Blood Debt

by Heather MacKinnon

  Chapter 12

  Riding on the high of my dramatic exit, I marched through the house and to the front door before realizing I had no idea where I was going. A second later, Nicholas breezed past me with a smug look on his face.

  Damn him.

  “This way,” he said before walking through the door and down the front steps. I followed him around one side of the large house and through a thicket of trees. We came upon the lake only about fifty yards away from the back of the house. I’m sure I could have found it on my own, given the chance.

  With those pouty thoughts in mind, I surveyed the area. The lake was no bigger than a large pond, with a sandy beach before us and thick trees surrounding it. There was a short dock that led to about a third of the way into the lake, and I walked to the end of it. I felt Nicholas behind me before I heard him speak.

  “Are you planning on going in?” he asked, a hint of a smile in his voice. Truth was, now I was out there and saw how dark the water was, I didn’t know if I really wanted to go in. Who knew what was lurking underneath?

  Without turning to him, I answered, “Not sure yet.” I felt awkward and unsure of myself. The confidence I’d felt in my bedroom had waned during our short walk to the lake.

  “The water might be cold, but as a vampire, you shouldn’t feel it so intensely,” Nicholas said.

  I sighed and turned to face him, determined to get him to stop asking me about going in the water. With movements faster than my brain could comprehend, Nicholas wrapped an arm around my bare waist and leaped off the dock, soaring dozens of feet into the air before dragging me into the lake.

  We plummeted into the murky water, Nicholas’ arm still firmly wrapped around my middle. With a hard kick, he propelled us toward the surface and we broke through, me gasping for air and him laughing hysterically. While treading water, I turned and smacked his chest, unable to ignore the firm muscles beneath my hand.

  “Nicholas!” I admonished.

  He only grinned, his smile bathed in the pale moonlight. I lost a bit of my ire as I stared at his beautiful face. The harsh lines from earlier were erased in the moonbeams and his obvious delight over dragging me into the water. I couldn’t stay mad at him, so I just rolled my eyes and wiggled out of his grasp.

  “You never would have gone in if I hadn’t done what I did,” he said, the smile still evident in his voice, although I couldn’t see it anymore.

  I turned to face him once I was a safe distance away. “You don’t know that.”

  His face turned contemplative as he assessed me. “You’re right. In fact, I don’t know much about you at all.”

  “There’s not much to know.”

  He arched a brow. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

  I shook my head and swam away, uncomfortable with the topic. I didn’t let people know me because then I’d have to know them too. And if I knew them too well, I’d miss them when they left.

  It was a defense mechanism I’d had to enforce after losing my whole family in one terrible night. I hadn’t been willing to risk getting close to anyone since then, and I was afraid I was already too close to Nicholas as it was. For the second time that night, I thought about how much we had in common and lamented the fact that it was heartache we shared.

  “Would you like to fish?” His words broke me out of my dark thoughts.

  “Fish? Do you have gear with you?” I asked, confused.

  Nicholas smiled brightly at me. “When you’re a vampire, you don’t need gear.”

  I looked at him questioningly as he swam toward the shallow end of the lake and motioned for me to follow. I swam to him, taking my time and luxuriating in the feel of the cool water sliding over my body.

  When the sandy bottom rubbed against my knees, I stood and walked the rest of the way toward him. His eyes roved over my wet body and I felt my cheeks heat. In the house it had been fun to tease him, but out there, alone, it felt different somehow. Like I was poking a bear I wasn’t sure I wanted to wake.

  “I’m sure we disturbed the whole lake with our rude entrance,” he said.

  “Your rude entrance.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up, fighting a grin, but he pressed on. “With our superior sight and reflexes, fishing gear isn’t necessary,” he repeated. “First, we’re going under to see if we can spot any fish.”

  “Why are we fishing, again?”

  “This is part of your training,” he explained, before crouching low in the water. How fishing would help teach me to be a better vampire, I had no idea. I shrugged my shoulders and mimicked his position. “Dip your head beneath the surface and watch for movement.”

  I nodded and submerged my face along with him. I opened my eyes and was stunned by the details I could make out. Even in the dark, I could see to the bottom of the lake unhindered.

  The sand we’d kicked up with our presence slowly drifted to the floor where plants swayed with the gentle motion of the water. I scanned around me, purposely directing my gaze away from Nicholas. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something, but when I whipped around, it was gone.

  I pushed up to break through the surface of the lake with a huff. When Nicholas resurfaced, I gave him a piece of my mind. “This is pointless. There aren’t any fish here.”

  He shook his head and drifted closer. “You need to have patience, Adrienne. Every time you move, you scare away any fish in the area. Just sit still for a few minutes and let them come to you.”

  With a roll of my eyes, I once more sank beneath the dark waters of the lake. I stilled my body and let it softly sway with the water. My hair floated gently around my face in tandem with the plants beneath me. The only part of my body I moved voluntarily was my eyes.

  I didn’t have to wait much longer before a mud-colored fish slowly swam before me. My wide eyes met Nicholas’ in wonder. He grinned, and I watched as his hand struck faster than lightning to snatch the fish up. His sudden motion kicked up enough sand that I could no longer see him through the water.

