I took in another lungful of breath and cut off my air supply when Jonathon said, “Why are your cheeks puffed out like that?”
The air in my lungs came shooting out with a whooshing sound. I chuckled, “Because it smells in here.”
He laughed as well. “Your human, your sense of smell isn’t as good as mine, so how do you think I feel?”
“You’re a vampire you don’t feel anything. Plus, you can hold your breath forever. I can’t,” I countered with a smile. He always managed to make me feel better.
He laughed harder this time, “Oh, since I’m a vampire I can’t feel anything can I? So then explain to me how I can feel love for you,” he grinned.
I punched him in the arm to prove my point, “See, you didn’t feel me punch you.”
“Is that what that was? It felt like a moth’s wing brushing against my arm,” he chuckled, his warm silver eyes glowing.
“Jonathon,” I moaned exasperated. He always had to win.
His arms wrapped around me. His fingers found my stomach and my ticklish spot.
“Jonathon,” I said laughing, “Stop it! That tickles!”
Someone cleared their throat and Jonathon instantly let go of my wiggling figure.
Aleksei.
His angry red scar seemed to glow like a beacon in the dark hallway.
“If you two would like to stop you’re goofing off and join in strategic planning, now would be the time. I assumed there was a serious matter at hand but here you two are, the ones all this planning is about, the ones people are willing to risk their lives for and you’re playing,” He spat the word like it was a curse. I flinched. Aleksei was scarier than all of the vampires I had met, well maybe not scarier than Selena... or Gabriel for that matter. I looked at Jonathon and his expression made him look as if he was being burned at the stake.
We were silent. With Aleksei, I had discovered, it was better not to speak. He turned sharply on his heel and we knew to follow unless we wanted to get into more trouble.
He led us into a large room that looked to be a training arena. There were mats, trampolines, a track around the perimeter of the whole room, weights, bars, targets for bows and arrows, anything you could possibly need to train to take down a vampire was in this room. And this was the room where our family and the Coven were gathered. I hadn’t noticed it outside but the Coven had nearly tripled in size. We had brought back up and so had they. I couldn’t believe the Coven was willing to give up this many of its members to fight with a group of vampires against only one target.
“Mr. Pulmer, I have found your nephew and pet,” Aleksei called into the room.
Patrick’s head swiveled in our direction. “You can call me Patrick if you’d please. But you will most definitely call her by her name, Kylie,” Patrick growled.
“As you wish,” said Aleksei in his regal voice and a wave of his hand as if he were bating away an annoying fly. I glared at the back of his head wishing I had laser vision and could sear a hole straight through his too thick skull.
Jonathon and I joined the rest of his family and the others. I couldn’t help but notice that Luigi had disappeared with my mother. I was sad that I felt relieved. The vampires peered across at the Coven and the Coven at them. No one would cross the invisible line that was them and us. Everything they were saying was just a bunch of gibberish to me. They talked about fighting techniques, weapons, safe places, and other various things related to a battle. The thought of all these people and vampires fighting against one enemy made me shiver. Selena was dangerous, more dangerous than Jonathon wanted me to know; why else would all these people be needed to fight against her?
As they schemed, I imagined what I might be doing right now, had Selena not been a problem. Maybe Jonathon would be painting my picture, or we’d be riding around on the vespa, maybe just hanging out in Katherine’s garden. The possibilities were endless.
Jonathon, his shoulders tight with tension, finally spoke. “We need to get going. We should be out of Romania by nightfall and we’re running out of time.” This was the first time Jonathon had spoken since Aleksei had found us.
“Jonathon is right. I think we’ve discussed all that needed to be discussed,” Patrick said, glaring beseechingly at Aleksei for conformation.
“Yes, it is probably best to be leaving,” Aleksei said with a bored expression.
For someone that was supposed to be so intent on saving humans from vampires, Aleksei seemed to not care about anyone but himself. He acted more like a vampire than the real vampires did.
