by Candy Crum
“Nice job,” he said, seeming excited by the competition.
“Thanks,” I replied flatly.
I began breathing more heavily as the fatigue set in from overuse of power and blood loss.
“That wasn’t a compliment, though. Your current situation only makes it easier for me. You’ve used all the power you can. You’re still too weak to engage in a real fight. Hell, you weren’t even strong enough to kill me. Barriers are beginner level, and you couldn’t even make one stay up. You’re pathetic, and now you’re pathetic and drained, but that will just make you taste sweeter. Desperation always tastes sweet.” He smiled again, and it made me sick.
Fear ran through me again. He was right. I was so exhausted that I could hardly stand. The wound in my stomach was killing me, and I had a few more scrapes and bruises from the accident. I was in bad shape. I tried to focus my energy into my hands. I figured if nothing else, maybe I could try to purify him, but it wasn’t working. He was right about that, too. I had no energy left. I was going to die and so was Rachel.
He disappeared from in front of me again, and I saw something out of my right peripheral. I turned in time for him to grab me by the throat and throw me about ten feet away. I hit the ground hard and all but got the wind knocked out of me. In the blink of an eye he was on top of me, sinking his teeth into my throat. It stung unmercifully. That was not at all how I imagined a bite to be. I wondered if it was because Vampire bites actually hurt like hell, or if it was because that one was insanely violent and not at all erotic as Aeric had talked about.
I started hitting and kicking him as hard as I could, but nothing helped. I decided to take a chance, and I reared my leg back and kneed him in the groin just as I’d done to Aeric. He cried out and let me go. Aeric made it sound like a Vampire thing to be unfazed, but I realized then that Aeric was just built extra tough.
I took off running to the car, and before I made it halfway, I felt a shift in the earth below me and the air above me. Even though I couldn’t use my spiritual energy anymore, the elements were still able to warn me of my surroundings. I quickly turned and threw my hands out by instinct. The instant my arms fully extended, he froze in front of me. His mouth was wide open and only a few inches from my face, but he was frozen in place.
I’d frozen time just like…
I quickly realized what it was that Death had done to me. He’d given me the power to freeze time, just as he was capable of doing. I didn’t dwell on it. I knew that I needed to kill that guy, and if I couldn’t do it with spiritual power—because it was really becoming apparent how much I actually sucked—then I needed to do it with human means.
I limped the rest of the way to the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition and shoved the lighter in. I ran to the trunk and prayed that it wasn’t too mangled to open. It took a few painful elbows and punches, but I finally got it to unlatch. I quickly grabbed the gas can that was in the trunk and threw the contents on the Vampire that had nearly killed me. I sat the can near his feet and ran back to the car for the lighter.
A car engine came into hearing distance, and my adrenaline starting pumping like mad. I needed to kill that guy, but if the innocent passing through saw me do it, then it would look as though I killed a human. Well, then again, he was suspended frozen in the air… Not exactly sure how that would go over. I didn’t even want to think about the possibilities of what would happen if he instantly turned to ash. The car stopped, and I nearly jumped for joy when Wendy Cain walked around the front and into the field.
“Wendy! What are you doing here?”
“Me? Oh, nothing. Just passing through. Thought I’d stop and see if you needed a little assistance, but it looks like your good. You mind telling me how you did this? Quite the unusual gift for an Immortal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used,” she said with a curious smile, referring to the frozen Vampire.
“Long story,” I said, returning her smile. “Crap, my lighter’s gone cold.”
I started to head back to the car, but Wendy stopped me. “Allow me,” she said.
I watched in amazement as she created a fireball before throwing it at the Vampire. It only took seconds for him to dissolve into nothing more than ash.
“So, does Sayen know about this?” I asked.
Wendy shook her head. “As far as I know, no.”
“Great, I would love it if we could keep it that way,” I said. She laughed. “Okay, for now that’s fine. So, I guess you need a ride?”
“Uh, yeah. That would be nice. Rachel is passed out in the car. Can you help me get her?”
“Yeah no problem. Am I taking you to your house or back to Louisville?” she asked. “My house. Don’t ask me why. I guess that I just figure as much trouble as I’ve had trying to go on this damn date, I’m going.”
She laughed. “God, you are just as stubborn as your grandmother.”
I laughed, too. “I suppose I came by it honestly then,” I said as we got Rachel out of the car.
Once again, my friend’s life had been put in danger. I wasn’t sure of a lot, but I did know one thing. Something desperately needed to change and quickly. I almost got us killed because I couldn’t use my abilities. I was stupid for thinking that I could in the first place, but the fact remained that I should have known something by then that could cause a fatal blow to a Vampire.
I decided it was time for a chat with everyone as soon as I got home that night. I needed to learn real stuff. I was tired of nearly killing everyone off just by being near them. I just prayed Sayen didn’t know about that little event yet. More importantly, I prayed Aeric didn’t know. God, I’d never hear the end of it.
Chapter Eleven
The events that happened when we got to my place absolutely baffled me. No one should ever have to have a day so horrible. By the time we got back to the house, my stomach—my impalement I should say—had almost completely healed. I barely lost any blood in the first place, though I thought I had lost much more, which confused me, but Wendy said that it was the miracle of being an Immortal.
