by LM DeWalt
She put her fork down and looked up at me with curiosity. “But you are vampires. Jose Luis is a vampire. I am not.”
“That’s okay. We can still be a family,” I assured her.
“I know but, why can’t I be one too?”
And there it was, the question I was dreading. All I could do was explain my reasons the way I wished it were explained to me. “You are only nine years old. At eighteen, you would legally be an adult. Don’t you want to be an adult first?”
She thought about it a moment, tilting her head to the side and biting her bottom lip, the same way I did when confronted with a dilemma. “But Cachi is not an adult.”
“I know he is not, but he at least looks like a young adult. He was dying from cancer. We couldn’t wait. We had to save him now,” I paused while she took a sip of her milk. “You might want to wait until you look like an adult since that’s how you will look forever.”
“But I do not want to be an adult,” she said setting her fork down and wiping the corner of her mouth with her napkin, though she had only eaten half the bowl.
“Why not?”
“Because all the adults do is fight. They are always fighting and hurting each other. I don’t like it.” Her big brown eyes showed her conviction.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I started, though I had no idea where I was going with it. She saw my hesitation and continued.
“Why does Melinda want to hurt you? Did you do something to her?”
If I had actually done something to Melinda, or even knew her before all this started, it would be so much easier to understand. But I had done nothing to her. In fact, I had done nothing to her sister, who she was so protective of and hellbent on getting revenge for. Fergus was killed in self-defense, in a battle that had nothing to do with them. The thing was, Fergus had not even died by my hand. Regardless of that fact, Melinda was determined to hurt anyone in my life and she was willing to use anyone she could against me, including Maia.
“No, I didn’t. She is doing this for her sister. It’s a long story and now is not the time to tell it. I promise I will tell you everything as soon as we are all safe.” I reached for her bowl and raised my eyebrows. She nodded and pushed it toward me. No wonder she was so tiny. She barely ate.
“They are going to come for me,” she said as turned in her seat to look at me. I placed her bowl on the counter and went back to my chair.
“I know they wanted you because of your power over fire,” I explained. “But I also know they were tired of trying to train you. Melinda said you had no control over it.”
“Yes. I know about that, but they still need me,” she said.
“For what?” I asked though I was afraid to hear what they told her.
“They will die without me. They don’t want to die. I don’t want them to die. I don’t want anybody to die,” her voice lowered toward the end as if she were fighting tears.
I stretched my arm across the table and offered her my hand. She looked at it a moment before placing hers in it. She jumped when I closed my hand against her warm one but did not pull away. “Why would they die without you?”
“Because I am the only one with blood they can drink. They need my blood to live,” she wiped the corner of her eye and took a deep breath before continuing. “I have special blood. They will die without it.”
“Oh, honey,” I stood and went to her side of the table, dropping to my knees, and taking both her hands. “They lied to you.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because they wanted to make sure you did not escape. It is not true that they will die without your blood. Nobody has special blood. They can drink any blood,” I explained. “How often did they feed from you?”
“One or two times a week. They took turns,” she explained as if it were normal. “They each drank a little and then I got to eat whatever I wanted after. One time, I ate a whole tub of lucuma ice cream all by myself.”
“Sweetie, they lied. They were feeding from others, too. They were only saying that to you because they wanted to keep you there and use you for your fire.”
Tears finally streamed down her cheeks and she didn’t bother to try to wipe them.
“I know it hurts when people lie to you. I am sorry that happened to you but you are safe now,” I hesitated for a moment but then took her in my arms. Instead of pulling away, she buried her face in my chest. “I promise we won’t let them take you.”
“I know, but…” she sniffled against my shirt.
“But what, honey?”
“I lied, too.”
FORTY
“What did you lie about?” I asked trying to sound calm. I couldn’t imagine what she would have lied about, but I prepared for a whopper. Before she could answer though, we were interrupted as Christian and Jose Luis walked into the kitchen.
“What are you ladies up to?” Christian looked from me to Leilani with a suspicious look in his eyes.
“I was eating but I am finished,” Leilani said and only then did I noticed she had a slight Irish accent.
She must have picked it up from Melinda, who, come to think of it, had been speaking English with all her minions. She no doubt thought it below her to learn the language of the country she planned to control, just like Ian. Thinking about how much alike the two were made me clench my fists, bringing Christian to my side at once. I looked at him and smiled, reassuring him that I was okay. I needed to concentrate on Leilani. As I turned to her, she jumped up from her chair and rushed to the sink.
“What are you doing?” Jose Luis asked as he stepped behind his diminutive sister and looked over her shoulder.
“I’m washing the plate,” she looked at him and rolled her eyes in a ‘what else would I be doing’ way. Christian and I started laughing. It didn’t take her long to get back to her usual with her brother, despite his new state and how long she had been away from him.
“You should get some sleep, Leilani,” Christian said, taking the clean dish from her and drying it before putting it back in the cupboard. “Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
“But I am not tired,” she protested as she turned to face her brother, folding her arms across her chest.
