by Candy Crum
I decided to play nice. “Hey, Brett,” I said with a smile.
“Hello, ladies,” Aeric said as he stood and walked around Brett.
“Oh, hell no,” I protested. “You invited him, too? Brett was okay. He’s kind of big and dumb, and it makes me like him for some reason. But that arrogant bastard over there… No. Just no, Rach.”
I hadn’t noticed him before, and I’d hoped that it was only Brett visiting, seeing as he and Rachel seemed to be hitting it off so well, much to my dismay. Also to my dismay, I realized that Brett wasn’t the only one dressed nicely.
Aeric’s long, black hair hung loose over his shoulders. He wore a white, V-neck undershirt that showed off his impressive chest and well-built arms, which I could plainly see. He wore khaki cargo pants and black boots. Everything he wore accented every feature, curve, and muscle that he had. He was truly beautiful. I just hated that he was an arrogant ass.
“I suddenly feel pukey,” Amanda said.
My heart dropped at the thought that she was reacting negatively like I had. I just kept telling myself that Sayen said that only one of us would be that way and she was certain that it was me. I decided not to let it bother me. We all shared the same bloodline, so it was possible that she had the sensory powers, which made sense given how intuitive she was, but nothing else. Not to mention, she’d just been through an intensely stressful situation. That was all the first time for her, just like the hospital had been the first for me.
“Don’t feel bad, sissa,” I said. “He makes me want to puke out my insides, too. Let’s get you inside.”
Brett laughed. “Oh, I’m so glad I came. This should be good fun.”
His positive attitude and sense of humor never ceased to amaze me. As I helped Amanda up the porch steps, Aeric gently caught me by the arm.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his smile falling and his expression turning serious.
“Didn’t you get your ass verbally handed to you by a certain relative of mine the last time you put your parasitic hands on me?” I asked, voice cold and tone harsh. Jeezy creezy… This was getting out of hand. It just blurted out! I didn’t even mean to say it!
His eyes narrowed slightly. “As much as I would love to banter with you some more, I’m going to let that go. Something happened, didn’t it? I can smell…” His sentence dropped off as he stared into my eyes.
I felt my stomach jump a little, and I jerked my arm away. “Smell what?”
He slowly shook his head. “You didn’t want my help, remember?” He smiled. The way he did told me that he knew everything. He knew what happened with Khia.
I rolled my eyes and went back to Amanda’s side.
“There’s something about them that I don’t like,” she said softly.
“Don’t feel bad. I don’t like them either. Especially that one,” I said, gesturing with my head in Aeric’s direction.
Somehow, I managed to get her inside and to the bathroom just in time for her to vomit in the toilet. Relief washed through me when I checked her pulse and it felt normal. Her symptoms didn’t match mine from when I started sensing Vampires. The only things that she seemed to be experiencing was the nausea and vomiting.
To relax us both, I told her it was more than likely the stress of the battle in Seymour and that we could talk more about it later, when she was feeling better. Upsetting her more right then would do no good.
Mary, Rachel’s mom, came in and told me to take Amanda to her room so she could rest in there. Doing as I was told, I tucked Amanda in Mary’s oversized bed and grabbed the remote to the TV and the bathroom trashcan in case she needed to get sick again. She apologized to me a couple of times for getting sick, but I assured her that it was more than okay. She had very good reason to be stressed out. Of the two of us, I’m always the weakest willed, so I was happy that I could be there for her right then.
Our mom left when I was nine and that left raising Amanda up to me, despite closeness in age. Mom wasn’t permanently gone, but she always made excuses to not get us. Dad worked overtime in maintenance at a big factory in Seymour, so we never really got to see him either. He worked hard to get us by. We didn’t have a lot and he wanted to give us the world, when really, all we wanted was him. But even without our parents’ constant supervision, and my timid-only nature guiding her, Amanda was one of the most amazing people I’d ever met. So, I suppose that I did a good job.
