by SARA FREITES
I knew he wouldn’t understand me. It was more of a wish. I wanted him to grow up the way Jericho and Jacoby had.
At the end of the evening, I popped popcorn for everyone, and we watched a movie on TV. We started winding down around midnight when I hugged everyone goodnight as grandma left. I told them how much I loved them, how happy they made me. That was all I could say, even to Jericho. I wanted so badly to tell her everything—about Arlos, Thade and the vampires, even about Blake. It took everything I had to hold back.
After everyone went to bed, I noticed the things I would miss about the little four-walled sanctuary that was my room. Everything from the way the furniture was arranged to the way it smelled. I used to burn a scented candle at night while doing homework until it burned up, the vanilla cupcake scent seemed permanently trapped in the walls and carpet. Thade had asked that I not take anything from my house into my new vampire life, that everything I’d ever need would be provided by the clan. He said that way, not only would it make things easier for me during my transition, but that it wouldn’t arouse suspicions about my disappearance. I knew he was right, but I couldn’t help but feel revolted by his request.
At 2:00 AM, a faint knocking brought me out of my sleep. I knew it was Blake. He was there to take me to the Sanctum, and from there, a group of us would head to O’Hare Airport.
I got out of bed, and the first thing I grabbed was my phone. Thade told me to take my phone when I left, but to keep it powered off until he could get me set up with a new phone and number. I figured I’d never be able to turn it back on, anyway. Any further text messages or voicemails would put me over the edge. I didn’t have the strength to put myself through the emotional trauma. I had half a mind to throw the phone away the minute I left.
I moved the curtains back from the window to find Blake. I held up an index finger to let him know I’d be back in a few minutes. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and threw on the clothes I’d left on the sink. Back in my room, I hoisted the window open.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey, Blake,” I greeted him while stepping onto the roof beside him.
“It’ll be a few more minutes before the car gets here,” he told me.
“Okay,” was all I could say.
We sat together, gazing up at the starry sky. My eyes trailed along the rooftops of my neighbors' homes. My mind wandered to my family. My disappearance would be one huge mystery to everyone just as it had been before. Tears rose in my eyes. I tried to calm myself as we watched the sky together. I felt Blake's gaze on me.
“You okay?” he asked. “Your heart is beating faster.”
I hesitated before answering, afraid if I spoke I’d lose it. “I don’t know,” I broke through my constricting throat.
I looked down and wished he hadn’t noticed, afraid for him to see me so upset. I ran my hand along the rough shingles under me.
“You really don’t know?” he probed, seemingly unbelieving of me.
“I’m about to lose my entire family, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” I caved.
The pain of leaving home suddenly ran deep, burrowing straight into my soul. My core shook with an agony that radiated throughout me, physically and emotionally. It was worse than the pain I suffered from my wound the night before. I blinked my tears away and tried focusing on something else, anything else. My hand gripped the shingles. My chest tightened. Shocked to feel the backs of Blake’s fingers gliding across my cheek through my tears, I had to stop myself from tensing. His touch made me feel warm all over.
“You’re crying again,” he said and pulled away, leaving my cheek dry and my hair out of my face.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” I told him, embarrassed. “At least you didn’t laugh this time.” I tried to smile through my tears, but I couldn’t seem to do it.
I gathered myself, raked my fingers through my hair as more tears overflowed. I wiped them away with my sleeve.
“Everything’s…everything’s going to be okay,” he seemed to want to stop himself as he spoke.
I didn’t know Blake on a personal level. Hell, I didn’t even know his last name, but I did know that he’d shown me a different side of himself—a more caring, human-like side, something I hadn’t fathomed possible for him or anyone else at the Sanctum other than Eden. His presence became somehow comforting, even if it couldn’t mend the spreading sadness inside me.
“Well, as long as I won’t have to sleep in a coffin when they turn me,” I half-joked, trying to break myself from the archives of my thoughts.
He burst into laughter. I looked at him to be sure it was real.
“No,” he stifled his laugh. “You won’t have to sleep in a coffin. You won’t even have to sleep. That was so random.”
A light giggle escaped me, but I was left unsure of what he found so funny. The image of one of our attackers from the night before viciously driving the Soleil Dagger into Blake’s chest raced across my mind. I remembered seeing Blake’s body reel from the force as the blade penetrated him, remembered the pain in his eyes. Just thinking about it made my chest hurt.
I opened my mouth to ask him about it, but he spoke first.
“You trust me?”
“I'm getting there,” I teased.
“I’m serious,” he insisted in a weird tone.
“You saved my life last night. Of course, I trust you,” I admitted. I studied his face. “Why are you asking me that?”
“When things start to get bad in London, and they will, just know that I’m not going to abandon you,” he explained.
“You think things will get bad?” I wondered with a cringe.
"We're going up against a high-level demon. It's not going to be pretty," he warned.
I hadn’t thought about it. At all. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like fighting a demon. But Blake was right. The anticipation of it felt instant, and it ate me alive.
“Well, I won’t abandon you, either,” I promised.
“You’re not the one who needs to make promises like that.”
The way he said it made me feel like he were scolding me. The hum of an approaching vehicle caught my attention.
