Vampire's Crucible

by Yvette Bostic

  “The human spirit is complicated,” the stranger replied. “You and the princess have managed to mingle yours, tying them together in a way that shouldn’t be possible.” His magical gaze drifted to me, and I almost felt guilty. “Today was the perfect example of the dangers that come with it. You cannot be allowed to crave her blood, especially when you are wounded.” He closed the small distance between himself and Logan, then pointed at the vampires on the floor.

  Both men stared up at the strange being with fear in their widening eyes. Niyol’s spear still impaled one of them, but neither even flinched. I was pretty sure the untethered one could move fast enough to escape, so why didn’t he?

  “Take your fill, Logan,” the stranger said. “It is my gift to you and Alisandra.”

  Logan’s red eyes glanced at me for a second, then went back to our guest. “She cannot see this.”

  “It is what you are. She cannot hide from it and she doesn’t fear it, not from you.”

  Logan looked at me again, silhouettes of white peeking out around the edges of red in his eyes. “Please, AJ. Not yet.”

  I nodded and completely agreed with my vampire. I didn’t want to see it, regardless of what this strange being thought. “I’ll be in the bathroom.” I rushed down the hall and slammed the door. I knew what he was, but that part of him did scare me. How could that stranger say it didn’t?

  “Princess, how do you doubt yourself?” Niyol asked, appearing next to me in the small space.

  “There’s no doubt, Niyol. His vampire scares the shit outta me.”

  “No, he doesn’t. You would have gladly let him sink those teeth into you, without fear.” He leaned against the sink and I plopped down on the edge of the tub. Was he right?

  “Who’s the glowing guy with wings?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “I cannot reveal his name, but he is the spirit linking you and your vampire.”

  I dropped my head into my hands. The image of the Magister’s door solidified in my mind. Logan suspected there was another element. Was this it? Was the thing in the other room keeping Logan’s soul intact?

  “Will he answer my questions?” I asked, not raising my head.

  “The bathroom is not the best place for a conversation,” Logan replied.

  I hadn’t even heard the bathroom door open, but there he was, still in his boxer shorts, covered in blood, but without the red eyes. His brown orbs with flecks of green looked down on me along with his silly smirk. I jumped up wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Just as I knew he would, he caught me and held on.

  “Never do that to me again,” I demanded, my face buried in his neck.

  “Which part?” he asked, sitting me down on the bathroom counter.

  “The almost dying part,” I replied, lifting my head and drinking in his face. “Everything else I can deal with.”

  “I truly don’t deserve you,” he whispered, his lips hovering over mine. “Your elemental is waiting for us, otherwise I’d keep you here until all your desires were met.”

  I glanced around the room. Apparently, Niyol left me when Logan arrived. “I’ll hold you to it, later.” I pressed my lips against his, but only for a moment. “Let’s not keep our guest waiting.”

  He lifted me off the counter, but I didn’t let go. Maybe I couldn’t, or maybe I didn’t want to. Either way, it didn’t matter. His chuckle ruffled the curls on my head and made me smile.

  “We’re not walking out there with you hanging from my waist, princess.”

  I huffed, but my grin remained. “Fine.” My legs released him, and he lowered me to my feet.

  We walked back into the living room, but I stopped short of going in. It was a mess. Mud and bodily fluids covered the hardwood floors. The only furniture still standing was a recliner in the corner with a tall floor lamp behind it. The two vampires were gone. I didn’t want to think about what happened to them, but I needed to get over that. This was my new reality, like it or not, and at the end of the day, Logan would never hurt me.

  The broken sofa still teetered over the crumbling island counter. Niyol and the other elemental sat at the dining room table like normal people, in a normal situation, not the glowing beings they were. I shook my head and joined them with Logan by my side.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  His wings flexed from his massive shoulders, flaring out to the sides, showing off their swirling magic. Go figure.

  “I am Spirit,” he replied, placing his elbows on the table and folding his hands together.

  “Why does no one else know of you?” I asked, hoping he would just start explaining and not require a hundred questions. My brain wasn’t really up to it.