  I kicked off the floor of the lake and broke through the surface again. Nicholas stood there, smiling from ear to ear, with a fish wiggling in his grasp.

  “See? Easy,” he declared, before releasing the fish back into the water. “Now it’s your turn.”

  I nodded before once more submerging my body. Holding still like I had last time, I only had to wait another minute or so before a similarly-colored fish swam close. Squinting my eyes and centering myself, I waited until the fish swam right by me before I shot my hand forward to grasp it.

  Once I felt the slimy flesh of the fish, I shot to the surface, beaming at Nicholas. I turned to get a look at the fish I’d caught only to find a mangled mess of scales, bones, and blood. It took a minute for my mind to make the connection between the fish I’d seen swimming below to the handful of fish guts I now held.

  My lip began to tremble before my body followed suit. I looked up at Nicholas pitifully as tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe I was crying over a fish, but I was. It felt like a week’s worth of emotions were finally bubbling over. A moment later, my nose was squished against a hard, wet chest and Nicholas’ hand was rubbing soothing circles across my back.

  “What happened?” I wailed.

  Without releasing me, Nicholas answered, “Your training here isn’t just to test and push your vampire abilities but also to teach you how to control yourself, so you don’t accidentally expose your strength to humans. I’m sorry this had to be a hard lesson for you, Adrienne.” His voice sounded sad and repentant while I tried to rein in my tears.

  “Poor fish.”

  We stood there for another couple of minutes while I got my emotions under control. At some indefinable point, my heart stopped breaking for the fish and started pounding due to my proximity to Nicholas. My breathing picked up and my chest heaved against his while I tried to control myself.

  “Adrienne.” His deep voice rumbled across the non-existent space between our bodies and I fo
ught off a shiver.

  When I realized I was still holding the mangled fish, I dipped my hand below the surface of the water to wash it away. My hands then found their way to Nicholas’ biceps, and I marveled at his sculpted arms. With a lightly trembling finger, I traced the dips and grooves of his muscles, watching in fascination as a line of goosebumps followed my finger. With a grin, I realized he was as affected by me as I was by him.

  One of Nicholas’ hands slid up my spine to weave into the hair at the back of my neck. He gave a gentle tug, and I pulled my face away from his chest but couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze. What would I see if I looked in his eyes? The heated gaze of a lover, or the sad eyes of a mentor? In that moment, I didn’t know which I’d rather see.

  His other hand left its place on my back to slide over my hip and trail up the side of my body. My breath stuttered as his hand made its way to my chin. With a light nudge, he tilted my face until was bared to him. What did he see when he looked at me? A scared little girl, or a woman with her insides twisted into an unrecognizable mess?

  I studied his face as surely as he was studying mine, but couldn’t yet meet his eyes. His thumb trailed across my cheek, wiping away the tears that hadn’t dried yet.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured, and my eyes finally flitted to his.

  I had a moment to bask in the heat of his deep, soulful stare before his lips descended on mine. The shock of his actions left me still for a moment until my brain caught up with my lips and I moaned against his mouth. My hands drifted from his arms to lock around the back of his neck and I stood on my tiptoes to reach him better.

  His hand in my hair kept me locked against him, but there was nothing that could have made me move from that spot. Sparks bloomed behind my closed eyelids as his other hand snaked down my body, over the swell of my bottom, down to the back of my thighs. With a grunt, he lifted me into his arms and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his hips.

  Nicholas left one of his hands near the hem of my bathing suit bottoms and silently requested I open my mouth to him. I tilted my head to the side and deepened our kiss, hearing him growl deep in the back of his throat. Our kiss went on and on, neither of us willing to end it.

  After several long minutes, Nicholas used the hand still tangled in my wet hair to pull my face away from his. He then peppered kisses along my jaw and cheeks. With my eyes still closed, I felt him kiss each one of my eyelids and the tip of my nose. I smiled, and he kissed the edge of my mouth.

  “So sweet,” he murmured against the skin of my throat.

  When my eyes finally opened, I kept them on his chest, not yet willing to look him in the eye. There was blood smeared across his pectoral and I gasped before jumping from his arms.

  “Nicholas! What happened? Why are you bleeding?” I roved my hands along his chest, searching for a wound. With a small groan, he grabbed my hands, halting my exploration.

  I looked up to see a smirk grace his handsome face. “There’s nothing wrong with me, Adrienne. The blood was from you.”

  I gasped again and ran my hands over my chest and stomach, searching for a wound of my own. How could I be bleeding and not know it? Nicholas grabbed my hands again to stop my frantic search.

  “Calm down. There’s nothing wrong with you. The blood is from your tears,” he explained gently, his eyes soft as they met mine.

  “My tears?”

  “We cry tears of blood,” he said with a shrug.

  Clearly this wasn’t something that worried him, and I felt foolish for making such a big deal about it. But, really. How the hell was I supposed to know I’d be crying blood now?

  “Well, that’s disgusting,” I concluded.

  Nicholas threw his head back a hearty laugh spilling from his lips, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet night. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him looking so carefree. These moments were few, and I treasured every one of them.

