Defiance

by Adrienne Monson

  After Leisha hefted a groaning Nik, they headed in a direction opposite of where they came from. It was slow moving, both vampires limping, Leisha’s impairment more pronounced since Nik leaned on her.

  Samantha was completely disoriented, but trusted Leisha to find the way. It took about twenty minutes until the vampire began climbing a metal ladder to get above ground. She came out of the manhole into an alley that reeked of garbage and rotting food. It was like fresh air blasting through her nostrils compared to the sewer. Samantha took a deep breath, filling her lungs as completely as she could.

  The sun was still high in the sky. Leisha paused in the shadows, looking Nik over.

  “Can’t we find a place in the sewer where we can hide until sundown?” Samantha queried.

  Nik shook his head. “We need to leave before backup arrives and combs every inch of the tunnels.”

  Grimacing, Leisha nodded. “They’ll probably be expecting us to wait in the sewer. It would be better to get out of here now.”

  Putting her hand on Nik’s shoulder, Samantha gave Leisha a hopeless look. “How?”

  Nik gestured to his bag. “I have a jacket with a large hood that should cover most of me. There’s also some gloves in the side pocket.”

  Samantha bent over, pulled out the items, and handed them over. Nik draped himself and insisted on walking without assistance.

  Several construction workers stared at them as they ambled quickly down the sidewalk, and no wonder: they smelled horrible and looked worse, their appearance bloody and disheveled. Both Nik and Leisha were still bleeding from their injuries. Samantha hoped no one called the authorities and reported them.

  Leisha stopped at a run-down motel. It took little convincing for the manager to give them a room, even though they looked a mess. Leisha merely had to pull out some cash and pay for two nights, regardless of the fact that they’d only be staying for a few hours.

  They each took a turn to use the shower.

  Nik came out in clean clothes and looking as handsome as ever, though he was still pale.

  “Are you alright, Nik?” Samantha’s brows drew together. “Shouldn’t you be healed by now?”

  Shrugging, Nik casually explained. “I’m not sure what was in the blast that Mason set off, but it knocked me out. I think there was something potent for vampires in the gas. Combine that and the fact that this is the longest I’ve gone without feeding, it’s taking me a bit longer to heal. That’s all.”

  Putting a hand to her throbbing temple, Samantha forced a light tone. “Looks like we’re all feeling pretty bad today.”

  “Maybe we should stay here tonight,” Nik suggested. “We can let everyone get some rest.”

  Leisha shook her head. “That guy at the front desk will give us away to the first person who asks. We’re only here to clean up and regroup. We’ll find a different place to stay.” She studied Nik. “Then we’ll let Samantha get some sleep while we go out and feed. You may need two feedings to bring you up to snuff.”

  Nik glanced at the stained and cracked wallpaper. “Good enough.”

  Less than an hour later, they were again walking the streets of downtown Cincinnati, only this time no one gave them a second glance. Once they were in the nicer part of town, Leisha pointed to a respectable looking hotel and told them to wait while she got a room. If word got out that officials were looking for two women and a man traveling together, she didn’t want anyone to associate that with them.

  They were in their room in no time, and Samantha barely managed to take off her shoes before collapsing onto one of the beds. Closing her dry eyes, Samantha listened to Nik and Leisha drop their bags on the carpet and walk around.

  “See ya in a little while,” the girl mumbled. She was already asleep when the door clicked shut behind the vampires.

  Chapter 17

  Walking the dark streets, Leisha was able to read almost every person’s mind in this area. She needed to find the slimiest of people so she could justify killing them. Normally, she didn’t feed this often. The only way to rejuvenate Samantha as well as fully heal from her own injuries was to drink blood so the energy would flow through their bond.

  Leisha didn’t miss the irony that she was now feeding more often and Nikita was feeding less. It was obvious to her that he didn’t like Samantha seeing him killing humans.

  “You and Samantha are getting too close,” Leisha said to Nikita. She knew she was being abrupt, but couldn’t stop herself from saying it. “It concerns me.”

