by Candy Crum
“Whatever you think was going on here was not, I assure you. This is a training exercise, not a hunting trip,” Aeric said harshly.
Grace scoffed. “I could sense your foul aura from a mile away. I followed it here in time to smell the girl’s blood, and you’re trying to tell me that you weren’t about to feed?” she questioned angrily.
“He isn’t lying,” Kailah said, defending him.
Grace turned back to Kailah. “Oh?”
“No, I was fully aware of what was going on. I’m not nearly as helpless as you think. I’m an Immortal. That’s what they keep telling me, at least.”
Grace’s big eyes widened even further. “An Immortal? Then why are you sticking up for him? Why haven’t you killed him?”
Kailah shook her head. “It’s not what you think. He really was helping me learn to use my abilities. I haven’t been able to use them on my own, so he used his opposing energy to influence my senses. He wasn’t attacking me.”
A sarcastic expression crossed Grace’s face. “And the blood?” Her tone sounded a bit skeptical.
“The queen has taken me in, and Aeric—that guy over there—and his twin brother Brett have completely abandoned self-care to make sure I’m okay. All I’ve done is treat them like shit because this transition stuff is very hard. I had a chance to give something back to him, and I wanted to.” Kailah took a deep breath before blowing it out, confident her answer would suffice.
“I see. You, Vampire. You should know this is highly dangerous. Even if she is an Immortal, you could still kill her. She’s still human at the moment.” She looked back at Kailah. “What’s your name girl?”
“I’m Kailah.”
Grace reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. Kailah looked and saw that it had the Vampire’s name and phone number on it.
“If you’re with Queen Khanae, then I assume you’re the Elysian. If that’s so, I’m yours whenever you need me. Training with a Vampire tells me you’re fighting for life—not total destruction.”
“Thank you, Grace,” Kailah said.
Aeric was still visibly upset, but Kailah understood why. There was only a brief gust of wind when Grace ran away, disappearing in a blur. Shrugging it off as normal at that point, Kailah turned and walked back to Aeric, who was still in his natural state.
“Why were you so upset with Grace? It was obvious she had no plans of hurting me,” Kailah said.
“In my natural state, I can be a little…” he searched for a word.
“Rude?”
“Territorial,” he finished. “I haven’t fed in a while, and when I let my instincts drive me, I get a little territorial. Not rude.” He managed a smile, even through his anger.
“Ah, I see. Well, what should we do now?”
“I need to go hunt before we leave. I’m more or less stuck in my natural state until I’ve eaten, and at this point, I’ll need to drink far more than I would like to take from you,” he said.
“I think you should go hunt then. I can’t take you through town looking like that,” she said with a light laugh.
Aeric laughed. “Gee, thanks.”
“Well, just because I find your natural Vampire look kind of sexy doesn’t mean it wouldn’t scare the crap out of the town’s people.” Oops. It seemed her filter had almost completely disappeared.
Kailah realized that she had become far too comfortable with him in the little bit of time they’d spent together throughout the day. She wasn’t sure if she liked that or not.
“Sexy? Hmm, is that so?” he asked with a grin.
“Don’t read into that too much. Lestat was my first book boyfriend.”
“Uh huh, sure,” he said with another of his devious grins. “I’ll be right back. It shouldn’t take long.”
Aeric was a blur as he ran off. Standing around, she thought of everything that happened that day and how she could work on it by herself. She needed to be able to practice on her own.
Like she’d told everyone before, Aeric wasn’t always going to be around. She needed to be able to protect herself if she ever found herself alone. It was going to take some work, but she was certain she could do it.
Kailah didn’t have to wait for very long. Aeric hadn’t exaggerated. It only took him about ten minutes to hunt.
“Back already?” she asked.
“Yep, ready to go?”
“I suppose.”
She was kind of disappointed they were leaving, but it was getting late in the day. She had a lot of fun learning how to use her abilities. Though she hated to admit it, it was nice getting to hang out with Aeric, too. He wasn’t so bad.
As Aeric moved to walk past her, she saw there was a little blood on his perfect chest. She raised her hand to wipe it off and realized that it wasn’t his.
“Messy eater?” she asked a little sarcastically.
“Uh, yeah. I guess you could call it that.” He seemed a little embarrassed, but in a flash, that was gone. A quick, mischievous look quickly took over, and she immediately became worried.
“What?” she inquired hesitantly.
He took a step toward her and scooped her up bridal style. He only chuckled before taking a giant leap from the creek bed—twenty feet in the air—over the railing of the bridge and put her down. It was impossible to hide her shocked expression.
“Holy hell. Yeah, okay, so that was interesting. How about not doing it again?”
He laughed. “Maybe. I can’t promise anything. If I see an opening to make you squeal again, I might be forced to take it. Take that how you wish.” He winked.
She swallowed hard, trying to brush off what he’d just said. To cover it, she rolled her eyes and got in the car. She stared out the window for a long time with a smile on her face. It was the best day she’d had in a long time, and the first time since her new life started that she felt like she meant something in the bigger picture.
