Defiance

by Adrienne Monson

  Before she could, it was thrown up and smoke rushed into her face. Coughing at the smoke and the smell of roasted skin, she waved her arm to clear the air and see into the trunk.

  Nikita was there, and he didn’t look very good. Not only was he contorted in an awkward position, but his skin was smoking and looking slightly charred.

  “How are you burning?” Leisha asked. “You haven’t been in the sun at all.”

  “I believe it’s the heat,” Nikita choked through blistered lips. “I may not be burning in the sun, but I’m literally baking back here.”

  Samantha came around and gasped when she saw the vampire. “Oh no, Nik! Are you okay?” She reached out to him, but Leisha grabbed her wrist.

  “His skin is pretty tender right now,” she informed the teenager. “It’s probably not a good idea to touch him.”

  Samantha’s skin paled several shades. “But he’ll be alright, won’t he?”

  “Yes,” Nikita answered. “I just need some water.” He shifted until he sat up, his torso leaning far forward to avoid touching the top of the car. “In fact, I think I could get in the front of the car now.”

  Glancing at the sun, Leisha saw that it was still above the horizon. “Are you sure? Maybe we should just wait here for a while so you can air out, and then continue our journey.”

  Tafari and Rinwa exited the vehicle and joined them at the back.

  Rinwa’s nose wrinkled. “The only time that stench is pleasant is when the vampire actually dies.”

  Ignoring the comment, Nikita leaned up until he peeked over the trunk lid to see the sun. He settled down and met Leisha’s gaze. “It’s close enough to the horizon. I’ll be fine.”

  “The sun is facing the left side of the car, so you should sit on the right. Maybe it will be shaded enough,” Samantha said. The concern in her eyes was plain for anyone to see.

  “So the three of us are going to squeeze in the back now?” Rinwa asked. She slipped off her sunglasses. “That means we’ll all reek of charred vampire flesh by the time we get there.”

  “I’ll sit in the middle, and you can have first dibs on the shower when we get there.” Samantha glared at Rinwa. “You could be a little more sensitive, you know. The poor guy was being slowly baked in a hot car while you sat comfortably with the A.C. on.”

  Seemingly unrepentant, Rinwa shrugged and sidled over to the left side of the car and climbed back in. Cracking a half smile at Leisha, Tafari followed suit and got in the driver’s seat. Leisha and Samantha escorted Nikita to his door. While his face was utterly expressionless, Leisha could tell he was in a lot of pain by the way he carried himself.

  Samantha climbed in and Leisha murmured to her vampire friend, “You need to feed soon. These kinds of injuries will be harder to recover from the less frequently you drink.”

  “No need to worry about me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  A hint of amusement flicked through his hazel eyes.

  Nikita sat, and Samantha helped cover him with the blanket, just in case. Leisha closed his door for him. She quickly got in and Tafari resumed their drive.

  Pulling down her visor, Leisha could see through the little mirror that Samantha kept glancing at Nikita. His skin was already healing, taking on an angry pink color. Though Leisha wouldn’t admit it, Rinwa was right. The car already smelled of burned flesh.

  Besides a pit stop for gas and food, the rest of the drive was uneventful. It was close to midnight by the time they arrived in San Cristobal. Leisha had never been here before. The city was large and densely populated. Samantha even forgot her sickness and Nikita’s injuries when they passed an area that housed four stadiums next to each other. Two separate games were in progress, the stadium lights blazing, and traffic was heavy.

  Winding their way through the narrow streets, the cityscape eventually changed into more rural surroundings. Some of the homes looked quite old, while others were brand new. The house Tafari had arranged for was at the top of a steep incline. Parking on the street, Tafari turned off the car and gestured at the dwelling. “It may be a bit cramped with all of us in here, but I think we will be able to manage well enough.”

  “How many bedrooms?” Leisha asked as she climbed out into the humid night air.

  “Three.”

  Looking at him from the corner of her eye, Leisha gave a suggestive smile. “We should share a room, to conserve the space.”

  “Nik and I can share, too,” Samantha offered.