The Coven disappeared and came back a moment later with large non-descript black backpacks strapped to their backs, along with various weapons. Some had swords, others had a bow and arrows, some carried stakes strapped to their hips, and the all wore protective vests. They were prepared for an attack or a battle. I couldn’t help but notice how unprotected the vampires looked. But after all they are vampires so I guess they don’t need weapons. Except maybe their teeth and super strength. But I’d still like to wrap Jonathon up in bubble wrap to make sure nothing hurt him. If he got even a scratch on his perfect marble skin I would personally kill whoever had put it there. No one touched my man, no one but me.
We exited the building, this time I didn’t have to hold my breath, I had gotten used to the smell. I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe the place was full of lung killing spores.
The massive garage spread out before us and in the short distance the cars we had arrived in waited for us like obedient dogs. I had been so distracted by the sight of my mother I hadn’t noticed that the garage was full of many large, black, Chevrolet Suburban’s. It didn’t go un-noticed to me that my mother’s Range Rover was gone.
Members of the Coven loaded into the suburban’s. Isaac passed by me, giving my hand a short quick squeeze, he said, “Don’t worry, Ky, we’ll take care of you.” I didn’t miss the glare he sent Jonathon.
“Isaac!” yelled Isobel but she wasn’t looking at him, she was glaring at me. I had never seen so much hate in someone’s eyes, except for maybe Selena’s silver ones. Isaac gave me a small smile and a shrug of his shoulders as if to say, siblings, what can you do about them. I watched him load into the back of a suburban with his sister at his side. It was amazing that they were twins. Sure, they looked alike, but their personalities were completely different. I couldn’t believe they had shared a womb. I sighed, there was no point in wasting my time worrying about Isobel; she didn’t like me and never would.
It irritated me to have to get in the car and ride some more. I had never been much of car rider, even when I was a child I didn’t like it, and to be cooped up in a car for as long as I had been was driving me nuts. I needed some coloring books or a Magna Doodle or something!
I piled myself into the expensive indestructible vehicle. I would be happy when I no longer had to ride in a car for hours on end.
Our stretch of cars was longer this time. The Coven took the front and rear with the car I was in squished in the middle between them and the rest of the vampires. I felt like the president or a king or something with my secret service or royal guard. Gosh, this was beyond ridiculous.
Please, I prayed silently, let Selena die soon, I can’t take much more of this.
Hmm, I thought, maybe I shouldn’t be praying to God for someone to die. That doesn’t seem like a very good thing to be asking for.
The humans, oh God, I was now classifying people by species, drove just as fast as the vampires. It wasn’t long until we crossed the border from Romania into Moldova. Moldova was a small country so it wouldn’t be long until we crossed into Ukraine, and from Ukraine we’d finally cross the border into our destination of Russia.
I didn’t know what was so important about Russia. As far as I could tell, Selena could still get to us in Russia the same as she could get to us in Italy or Romania. But Jonathon seemed to think she wouldn’t cross the border into Russia.
“Trust me, principessa, Sele
na won’t set foot into Russia,” he had said on one occasion when I had questioned him.
I curled against his side, to get comfortable for the long ride, and his body automatically responded to the contours of mine. We were made for each other. Every curve of my body was made to match a curve of his. We were two pieces of connecting puzzle pieces. Soul mates. I was his and he was mine. Mine forever if chose so. Most people would think it was an obvious choice to choose immortality, to choose forever, with the love of your life, of your existence, but could I really give up my humanity. I didn’t think so. Something miraculous would have to happen for me to choose immortality over my humanity. My humanity was too big to give up. I couldn’t give up being myself. If I chose to become a vampire I didn’t know who this new Kylie may be. She, I, might be completely different. But there was always a chance I could stay the same. But I just didn’t believe that. The new Kylie, the vampire Kylie, would desire blood. My favorite foods would no longer be my favorite foods instead there would be only one food that I would be my favorite, blood. Smells would no longer smell the same, things wouldn’t look the same with vampire eyes, and things wouldn’t feel the same. Everything would be completely foreign. I was content staying human, to staying boring, to staying breakable, to staying insignificant, to being me.