“Let’s go,” Blake said and stood, holding his hand out to me.
A black truck pulled around the side of my house. I slipped my hand into Blake’s strong grip, and he helped me to my feet.
“Why aren’t we roof-bounding tonight?” I asked.
“Thade thinks the men who attacked us last night would spot us on the rooftops. They could levitate and fly above the city, remember? It’s best to stay on the ground for now and blend in with the humans,” he replied and scooped me up in his arms.
He vaulted. I gripped his sleeve. He took us through the branches of the old tree that hid my window from view of the street. He landed in my front yard, and a familiar, harsh stare greeted me in the driver’s seat of the truck. I tensed.
“Good evening, Autumn. Blake,” Harper grumbled.
Resentfully, I got in beside Harper, afraid he might push me out of the truck. Blake got in beside me. Harper hit the gas, and he drove like a maniac as we blew through the city. When we arrived at the Sanctum, Harper drove us through the grass and around to the tiny backyard. As soon as we went inside, Thade, Eden, Garrett and Terry were there to meet us.
“Autumn,” Thade greeted us. “This small group will escort you to London. The rest of the clan will stay here for now. I have asked that they stay behind to hunt your attackers from last night. Once in London, we will stay at the Nuit Froide Clan safehaven. The leader of this clan, Neil, is a trusted friend of mine. Neil and his clan will take good care of us while we’re there. I’ll be taking the Soleil Dagger with us, as well. I have a jet waiting. We need to get going. Come with me.”
He hurried us out of the Sanctum. Once we arrived at the airport, we were met by the pilot who, oddly enough, appeared to be human, and we boarded the private jet. The trip lasted a grueling eight hours, an
d it didn’t make it any better when everyone pulled down the shutters at the break of daylight. It would’ve been nice to take in a beautiful view of what would probably be my last sunrise, but that wasn’t possible with vampires on board. We landed late that Monday.
As we exited the jet, it was night in London. I’d forgotten about the time change, and I realized the jet lag that would soon follow wouldn’t be fun, either.
Thade handed the pilot a wad of cash and hastily led us to the airport’s underground parking garage. With the threat of the sun gone for now, everyone swiped back their hoods.
“Everyone, get in,” Thade ordered and pointed to a white SUV.
As usual, he had a car waiting. A mustard yellow Hummer idling just beside it tore out of its parking space, stopping us dead in our tracks. It spun to face us with its engine roaring, its headlights blinding us.
“What the hell?” Harper blurted.
“We’re being ambushed!” Thade shouted, backing everyone away.
At his words, the electricity went out in the entire complex. The humming engine and screams of frightened people resounded throughout the massive parking garage. There in the lower levels, there wasn’t a single window to brighten our way. It took my eyes several seconds to adjust to the dim light provided by the headlights of distant parked cars and hardly working, overhead emergency lighting.
The Hummer accelerated toward us. Someone in our group shoved me, probably as gently as they could for a vampire, but it caused me to dive into an empty parking space as the Hummer sped through us. I hoped everyone else had moved out of its path, as well. Everything went straight to hell after that. People, who I assumed were human, ran about chaotically as the engines of parked cars spontaneously roared to life, backing out of their parking spaces all around us. Someone grabbed me and lifted me to my feet.
“I can’t see!” I yelled.
“Come on!” Blake’s voice boomed over me.
I could just make him out in the almost darkness. He tugged me along behind him with cars zooming past us, and I felt the downward slope of the ground as we ran. The sound of screeching tires deafened me. A truck pulled out from behind one of the concrete columns and spun out of control in our direction. I felt the ground beneath me rumble as it came barreling toward us. Blake wrapped an arm around me and took me to the ground with him. He landed on his back. I fell on my stomach into him just as the vehicle rolled over us. I screamed again, burying my face into Blake's collarbone. I felt an unexpected heat on my back as the vehicle came to a complete stop with a loud crash as it smashed into a parked car. A tire blew. The sound of crunching metal above us made me scream. Then, a low hissing noise leaked from the vehicle above us. The smell of gasoline along with the mixture of oil and hot rubber made me nauseous. Opening my eyes, I realized Blake had thrown his arms up like two pillars to shield us from the enormous weight of the vehicle hovering just above.
A man got out of the truck screaming. He ran away with someone chasing him. Blake effortlessly moved the vehicle off of us and helped me stand. Another car pulled out right in front of us. It nearly mowed us over like the last one. Blake lunged. He ran his fist through the driver’s side window. It shattered. Blake viciously yanked a fighting man from the car with one hand while holding my wrist in the other. The man fell against his car with fangs bursting from his gums. Blake punched the haviden’s chest. I gasped as blood spirted from the man’s mouth when he collapsed. Blake ordered me to get in the car. I did so without question. He jumped in beside me. He hit the accelerator and we headed down into the lower floors of the parking garage.
“Where are we going?” I asked, frantic by now.
“The lowest level,” Blake answered.
“Is that where Thade and the others went?”
A man darted out in front of us. Blake swerved. We barely missed the man by inches and continued relentlessly onward. We made it to the bottom level of the structure, all the while dodging running people and out of control cars. As we neared the back wall, two cars directly across from one another zoomed out of their parking spaces. They almost rear-ended each other right in front of us.
