Bloodlines Trilogy

by N. A. K. Baldron

  "Enough." Lance dodged her last grab, one that even a ten-year-old would have been able to avoid.

  Kandice rolled onto her back and stretched.

  "Are you hungry?" Lance asked. "I could really go for a steak."

  "That sounds so good," Kandice said.

  "Want to run to the store with me?"

  "Sure."

  Kandice ran upstairs and rinsed off in the shower. Lance smiled as she came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. Her cheeks flushed—that grin of his would never get old. She shut the door of her room without looking back.

  After dressing, she found Lance sitting on the sectional with a small glass of vodka talking to Slava.

  "She did great," he said. "I think she'll be ready-" He stopped when he saw her enter the room.

  "Are you ready to go?" he asked Kandice.

  "Yeah," she said.

  She followed him into his SUV. "Were you talking about me with Slava?"

  "Yes," he said. "But it was all good. We'll talk more about it later."

  * * *

  WHEN THEY GOT BACK from the grocery store, Lance put the steaks in a bowl with some seasonings to marinate. He said it would take at least thirty minutes before they would be ready.

  Kandice went up to her room. It would be good to catch up on some much needed online research. Slava and Lance had been a great help, but there were more questions around Aether Walkers than they were willing or able to answer. She found the forum she had read before and reread the thread. She searched through several pages of the threads, but couldn't find any more posts that mentioned what would most likely represent an Aether Walker.

  Unless they've adapted to look more like aliens.

  "Kandice, steaks are done!" Lance yelled.

  She hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs. The scent of seared meat filled the air.

  "I hope you like medium-rare," Lance said. "It's the only way Slava and I eat our steaks."

  "That sounds great to me," Kandice said.

  Lance handed her a plate with a medium size steak on it, with a pile of veggies beside it that almost overflowed off the plate.

  She cut into her steak, and it burst with blood. The taste was superb. She savored that bite as the juice worked its way around her mouth and found the sautéed veggies were nearly as good as the steak.

  "Thank you," she said. "This tastes so good."

  "I'm glad you like it," Lance said.

  "Lance has always been the better chef," Slava admitted.

  They sat around the coffee table enjoying their food as Slava handed out glasses of vodka. Kandice was growing accustomed to drinking while eating. She couldn't keep up with their pace, but she saw why they liked it. The burn of the vodka helped clear her palate between bites. A pocket of pepper filled her nose and made her mouth water with anticipation.

  After dinner they each took another shot together and ate a piece of dark bread to finish the meal.

  I could get used to this!

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Tuesday, September 13th

  THE NEXT MORNING, Kandice went downstairs to see how Slava's stake out went the previous night. He spent the night out watching the mayor's house, and was already asleep, to her surprise.

  "I guess Slava already filled you in on his late-night adventures?" She asked Lance while joining him on the couch.

  "Yes, it seems the best place to take him out is in his own home," Lance said. "The problem is getting inside without setting off the security system. Slava wants to call in backup."

  "Who is backup?" Kandice asked.

  "Other families that are here, stateside."

  "Are they good?"

  "Very. Some have taken out targets this large before. The Morton's have a daughter who's great with technology. When they took out a high-level target last year, she was the one who disabled the security system. Her brother and father are better fighters than me too."

  "Damn. I wouldn't ever want to face them."

  "No, and neither would any Aether Walker. The problem is, they move around and only accept messages through the mail at their estate in Scotland."

  "You've been to Scotland?"

  Lance shifted in his spot. "Yes. A few times. We used to travel around Europe when I was young."

  "I've always wanted to see Scotland and Ireland," Kandice said. "Maybe one day."

  Kandice's phone rang, her butt felt awkward as it vibrated underneath her. She stepped into the kitchen to answer it and hung up after a short conversation to sit back down on the sectional.

  "Was that Blake?" Lance asked.

  "It was my apartment hunter, David. The apartment I wanted had a unit open. I need to call to set up a time."

  "Oh, okay." His mouth had a slight frown as he formed the words.

  She went to her bedroom to pull up the email David sent on her phone. It had the contact information for the complex and someone answered within the first ring. She spoke with a receptionist and set up a time to meet and look at the property in the afternoon.

  Kandice hung up and jumped with her hands in the air. She hadn't expected to move in until the end of the month and being able to move in earlier would be great.

  Living in proximity to Lance and Slava for the constant updates had shown its perks, but being alone with Lance was still awkward. She couldn't deny a desire for him within her but it was uncharted territory. They needed space before something happened they'd both regret. Besides, long term, having an apartment for Blake to move into would be best.

  She picked out clothes and took them with her into the bathroom to get ready.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Tuesday, September 13th

  THE APARTMENT COMPLEX WAS ONLY A MILE AWAY, taking the back roads through her old neighborhood. Location had become the least of her worries. Everything was out of her budget in the North Austin area, so her search bubble expanded to the whole city. It was a lucky break to have gotten into this place. It was close to Lance, and less than ten minutes from Blake.