I was content to live out my life, as a teenager, as an adult, and as an old woman. I knew all the baggage that came from my decision, especially for Jonathon, if I died then according to the history of vampires he would go crazy. But I didn’t believe that. Jonathon was too good to go crazy. He was a saint. He was my angel. He was good. He was everything.
I snuggled more closely against his side. A single tear slid down my cheek. Could I really risk his soul, his sanity, for my humanity?
I wasn’t sure of my answer.
Did that make me selfish?
I suddenly hated myself more than I hated Selena. I was worse than her. I was the one they should be after, the one they should want to kill, but instead they didn’t recognize the evil inside me. What was wrong with me? I was evil. An evil beyond Selena. An evil beyond all evils. I was willing to live a life that would destroy the one I loved. They should just hang me from a tree already.
Even as I thought all of this it still didn’t change my decision to stay human. That thought made me want to have a big long cry but I couldn’t. If I would suddenly burst into tears that would, of course, cause Jonathon to wonder what was going on. Although, he had probably already picked up on the storm of emotions rolling through my body. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know my decision but I didn’t want to have to remind him because I knew that he still held out hope that I would change my mind and I just couldn’t crush his last shred of hope. I was evil but not that evil.
As if sensing my emotions, which of course he could, he pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. He seemed to sense my reluctance to talk about the hurricane of emotions surging around in my mind and didn’t ask what was wrong. I was glad he didn’t because I wasn’t up for lying.
The road stretched for as far as I could see in the distance. It was endless. Everything lay beyond it. Life, love, betrayal, jealousy, and death.
A jolt rocked through me as I thought those five words. I couldn’t help but feel that we were going to be faced with all of them. I didn’t know when or how but I just knew that they were going to happen. We were headed down a road that leads to life, love, betrayal, jealousy, and death.
My chest caught on the last word. Death. Who would we lose? Or would we lose anyone? Maybe death signified Selena? Or vampirism?
But in my heart I knew that my premonition of death had nothing to do with Selena or being a vampire. No, someone I loved was going to die. I just didn’t know who.
Chapter Eleven: Destination
We stopped for the night in Moldova. There was no fancy hotel that could accommodate so many people and vampires on such short notice, so instead, we found a field and camped out for the night. Jonathon said that I might as well get used to it because when we got to Russia we’d be camping out as well. It would be a miracle if I didn’t freeze to death.
Jonathon said that the reason we would be camping out in Russia was because it would be easier to monitor the grounds than being in a hotel where other humans resided unawares. He said that if Selena showed up, which he declared would not happen, that being in a field that we were familiar with would give us an advantage if a battle broke out. I hoped it didn’t come to a fight and that if it did it would be of our choosing and to our advantage.
I had to have hope and faith. I just had to.
The Coven began packing up the tents. I stretched my stiff muscles preparing for another long day in the car. Jonathon said he wanted to make it to the middle of Russia where his destination lay. He said that if we could make it there then that’s where we would stay, unless Selena or some other threat was found.
It was amazing the speed with which the Coven managed to pack up all the tents and the rest of their belongings. They were so efficient, all working separately but also working as one entity. I was fascinated. They loaded the tents and other various weapons and objects into their suburbans. Jonathon slammed the trunk on the Infiniti, startling me back to reality.
I leaned my head back against the car door. “Let’s get this over with,” I groaned opening the door. He laughed.
“You act as if you’ve been sentenced to the guillotine,” he stated.
“I might as well be,” I mumbled to the car floor. That just made him laugh harder.
Joseph slid into the driver’s seat. “What did I miss that was so funny?” He asked, his trademark grin glued into place.
