by Jen Pretty
When it finally did, the air left my lungs and tears sprung to my eyes. His sunken eyes were closed, and his green hair was gone, his skin leathery and rough.
When his jaw moved and his sharp eye teeth slipped into my skin, holding me in place I collapsed beside him in the grass and let the sobs take over.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I repeated it over and over as he drank from my wrist.
"That's enough," Falcor said, but he seemed to be far away. My world had narrowed down to Nick’s face.
Hands pulled me away. I tried to fight them off, but I was so tired, and my eyes were closing. Someone lifted me, pulling my wrist out of Nick's teeth with a painful tearing of my skin.
"There now, you've done your part," Jax said in a soothing tone. "Take him back first. We can wait for a few minutes."
"I'm sure you can," Falcor scoffed.
"What does that mean?" Jax asked, sounding honestly confused. The words were floating on a cloud and I would have told Falcor to shut the fuck up, but I couldn't even open my eyes, much less control my mouth.
"Nothing," Falcor said.
I knew it wasn't ‘nothing’. It was more of his crap about mine and Nick's relationship. Not that we really had one, but Falcor had a big nose and had to stick it in my business apparently.
Soft fingers pushed my hair back from my face. "That was a brave thing you did for Nick." Jax sighed.
I assumed we were alone now. I was nicely tucked in Jax's arms. He was so warm.
I let my mind drift away from everything.
"I hope I can protect you from what's coming," Jax's voice had drifted away as if I wasn't still tucked in his arms. Sleep was trying to pull me under. Apparently, blood loss affected me. I wondered if I could die of it.
"I'll give everything for you." Was his voice whispered or was I asleep now and dreaming?
Then everything was gone.
I dreamed that monsters with red eyes were chasing me and woke up in a cold sweat. "Shit." My hair was a tangled mess as I ran my fingers through it and took some deep breaths to calm myself. I was alone in a hotel room, the lights out, but the light from the city crept through the curtains, breaking the darkness. I pushed the blankets back and crossed to the bathroom, changing out of my dirty clothes and pulling on clean pyjamas.
I was too awake to go back to sleep, so instead, I tried the handle of the adjoined room. It was unlocked so I pushed it open and peeked inside.
It had two double beds, but I couldn't see who was asleep in the beds, so I stepped forward. The first was Falcor. He looked different in sleep. His face was relaxed and peaceful. A look he never wore when he was awake. I tiptoed past him to the next bed.
There lay a very thin Nick. He was in the middle of the bed, the blankets pulled up to his chin. He was so still I wasn't sure if he was alive, but his face had a bit of colour in his lips and his cheeks. I stepped closer and his eyes opened.
I waved, then scolded myself for the ridiculous action. His mouth opened and a rasp came out, but I couldn't tell what he had said. I moved closer and his arm pushed the blanket back.
"Lie," he said, his voice still harsh and painful-sounding.
I slipped under the blanket, scooting closer to him. He was so cold and frail. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to me.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I would have found you sooner if I had known."
"No," he whispered, reaching up to wipe the tear that had started a hot trail down my cheek.
I smiled sadly, before letting a sob shake my body and pulling him closer. "I should have known you wouldn't leave me."
"Never." His eyes slipped closed and I watched him for a long time. He wasn't breathing, but his heart was beating. I could feel it through his thin chest.
"Do you need more blood?" I asked quietly. He shook his head, opening his blue eyes again. "How can I help you?"
"Stay," he said and closed his eyes again.
I let a bit of my magic trickle out and he sighed a small smile coming to his thin lips. If that was all I could give him, I would.
I stayed like that, Nick's frail frame in my arms until the sun rose and Falcor got up.
"Did you sleep at all?" he asked me.
"I did."
He scoffed. "I'm ordering food, what do you want?"
"Bacon," I replied.
Nick took a deep breath and rolled out of my hold. He pushed off the bed and stood, the sun backlighting his thin arms as he passed the window and headed for the bathroom.
"I'm going to shower. Can you get me some blood bags?" He looked at Falcor.
Falcor nodded. "As soon as I order our princess some bacon, I'll go grab the blood."
"Thanks, buddy." Nick disappeared into the bathroom.
"No comment about calling you a princess?"
I rubbed my eyes. "Whatever. I didn't actually sleep. Get a lot of coffee, too. Strong coffee."
He grinned and picked up the phone.
I pushed back the blankets and rose to my feet, crossing to the door between our rooms. I needed a shower and about a gallon of conditioner to get my hair back under control. I stepped through the door, closing it behind me.
When I looked up a figure stood at the window looking out. I jumped. "Jesus!" My magic flooded out before I could stop it.
Jax turned and looked at me, surprise on his face.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling my magic back in.
"Sorry." He said, his throat bobbing. "I just wanted to talk to you but didn't want to interrupt you and Nick."
I raised an eyebrow. "We weren't doing anything."
Jax bit his lip. "Are you two together?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered.
Jax turned back to the window. "I'm sorry. I always do this. Fall for the wrong one."
"Listen," I said crossing the room. "I don't know what’s going on between Nick and me, but I don't think now is a good time for a relationship. I kind of have a lot going on right now."