“Shit!” Blake shouted.
He hit the brakes and threw an arm over my chest. We skidded to a screeching halt just inches from the two cars. The driver of each vehicle got out. Blake put the car in park.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Listen to me,” Blake demanded. “You have to trust me.”
I could barely make out his words over the noise.
“What?” I asked, even more confused now.
“I’ll come back for you.”
“Blake, what are you talking about?” I burst out.
“Soul!” one of the men called.
“Stay here,” Blake ordered me.
“Where are you going?” I shouted over the chaos that went on around us.
Blake got out and met the two men at the hood of the car. The power flickered once, possibly trying to come back on. Tires screeched across the concrete as another car pulled up. A woman stepped out. And then, the familiar yellow Hummer rolled up beside the others.
I sat there, piecing things together by what I saw. None of the people there were Thade’s men. They all appeared to be human, but I knew better. Two more cars drove up and parked behind us, and they shined their headlights over the group. Blake motioned for me to get out. I didn’t want to move. I shook my head at him. He came back to the car, opened my door and held out a hand to me.
“Blake, what the hell is going on? Who are these people?” I asked.
“Autumn, please. Get out of the car,” he requested.
I hesitated before taking his hand, and he lightly tugged me out.
“Good job, Soul. We weren’t so sure you could pull it off alone,” a woman came forward, sneering at Blake—her strong, British accent apparent.
I glared after her, unsure of what she meant. Blake’s grip on my hand tightened unbearably as we faced the growing group of havidens.
“Yes. I’m very proud of you, Soul,” another unfamiliar voice rang.
A tall man, well over six feet, neared from the Hummer. I could already feel his frightening presence. I noticed his skin first. It held a powdery blue tint against his sunglasses, but I wouldn’t be sure until he stood right in front of us. Other than his face and hands, the rest of him remained hidden under his ebony-colored trench coat. My eyes studied the man’s raven hair. It was even longer than mine, pulled back into a low ponytail.
“Hello, Miss Hayes,” the tall man greeted me, his voice quiet and daunting in some manner.
“Blake, who is this?” I asked.
“How delectable. The human calls the evnaut ‘Blake’,” the woman with the British accent mocked me and tilted her head to the others.
Confused, I stared up at Blake, then back at the woman.
“That man is our leader,” one man answered me with a nod at the blue man.
“Don’t let me frighten you,” the man with the muted blue skin spoke again. “I mean you no harm.” He looked at Blake. “Do I, Soul?”
My eyes went to Blake again, but his gaze remained on the ground. I felt his grip loosen like a slacked rope in my hand. My mind raced. And then, it hit me. I felt sick to my stomach as I took in all of the tall man. I could finally put a face to his name, along with all the horror stories I’d heard about him. And Blake had led me right to him.
I yanked my hand from Blake’s.
“Autumn!” Blake called after me.
I darted across the cement floor, running so fast it felt like my knees would snap. Blake dropped from the air directly in front of me. I plowed into him. He grasped both of my hands in his and pressed them against his chest to hold me in place.
“Autumn, listen to me,” he ordered. “I…it’s going to be okay.”
“Blake, you—” I began and tried to yank myself free. “Why?” I hardly had enough air or words to go on as tears filled my eyes.
“Autumn
, I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything when—” he began.
“Young Autumn,” Arlos’ voice broke from behind me. “Not to worry. No harm will come to you.”
I spun around, Blake allowing me to break away from him as the blue demon Arlos went to touch me. I backed into Blake’s solid form. Arlos ran his fingers through my hair and left his ridiculously cold hand cradling my face. The iciness of his skin took the air from my lungs. Born and raised in Chicago, most cold things don’t bother me, but this was different. Vampire cold was like walking outside on a chilly night without a jacket. This guy’s cold was more like jumping into a pool of ice water.
“If you’re who I think you are, then I don’t want anything to do with you,” I cautioned the blue man.
He leered after me. I tried to study his face despite his sunglasses, but the only thing I could gather was his possible age—late twenties, maybe early thirties.
“Quite a beauty, isn’t she? Just like Latresma,” the demon said coolly.
I glared hard into the two black voids that were his sunglass lenses.
“When can I take my mother?” Blake asked, sounding reluctant.
Arlos tilted his head at me. Like two stovetop burners, a little red ring materialized behind each of his dark lenses.
“As soon as I’m through with this one,” Arlos said, his voice suddenly quieted when he spoke to me. “Close those pretty eyes of yours, human.”
My skin tingled as if I’d stepped into a hot shower from a cold winter day.
*
My ears rang. I struggled to open my eyes. They unwillingly welcomed the warm sunlight around me. In a foggy daze, I rolled over. I found myself laying in a dewy bed of rich emerald green grass. The sun beamed so bright overhead I had to cover my eyes at first. My skin was warmed from its rays. The quiet ringing in my ears morphed into the chiming of possibly a music box in the distance. It was a tune I didn’t recognize, but the music’s origins were nowhere in sight. The tune calmed me, along with the gentle chirping of birds from high above.