by E. M. Moore
Christian’s perfect gait stumbled. “You’re sure?” His fingers gripped me tighter.
“Positive. I recognized his accent.”
He leaned his head down on mine briefly. When we made our way through the building, guards were still scouring the place. I peeked into the common room to find more trainees huddled together. Beyond that room still held the disrepair of the cafeteria. Beyond the glass doors were bodies pulled into the middle of the floor, guard-issued white sheets pulled over top of them. The dead rogue vampires didn’t get any such treatment. They laid there on the floor, their faces staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Christian steered me away. Shannon, Liv, Evan, and some others including Zeke were in the common room. Some of them were bloody. All of them looked like they’d been through a hell of a fight, but they were okay. Christian forced my feet toward my hallway. When we got to my door, he bent down to retrieve my key tied in my shoelace before opening the door for me. He closed the door behind us and then helped me to the bed. I laid down, snuggling into the sheets as Christian sat next to me. He pulled the jar of Stephan’s awesome curing cream from his pocket and put it on the dresser on the other side of the room. “When you wake up, I want you to put some more of that on you.”
Panic seized me. “You’re not staying?”
His hands flittered across my forehead. “I will until you fall asleep.”
I nodded, my eyelids already drooping closed. Christian’s soft lips touched my cheek. “Good night, my love.”
* * *
Sometime later, my eyes started to open. Voices spoke quietly all around me, and I decided to keep my eyes shut while I listened, all the while my heart pounding in my chest, happy to have them all around me once more. “I think it’s my turn,” came a voice. Connor. I stopped a smile from slipping onto my face.
“You just had your turn,” Stephan said. “If anything, it’s mine.”
“Too bad I’m not done,” the gruff voice said. His arms tightened around me and this time, I couldn’t help the smile from overtaking my face.
“Looks like we’ll be able to ask her ourselves. She’s awake.”
I opened my eyes to Christian peering at me from the foot of the bed. Nicolai’s arms pulled away from me only to stroke my cheek. Somehow, he was behind me and my head was in his lap. I had no idea how they’d been able to accomplish that without waking me up.
Stephan rose from his chair and came toward the bed. “How are you feeling?” He had the salve in his hand, his green eyes sparking with relief.
“Okay,” I said, a little groggy. I took stock of my body and besides the dull ache in my shoulder, the pain I’d felt in my cheek and the claw marks I’d received on my neck were all gone, or at least, didn’t hurt at the moment.
“For the record, she said that after she was kidnapped too.” Nic’s snarky comment had me reaching up, tickling his thighs. He squirmed on the bed. “Hey! Cut that out.”
“Don’t be mean to me, I just woke up.”
“I wasn’t being mean,” he said, “I was merely only pointing out the flaws in asking you if you were okay.”
“I am,” I said, sitting up, and finally looking at all of them in the eye. “I would’ve been really alright if that last vampire hadn’t faked dead.”
“Yeah, T.J. told us,” Nic said. He looked at the rest of his brothers, and they all looked uncomfortable for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, noting the color rising in each of their cheeks and the way they avoided eye contact with me.
They all looked at Nic to answer so I looked over my shoulder at him.
“Well?”
“I punched him,” he grumbled.
My jaw dropped. “You did what?”
“To be fair, it was T.J.’s fault,” Christian said.
Connor snickered. I looked at him straight in the eye, knowing if I was going to get anyone to talk, it would be him. “What did he do?”
Connor gave in immediately. “We were at a debriefing meeting and T.J. kept talking about how awesome you were. I mean, he was really laying it on thick. It didn’t take anyone with half a brain to realize he likes you.” I scoffed at that, but Connor shot me a look. “It’s true. Anyway,” he said, drawing the word out. “He kept going and going and then when it was just us there with him, he started making other comments. Things guys might say to each other.”
“And?” I said.
“Well,” Connor laughed. “Nicolai told him we didn’t want our future guard dating anyone. He told him we’d prefer it if you concentrated on the task ahead of you.”
