by Kyla Riley
“Holly!” his panicked voice yelped in the phone as she held it away from her aching head. “I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour – Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m at home,” she breathed and looked around her bathroom. “I’m at home, sick.”
“Are you sick or is it your allergies?”
“My allergies make me itch, this is different.”
“Different how, princess? Where are you?”
“I’m at home. Don’t you listen?”
“What’s your address?” he growled in frustration causing her to smile weakly. “How is this different?”
“I’m really dizzy and nauseated. My stomach burns right now. I wasn’t joking about the rabies or parvo, mutt-for-brains. Did you make me sick?”
“Holly, I don’t know. I’ve never stuck around long enough or been with a woman who’s allergic to dogs.”
“Lady… meet Tramp,” she muttered and closed her eyes, putting her hand over her eyes as she held the phone to her ear. “I’m at 1110 Main. The second floor with the large flowerpot by the front door. Just don’t freak out or anything. I think I could use some chicken noodle soup and help getting off the floor into bed.”
“You’re on the FLOOR?” he roared in shock. Holly dropped the phone from the drumming in her ears at his outraged voice. She could hear him barking orders and his voice was hurting her head.
“You can’t be yelling at me like this, Niall. It hurts,” she retorted fiercely and covered her ears with her hands. She ignored the phone as she began to shiver fiercely and the nausea came again. Grabbing the toilet bowl, she pulled herself upwards and vomited again. She didn’t care if he heard her, she just wanted it to stop. Holly rinsed her mouth again and lay back onto the bathmat, exhausted.
A loud bang woke Holly up from where she’d fallen asleep again. She lay there on her back, the towel over her and saw Niall’s fierce, worried expression as he found her on the floor. He scooped her up tenderly and carried her out of the room. Her head lolled back in exhaustion as he walked down the hallway to her bedroom.
“Get some rest, I’m going to fix the door and I will be back in a few moments,” he told her and she closed her eyes in fatigue. He carefully laid her down and covered her up with the comforter, feeling her forehead.
Hours later, Holly opened her eyes and instantly became alarmed as she heard someone talking in her house. At first she thought it was a break-in or the television, but then she remembered her being sick and Niall barging in. It was his voice she heard and another man’s.
“I don’t know if I made her sick or what, but honestly but I’m concerned.”
“None of us knew how to get by or survive with this at first. You can’t beat yourself up, brother.” The man’s voice she didn’t recognize on speakerphone. There was a faint lilt or accent to his voice and he sounded… envious?
“You go with your instinct and listen to what your body tells you. We were all abandoned, Niall, and having to learn. None of us have been able to communicate until the last few decades and we’ve all struggled in different ways. If it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way. Until then, listen to your instinct and shut off your brain.”
“I did and this is what happened,” Niall whispered, his voice devastated. “Do you know what it did to me to see her passed out naked on the bathroom floor? I’ve never felt such… loss.”
“You didn’t miss us when we had to all split up?”
“That was different. I did miss you all, every single day, but this felt like my soul was being ripped from my chest. I can’t explain it,” Niall stopped for a moment. “I think I hear her waking up. Let me call you back later, Maine. I don’t want Holly to hear me talking about us to someone else. My princess is a prickly little thing and I want to keep her happy.”
“I hope I get to meet your princess someday,” the man answered.
“Me too, little brother. Me too- I’m glad you called.”
“Stay in touch, old man.”
“You too, Maine.”
Holly stood there silently watching Niall as he cradled the phone to his chest almost as if he was hugging it. The man he was speaking with was another brother of his, the one he’d mentioned the day before when they’d been talking in the car. Maine was the middle child and used to get upset that he was ‘living in his brother’s shadow’.
When things had gone sideways with Cairene, Niall and Conn had tried to protect the younger children. She could tell by the way Niall spoke of him, he had a soft spot for Maine and regretted not being able to do more for him. Holly suspected he carried a large amount of guilt on his broad shoulders.
He had just begun the young boy’s training and when they’d parted, Maine had been unarmed and untrained – just like Fergus, Loegaire, Aisling and Nath. The girls put themselves in households immediately as scullery maids to have protection but Fergus and Maine had been abandoned. Fergus had been accepted into a hall as a jester… but no one wanted the boy soldier with no skills. Maine had been well and truly on his own to fend for himself.
Holly stood there, not wanting to disturb him and held her robe around her tightly. She didn’t know what time it was, but saw it was late since the sun wasn’t peeking through the mini-blinds.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she blurted out right away in a singsong voice. She was weak and tired… to be brutally honest. She could have slept for at least a few more hours but she’d heard him and wanted some water. “Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that.”
“You know, you did the best you could in a horrific situation. I don’t think he blames you for anything and you have a chance to rekindle a bond with him,” Holly said softly, seeing Niall’s shoulders tense up.
“I blame myself,” he admitted and looked at her over his shoulder. “Just like it’s my fault you are sick. I seem to always be messing up things when I involve myself in people’s lives.”
