Defiance

by Adrienne Monson

  “Or possibly leave it altogether. After all, why try to settle something that may not affect us anymore?”

  While Leisha didn’t feel like ignoring the issue was any way to reconcile things, she understood what he was trying to say. After everything that’s happened, things couldn’t get resolved this easily, could they? Ignoring the voice in her head, she forced a wide smile and nodded.

  He sat back and stroked the fingers that protruded from her cast. “Now that we have that matter cleared up, I believe we should get a snack and then you should stay here with me tonight.” His grin was so warm and carefree that she felt herself melting.

  Looking back at his bed, she shook her head. “Tafari, I can’t stay in here.”

  Disappointment flicked over his face before he masked it.

  Liesha grinned. “My bed’s much more comfortable.” She leaned in as if to divulge a secret. “Plus it’s bigger. More room to maneuver.”

  With a deep chuckle reverberating from his chest, he helped Leisha to her feet, and they went downstairs together.

  Their reunited honeymoon period lasted three days before reality came crashing down.

  Leisha was alone in her bedroom when her cell rang. The number was European. Her fingers trembled as she answered.

  “Leisha,” Victor’s tenor voice sounded on the other end.

  “How are things, Victor?” she asked with forced pleasantness, glancing out her window. She detected no movement outside, but human sight didn’t capture anything hidden in the shadows. “How did you get this number?”

  “As you well know, these are strange times. As for tracking you down, I didn’t become the leader of our race for nothing.” He cleared his throat. “You’re needed here with your fellow vampires.”

  “Should we be calling ourselves vampires anymore?”

  His voice turned frigid. “You can either call yourself a vampire or my servant. I don’t care which.”

  Leisha shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. “No, I told you the last time that I want to be left alone. As I remember it, you readily agreed.”

  “Circumstances have changed, Leisha. We’re in the middle of a political crisis and everyone, including you, is being called home. Effective immediately.” His voice grew lower. “You haven’t been around to see my reign. I can be much harsher than Ptah ever was, if need be. I don’t think you want to find out what kind of punishment I’ve dreamed up.”

  Sweat sprung on her upper lip as she remembered what Ptah had done to her over the years. What was worse this time, she had no doubt Victor would torture Samantha to get back at her for disobeying him. Leisha paced her bedroom as she thought it through, Victor quietly awaiting her reply. Leaving now when things were going so well with Tafari was discouraging. But if she didn’t comply, she knew Victor would make it blow up in her face.

  Biting back a sigh of defeat, she finally responded. “I reserve the right to leave if and when I feel like it.”

  “You must stay for a week at least. After that, I may decide to excuse you.”

  “For appearances’ sake, I assume.”

  “I don’t recall you being so snarky with Ptah.”

  Leisha grunted. “That’s because I always reserved it for private moments, like this. I’ll treat you the same as I did him. Respectful in front of others, but I won’t censure myself in private.”

  “Don’t push your luck. I’ve solidified my power by punishing insubordination very severely.” When Leisha didn’t respond, Victor said, “Send me your flight information so I can have a car ready to pick you up.”

  Sighing, Leisha gave in. “Fine. Where are you holed up these days?”

  “At the hotel in Palmona.”

  “I’ll see you in a few days.” With that, she hung up. The thought of going back to the vampires’ lair was not pleasant. But if she didn’t, Victor would make her pay. He’d already found her. If she ran, he’d find her again. Though her mind worked furiously at a different course of action, she knew the only option was to comply. At least for now. Maybe after she’d scoped out the vampires and how they functioned under Victor’s rule, she could figure out a way out of this situation. She only hoped Tafari would understand that. Chewing her lip, she went downstairs to deliver the news. Samantha, Rinwa, and Tafari were in the den, watching a movie.

  “I’ve been summoned to see Victor,” she announced.

  There was an unhappy silence before anyone responded.

  “But now that you’re human, you don’t have to answer to him, right?” asked Samantha.