Nicolai’s arms tightened around me. I knew why he said it. To throw T.J. off the scent without throwing us all under the bus.
“Then, T.J. told Nic to go to hell.”
No. I gasped, knowing this wouldn’t end well.
“Yeah, so my fist told him to go to hell.”
I shook my head and clamped my lips together. It was of no use though. It was kind of funny. Poor T.J. Even Stephan had mirth in his eyes as Connor recounted the story.
“Only thing is, I think I made it worse,” Nicolai said, his face hardening.
I patted his hand that was wrapped around my stomach. “I can handle T.J. You didn’t have to punch him.”
Nic shrugged and the rest of them started talking easily about what had happened while I was out. They’d attended the meetings they were required to, but they returned to me afterward. No one said anything to them, and in fact, Gregor had already made a motion to reinstate the old guard-vampire ruling due to the actions of the guards who had saved the lives of vampires. Nothing had come from it yet, and who knew if anything would, but at least that was a step in the right direction.
“Any word from Dumont or any of the other rogues?”
“In hiding,” Christian said. “They probably won’t show themselves for a while. T.J., Lex, and a few others raided their home base from the information Soren gave us.”
“Soren?”
Nic’s fingers traced the wound on my shoulder. “That vampire.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Dumont wasn’t there. Unsurprisingly. They were able to take the others hostage that were left there though.”
I settled back into Nicolai’s arms. At the moment, everything was okay. We didn’t have Dumont, but we had some hostages to give us leads. They would be weak now so the rogue clan would have to fall back and start planning again. If they really were trying to overthrow the Ravanas, they’d need numbers, and time.
“By the way,” Nic said. “Lex says thank you.”
My brow furrowed. “Why?”
“Dad made her head of this mission. She’s calling the shots on what to do with Dumont and the rest of the rogues.”
I looked up into Christian’s eyes. A knowing glint smiled back at me. He must’ve told his father my idea, and Gregor had actually listened. That was something. That was for sure a start in the best direction. “Wow.”
“We know. Dad used his executive order to do it too. The Council might not like it, but they have to agree to it. At least until the next Council meeting.”
And if they were smart, they would let someone more than capable call the shots.
A surge of hope spurred inside me. I reached out my hand to Christian who entwined his fingers with mine. Nicolai’s chin rested on my shoulder while Stephan reached out to touch my cheek. Behind him, Connor made his way over to me, knelt on the floor, and then laid his head down on my legs. I sighed, relief stretching its way over me to have us all in the same room together again. Though there were other problems out there, they seemed so far away at the moment. I’d helped save lives. The guards were being trusted more. Though we were targeted, we also persevered.
And my princes? Well, my princes were with me. Forever and always.
The End
1
I wiped my brow with the sleeve of my shirt. It wasn’t that it was particularly hot down in the basement of the main building, it was jus
t that the air was stagnant. Musty almost, and it hung like a thick fog over my shoulders. Once training started up again, I’d have to ask for a fan in this room. What would it be like with all my fellow trainees squished in here, as well as me? Unpleasant.
As it was though, it was just me for the time being. Samuel and his family decided to shut The Fort down for a couple weeks, prolonging graduation, my life with the Ravanas, and pretty much everything I was looking forward to. Not that he didn’t have good reason because he certainly did. Our lives had been scattered into disarray from the attack on The Fort. Some of us dealt with it better than others.
Turned out Samuel was right. A lot of the guards didn’t take being thrown into combat without warning, without proper instruction, and with a deep-seated fear very well. In fact, we’d lost a few because of it. They decided to leave The Fort, the training, everything, and due to it being such an extreme time, Gregor Ravana gave them options. Two, in fact. They could work for vampire families, or they could have their memories wiped and be turned out into the human world.
We were in an era of change. Before the attack on The Fort, if any trainee had chosen to cease his instruction there, they would’ve been ushered into helping the vampires in other ways, some of them far less glamorous than guardianship. The fact that they were even given a choice was unheard of.