When I made my way outside, I saw that Mary had set the outside table in the time it took me to get Amanda settled in. She silently made adjustments to the things that she didn’t have, like the disposable plates and silverware that Amanda and I was supposed to get, by using real ones. I felt terrible about that, but it couldn’t be helped. What upset me most was that Mary more than likely thought that both of us just bailed on her. She had no idea why we didn’t have the things she asked for. Damn my guilty conscience. I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t. The less our loved ones knew, the better.
Brett, Rachel, and Mary all sat on one side of the table and Aeric sat on the other, leaving me no chjoice but to sit next to him. I knew that I was purposely set up, but I also knew that everyone was more than likely aware of my distaste for it, so I decided to spare Rachel the speech. As I reached the table, I saw a plate full of food in front of each of the guys.
“Oh, this should be good,” I said with a big smile. “Eat up, boys.”
“Kailah!” Rachel scolded.
I smiled knowingly at her. “What?”
Actually, we have no problem eating solid food. You would know that if you would have stuck around for orientation with the rest of the class.
I stiffened as I heard Aeric’s voice in my head. He only winked when I gave him the death glare. Annoying him somehow seemed like the best option, and I decided to poke the bear again.
“And how is your steak prepared?” I asked Aeric with as much sarcasm as I could muster.
“I just knew this would be great,” Brett said. I didn’t have to look at him to know he was smiling. He loved watching Aeric and I go at each other like that.
Aeric smiled. “Why, Kailah, I’m so happy that you asked! It’s prepared with a garlic and onion seasoning,” he said, making sure to stop and accentuate the word garlic. “I know you misheard and thought that I had an allergy, but I assure you that I don’t. There are many things you don’t know about me yet. But back to the steak… It’s lightly seared on each side, making it the perfect texture on the outside and rare on the inside.”
“So… bloody then,” I said, my face bored and voice flat.
He smiled again. “Very.”
“Awesome,” I replied as I looked away to my own plate.
Brett laughed lightly at me. When I glanced in his direction, he was shaking his head. Don’t let him get to ya. He’s really not such a bad guy. He’s actually a really great guy. You are just ultra-sensitive to us right now because your powers are controlling you instead of the other way around. You’ll come around. It’ll get better.
I smiled and cut into my steak. Thunder cracked in the distance and my head nearly leapt from its resting place on my shoulders.
“Please, God, no,” I said.
“What is it?” Rachel asked.
“Khia’s coming,” Brett stated. All humor was gone. His brows were furrowed, his jaw set, and his nostrils slightly flared. He was all business.
“Oh, my God. Mom, get inside now,” Rachel demanded.
Rachel quickly helped Mary inside, and I wondered if Mary knew what was going on. Silently, I prayed that Amanda stayed asleep inside. I couldn’t bear her going through that again. I didn’t even want to go through it again. The sky began to darken as storm clouds rolled in and more thunder clapped overhead.
“What happened?” Brett asked. His normally light attitude was thick and serious, his Romanian accent coming through much stronger as well.
“Khia attacked Amanda and me when we were at the store getting the things that Mary asked for. It was
horrible, but another woman was there. She was an Immortal, but she had blonde hair.”
“That was Wendy Cain. Sayen saved her from Khia’s grasp long ago and Wendy swore she would help Sayen whenever she needed her. She’s only a few centuries old, so she’s not old enough to have the white hair. It comes with age and power. Next to Khia and Sayen, however, she’s the next in line for most powerful. She was the last known Immortal to be born before you,” Aeric said.
The thunder was rolling in, the last one close enough and loud enough that it shook the ground around us.
“We don’t really have time to be discussing this right now. The two of you need to get inside. We will take care of Khia,” Aeric ordered.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve seen what that woman can do! There is no way you can fight her! You’ll die!” I argued.