“Oh geez,” she groaned. “Look Eeyore, that’s a load of crap and you know it. You can’t be responsible for everyone and everything. I was wrong to accuse you of giving me parvo – even if it was funny- ‘cause I think I just got a touch of food poisoning.”
“That doesn’t make you pass out,” he argued flatly.
“No… but being anemic, having kinky sex with a vampire, and enjoying his bite could make things a whole lot worse, couldn’t it? Now, I’d like something to drink and some protein.” Holly strode past him, struggling to look strong while her head was swimming in dizziness. She yelped as Niall scooped her up from behind and deposited her on the couch. “Hey!”
“You should have told me you were anemic,” he chastised. “I’m here and can help take care of you if you’d only point me in the right direction. Now, rest and I will fix you something to eat.”
Pulling the lap quilt across her, she watched as he muddled around in the kitchen. Finally, he returned with a plate of scrambled eggs, a slice of toast, orange juice and two iron tablets. His warm eyes watched her as he sat down towards the end of the couch, pulling her feet into his lap and rubbing them.
“Eat up, princess and then it’s back to bed,” he ordered gently.
“You are tickling me,” she said with a shy smile. No one had ever rubbed her feet before willingly unless she was paying for a pedicure or massage. Runners did not have very pretty feet due to calluses, blisters and thankfully Holly had all her toenails. None had blackened or fallen off like some people had happen to them.
“I’ll stop,” he agreed but didn’t let her feet go. Instead he just held them instead of rubbing them. She sighed happily at the feeling of his warm hands on the arches. There was absolutely nothing romantic about her being sick or him sitting on the couch, but somehow it seemed perfect. It was just the simplicity of them being together and having each other near.
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?” she asked in the stillness of the silence. The only sound heard was her fork m
oving across the stoneware plate as she ate.
“I do, but I can go in late. It’s barely 2 AM and you need to get some rest too.”
“You could stay here and just hold me,” she invited with a whisper, looking away from him. She felt his hands tighten momentarily on her foot just before he released it. Her cheeks flushed as she second guessed herself. They’d had a beautiful moment the other night, but perhaps she’d read it all wrong. She was certain she looked awful from sleep and had rings under her eyes. This was not made-up pretty Holly… this was rough, downtrodden, the real version of herself.
“I’d love that,” she heard him say softly. She glanced up to see him watching her with a soft smile on his face.
“No biting and no fooling around. Just some good ol’ fashioned cuddling and sleep.”
“Sounds utterly perfect.”
“Good,” she nodded. “I think I’m finished with this- thank you for making it.” Niall patted her leg, stood up and got the plate. He returned just as she stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“C’mon princess,” he uttered thickly. Feeling suddenly shy at the thought of laying down with the man, she ignored the blush and simply looked away from him. She crawled in bed and pulled the comforter up around her, still wearing her thin robe as a nightgown. She felt the bed give as he sat down on the edge of it for a moment and then laid down, pulling her against him.
“Dream of me,” he breathed tenderly and kissed her cheek. She didn’t want to analyze how perfectly normal a thing it was for a couple- even an abnormal couple like themselves. She should be alarmed that after one date he was here spending the night with her, even though she’d asked him to. There was something about him that drew her to him like a moth to a flame and she didn’t want to refer to it as them being ‘mated’ like Niall had claimed. It was just two friends comforting each other. Riiiight, she thought.
“Goodnight Holly.”
“Goodnight.”
12
Holly felt tremendously better the next morning and Niall was gone by the time she awoke so there was no awkwardness about sleeping next to each other. Although, Niall wasn’t the type of guy she’d chew her own arm off to get away from. She could imagine how sexy he was early in the morning with that husky voice that gave her goosebumps. No, she’d have probably helped herself to a little bit of fun.
She got ready for work and saw that the front door had splintered near the lock from where he’d entered. Frowning, she realized that she’d need to get a new door for her place. Calling the office for the complex where she rented her condo, she told them that the door had ‘gave way’ at the lock and she was hopeful they could get a new door installed and bill her for it. She was surprised to hear that a man had called earlier to take care of it and the maintenance man would be up this afternoon to install the door.
“Good morning,” a woman said politely standing next to a black Lexus. “I couldn’t help but overhear that something happened to your front door too?”
“Oh yes,” Holly stammered embarrassed. How do you explain that your boyfriend-who-isn’t-your-boyfriend- kicked in the door? “The wood was splintered.”
“Mine too,” she said with a smile. “I’m Karen Scott. I just moved in to the complex and a little bothered that someone could have damaged my door. You didn’t see anything, did you?”
“Oh no, this is a pretty safe area. I wouldn’t worry about it, Karen.”
“Then what happened to your door?”
“Uh… the wood gave. I mentioned that already.”
“So, you did, silly me. Well, have a memorable day, Holly,” she said with a smile before getting into her vehicle. The woman put on large sunglasses and raised her hand in acknowledgement before pulling her car out of the parking spot.