“Nothing,” said Jonathon, “just Kylie complaining about being constrained to a car against her will.”
“I should’ve known,” said Seph shaking his head. He started the engine just as Gabriel slid in next to him. The rest of the cars around us started as well. I glimpsed Isaac’s figure climbing into one of the suburbans before it quickly pulled into the lineup.
We sped off into the dawn headed to Russia. I couldn’t wait for this whole mess to be straightened out.
It was dusk when we finally reached the middle of Russia and we actually managed to reach the town Jonathon had wanted us to stay. It’s called Ust-Kut and adorable. It’s located to the west of the Lena River. It’s just an idyllic town. I’d really enjoy exploring the town if there weren’t more pressing matters at hand; like getting away from Selena.
Jonathon seemed immensely happier. His shoulders weren’t quite as tight and his jaw wasn’t as strained. He was still on guard, that much was obvious, but it was as if he thought the worst was over. I hated to tell him that I thought the worst was yet to come.
We made it to the field that was Coven headquarters. Jonathon said that beneath the field was a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the field so if we needed to make a quick escape we could. The field was hidden from view of the ‘townies’ or ‘humans’ sight because it was surrounded on all four sides by trees. But they still decided to park the cars under the cover of the trees.
As the cars were unloaded and the tents were set up there was a somber note in the air. I may have been the only one to sense it but watching Isaac and the other members of the Coven they seemed to sense it too. Death was rolling in as quickly as the clouds. But yet, this field, this city, was not the place that held death. Death may be coming but it wasn’t going to land here.
While the vampires, even Gabriel and the girls, unloaded our cars I went over to Isaac and his group that was setting up a tent.
It was still awkward between Isaac and I but he was my friend. My only semi-human friend, all the others were vampires.
“Hey,” I said sticking my hands in my pocket. Isaac was on his knees shoving some kind of a rod in the ground. I had never been camping so I had no idea how to make a tent or anything that went with the whole camping thing.
He looked up at me, his blue eyes piercing through me. Had
he always been so good looking or was I just now noticing? His gaze startled me and I let out a shocked little gasp. The noise embarrassed me so then I was blushing which just embarrassed me more and made me blush harder.
A huge smile spread across his face. The smile lit him up and sparked something inside me. I wanted to see him smile more. A lot more.
“Hey, Ky,” he said his eyes piercing straight through to my soul and his smile getting even bigger.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked, even though I was completely clueless about camping. It’s the thought that counts right?
He laughed as if he knew what I was thinking.
“No, Ky, we’re just finishing up,” he chuckled and flicked a dark lock of hair out of his eye.
“Oh, okay,” I said ashamed and blushing again. What was wrong with me?
He smiled at me again and my heart turned to complete and utter goo. Why was I feeling like some lovesick little girl? I had a soul mate. I had Jonathon, the love of my life, so how come, as I was staring at Isaac’s full, beautifully, sculpted lips I couldn’t help but want to press mine against them?
As soon as I thought that I mentally smacked myself. Snap out of it, Kylie.
I mumbled something incoherent that was a cross between ‘good bye’ and ‘see ya later’ so it came out sounding like ‘gooater’. Smooth Kylie, smooth.
I speed walked away. I thought I might dislocate a hip. I tucked my head down trying to make the whole world disappear and myself with it.
“Ow!” I squealed slamming into a hard black wall. A black wall in the middle of the woods? What was a black wall doing here?
“Human,” came the deep drawling voice of Gabriel, I looked into his silver eyes and they rooted me to the place, “I thought you were betrothed to that,” he added nodding in Jonathon’s direction. I looked at Jonathon and his gaze met mine. He smiled at me but then his eyes narrowed at the sight of my company, Gabriel.
“I-I am. I mean I’m not. I-” I stuttered, eyes still glued to the forest floor.
Forbidden (Fallen Series Book 2) Page 12