"Of course, I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing." I grabbed his sleeve and he turned to look at me. I sighed. He really was beautiful. His dark eyes glittered and the sunlit his tanned skin. I licked my lips and his eyes dropped to my mouth. I wasn't going to deny my own feelings for him, but I was also not going to jump into anything. "I'm gonna have a shower and eat breakfast. We need to fill Nick in on what's going on and find his brother."
Jax cleared his throat and a mask fell in place. One I recognized from Falcor. It was as if he put a space between us. An un-crossable distance. It was for the best.
"You're right. I'll go get started."
It was an excuse to get away from me. I let him have it instead of informing him that Nick was in the shower, too.
I rubbed my eyes and contemplated how it was possible that the entire magic community was in danger, but this was what gave me a migraine.
Another big sigh and I grabbed my suitcase and hit the shower. Thank God for hot water. If I had coffee and bacon in the shower, I could have hidden out there until I turned into a person-sized prune. But my stomach screaming for food forced me out of the shower. The conditioner I left in my hair for a little extra long had at least helped me get the knots out. So, the brush slipped through without ripping my hair out.
I pulled on some clean jeans and a t-shirt, then pulled a hoodie over top. I didn't care if we were in the heat of Phoenix, I needed comfort.
When I passed through my room and into the one that Nick and Falcor were sharing, I found all the guys sitting on the couch, the TV on. Nick and Jax had tall glasses of blood and Falcor had a plate of food.
Crow stood behind him begging for bacon, which Falcor passed back to him regularly. The bird was going to get sick or fat.
"Hey," Nick said. "Falcor saved your breakfast from a certain bottomless pit of a bird."
I shook my head. "Thanks." The food was still warm. An omelet with cheese and several slices of bacon, plus some toast all hidden under a metal cove
r.
I took my plate and sat down on a chair beside the couch.
"What are you watching?"
The TV displayed some footage of a riot or something.
"Just the beginning of the war between vampires and warlocks," Jax said.
I watched as a woman flung their arms out, and people all around her fell to the ground. I couldn't see the magic through the television, but when one man turned his head, I saw the incisors that marked him as a vampire.
"Fuck."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I dropped my fork. "This is bad."
"Oh yeah, it's not good," Falcor said.
I shot him a glare. "How the hell are we supposed to stop this?"
"We have a more immediate problem," Nick said.
I glanced at him. He looked a bit better than when I left him an hour before.
"My brother."
"So, they filled you in?" I asked.
He nodded. "He drained me, stuffed me in that coffin and buried me, but he still needs our help." He laughed unhappily.
"You still want to help him after that?"
Nick looked away. "He's still my brother. He could have killed me."
Falcor rubbed his forehead. "You have to be kidding."
"He did way worse things to me when we were kids," Nick explained.
Their relationship had struck me as weird right from the beginning, but Ryan had buried Nick alive. That should have been a crossed line he couldn't come back from.
"He's my only family," Nick added.
Falcor looked at him with hurt for a moment before he schooled his features. I remembered Falcor implying that Nick was his family. I would have to remember to mention that to Nick. If he didn't know how Falcor felt, he should.
"Anyway," Falcor continued. "You should be able to find him quickly enough. We can just drive around, right?"
"You're twins?" Jax asked.
Nick nodded.
"I've heard the stories about vampire twin’s connection."
"It's true," Nick assured him.
"That's crazy."
"Okay," I said getting us back on topic. "We need a car."
Falcor cleared his throat. "I'll get a rental. Finish your food." He pointed to my full plate.
I picked up my fork and began shovelling food in. It settled in my stomach like a lead weight, but food wasn't optional. My muscles still felt weak. Not as bad as Nick looked, but shaky and tired.
By the time I was done, our rental car was waiting for us at the curb by the hotel doors. The driver drove us back to the rental location and Falcor hopped out to go sign paperwork or whatever had to be done, while we waited in the car. Nick slid into the driver seat, leaving the passenger seat empty, but I was fine in the back with Jax, so we sat in silence that wasn't too awkward.
"So, this is awkward," Nick said. Okay, maybe it was awkward enough. "I heard you two talking this morning."
Yeah, it was super awkward.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked, his eyes finding mine in the rear-view mirror.
"No, thank you," I said at the same moment that Jax said "Sure."
I glared at him and thankfully Falcor pulled open the passenger door and slipped inside. I hoped that was the end of the conversation, but Nick didn't put the car in reverse to pull out of the parking spot, so finally, Falcor looked around at us and said, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," I said.
"We were just going to talk about the elephant in the car," Nick said.
"I don't appreciate being compared to an elephant," I muttered, looking out the window. Silence fell on the car for a few long moments while I silently prayed we could change the subject.
When the car started up and we backed out of the parking space, my shoulders relaxed, the tension leaving my body. I was sure we had better things to talk about.
"So, let's talk about Colvin then," Falcor said. "Nick should be told."
That was a much easier topic, surprisingly. I filled Nick in on what Colvin could do and what the old dead vampire in the graveyard had said.
