Turner stared at the crowd, challenging anyone to speak further, but everyone just watched in shock as the realization spread from row to row. As she slept, everyone felt the strong sense of baku coming from the sleeping dearg-dul. Gabriel walked over and held the bowl in front of Turner. He gently picked up her other hand and pierced her fingertip. One drop of blood fell into the bowl. A flash of light instantly lit up the whole tent. No one in the room could contain their amazement. The crowd began to feverishly talk to each other. Everyone in the room was happy, with the exception of one person, Andrew’s uncle. As Gabriel waited for the crowd to quiet, Turner could feel the hateful stares return to him as he held their precious baku. Gabriel moved in front of Turner to block the glares.
“Arianna is a purebred dearg-dul. She has full dearg-dul powers and is learning how to use them. Circling the tent is her PPU. She won’t be assigned baku guards as her grandfather and I handpicked her PPU together. She has taken on one keeper, Brenton Winter. They are not to be touched in any way or form.” Disagreement vented through the crowd. “Anyone who lays a hand on any of the humans, dearg-duls or lycan associated with Arianna will have to deal with me.” There was no more dissent through the crowd. “Now I ask that the three purebred baku here be the witness for this. You can wake her,” Gabriel added to Turner.
Turner lifted Arianna’s head and gently stroked her face. Arianna groggily blinked her eyes.
“Time to get up, sleepy,” Turner said softly, before leaning in and kissing Arianna’s forehead in front of the crowd.
Arianna was instantly awake to the hateful glares of the people around her at Turner. She blushed as he pulled back and smiled victoriously. He lightly set her on her feet. Arianna felt her cheeks still burning.
“Stupid wolf,” Devin muttered, also grinning. Arianna finally noticed the glares were meant for Turner and not her. “Join them,” Devin urged Arianna who was looking around the room for Gabriel.
Three men were standing in the front of the crowd next to Gabriel. Andrew, his uncle, and an unknown man were standing side by side, all talking to Gabriel. Arianna walked up next to her uncle at Devin’s suggestion.
“Sign here and here,” Gabriel held out forms. “This way,” he added, after all three had signed.
Gabriel led the way back into the house. “Pick a room to wait in,” Gabriel directed the three men. “We’ll be here, in the kitchen.” The men all nodded and left. Arianna stood, watching her uncle as he opened the refrigerator. Pulling out three vials from the bottom shelf, Arianna was surprised to see the fridge was full of food, not blood. Gabriel laughed. “Baku require less blood than dearg-duls,” he explained, “since we can only transform at night.” Arianna nodded.
“So, what comes next?” she asked. Turner and Devin sat at the kitchen table as Molina continued to pace.
“One of these should do,” Gabriel explained, putting the vials on the cupboard in front of Arianna. Arianna wrinkled her nose at the blood. “Baku blood.”
“Your blood?” Arianna asked.
“Not my day human blood, as you have tasted before. My baku blood.”
Arianna looked at the three vials. Each radiated the same sour smell of power that her grandfather’s blood did. Arianna stopped at looked at the second vial. It looked identical to the other two, but it was somehow different. Arianna uncapped it and took a sniff. It was different. Gabriel took her hand, and with quick, painless jabs, immediately made blood to blood contact.
‘What’s wrong?’ he thought.
‘This just seems strange,’ Arianna replied. ‘I don’t think it’s your blood.’
Gabriel picked up the vial and took a sniff of it also. He couldn’t tell the difference.
‘I don’t know why, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s yours,’ Arianna explained.
‘Do you know whose it is?’
Arianna closed her eyes and tried to watch the people outside the house. Gabriel smiled, fascinated with watching how she saw the world as it flickered by. The scent wasn’t outside. Arianna moved her search into the house. The white flickering of Devin’s heartbeat made her pause. She slowly looked to Turner and sensed it again.
‘It’s like them. The blood is from someone that loves me the way those two do,’ Arianna explained. Gabriel smelled the vial again. Now he could slightly sense what Arianna had felt immediately. ‘And he’s in the house.’