  It took another few minutes before Nicholas could control himself enough to stop laughing. Feigning hurt, I huffed, “If you’re finished, we should get back inside. You probably just scared away every fish in a five-mile radius.”

  I turned around and walked toward the sandy shore. I heard him release one last loud guffaw before he splashed his way to shore behind me. He caught up with me easily and slid one of his thick arms around my shoulders. When I looked up at him, there was a new light behind his eyes that hadn’t been there before. I smiled, thinking maybe I’d put it there.

  “I really am sorry about the fish, Adrienne. I hadn’t expected you to mangle it so entirely on your first try,” he said, barely containing his laughter.

  I snorted through my nose. “Yeah, yeah. I just feel bad for the fish. What if he left behind a fish wife and little fish kids?” I asked, only half joking.

  Nicholas barked out another laugh. “I wouldn’t worry about his fish family. And as for the fish, I’m sure being squeezed to death by a beautiful vampire was a better way to go than any other he could have expected. Certainly better than being eaten by a bear.”

  “Bear?” I squeaked, hearing and storing the “beautiful” comment to dissect at a later date.

  “Oh, Adrienne.” He shook his head. “You’re a powerful vampire now. A bear is no match for you.”

  I thought about that for a moment. Sometimes it was so easy to forget how much I’d changed. A bear was no match for me now. I couldn’t imagine my barely muscled frame taking on a bear, even on a good day. I believed Nicholas’ words, I just needed to see it for myself.

  Not that I needed to take on a bear or anything, I’d still avoid that confrontation. But I guess this week at the training facility would do me some good. Teach me the things I could and couldn’t do now. I clearly needed a proper vampire education if I was going to continue living in this world. After all, I didn’t really have much of a choice, did I?

  We walked back to the house in silence, my shoulders wrapped in Nicholas’ towel since I’d forgotten to bring myself one. I thought about the soul-searing kiss we’d just shared. What would change now? Was that a one and done kind of thing? Or could I expect more kisses in my future? Did I want more than just kisses? How would this affect our living situation? This surely had the ability to turn sour, and then what? Where would I live if Nicholas wanted me gone? How would this affect our maker-progeny relationship?

  When we reached the hallway between our doors, I asked him one of the million questions spinning through my head.

  “What kind of relationships do makers and their progenies usually have? Friends? Business associates? Lovers?” I asked that last question in a voice so soft I was surprised he heard.

  Nicholas waited until I met his gaze before answering. His beautiful hazel eyes seemed to see straight through me. “It depends. Usually a vampire will change a human because they already have some kind of relationship established. And yes, it’s often because they were lovers first.”

  My face heated at his words. “And in the case of fosters? What then?” I asked in a small voice.

  Nicholas took a step closer and used one of his large hands to grasp my chin and gently tip it up. My eyes found his, and I drowned in his heated gaze. “Fostering is relatively rare in our world and there isn’t really a precedence that has been set.”

  “What does that mean?” I whispered.

  “We get to make our own rules,” he explained before his soft lips met mine. Once, twice, three times he kissed me before he pulled away. My body swayed toward his retreating form before I caught myself.

  With a quiet chuckle, he said, “Goodnight, Adrienne. I’ll see you tomorrow night for training.” And I was left standing in the middle of the hallway with my head and heart racing.

  Chapter 13

  I opened my eyes the next night to find a small bouquet of yellow wildflowers and a note with my name on it on my nightstand. I sat up eagerly and first pulled the flowers closer to inspect them. The petals were soft, and the flowers smelled like sunshine and spring.r />
  I let loose a short squeal of excitement before picking up and unfolding the note.

  Adrienne,

  These flowers reminded me of you – bright and beautiful. The color matches the flecks in your eyes. Come find me in the living room when you’re ready.

  Yours,

  N

  I clutched the note to my chest and flopped back against the pillows. I’d never received flowers from anyone before, and the smile on my face would not budge. Lying there, I recounted the events from the previous night. My fingertips brushed my lips as I remembered our kiss. It had meant something to me, and I hoped Nicholas felt the same. The flowers and note made me think we were on the same page.

  Placing the note and the flowers back on my nightstand, I jumped out of bed to dress for the day. I took extra care in picking out a pair of tight skinny jeans and a tank top I thought flattered me without making it look like I was trying too hard. With a quick glance in the mirror at my flushed cheeks and bright eyes, I left the room to hunt down Nicholas.

  As he’d said in the note, I found him waiting for me in the spacious living room. His back was toward me, and as I approached, I suddenly felt overwhelming shyness. Before I reached the couch where he sat, Nicholas turned and spotted me, a huge grin spreading across his face.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi,” he responded.

  I was glad he stood then because I didn’t know what I was supposed to say after hi. Nicholas stopped when only a few inches separated us. I looked into his eyes and my smile grew to match his. He reached up to push aside a lock of hair before leaning down and pressing his warm lips against my forehead. I closed my eyes and reveled in the warmth I felt whenever he was around.

  “Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” I breathed.

  He pulled away with a smile but trailed his hand down to grasp mine.