“Good night.” I waved to Orm and Elizabeth, feeling like a huge yoke had been lifted from my shoulders. Sitting with Orm learning magic reminded me of my father. A man who should be instructing me, one I didn’t know, and an unknown coven I might never be a part of.
Even with my burning desire to find my father, the day’s drama left me spent. I knew I had to be stronger to perform the spell to locate him. I decided to wait till the weekend when I had a full day’s rest saved up. I fell into my half sleep, wondering if he had red hair and blue eyes and whether he spoke with a Scottish accent or British lilt. Images of a faceless father, Chase, Ivy, a sword, Longinus, and Jesus hanging on the cross flashed through my mind.
Light in my room woke me from my sleep and unfolding angel’s wings were the last vision I had before I opened my eyes.
“You look perplexed dear,” Elizabeth noted as she opened my curtains.
“Do you believe in God and angels?”
“Where did that question come from?”
“I’m having weird dreams. Do you believe in heaven?” Stretching, I got up and straightened my covers.
“I am in heaven. The fates willing I get to spend the rest of my nine-hundred and some odd days watching you grow into a beautiful woman.”
“So, you don’t believe anything comes after?”
“I don’t worry. Vampires have been given a gift. I accept that.” Elizabeth moved around the room, picking up the plate and glass I’d left on my desk.
“Do all vampires believe that nothing comes after?”
“Well, there are those that believe we are damned for our nature.”
Her words stopped my progression to the restroom. “Like we’ll die and go to hell?”
“If you stick to the strict translation of our bible.”
I wondered if my family knew of the prophecy of Longinus. How could they not in their combined eighteen-hundred and some odd years on earth?
Elizabeth stopped at the doorway. “You needn’t worry about destiny, love. You have a thousand years on this earth to enjoy.”
“I guess so.” I moved into the bathroom, readying for school.
I grew more paranoid of Orm following me and asked Hunter to meet me inside the library.
“Hey,” he said as I reached him. “If we don’t have any more research to do, we should get out of here. Get some sunshine, fresh air.”
“That’d be nice. Is there a back door to this place?”
“Is there a problem?”
“My mentor is particular about my whereabouts.”
“Mentor? What is that supposed to mean?”
“He’s my tutor and chauffeur, but he’s also lived with us my whole life. He’s kind of like my grandfather.” Thinking of Orm that way reminded me of my absent father, but I refocused on Hunter.
“Yeah, there’s a back door, come on.” He hefted his backpack up.
At the elevator, he again stepped back to let me in first. We wove through the stacks to the back, and as we exited he held the door open for me.
“Thank you. That’s really nice.”
“What?” He squinted his eyes.
“The door thing.” I wondered if he could be any more adorable.
“Oh, my mom is really big on manners. Hey, I know this little garden. Want to go there? It’s only a few blocks.”
“I’m up for whatever.” Normally I cloaked only my magic, but I created a barrier to block any locator spells. It would be a drain to my energy but time with Hunter was worth it.
We walked the couple of blocks to a space between brick row homes. A wall formed of the same brick held an iron gate.
“After you.” Hunter motioned for me to enter as he swung the gate open. A brick path twisted through a manicured lawn. Beds of flowers and bushes lined the lane. “My mom used to bring me here after you left. She told me it was my new magic place.”
“It certainly does have a mystical aura. It’s so beautiful.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to a giant lavender bush. In a few seconds his fingers started to wiggle between mine. “Sorry.” I released his hand and he rubbed it on his pants.
The height of the bushes flanking the paths shielded them from view of the rest of the garden. The bricks winded like a maze through the small block. He led me along the twisting passages, showing me every secluded bench and fountain.
“This place is amazing.” I leaned over a pool of dark water.
“I used to call this my wishing well.” He stuffed his hand in his pocket and produced some coins. “Here.”
“Does it work if it’s not a penny?”
“Mom used to tell me I got more wishes.”
“Works for me.” I closed my eyes, focusing my thoughts on the coin, and searched for the perfect wish. Then it came to me: for Hunter to have all the happiness a vessel could want. Opening my eyes and tossing the coin into the water, I turned to face Hunter.
His gaze was fixed on me. “What did you wish for?”
“Doesn’t that ruin the wish?”
“That’s a myth.”
“What did you wish for?” I asked.
“To figure out how we telepathically interacted for a year. I could see you, touch you, talk to you, like you were really there, but you weren’t. No one else could see you. And you experienced the same thing. How was it possible? I looked up hallucinations and by all indications we should be treated for schizophrenia.”
“I hope this doesn’t keep you up at night.”
“Only a little. You aren’t still trying to figure it out?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’ve kind of accepted it may be a mystery-of-the-universe thing.”
Wandering back to the exit, I named all the flowers, plants, and bushes, noting their medicinal qualities where appropriate.
He stopped when we reached the gate. “How do you know all that?”
“Orm is sort of a gardening wizard.”
“And Orm is…?”
My face flushed with heat. “Oh, he’s the mentor I was telling you about.”
“The old guy in the black sport utility vehicle?”