Arianna used her incredible senses to find Andrew in the front room. He was sitting on the couch, in his baku form, intently listening to the kitchen. A smile crossed his face as Arianna found him.
‘It’s Andrew’s baku blood,’ Arianna paused. ‘You know how we were rating everyone before?’
‘Yes.’
‘You and grandpa were at an eleven or twelve. Andrew is at a sixteen.’
Arianna now watched as Gabriel searched the house and found Andrew’s uncle upstairs. The irate man was pacing around an upstairs bedroom. ‘The old man has no clue. What a cunning boy,’ Gabriel commented.
‘Please explain,’ Arianna begged, not understanding.
‘It seems Andrew hid his own baku blood in mine for you,’ Gabriel replied. ‘The higher the power of the blood you drink, the less painful the change is. That’s why all baku changes are done with my blood. I’m currently the strongest baku. At least that’s what I thought. Because I’m still in charge, I can assume that even his uncle doesn’t know his true strength. The strongest baku is always the leader.’
‘Why would he hide that then, if he could be the leader?’
‘I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him that yourself. I can only speculate that there are secrets in that family that we don’t know.’ Arianna nodded, as she finally noticed Devin and Turner tensely watching their silent conversation.
“Drink one vial now, and then, after you change, drink the other two vials. It should be enough to last you through the evaluation by the present purebreds,” Gabriel explained, and the tension eased in the room.
“Which one should I drink?” Arianna asked, knowing that Andrew was intently listening to the conversation.
“Are you sure about what you told me?” Gabriel asked. Arianna nodded. “I don’t smell any poisons, so it should be safe.”
“I can go ask him,” Devin replied, understanding the situation. Turner stared from Devin to Gabriel.
“That’s not needed,” Arianna replied, taking the vial with Andrew’s blood and drinking it. Arianna fell to her knees and the pain rushed over her, forcing her eyes shut.
TWENTY-FIVE
Arianna slowly opened her eyes to find herself in Devin’s arms. An overwhelming sense of concern came over her as she watched his face. Arianna turned slightly and looked up at her uncle, who, unlike Devin and Turner, actually appeared to be happy. Arianna sat up slowly and took Turner’s outstretched hand. In a fluid movement she was standing eye-to-eye with Turner, her arms wrapped around his neck. The sensation she felt as their hands touched made her not want to let go. As she grazed over the skin at the back of his neck, she paused. The warmth that was radiating from him caught her attention. Arianna paused and smiled. She felt nothing but an overwhelming warm sensation of love from Turner. He smiled back and put his hands at her waist. Arianna shivered. Everything seemed to be amplified a hundred times from what she felt in her human form. Arianna was completely blind to the world around her as she gazed at Turner. His emotions read loud and clear. It felt like direct energy to her, more powerful than any blood she had drank.
“I’d love to let you explore the changes you experience when you are a baku, but I need to get you evaluated before the blood is used up,” Gabriel explained. Arianna pulled back, momentarily embarrassed by her blunt actions, which had been almost instinctual.
“I think I might like the baku Arianna,” Turner replied, as Gabriel ushered Arianna upstairs. Arianna paused on the stairs to look back at Turner and Devin. While normally Devin was too reserved for Arianna to sense, she could now tell that he felt the same
way as Turner. Devin stared back at Arianna. His face was as stoic as usual, and focused on his task, but his heart was not. Gabriel stepped in between Arianna and the two boys.
“Drink these,” Gabriel handed Arianna the two vials. Arianna tried to look past her uncle, but he forced the blood in front of her face. Arianna took the vials and obediently drank the sour red liquid. “That should last you until later.” Gabriel pushed Arianna down the hallway, toward a closed door. Arianna cautiously opened the door. Even from the doorway, Arianna could see perfectly into the unlit room.
“Since I sponsored you, I cannot enter the room with you, or the test will be forfeit,” Gabriel explained. Arianna hesitated at the doorway. A rather large baku was sitting in a chair, reading a paper in the dark. His long, scraggly white hair hung free to his waist. He paused as the door opened, and Gabriel pushed Arianna forward.
“We’re right behind you,” Devin said quietly.