  “I don’t exactly want to go, but I think it’s best to obey.” She glanced at Tafari. “For now.”

  “Care to enlighten us, oh rational one?” Rinwa didn’t even glance away from the TV. Tafari just looked at Leisha, his expression grim.

  Hoping he would understand, she met his gaze. “We don’t know if we’ll be human permanently, but if we are, I would like some answers. They could provide them.”

  “So can the immortals,” Tafari offered.

  Leisha raised her eyebrows. “They’d be willing to work with me again?”

  He turned his head away.

  “Look,” she came further into the room. “Since I’ve been human, I haven’t been able to read minds. It stands to reason that they won’t have their powers, either. So I’ll be relatively safe there. And I’ll be able to leave any time I want to.”

  “Victor agreed to that?” Tafari asked.

  “Only after a week, but if I want to leave before that, I won’t let anything stop me.”

  Samantha nodded her head. “It’s true.” She turned to Rinwa. “You must get your stubborn determination from her.”

  Rinwa glared and lightly punched Samantha. “See what I mean?” She rubbed her arm and looked back at Leisha. “So when do we leave?”

  Leisha hesitated. “Actually, Samantha, I was going to see if you could go back with Tafari and Rinwa.”

  Before the girl could protest, Tafari spoke up. “I am afraid that we cannot do that.”

  “Why not?” Leisha and Samantha asked in unison.

  “No offense, Sam, but you’re kind of hated amongst the immortals after the incident.” Rinwa shrugged as if to say, what did you expect?

  “It wasn’t her fault,” Leisha said. “She was being threatened, blackmailed to help Ptah.”

  Rinwa patted Samantha’s knee. “Look, you know Tafari and I don’t hold any grudges against Samantha. But it’s not the same for everyone among our people. I mean, you were the key to helping the vampires infiltrate our base and slaughter half the council.”

  “It is true,” Tafari confirmed, regret in his eyes. “She would not be safe with us.”

  Leisha knew she couldn’t leave Samantha alone. The fact was, she didn’t know what Samantha’s father would do if he found her. She couldn’t really see any other way around it.

  She looked at Samantha. “We’ll be leaving in two days.” Her gaze met Tafari’s. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be in touch when I learn more.”

  Lips pressed in a thin line, Tafari nodded his understanding.

  Everything was packed and ready to go. Tafari and Rinwa were leaving in a few minutes, Leisha and Samantha would be going in a little over an hour. Leisha and Tafari were snuggling on the couch. It had been an amazing week, and Leisha was loth to part. A part of her screamed that their absence would make him forget that he didn’t hate her anymore.

  She hadn’t seen much of him the day before, since he and Rinwa had been packing while she’d tried to find a doctor to take her cast off—there was no way she was going to join the other vampires looking so weak; she’d rather walk naked into the immortals’ stronghold. Her arm wasn’t complaining much, as long as she didn’t lift heavy things or move it too quickly.

  “When can we see each other again?” Leisha lightly scratched her nails over his hands.

  His arm tightened around her shoulders. “If we are to remain human, then I want to start a new life. Together.�
�� His voice was husky, and his words made her heart quaver.

  “What if we don’t stay human?” She dreaded his answer, but needed to know.

  Tafari shifted. “Then I must be true to my oaths. I will do everything I can to find the prophecy child and bring him to the council.”

  Leisha let go of his hand and turned so she was facing him. “Would he be safe with the immortals? Would he be well taken care of?”

  Tafari swallowed and glanced away. “I cannot say.”

  It was answer enough.

  “You would hand over an innocent child to them. Even though they would mistreat him?”

  He slid a hand over his short hair. “The immortal council is not evil, Leisha.”

  “No, but it can be misguided.” She locked gazes with him. “They have begun to care as little for human life as the vampires. You’ve seen this!”

  “It is all in the name of the greater good.”

  Standing, Leisha walked across the room. “I think ‘greater good’ takes exception to its name being so abused.”

