“I’m not talking about when you were staring down Raven.” Cassandra seemed to read Elissa’s mind once again. “That was two strong wills battling over who protected me. Even if it was from the other. I’d like to think that if you gifted me with immortality, my current nature would hold true. And if not, I’d learn from the best teacher an immortal could ask for.”
Elissa wasn’t so certain. Not about herself nor what Cassandra would become if she ever cursed her with being immortal. It wasn’t something she wanted to take a chance upon.
“I’m not convinced.” Elissa could feel her skin tingling. It was the last sensation before she was fully healed. “I think it’s time you attempted to sleep and I place some distance between us and the dead men.”
Before Elissa could move, Cassandra had placed a hand on her hip. It’s all she could reach at the moment. The leather felt soft and supple beneath the child’s hand.
It invoked memories. But they weren’t of the present time but of many years in the past. “I am. And we have a few years for me to convince you. For now, teach me all you can. Then we’ll see.”
Without another word, Cassandra made her way back to her sleeping section. She snuggled next to Raven, grateful for the heat the pup provided.
Once again, Elissa found herself dumbfounded by a child. How could someone so young be so wise? How could anyone, mortal or immortal, speak to her without fear?
Elissa made her way to the opening in the front. She settled herself on the seat of the wagon. It took a few strikes of the whip to get the oxen moving and in the proper direction.
One thing was becoming crystal clear for Elissa. She didn’t know if she could deny Cassandra anything. After all, her existence was now dedicated to her charge.
Would Elissa be able to deny Cassandra when she finally came to her and asked her to become an immortal? There was an ache in the vampire’s soul as she already knew the answer to the painful question.
Chapter 11
Two and a half months. Elissa couldn’t believe it had been only two and a half months since she had chosen Cassandra over her clan. It had been an easy choice. There was no doubt of that.
What hadn’t been easy had been their travels. The oxen had proven unreliable and had to be traded for mules. Luckily Elissa could withstand any weather. Her young charge was susceptible to the cold. And as it turned out, to chills.
Instead of continuing traveling, Elissa had chosen a small village called Seneca, New York. There were very few white people in this village, but that actually was a plus as far as the vampire was concerned.
The small hut Elissa had managed to barter for was a single room. There was a woodstove, a bed, two chairs and a table. That was it. It was more than enough.
Elissa made her way to where her charge was coherent only half of the time. Raven hadn’t left Cassandra’s side. Someone was watching the child at all times.
The immortal had melted snow and had soaked a cloth in it. She wrung the frigid water from the cloth and gently placed it upon Cassandra’s forehead.
Cassandra jumped at the sensation of the coldness on her scorched forehead. The only thing the young girl knew was Elissa was near. She didn’t know where she was or how long they had been there.
The voice was barely audible in her ear. “Cassandra, we need to get some broth down you.” A barely audible groan escaped the frail child. “I know. You don’t feel like swallowing. But we have to keep your strength up.”
Emerald eyes opened momentarily. It wasn’t very bright. For that, she was grateful. The only reason she closed her eyes was the fact there were multiple images of her friend. “I’ll try.”
“That’s my girl.” Elissa didn’t even realize what she had said. Something had changed between them once again. Every time she felt their relationship had found solid footing, something transformed.
Usually it was because of Cassandra. At times, it seemed as if the young girl was the adult and Elissa was the adolescent. It was an odd relationship on so many levels.
Elissa continued to sponge her charge in hopes her fever would break. Five days was way too long to be fighting chills and fever.
Once Cassandra was settled again, Elissa made her way toward the woodstove. She checked on the broth. One of their neighbors had brought it by. She was grateful. She wanted her attention solely on her charge.
The moan caused Elissa’s attention to fully be on her charge, not just thinking about her. The vampire cautiously retrieved the heated broth and sat in the chair next to the bed.
“Cassandra.” There was no response. “Sweetheart.” One unfocused emerald eye appeared. It was as if Cassandra was attempting to decipher what Elissa was saying.
