Graced

by Sophia Sharp

  She walked back down towards the others, and as soon as Alexander got a look at her, he whistled through his teeth.

  “Looking good,” he said teasingly, and earned a jab in the stomach from Madison.

  “You look beautiful,” Logan told her softly, taking her hand and bringing it up to his mouth. Laura shivered as his lips brushed delicately against the top of her hand. As his hand dropped, he continued to look right at her, with a gaze so intense and so powerful that Laura started to feel her cheeks go red. But she couldn’t look away. She felt, strangely enough, almost like she did that first time she saw Logan walk into class, all powerful and confident and strong. And she was just the little girl caught in his tailwind.

  Madison cleared her throat, breaking Laura out of her spell. “If you will,” she said sweetly, “we still need to get into town tonight. There’ll be plenty of time… in private… later on for both of you.” She winked surreptitiously at Laura.

  “She’s right,” Alexander said, clapping Logan on the shoulders. “We should get going if we want to blend in.”

  “Of course,” Logan said. “Forgive me.”

  Laura stifled a giggle. Logan, apologizing? She must have really had an effect on him in the new getup. She found herself wishing she could see what she looked like right there and then.

  Logan shot her an abashed look, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking – particularly about him – but then just shook his head and strolled forward. This time, Laura made no attempt to hold in her laugh. Alexander shrugged his shoulders at her, but then followed after Logan. As he went forward, Laura thought she heard him say something dangerously close to “young love” under his breath.

  “Come,” Madison said to Laura. “You’re going to fall in love with the hotel Alexander chose out for us.” Laura smiled, nodded, and stepped in beside Madison.

  From where they started, the distance to the outskirts of Portland was longer than Laura expected. But because they were all able to run, it flashed by in the blink of an eye. And before Laura knew it, she found herself walking the streets of a familiar and yet entirely new city.

  It was familiar in that she had been there before – back when she was just a human girl – and remembered seeing some of the landmarks. Most of those stood out in the distance, and even against the night sky she could see some of the taller buildings she remembered from the shopping district. But it was entirely new because of the way it played with her senses.

  At first, it had been nothing she could make comment on. Running towards the city, she had picked up wafts of strange, intense smells that she never noticed before. But as they got closer, all those smells intensified, until they blended together into a disharmonious cacophony of the senses. It was the smell of the buildings, of the hard concrete and cold cement, of the underground piping and sewer system that came to her first. But then all those smells kind of died in the background as she found herself walking closer and closer to the heart of the city, where the entertainment district was. Even from far away, she could already hear the sounds of raucous late night partying coming out from the bars and clubs that they were walking towards. And people began dotting the streets – a few, at first, but then a bit more, and then some more again, until she had to push through thick crowds just to keep up with Madison and the others.

  The people, of course, were the source of the overwhelming smells. Each one of them had their own very unique scent that Laura could have picked out in the blink of an eye. And at first, when there were not many people around, it had been easier to ignore the tantalizing smell of blood. But when she was nearly drowning in a pool of unyielding, unrelenting smell, it seemed very much impossible to ignore the call of blood – whether she was satiated or not. But Laura could not possibly allow herself to lose control, so all she did was grit her teeth and try to breathe through her mouth to dull the sense. None of it worked, of course. She shuddered at the thought of being out here amongst so many people if she hadn’t recently fed.

  “Here we are,” Madison said into her ear, looking at a building right in front of them. Laura had been so preoccupied trying to dull her sense of smell that she hadn’t even realized where they were. And so, when she looked up ahead, she couldn’t help but gasp.

  In front of her was an enormous building – a skyscraper. Laura looked up, trying to get a sense of how many stories there were, and lost count at a hundred. The top of the building seemed to just blend in with the stars in the sky, reaching up into them and ever-higher.

  And the structure looked delicate. Not delicate like it would collapse in a gust of wind, but delicate in the way that a very fine piece of jewelry might look. Everything about the building – from the golden tiles layered on the floor to the large, sparkling pieces of glass that opened up the lobby – was built with an expert hand and extraordinary care. The angles of the outside face had a very modern look, and different types of glittering metal formed the door frames and outer walls of the building. Everything about it screamed luxury.

  “…Wow,” Laura finally managed. She had never been anywhere so obviously opulent, and after sleeping on the forest floor so many nights – back when she could sleep – this was just an unbelievable contrast.

  “And the rooms inside are even better,” Madison said to her. Laura stepped aside as a couple rushed out into the night, right through her and Madison.

  “How can you afford this…?” Laura began, but Madison cut her off.

  “Don’t worry about it. We need somewhere to rest and recuperate. Besides, this is the last place any of the Vassiz would think to look for you. They know you as a destitute young girl, not a grown, powerful woman.”

  Laura opened her mouth to reply, but Alexander stepped in before she had a chance. He produced a small key-card from his pocket, and handed it to Laura. “Here you are,” he said, “that’s the key to your room. Fifteenth floor, room 554.”