“You look tired. And Christian is right,” Jose Luis explained. “Tomorrow will be very busy. There will be a lot of vampires here and we have a lot to do.”
Leilani turned to me. “They will want me?”
“What do you…?” I gasped when I realized what she meant. I walked over to her and kneeled so I could look her in the eyes. “Honey, no one will ever use you for food again. The vampires who are coming are our friends. They are coming here to help us stop what is happening with Melinda and her sister, so no one has to ever get hurt again.”
“I can help,” she said with a determined look on her face.
I turned to Christian. He smiled with pride. “That would be great but,” he kneeled next to me and looked up at her. “Just this once, I think we should let all the grown-ups take care of it.”
“But I…” Leilani protested, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
“Leilani, I know you are strong and smart, but…” Jose Luis intervened. “I need you to go with me. Who will take care of me if something happens to you?”
Leilani thought about it a moment. “Ok, I will take care of you. Like mamá did.”
“Good, thank you,” Jose Luis said and took his sister’s hand. “Now let’s get you to bed.”
“Good night,” Leilani said and surprised me by wrapping her arms around me. As soon as she released me, she did the same with Christian.
Jose Luis led her out of the kitchen and they disappeared up the stairs.
“That is one intelligent and mature little girl,” I said turning to Christian as we sat on the sofa. “It breaks my heart, though.”
“Why do you say that?” Christian reached for my hand.
“She hasn’t had much of a chance to be a child.”
“You’r
e right,” he looked at me with sadness in his eyes. “She’s spent the last few years as a slave and feeder to those monsters.”
“I can’t imagine living like that every day. Did you know they told her they would all die without her blood?” My voice was a little louder than I wanted and I bit my lip.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He shook his head in disgust. “She will get to be a child again, with us. I hope that’s what she wants.”
I nodded and turned to face him. “She will do whatever her brother wants. She will not want to be separated from him again.” Just then, the door opened and Aloysius, Kalia, and Aaron walked in.
“Where were you?” I asked as they came to stand closer to the sofa.
“We went to feed. I suggest the three of you do the same. We need to be ready,” Aloysius said, taking a seat in a chair while Aaron took the other chair and Kalia sat next to me.
“Do you have the passports?” Christian asked.
“They will be ready in the morning. Giovanni is picking them up along with the plane tickets. They must be ready to leave tomorrow night,” Aloysius explained.
Kalia turned to Christian and me. “Where is Leilani?”
“Jose Luis took her up to bed,” I answered. “She says she not tired but it’s obvious she is. I doubt he’ll be up there long.”
“Well, if she will let me, I will take over for Jose Luis; sit with her until she falls asleep. You three need to go feed.”
“Now?” I asked feeling unsure about leaving Leilani on her first night with us.
“We’ll be too busy tomorrow with everyone coming and the planning we still have to do,” Aloysius said, his expression softening. “She’ll be fine, Lily. We are not going anywhere.”
I looked at Christian. “He’s right. We need to feed so we can be at our strongest. Leilani will be just fine. I know I wouldn’t try anything with these four here,” Christian said looking at the others in the room. They all laughed.
“It’s settled then,” Kalia said and rose, kissing Aaron on the head. “I’m going to go sit with Leilani, maybe tell her a story.”
***
The next morning dawned cloudy and damp. An uneasy feeling settled over me and though I tried to hide it, Christian noticed
“What’s wrong?” he asked as we dressed and got ready to take Leilani for some of the things she needed. “Are you nervous about the fight?”
“Of course I am, but that’s to be expected,” I turned to him while buttoning my shirt. “I’m not really sure what it is but something else is bothering me and I can’t quite figure out what it is.” The impending battle did bother me, as well as the safety of the children and the humans, but there was something else, some kind of shadow hanging in the air.
“It will all work out. You’ll see,” Christian said and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me to him. “Evil doesn’t have a chance against us.”
I hugged him back and leaned my face against his chest. “You’re right. I will be fine,” We had way too much to do today and standing here and analyzing my feelings wasn’t going to accomplish anything on our list. “Let’s go see if Leilani is up yet. Shopping with her will be a nice distraction.”
When we walked into the kitchen, Kalia and Leilani both sat at the table. Leilani sat with a plate in front of her while she dipped her buttered roll in her coffee and milk. It was nice to see her smiling and looking so comfortable with Kalia.
“Oh, good morning,” Kalia said when she noticed us. Leilani turned her head and smiled, unwilling to greet us with her mouth full.
“Good morning,” I said to both. “How was your first night, Leilani? Did you sleep well?”
She swallowed her mouthful and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Yes, thank you. I sleep all night,” she turned to look at Kalia. “Miss Kalia tell me a good story.”
“How do you know it was good?” Kalia laughed. “You fell asleep five minutes after I started.
Leilani giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “It start good. I see more when I sleep.”
The three of us couldn’t help but laugh. Leilani must have finished Kalia’s story in her dreams.