In actuality, Cassandra wanted to smile. Her friend had used the endearment of sweetheart. Elissa probably hadn’t even realized it, but it sent a warmth through her chilled mind.
“What?” The word was barely audible even to Elissa’s better than average hearing. Cassandra managed to open both her eyes. She was grateful the windows were covered. Though it was for Elissa’s advantage, it was helping Cassandra as well.
“Remember. You promised to attempt to try and keep some broth down.” Elissa cradled Cassandra to her side resting the blonde head against her shoulder. “Nice and slow. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.”
As emerald eyes locked onto azure, Cassandra felt there was more behind those words than merely holding her upright so that she could consume some broth. It was bland but it was probably for the best. Even simple water nearly caused her stomach to rebel.
“Thirsty.” Cassandra had managed to consume the entire mug of broth. Her aching stomach was no longer clenching. It was a beginning to overcoming whatever it was she was struggling with.
“That’s a good thing.” Elissa gently lowered Cassandra to the bed. She retrieved the waterskin. Raven raised her head from the bed. A low growl escaped the pup.
“That better not be for me.” Elissa placed the waterskin within Cassandra’s reach. She tilted her head, listening. She inwardly cursed when she heard the footfalls. She had been so focused on her charge she had forgotten to be aware of her surroundings.
“Stay still. I’ll be right back.” Elissa retrieved the sword she kept nearest the bed and placed it within reach as well. The other was beside the only door to the small hut.
The knock on the door surprised Elissa. She hadn’t expected whoever to announce their presence. Cautiously, she worked the leather latch.
A slender woman with the darkest skin Elissa had ever seen stood on the other side of the door. She glanced up at the vampire who easily towered over her. “My goodness but yous is tall.”
Elissa couldn’t help smirking. She was grateful the sun was at the back of the house at the moment. Still, her skin tingled from knowing it was near. “Yes, I am. Can I help you?”
“We’s heard yous had a child here.” The woman waited to see if she was invited in. After a moment of silence, she realized she would have to be the one to continue. “My name is Emillita. I’m the schoolmarm. I was wondering if yous like to enroll the child.”
“I appreciate the offer, but my charge is quite ill. I told our neighbor, Glory, this.” Elissa wanted to shut the door. The wind was picking up. Dark clouds were forming. They were in for a snowstorm if she wasn’t mistaken. And she rarely was.
“And after she is better?” Emillitia’s dark eyes attempted to penetrate the frostiness of the azure eyes. She could feel a chill run up and down her spine.
“After she is better, we might not remain. If we do, I definitely want her to receive a decent education.” Elissa waited. She wanted to see if this woman would challenge her once again.
Emillitia eyed the tall woman. There was something unnatural about her. She would speak with the others. She would make certain the young girl was safe. “That’s alls we can ask.”
Elissa watched the woman stride away. Her instincts were informing her this was far from over. She would need to make certain her instin
cts were on full alert.
Hastily, Elissa pulled the leather latch inside. She tacked cloth over the hole to limit the draft coming from the door. Though the cracks around the door and the windows could only be covered so much.
“Elissa?” The vampire was instantly by Cassandra’s side. Emerald eyes blinked several times. “My throat hurts. Can I have that drink now?”
“Of course.” Elissa once again eased her friend into a sitting position. “Slowly.” If she hadn’t reminded Cassandra, she might have inhaled the entire contents of the waterskin.
“Now that you’ve had something to eat, relatively that is, and something to drink, I think it’s time you tried to sleep.” Elissa felt the hand upon her forearm. It had reached her just as she was about to rise from the bed.
“Let me guess.” Elissa glanced briefly into emerald eyes. She slowly extricated herself from the weak grasp. A low whimper caught her attention. She ignored it filling the waterskin before placing it within reach of the bed. “Raven is not going to like to share.”