"Great," Nick said when I had exhausted the topic. "So, we have my brother, a war, and something that will send Colvin and all the kids from the sanctuary into some alternate world?"
"Nevermore," I said. "That's what Crow called it."
Nick raised his eyebrows looking at me in the mirror. "As in, 'Quoth the raven, Nevermore'?"
I shrugged. "Maybe Edgar Allan Poe was a Black Crow."
Jax snickered. "Or a vampire."
He could have been on to something. Dark, creepy, pale guy? It sounds like all the vampires I know. But we had bigger concerns. "We need to know what the history is that is repeating." I scratched my arm where I had slit my wrist for Nick, it was healing almost human slow. An ugly red line crossed my wrist as if I had tried to end my life.
"Let's find Ryan first, then we can get into the history," Nick said. "Why don't you call Francis in Canada and get him started tracking down some history."
I pulled out my phone. Francis' number was saved in my contacts, so a few taps on the screen later, and the ringing came through the line. It rang several times before and the answering machine came on.
"Hey, Francis, it's Selena. I need you to look up some things for me. Can you call me back?" I ended the call and tucked my phone in my pocket. "Maybe he's dancing with his broom."
Nick chuckled like I hoped he would. His smile always made me feel like things were okay, even if they weren't. And nothing was okay.
His eyes went back to the road, so I tipped my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. The city lights flashed through my eyelids, but I pretended I was home, the world made sense. I was going home from a night out with my friends and nothing mattered. I would get up the next day and flip burgers. I would make my world-famous onion rings and people would complain about the runny milkshakes. I missed those days. When nothing mattered and Dorothy would call to make sure I was taking care of myself.
I opened my eyes, picked up my phone, and dialled Dorothy's number. It rang for a moment then an automated voice came on and told me the number was no longer in service. My last connection to her was gone.
I dropped my phone on the seat and tipped my head back again. Fuck it all. But the anger wouldn't quite take hold. Instead, the sadness won, and tears crept out between my closed eyelids.
Warm fingers slipped into mine, where my hand sat on the seat beside me, but I didn't open my eyes or look at Jax. I felt more alone in the car surrounded by the team that was supposed to keep me safe and help me keep the world from ending. Team apocalypse. Catchy, right?
Falcor had been right when he said I needed to stop pretending I could still have a normal life. Those easy days were over.
A phone rang and Falcor answered it. I listened to half a conversation that sounded like news about the war. Falcor asked a few questions that I tried to ignore, but his voice seeped in.
"How long until the group is big enough to be a threat?" he asked. "We'll be back by then." A pause. "No matter what."
I opened an eye and Nick was nodding at Falcor. At least they were agreeing on whatever our plan was.
My phone rang. I picked it up so fast, I didn't even check the number.
"Dorothy?" I asked.
A tiny voice replied, "No, sorry, Selena. It's just me."
"Oh, Colvin. Sorry, I was just thinking about someone else."
"I know who she is, Selena. I'm sorry I haven't seen her in my dreams."
I bit my lip. "Oh, you don't have to apologize," I smiled, but new tears pushed to my eyes. "It's not your job to keep track of everyone."
"That's what Niri says," he replied.
"Niri is really smart."
There was silence for a moment. I was about to ask him what was up, but he finally spoke again.
"Come home, Selena." His voice was low and serious. A chill raced down my spine and settled in my stomach. I involuntarily let a bit of my magic out, transferring it to Jax who was
still holding my hand.
"I'll call right now and book the first flight," I replied. Whatever was going on, Colvin's tone said enough.
"I'll see you soon, then," he said.
"I love you, Colvin."
"I love you, too," he replied. Then the line went dead.
"We need to book the first-"
"Already on it," Falcor said tapping away on his phone.
"Where is your brother, Nick? We need to find him right now."
Nick glanced over his shoulder at me. "We're almost there."
I nodded and looked back out the window. We were in a seedy side of town. There weren't any houses, it was all medium-sized, crumbling apartment buildings and cement parking lots. Weeds climbed out of the cracks in the pavement, clinging to life in a dead world. People stood in the shadows of the buildings or clustered in doorways. But none of them was anyone I would want to stop and chat with.
So, when Nick steered our rental car to a stop in front of a building with the bottom floor windows boarded up, I almost told him to keep driving, but I bit my tongue and got out a second after the guys.
Nick hit the door lock and the car beeped a cheery sound.
"Do you think it will still be here when we get back?" I asked Falcor.
He glanced back at the car. "Not a chance."
Shadows moved in the building behind us. I could feel eyes watching us but having figured out how to hide the long blade under my jacket, at least I was armed with more than the ability to raise the dead and bleed for a vampire.
Nick led up to the boarded front door of the abandoned apartment building. The wood had been pulled away and slung haphazardly back against the door, but it wasn't secured.
"You sure?" I whispered, so low I knew Nick would hear me, but maybe not anyone inside.
He nodded as he silently pulled the wood away, setting it beside the door.
The scent of decay tickled my nose as we stepped inside. The dim interior displayed what had probably once been a cheery entrance to a nice-enough apartment building. How did a building like that end up a ruin in a city like Phoenix that was constantly growing?