  “554,” Laura repeated.

  “Don’t worry about remembering – Logan has a key as well.” Alexander smiled knowingly at her. Then he drew Madison into his arms. “Well, she and I should best be going…”

  “Where?” Laura asked. She jumped as someone put an arm around her waist, but then relaxed when she saw it was Logan.

  “Well, we figure the two of you could use some privacy,” Alexander smiled. “And besides, I haven’t been in this city for a very long time. It’ll be good to have a chance to look around.”

  “We’ll meet you tomorrow morning in the lobby,” Madison said. “A half hour past the break of dawn.”

  “We’ll be there,” Logan confirmed.

  “And… don’t you two have a room?” Laura asked.

  “Yes, we do,” Alexander nodded. “More for show, really. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. Go upstairs, and enjoy yourself. It’s not every day you get to stay at a place like this.”

  “No,” Laura said to herself, “it definitely isn’t.” She didn’t know if it were her nerves, being among so many people, but something about the place felt a little bit off. And the way Madison and Alexander seemed to be so eager to leave…?

  “We’ll see you guys in the morning,” Logan said, and on that note both Alexander and Madison turned and headed away from the building. Laura looked up at Logan, who flashed a brilliant smile. “Ready to see what they’ve prepared for us?” he asked.

  Laura nodded.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ~Jacob~

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Laura turned her head towards the voice. Logan was looking at her from his perch on the bed. His shirt was off, and the covers were pulled up haphazardly to his waist.

  Laura sighed. “My family.” She turned her head back towards the window, where the first rays of the morning sun were just starting to creep over the horizon. This early in the morning, the entire city in front of her seemed so peaceful. Everything seemed so simple. Only a few cars were moving over the entire landscape. And she couldn’t see a sing
le person from where she sat. She knew it was only temporary, though.

  Pretty soon, the entire streets will be filled with people going to work, or coming back from their night out, or whatever it is people do in the morning outside. And she and Logan would be right back where they started, still hiding from other Vassiz while at the same time preparing their fight against the most powerful of all vampires.

  She heard Logan get up and walk towards her. She didn’t move until he put his arms around her waist and leaned his head gently on her shoulder. “Do you miss them very much?” he asked as he gently kissed the side of her neck.

  “Yes,” Laura whispered. The feel of his skin against hers always made her feel… not nervous, exactly, but like a jolt of electricity had just come and gone through her entire body. And what they were talking about would not lead into the most pleasant of conversations.

  “You know how sorry I am for taking you away,” Logan said softly. His kisses made their way up to her ear. “But as soon as all this is over – with the elders, and the torrial, and everything to do with that – the first thing we can do is go back to see them.”

  “No.”

  Logan jerked back. Laura blinked. She didn’t realize how much venom she put into that one word.

  “I mean,” Laura said, more softly this time, “is that I can’t do that. Not to them. I can’t ever see them again, Logan.”

  He frowned… and shook his head. “That’s not true. Once we’ve dealt with everything that needs to be done, there’ll be no one who can tell you what you can or cannot do. Seeing your family – it’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Laura admitted reluctantly. She bit her lip. “But it’s also something that I can’t allow myself to do.”

  “Why not?” Logan asked. “If you miss them, and want to see them… I don’t understand.”

  “Of course you don’t,” Laura said, brushing his cheek. “What you told me once – that you lived as an orphan – was that true?”

  “Of course,” Logan answered, taking her hand in his and bringing it up against his cheek. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

  “I mean, even before… before you were a Vassiz?”

  Logan nodded slowly. “I never knew my family.”

  Laura smiled sadly. For someone not to know what their father was like, or what their mother was like, or if they had any siblings… it was upsetting. It must have torn at him to no end.

  “I can’t see them, Logan,” she explained. “Never again. They already lost me once. And I can never explain everything to them, can I?” She shook her head, answering her own question. “Of course not. And that’s partially why I can’t see them again. But the other part – it’s more important. I’ve been gone for so long, I’m sure they’ve made peace with the fact that I’m not there anymore.”

  “No…” Logan started to say, but Laura cut him off.

  “Just listen! I can’t go back to them only to disappear again – which is the only choice I’ll have. They can never know what I am, and can’t know what you are, either. So I can’t go back to them, no matter how much I want to. It’s better for them to think that they’ve lost their daughter once and then slowly forget about her.”

  Logan shook his head. “No, Laura. That’s where you’re wrong. No one can ever forget you.”

  She smiled again, and looked back out the window. She knew he could never understand. He never knew his family, and despite all his years of experience, he assumed it would be simple for her to just come back home and announce, “here I am!” like nothing ever happened. But it was never like that.

  For a few minutes, both of them just stared out the window in silence. Laura alone with her own thoughts, and Logan with his. Finally, Laura broke the quiet.

  “Why did you take me to the dream world?”

  “What?” Logan looked a little taken aback. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean the first time, right after we met. Why did you show me the dream realm? Did you know of the danger?”