At the mention of her name, Raven’s head popped up. She yawned, stretched and settled her head upon Cassandra’s thigh. It was as if she had understood what Elissa had said.
“Please?” The weakness shattered whatever willpower Elissa had remaining. The war within continued, but she surrendered this battle.
“All right. But just for a little while.” The bed was small. In fact, it was barely large enough to hold Elissa. Cassandra wound up using the vampire as a body pillow with Raven snuggled up beside her.
“This is definitely not good for my reputation.” Elissa chuckled. There wasn’t anyone who needed to know about her reputation. Besides, she could always make a new reputation for herself.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Elissa awoke with a jerk. Awoke? Azure eyes blinked several times. She couldn’t remember the last time in the last thousand years when she had slept.
The bundle lying atop of her hadn’t moved since she had closed her eyes. Elissa searched her inner time. It was nearing midnight if she was correct. If that was so, it had been nearly eight hours since she had lost consciousness. That was the only explanation for her condition up to a few moments ago.
With her better than average hearing, Elissa could hear the wind howling. It wasn’t merely the wind coming through the cracks she had not been able to fully fill. It was the howling of a blizzard if she was correct.
Snow was beating against the windows. Elissa imagined the drifts. The last great blizzard had buried the Northeast in over two feet of snow. She hoped it wouldn’t be that severe this time.
For now, Elissa was torn. Cassandra was actually sleeping without shivering or moaning. In the time she had been sick, she hadn’t done that. Either her fever had finally broken or…
Or? Elissa didn’t want to think about how connected the two were becoming. She knew their lives were intertwined. But it was now as if they were two halves of a whole.
How could a thousand and twenty-four-year-old vampire and a ten-year-old girl be so connected? Elissa would continue to contemplate their relationship for the unseen future. But how long would that last?
The raspy breathing caught Elissa’s attention. She inwardly cursed as her inner musing had caused her to miss the change in Cassandra’s wellbeing.
The small body began wracking with coughs. Elissa hastily sat up bringing her bundle with her. She held Cassandra close to her rubbing her back in an attempt to help the girl breathe a little easier.
“C-can’t b-breathe.” Cassandra managed to utter between wracking coughs. Her voice would have been inaudible to a mortal.
Elissa swallowed hard. She was not very knowledgeable when it came to mortals and their well-being. What knowledge she did have was centuries out of date.
When Elissa finally glanced into emerald eyes, she found them glassy. Her eyes lowered to Cassandra’s lips. They were already tainted blue from lack of oxygen.
The immortal couldn’t afford to panic, yet there was a part of her that was definitely beginning to panic. Inhaling deeply, Elissa attempted to clear her mind and focus on Cassandra and how to help her get better.
Steam. It could help clear Cassandra’s lungs. Gently placing her charge on the bed, Elissa gathered a metal pan. Bypassing the door, she made her way to one of the windows.
Elissa’s suspicions were confirmed. The snow was now up to the window. She filled the metal pan with snow. The immortal cursed when she realized the fire had nearly gone out when she placed the pan upon it.
The vampire used her natural speed to rebuild the fire. It wasn’t long before it roared to life. Elissa made her way to her charge while the snow melted.
Wrapping the blankets tightly around Cassandra, she brought the child to the water. She hoped the water would be boiling so she could begin having her charge breathe in the steam.
Cassandra choked as she coughed. “C-c-can’t…” She trailed off as she lost her fight with remaining conscious once again.
The water was now boiling. The steam rising. Elissa cautiously held Cassandra above the steam. The body remained limp. The breathing was nearly nonexistent.
Thoughts began flooding Elissa. What if Cassandra died? Would the immortal be able to live without her young charge in her life?
Then the request Cassandra had made entered Elissa’s mind. The one where she be made like the vampire. It would enable Cassandra to exist.
But would Elissa be granting Cassandra her wish or would she be selfish? The strangled gasp caused the vampire to focus on the bundle in her hands.