I didn’t know what was about to happen, but despite my hatred for Aeric, I knew that he didn’t deserve to die. He was a good guy, no matter what my alter-Immortal-ego wanted to tell me. Brett certainly didn’t deserve it either.
“It’s me that she wants,” I said. “If it will save everyone else, then just let her take me.”
Aeric turned and looked into my eyes. “That’s very noble of you, and I admire that you would be willing to sacrifice yourself to save the people you love. More than you know. But if Khia gets you, it will kill everyone. Maybe not right now, but it will in the future. That includes your sister and Rachel.
“How will you stop her then?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Brett stepped forward. “She knows we are here. There’s no running. She will catch us. We have to stay and fight.”
“She plans to teach you how to use your abilities and then use you to destroy the Vampire race. Good or bad, innocent or guilty, we would all be destroyed. She then wants to use her power to live out in the open. She lost her throne in Egypt long ago when Khanae rose against her. Khia vowed to take that throne back. There is no way in hell she is settling for just Egypt. She’s not a good person, and you are far too good to be with her. Please… Go inside and let us help you.”
I nodded and started to turn, but saw Khia rounding the back corner of the house. The wind began to whip around us, only that time, it was far less violent.
“Kailah, dear, you really should reconsider the company you keep. We both know that I’m going to have to kill them to get to you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Khia had changed clothes since our last little encounter. Strange. She was dressed in a long white jacket that was buttoned all the way down to the waist and flared open down to her feet. Under the jacket, she wore a white shirt with long black pants and black stiletto boots. If nothing else, she was very fashionable.
“You would be wise to leave, Khia,” Aeric said, almost spitting the words at her.
“She’s my family. You vermin have no ties to her whatsoever – unless it’s having her for dinner. I that that it would be wise for you to leave instead.” She gave him a crooked grin and my guilt crushed me.
Was that what I looked like when I spoke to him like that? Was that how I sounded? I’d certainly said things very close, and some of them even worse than what she had. It was her that was inside of me. It was her horrible genes that made me think the way that I did. Even though the real me would never say such things, since the Immortal power had come to the surface, I’d been a terrible person. A terrible person to those who had only saved our lives and were even willing to risk their lives for us right then.
At that moment, I hated her. I hated Khia. I hated her for breeding her hatred into the bloodlines and passing it down to me. I refused to allow it to control me any longer. I refused to allow her to control me any longer.
Find a way to get out of there, now, Sayen said.
“Well, if it isn’t the pleasant voice of a traitor… Again,” Khia said sarcastically. “Kailah, dear, don’t listen to her. I’m simply here to help you! You don’t understand who you are and where you came from. If you did, you wouldn’t be acquainted with… parasites,” she said, repeating the word that I’d hurled at Aeric earlier that evening.
“I don’t want anything to do with you. Anyone as terrifying as you are, couldn’t possibly have an ounce of good in them,” I said defiantly.
“She’s definitely no one that you want – or need – to know. Believe me,” Brett said.
“Oh, my. That wasn’t very nice, now was it? But I suppose that I shouldn’t expect manners from an abomination. Kailah, I am family.” She took a step forward.
“Family doesn’t legitimately try to kill or harm one another. You tried to kill me! You’re no family of mine.”
“Trust me. If family didn’t try to kill one another every once in a while, they can’t truly call themselves family. Now, isn’t that right, boys? Isn’t that what this war is all about?”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but I let it go. I didn’t want to speak to her more than necessary.
“You’re not at all the person they would have you believe that you are. You come from a very powerful family.” She smiled.
“A powerful family that is hell bent on destroying everything that doesn’t bow down to them,” Aeric said coldly.
Khia ignored him. “All this time, I’ve been waiting for you to reveal yourself. I never imagined you would have as much power as you do, even knowing the prophecy. You haven’t even transitioned yet! It’s amazing! You are the greatest thing I have ever had a hand in creating.”