  Uncharacteristically, he blew out a ragged breath. “I know.”

  “But,” she prompted.

  “But . . .” He glanced away. “I don’t know. I can’t seem to help myself. I care… deeply for her.”

  She squeezed his arm briefly. “I get it, Nikita, really. Samantha is special and I don’t blame you. It’s just that,” she paused, trying to search for the right words, “it wouldn’t be right. If you two were together, she’d have to condone your lifestyle. You murder for a living.”

  “You believe I would dim the light within her,” Nikita murmured.

  Leisha didn’t disagree, so remained silent.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “I can’t leave you guys now, though. Not while the other vampires search for us.” He met her gaze and she was shocked to see the passion in his eyes. “I have to keep her safe.” His face was almost blank, but the emotions swirling in the undertone caught her off guard.

  Searching his face, Leisha nodded and they continued on.

  It took some time to find the sort of scum Leisha was comfortable killing, especially enough for both Nikita and herself, so it was midnight when they returned to the hotel. Samantha was still down for the count. Though older vampires didn’t need much sleep, Leisha decided that they both should get some rest. They needed energy to spare in case they found more trouble the following day.

  Leisha shared a bed with Samantha and Nikita got the second one to himself.

  In the morning, Leisha woke to blinding sunlight filtering through cracks in the curtains and Samantha stretching next to her.

  “How are you feeling?” Leisha asked.

  “Much better. I can’t believe how tired I was. I must have slept for at least twelve hours.”

  Sitting up, Leisha nodded. Guilt filtered through her and she bit her lip. “I’m sorry I had to do that to you.”

  Samantha waved a hand. “It’s in the past. But I hope we don’t have to do the whole chi-sucking thing too much. It felt like having my insides sucked out through a straw.” She looked around. “Where did Nik go?”

  Getting out of bed, Leisha shrugged. “He couldn’t have gone far with the sun up. Let’s get ready so we can leave when he’s back.”

  They changed their clothes and Leisha packed up their meager belongings. Nikita returned shortly with omelet-filled biscuits and scones with honey butter. He’d bought them from the restaurant downstairs. Samantha devoured her breakfast, and the three of them hung out in the room, waiting for twilight so they could leave. They’d slept late enough that they only had a few hours to wait.

  As they were getting ready to leave, Leisha went to use the bathroom. After taking care of business, she noticed her pants were fitting rather snugly.

  Inspecting her stomach, she could see it was already beginning to bulge. “This is going to be an adventure,” she mumbled to herself and left the top button of her jeans open.

  Once they were finally off, they took a taxi to a car rental place. There, Leisha made arrangements to get a recreational vehicle.

  “We’re going to drive up to Canada in that thing?” Samantha whispered to her. “I thought the point was to not be obvious.”

  “Nonsense. We’re an average couple going on a trip to Niagara Falls with our daughter.”

  Samantha grimaced. “If I’m your daughter, then you guys had me when you were in junior high.”

  Unable to contain her grin, Leisha relented. “My niece, then. You’ve had a lot of bad be
havior problems at school and got expelled, so we’re taking you with us on our annual vacation.”

  Sighing, Samantha agreed to the cover story. Leisha looked over to see Nikita watching Samantha with amusement teasing the corners of his lips. Leisha hadn’t seen him show so much expression in all the centuries she’d known him. A niggling remorse pushed at her for what she’d said to him last night, but she pushed it aside. Samantha wasn’t even an adult yet. A relationship between her and Nikita simply was not right.

  They drove through the night with only a few brief stops. By the time the sun began to rise, they’d arrived at Niagara Falls.

  Finding a spot in the crowded lot, Leisha parked the large vehicle. “We need to switch vehicles before continuing into Canada.”

  Samantha stood and stretched. “Fine by me, but can we get some food first? I’m dying here.”

  They walked over to a twenty-four-hour sit-down restaurant and went inside. As soon as Leisha smelled the delicious aromas, she realized that she was ravenous herself.

