Daedra waved her arm and sent both of vampire’s swords flying. Gunner stopped moving, not understanding what had just happened. With another flick of the hand, she threw Talon across the yard, right into the gray, stone fountain, the edge smashing under his body. Gunner's eyes widened in both fear and fury when he had spotted the ring on Daedra’s finger. "What are you doing? Get back to the ritual, witch!"
"Oh, it's done.”
Gunner ran at Daedra, but before he could strike her, she had her hand inside his gut. His face contorted with pain and he grabbed the witch’s arms. "You should have taken me up on that offer. I might have let you die quicker," she whispered.
Daedra pulled her hand out, along with a handful of intestines. Avery clenched her eyes shut and tried not to listen to the sickening sounds of the viscera plopping out. She needed to get it together before something similar happened to her or Talon. But she was still struggling to get to her feet and fight through the pain.
Daedra studied the dark blood on her hand and licked it curiously, laughing like a maniac. Gunner dropped to the ground and started to scoot away from her, gathering pieces of him in an attempt to get away. “Vampires are a bane to all of us,” the witch preached. Talon started to dash to where Avery knelt behind Daedra but caught the witch's eye.
"Oh, how sweet."
Daedra sent Talon flying into a birch tree near the ritual circle. She came closer to where Talon fell and raised him up by the throat with an invisible hand. Talon was pinned up against the tree, trying to grasp at the nothingness around his neck.
Daedra laughed maniacally in his face, "You are too much fun." Her laughter was cut short by a cold sting between her shoulder blades. She turned to her attacker and choked up blood, still trying to giggle.
"Stop laughing, bitch." Avery forced the other sai into Daedra's throat. The witch collapsed where she stood. Her wide-open eyes remained black, as blood pooled around her and flooded her ritual circle. All the sacred objects on the ground were drenched in it.
Talon dropped to his feet, taking very little time to recover before getting up and hurrying toward the exhausted woman.
“Avery!” Rose yelled from somewhere. “Two minutes!”
Talon steadied Avery as she wobbled from her injuries. "We gotta go. I don’t wanna be around when this place blows."
“I’m okay,” Avery used the last of her strength and willed herself to stumble over to where Daedra had thrown her necklace. She gave it everything she had to pretend like she was fine. She bent down and picked up the necklace and came back to him quicker, almost refreshed, with a weary smile on her face.
Talon and Avery came around the side of the building, finding a bleeding Gunner slumped up against a side wall. Avery went to approach Gunner, but Talon held her by the shoulders.
“I want him to pay!” she shrieked.
“He’s not getting back up. Let him suffer. Your revenge is fulfilled. Besides, it’s not worth getting blown up over.”
Avery hesitated, but then ran on ahead. Talon stood before Gunner once more and saw that the vampire's pale complexion had become gray. He was slowly dying, and it appeared that the wound was not healing itself. Magick must have had a hand in that.
Gunner looked up to Talon, "Hit a guy while he's down?"
"That's what you would do, isn't it?" Talon started to walk away, leaving Gunner where he lay, mindful of the time constraint.
"This isn't over, Talon" Gunner choked out.
"Yeah, it is," Talon whispered to himself.
"I will come for you, and your girl."
"Not if you're dead."
Avery, Rose, Caleb, and the others that survived the raid had fled the scene. Seconds later, in one horrendous explosion that shook the night, the manor was obliterated. From a safe distance, Talon watched the remains of the building be consumed by flame, the black smoke billowing up and disappearing into the night sky. He convinced himself that, with the death of Gunner, his desire for revenge was fulfilled as well. Even if on the small chance that the unhealed wound and the explosion hadn’t killed him, being exposed to the coming dawn would. He didn't even have to ask himself, as many do at this point, what he was going to live for now. The girl that made him feel again had disappeared into the night, and he felt the swelling urge to go after her. The eclipse was over, and the moon had set on the horizon which started turning pink with the coming of a new day. Talon could hear fire trucks and ambulances in the distance. For now, he would let her go.
CHAPTER 9
As soon as he awoke and had his mug of blood, Talon set his mind to find Avery. He was at her door in moments but realized that a fresh trail of vanilla led away from here. He found himself moments later in a graveyard, feet away from a lovely, curvaceous woman in a black dress. He watched as she knelt down before one huge gravestone and a smaller one next to it. Flowers adorned the freshly dug ground in front of the smaller stone, which belonged to Kyrie; the larger one belonging to her parents. Avery spoke softly to them. Talon felt like he was intruding on her deserved privacy, but couldn't bring himself to leave the vicinity. He leaned against a tomb and listened to her, wondering what saddening words would come from that beautiful mouth.
"Forgiving is the hardest thing to do. But, to be able to move on, I have to learn to forgive myself. It’s going to take time, but…I’ll get there someday. I should have said it more, but Mom, Dad, Kyrie, I love you guys. I hope you're together, wherever you are."
He was moved by those simple words, probably because he had said something similar once before, long ago. He watched her turn toward him and start walking, waiting for her to be just feet away from him.
"How about that dinner?"