  The leasing office was tiny compared to the rest of the complex, when she pulled in, she paused a moment to take in the area. It was an inviting complex, built out of white stone, and looked like it would last for years.

  Susan was waiting for her when she walked in through the front door. "I'm guessing you're Kandice."

  "Yes." Kandice smiled.

  "Great to meet you," Susan extended her hand, which Kandice shook. "Please, come into my office and we'll get you all set up."

  They spoke for about twenty minutes, going over all the rules of the complex, and decided Kandice needed a covered parking spot. With the parking, her one-bedroom apartment came to $785 per month. More than her original budget, but by far one of the cheaper options in Austin. There had been a few within her desired price range, but they were way south, and a quick crime report search convinced Kandice it wasn't worth the affordable rent.

  Once they agreed to everything, Susan gave Kandice a copy of the contract. "You can look over that tonight and bring it back. Now why don't you come with me, and I'll show you the complex, along with your apartment."

  Kandice followed Susan out of the office, and onto a golf cart. As they drove, Susan pointed out the swimming pool, which was a decent size, and right behind the leasing office. After two apartment buildings, there was a tennis court, with a basketball court behind it. Kandice didn't enjoy sports that much, but any place that had tennis would have to be clean and safe.

  Her building was the last one in the back of the complex. It seemed like the reduced drive through traffic would mean less noise.

  "Your unit is on the bottom and your parking spot is over there." She pointed to the covered parking in the middle of the parking lot, but not too far from Kandice's building.

  "Now, please excuse the mess. We're having a full cleaning crew come in tomorrow, and then painters the day after."

  When she unlocked the door, and they walked in, Kandice's mouth almost fell open. The apartment
was more than she could ever hope for. The kitchen, dining, and living room all flowed together, the only thing dividing the three spaces was a floating island that had the kitchen sink and cutting area. There was even a sliding glass door with a small porch.

  In the far back was another sink, with two doors on either side. One led into a small bathroom, but it had a full shower, bathtub combination. The other door led into her bedroom. It wasn't large for a master bedroom, but it was much larger than the room she was in, or had been in at her aunt's. Kandice was in love with the place.

  "It's amazing," Kandice said. "When can I move in?"

  "Provided everything goes well, you'll be able to move Friday, if that works for you."

  "Yes! I can't wait."

  Susan drove Kandice back to the front office, and talked the whole way there, but Kandice didn't hear a word. Her mind was racing with ideas for her new place. From how to decorate the apartment, to having her brother over for dinner, and even Lance and Slava. In her mind it was the moment she became an adult. Getting her own place was always the plan, but with Blake getting out of the hospital, it was easier to stay with her aunt.

  Blake might be ready to move out of their aunt's house now with all the new developments. He could stay on the couch for a while until he got his own place, or they could get an apartment together after a year. They would both need jobs to move up to a two bedroom. Kandice could only afford the apartment by herself for two years with the trust and her savings. After that she would have to get a job, or get one now and have longer before needing a full-time career.

  On her drive back to Lance's, her mind was racing with all the future could hold. There had to be a job out there that would give her the free time needed to continue to fight Aether Walkers. That was her end goal, no matter what happened, fighting them was all that matter. If Lance kept training her and taught her to become an oboroten, she'd be okay once they defeated the mayor and moved away. There was so much to work through, and many plans to make but it would work itself out with time.

  After getting home, she realized Master Monroe had been expecting to hear from her yesterday. He was still wanting an explanation about her decision to quit school. He expected her to re-enroll, but that would never happen. She didn't feel like getting back out, so she pulled out her phone and called.

  "Thank you for calling Monroe's Gym, this is Chris speaking, how may I help you?"

  "Hey Chris, it's Kandice. Is Master Monroe around?"

  "He's in the back doing inventory," Chris said. "Let me go get him."

  After about a minute, Monroe picked up the phone. "Kandice, where are you? I expected you here yesterday morning."

  "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I had to sign for a new apartment."

  "Oh. Well, congratulations I guess are in order. Are you back in school?"

  "No. I'm not going to re-enroll this semester."

  "Why?"

  "Because, I'm handling personal things, like I told you," Kandice said, a little more pointed than intended.

  "I see."

  There was a long moment of silence. He must have wanted her to explain, but there wasn't a good excuse, and it wasn't his business anyway.

  "Well," he said. "I need a good reason for why you dropped out of school if you're going to continue here."

  "That's the thing ..." She hadn't thought about dropping Taekwondo until that moment, but it became clear it was the next step. "I'm not going to continue training."

  "Now wait. I only want what's best for you. You took fourth in nationals. There is no reason to quit. With focused training, I know you can take first this year."

  "You're right. But I don't care. I'm not interested in continuing. I'll pay for this month, but I'm stopping the payments after that."

  "Kandice, think about this for a second."

  "I have. Goodbye, Master Monroe."

  With that, she hung up, even though he was still talking on the other end. A few seconds later, her phone rang; Master Monroe was calling her back. He didn't want to lose her because of her talent, but regardless, there was no point in continuing Taekwondo anymore. Training with Lance was going great even if he hadn't shown her how to use the seals. The time would come when he would, provided she kept improving and pushing him.