  Answers resounding in the negative came from everyone, including Nikita. Staring at the vampire, Samantha looked hurt.

  “It would not be wise in my current condition,” Nikita explained.

  When Samantha’s eyebrows drew together, Leisha jumped in the conversation. “Remember when we were on Tafari’s yacht last year and we couldn’t share a room anymore because The Hunger had gotten too strong?”

  Understanding dawned on the teenager’s face. “You need to feed?” She asked Nikita.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He moved to the trunk and began unloading their meager belongings.

  When Leisha stooped to pick up some bags, Tafari placed a hand on her arm. “I can get this.”

  Leisha shrugged, hiding the smile that threatened. It had certainly been a while since anyone had given her the chivalrous treatment.

  Samantha was standing next to Nikita as he closed the lid. “You can drink from me,” she offered.

  Everyone stopped and stared at Samantha.

  The girl took a defensive stance and a stubborn expression. “What? Leisha takes little snacks until she has to have the big feed. I can help Nik with that so he doesn’t need to go out and hunt as soon.”

  Nikita threw Leisha a pointed look. Wordlessly, she shepherded Rinwa and Tafari toward the house so Nikita could have a private word with Samantha.

  Pulling keys from her pocket, Rinwa unlocked the front door and led the way inside. As she walked into the foyer, Leisha could hear Nikita explaining that he didn’t want to use Samantha in that way. She thought he was doing a great job of making sure the teenager didn’t feel rejected.

  Walking over the hardwood floors, she noted that, though the house was a bit small, it was lavish. The ceilings stood taller than the standard eight feet; delicate chandeliers hung in every room. Tasteful art lined the walls in symmetrical formations. Following Tafari into what she surmised was the master bedroom. The bed was standard queen size. Touching the pillow case, Leisha could tell the sheets were a high-thread count Egyptian cotton. The connecting bathroom had no shower, but a jetted tub beckoned.

  Turning, she noticed Tafari studying her. “This is a really nice place,” she told him. “I wasn’t expecting something so extravagant.”

  Before he could reply, Riwna walked past, talking over her shoulder. “Yeah, Tafari’s getting soft in his old age.”

  Crinkling at the corner of his eyes, Tafari closed the door to the bedroom. “I think you and I should turn in.” He walked over and grabbed the hem of Leisha’s shirt.

  Placing a hand over his, Leisha asked, “What about the others? Should we go out there and help get Samantha settled?”

  Leaning close, his breath tickled over her lips. “They will be fine without us.”

  Relaxing as he caressed the back of her neck, it was easy to relent. “Sounds good,” she mumbled. Though they stayed up for a few more hours, they didn’t talk for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 26

  March 19th

  Samantha was wary of falling asleep. The nightmarish vision she’d had the previous evening loomed in the back of her mind. Instead of going to bed at the same time as Rinwa, she opted to stay up. “I just want to make sure Nik’s fully healed,” she said.

  Rinwa shrugged and headed down the hall. “Guess that means I get the bed tonight. I’ll leave a couple of blankets on the floor for you.” Turning, she pinned Nik with a glare. “I don’t care if she tries to give you a lap dance. You’d better leave her
alone.”

  Heat flushed Samantha’s cheeks. “Rinwa!” But the immortal had already disappeared into the bedroom.

  Avoiding his gaze, Samantha walked to the couch where Nik was sitting. She perched herself next to him, but not close enough to touch. Rinwa’s comment was making her feel a bit flustered.

  Taking a swig from his water bottle, Nik looked her way. “Don’t let her get to you, Sam. She likes pushing buttons, and if you let her get under your skin, she’ll never let up.”

  Nodding, Samantha twisted her head to study the vampire. “Are you sure you’re okay, Nik?”

  He waved away her concern. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He changed the subject. “So why don’t you want to go to sleep?”

  “I wanted to spend more time with you,” she admitted. “After all, it’s been so crazy this past week and we haven’t really had a moment to ourselves.”

  Reaching over, Nik grabbed her hand and held it in a comforting grip. “That may be true, but it’s not the real reason.”