  The sofa creaked as he stood. “This coming from a blood sucker.”

  Her spine snapped straight and she spun to look at him. “I thought we moved past this.”

  “I simply mean that you cannot judge the immortals after having seen what the vampires do. What you have done.”

  Leisha turned away. “You said we were going to move on from the past,” she whispered.

  She heard him sigh and faced him again. “Leisha, you say that you are apart from the rest of those vamps, but what are you doing now? Victor called and you obey.”

  “I’m going to get some answers. But I won’t stay with them, even if we turn back into vampires. I do not serve Victor, and I sure as hell wouldn’t deliver up a helpless child to him!”

  Frustration was evident in his voice. “Why should you care so much about a child that is not even yours?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Samantha isn’t your child. Would you like to take her back to the immortals so they can judge her? Why don’t you tell them about her visions? That she can lead them to the prophecy child?”

  His eyes slid to the floor. Leisha pressed her advantage

  “I may not have ever met this so-called prophecy child, but I’m invested in him. I know what his bleak future would be if the vampires or immortals get their hands on him, and I can’t allow that.”

  He raised his eyes to hers. “Your protectiveness of him could be his doom . Maybe you should think about that while we are separated.”

  Leisha blinked a few times. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  “What if doing what you think will protect him will actually hamstring him? You could prevent this child from being able to do what he came here to do. It is part of the reason the immortals want to separate him from his mother as soon as possible.”

  “No, I would help his mother raise him and encourage whatever growth he may need.”

  “Leisha, you were only a mother for four years. How do you think you can be in tune with those motherly instincts?”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “Have a safe trip,” she forced out through a stiff jaw, and walked away, leaving behind the stinging remark. And her husband.

  Tafari didn’t call after her.

  Chapter 7

  January 21st

  The flight was long and dull. Almost as dull as the food Leisha had forced herself to eat for the past week, though processed sugars were starting to taste better to her muted palate. Samantha had brought Boston Cream Rolls and Frosted Fudge Cakes in her carry on, and Leisha was embarrassed to admit she had eaten more of them than Samantha.

  “I’ll bet it’s probably comfort food. You know, since you and Tafari fought. Again.” Samantha rolled her eyes at the last word.

  Grimacing, Leisha agreed. “This is the best I can do for now, comfort-food-wise.”

  “And Tafari-wise?”

  She shrugged and forced herself to appear nonchalant. This was something she wasn’t ready to discuss. “We don’t exactly hate each other anymore.”

  “I should hope not,” the girl muttered.

  Heat crept up Leisha’s cheeks, but she didn’t need memories of their bed play distracting her right now. “But we can’t seem to agree on the matter of the prophecy child.” She shook her head. “He’s almost fanatically loyal to the immortals, and it’s blinding him to what seems obvious to me.”

  “What’s Rinwa’s take on it?”

  Leisha raised her brows. “You would know better than me.” Though Leisha thought maybe Rinwa was warming up to her. As they said goodbye that morning, Rinwa had patted Leisha’s shoulder. It wasn’t a hug, but physical—and non-violent—contact from her daughter was new.

  Her parting words, however, were typical Rinwa. “Try not to be such a bitch next time.” Still, they hadn’t seemed so cold. Leisha could almost convince herself it was said with affection. Almost.

  Samantha chewed on her bottom lip. “I think that she’ll support Tafari, whatever he decides.”

  “And since he doesn’t seem so keen on changing his mind, we know where they both stand.”

  Looking disappointed, Samantha rummaged in her bag for another Boston Cream Roll. “It would be nice if we could work together on this point.”

  Patting her knee, Leisha tried to console her. “Maybe we’ll stay human and won’t have to worry about this prophecy child anymore.”

  Samantha’s blue eyes bored into hers. “Once I have a vision, it does happen. I’ll be a witness at his birth.”

  “Have you had any other visions lately?”