“You spied on me?”
“A little.” His nose crinkled, and he rocked on his heels.
“I guess you’re allowed. I mean you don’t even know me.” I tucked my hair behind my ear on one side.
“You do that when you’re nervous. I remember that.” He reached to me and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
Feeling the intimacy of the moment, I stepped back.
“I’m sorry. That was weird.” He stared into my eyes. “You’re such a mystery.”
“Why do you say that?” I subconsciously repeated the movement of tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’ve told you almost everything about myself.”
“It seems like you know everything about everything.”
“I don’t know much about you.”
“Good deflection,” he said.
“It’s rude to talk about yourself.” My phone dinged, and I slipped it from my pocket to look at the screen. “I have to get back to school.”
“That’s my alarm too then.” He moved to the gate and held it open for me.
Outside the garden, the noise and smells of the city accosted my senses, and I looked back at the small oasis. “That place is amazing.”
“Yeah, it must be the surrounding buildings that keep out sound.”
Walking a block together, I fought reaching for his hand. At the corner, I faced him. “This is me.” I pointed over my shoulder at the library.”
“Yep.” He motioned in the other direction, his eyes not leaving my face. “Want to meet at the garden tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
I hurried back to school, trying to decipher my feelings for Hunter. My cheek still tingled where he’d brushed it with his fingers. Did I feel connected to him because of our history, or was my draw to him about something different? I couldn’t be attracted to him like I would another guy. If he turned out to be my brother
… I ended that thought, vowing to figure out who my father was that weekend.
In class, I slid into my seat as the bell rang. Ganby plopped into the seat beside me. “Looking a little peaked today. Forget to eat your Wheaties?”
I clasped my hand over my forearm, noticing my skin had become a couple of degrees cooler. “I forgot to get lunch.”
“Cheerleaders and their need to be thin.” He swung to face the front of the room.
“You really don’t look good,” Annabelle said to me.
“I had to study over lunch.” I pulled the cheese cubes from my lunch bag, realizing my blocking spell had probably taken a toll on my energy level.
My cheese and dried fruit stash got me through French and Spanish. As I walked out the front doors, bound for Fahim’s bookstore, I pulled out my phone to text Nick an explanation for my absence from study hall.
No worries. He messaged back. I’ll call tonight.
Might be tight. Have cheer, gymnastics, and tutoring session.
K. text me.
K.
Outside the bookstore, I stopped to assess who might be present. Sensing the witch’s magic, I drew in a deep breath. There were several vampires in the back but their scents co-mingled and I couldn’t distinguish them. I pushed open the door, and the bell announced my arrival.
“Alena, you are back,” Fahim called from behind the counter. He looked to the office. “Eden, Alena is here.”
“The humming is quite loud today,” I said as I approached Fahim.
“Yes, Chalondra has something brewing in there. I’ll have to introduce you soon. She may be able to help with your father.”
I chuckled nervously. “Honestly, I just want to understand what I am first,” I told them. The toll of my lies weighed on me, and I wondered how long it’d take to figure out if they had the information I needed.
As soon as I registered his scent, he slammed me into the wall, arm pressed to my throat. “Who is this?” he growled.
Fahim was beside him an instant later as were Aaron and Dimitri. Dimitri and Aaron pried at the vampire’s arms, but they were locked on my chest and neck. I could feel the pressure of his bone on my windpipe, and I struggled for breath. My mind processed all the input. This was the vampire who killed the hostess at the sushi restaurant. He was stronger than Aaron and Dimitri together. I couldn’t use my magic and without it, I wasn’t strong enough to best him. Mother and Orm were right. I shouldn’t have been out alone.
“Unhand her.” Fahim met the vampire’s intensity with a guttural sound.
“Do you smell her?”
“She is a newly discovered halfling. She is mine.” The vibration of Fahim’s voice shook the room.
The rogue vampire lifted his head and cackled. “You think that has an impact on me?”
“Think!” Dimitri yelled. “She is one of our own. You will die for harming her.”
“Or I will kill you before you get the chance.” Aaron snarled in the rogue one’s ear and slammed his foot into the vampire’s leg.
His knee buckled, and his grip on my chest loosened for a half-second. I moved a half-inch before his arm pounded into my chest again.
“Not so fast, my pretty.” His breath on my face made my stomach turn as I pictured the girl from the sushi place. The image of his bandana shot through my mind. “Do you smell her, she is not one of us.”
“She is my family.” Fahim repeated his claim on me.
A whoosh of air brought a wave of magical energy, and my senses fought for control.
“Witches.” The vampire holding me hissed and fell to the ground.
I jumped, propelling my body over the group, landing on the cashier’s counter, crouched and ready to face further threats. I couldn’t let that witch touch me. My eyes cut to the crowd holding the rogue vampire to the floor and to the bar, wondering if I should bolt out the back.
The sound of metal clinking brought my attention back to the rogue vampire. Dimitri and Aaron locked metal clamps around my assailant’s wrists and ankles, binding them together.
“That surge I hit him with should last a good twelve hours,” Chalondra indicated.