Wendy went to work on Rachel, and it was amazing to watch her heal. It only took seconds and every wound on Rachel was gone. Once she was healed, I felt the fatigue take me over completely, and I passed out on the floor next to where Rachel was lying on the couch. It was only a short nap, but it was much needed, and I felt much better.
The moment I woke up, thoughts kept coming to me trying to make me realize how crazy I had been. Trying to look back at all that happened from a normal point of view, and know that we were still going to go ahead with our plans was absolutely ridiculous, to say the least. Once I thought about it, I realized how stupid it was, but Wendy assured me, once again, that the date would go fine.
When Rachel got up to go shower and change, I sat with Wendy, and she looked ahead once more to find anything bad that may go wrong. She couldn’t see anything. She said that she wasn’t exactly sure what happened with earlier and assumed Sayen actually did miss it because of Death’s intrusion. Between that and Khia’s barrier around the Vampire, which Wendy still couldn’t get over, it was definitely a difficult situation.
Once I was satisfied that everything was going to be okay, I decided to go get ready. The odds of what happened that day happening twice in the same day were surely slim to none. Wendy reinforced the mental barrier and even used some of my own remaining power to make it even more impenetrable. She said if Khia only broke through in spots before, she wasn’t getting even remotely close now.
I wanted to check on Rachel before I went to get ready, so I went to the room that I kept special for her. I walked in, and she was running around like crazy, wearing nothing but her underwear. I was kind of shocked, seeing as how Rachel was the one who had it together more than anyone I knew.
“What… are you doing?” I asked.
“What?” she looked up at me like I had been in there the whole time.
“Naked Olympics?” I asked. She shook her head in disgust and gav
e me a look to match, like I was the one acting psycho, before she returned to her previous certifiable behavior. “Well, the way you’re flipping around the room, all you need is an American flag slapped to your ass, a pole vault, and some uneven bars, and we have a show. Should I call CNN?”
She stopped and looked at me again with that evil look. It wasn’t long before it softened and she laughed. “Can you please help me find my strapless bra?” she asked calmly, still giggling.
“Yes dear,” I said. “If it isn’t in here, then it may have gotten mixed in with my things in the wash.”
I quickly went to my room and, just as I suspected, it was in my top drawer. I grabbed it and brought it back to her.
“Why are you flipping out so badly anyway? Brett has seen you at your absolute worst, and he obviously still thinks you’re hot,” I said.
“Because, Kailah, I plan on dressing to go out. Some of us actually like to look somewhat human when we go out. You look like a giant lime,” she laughed as she pointed out my very radioactive green pajamas—again.
“Well, what a pair! I’m a lime and you’re a sour apple. Now, get ready! I still have everything to do, and I guarantee I’ll still be done before you!”
I quickly took a shower and wrapped myself in a towel. It felt good to wash all that dirt and blood off after that fight. After blow drying my hair, I stepped up to the mirror to check out what I’d have to work with. I looked to see the damage that I would have to fix before tonight. My hair was awful, and I decided to straighten it. I could do whatever I wanted to with it then. I tweezed my eyebrows and did a quick job of putting my makeup on.
“You griped at me and look at you,” Rachel said from behind me.
She was taking so long that I forgot all about her. Hell, all I had left to do was get dressed, and I had done everything she did plus help someone tell the future.
“Yes, yes I know. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stop staring at myself,” I joked. “Can I please finish getting ready now? We’ve wasted nearly forty-five minutes,” I said as I strutted around her and into my bedroom for my clothes.
“As you wish dear,” she said.
I quickly finished getting dressed: a long pair of black, flare-legged dress pants that hugged me just right, a white undershirt, and a fashionable black, long sleeved, V-neck shirt to go over. I finished the outfit off with black strapped heels, and I felt good. I thought that I looked pretty nice, and it was also very comfortable. Well, minus the heels, but he was worth it.
It was almost seven when I checked the time, and I was supposed to meet Sam at eight-thirty in Louisville. Rachel was supposed to drop me off, but since we had Wendy, she was going to take me to get my car since Rachel’s was totaled. Rachel would then ride with me to Louisville, then drop me off with Sam, and take my car back to meet Brett. That was the plan anyway.
We headed out, and Wendy took us to Rachel’s house. We very quickly made the switch to my car and got the hell out of there. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that place after what happened the last time we were there. We got in, and I floored it out of there. Rachel didn’t ask any questions. It made her just as uncomfortable being here, and it was her house.
Everything was smooth sailing once we got onto I-65 South. It was starting to get dark and the freeway was pretty clear of all the afternoon rush hour traffic, which was nice. Rachel and I talked back and forth about Sam and Brett and what each had planned for the evening. It was very nice to have a truly normal girl moment. We were talking like we always had. It felt amazing, even though I knew it wouldn’t last long. All I needed was one night.
Sayen was right. All of the chaos was driving me crazy, and I didn’t realize how bad I needed a night away until after the fight that afternoon. But I was definitely grateful for it now. When we got into Louisville, I messaged Sam to let him know we were there. He was already at Johnny Carino’s restaurant. It was a really nice place, but it wasn’t horribly expensive. It was right in the middle and I liked it that way.
