by Elle A. Rose
Broken Rules
The Chronicles of Amber Harris: Book Two
Elle A. Rose
Copyright © 2012 By Angela Watkins, Elle A. Rose
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
This book is dedicated to my family and friends,
Thanks for dreaming with me. Your devotion and love continue to empower me. Without each of you, I am a kite devoid of wind.
1
The Couple in the Mirror
I can hear my family stirring in the other rooms. The sun has started to set, and they are now awake. I should be feeling the tiredness of the full moon, but my thoughts are preoccupied. So many things have happened in the last few days. So many things have changed. They say there is no point in regretting something you cannot change. I guess that includes the past. Although one always hopes as the future shifts into the present, and the present moves into the past, things that are not exactly how they should be can still be fixed. I am learning that this is not true. The present is not always the easiest thing to change. After walking this earth for over two hundred years, I am uncomfortable with the fact that I am learning this now. This life lesson is leaving a huge hole in my heart.
I cannot cleanse my mind of the biggest mistake of my life. Then again it seems that my first and second life, have been nothing but a mistake. To clear my mind most of the time, I like to go for a run or a long swim, save by the request of my family, I will not. They are extremely worried about me right now. I do not want to upset them anymore. So, instead of separating myself from them like I tend to do when I need time to myself, I have shut myself in this tiny bathroom in the hotel suite we are sharing. Traveling during a full moon cycle typically is not hard for most vampires, but my family and I are a special case. We, like all other vampires, sleep once a month during the week of the full moon. The only difference is unlike other vampires, I sleep at night. All of us are accustomed to these sleeping arrangements and try not to do any traveling during this time, except this trip was unavoidable. Sitting here submerged in the hotel tub, I think of sitting in my own spacious tub at my house, where the water temperature is set on the highest setting. This water, however, is tepid in contrast to mine.
Although my eyes are closed, my other senses are working well. Someone is standing outside the bathroom. There is a knock at the door. I do not feel like speaking. I have not said a word out loud since receiving the bad news. I question why he is bothering to knock. He knows I smell his scent through the door. I also picked up the familiar sound of his feet padding against the carpet, as he crossed the room. Sensing my mood has yet to change and I am still not speaking, he turns the handle and starts to enter. Any other time, this would bother me, him walking in on me while I am indisposed, but today I do not care. Some part of me is saying ‘umm, Amber, hello this is Christopher, whatever he wants, he is up to no good right now!’ But another part of me is saying ‘he is grieving too, maybe he just needs company.’ Although Christopher is my “adopted” brother, and I have known him since the day I became a vampire, this is the closest he has ever come to seeing me without any clothing on. He has always wanted more from me. He has yearned for me to be more than a sister to him, but I have never seen it happening, well, I guess I could not see it happening until now. After the events of the last few days, I am starting to wonder if he may be the best choice for me. Christopher may have been the best mate for me all along.
As he nears, he tries to communicate with me telepathically. I do not feel like responding.
“Amber, I know you hear me. Can you please at least open your eyes and look at me?”
Since I am refusing to communicate or open my eyes, I really hope he will just go away. In response to my silence, he blows a deep breath out through his mouth. I am upsetting him. Granted, it does not take much to enrage him. Still, I am in no mood to deal with any of it. He shifts again, and my sensitive ears detect what sounds like moving fabric. Christopher is trying to catch my interest, I know him well. He is willing to do anything to get me to open my eyes. I do not care. I wish he would understand that. I want to be alone.
There is a light thud on the floor. It sounds like a shirt--the tiny buttons make a small clicking noise as each hit the floor. There is another thud, a little heavier. I am positive those were jeans. A low growl rumbles in my chest. Christopher is going to take what little restraint I have and throw it right out the window.
His hand touches my shoulder as he lightly pulls me upright. Finally, I lose every last shred of control. Opening my eyes, I glower at my brother standing beside the tub. His hand has not moved from my shoulder. I am sure he can see the red tint to my eyes. If he were smart, he would move away before I move him. He knows I can do it. He knows I can throw him through the wall without even lifting a finger. Meeting his gaze, I see that he understands the danger he is bringing upon himself. Still, he stands his ground. There is sadness in those green eyes of his. His eyes are usually the brightest green that sparkles like emeralds with little gold flakes dancing in them. Taking a closer look at him, I notice his red hair is a mess, but then again he just woke up. I was right about his shirt, it is lying on the floor next to him. Gazing at his bare chest, I realize his shoulders are hunched and he appears smaller than usual. I have to say, I am grateful to see that he is not completely naked. His silk green boxer shorts are still around his waist. Closing my eyes again, I wonder what I am about to get myself into. I should just read his mind, yet, I do not care anymore. Why should I fight something that is proving to be un-fightable?