  Samantha sighed and gave in. “It’s that vision I had last night. The booze skewed it so it was one giant nightmare. Now I’m afraid to fall asleep. I don’t want to go through that again.”

  Lightly stroking her shoulder, Nik pulled Samantha into him. Her muscles relaxed as she breathed in his familiar scent.

  “Well,” Nik began, “you’re not drunk tonight, so I think you’ll be fine.”

  “But what if drinking once will ruin my visions from now on? What if I get another vision tonight and I can’t understand what it’s trying to show me?”

  “First of all,” Nik said as he rubbed her back, “you don’t have to fall asleep in order to have a vision, so if one is going to hit you, it will do so no matter if you’re asleep or awake. Second, there’s no point in losing sleep over this. How often do you get visions?”

  She sat up straight so she could look at him. “They’re pretty sporadic, but maybe once every month or two.”

  “So the likelihood of you having another vision tonight?”

  Smiling, Samantha leaned in and kissed Nik’s cheek. “Pretty slim.”

  “Then why stress over this when you can’t control your visions? And when you do have another vision, I’ll help you through it.”

  Warmth filtered through Samantha’s heart and she hugged him tightly. “You’re the best, Nik.”

  Nik kissed the top of her head. “Sleep well, Samantha.”

  She squeezed him one last time and got up to go to the bedroom. It was dark, but Samantha was able to make her way to the pile of blankets on the floor. Rinwa was already breathing deeply, so she tried to be quiet as she arranged a makeshift bed and snuggled in to sleep.

  Thinking of Nik, she drifted off easily with only a tremor of anxiety.

  The next morning, Samantha awoke feeling well rested but stiff. After stretching for a few minutes, she finally rolled over and stood. Rinwa was in the hall as Samantha made her way to the bathroom. “No way am I sleeping on the floor again,” she grumbled. “You won’t get muscle cramps from lying on a hardwood, so you can take the ground from now on.”

  “Fair enough,” Rinwa grinned. “But what sounds even better is first come gets first choice. So if you don’t stay up with that,” she nodded in Nik’s direction, “then you should have no problem landing the bed every night.”

  Walking into the bathroom, Samantha called out, “Very subtle, Rinwa.”

  “Who said I was going for subtlety?”

  The shower was cramped, but Samantha felt a lot more refreshed when she stepped out clean. She towel dried her hair and put her clothes on. She’d noticed that, in South America, she didn’t have to put on lotion after bathing and assumed it was the humidity.

  Opening the door and stepping into the hall, Samantha smelled something cooking. Her stomach growled, and she wondered how long it had been since she’d had a square meal. She hadn’t eaten much the day before because she’d been too hung over. Thankfully, she was back to her healthy self.

  “More than half the population must be masochistic,” she said to no one in particular as she entered the kitchen. Tafari glanced up from the oven and tossed her a quizzical smile. Nik and Leisha were sitting at the dining room table. The furniture looked like it was carved from solid wood.

  “What makes you say that?” Nik tilted his head toward her.

  Sitting next to him, she said, “I just think that too many people get drunk, knowing that they’re gonna be miserable the next day. Why would they do that unless they took at least a little bit of pleasure in hurting themselves?”

  “They’re not thinking like that when they drink,” Leisha stated. “Most people think that alcohol will numb their sorrows, help them forget their problems.” Folding her arms on the table, Leisha smiled. “Of course they still have to deal with the issues the next day, on top of the hangover. But it’s worth it to them at the time.”

  Rinwa walked into the room. “What makes you such an expert on drunk humans?”

  Taking a deep, patient breath, Leisha tapped her temple. “They’re the easiest ones to read. I’ve heard about everything you can think of just walking into a bar.”

  The haughty expression on Rinwa’s face melted off. It was as if she had forgotten her mother could read minds.

  Tafari placed a steaming plate of crepes in the middle of the table. “What about people on drugs? I would assume they fall into the same category.”

  Leisha forked a crepe onto her plate and shook her head. “It depends on the drug.” She piled sliced strawberries onto the flat hotcake and smothered them in whipped cream. “If they’ve got a hallucinogen in their system, then sure, I can read their mind, but nothing makes sense.”