She could have sat in silence the entire ride back, but Aeric had other plans.
“Kailah,” he said quietly.
“Yeah?” She looked over to see concern washing over his face.
“Are you really going out with Sam?”
Why did he care? “How did you know?”
“Wendy told Sayen, and I overheard.”
“Ah,” she said. “What did Sayen say?”
“They were both ecstatic for you. They thought it was a great idea. They both looked ahead to see any negative outcomes and couldn’t find any, so they thought it was wonderful. So, I suppose that’s a yes then?”
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a really great guy. I’ve known him for quite a while. He’s always treated me nicely,” she answered. “The only thing holding me back was the worry that something might go wrong. If Sayen and Wendy both say it’s fine, then I guess it’s fine.”
His eyes furrowed a bit. “When I asked about it, Wendy and Sayen both assured me that everything was going to be fine, but I can’t shake the bad feeling I have about it.”
“Bad feeling? What do you mean?”
“I’ve never met the guy, but something doesn’t seem right. I just feel like he isn’t being honest,” he said.
Aeric was insinuating that Sam, a great friend, was deliberately trying to hurt her. That he might be lying to her about wanting to see her for some reason.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, immediately feeling her irritation grow.
“Think about it, Kailah. How long have you liked this guy?” he asked.
“That’s none of your business!”
“I’m serious, Kailah. How long?” he asked again.
“For a while, I guess. Almost as long as I’ve known him.”
“And he’s never once asked you out? Never once hinted he might want to?”
She shook her head, knowing exactly where he was headed with his line of questioning.
“Has he ever flirted with you?”
She shook her head again. Aeric’s intrusion on her personal life was bad enough, but p
art of her knew he was right. Something didn’t seem right about it all, but they’d been friends for so long. And just because he’d never flirted with her didn’t mean anything. She’d never flirted with him either. She’d always kept things very professional. If she couldn’t have anything else from him, his friendship was more than enough.
“Don’t you find it just a little strange that he mysteriously has a thing for you and wants to go on a date with you after you’ve gained your powers and after there is an army of Vampires and Immortals after you?”
“Are you kidding me right now? Are you listening to yourself? Wendy and Sayen both agreed this was a good idea! He has always been there for me and helped me whenever I needed it. He is a friend. Do you have their abilities? Can you see into the future? No. You’re being paranoid. More than that, you’re making it sound like I’m unlikable. Undesirable.”
“Oh, believe me, I am not paranoid,” he said flatly.
“Jealous then?” She had no idea why she asked, and part of her was shocked that she did. The irritated Immortal part that hated everything he was, however, didn’t care one bit.
“Jealous?” he repeated.
“Yes! You’re either suggesting that it’s impossible for him to be interested in me—and therefore must be up to something bad—or you’re jealous that I’m going out with him, and you’re trying to get in the way. Is that why you were so playful and sweet today? So you could crush me later by telling me the guy I’m planning on going out with couldn’t possibly be interested in me? So, I would listen to your every word no matter how ridiculous? I should have known better.” Her voice was cold, but she didn’t care.
“No. I was nice to you today because I was genuinely having a good time and was looking forward to finally burying whatever issues lie between us.”
She almost felt guilt, but as usual, the hormones kept that at bay as she focused on her anger. This time, she didn’t feel like he was completely undeserving of it. He was attacking someone close to her, someone he didn’t know at all.
“I wasn’t at all jealous. I have no reason to be jealous. You do not in any way belong to me. You are, however, the great-great-granddaughter of my best friend in the entire world, and someone that I was put in charge of protecting and instructing. If I let anything happen to you, I would never forgive myself. Hate me all you want, but I have a bad feeling about this date. I can’t tell you if it’s him or the date itself, but something isn’t right. It feels off.”
“Whatever. I think it would be best if we stopped talking about this because I’m not entirely sure that I can keep from accidentally maiming you in this car,” she snapped.
She could feel the energy swirling and coiling up in her stomach, and it was taking everything she had to keep it there.
“Fine,” was all he said as he sped up the car.
Chapter Twelve
A couple of days passed, and Friday had arrived. Kailah would finally be going on a date with Sam. After everything that had happened with Aeric, she accepted Sam’s offer. She was almost convinced Aeric was just acting jealous or being mean, but it didn’t matter to her either way. She’d wanted to go out with Sam for a very long time, and she wasn’t about to let him ruin it for her.
Kailah and Rachel decided to spend the early part of the day pampering themselves. As it turned out, Rachel also had a special night planned. Brett finally asked her out, and Rachel accepted. It had been a long time since Kailah had seen her best friend so happy.
It would be their first real date, and while Kailah was excited for Rachel, she also hated that it would mean her best friend would be faced with very hard decisions. Her life would always be in danger, but if she managed to survive long enough to age and stayed with him, she would either have to grow old and die or turn to be with him forever.
She didn’t want Rachel to have to give up her humanity.
But that was a problem for another time. The day would not be about negativity or dangers. It was supposed to be all about fun.