Leaning my body forward, Christopher slowly slips his body into the tub behind me. Letting go of the air I have been holding, I lean back, and his arms wrap around me. As my back rests against his broad chest and his grip tightens around my midsection, I know that once again Christopher is here for me. Christopher is here for me like he always is, like he has been since the very beginning. Being a vampire was not the life I would have chosen for myself. I would not have become a vampire if there was any other way. To keep my human family safe, I had no other choice. After witnessing the death of my lifelong friend and future husband at the hands of a blood-lusting vampire, there was nothing else for me to do but say ‘yes’. My life was spared. Well, I guess, you can say it was spared, if you want to call being frozen at the tender age of eighteen, left to walk this world as a blood thirsty monster for life.
Olivia, my “vampire mother” was the one who saved me from the Elder vampire who killed Robert. After she brought me to the others: her loving mate, Isaac, my vampire father, and Christopher, my adopted vampire brother, I was given the choice to join their family. I had one of two choices: to either become like them and one day find and kill Jackson, the Elder vampire who killed Robert and who would most likely hunt me and real my family down if I stayed human, or to stay human and die, most likely along with my family once Jackson came back to look for me.
I loved my family too much to think about me being the cause of their deaths, so I decided to become a vampire. It was the hardest choice of my life. To this day, I am still haunted by my decision. As my new life started, I struggled with what I had become. Not only did I become a monster, but I was different from the monsters that were my new family. As I fought with my new-found life and all the raw abilities that came along with it, Christopher was by my side. In the beginning when I was in too much shock to do anything but think, eat--which I did a lot of--and sleep, Christopher’s strong arms were around me. The first few months we
shared a bed. I did not talk much in the beginning so he would just lay there and hold me. When the full moon was upon us, he would sleep with his arms around me during the day, and at night when I slept, he would hold me tight and whisper kind things in my ear as I relived the nightmare of becoming a vampire over and over again. Until a few nights ago when I did sleep, all I ever dreamt about was that frightful fall night that changed the course of my life.
As time went on, I decided I no longer needed Christopher to hold me. I knew that he had feelings for me, I, however, did not feel the same way. Although he said he understood, I believe somewhere in his mind my brother hoped it was just another phase I was going through, and one day I would invite him back to my bed. I love Christopher to death, but until a few days ago, I never would have thought about anything going any further than his arms shielding me from hurt and pain. Nevertheless, after the awful scene that played out in the backyard of my house, I probably would have never considered him being more than just a brother to me.
As he holds me now, I can only wonder how much he is hurting, how much pain is coursing through his body as we sit in this tub. Two full days have yet to pass since he killed the woman he loved, the woman who was sent by Jackson to deceive our family. Jackson and Judy came up with the plan to try and kill each of my family members one by one--hopefully starting with Christopher. She intended to make Christopher fall in love with her so she could get close to my family. Jackson sought revenge because a little over four hundred and twenty years ago, he took Olivia from her home, from her husband and children and made her a vampire. After a few years, she realized Jackson, like most of those who were first transformed into vampires after the bubonic plague, had become crazy with bloodlust. She soon left him. Not long after, she found Christopher and then Isaac.