And we could all thank Gregor Ravana for that.
I twirled the familiar feeling wooden stake in my hand before sizing up the target on the opposite side of the room. My shoulder injury was healing, but not fast enough for my liking. Soren, our rogue vamp prisoner, had really thrown one hell of a stake that night. I chalked it up to his superior strength, but regardless of how he’d done it, the impact was still there. I had another puckered scar, and there seemed to always be a dull pain at the exact point where the stake entered me. With the threat of the Dumont clan still very much lingering in the air, I needed this shoulder healed, and I needed to up my training game to keep those I loved safe.
The attack on The Fort was an invasion, an intrusion into our very way of life that no one could’ve foreseen. I read the shock in the eyes of the other trainees, too. They walked around campus like star-struck homeless, looking around corners and hesitating before they walked into rooms. I understood the choice some made to leave, but it just wasn’t my choice. Never would be.
Though everything had been done to erase what happened in the guardian building, it still hovered like a thick cloak, heavy on the shoulders and draping like a black cloud. New cafeteria furniture had been ordered, and a swarm of janitors were brought in to completely clean and sanitize the room from top to bottom until it shined; but memories couldn’t be replaced as easy as that. Not a day went by that I didn’t look into the cafeteria with a shudder. What those trainees must’ve gone through. Sickening.
I threw the stake at the bullseye, and it sunk with an echoed thunk. The target I aimed for was shaped like a silhouette of a man, and my weapon landed exactly where I’d wanted it to—just right of center. Massaging my shoulder, I circled my arm up and around to stretch and flex the muscles. The door creaked open behind me, and I turned to find Stephan watching. His emerald eyes scrutinized my every move, taking pains, in particular, to watch my shoulder and my face for any reactions at my movements. After a lengthy once-over, he turned, locked the door, and moved toward me. A lock of his dark brown hair fell just shy of his eyes, and my heart thumped in my chest.
Stephan Ravana took his job very seriously.
The way he studied me threw me like nothing else. He and I were so different in many ways, yet so alike in others. Lately, I’d wondered what it was about me that drew him. He didn’t like violence, yet, here I was. Training, fighting, busting my ass to keep them safe in any way I could, even if it did come down to the very violence he hated. Hell, he’d even administered the type of fighting I prepared for to protect us all. Though he saved us, it damn near broke him. He worried me more than the others when I thought about our most recent future. Coming up on what was bound to be a fight for our lives, for our very livelihood, the thought of Stephan having to go through any of that tortured pain again twisted my gut. Poor, sweet Stephan. He was too good.
He frowned. “Don’t look at me like that.”
I twisted the corner of my lip up to try and keep it light. The last thing any of us needed was more negativity. It was like feeding a machine that would quadruple it and drop a shitstorm in your lap. “Look at you like what?” I teased.
He shook his head, his whole body sighing. We’d been playing this game a lot lately where he knew what I was thinking, but wasn’t willing to call me out on it. As for me, I didn’t want to give voice to what I thought. He was strong enough to withstand this all, that I was sure of, I just wish he didn’t have to. Of course, I also worried over the overall lasting impact. Events like the one that had just happened, and the others that were sure to come, changed some people. Take for instance the trainees who’d just given up their whole lives so they wouldn’t have to deal with the next problem and the next fight. For the innocent ones like Stephan, the threat of upheaval was greater.
When he got to me, he moved aside the strap of my tanktop and peered down at my puckered skin. His gaze turned calculating, intense, as if he could see right through my skin to the muscle, tendon, and bones underneath. “You didn’t show up for our appointment. I need to keep tabs on your shoulder to make sure it heals properly, or you won’t be able to do things like throw stakes and take down opponents.”