“We won’t let you out of our sight,” Turner added.
The baku offered Arianna his hand as she walked slowly into the room. She had only had a glimpse of the baku on the night she changed into a dearg-dul. The refined man sitting in the chair reading was a stark contrast to the growling monsters she had seen. He folded his glasses and set them down on top of the paper.
“Even in this form my eyes are bad,” the man explained. “Welcome, prized baku Arianna.” The man motioned to the seat beside his. “I am Rafael. I am the current head of the Haggerty family. My job tonight is to assess your strength. We all know from the tests conducted earlier that you are a purebred baku, but we need to figure out what your rank will be within the community.”
“How can you do that? I still don’t even have my dearg-dul strength under control. I doubt I’m any good at this baku stuff,” Arianna replied, catching her reflection in the mirror across the room as she walked over and sat next to the inviting man. She hadn’t noticed that she was now standing almost eye to eye with Turner, who was slightly shorter than Devin. Her normally shoulder-length blond hair fell down to her butt, and was now a slightly blond-tinted white color. Her complexion was snow white, which made her lips and blue eyes stand out even more than normal. Arianna stopped and stared at her blue eyes, and then glanced back to the man waiting for her.
He studied her with his purple tinted eyes. “Correct. We baku do not keep our eye color when we change. Those are peculiar blue eyes.” He drifted off into silent thought. “Everything about you says you are a purebred baku, except for those eyes.”
“They seem to get me in trouble everywhere I go,” Arianna replied.
Rafael held open his hand. “Would you permit me to look inside your mind?” Arianna sliced her thumb against her palm and reached over for his hand. “What do you see in this room?” he asked aloud.
Arianna looked around the room. Everything was clear: the furniture, the books, the slight light coming from the party below in the corner of the window. And then she stopped looking. Turner was standing against the doorway, eagerly watching her. Arianna held herself still as she wanted to run back over to him. Gabriel reached forward, and pulled Turner from her view.
Rafael chuckled. “Teenagers,” he nodded his thanks to Gabriel. “And what about below, in the party.”
Arianna closed her eyes and drifted down to the sounds of the party. People were talking joyously to their neighbors. Each conversation seemed like it was taking place in the same room as Arianna. Sounds slowly became distinct voices. She could make out the shapes and sizes of each person by following their blood flow.
“Good, good,” Rafael replied. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand, knowing that his decision was already made up the moment he saw her sleeping.
“That’s it?” Arianna replied.
“Each of us test in our own way. I can tell from that where you should be ranked,” Rafael replied. Arianna stood to leave. As she neared the door, Rafael added, “Your father would be proud.”
Arianna wanted to stay and ask him what he meant, but Gabriel already was ushering her to the next room. Standing at the window, Andrew’s uncle didn’t even turn to her as she entered. Arianna could easily feel the contempt coming from the man, and he didn’t try to hide it. She moved further into the room and stood in the middle, alone.
“Arianna Grace, only child of Travis Grace, purebred baku,” he replied, still not looking at her. “From such a prestigious family. Eighty-two baku in written history, five ahead of my own family.” Arianna continued to stand still, trying not to provoke the man further as he vented. “And now they have the prize: a female baku.” Arianna felt him struggle to contain his temper.
“Close your eyes,” the man ordered. Arianna did as he asked. She listened as he slowly drew near and walked around her. More contempt radiated from him. The man paused behind her momentarily.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Devin replied. Arianna turned around to find Devin, Turner, and Molina all holding swords at the man’s throat.
“Isn’t it taboo for one baku to bite another?” Turner asked.
“No one bites her,” Molina replied. “Without killing me first.” Arianna shivered at the complete evilness and hatred that filled the room. All three of her guards radiated enough hate to match the man behind her.
The man smiled. “Then I guess I cannot vote on this matter.” Arianna turned to her uncle, who was gripping the doorway to keep himself from rushing in. Arianna hurried over to him in an attempt to calm his rage. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I’m safe,” Arianna said quietly, and she felt as the rage completely disappeared. “They wouldn't let it be otherwise.” Arianna walked out of the room, leading her uncle away. “Andrew is downstairs, right?” Gabriel nodded, still unable to completely contain his anger. At the bottom of the steps, Arianna stopped.