They were in the process of hunting Jackson when they came across Robert and me. Jackson was in the middle of showing Judy how and what vampires ate when Olivia found us. Judy was a girl who went missing a few months before my new life. Somehow she happened to be a causality of the monster world too. Although Jackson did not take her life like he did others, he saved her from two werewolves who were in the process of making her either dinner or a werewolf. Before she was able to become a full werewolf, Jackson exchanged blood with her, transforming her into a bloodwolf, or half vampire, half werewolf. Judy saw the pain Olivia caused Jackson by not only leaving him but also hunting him, and she vowed to help him destroy our family. By watching us over the last one hundred and ninety years, they did their homework. When Judy waltzed into Christopher’s life, not only did she tame the smooth bachelor and ladies’ man, she also convinced my family that the time I had spent apart from them should end. At the time, I was not living with my family. A little over fifty years before, after leaving the human man I loved more than life itself. I went off on my own, to have time to mourn the loss of what could have been. My family was completely unaware of the fact that I knew Judy from my past life, and I was confused with the fact that Christopher and Isaac, who are both mind readers, missed this impertinent information too. Although I am the strongest mind reader, my abilities were unable to read her thoughts either, so I was left with no choice but to do research. My research unearthed a lot of useful knowledge, which helped break the mind block Judy had in place. This is when we found out the truth, and this is when Christopher ended her life by ripping her heart out of her chest.
I know it hurt Christopher to have to kill Judy. I also know it hurt him that I went behind his back to discover all the information that ended her life. Still, he sits here with me, holding me. His cool breath is gently moving across my scalp. The look of anguish in Christopher’s green eyes after killing Judy was enough to finally send me over the edge. I knew he was unstable, I knew the pain reflected in his eyes. It was all too familiar to the pain that I live with on a daily basis. That was when I realized that I had been nothing but selfish. Not only had I caused Christopher pain over the years, but also hurt my other family members too. As Judy’s body lay limp on the ground and Christopher turned to leave, I offered myself to him. I told him I would give him what he wanted from day one. Me. Once he realized what I was offering, what I was finally willing to give, he turned me down. He told me he loved me too much to make me miserable for the rest of our unnatural lives. In a way, I am thankful that he did say no. As I stated, I love my brother to death, but he makes me want to claw my eyes out at times. We truly fight like siblings.
Christopher has mood swings that no one can see coming. One minute he can be loving, sweet and kind, and the next, he is trying to rip your throat out. He and I do not see eye to eye on most things. I prefer to either drink the blood of an animal or from a blood bank--the few that are run by vampires for those vampires like Isaac and I. Christopher would rather drink from a date or someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. I also do not feel comfortable using my abilities on humans. I am unaware of the long-term effect my abilities may have on them. Christopher has no problem erasing someone’s memory or reading their thoughts to use it against them.
The only real thing we do agree on is how much we love our parents. Isaac and Olivia are nothing but patient with us. Even as we stood in my backyard our parents stood by and let Christopher and I argue. They understood that one of two things was going to happen: either Christopher and I were going to run into each other’s arms and start kissing or Christopher was going to leave and never come back. Neither happened. As Christopher turned to leave, my cellular phone began to ring. Unless it was an absolute emergency, the phone was not supposed to ring. Only one person in the world knew that number, and it had not been used in over forty years.
Because I was heartbroken, I left my family to go on my own over fifty years before. I sent away my love and heart. Lance Grayson is the only man I ever loved, and after realizing I could not give him what he wanted and needed most in life, I made sure he had everything he would need to make his life as comfortable as possible. I made sure he had everything he required to have the family he wanted--the one thing that I could not give him. He and I could never be together, but I still wanted him to know I was there for him no matter what. It was unbearable and nothing could comfort me during that part of my life. I needed time to think, and time to hope that Lance would do as he always did, and fight for what was best for him. I needed to give him the time and space to realize that he and I could not be together, at the same time I needed time to realize that no one would love a cold-hearted beast like me, and his moving on with his life was for the best. It was something I wished I could have had the chance to do. Other than when Lance’s mother died a little over ten years after we went our separate ways, we had not seen each other again. Over the years I have kept tabs on him. When Lance’s mother died, my family joined me at Mrs. Grayson’s wake. I was worried about seeing Lance alone, but I was truly happy to see he had found a nice young lady. After talking for a while, he told me that he was thinking about marrying her.
My family and I did not stay long at the wake, and once my family realized I was still bent on staying on my own, in the States, they left for their home back in Europe. It was quite a surprise to hear my phone ringing a few days ago. I wondered what could be wrong for Lance to be calling. When I answered the phone I was even more surprised to be greeted by a female’s voice. It was the young lady Lance had promised to marry all those years ago. Madeline Grayson called to tell me that Lance had passed away earlier that day; she invited me to the funeral. She explained that Lance had told her everything and made her promise to call me once he was gone.