“When you’re finished with your breakfast, we are going shopping,” I told her and pulled a chair out for myself.
“I like shopping,” she said and then put the last piece of bread in her mouth, standing before she finished chewing. She grabbed her cup and swallowed the last of coffee and milk.
“I will wash your dishes,” Kalia said with a smile. “Go wash up and put your shoes on.”
“Okay,” Leilani said. She wiped her mouth and balled her napkin up in her hand, placing it on top of her plate. “I hurry.” She ran out of the room.
Kalia picked up Leilani’s dishes and set them in the sink, turning back to us. “That little girl is very special.” She leaned against the sink and crossed her arms over her chest.
“She is, isn’t she?” Christian said with pride in his eyes. “It doesn’t surprise me that they took her.”
“What are your plans for her and Jose Luis?” she asked looking back and forth between us.
“We plan to keep them with us. No matter where we end up,” I said. I didn’t think that was even a question and wasn’t sure why Kalia asked so I raised an eyebrow.
“Are you planning to stay in Peru? Because you know, there is more than enough room at our house in Oregon for all of you.”
I turned to Christian. He said nothing but his smile gave me my answer. Though he had adapted to living in Peru, I knew his home was in the United States. I also knew the children would be safest there. Taking care of Melinda didn’t necessarily erase the fact that the hunters and witches had taken Leilani before Melinda had started with her vengeance.
“That would be great. Thank you, Kalia.” Before I could even stop myself, I walked to where she stood and wrapped my arms around her. I had missed her more than I even imagined. She and Aaron had given me a new chance at a semi-normal life and had, in the process, become a huge part of that life and I wasn’t willing to lose that again.
“Of course, honey. You and Christian are family,” she backed out of my arms to look into my eyes, holding them with the tenderness in her face. “I guess this means Aaron and I are grandparents, huh?”
“I guess it does,” I said and wrapped my arms around her again. Christian stroked my back as Kalia held me. A knot in my stomach formed and I took a deep breath, determination taking over the worries in my head, filling me with hope for the first time since I’d fallen in love with the human that now shared eternity with me.
FORTY-ONE
We returned from shopping, our arms full of bags, trailed by Mauricio and Vicente, to find Beth and Pierce waiting for us.
“It’s so good to see you,” I said as I set the bags on the hallway floor. As soon as I was in front of them again, I turned to introduce Leilani. She stood behind my legs, peeking out of the right side, her eyes wide and glued to Pierce. I reached to move her out from behind me but she stiffened and struggled against me. “Leilani, what’s the matter, honey?” I smiled apologetically to both of them.
Beth approached taking her time and smiling warmly. “Hello, Leilani. It is very nice to meet you.” Leilani stayed behind me, her eyes still glued on Pierce, ignoring Beth.
“Leilani, it’s okay. They are friends of ours. They will not hurt you,” I coached as I pulled from her grasp and dropped to my knees in front of her.
She leaned to whisper in my ear. “What is that man?”
Though she had whispered it so only I could hear it, Pierce laughed. He smiled and never took his eyes off Leilani as he approached, dropping to his knees next to me. “Hello. I am Pierce,” He extended his hand. Leilani looked at me and I nodded. She looked back at Pierce and, hesitating only a moment, placed her hand in his. “I am a vampire, but I am also just like you.”
“Like me?” she asked, finally looking a bit more relaxed as her curiosity piqued.
“Yes, like y
ou. I am also a witch.”
“Wow! You are lucky,” Leilani said with a huge smile. “Maybe one day I be both. Then I can fight the bad people, too.”
“Yes, my dear,” Pierce said as he rose from the floor still holding Leilani’s hand. “One day.”
“I show you the apartment?” Leilani asked, her smile unwavering as she spoke.
“That would be lovely,” Pierce said and shrugged toward me. “I am getting the grand tour from this lovely lady.” They disappeared up the steps before any of us could comment.
“I guess Pierce has a new friend,” Beth said as she took me in her arms.
“She has something in common with him,” I said as I hugged her back and then stepped back to look at her. “I didn’t expect Pierce to act so…”
“Warm and friendly?” she said with a laugh.
“I didn’t mean anything by it but yeah, I guess that’s it. He always seems so serious.”
“Pierce never had children of his own, but he did have nieces and nephews he was very close to. From the stories he tells me, he spoiled them rotten.”
“Where is everybody?” Christian asked.
“Kalia and Aaron are in the kitchen making dinner for the humans. She wants them to eat before they leave for the airport. Jose Luis is upstairs with Paco and his family helping them pack, and Aloysius went to the hotel to check on Fiore and Matt, possibly bring them back with him if they’re ready,” she explained. It wasn’t until then that the smell of food cooking hit me.
“Right, food for the humans,” I said and started walking toward the kitchen. Beth grabbed my arm.
“You’re going to be a great mother, Lily,” she said as she looked into my eyes. “There’s no doubt in my mind, or any of our minds, about that.”