Avery didn't flinch at his voice, as if she knew the whole time he was there. "I'd pay to watch you eat people food. I’m sure it’s less nauseating than watching you drink blood."
"I won't be eating. I'm just looking for good conversation."
"Right," Avery turned away from him, and her tone saddened as she looked back at the standing stone before her, “They buried her today….”
“I wish I could have been here,” Talon matched her lowered volume of voice.
“I was so worried about what they would do with her because I didn’t have the money, but someone miscellaneously donated the funds I needed to get her this nice, engraved stone. Whoever it was, I’m grateful to them,” Avery carried on.
Avery had made eye contact with him, and Talon wondered if she had pieced the puzzle together. He smiled gently at her. “How are you doing with all this?”
Avery sighed, “Truthfully, I don’t know. I think I’m slowly numbing myself just to get through the day.”
His heart panged for her, and his feet responded to a magnetic pull until he was in Avery’s space. He shoved his hands in his pockets, to resist the urge to touch her, but never broke the eye contact. Talon leaned his head down toward hers. “If you ever need someone to talk to….” he started, but found himself simultaneously relishing in her scent and captivated by her bright green eyes. It would take a keen eye, like his own, to really see their true color; the specks of yellow in them. He had never seen such eyes. They seemed lively though her current attitude should make them dull.
Avery attempted to step away from him, and he chose this moment to take what he wanted. His hands slipped from their confinement to cup her cheeks. Her warmth tingled his hands. Talon captured her soft lips with his own. He felt Avery surrender in the moment, as she leaned her body weight against his chest, but this moment was not to last. Avery came away from the embrace, reflexively pushing him back.
"You're a vampire..." she stated.
"Avery...”
"And I'm a human."
"Do you honestly care about that?" He groaned as she used her ‘wall’ as her backup.
She continued her robotic rant, clearly not listening to him, "We don't mix."
Talon felt it hard to control the agonizing emotions he was feeling right then, not to
mention the raging hard-on he had gotten with the heat of her lips on his. He knew she wasn't going to hear him out. She was too stubborn. What would it take to make her see him for who he was and not for what she assumed he had to be? After all that had happened since they had first met, all that she had made him feel, he could never simply 'get over' her. Talon hated having to do it, but he left her there alone, flitting away into the dark. He needed thinking time. They both did.
Avery was finishing packing the last cardboard box. She had sold all her furniture with the exception of her bed and was just getting her odds and ends together. She sold Kyrie’s furniture as well but kept her clothes and other things in a big box, unable to part with them just yet. Every little thing in this apartment reminded her of her sister, and it was time to move on. Though the heartache would never really go away, it didn't help to reopen the wounds every time she walked through the front door. She still felt like she was seeing blood on the ground outside.
Avery hardly slept at all since the night Talon had kissed her two weeks ago. It was strange to her that she had felt bad about hurting his feelings. It was strange that she cared about him, period. The obvious physical attraction was there, but she had hated vampires for what they did to people, especially those she cared about. Talon was one of them, yet he was different. He aided and protected her, and she acted ungrateful for it because she didn't want the closeness. The night of the ritual, when they had argued, Talon could have taken her life instantly before she pinned him to the ground. She knew his power was far greater than her own. But he didn't even fight her back. He wouldn't lay a negative hand on her. Even after knowing it could have benefitted him, he still helped put a stop to the ritual that night. Avery thought long and hard about what it was that she feared exactly. It was more than Talon being a vampire. More than being bitten, hurt, or killed by him. Even greater than her sense of morality about the situation, she feared that he would break her heart.
A loud honk made her jump. Caleb waited outside in the small moving truck. When her lease was up, Avery was invited to live with him and Rose, and she happily accepted the offer. She couldn't continue to be in this space and remain sane. It would be good for her to be around her friends more often, especially at this point in her life. It was nice to know that she had people she could rely on, and she felt herself getting closer to them. Avery stacked the last two boxes in her arms and took one final look at the place before leaving it for good.
After locking the door, she turned around and bumped into a mass. Two large hands came up to steady the boxes from falling out of her grip. “Oh, I’m sorry…” Avery automatically responded though it wasn’t her doing.
“It’s okay, it was my fault,” a smooth, masculine voice chuckled.
The voice was not Caleb’s. Avery shifted the boxes and peered around them, turning to her side to see whom she had bumped into. Before her was a tall, dark-haired and olive-skinned handsome man in a black suit with a partially undone white button-up. His hazel eyes bore into hers inquisitively as he feigned a smile.
“Avery Langdon?”
Avery shirked back a little. She didn’t really have any enemies to watch for in the daytime, but he seemed suspicious to her. “Who are you?”
“I’m Detective Ashford with the Big Rapids Police Department. Do you have time to talk?” he said coolly.
“What about?”
“Your sister.”
Avery felt overwhelmed and defensive, “What about my sister?”
“Here, allow me,” Detective Ashford took the boxes from her arms and carried them over to the moving truck for her. Avery slowly followed, noticing Caleb giving her a look of concern. She raised her hand to stop him from getting out of the vehicle. She followed the detective to the back of the truck where he had packed the boxes away for her.