  “I’m not like my brothers,” he replied. “I serve no one and will not be controlled. I’m the essence of life and death.” His swirling eyes danced between me and Logan. “You two surprise me. Logan’s spirit has always been strong. He had to be to calm your mother.” He unfolded his hands and rested them on the table. It was such a human motion for a being made of light and shadow. “As a gift for his sacrifice to her, I allowed his soul to remain with him. She didn’t deserve his loyalty or his efforts to keep her from her path of destruction, just like he didn’t deserve the vampire’s death she gave him.”

  “You’re the reason I have compassion,” Logan stated.

  “Yes. At the time, I didn’t realize the impact it would have on your future,” he replied. “But in the end, destiny controls us all.” He turned to me and smiled. “Your spirit amazes even me, Alisandra. Your strength is what tied you to him even before you exchanged blood. Your spirits called to each other the moment they met.”

  “So the vampire bond thing is fake?” I asked, not hiding my surprise.

  “No, it’s very real,” Spirit replied. “But it’s not what you share. The vampire bond is merely an undead forcing the human to yield and become the vampire’s slave. It has nothing to do with love or compassion.” He flipped his hands over, showing his glowing palms. “Take my hands, both of you. Logan has my gift, but he is not the only one deserving of one.”

  I glanced at my vampire who shrugged and reached for Spirit’s hand. I followed his lead, tentatively resting my hand in the large palm reaching across the table. An intoxicating power rushed through my veins and swelled in my chest. My heart thrummed against my ribs and I struggled to breathe. Within seconds, it stopped, and air rushed back into my lungs.

  “Holy shit,” I mumbled, still trying to catch my breath. “What was that?”

  “My gift to you,” Spirit replied, releasing our hands and standing. His wings flexed again, and I marveled at the magic swirling in them. “Your shifter is here. Good luck with your hunt.”

  Spirit disappeared. Just vanished as if he’d never been there. Did he really just do all that and leave? He didn’t even explain his gift to me. Niyol’s body shifted as he rose from his chair.

  “He hasn’t shown himself to anyone in ages,” my air elemental said. “The secret of his existence is his only protection, despite his bravado. I trust you to keep it.” With a gust of wind, he was gone as well, leaving Logan and I half dressed in a destroyed house.

  The front door opened and Yun stepped inside with her mouth hanging open. “I thought the outside was bad,” she mumbled. “What happened?”

  Logan and I looked at one another. Where should we start and how much could we reveal? Evidence of Braden’s visit was splattered all over the living room. My elements would remain a secret, though. Someone told Braden where we were and Yun was one of the few people who knew.

  “We had a visit from Braden,” Logan said, waving an arm at the mess.

  Yun’s face registered genuine surprise, and I wanted to believe she hadn’t betrayed us. Her gaze shifted from Logan to me, then back again.

  “You guys are okay?” she asked.

  “Yep, just barely,” Logan replied. “He brought an ogre with him.”

  Yun stepped lightly across the r
oom trying to avoid the splatters of blood and gore on the floor. “I assume you killed it?”

  “No, but not for lack of trying,” he replied.

  Yun made it to the table and sat down across from us, in the chair recently taken by Spirit and previously occupied by the asshole vampire. My morning sucked.

  The smell of roasted almonds drifted towards me. Was that Yun? I hadn’t noticed it before and we’d spent five hours in the car together.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened or make me pull it from you one question at a time?” she asked.

  I giggled, then slapped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I think it’s a guy thing. He and Kellen both do it.”

  Yun raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Logan, go get dressed and I’ll fill her in,” I suggested. “Unless you want to tell the story and I’ll find some clothes.”

  He looked down at his bare chest and chuckled. “Yeah, good idea.” He rose and was gone before I blinked.

  “I wish I could move that quick,” Yun whispered. “It wouldn’t have taken me all night to get my message to Kellen.”

  “You and me both,” I agreed. “Is he willing to meet with us?”