The nail salon they chose was a tiny little hole-in-the-wall place inside of a mall in Clarksville. Most salons in Indiana weren’t very fancy, but it was nice enough. When they walked in, they were happy to see it wasn’t busy, and they were able to get right in.
They walked in and quickly picked out what they wanted before sitting down at a table. A woman with auburn hair tied back in a ponytail sat and greeted Kailah. “Hi! What can I do for you today?”
Kailah picked up the organizer with the color swatches and chose a beautiful metallic blue. “I would like to ha…”
The world around her seemed to shift, and she looked down at her hands to see the metallic blue French tips she’d planned to ask for were already done. The woman helping her was finishing them off with the top coat right then.
“How?” Kailah asked quietly to herself.
“Hmm? What?” The manicurist looked up and smiled. “Is something wrong?”
Everything waved around her again, and she wondered if she might still be asleep. A cold chill settled in her body. It was a familiar and threatening chill, but one she was quickly becoming accustomed to.
She immediately felt sick as she looked over her left shoulder to see Death standing against the back wall. The slits in his hidden face that served as his eyes narrowed as he pointed to the woman who had been doing my nails.
Confused, Kailah looked over at the manicurist and fought back a scream. She nearly tripped over the rolling chair she sat in as she bolted out of it while trying to scurry back. The manicurist’s throat had been torn open, and it was very obvious by the hideous angle that her neck had been snapped. It hung lifelessly, drooping down her back.
Kailah looked over at Rachel, and she wore a look of absolute horror as she saw what Kailah had.
Working in healthcare for so long, Kailah was used to seeing a great deal of vomit-inducing injuries while being forced to hold herself together. She’d also seen her best friend nearly die. Though it horrified Kailah in many ways, the sight of that woman didn’t actually bother her past the sadness of an innocent life lost.
Kailah’s senses went off, and she remembered her best friend was standing alone. Rachel had been with her own manicurist, but he was now long gone. Kailah spun around, looking all over for him.
The world shifted again, and she heard a screech from behind her. “Kailah!”
Kailah’s head whipped back in Rachel’s direction and found her being held by the missing manicurist. He smiled gravely at Kailah, bearing his fangs. His teeth mirrored those of Aeric’s, not Jeff’s, and he was out during the daylight. He was a daywalker, which proved not all of them were good.
Kailah lunged for him, but he was much faster and skilled than she was. Before she could even close half the distance, the soul-crushing, sickening sound of Rachel’s neck cracked echoed through the room and drowned out every other noise—though not the sounds of Kailah’s screams.
“Kailah!” she heard a frantic and familiar voice say. “Kailah, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
She took a sharp breath as she awoke, violently swinging. Aeric quickly captured her flailing arms and pinned them to the bed as he leaned over her. After several moments, she realized it was him and stopped fighting. As usual, he wore a concerned expression, and the familiarity of his features calmed her and slowed her racing heart. She suddenly felt safe in his presence, and relief washed over her that Rachel was safe in the other room.
Tears welled in Kailah’s eyes, and he loosened his grip on her wrists. In an instant, her arms wrapped around his neck as she cried against him. He shifted a little and pulled her tighter against him before softly running his fingers through her hair.
“I’m sorry I was mean to you again,” she blurted out. She felt the need to apologize, and it came spilling out right along with her tears.
“Shh. You have nothing to be sorry for. You never have.”
“I’ve been a pretty evil, rotten bitch to you and look… I have a t
errible dream, and you’re right here holding me and making me feel better. I’m sorry.” She sniffed as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
He backed away from her, so he could look into her eyes. He lightly brushed a few loose strands of hair off her face and smiled softly. “No, you don’t. The transition going on inside you and the fact that you were quite literally born to hate what I am puts you in a pretty volatile position. I’ve never blamed you, not once.”
“Then how do you explain my fondness of Brett?” She couldn’t help the smile that tried to form. She couldn’t even help but torment him, even right then in that comfortable moment.
He laughed lightly. “Had we met under normal circumstances, I think we would have gotten along better.”
Kailah nodded, and his smile faded.
“I’m sorry, but I saw your dream. Are you okay? How are you feeling now?”
“It was so real. I could even smell the fingernail polish and acrylic they use. I thought we were actually there, and then the world swiveled. That was when I realized I was dreaming. But once everything started happening, I forgot about that all over, and it felt completely real again. When I saw her die…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as tears began to fall again.
Aeric gently took both sides of her face in his large, strong hands and forced her to look at him. “It was only a dream. Rachel is safe and in the TV room. She’s passed out on the couch with Amanda. She’s perfectly safe. You’re probably nervous about going out with Sam.”
She couldn’t help but notice how he forced himself to say his name.
He continued. “And you might even be subconsciously worrying about the fact that you’ll be alone. You haven’t been without one of us in quite some time. But even so, I think it would be best if we spoke to Sayen about this. I’m sorry, but I can’t lie and say I’m not a little worried about your date. I’ve watched a lot of bad things happen to you in the short time we’ve known each other, and I can’t stand to watch something else happen. So...”
Kailah nodded, interrupting him. “If it’ll make you feel more at ease, we can talk to Sayen about it.”
