Sarah knew that she would have to let go of her daughters one day, but she had always hoped she would be able to hold on to Shayna a little longer, than it was looking like she was going to. She knew that when Shayna left, that she would possibly never come back.
“I just want to make sure you know what you are doing, Shay. You have too much to lose.”
“Mom, I promise, I know what I am doing, and I promise that I won’t lose sight of my life’s goals.
Sarah smiled, “I know, I’m sorry, I worry too much. You are a smart girl. I know you know what you are doing,” she said. Sarah trusted Shayna’s judgement more than Melina’s most of the time. “So, tell me about this boy,” she said changing the subject, “When do I get to meet him?”
“His name is Cain,” Shayna began, not realizing the grin that had spread across her face, “He lives at the one huge farmhouse with the big white barn, and like ten different horse pastures. You know where I’m talking about right?” she asked. Sarah nodded her head, and Shayna continued, “He lives there with his aunt, they moved here from California, and they opened up a little bookstore near Interlochen Corner’s.” Shayna beamed at her mother, “Anything else?”
“When do I get to meet him?” she said with an inflexible look.
“Seriously?” Shayna asked. “I’m still getting to know him myself, but soon. Okay?”
“Promise?” Sarah said.
“Yes,” Shayna promised, “I’m going on a ride with him tomorrow.”
Sarah interrupted Shayna before she could go any further, “What happened to, Mom, can I go on a ride with him?” she asked caustically, “And what kind of ride is he taking you on?”
Shayna smirked at her mother, and cocked her head to the side, “Mom. Can I go horseback riding with Cain tomorrow?”
“Thank you Shayna. Yes you can go,” Sarah responded, “Of course you can go. But I want to meet him when you come home.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Shayna said, and kissed her Sarah’s cheek, “Thank you mom, for understanding.”
“That’s what I’m here for Shay,” Sarah hugged Shayna, and inhaled her scent. She thought to herself that Shayna always smelled good, “Now go get your phone, it’s been ringing all day. You’re supposed to keep it with you,” she said, “Isn’t that the point of having it?” she was trying to be the parent again.
“Okay, okay,” Shayna got up and headed toward the stairs, “Mom?” Shayna stopped and turned around. Maybe I should tell her. She thought, “Nevermind,” she said and bounded up the stairs, leaving Sarah alone on the couch.
Shayna went into her room and grabbed her phone off the dresser, where she had left it that morning. She already knew it was Noah who had been calling, but when she looked at her phone to her surprise, most of the calls had been from a blocked number.
There was a knock on the door, and Sarah poked her head in, “By the way,” she said, “Why are you so dirty?”
Shayna looked down at herself. Her jeans were covered in mud. She knew the mud was from the cemetary, but she could never tell Sarah what happened. She tried to come up with something quickly.
“I was helping Cain with his horses, the melting snow made a pretty muddy mess out of the pastures,” she hated lying, especially to her mother, but this time she felt it was for the best. She wanted to just forget the whole thing.
“Well get cleaned up, and I’ll make dinner,” Sarah told her.
Sarah closed the door, and Shayna took a pair of baby blue flannel pajama pants, and a white T-shirt, out of her dresser, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she took off her shirt in the bathroom, she gasped in shock. Her bloodstone was gone. She hoped and prayed it was at Cain’s house, or in his car, but her instinct told her it was in the cemetary.
“I don’t want to go back there,” she said to the reflection in the mirror. She stared at the face looking back at her. I am a vampire. She thought. I shouldn’t be afraid or intimidated by some creep.
She decided to wait until Sunday to go back and find it. If that was truly where it was. She was over the fear of it all, but was definitely not ready to go back just yet. She turned on the shower, and finished undressing. She adjusted the water temperature, and she stepped in. The hot water felt good on her bare skin. She closed her eyes, and let the water flow all over her body.