“What a weird woman,” she muttered, shaking her head. Holly was almost at work playing back the last day in her mind and nearly rear-ended the car in front of her when she realized that she didn’t give Karen her name. How had she known? Maybe she had told her without realizing it or she overheard her on the phone with the front office? That had to be it, because Karen struck up a conversation right after she hung up.
Her day seemed to fly by with patient after patient arriving. Holly had been quite busy all morning and was surprised to see Bridget come running into the examination room while Holly was finishing up a temporary crown she’d just fitted on a client.
“You have someone in your office,” she whispered happily, clapping her hands giddily.
“Who?”
“He’s been here before,” Bridget said, tilting her head to the side. “I can’t remember his name but he’s a big dude with a menacing frown.”
“Is he upset?”
“He looked that way when he came in for his cleaning.”
“No, he didn’t… never mind. I will be there momentarily,” Holly instructed and then smiled brightly at the elderly man in her chair. “How does that feel Mr. Hampton? Bite down a few times and let’s see what you think.” It was actually about twenty minutes before Holly was freed up because she had to file down the crown a few times before the patient was satisfied with how the crown fit. Walking quickly back to her office, she opened the door and sighed happily before she saw Niall’s face.
He did not look pleased at all.
“Are you okay?” she blurted out, concerned. Looking at him, she saw that he was pacing like a caged tiger and she felt the tension rolling off of him. This was not his normal, carefree, happy self… something was bothering him.
“Yes. No. I need you to do me a favor,” he snapped and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Don’t argue about this one, Holly.”
“Well, tell me what it is first.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“Me too. What is wrong?”
“It wasn’t that bad yesterday but it’s like its surging and pulsing right now.”
“What is?”
“Me. The magic. The vampire. The wolf,” he snarled and immediately apologized. “I’m sorry I just am not myself right now and I need you to give me a little space.”
“Space won’t be a problem when you are talking like that,” she retorted.
“I know. I’m being an ass but I feel it building and its usually pretty bad on a full moon. Conn is gone right now and I can’t help him. He’s been gone for a few days and I know he’s suffering again. I…I can feel, I need to get away from you right now.” Niall growled and surged forward faster than she could blink. He pinned her against the wall of her office and slammed the office door shut beside her. Holly let out a yelp and pinched her eyes shut for the briefest moment. Niall buried his face in her hair and breathed heavily, letting out a deep, satisfied sigh.
“Are you okay?”
“No. Holly, stay away from me for a few days.”
“I can help you through it.”
“I won’t put you in danger.”
“I don’t think you’ll hurt me,” she whispered, looking up at his reddish-brown eyes that looked ragged and raw. Her hand slowly touched his cheek and he flinched as he caught his breath. “If you need space, you have it,” she offered, “but if you need someone to be there for you? I can return the favor like you were there for me.”
“This is different.” Holly could see the stubbornness in his face. Niall would not budge, even though he was looming over her right now. There was something so crazy erotic about him in this frenzied state. She sneezed immediately and then smiled apologetically, shrugging her shoulders.
“Do what you need to and I’ll be waiting when you are ready,” she said softly. Niall jerked his head in a nod and took another deep breath of her before he stormed out of her office. He was different and she knew he was going through something she’d never understand right now. His shoulders were wider and she could have sworn that his hair had grown overnight. He was changing and his words echoed through her mind.
My stepmother had condemned me to both nightmarish creatur
es that villages nearby feared, I was stuck between the worlds. I wasn’t fully vampire- having to hide from the sun, nor was I fully a wolf. It was painful and hard to change form physically, but it was worse to fight it.
Niall was fighting it.
Holly texted him, offering to bring him dinner or kibble – and asking him not to fight the change. It was several hours before he responded, texting her simply an address. She was surprised and leery to be alone with him but another part of her wanted, no needed, to comfort him in his time of need. She replied that she would be there later after the office closed.
Leaving the office, she stopped at the store to get several things just in case. She didn’t know what to expect or what to do, but there were certain things the body needed after being worked hard or strained. She bought water, Gatorade, a few protein bars she preferred, a large steak, Bio-freeze to ease any cramping muscles, bananas and peanut butter.
The moon was high and clear in the sky when she pulled into the driveway of his home. It looked like a Spanish style villa complete with a fountain in the front courtyard. It was breathtaking and she could smell the gardenia flowers on the night air. Ringing the doorbell, she waited patiently. After several minutes, she knocked. Her phone buzzed immediately.
Go away
“Nope. Open the door,” Holly ordered, this time banging on the carved scrollwork of the wooden door. Just as she was getting ready to knock again, Niall jerked the door wide open causing her to step back in alarm.
Niall was a big man from the very beginning but she could have sworn he grew a few inches in height since earlier in the day. He was breathing heavily and looked like he was in desperate need of a haircut and a shave.