Avery crossed her arms over her chest and sarcastically spat, “Sorry, but I’m a little cautious. You won’t mind showing me your badge?”
“Of course,” the detective reached into his jacket, causing Avery to take a couple steps back. He pulled out a leather and brass shield badge. Avery studied the numbers on it, deciding it was legit.
He pointed to the bumper of the vehicle, “Can we sit for a moment?”
Detective Ashford sat first, Avery hesitantly lowered herself next to him, her arms still crossed defensively. He continued his interview.
“I’m sorry about the loss of your sister. I know the officers on the scene had already taken your statement, but you see…maybe it’s because I’m new to the area, but I feel like they had neglected to fill in some information.”
Avery tried to reel in her emotions, “What do you still need to know?”
“What were Kyrie’s plans that night when she was on her way out?”
“My sister was supposed to stay in. She told me she was going to do homework and watch some television while I was out.”
“And where were you?”
“I was out with a guy-friend until about 3:30. That’s when I found her…” she trailed off.
Avery was lost in thought, staring at a spot on the ground in front of her feet. The detective followed the trail of her eyesight before his voice became sterner.
“Avery, did your sister have any enemies?”
Avery snapped out of her staring and glared at the detective, “What? Why would you think that?”
“I don’t want to alarm you. I just feel that looking at the photos that…well, from what I have dug up, this town has a lot of these animal attacks but no animals caught to pay the price. It seems it has become too convenient to write off as an animal attack. In my years of experience and looking at the photos, I don’t think it was. It seems as if it was simply made to look that way,” Detective Ashford explained.
Avery’s mouth was agape. This detective was clearly not on The Order’s payroll.
His eyes seemed to search her soul for answers, “If there’s anything you can think of, please tell me.”
Avery stood up and stuttered, “I can’t believe this.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, but I want justice for your sister. I feel like going with these lazy, local cops’ ideas of animal attacks doesn’t do that,” he stands, trying to console her.
“How dare you. I am still trying to come to terms with losing the most important person in my life and you…you’re making it hard. Can you please…just let me be,” Avery held back her tears.
The detective handed her a card with his information, “I’m sorry, but if you think of anything….”
Avery hesitantly took the card from his long fingers. Detective Ashford turned around and walked away without another word. Avery glanced over the information in front of her before vehemently flicking the card to the ground.
Avery shut the back of the truck up, finding a bunch of ladybugs crawling all over the door. It was that time of the year for their migration through Michigan. One of the little creatures landed on her hand, and she had hoped it was a sign. She could use some good luck.
CHAPTER 10
The sunset and Talon awoke to perform his morning routine: stretch, shower, shave, and dress. Then he headed to the kitchen for a warm mug of 'A positive.' He stood barefoot on the cold linoleum floor, his mind lost in space somewhere, until he realized he had finished the last drop of his nourishment and was sipping at nothing. His lifestyle wasn't too appealing to other vampires, but he made sacrifices for his conscience. Sometimes he wondered about the blurred line between morally right and wrong though. About the gray areas of good and bad.
Talon sucked his teeth clean, patted his mouth with a napkin, and started rinsing his cup clean, as was his usual routine. His mind ventured into what he imagined Avery was doing at that moment. No doubt going out to stalk the streets in search of a fight, however, many vampires may be left in the area after they got rid of the clan. There were still rouges, such as him, roaming around the town.
He thought of the kiss they shared; the energy. Like his stren
gth and hers combined to create a fire. He knew he could never want another woman in the world so long as Avery existed in it. A scent caught his attention, and he dropped his cup in the sink. Was his mind playing tricks on him again? Talon turned off the water and slowly turned around.
A beautiful smiling face was poking in through his front door, followed by that perfectly curvy body. Talon held his breath as if he actually breathed. Really it was just a habit to 'breathe' to blend in, but his body had no need of oxygen. Never the less, he sucked some in seeing Avery's outfit after she threw her leather jacket onto his chair. A white spaghetti strap that he could practically see her hardened nipples through, and blue jeans that were old and worn away, but hugged her hips and thighs just perfectly. Talon had never seen this much skin exposed on her before. Avery normally dressed to reveal very little, but now not much was left to his imagination. It was almost as if she had done this on purpose to tease him. He would love to take a bite out of her right now. In the non-vampiric sense of course, or so he told himself. He tried to conceal the instinctual growl deep in his throat with a cough.
After she courteously took off her white and black sneakers at the entryway, she stood looking at him a moment. Her cheeks were rosy, but not from the cold. He could see her lips quivering with nervousness, the scent of tequila seeping into the air and covering up most of her natural scent. Avery immediately moved to sit on the love seat closest to her, and he followed her lead. As Talon sat down, he noticed her turn her knees to angle toward him. Unusual body language for her.
Avery locked eyes with him, as opposed to trying to avoid it like before, her voice a wavering slur, each word said like she had thought too hard about them.
"I want to tell you that I don’t hate you. Not from lack of trying. I... care about you, in a way that frightens me. Not because of what you are. I know that you are good. But because I'm scared of…well...I don't want you to be tempted to...make me, not me, anymore. I just want to be hurt."
Love and Bloodlust: The Sacred Objects Page 9