The thought of having even a fraction of her power overwhelmed me, but knowing that I was supposedly destined to be even stronger? Inconceivable. I became lightheaded again with the reality of everything happening, and I stumbled a bit. Strong arms wrapped around me, supporting me. Looking up, I saw that Aeric’s eyes were staring down into mine.
“Disgusting,” Khia spat. “How can you allow him to touch you? Does he not repulse you?”
I sighed, not able to look away from Aeric. “When he isn’t irritating the hell out of me, he really isn’t such a bad guy.” The words came out effortlessly. I knew that my knee-jerk reaction to want to hate him wasn’t gone, but hearing Khia speak to them flipped a switch and broke it off. I would never allow my power to cloud my judgement again like that.
“I can feel your uncertainty of me, yet what he is doesn’t chill you to the bone?” Khia asked, confusion plainly on her face.
“This is between you and us. Vampires and Immortal. This has nothing to do with the girls. Kailah doesn’t even have active powers. They are only passive, at best. They only work when she’s severely threatened. Leave them be,” Aeric said.
My head was spinning as I watched the argument ensue between the three of them. Brett looked as though he was about to pounce on her. Aeric still held on to me, and I was kind of glad. Otherwise, I might have fallen several times by then. My head was not cooperating.
“No, it’s between my granddaughter and me. The only reason why she tolerates you is because you’ve hidden yourself. Do you honestly think that she’ll have anything to do with you once she sees the real you? You made her sick, child. You know this to be true. You know what she is and the way she’s built. She naturally wants to vomit just from looking at you. How she is stomaching your touch is beyond me, but rest assured, once she sees the real you, she will hate you without remorse. Save yourself the trouble of trying to wrongly save someone that loathes you. Step aside.”
I felt Aeric stiffen at her words, and I felt terrible. She basically reiterated everything I’d been screaming at him since I’d met him.
Aeric relaxed a bit as he bounced back from her intense insults. “Do you want her to find out this way? Do you want her to witness a fight between us without her understanding what she’s seeing?” Aeric asked.
Khia shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter to me. She’s seen plenty already. She knows what I’m capable of. She isn’t a helpless child, like yourself. She’s an Immortal. She can handle a battle or two.”
Aeric began to tremble against me as he shook with anger. “Not… this… way,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Move,” Khia said. Her voice had become deathly cold as it had earlier.
Lightning crashed above us with loud thunder following them. Khia took a step forward and Aeric protectively pushed me behind him.
“You would choose these monsters over your own family?” Khia asked, disbelief apparent in her voice.
The temperature began to drop, causing me to shake. “W-well, if it’s t-true that you are the grandmother of my great-great grandmoth-ther, and you’re ssstill kicking, wouldn’t that then m-make you the monster?” I asked.
Brett laughed loudly. “She has a very valid point, you know.”
Let them get you away from her. Quickly.
“That’s all the instruction that I needed,” Brett said as he took a step forward. He’d been listening into my thoughts and heard Sayen, or so I thought.
As I peeked my way around Aeric’s broad back, Khia’s eyes stared daggers into mine. “Girl, you are a coward, but we will fix that soon enough. Remove yourself from that parasites grasp and come to me, now.” When I didn’t move, I felt the temperature drop again. “Fine. Have it your way. If you won’t come willingly, then you will come by force.”
Suddenly, it felt as though something was pushing down on me as Khia’s direction changed. She locked her eyes on Aeric and her hand twitched as a hard gust of wind blew past us. Aeric sailed over the railing of the deck and crashed hard into the large tree that stood beside it. Bark broke off into thousands of little pieces and blew out into the yard in the harsh wind.
Brett took another step forward and I heard a deep growl. Though it was hard to admit, I knew where it came from. It was difficult to picture someone as sweet and funny as Brett being a Vampire. It didn’t seem possible.
“You dare challenge me? Your purring doesn’t scare me, little boy,” Khia said with a grim smile.
Looking toward the injured tree, I saw that Aeric was nowhere to be found.