  Frowning, she looked down at her stomach.

  “What’s the matter?” Nikita asked.

  “Nothing, it’s just… I think being pregnant is making me hungry for human food.”

  Both her companions wore thoughtful expressions, but no one said anything about it.

  When their meal arrived, Leisha ate her own dish of steak, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato fries with the rapacity of a starving wolf. Unfortunately, the large plate didn’t satisfy her cravings. Studying Nikita, she saw that he was only halfway through his platter of chicken fajitas. “Can I help you finish that off?” she asked.

  Giving a small shrug, Nikita pushed the food toward her, and placed her empty plate in front of him.

  Smiling gratefully at him, Leisha dug into the delicious food.

  Samantha looked at her with wide eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat so much.”

  Feeling heat creep into her cheeks, she mumbled, “Well, I am eating for two.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be sick at this point? My mom told me she couldn’t keep anything down for the first four months when she was pregnant with me.”

  Leisha shrugged. “I almost threw up on the plane that one time.”

  Samantha laughed. “That was, like, maybe five days after you conceived.”

  Licking her greasy lips, Leisha said, “Who knows what this pregnancy will be like. Besides, I’m already getting bigger. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had to buy maternity pants next week.”

  Mouth shaping a small O, Samantha exhaled. “I didn’t really think about that, but being a vampire could accelerate the development of the pregnancy, right?”

  Leisha shrugged, but Nikita was the one who answered. “Not necessarily. I think this merely verifies that Leisha is carrying the prophecy child, and that he’ll have some unique gifts in his genetic makeup.”

  Leisha touched her belly, wondering what this baby would do when he arrived. She brushed the thought aside. It was pointless to stress over something that far in the future; sufficient to the day, and all that.

  Samantha and Nikita were patiently waiting while Leisha polished off the fajitas. Getting up, they paid the check and went about turning in their rental and taking a taxi to a run-down auto shop. Leisha talked the owner into selling them a car at an incredibly reasonable price. They ended up with a sedan. Leisha and Nik spent a frustrating fifteen minutes getting all their bags to fit into the trunk, but they finally managed it. They got through the border without a problem and were heading north to Sudbury.

  The trip lasted another eight hours. Once the sun came up, Nikita had to lie down in the back with a blanket to cover him. Luckily, it wasn’t too long after his little transfer that they finally arrived.

  Samantha complained about sore muscles, and Leisha now had more empathy for the poor human. She hadn’t realized how easily muscles stiffened until she’d experienced it again.

  Nikita waited in a shadowed corner of the lobby while Leisha got them a room. As they rode the elevator, Samantha commented, “We can’t live in a hotel for however long we’re going to stay here. We need to find a place with a basement for Nikita.”

  Leisha agreed. “That’s the next phase of my plan. You two can stay here and rest while I look for a house to rent.”

  Samantha’s brow wrinkled. “I thought you had a lawyer guy to do that kind of stuff for you.”

  “I usually do, but not when I’m trying to lay low. Things can always get leaked through a third party.”

  Leisha entered their room first to make sure the drapes were drawn tightly. Once it was dark enough inside, Nikita and Samantha came in. Leisha stayed just long enough to get their bags situated, then she was out the door again. Crossing the lobby, she walked to the front desk and asked the concierge where there was access to a computer. The concierge smiled and directed her to a cozy alcove off the main lobby that had computers with free WiFi. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself for not taking the time to get a new phone. She’d ditched her iPhone in Spain and hadn’t bothered with getting a replacement. Once she found a new place to live, her next priority would be getting another smartphone .

  Leisha looked up rental houses online, and then she checked where they were in reference to the city. She wanted it to be somewhat remote, but not in an obvious way, and it would still need to be close enough to the city that they wouldn’t stand out.

  Finding one that met her criteria, she called the number and scheduled an appointment to look at it in an hour. With time to kill, she drove to a French café that the concierge recommended and enjoyed a few chocolate-filled rolls. As she was finishing the last one, her stomach rumbled appreciatively.