  “Yes. Six o’clock tonight at some fancy restaurant.” Her tiny nose wrinkled. “I brought t-shirts and yoga pants, so of course he picks something pricey.”

  “I bet I have something you can borrow,” I offered. “I’m only a little taller than you. We’ll make it work.” I looked around the room and frowned. “We need to clean up, if that’s even possible.”

  “I’ll call Elaine and tell her to send a cleaning crew,” Yun said. “We’ll get a couple hotel rooms if we need to stay tonight.”

  I hadn’t considered that. We probably wouldn’t stay after Kellen’s visit.

  “What happened here, AJ?” Yun asked.

  I sighed. I needed to know who betrayed us before this conversation went any farther. “Someone told Braden we were here,” I replied. “I couldn’t get him to reveal who, but they’re part of your team. Who else knew?”

  “I swear it wasn’t me,” she said, raising her hands in front of her. “Elaine knew, but she’d never tell. We waited for Otto and Fiona to leave, but they could’ve been lurking and we didn’t realize it.” She dropped her hands to the table and laced her fingers together. “What did Braden tell you?”

  I repeated his offer and our counter offer, leaving out Logan’s near death. I still didn’t know what to think of that. I needed to pick Logan’s brain.

  “Wow,” Yun whispered. “Would he really go against Jack?”

  “That’s the question of day,” I replied. “I guess we’ll find out during our first encounter with his people. If they attack us, we’ll know it’s all a pack of lies.”

  “I guess. And the ogre did all of this?”

  “Yep. Nasty creature, but I felt sorry for it.” I rubbed my temple and grimaced, my fingers coming away with a sticky mess. I needed a shower. “Braden had complete control over its mind. Despite its injuries and my threat to kill it, it wouldn’t disobey the vampire’s orders.”

  “I wonder if they’re controlling all the ogres.” She tapped her fingers on the table several times. “They’re really hard to kill. Going up against them in a battle would suck.”

  “Then let’s hope not.”

  “Your turn, princess,” Logan said, suddenly at my side and fully dressed. Today’s fashion included a gray t-shirt tucked into dark gray slacks. A black and gray striped dress shirt hung open and untucked, with the sleeves rolled up. He looked amazing. “I might have left some hot water for you.” The smirk I loved graced his lips, making me smile.

  “You’re so thoughtful,” I said. “How about grabbing the clothes rack from the car? Yun needs something as well.” I turned to the young shifter and smiled. “Pick something you think will work for both of us for tonight. I’m not picky. I actually prefer blue jeans and t-shirts.”

  Once they left, I stood and stretched, my muscles screaming. I hadn’t done that much fighting. Or was it from the ogre’s crushing grip? I shrugged. It didn’t really matter now.

  My first step away from table scared me, but not as much as the second. My head swam, and my stomach threatened to empty itself. What the hell? I stumbled to the broken sofa hanging over the counter and leaned against it. What was wrong with me? Spirit’s gift came to mind, but this didn’t feel like a gift.

  I waited for my world to stop spinning and took another step. The room whizzed by. Seriously! I caught the wall and held on; this time not able to keep my stomach calm. I heaved several times, leaving more nasty things on the floor.

  “Are you okay?” Logan asked from the front door, a pile of clothes in his arms.

  “Nope,” I replied, still leaning against the wall straddling my puke on the floor.

  “I’ll take these upstairs. Don’t move.”

  “Not a problem,” I mumbled.

  “I’m getting a cleaning crew,” Yun said from the doorway. Several hangers hung from her fingers and she struggled to lift them high enough off the ground. “We should just go to a hotel now.”

  “I agree. Logan, did you hear that?” I yelled.

  “Yes!” he yelled back. “I’m packing up our stuff now.”

  I took another step and fell to my knees at the stairs, once again throwing up the contents of my stomach.

  “Oh my God! Logan get down here!” Yun’s high-pitched yell threatened to split my skull. “She just… I don’t know, did something!”