  “Laura,” he began seriously, “if I ever suspected that anything like this would have happened, I would have never, ever taken you there.”

  “So why did you?”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came. His jaw worked, and he looked like he was trying to find the right words. Finally, he sighed and lowered his head.

  “There was something about you. Something… I couldn’t place my finger on – still can’t, really – but it was there, and you… you called out to me.”

  “What?” Laura rose an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “It was this feeling I got,” he explained, raising his head a little, “like I’d known you from before. But I knew that was impossible. And yet, the feeling wouldn’t go away, no matter how much I willed it to. I thought it might have been because of the length of time since my last feeding, but when I killed the hitman, and then saw you again… it was still there. And from that point, it was impossible to stay away from you. I don’t know why. It was just something I felt. And showing you the dream world was something I felt like I had to do. To show you that realm, it was just a natural progression. I thought maybe, once I did that, the feeling would go away…” he smiled shyly, “…but it never did.”

  “…and what about now?”

  He shook his head. “It’s still there.”

  “So… why is it that you like me?”

  “Like?” he laughed softly. “Laura, after what we’ve gone through… after everything we’ve seen together… I’m well past the point of ‘liking’ you.” His eyes met hers, and he held her gaze strongly.

  Laura’s eyebrows crept up. “What are you saying…?” she started to ask.

  He tightened his grip on her hands, and stared deep into her eyes. “Love,” he whispered.

  Laura stumbled back in surprise. Her vision got blurry, and she felt completely disoriented. Logan stepped there right with her, and gripped her hand. “Laura, I love you.”

  The momentary surprise was now over, and she felt the words hitting home. Logan was telling her he loved her. Her, of all people. The girl he knew for less than a few months, the one that was so clumsily bumbling along through this strange and unfamiliar world he revealed to her. And despite all that, he still loved her. Hearing him say the words, and having them register… was an unbelievable feeling that she could not even describe. All the euphoria and excitement she had ever felt bubbled up inside her, until she realized she was grinning stupidly at him.

  She threw her arms around his shoulders. “Logan, I love you too.”

  **

  Madison and Alexander met Laura and Logan in the lobby of the hotel that morning. Laura was sitting on Logan’s lap at first, but on seeing them approach jumped off to take a chair beside him.

  Alexander smiled in amusement when he saw that, but didn’t make any comment as he came up.

  Laura cleared her throat. “Morning,” she said.

  “Good morning,” Madison smiled. “I hope you enjoyed the room?”

  “Very much so,” Laura said quickly, feeling her cheeks heat up. “But what about you guys? What did you do last night?”

  “Madison here bumped into an old friend,” Alexander said slyly. “Someone who might be very helpful.”

  “I swear, I didn’t know he was going to be there,” Madison began, but then changed what she was going to say. “Anyway. That’s neither here nor there.”

  “Not Jacob?” Logan asked. Alexander and Madison both nodded at the same time. “Were you two together, then? I mean, did he see that you were with her?”

  Alexander nodded again. “That’s right. He popped out of nowhere, almost…”

  “…surprised even me…” Madison added.

  “Right. But he was happy to see her, and I finally had a chance to meet him.”

  “So…?” Laura started suggestively. “Did you ask him if he would help us? What did he say?”

  Madison laughed, that crystal clear
, chime of a laugh. “Not yet, Laura. It was too soon. I still have to feel him out before revealing what we aim to do. To make sure it’s safe for us to approach him.”

  “So… then what? You bumped into him, and nothing happened?”

  “Well, you should give me a little more credit than that. I arranged to meet with him later today. In a coffee shop.”

  “A very public coffee shop,” Alexander said. “In the middle of the biggest shopping mall in Portland.”

  Laura felt a stab of uncertainty on hearing that. She and her friends have visited the mall here before, and if she saw any of them this time around…

  “We’ll get you the disguise you need,” Alexander said to her, as if he just read her mind. “Nobody will recognize you there.”

  “A public mall,” Logan mused. “That’s good. It means we won’t stand out from anybody else there.”

  “And better yet,” Madison added, “is that the coffee shop is in the middle of an open food court. Which means all of you can be there when I meet with him.”

  “Watching from far away,” Alexander said.

  “Will you go, too?” Laura asked him. “I mean, if you met Jacob last night, were you also invited to the meeting?”

  Madison shook her head. “Bringing Alexander would have been an inconvenience more than anything. I need Jacob to be at ease when I make the suggestion…” she shrugged. “Alexander will be watching from a distance just as you will be.”

  “But not together with you,” Alexander said. “We don’t want to give you away in case Jacob notices me, either.”

  “Right,” Laura nodded. “It makes sense.”

  “So when is this meeting, then?” Logan asked, clasping his hands together. “We’ll need time to prepare the disguises if nothing else.”

  “Noon today,” Madison answered. “We’ll have a good idea of what our next steps are in only a few short hours.”