  She glanced down at her little baby bump. “I see you have great taste.”

  The woman at the counter across from Leisha gave her a knowing smile, and Leisha returned it. Checking the time, she got up and went to the house she hoped to rent.

  It was older, but had a new furnace. The main floor had the original hardwood floors and it needed new windows. The basement had never been finished, and it was obvious the place didn’t get much traffic. After thoroughly inspecting it, she decided it would suit their needs. It had three exits to the outside, giving them options of escape. The basement wasn’t large, but Nikita could handle it.

  Pivoting on the hardwood floor, she looked at the owner, who had introduced herself as Mrs. Begnoche. “I think this would be great. And the price is fair enough.”

  The older woman smiled broadly, and Leisha thought she detected relief from her eyes and the way the matron’s heartbeat. “Wonderful. When would you like to move in?”

  “Tomorrow, if that’s suitable. My husband’s company is putting us up in a hotel until we find a place, but I feel bad taking advantage of them for too long. Besides, we need a place we can call home.”

  Jaw dropping slightly, Mrs. Begnoche fidgeted with the long sleeves of her sweater. “It may be the day after that. After all, I must get the paper work ready and do a background check.”

  Giving her warmest smile, Leisha nodded. “I’m sorry if I’ve overwhelmed you.”

  “No darling. Everything’s fine.”

  Tucking some strands of hair behind her ear, Leisha lowered her voice. “The thing is, if we stay in the hotel for one more night, I won’t have enough cash for the deposit you’re asking for.”

  Mrs. Begnoche licked her lips. “Cash?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well,” the older woman said. “I suppose we could speed up this process if you’re paying cash for the deposit and first and last month’s rent.”

  “Thanks so much,” Leisha gushed. “This will be wonderful for my family!”

  She made the arrangements to sign the papers in the morning when Mrs. Begnoche would provide the keys to the house.

  Feeling satisfied, she drove back to the hotel. Leisha was surprised to find Nikita sleeping, and even further startled to see Samantha resting her head on his arm a
s they napped. It appeared that they fell asleep watching a movie.

  Leisha turned off the television and glanced over at the couple. “That better be as far as it went,” she grumbled as she made her way into the bathroom to shower and change.

  Chapter 18

  February 9th

  Moving into the little home that Leisha had found took exactly as much time as it took them to haul their bags in from the car. Samantha paused when she saw the place. It was a lot more run-down than Samantha had ever seen since she’d been moving around with Leisha. She tried not to be bothered by it. Besides, it was sufficient, and she knew Leisha chose this home for safety reasons. There were no furnishings , so the day after they’d moved in, Samantha and Leisha went shopping while Nik hung around in the basement.

  Samantha hadn’t liked the thought of him being in that small, dank place all day, but he had reassured her with a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. A large part of her wanted to stay with him and talk, like they had yesterday. Maybe even fall asleep on his shoulder again. Samantha would love to cuddle with him, and feel his arms around her, but she wasn’t bold enough to try to make it happen.

  She slid a glance at Leisha as they walked into a mattress store. She knew her friend did not approve of their burgeoning relationship and it saddened her that she couldn’t confide these feelings to Leisha. It was all so new to her. Nothing like when she’d thought about Spencer.

  So she kept it to herself, not ready to share her thoughts with Nik, either. Though she’d opened up to him at the hotel the day before, she was sure he wouldn’t respond well if she talked about them having a romantic relationship . Besides, she didn’t know what she’d call him if they did. The term boyfriend just seemed too . . . juvenile for what she felt for him. She smiled as she remembered laying on the bed with him last night, burrowing into his arms and smelling the shampoo from his hair as she talked about her mother.

  “Even though she’s been gone for over a year, I still have moments where it feels like she just died on me.” She’d said. “I feel kinda dumb for crying about it time and again, so I try to remember the good times and enjoy what she means to me now.”