  Logan appeared at my side and I looked up at him. “What did she do, Yun?” he asked, wrapping his fingers around my arm and gently pulling me to my feet.

  “She was against the wall, you know hovering over her puke,” she said. “Then a second later, she was there.”

  I had to assume she was pointing at the various puddles on the floor, but my eyes didn’t leave Logan’s. He scooped me up and within seconds I was on the bed upstairs.

  “Don’t move,” he whispered. “I mean it. This is the only clean room and I’d like to keep it that way.”

  I scowled at him but remained seated as he ran back and forth with our bags of clothes. With nothing left in the room but me, he knelt at the edge of the bed.

  “Yun’s calling Elaine for a cleaning crew, so we have a few minutes to talk,” he whispered. “I think the Spirit guy gave you my speed.” He grinned. “Which would be perfect!”

  “Why is it making me sick?” I grumbled. “I run around with you all the time.”

  “Because it’s your body initiating the movement, not mine,” Logan replied. “But it should help you adjust faster.” He stood and held out his hand. “We’re going to practice walking slow, like human speed.”

  I took his hand and rose to my feet. He moved to my side and his arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tight. “From here to the railing, one step at a time. I’m going to hold you back so you feel the difference.” He lifted his left foot and looked down at me. I hadn’t moved. “Really, AJ? It’s not like you’ve never walked.”

  “Yes, but walking never made me puke before either,” I snapped.

  I lifted my left foot and followed his lead. It felt like trying to run underwater, but we made it to the railing in one piece. He turned me around and led me back to the bed.

  “Okay, now do it by yourself.”

  He let me go and took a step back. I focused on one slow step at a time, with Logan following right beside me. It still felt like walking underwater.

  “Not bad, but you need practice,” he said as we circled back to the bed.

  “You should just hang on to me for a couple days,” I suggested, “so I don’t make a fool of myself.” I thought of our dinner with Kellen tonight. “Especially tonight when we meet with Kellen.”

  “I planned to do that anyway.” He smiled, but it wasn’t nice. I suspected he planned to make Kellen very uncomfortable.

  “Let’s get out of here so I can shower and change.”

  Chapter 9r />
  At five forty-five, we pulled into the parking lot of a large, two-story Victorian style home that was now a restaurant. I gawked at the intricate woodwork scrolling along the wrap-around porch. Small seating arrangements were strategically placed along the porch for semi-private dinners-for-two. Old style lanterns lit each table, their flames barely moving in the gentle breeze.

  It was nothing like I expected. But I grew up in Vegas where everything was over-the-top and glamorous. I fell in love with the place and I hadn’t even been inside yet.

  “Close your mouth, princess,” Logan whispered, patting my leg. “Time to go. I’m betting Kellen will be early.”

  Yun got out of the back seat, tugging on the clingy fabric of her strappy dress. She looked good in a ‘little black dress’ and black heels. It showed off her slight, muscular body perfectly, making her look like a woman and not a child.

  I chose a gray pant suit, leaving the jacket open to reveal the nearly sheer white shirt beneath. I stuck with minimal makeup, knowing I’d screw it up if I did more than lipstick and eyeliner. Of course, I had to wear the amber contacts to cover my icy blue eyes.

  Logan opened my door and offered his hand. I gladly took it, depending on him to keep me walking straight. I threaded my arm around his elbow and smiled up at him. He winked at me and gave me my favorite smirk.

  “I told Kellen you’d changed your appearance,” Yun said, walking up beside us. “But I didn’t tell him how. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees Logan.” She snickered, and I glanced over at her. “What? My expression was priceless when I first saw him, wasn’t it?”

  “Whatever,” Logan said, surprising me with the statement. I said it frequently, but I’d never heard him utter it. He started towards the house-turned-restaurant, pulling me back from running.

  “Oh, come on, Logan. You made goth look good, but this.” She waved her hand at him. “This is you. I never would’ve guessed it, but it is.”

  He seemed to ignore her, but I didn’t miss the flexing of his arm beneath my fingers as we reached the steps. Everyone liked compliments.