Thinking of Lance not being on this earth anymore makes my body quiver from the inside out. In response to the tremors, Christopher's grip tightens. His lips lightly touch the back of my head. This is not right; I should be the one consoling him. My relationship ended over fifty years ago. Christopher has only had a few days to adjust to his loss. I should speak, but I do not trust what may or may not come out. Taking a deep breath, I
try to relax against his body. Leaning my head back against his right shoulder, I breathe again. The water is much cooler now. It is a good thing temperature does not affect us. Even if it did, I do not think I will be moving anytime soon.
In the room adjacent to Christopher’s and my room, Olivia and Isaac are talking. They are worried about tomorrow. It concerns them that Madeline is aware of what we are. We all know that most humans either do not believe that vampires are real, or they have ideas of how a vampire should or should not act dictated by books and movies. There will be no danger tomorrow for my family, and they should know that too. However, they still talk of concerns of our safety.
The slight movement of Christopher’s lips nearing my ear brings my attention back to him. Christopher can hear our parents’ conversation just as well as I can. I am unsure if he is trying to keep me distracted or if he has changed his mind, and he is now ready to take me up on the offer of us having a relationship. The other day he was adamant on us not having a relationship, but I know Christopher, his moods and thoughts change with the wind. As his cool breath glides down the side of my neck, I attempt to relax my muscles. Whatever he has chosen, either a distraction or relationship, I am open to it. I am open to whatever it takes to make the pain go away. To make the voices, the worry and the complete feeling of nothingness vanish.
“Amber, I think it's time to get out. I don't know how long you’ve been in here, but I joined you about three hours ago. You must be tired.”
Hmm, I did not realize so much time has passed. I will not tell him that I have probably been in here well over twelve hours. I really do not feel like telling him anything. I really do not feel like moving. Perhaps if I continue to stay quiet, he will just let me sit here for a while longer.
I sense my unresponsiveness is making him upset. His body tenses for just a second, but he is trying hard not to fight with me.
His mouth is once again at the side of my ear. “You’re really going to make this hard for me, aren't you?”
A soft chuckle escapes his lips. It gently brushes my ear.
“Oh, Amber, I should’ve known you would try every bit of patience in my body. Come, it's time to get out. I can tell you need to sleep.”
With that, he starts to move me forward again. Moving as fast as only a vampire can, he is out of the tub.
“Amber, open your eyes. Sweetie, please.”
Why can he not just leave me alone?
“Umm, Amber, you do know I can hear your thoughts?”
All right, he has my attention. Opening my eyes, I see the sadness etched on Christopher's face. He is standing in front of me with a towel wrapped around his waist. His boxers are lying on the floor in the corner.
He brings a second towel up to my view. “Come on, I’ll help you get out. Why do you look so confused, did you not realize you were broadcasting your thoughts?”
Shaking my head, I remain seated gazing at him. Have I really been broadcasting all of my thoughts? Has Christopher heard every thought that has run through my head in the past couple of hours?
“Yes, Amber, yes, I have. I think Olivia and Isaac can too. We understand. This can be a lot to have to deal with.”
This is bad. I usually have control of my abilities. My wall for keeping my thoughts in and others out is always up to par. Oh, well. I do not think I really care if they hear me.
Christopher rolls his eyes at me and my thoughts. “Amber, I will pull you out of this tub if you don’t stand up and get out.”
Taking what seems like ten of the biggest breaths in the last two minutes, I slowly start to get up. It should bother me that I have no clothing on and Christopher is standing here holding my towel, save I do not care. As I step out of the water, Christopher wraps the towel around my midsection and slowly spins us around so he can sit on the edge of the tub. Before I can ask him what he is doing, he starts to dry me off. Moving the towel over my legs and up to my back. He gingerly takes each arm and massages it in a slow circular motion until he reaches my fingertips. He repeats this process until I am completely dry. As he stands our eyes meet. The gold flakes in his eyes seem to be dull. Christopher takes the towel and wraps it back around my midsection, and bends quickly, sweeping me off my feet. I have no will to fight him, so instead I lay my head on his shoulder. As we pass the mirror in the bedroom, my attention is drawn to the lovely couple in the reflection. There is a man, tall with broad shoulders. His red hair cut short. He has nothing but a towel on. In his arms is a female, slender but muscular. Her wheat colored hair is pulled back in a neat bun on top of her head. Both of their skin is smooth and flawless, a little paler than most, but still complete perfection. You can tell by the way the man holds her, he cares a lot for her. You can also tell that he is afraid of holding her too tight, not wanting to crush her smaller frame into his body. Looking at this young pair in the mirror, one can only wonder of all the possibilities. What led them to this place? What is in store for them? Will there be a happy ending?