Aaron looked to Fahim. “Without sustenance these will hold him for a while. What should we do with him?”
“Dump him in an abandoned building. I’ll deal with him later.”
Dimitri and Aaron lifted him by the arms and legs and carted him into the back room. Fahim, Eden, and Chalondra turned to me.
I stood wondering how a newbie halfling would react. “Don’t touch me.”
“You’re safe. No one’s not going to hurt you.” Eden crept towards me.
“How did I jump like that?”
“Your vampire mode kicked in.”
My eyes lock on Chalondra. “What did you do to him?”
“I killed a couple of brain cells. Unfortunately, they will heal.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Glad that one is gone for a while. Been making me jumpy all day.” Chalondra shuffled to her room.
“Come down, child.” Fahim held a hand out to me. “You’ve had quite a scare. Let’s get you some tea.”
I squatted and lowered myself to the floor.
“You now have many more questions than before, I’m sure.” Fahim guided me to a chair.
“Who was he?”
“A very old, very senile vampire. I didn’t realize he was a threat or he wouldn’t have been here. I’m very sorry, dear.” Fahim set a teacup on the table.
Eden wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. “Poor child, you’re shivering.”
I clutched the fabric, realizing she was right. I lifted the tea to my nose.
“It’s lemon and lavender. They will help calm your nerves.” Fahim and Eden sat across from me.
“What time is it? I have cheer practice at three.”
Fahim chuckled. “That whole scenario played out in two minutes.”
Acting desperate for grounding, I dug in my bag for my phone. “It’s two-twenty.”
“Vampires move fast child.” Eden patted the table beside my hand.
We sat drinking tea for several minutes.
Fahim cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “Have you had enough for one day or do you want to ask more questions?”
“How long will I live?”
Fahim started by telling me about the blue zones, places on earth where people lived longer. Those communities contained people, half-vampire and half-human people, who were immune to many diseases and tended to live well into their hundreds.
“But the books said vampires can live for a thousand years.”
“But you are a halfling.”
“Okay, so what am I to a full vampire? Also a half-citizen?”
Fahim cut his eyes to Eden, who returned his glance. “Most full vampires will not recognize you.”
“But you claimed me as your family.”
“You will be under my protection. I may not look like much but I do hold some clout in these parts.”
“So, do I just live out my life as a normal human? Can I have children?”
Eden clutched my hand. “You will have everything you desire, dear. You are free to choose your path.”
“If I marry another halfling, could I have a full vampire child?”
“That is a possibility,” she confirmed.
“But if I marry a human, my children will likely be normal.”
“Yes.”
“Do I need to register with some authority?”
“It is best you don’t, especially if you don’t know your heritage,” Fahim answered.
“So, I go back to my life, like nothing happened?” I turned my hands over pretending to be exasperated.
“You can’t tell anyone of our existence. It is forbidden. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“But, I wouldn’t say you’ve gained merely an explanation. You witnessed your ability a few minutes ago. If you come back when it is dark, w
e’ll show you some tricks.” Fahim crossed to the kettle refilling his mug.
“I’m not sure I want to come back.”
Fahim reached for me. “I am so sorry dear. I meant what I said. You are mine. I’ve claimed you as family. No harm will come to you.”
“You come back when you’re ready.” Eden rubbed her hand down my arm.
“Okay, thanks.” I stood and gathered my bag.
Walking back to campus, I texted Mother.
Walked outside and caught a whiff of rogue vampire on breeze from the east. Not more than a mile from here.
You stay inside.
Have cheer practice in a few minutes.
That should be safe. He won’t attack with witnesses. At least he hasn’t yet. If you sense him closer get everyone inside.
Will do.
I love you. Be safe.
Love you too.
Wanting to go home, take a shower, and curl up in bed, I made my way back to school. As I reached the door, the bell rang, and I walked to the locker room and changed with the rest of the squad. Going through the routines, I wished I only had school and boys to worry about. My connections with Hunter and Fahim confounded things, generating more questions than answers. The lies to Mother were stacking up, and I needed some resolution fast. Maybe I’d have to be more direct with Fahim, drop my birthdate into a conversation, or talk to Chalondra.
After cheer, Nick waved at me from the field, reminding me of yet another complicated relationship. Maybe I should halt our connection before it progresses any further, I thought. I remembered Fahim’s words about having the life I wanted. I wondered if choosing to pose as a normal human would mean giving up my family. Mother lived in the human world but engulfed herself in vampire business. At home and at work, she didn’t need to hide. But she wasn’t a halfling.
“Alena?”
“Yeah.” I spun to face Sophie.
“Did you ask your mom about Friday night?” She swung her bag over her shoulder.
“I did and she said yes.” I followed her outside and to the street. “Do you want a ride?” I asked wanting to keep her off the streets till Mom confirmed they’d apprehended the rogue vampire.
“That’s awesome, and I guess I’ll take you up on that ride.”
Opening our car door, I leaned in to ask Orm if we had time. He confirmed we did, and Sophie and I piled in.
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 13