After a dinner of bloody steak, potatoes, and salad, Shayna went upstairs to call Noah. He didn’t answer, and she didn’t blame him. She had been ignoring him, when she could have at least called and told him what was going on with Cain. She wasn’t trying to not tell, and she wasn’t embarassed, she just wanted to be able to process things a little more, without his influence, or anyone else’s for that matter.
She turned off her bedside lamp, and laid back on the bed. She closed her eyes, she was anticipating the day to come. She laid in the dark room for about a half an hour, before her mind went blank, and the dream took over.
Shayna took in a deep breath, and entered her father’s memorial. She wanted to find her necklace, and leave immediately. When she saw the figure on the marble sitting bench, she stopped.
“Don’t be scared,” a very familiar voice said, “It’s me.”
The figure looked up at her, and Shayna gasped.
“Daddy!” she ran to her father, and all but knocked him off of the sitting bench with her embrace.
“Take it easy Shay,” he said to her.
“I missed you so much,” she cried, tears uncontrollably flowing down her face.
“Shayna,” he put his hands on her shoulders, and sat her down on the bench, “You need to listen. This is a dream, you are at home in bed, not here. But I am really here. I’m coming to you the only way that I know how,” Shayna gave her father an understanding nod, and he continued. “I know you know what you are now. I can tell by the way you carry, and present yourself,” he said, she nodded again, “I have sent someone to help you, to guide you, and protect you during this transition. You can trust him, I knew him for many years.”
Shayna smiled at the thought of this, “You sent him?”
“He’s already here?” her father’s eyes narrowed, “I didn’t know. How long has he been here?” he asked.
“Are you coming back?” she asked softly, ignoring his question, but not really wanting the answer to hers.
Marcus Verona put a soft, cold hand on his daughters cheek.
“No,” he answered, “I’m not.”
A single tear fell from Shayna’s cheek, “I didn’t think so,” she muttered.
Her father stood up and looked around, “This memorial is beautiful,” he said. “Sarah did an astonishing job,” he walked up to the angel statue, running his fingers down her wings, “It is a shame my body isn’t here.”
“Where is it?” Shayna asked, “What happened?”
“Gone,” he replied, “Burnt to ash.”
“What? How?”
“Someone who held a grudge,” he answered. More tears came, he grabbed her shoulders again, and looked her in the eyes, “Shayna, you need to be strong. You are, and will be, a very special being,” he said, “I know you are going to make me proud to have been your father.”
“I just miss you so much,” she sniffled, “When I found that letter, it gave me hope that you would be back for me.”
“I will try to visit you this way, as often as I can make it possible. But, in the meantime, know that you will be taken care of,” he said this, and his image started to become hazy, and began fading away.
“No, Daddy, don’t go,” Shayna cried, tears pouring down her face, “Don’t go.”
Chapter 7
Shayna did not want any interrogations from Melina, and was thankful that she had stayed the night at Delany’s house. She had asked Sarah not to say anything to Melina about the car, and Sarah had promised that she wouldn’t. As long as Shayna took her cell phone with her. She left the house to go to Cain’s, with the phone, but she powered it off as soon as she was in the car. She didn
’t want the day to be interrupted by a ringing phone.
She pulled into Cain’s driveway and smiled when she saw him in the property’s outdoor arena, lunging Obsidion. Cain looked up and saw her, and began to slow Obsidion to a walk, pulling the magnificent horse closer to him, as he did. Shayna got out of the car and walked to the arena, and Cain led Obsidion out towards her.
“Good morning,” she said to him as they approached each other.
“Morning,” Cain returned the greeting, “I wasn’t sure you would come back after last night, but I am real glad you did,” he said.
“Well I had to return your car,” she joked.
He smiled at her. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am.” she was finally able to not think about the previous days events, so much.
Cain smiled and nodded at her, knowing how strong, and fearless she seemed to be.
He handed Shayna Obsidions reins, and said, “I’ll go grab Glytter, the horse I’ll be riding. She’s tied up in the barn. I’ll just be a moment.”