The emerald eyes were open, but there was nothing in them. Elissa was now holding an empty vessel. She had failed Cassandra. There was one thing she could do. But was she willing to curse her charge to do it?
Chapter 12
The howl caused Raven to growl. The wolf’s yellow eyes glowed as if they were possessed. Perhaps they were possessed with the anguish of losing someone they loved.
Elissa’s own eyes were as dark as the blizzard raging outside the hut. She had lost the one good thing in her life since Andrea. Even Sarah had only been a poor substitute for the woman she had loved with her entire soul.
Suddenly, Elissa’s fangs were showing. She could feel them cutting into her lower lip as her jaw clenched. It wasn’t time to feed. There was no need for her fangs.
As Elissa stared at the limp body that hovered over the steaming pot of water, she knew there was a need for her fangs. All it would take would be to sink her teeth into an exposed neck. Then, she could feed Cassandra even just a drop of her blood to finish the process.
But then what? Cassandra would remain a child. Her mind and body would never develop beyond their current confines.
It was one thing to curse a soul with immortality. It was another to curse a child. As much as Elissa could not live without her charge, she had to let her go.
Elissa was uncertain how long she remained holding Cassandra before she was able to force her fangs to retract. Before she felt the rage in her body begin to subside.
It was with a trembling hand that Elissa finally attempted to close the vacant emerald eyes. Just as she was about to touch Cassandra’s right eyelid, the eyelid fluttered.
A ragged breath was taken before Cassandra began coughing. Elissa was stunned for the longest of moments. Finally, the immortal held her frail friend to her body.
Elissa carried Cassandra to the bed. As she held the youngster to her body, she listened. The breathing was raspy, but it was slowly improving.
“We need to get you water. And some more broth.” Elissa kissed Cassandra on the top of the head. “You scared me.” She made certain she was looking into emerald eyes. “Don’t do it again.”
Cassandra smiled weakly at her friend. She couldn’t manage any words but did manage to wink. “All right. You bundle up next to Raven and I’ll get you some water. After you keep that down for a bit, we’ll switch to the broth.”
If she could have, Cassandra
would have responded. At the moment, she could barely keep her eyes open. Her head ached worse than it ever had before. Her throat was on fire. Yet she felt like she was outside in the winter air.
Emerald eyes somehow managed to follow every movement Elissa made. It felt like something was missing. She couldn’t quite place it.
Raven was snuggled beside Cassandra with her head on her thigh. Elissa was fussing over her still. They were safe and snug in the hut. Yet, something wasn’t right.
Cassandra slowly sipped the water Elissa was offering her. It helped with the fire she felt in her throat. It seemed to rain down on an empty stomach.
It was odd. The last thing Cassandra remembered was being bundled in blankets by Elissa. The next she knew she was being held by her immortal over a steaming pot.
As ill as she was, Cassandra wondered if it was a matter of merely having passed out. It would be the most logical explanation for the gap in her memory.
Yet, the way Elissa was acting and the way she had said Cassandra had scared her informed her it was more than that. She made a mental note to ask Elissa about it.
But later. Much later as all Cassandra wanted to do, besides maybe get something to eat, was to sleep. She watched as Elissa soaked some toasted bread in milk wondering where the milk had come from.
“I thought maybe a little more solid food would be in order.” Elissa didn’t want to take a chance on Cassandra…Nope. She couldn’t even think about what had happened. “I figured this would be warm and soft.”
Another weak smile was Elissa’s answer. The vampire used herself to prop Cassandra into a sitting position. Slowly, Elissa fed her charge the bits of soaked toast.
Elissa was pleased when Cassandra managed to finish the entire plateful. “Now, take a sip of water. Then it’s time to rest some more. You can use me as a pillow once again.”
“Thank you.” Cassandra managed to rasp out. She patted the arm still wrapped around her waist. The thought of where she would be without Elissa was the last thought before sleep overtook her. There were also dreams to entertain her healing body.
Bonded Souls Page 7