“He wants me to come in alone,” she explained to the four people following her.
“No way,” Turner complained.
“He’s right,” Devin said, smacking Turner for being so blunt. “It’s not safe to leave you alone.”
“Uncle, do you feel anything bad from that room,” Arianna asked. She could feel something herself, but didn’t want to tell Turner or Devin that the only thing she sensed from the baku waiting in the room was love.
Gabriel sighed. “I’ll monitor the room. If there’s even a hint of malice, we will be there in a moment. I’ll not be standing back again.” Molina nodded. Turner and Devin had no choice but to let her go in, alone.
TWENTY-SIX
Arianna closed the door behind her before turning around to view Andrew. He was leaning, shirtless, by the window across the room, staring at the sky. His pale, chiseled body glowed in the slight light coming through the panes. While she had originally thought all the baku looked the same, she could now make out the slight difference. Andrew’s long white hair had a slight curl that reminded her of his day human form. Arianna felt her heart race a little as she looked over at him with her perfect night vision.
“Did you know that there are over three hundred billion stars, just in our galaxy?” Arianna asked in a whisper. Andrew turned his gaze to her. Arianna stood still, her skin tingling. Instantly, he was standing only inches in front of her. Arianna jumped slightly, startled. In another instant, Arianna was across the room with Andrew, who was holding onto her next to the window.
“Every last one of them is waiting to see you, to know if it could possibly be true,” Andrew added quietly, looking at the people still milling around the patio.
Arianna turned her head sideways and continued to stare only at Andrew.
“You’ve known about me for a long time.”
‘Forever,’ Andrew thought.
“How can…?” Arianna began ask, but stopped as a multitude of questions filled her mind. There was so much she wanted to know from him, yet at the same time, nothing needed to be said.
‘I’ve waited a long time to find you again,’ Andrew explained.
“A
gain?”
‘We were kids the first time we met. I didn’t know what baku were at the time, but I knew you were special.’ Andrew’s hands gently pulled Arianna closer. While she stood almost eye to eye with Turner in her baku form, she was now a head shorter than Andrew. Arianna instinctively leaned her face against his chest. Her lips gently grazed the smooth, white skin in front of her, and he shivered in response. Andrew stopped his story when he felt her touch.
Does he feel it too? Arianna wondered.
‘Yes,’ Andrew replied. Andrew’s hands gently traced her back. Leaning slightly forward, he kissed the top of her head.
Complete happiness poured off of Andrew as she tipped her head back to look closer at his face. There was no need to see his expression to read the emotions he was emitting, but Arianna looked anyway. Andrew’s eyes were closed, and he took a deep breath. She could sense that his fluctuating power was coming back under control.
‘Why are you holding yourself back?’ Arianna finally asked, understanding that they were communicating only with their minds and no blood contact.
‘It’s just a little harder with you so close,’ Andrew replied. ‘No one knows what my true power is, not even my uncle, and he’s raising me. If I let go, for even an instant, Uncle will make a claim to be the top family. With his greed, he doesn’t deserve such a high spot. I respect Gabriel, and I know he is a better fit to run the baku clan.’ The slight contempt beneath Andrew’s feelings surfaced. Arianna reached up and touched his face. It was as smooth as she imagined. Love returned to Andrew’s face as he smiled down at her.
‘Sorry,’ Arianna apologized, finally realizing how close they were standing. She tried to back away, but he wouldn’t let go. Andrew pulled her closer to kiss her. Arianna wanted to protest, but the same feelings of love she felt earlier won out. Arianna wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her off the ground, into his arms. Arianna traced the hard muscles of his chest as he pulled her on the couch on top of him. She couldn’t stop her hands as they wandered over his body. The touch of his skin made her heart flutter, but at the same time, made her want to continue. Andrew smiled at the response and kissed her again. She didn’t protest this time. He easily won his battle.
The Legend of the Blue Eyes Page 20
