Hope bloomed in my chest, because life of any sort was better than death. Right? I prayed Landon saw my reasoning when he woke, because if he didn’t I wasn’t sure what would happen, or if my already fragile conscience could handle the outcome.
Chapter 13
“How long does it normally take for someone to complete a transition?” I asked.
Sage and I had made it to my apartment without any issues, but it hadn’t slipped my attention that Landon hadn’t made a noise in quite a while. This worried me. My eyes trailed over his motionless form. He was lying on my couch, looking as though he wasn’t breathing. “Do they wake up like they’ve been in a deep sleep, or what?”
“I don’t know.” Sage had been biting her nails while pacing back and forth in my living room since we laid Landon down. She appeared to have a lot on her mind, which was understandable given the situation. “I think I should call Randal. He needs to know what happened, what I did.”
The uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach expanded at the mention of his name. While I knew Randal would have answers, not only for us, but for Landon as well. I hated the thought of having to explain myself, or the situation, to him.
“I’ll call him,” I offered. After all, it was my fault we were in this situation to begin with.
I grabbed my clutch off the table beside the door and headed toward my bedroom. This seemed like a conversation I should have with Randal in private. Well, as much privacy as I could get, considering Sage had incredible hearing and would most likely listen to the entire thing.
Once I closed my door behind me, I scrolled through my cell until I found Randal’s name. He answered on the third ring. Strains of music were the first thing I heard. It wasn’t the same bluesy jazz as when I was there. It was something more upbeat, something less Randal. I guessed he had allowed someone else to switch the station. Arabella maybe?
“Hello, gorgeous.” His words surprised me. I hadn’t expected such a normal greeting from him, but then again, he didn’t know what I had done. “Why are you still awake at this hour?”
My eyes flickered to the alarm clock on my nightstand. It was already after three in the morning. How so much time had passed since I left the party, I wasn’t sure. It had only felt like minutes.
“Something happened.” My voice shook when I spoke. I cleared my throat before saying another word. “I need your help.”
“Are you all right?” The music in the background faded, making the concern in his words nearly palpable.
“I’m okay, but I asked Sage to do something I’m not proud of.” I swallowed hard. While my words up to this point had seemed to tumble out without much issue, I wasn’t so sure the rest would fall so freely.
“Ah, you were the one who called her. I should have known.” He wasn’t speaking to me, but more to himself. “I wondered where she dashed to in such a hurry. Poor Luke was dumbfounded by her hasty exit.”
“Yeah, that was me.” Prickles of anxiety slipped through me, because I wasn’t sure how he would react once I told him the reasoning behind her quick departure. “When I left tonight, I didn’t go home. I went to West Mill Park for a walk first.” I paused, to line up the rest of my confession in my mind.
“Okay.” There was amusement in his tone.
“I ran into my boss, Landon. He spotted me while he was there jogging and asked if I wanted to get a coffee with him. I agreed to a muffin…” My words trailed off. How could I finish?
“Are you calling to apologize for accepting a muffin from your employer?”
“No.” I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “There’s more. The wraith wanted him.” I hesitated, hoping Randal hadn’t been able to pick up on how much I had wanted Landon as well. “One thing led to another, and before I knew it, we were kissing.”
A loud, rich laugh bellowed through the phone. “Kenna, I am not your keeper. I do not wish to keep tabs on you. I know what you are, and what you have to do in order to remain alive. Why would you feel guilty about something so absurd?”
Irritation sparked through me. When had I ever given him the impression that he was my keeper? I was telling him this out of respect and a guilty conscience.
“No, just listen to me for a minute. That’s not why I’m calling.”
“Did you need Sage to help you move someone you fed from to a safer place?” Randal asked. The humor was still present in his voice, fueling my annoyance and turning into something entirely different. “I would have helped you haul your prey somewhere, should you have asked me.”
“Just listen to me!” I snapped. “I couldn’t stop, Randal. It was the janitor all over again… except worse.”
“Explain your definition of worse.” Any trace of humor disappeared from his voice.
“I drained him.” A sob rose in my throat, making my words sound suffocated. “I called Sage and had her save him.”
“Save him, how?” Randal was a smart man. He already knew the answer to his question.
“She tried to turn him.”
“Where are you?” he said the words slowly, emphasizing each one.
“My apartment.”
“I’ll be there shortly.” He hung up before I could say another word.
I moved to sit on the edge of my bed, trying to analyze his tone to determine how he felt. Was he pissed or shocked? Maybe a little of both?
“How did he handle it?” Sage peeked her head around my bedroom door.
“He didn’t seem too happy.” I tossed my cell on the bed beside me. “He’s on his way here.”
Sage chewed along her bottom lip. “Great.”
“Did you break some kind of vampire law by turning Landon?” I only asked because I had never seen Sage so nervous before.