I truly wish I knew the answers to all those questions. I wish I could help the lovely twosome in the mirror. I wish I could tell them that all will be fine, and everything in the past was well worth it. It had to be for it to have guided them to the place they are now. As much as the young pair in the mirror whose lives could lead in so many different directions, it will never be for Christopher and me. As he lowers me on the bed, I can see in his eyes that he saw the same young and vulnerable couple as we passed the mirror. Without speaking, Christopher turns and pulls a new pair of silk boxers out of his suitcase and a white tee-shirt. After slipping the boxers on he turns back to me and leans over. My breath catches in my throat. As he starts to remove my now damp towel, I do not fight him. The towel slides from my body and he tosses it behind him, and he does not hesitate before he helps me into the tee-shirt he pulled out of his suitcase.
Christopher then lifts me off the bed with one arm while he pulls the cover back with the other. Laying me back on the bed, he turns to walk away. “Christopher, wait don’t go.”
Without turning around, he calls over his shoulder, “I’m only letting the water out of the tub. I’ll be right back.”
Before he finishes with his statement, he is back in the room, pulling down the other side of the covers and climbing into the bed with me. Putting his arms back around me, he pulls me close. His slow beating heart thumps against my back, and his cool breath once again moves across my scalp.
“Go to sleep, Amber. I’ll be right here. I promise, I won’t go anywhere.”
As I close my eyes, all I see are visions of Lance's face dancing across the insides of my eye lids. His face is so clear, those bright blue eyes, his short jet black curly hair. His olive colored skin and his full lips opened to the most handsome smile I have ever seen. Each one of the faces I view now, are showing a different emotion. Two expressions stick out the most. The first is the day I told him I loved him, and the second was the day we said our final goodbyes. Oh, how I wish he was here right now. How I wish I had a chance to tell him I love him more than anything one last time. I do not think he ever understood how much I care for him. How much I love him. It is tearing my insides apart to know that I will never have the chance to tell or show him again. My body once again begins to tremble with grief, Christopher only holds tighter. My sobs are silent and tearless. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realize how well I fit in his arms, how we go together like puzzle pieces. I will need to put that even farther back in my mind for now. Maybe one day soon, Christopher and I will re-cross this bridge. Right now, all I can think about is Lance.
2
Pile of Dust
Opening my eyes to a new morning, a morning that I have feared for so many years, I am relieved to still feel Christopher holding me. I do not know what time I finally fell asleep or for how long I have slept. To know that he kept his promise, and is still by my side, helping dull the pain that still rips through my body, shows me th
at I will hopefully make it through this day.
The door to the other suite opens. Right on time, Olivia walks into our room. She is not surprised to find Christopher in the bed with me. This is not the first time she has walked in on a scene like this.
“Good morning, darlings.”
Sitting on the side of the bed, she leans over and kisses me on my cheek.
“I think it would be a good idea if we find something to eat before the service today. Isaac scouted out the church last night, and there aren’t many windows for ventilation.”
I respond with a nod. The thought crossed my mind yesterday, save I was in no mood to act on it. I have not eaten since Wednesday evening. That is usually acceptable, but I used a lot of energy communicating Judy's thoughts to everyone. It will be best if I do eat before I am locked in the church with a bunch of Lance’s friends and family.
Christopher loosens his grip. It is taking everything in me not to pull his arms back around me. Feeling his body separate from mine leaves me feeling cold. It is impossible for me to feel the cold, but still I feel a lack of warmth where his body was. I sit up to get out of the bed, but stop. I do not trust my feet to move. My legs are strong and fit, yet, I have an uncomfortable feeling that if I move to fast they may give out on me.
Olivia grabs my hand and gives it a light squeeze before saying, “It’ll be okay, sweetie, I promise you. Come on and get dressed so we can eat.”
Even though I do not want to start this day, she is right. With a heavy heart, I pull the covers back. I can do this. I must do this. Lance would want nothing less.