  Her phone dinged. Master Monroe left a voicemail. Kandice deleted it without listening to it. It was time to move on with her life. She needed to push her previous life behind her to make room for the new skills needed to fight Aether Walkers.

  Despite feeling bad for cutting ties with Master Monroe, and her rude tone, her mind felt free. For the first time her life made sense—there was a plan—and she was moving in the right direction.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Friday, September 16th

  7 AM WAS FAR TOO EARLY for Kandice to be up and about. Her feet dragged as she packed her old room into cardboard boxes.

  Jackie had thrown a fit when Kandice pulled a box truck in front of the house—but after Kandice made it clear she'd signed the lease and moving out was happening—Jackie stormed out of the house and drove away.

  After an hour of sorting Kandice sped through the packing process wrapping anything fragile in clothes before filling the box and taping it shut. Blake helped carry the boxes down, while Lance loaded the truck. With as much moving as they did, he had plenty of experience loading trucks. He would be able to pack the truck in such a way as to where nothing would move around.

  Luckily, Kandice owned zero furniture. Jackie bought each piece of furniture in her and Blake's room with their trust funds—so in some way she did own it—but Kandice refused to take it. It would only give Jackie another reason to pick a fight, and Kandice was determined to get her stuff out as fast as possible and only take what was hers.

  They used the ramp to pull Kandice's moped into the back of the truck. She insisted on renting a truck the night before—it would ensure she could move her moped and everything else in one trip. There wasn't a chance in hell she was returning to Jackie's house.

  While she had a license to drive it, she hadn't driven a full-size vehicle before. This morning Lance grabbed onto the 'oh-shit' handle more than once as Kandice took turns too fast, heading to her aunt's.

  "How many more you think?" Blake asked Kandice.

  "I've got three boxes left," she said. "So, I hope no more than that. I think it's maybe two more, and then the rest of my clothes I'll throw into a trash bag. They'll all need to be washed anyway."

  Blake acknowledged her and grunted as he carried the box down the stairs. It was full of books related to her Aether Walker information search. Before meeting Lance and starting college, she would keep herself occupied by combing through shelf after shelf at bookstores around the city. There hadn't been a single book that described what an Aether Walker looked like to her. But a few mentioned what may have been an Aether Walker, it was always a second-hand account. Many late 19th century books on psychiatric patients often mentioned beings that could be Aether Walkers, but given the source she hadn't given it much credence. Now that she knew her brother was in a psych-ward due to what he saw, it was worth revisiting some of the books. With the last box packed, Kandice went into the kitchen to grab a trash bag.

  Blake walked through the front door.

  "There's only one more on the bed," she said. "I'm getting trash-bags for the clothes."

  "Okay," he yelled, as he climbed the stairs.

  She met him in the middle of the stairs. Rather than walk back down, she hopped over the side rail—holding on—to let him pass with the large box. Once he passed, she hopped back over—her heart raced. Moving into her own place was sinking in.

  After gathering the final trash bag full of clothes the room looked sad and empty. It had never felt like home—more like an extended stay hotel room—but still it was where she'd lived for the past year, and that was something.

  She threw the bag into the back and closed up the box truck. Lance climbed into the passenger seat, and
Blake followed on his moped.

  Doing her best not to hit anything, she slowly pulled out of the driveway and took a right onto Anderson Mill. Her biggest fear was the truck would take a sharp turn and fall onto its side.

  They were off. She was on her own for the first time.

  * * *

  AFTER A LONG DAY OF PACKING AND UNPACKING, they needed a rest. There were still a few boxes in the living room, but they acted as pillows for them to lean against.

  "First thing on my list, is buy furniture," Kandice said.

  "You've got the truck," Lance said. "Let's go right now and pick some out."

  She stretched and snuggled her back into the box she leaned against.

  "No," she said. "The last thing I want to do right now is move furniture. But I do need to take the truck back tonight."

  "I'll follow, so you have a ride back," Lance said.

  The repetitive lifting made Kandice a little stiff in the back—Blake had mentioned his legs burning. Lance however, didn't seem to have broken a sweat despite lifting most of the heavy boxes. He picked up the bottle of vodka he'd brought and poured a round.

  "To your new home," Lance lifted his glass into the air.

  They all clinked glasses and drank. Even Kandice emptied the double shot in one gulp. After getting used to vodka over the past month, it helped take the edge off any situation. The tension in her back released.

  After a couple more toasts—this time with Blake and Kandice both slowing down—Lance brought up the issue with the mayor.

  "I don't see how we can get past the security system and guards," Lance said. "At least not before the police arrive. The Mortans still haven't responded to our requests for help.

  "Slava is worried that if we don't move quickly, he'll increase security to where we won't get in even with their help,"

  "What's the security?" Blake asked.

  "I'm not too sure," Lance said. "We've not been able to get a view of the actual system. All we know is there are motion detectors, and four to six men on duty at all times. Slava also thinks there is always an Aether Walker inside with him."