I bit my lip. I’d purposefully avoided our appointment. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Stephan; I always did. It was just that he insisted we meet in the infirmary now since the nurse there had asked for his help taking care of the patients who needed it after the attack. He’d never really left the place after that; taking up his own hours, his own revolving door of patients like a regular doctor. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled for him, but I didn’t want to be seen like another one of his patients. “You know I don’t like to meet you there.”
His finger trailed down the scar, then further south along my side and rested on my hip. “Where would you like to meet me then? Here?” he asked, motioning around the dank room, his face betraying every emotion he felt about this place. “Your room, maybe?”
I stepped forward, taking in the way his eyes devoured mine. “Just anywhere but there.”
“But all my supplies are there,” he offered rationally.
I pulled my hand up and placed it on his cheek. “Not your special salve, and that’s all I need.”
“So you’re a medical professional now?” He raised his eyebrows, but the slight upturn of his lips told me he wasn’t mad. “Did you suddenly take up an interest I don’t know about?”
“No, but I’m with one very smart medical professional,” I told him, giving him a wink. “And I know he won’t let anything bad happen to me.”
He smiled then, his lips stretching into a wide grin. The stranglehold on my heart released. I hadn’t even realized it was there until his whole demeanor changed. “I know you don’t want me to treat you like a—”
“Patient,” I said, ending his sentence with finality “Yes, you’re right, Stephan.” My thumb traced his angular cheekbone. “I’m not your patient. I’m a lot of things to you, I hope. Just not that. Going there makes it feel so impersonal, like I’m just another guard you see throughout the day. You look me over, speak medical terms to me, and then usher me out.”
His eyes clouded over as he regarded me. “You know you’re not just another person to me, Ariana.”
“I know. Internally, I get it, but I also can’t shake the feeling when it’s happening. I like it when you see me in my room or…” I swallowed, understanding now what the problem was. I only got to see Stephan now when he checked me over. He was so busy at the infirmary that he either saw me there, or when we were in a group with the others, which wasn’t very often. The other guys weren’t working like he was. Sure, they
did things for their parents and the Council, but they didn’t have set work hours. The four of us had ample time to hang out with one another since training was postponed again, but with Stephan, we didn’t. I wanted more. I wanted more of this time, and more of him being present around all of us.
He understood now too. His other hand came up to rest on my opposite hip. “You miss me,” he said, more like a statement rather than a question.
I nodded, feeling like a complete girl when I did. He was doing important things, yet I was over here like, ‘Hey, what about me?’ That wasn’t fair. But I still couldn’t shake the truth to what he said. I missed him. God, I missed him.
“I know I’ve taken a lot on.”
“And I’m happy that you did. I couldn’t be more proud of you, Stephan. You’re doing what you want to do. It’s…great. I’m just being stupid. I—”
“I understand. Completely.” He let out a breath, his chest deflating. “You know, I think about the time we shared in your room a lot.” Stephan blushed, the color bringing life to his features as his brows pulled in to look me in the eye. “In fact, I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe that’s my response to missing you. I can’t shake you from my mind.” He paused and ran a hand down his cheek. “I can take some time off. They don’t really need me. Sonja is perfectly capable of running the infirmary on her own it’s just that…”
“You like doing it. I know. I would never stop you.” All of us were trying to find a way to deal with this time of in-between. This nothingness that felt like we were one step away from a trap being sprung. I trained. Lex gathered info. Stephan helped. That was just what he did. “You’re perfect the way you are,” I told him.
Stephan darted forward, his lips seizing mine. I grabbed both sides of his face and urged him on. A desperation I hadn’t expected took hold, and I clung to him for dear life, sliding my hands up his back. His muscles tensed under my scrutiny before he slowed the kiss, kissing me softly and then pulling his mouth away to tug me toward him. He wrapped his arms around me in a solid embrace that eased my nerves and calmed my soul. “Don’t ever think you’re not important to me,” Stephan said, his arms tightening. He made one last fierce embrace and then stepped back. “Now. It’s a good thing I brought my cure-all with me.” He pulled out a small tub from his pocket and smiled.