“Okay,” Shayna said. She stroked Obsidion’s muzzle as Cain walked to the barn. “Are you as anxious as I am?” she asked the horse, “Now let’s see if I can get on you, without his help,”
Shayna stepped back and looked at the large horse. He was all decked out in black leather tack, that was trimmed with silver. He looked even bigger than she remembered, with the small English saddle he bore on his back. Just when Shayna thought there was no way she would be able to climb up on him alone, without delay, Obsidion stretched out one of his front legs and bent the other, so that he was kneeling down.
Shayna stared at the horse in disbelief, “Did you just read my mind?” she asked him in amazement.
Obsidion huffed and threw his head up. Shayna didn’t hesitate, she immediately climbed on his back and Obsidion righted himself as Cain appeared leading a beautiful bay mare that was nearly as big as Obsidion. She had decided not to tell Cain about what Sid had done, it would be their secret, and she hoped she wasn’t just imagining it. This horse is amazing. She thought.
“I thought you couldn’t get a saddle on him?” she asked Cain when he approached with his horse.
“You know,” he started, “It was so weird. When I came to get him, he never fought me. He did everything willingly, like he knew it was for you,” he gathered his horses reins and pulled himself up into her saddle, “It looks like he is, as crazy about you, as I am!” with that Cain yelled out, and gave the mare a kick in her side, and she took off towards the trees.
Shayna gathered Sid’s reins and squeezed his sides, and told him, with her mind to run, and to run fast. The horse didn’t hesitate. As soon as Shayna had projected her thoughts to him, he was off in the direction of the trees. Within seconds they were running next to Cain and Glytter.
“He is a beautiful animal,” Cain said to her, “But he belongs to you,” he slowed his horse to a walk, and Obsidion slowed too, at Shayna’s silent command, “I don’t know at all, what he or you are thinking, but I can definitely sense that there is a connection between the two of you.”
The horses walked side by side, on a trail, that was surrounded by pine trees.
“You didn’t happen to find my fathers necklace anywhere, did you?” she asked him hoping the answer would be yes.
“No,” he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t.”
“I think I have an idea of where I lost it,” she told him and sighed quietly, “I’ll have to go there and look tomorrow,” she knew he would know where she thought it was. She didn’t have to tell him.
Cain did know, “Do you want me to go with you?” he asked, thinking she wouldn’t want to go alone.
She looked at him, smiling at the gesture, “I think I need to go back alone. I didn’t want to ever go back, and now that I know I have to I feel like I should do it alone. I think I’ll be okay,” she said believing herself.
Cain understood how she felt, “Very well,” he simply said.
Shayna told Obsidion to trot ahead in her special way, and he immediately obeyed. She wasn’t sure of the trail they were on, but she trusted Obsidion not to lead her into danger. She wanted to forget about what had happened in the cemetary, but it seemed to be impossible.
“Shayna,” Cain called ahead to her, “I want you to know something.”
He wanted her to know exactly why, he was such a danger to her. He needed her to understand. But when Obsidion turned back toward him and looked at him like Cain was talking to him, and he saw Shayna’s beautiful face, eyes focused on him and full of happiness, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t ruin the moment she was in. He would save it for another day. His mind raced for something to say to her instead, he finally said the only thing he could come up with.
“Shayna,” he began, “I want you to know that he is yours,” Cain pointed at Obsidion. “He belongs to you now. I believe he was meant for you.”
The look in Shayna’s eyes was all that Cain needed as a ‘thank you’, “What?” she asked, dismayed, “Are you kidding me?”
“Well, I can’t do anything with him,” he said, catching up to Shayna and Sid again, “He hates me.”
“That’s not true, he seemed just fine with you earlier,” she told him. She didn’t want to take his horse from him.
“Only because somehow, this damn horse knew you were coming,” he was frustrated thinking about it, “I don’t how, but he knew.”