  Following Leisha’s lead, Samantha helped herself to a crepe and loaded it with three different kinds of fruit, a large dollop of Nutella, and some cream cheese. Taking a bite, Samantha moaned at the bursting flavors in her mouth. “Thanks, Tafari,” she said around her food. “This is great.”

  It grew quiet as everyone concentrated on their food for a few minutes. Even Nik helped himself to some.

  Samantha noticed that Nik appeared more docile than usual, almost lethargic. She realized that he hadn’t fed in quite some time, and had been badly burned yesterday. If he’d been human, she was positive his internal organs would have been cooked beyond repair.

  Wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin, Samantha piped up. “Is there anything happening tonight? I mean, as far as I know, we only planned up to this point. Now that we’re here, what are we going to do?”

  “We’re just going to lie low for a while,” Rinwa answered. “I’d like to perform the Voodoo ceremony to be certain Leisha is carrying the prophecy child. Then, Tafari and I need to go back and report to the council soon, or they’ll come looking for us. But you guys can stay here as long as you need. This house is one that Tafari purchased privately. No one knows he owns it.”

  “So, the same thing we did when we were hiding out in Canada.” Samantha hoped it wouldn’t get too boring. At least they were in a big city this time.

  “Except you won’t be going to school here,” Leisha said. “In fact, I think we should dye our hair and work on our tans. We don’t want to stand out around here.”

  Brushing fingers through her damp, chestnut colored hair, Samantha raised her brows. “What do you think would look good on me? Are you thinking of making my hair black?”

  Pursing her lips to the side, Leisha studied the girl. “We’ll see. I’ll think about it.”

  “Can vampires dye their hair?” asked Samantha.

  Tossing her golden tresses over a shoulder, Leisha nodded. “We can, but it doesn’t last long—maybe a week.”

  Nik stood and began to clear the dishes while Leisha and Samantha discussed what they would do to alter their looks. Once they agreed, Tafari grabbed a pad of paper from the counter and wrote everything down.

  “I’ll run and get the things you need.” He walked out the front door.<
br />
  After he left, Rinwa went into their shared bedroom and Samantha hung out with the vampires in the main room. Tafari returned an hour later, carrying several sacks in his arms.

  Leisha stood and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks,” she said.

  Samantha noted the pleased look that Tafari was trying to hide.

  Rinwa came into the room carrying thick candles and a long knife. The blade was carved with intricate patterns and the tip looked very sharp. “Before you go off being all girly, let’s get this over with.” She looked to her father, who nodded.

  Samantha sat on the couch and watched as Rinwa herded her mother into a chair and Tafari placed the candles around the room. Rinwa pulled the curtains closed so it was very dim, then she handed Tafari her ceremonial knife.

  Tafari glanced to Leisha. “You remember what these ceremonies are like?”

  The pregnant vampire nodded. “Though I never knew you performed one like this. I didn’t know there was a way to confirm it’s the prophecy child.”

  Stripping off his shirt to reveal dark skin covering sculpted muscles, Tafari nodded. “There are many that the immortals designed. This one is quite simple, but it still requires me to use bloode rites.”

  Leisha nodded. “I understand.”

  Samantha felt like she’d entered the Twilight Zone when Rinwa sat on the floor with a small drum. She started tapping a rhythm and Tafari was suddenly jumping up and down, spinning in the air, while he chanted something Samantha couldn’t understand. After a few flips and turns, Rinwa joined in the chanting without pausing in her beat.

  Soon, a strange ambience filled the room and Samantha began to sweat. Tafari’s movements looked more crazed, his eyes getting larger with every word he spoke. Then he brought the knife up and cut his forearm.

  Samantha gasped as blood pooled from the man’s wound, but he continued on as if there were no pain. Then he proceeded to cut more and more. His body jerked as he bounced his way towards Leisha. Samantha was surprised to see how easily the vampire took everything in. By the softening around her mouth, it even looked as if Leisha was feeling nostalgic.