On TV and in books, there was always some sort of law prohibiting such things from happening. When I first became part of the supernatural world, I assumed there would be a set of similar rules for me to follow when it came to telling my non-supernatural friends like Bree what I was, but so far, I hadn’t come across anything. All that kept me from telling her about what I had become was the fact she wouldn’t believe me. Sage had once referenced how insanely crazy everyone thought the alien believers were, saying that was how someone would look at me if I breathed a word about it. While I wasn’t sure if this was something she had learned from personal experience or simply something she had gathered over the years, it seemed to fit.
“No, there aren’t any laws, but that doesn’t mean Randal will be okay with it.” Sage moved to sit on the bed beside me. “Creating a new vampire isn’t something to be taken lightly. The more created, the more risk there is for exposure. New vampires can be hard to control at first, but only because it’s a lot to soak in at once.”
I wondered if that was why the whole making it through transition occurred, a checks and balances system for the supernatural vampire population. Was there something similar in place for werewolves since the theory was that you could be turned if you were bitten? A noise from the living room pulled me from my thoughts and startled us both.
“What was that?” I stood, listening carefully.
“I don’t think it was Randal,” Sage whispered.
A loud groan came from the living room, followed by the creaking of someone moving around on my couch.
“It’s Landon.” The words nearly caught in my throat. “He’s awake.” While I was elated that he had survived the transition, I wasn’t ready for this yet. Randal needed to be here so he could explain to Landon what had happened to him.
“You’re right.” She smoothed her hands along her thighs as she stood. “I guess we better go talk to him.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Randal?” My limbs trembled. I couldn’t face him yet. What if he hated me for what I had done? What if he attacked me?
I would deserve it. If it happened, I would deserve every second of it.
“No.” She shook her head as she stated toward my bedroom door. “Trust me, it’s best if
we go out there now.”
Digging my fingernails into my palms, I followed behind her. When I reached the living room, my gaze shifted to the couch, and I froze. Landon was there, cradling his head between his hands while breathing deeply. From where I stood, he appeared physically the same, but his aura had rooted my feet in place.
No longer was it the vibrant yellowish color. Even as I stood there, staring at him from a slight distance, I could see the signature midnight blue of a vampire rippling and rolling through it, erasing any trace of his previous shade as it went.
Landon was now a vampire.
Another moan spurred from him, making its way to my ears. My heart thundered in my chest as panic raced through my veins at the reality of the situation. He jerked up, looking at me. How he had known I was there, I wasn’t sure. It must have been one of his supernatural abilities leaking through already.
“Kenna? What happened? Why does my head hurt so badly?” He glanced around at his surroundings. “And where am I?”
“Um.” I didn’t know what to say. I walked around the corner and paused in front of him. The coffee table was the only thing between us. “You’re at my apartment.”
“What is that smell?” He lifted his sweatshirt away from his chest. It stuck to him in places where blood had soaked through to his skin. “Is that blood?” There was a tremor in his voice. I needed to tell him something soon, before he freaked out in my living room.
“Yeah.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s your blood, Landon.”
His hands smoothed along his neck, face, and body. Obviously, he was searching for where the blood could have come from. “I don’t understand. Did I have a nose bleed or something?” He wiped at his nose with the back of his hand.
The words best used to describe what happened stuck in my throat. Sage moved to sit on the arm of the couch. I hoped she would finish filling Landon in for me, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she sat staring at him, at a loss for words, the same as I was.
“Sage?” Landon rubbed his forehead, confusion crossing his face. “What’s going on here?”
I could feel the tension rising in the room. It sucked the air from my lungs, making it impossible to think. How do you tell someone, who was perfectly fine an hour ago, you nearly killed him with a single kiss, and then called your vampire friend to save him? There was a possibility he wouldn’t see what I had done—the decision I had made for him—as the right one. He could think he was an abomination for all I knew and go on a killing rampage, starting with me.
“Landon.” His eyes shifted to lock on mine. I bit my bottom lip, afraid of what I was about to say. “I have to tell you something that’s going to sound crazy, but please remember it’s true.” I paused, waiting for him to respond.
“Okay…” He licked his lips, his eyes still trained on me.
“Tonight, in the park—” My words were cut off as the door to my apartment burst open.
Randal walked in, followed by Dex. I wasn’t sure what had prompted Dex to come, or if Randal had asked, but I figured the more strength we had in the room to help control Landon’s outrage at what I had done the better.
“Do not say another word about what happened,” Randal insisted in an even tone.
My lips sealed together at his request. I could handle another few minutes of Landon being in the ignorance-is-bliss category.
“What is going on here?” Landon stood, his hands smoothing over the dried blood on his shirt as his gaze drifted between each of us. “Can someone please explain to me why I woke up in Kenna’s apartment, covered in my own blood?”
I glanced at Randal, waiting for his response, glad someone was here to take control of the situation. “Try to remain calm.” Randal’s tone was placid and soothing. It was exactly what I felt Landon needed in this situation, someone to defuse the tension. “Events have occurred tonight that are considerably jarring, and best explained when everyone is composed.”