“I agree, there is something between us for sure,” she told him, “But, are you sure?”
Cain nodded his head, “Yes,” he said.
“Wow. Okay, I guess I can’t really argue,” she said. The horses were close enough for them to touch and Shayna reached out and took Cain’s hand.
“Thank you,” she told him. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Trust me, I might not know what’s on your mind or that horses,” his ice cold hand squeezed hers gently, “But I can see how much it means to you.”
“The only problem is, that I don’t have a place to keep him,” she said this, knowing the response she would receive, and smiled at him.
“Well,” he said, and smiled back at her, “I have to get you out to my place somehow, don’t I?”
“That’s right,” she said with a laugh. “So, where are you taking me?” she asked him. He had begun to become more curious. She didn’t think there were very many places he could take her, that she hadn’t already been to in this area.
“I told you, you’ll see,” he said with a mischievious smile.
His dark hair was falling around his face, and his eyes caught every bit of light and reflected it back out like a gemstone. God, he’s gorgeous! She thought. She didn’t care where he was taking her, she would go anywhere with him.
“Fine,” she said, “Can I ask you some questions then?”
“You can ask me anything Shayna, and I will try to answer the best that I can,” he told her, although he was a little nervous. He knew she was very inquisitive, as to who she was, and he knew he was walking a fine line.
“Okay,” she began. The horses led the way, they seemed to be on a game path, and the horses were following it on their own. “I don’t know where to start, I have so much to ask, but I don’t know what to ask first,” she sighed in frustration. The sun began to peek through the trees at them, and she took it as a cue, “The sun,” she said, “What does it do to us?”
“Didn’t you read the book you bought?” he asked with a smirk.
“How did you know I bought that book?” she asked. She had trusted that Aunt Mill wouldn’t tell him, and she still believed she hadn’t. He couldn’t enter her mind. So how? She didn’t have anything to hide anymore, but she was curious how he knew.
“I do the inventory,” Cain said, “I assisted the only other two customers in that day, and they didn’t buy it. So, I knew it was you.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing a little. “Well, to
tell the truth, I just skimmed through it, mainly to find out, if I had to spend my days in the dark,” she laughed quietly, “You know what I mean?”
“Do I!” he nodded his head. He had spent the first seven months of his immortal existance hiding from the sun until he found out about bloodstones. “Well, the sun does do something to us,” before he could finish, Shayna interrupted him.
“It doesn’t make our skin sparkle does it?” she asked laughing.
“Sorry, no,” he laughed himself, a little, at her joke, “But it does burn us.” he saw Shayna’s eyes widen, and thought twice about continuing. He didn’t want to frighten her, but he knew she needed to know. He wished he would of had someone to teach him about the life he lived, “You won’t turn to ash and die immediately, unless you’re stupid enough to stand in it for an excessive amount of time,” he said, and waited for her to ease up and relax a little before he went on, “It will burn your skin though, it reddens and blisters pretty bad.”
“Like a sunburn?” Shayna asked.
“Yes,” he answered, “But a really bad instant sun burn, that is noticeable within minutes.”
“And my bloodstone will protect me?”
“Yes, if you find it,” he would give her one of his if she was unable to find it, but he sensed that she would.
“Okay next question,” she said, moving away from the subject of the cemetary again, “How did you become a vampire?”
Cain tried to think of a way to tell her without lying to her, and without telling her his secret to early.
After a few silent moments he said, “Someone tried to kill me, and a vampire changed me right before I actually died.”
The horses started up a hill, leaving the path behind them. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill you,” Shayna said to him.
Cain closed his eyes briefly thinking back to that night.
“It was a stranger,” he said, “I was attacked from behind one night, while returning home from attending errands for my father,” Shayna could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke. “I loved my family, I was of noble blood, and it was a big ordeal when I disappeared. I refused to go home to them. I was different, and they would have known it.”
Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) Page 8
