, I disappeared. I watched from a distance as you cared for her as if she were your sister. I guess you could say a small part of me respects you for that,” he smiled. “So, does that answer your question?”

  “Yes, but… why did you go after her mom?”

  He sighed. “I went after her mom… well because… I’m a moron and wasn’t thinking. I knew her mother would be in my way once she found out about Katrina. I figured Katrina would tell her mom about me, the Vampire, and her mother would send her back to the hospital like she did before when her brother was killed. In a way, I was thinking I could keep that from happening again if her mother wasn’t around.”

  I looked at him in total disgust.

  “I told you I wasn’t thinking. I was glad your little friend there stopped me,” he said remorsefully.

  “Did you kill…” I started, but couldn’t finish.

  “Her brother?” Donavon finished for me. “No, that wasn’t me. I lied to Katrina that night and told her I drank his blood. That was when I started to have feelings for her. I wanted to hurt her so maybe she would fight back the next time I came and I would be able to kill her. She didn’t that time. It took her a long time to fight back, but the more I came back, the more I fell in love with her.” He shook his head. “But no, I didn’t kill her brother. It was another who bit him. He was already dead when the other Vamp found him. He looked like he hadn’t fed in a while and he bit the poor kid. I didn’t stop him, but if I knew Katrina and I knew that was her brother, that Vamp would have died the second he laid a finger on him. As it was, I did chase him out of the state, he was on my turf. That was when Katrina started the uproar about the Vamp that bit her brother and I was afraid of being exposed. Others of my world would find out and blame me, so I went to silence her. Of course, you already know what happened.” He shook his head again in sadness.

  I looked at Donavon in silence. I was expecting a true to the core monster, but… he has another side to him, a softer side. He cares for Katrina; I can see and hear it in his voice, the remorse and pain. He isn’t evil to the core, but he still has a dark side that flashes into his eyes every so often. He seems to be able to hide it when it surfaces. I wonder what’s really going on inside his head. Is he making this up so we would trust him, or is he being truthful? I don’t know if he can be trusted, but I do believe him when he says he loves Katrina.

  “What are you really doing here?” I asked. Maybe I can find a hidden agenda.

  “I already told you. To make sure she’s okay.” He looks confused.

  I can tell something is off in the way he spoke and the way his eyes flashed with anger and something else I can’t pinpoint.

  “I will stand here all night to get the truth.” I glared at him with unrelenting eyes. I’m going to get it out of him.

  “What do you want me to say!?” He’s clearly angry now.

  “I want the real reason you’re here.”

  “You want the truth?”

  I crossed my arms reluctantly letting go of Zach. He kept his hands on me seeming to hold me back. What did he think I was gonna do, attack a Vampire? Well, he’s probably right.

  “Fine, if you want to know I was going to beg her for forgiveness and beg her to be mine! To allow me to claim her! I can’t live without her any longer and I want her! Are you happy now!?” He demanded rising to his feet.

  Zach pulled me behind him and bared his teeth at Donavon. Garcia growled. She never moved the whole time, but she took a step forward forcing Donavon to sit back down. Thatch moved closer and stood behind Donavon.

  I said very calmly from behind Zach, “Yes, but you need to learn to control your temper.”

  “Well excuse me! I’ve never had to explain myself to anyone, I’ve always been a loner and don’t have people skills. So, you will just have to live with my attitude,” he said glaring at me. “Now if you don’t mind I want to see her,” he growled.

  “I don’t think so! You’re out of control and not to mention starving!” Zach said growling back at Donavon.

  “I’m not out of control. I’m pissed! Now I want to see her. I came here to be alone with her and obviously that plan went out the window!”

  I pulled myself free of Zach and put a hand on his face looking into his eyes. I know he understands what I’m going to do. I walked toward the closet and went to open it, but the door is ajar. I pulled it open to find Katrina’s gone. She’s nowhere to be found. Horrified, I looked toward Zach.

  “Stay here, I’ll be right back,” I said as I ran out of the room.

  “Katrina, where are you? Katrina?” I said loudly as I practically ran through the house.

  I checked downstairs, the kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, she’s nowhere. I went out back to look in the yard. She wasn’t there. I peered around front to see if by some chance, she went to the police who were parked across the street. Nope, not there, but I did notice both police officers were sleeping. Nice.