Landon’s eyes drifted to each of us. “Okay, obviously you’re talking about me. I guess I should compose myself.” He sat back down on my couch, and rested his elbows against his knees. His fingertips came together, forming a steeple in front of his lips. “I’m listening.”
Randal crossed the room and sat in the recliner, his eyes never leaving Landon. I wondered if he was worried about him. Were newly risen vampires that unpredictable? I crossed my arms over my chest, and locked my eyes on Landon. I wanted to be ready in case he did anything erratic.
“My name is Randal Vin—”
“I remember you now. Kenna’s boyfriend. The one who let her slip into a cab tonight when she was obviously upset about some nonsense drama involving your crazy ex. Nice to meet you.” Landon surprised me with his words and pissed off tone. He was never this flippant with anyone. At least not that I had ever heard. His attention shifted to Dex next, and I shuffled my feet as I waited for him to speak again. “And you are?”
“Dex.” He answered in a nonchalant way as he moved to sit on the couch between where Sage was perched on the armrest and Landon was sitting.
I could feel Randal’s eyes on me, but I refused to look his way. There would be questions in them I wasn’t ready to answer. Mainly why I had opened up to my boss about the events of the night when I had told him I was fine.
“Introductions are over.” Irritation was laced within Landon’s words. He smoothed the palms of his hands against his shorts, eyeing each of us. When his stare met mine, I could feel my heart slamming against my rib cage with more force than necessary. “Now, tell me what’s going on here.” A slight smirk twisted his lips that took me by surprise. Was that what was so unpredictable about new vampires, their emotions were erratic? “I knew there was something different about all of you. I could sense it.”
A heavy feeling centered in my stomach. Did he mean he had always known there was something different about us, or did he mean since his transition tonight he could tell?
“You’re right.” The words slipped out of my mouth without much thought. Landon deserved an explanation. He didn’t need to be waiting in the dark any longer, and if Sage were right about him having been fed from by another supernatural, then the truth wouldn’t come as such a shock. At least, I didn’t think.
“About?” Landon prompted when I didn’t continue.
I opened my mouth to tell him everything, but Randal held up a hand. “No. He should not be told like this.” He shook his head, his eyes solemn. “This is a delicate situation.”
I scoffed at his words, not meaning to, but my frustration was getting the best of me. At first, I was hesitant to fill Landon in because I was scared of what he would think of me, of what he would say once he learned what I had done to him, but the situation was dragging out. It was time for answers.
“No, it’s not.” I crossed over and sat on the edge of my coffee table, so I was in front of Landon. Having just admitted he knew there was something different about me, he didn’t seem to flinch at my approach at all. I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’ve always known, haven’t you?”
There was an inquisitive spark in his blue eyes. “Known what?”
“That I’m not normal.” My breath hitched, stiffening my words as they left my lips. This was still a hard thing for me to announce to others, even after I had been a succubus for over a year. I wondered if it would ever get easier.
A sigh of disapproval spilled from between Randal’s lips. I half expected him to stop me from saying anything more, but he didn’t. In fact, no one did. They all remained silent, and for a moment it almost seemed as though there was only Landon and me in the room.
He gave me a slight nod as his eyes seemed to appraise me. “I have.”
Chapter 14
While my stomach somersaulted at his admission, it didn’t seem to affect Sage or the others in any way. I couldn’t believe he had known, that he had sensed something was different about me. My thoughts shifted through all the encounters and conversations we had ever share
d while I tried to decide if his knowledge was the reason he’d kept his distance from me.
“I always knew you had been awakened to the supernatural world.” Sage said. When I glanced at her, she appeared to be studying him. “I could never pinpoint what caused it though.”
“Supernatural world?” Landon’s eyebrows pulled together. “You’re all supernatural or paranormal—whatever you call it?”
“Yes.” Randal was the first to answer. “And now, you are as well.”
The room grew tense as we all waited for Landon to respond to the news. I dropped my eyes from him, knowing this would be when he asked the inevitable question of what he was, which would only lead to the question of how.
Knots formed in my stomach at the thought of the answers I would have to give.
“I’m something supernatural,” he whispered. “Which means, I’m not human anymore.” Maybe I was wrong, but he almost seemed excited. I wondered if he was nearing a breakdown.
Memories from the night I had been told I was a succubus trickled through my mind. It didn’t take long for the emotions attached to them to resurface. The confusion, the lightheadedness, the sensation of being overwhelmed as disbelief slipped through me; none of it had been pretty. However, I hadn’t been hysterical enough to laugh at the situation. I shouldn’t judge Landon though; people handle things differently.
“What exactly am I?” Landon asked. I lifted my stare from the coffee table to him, and found his eyes on me. A jolt of panic traveled through my core as I wondered if he knew he was different now because of something I had done. “What did you do to me?” He asked me, confirming my fear.
My heart kick-started in my chest, his accusatory tone and intense stare sending it into overdrive. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as everyone in the room shifted his or her gaze to look at me, waiting for how I would choose to explain myself. How would I even begin?
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 43