  She shook her head. “I had one about Spencer last month, but that’s it.”

  That piqued Leisha’s interest. “You didn’t tell me. What was it about?”

  Samantha waved a hand. “Nothing big. I saw him on the field at school, looking lost. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, or maybe he was grieving. Then a man walked up to him, but I didn’t see what he looked like.” She shrugged. “It was after that vision I became closer to Spencer. I felt like I needed to give him some sort of comfort.”

  “Are you sad that we’re leaving?”

  Her brow furrowed. “I’m not sure. Being with Spencer was pretty confusing. Besides, we might go back.”

  “That depends on what we learn anything about this human thing.”

  Samantha smiled. “Well, don’t worry about me. With everyone human, I don’t really feel scared to go to the vampires. Plus, I kind of miss Nik. It will be nice to see him again.”

  Leisha was about to respond when her stomach lurched a little. She frowned and covered her belly. It lurched again.

  “Leisha? You okay? You’re looking pretty pale.”

  “It’s my stomach.” She realized that she couldn’t bring herself to swallow. It was incredibly unpleasant. Suddenly, the plane’s recycled air felt stale and dry.

  Concern on her face, Samantha touched her forehead. “It looks like you’re about to throw up.”

  Eyes widening, Leisha knew the girl was right. There wasn’t enough time to get to the bathroom, so she searched through the pouch in front of her and retrieved one of the airline-provided barf bags. Holding it at her mouth, she waited. Her stomach was rolling again. Leaning forward, her body suddenly heaved, and a sonorous belch escaped her lips, but nothing else.

  The taste in her mouth was a combination of bile and sugar. Leisha wished she actually had thrown up. But at least her stomach wasn’t hurting as much.

  She glanced at her companion. “I’m never touching another Fudge Cake again.”

  Samantha’s face was red from laughing so hard. “I think it’s just that you had too many. What did you think was going to happen?” Samantha squeezed her hand. “You’re going to have to get used to a human metabolism again.”

  Leisha sighed. “Those were the only things that seemed to have flavor. Of course I went a little overboard.”

  The rest of the f
light was uneventful. Leisha couldn’t bring herself to eat anything else and hoped that the other vampires had figured out a way to make food tasty. By the time they landed in Spain , Leisha was dying to get off the plane, but they had to wait for half the passengers to shuffle out before they could exit.

  Outside the airport, Darshan was waiting for them in the crisp evening air. Leisha didn’t know him well, though she was glad that he looked much improved from when she had seen him last. Eight months ago, he had been punished by Ptah over a triviality. Darshan had shown ambition in tracking an immortal, to the point that he disregarded an order from Ptah to kill the immortal. When Leisha had seen him, the vampire had been starved for a month, which makes a vampire decompose and rot. After that point, he’d been sentenced to beg the cruel vampires for sustenance for weeks.

  His long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he wore a crisp Armani suit. He smiled when they approached. He looked fantastic compared to the starved and decaying vampire from before.

  “Good to see you, Leisha. I trust your flight was smooth.” He took their luggage and put it in the trunk, then opened the back door for them to slide in. The leather seats were comfortable and the car smelled new.

  Once he was behind the wheel and they were on their way, Leisha spoke up. “How have things been lately?”

  She could see the corners of his dark eyes tighten in the rear view mirror. “They have calmed down. A lot of them wanted to desert when we became human. They said that Victor wasn’t a ruler over them anymore and that their oaths were void. He didn’t waste any time in punishing them and putting the fear of God into the rest of us.”

  “How many were killed?”

  He shrugged. “Fifty or so.”

  Samantha’s eyes widened, but Leisha wasn’t surprised. Human or not, Victor had a cruel streak.

  “The strange thing is that we still can’t be in the sun for too long. We can venture out for maybe an hour before we start to burn. And the burns take a long time to heal.” He glanced at Leisha in the mirror. “You have always been able to withstand the sunlight, haven’t you?”

  She nodded in the affirmative.