  I went back in the house. Where could she be? I have a thought. I headed back upstairs and noticed her brother’s bedroom door is closed. That door’s always open. I knocked. No answer. I reluctantly turned the knob and pushed the door open. I looked around the small dark room and saw a small figure sitting on the child size bed with its arms wrapped around its knees. It looked at me with glowing amber eyes.

  A figure lay motionless on the floor in the middle of the room.

  Slap

  “ZAAAACH!” I screamed terrified. The figure on the bed flinched away from me.

  Zach came storming through the door and got in front of me in full protection mode. I quickly reached for the light switch when I a hear a child’s voice.

  My hand froze in its movements.

  “She fainted. I swear I didn’t do anything. I swear!” It’s a little boy’s voice, and he sounds like he’s crying and panicking.

  In my frozen state, I didn’t realize there’s another figure standing behind me until I hear the voice.

  “What the hell are you doing!? You never listen!” Donavon growled.

  “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t… mean to,” the boy cried covering his face with his hands.

  Zach looked at the crying boy on the bed and Donavon standing behind me. Zach looks like he’s not sure what to do, but he managed to push my back up against the wall and stood in front of me with his arms back, touching the wall on either side of me. Surrounding me in a protective circle. He focused on the figure laying on the floor and Zach seems speechless at the moment, which is a rarity.

  “You stupid brat! I told you to wait! Now, look at what you’ve done!” Donavon glared down at Katrina lying unconscious on the floor.

  “I didn’t do anything! I swear!” The boy continued to cry.

  It’s too dark in here for me to see anything but the movement the child’s making. I can see the light switch just off to my side. I slowly moved my hand up the wall until I felt the switch. The blinding light came on overhead and I have to blink to adjust my eyes. I immediately noticed Katina laying on the floor. She doesn’t look hurt, and she’s breathing normally, thank God. When I moved my eyes from Katrina to the boy on the bed above her, I noticed the room is full of Power Rangers memorabilia. There’s life-size wall clings hanging in the corner of the room, the area rug, lamps, and all the bedding, is Power Rangers. There are even Power Rangers action figures sitting on shelves.

  I moved my eyes awa
y from the bedding to look at the boy for the first time. He has his face turned away from me. I notice he looks dirty as he has no shoes and dirt is caked his feet. He’s wearing a light blue button-up shirt and a pair of grey dress pants. The pants ripped in many places and the hem at the bottom is ripped to shreds like a pair of jeans that have been dragged on the ground. They’re also dirty and look like they hadn’t been washed in months. His shirt is missing half of the buttons as it falls open in places. The skin underneath, that I can see, is pale white and smooth, but dirty. He hasn’t bathed in quite some time. The cuffs of the boy’s shirt are also shredded like his pants and there are streaks of dirt going down the front like he wiped his hands to clean them off. The boy’s an overall mess.

  As we stand in silence, the boy finally turned his head toward us. Tears flowed, still running down his face. His bright amber eyes with long dark eyelashes and tousled reddish-brown hair hangs past his ears. It’s a mess and needs a good wash and brushing. The little boys face is soft, sincere, and… shy. His light pink lips pouted. His face, like the rest of him, covered in dirt. Past all the filth, he’s an adorable little boy, but he also looks familiar to me. I’m sure I’ve never seen this boy before.

  The boy looked at me with those sad amber eyes, then down toward Katrina a moment later.

  I looked at the boy and then to Katrina for a moment. Something clicked.

  I gasped so hard, I almost choked. “Oh… my… God!” I said glaring at the boy in disbelief.

  “What!?” Zach said quickly tensing his body, ready for a fight.

  “It… it can’t… there’s no way!” I gasped again. This child looks to be about six or seven, but… if I’m right he should be twelve or thirteen!

  “Lexi, what is it, child?” I’m surprised to hear Garcia’s voice just behind Donavon. She quickly moved in-between Donavon and me.

  “Thomas?” I whispered.

  The boy looks at me immediately. “You know me?” He asked innocently in surprise.

  I covered my mouth with my hand and stared in total disbelief. I’m not dreaming, am I?