Even though I planned on paying for my own meal, I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression that I liked expensive stuff because I actually didn’t care for it. Yeah, it’s nice every once in a while, and I suppose I could have indulged myself by going somewhere more expensive for once since that marked a monumental event, but I didn’t want it to seem too extreme. If I put too much stress on myself, I might have become much more nervous than I already was and do something stupid. And I pretty much figured that was going to happen anyway, so anything I could do to lessen that chance would be great.
As soon as we got there, Sam was waiting outside of his car. I left the keys in the ignition and gave Rachel a hug and wished her the best, and she did the same for me. She knew that I would be the one needing it. When I got out, Sam gave me a hug, and I felt my stomach flutter a bit. Great, let the awkwardness begin.
“You look amazing,” he said with a smile.
I smiled. “Thank you. So, do you.”
He definitely did. He was wearing really nice black dress pants, also with a black long sleeved shirt. He had a black jacket, too, but he held it over his arm. I’d only seen him out of scrubs a couple of times, and I was always in awe of him. He grabbed my hand and we headed inside.
“Table for two?” the dark-haired waitress asked.
“Yes, please,” Sam said. He looked down at me and smiled again before we followed our waitress to the table that we were going to be dining at.
“Here are your menus, please take your time. I’ll be back in just a few moments,” she said with a vibrant smile. Sam flashed his beautiful smile at her, and she turned to walk away. I couldn’t help but notice the arching of one of his eyebrows as he watched her walk the length of the restaurant before disappearing into the kitchen.
She was definitely hot, but it struck me as strange.
As soon as she was out of view, his head snapped back around to me. “So, how have you been lately? I haven’t really seen you much,” he said.
I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer his question, but I decided to wing it.
“I’ve been great. My best friend Rachel and I have gotten to spend a lot more time together recently, and my sister and I have gotten to hang out a lot more, too. So, that part of everything has been nice.”
“That part? Is there something going on?” he asked.
Well, I didn’t mean to let that slip but I honestly didn’t think he would catch it, or read too much into it.
“Eh, it’s just life stuff. I had a little bit of a family reunion not long ago, and my life has been a little hectic ever since.”
He laughed. “What, some annoying cousins or something hanging around?”
“No, my… grandmother actually. But she’s really great.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a joke. You’re caring for your grandmother; that’s really great of you,” he said. His expression was genuine, so I waved it off. Besides how could he possibly know the truth?
“Yeah, we’ll go with that one. But like I said, she’s really great. She’s insanely sweet and cares a lot about me. So, anyway, enough about me, how about you? How have you been?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m doing pretty well. I’ll finally graduate at the end of this semester with my Master’s, so I’m really excited about that.”
“That’s great! Have you figured out what you want to do? I mean, are you going to stay at the hospital? Or are you going to try to get a Nurse Practitioner’s license? Or hey, you could even teach. You’re amazing at that. You’re really patient and really smart.”
He smiled again. “Thanks, Kailah. Actually, I have no idea yet. I used to think that I wanted to have my NP, but now I’m actually thinking of teaching. I would want to be a clinical instructor, though. I don’t think I would be very good in nursing lectures.”
I laughed. “Well, believe me, nursing lectures could use you. Those are a major snore fest, and I never learn anything from them anyway. But I was thinki
ng the same thing myself really. If I went on to teaching after I got my Master’s, I would want to teach clinicals. I think I would be much better there than anywhere else.” I looked at my menu and picked out a few things that I wanted, but couldn’t decide between them.
Apparently, Sam was having the same problem. We sat and stared at our menus for a few moments and finally our waitress showed up.
“Have you decided? Or do you need a little more time?” she asked.
“I’m ready,” I replied. “The baked chicken parmesan sounds really great with a house salad and ranch. Coke to drink please.”
She took my menu and looked to Sam. “Actually, I think I’ll have the same,” he said. He started to say something to me as she walked away, but his cell went off. “I’m so sorry. Excuse me for a sec.”
A flashback of another time that I was on a date with someone came to mind. A bad feeling settled in my stomach, but I tried to ignore it. A waiter walked by our table and knocked Sam’s jacket off into the floor. He kept walking and didn’t even realize he’d done it. I reached out to pick it up and an image of Jeff flashed through my mind.
“No,” I whispered.
Another flash came through, and I saw Sam at a bar, talking and flirting with a familiar face. It was Casi, the woman that I saw with Jeff the night that he attacked Rachel.
“What do you want with Kailah?” Sam asked Casi. I could tell that he was completely enamored with her, and it made me sick.
“I need her help with something,” she said with a smile as she playfully messed with the front of his shirt.
“Okay. I’m just not sure what she could possibly do to help you. She’s just a quiet and pretty awkward girl. I mean, she’s okay looking, I suppose. Well, to some I guess. I personally don’t find her attractive. She’s sweet, though, I guess. She’s good at her job, but past that, I don’t see how she could do anything for anyone like you,” he said.
