by Kylie Price
His face slowly turned back to me. A slight shine was in his eyes and then the corner of his lip twitched up into a playful smirk. I automatically gave him a smile back and then I forced it away and turned to look for Nikkee, or Lachlan. Either one would do at that point, but it was something else that caught my eye. A female over near the women’s room was watching us. I tried to look harder. My eyes responded and zoomed in and her eyes met my own. I took a step back. I felt intimidated and unsure, but this was what we had come for. I took a step closer and then she moved in the direction of the exit.
“I will be right back,” I said to Jason and walked off before he could respond.
I had walked outside. I looked left and right. At first, I couldn’t see her. I decided to walk right and gently made my way through the crowd of people. I stopped for a quick moment as I thought I heard my name being called but I didn’t hear it again so I kept on walking. I got to the edge of the building and still couldn’t see the woman. I looked to my right, saw a car park, and decided to walk down the path into the parking lot. As I walked closer, the street noises dimmed and were just a light echo behind me. It was quiet and no one was there. I sighed and turned around, only to find myself facing Sky and Mark.
“Sky,” I breathed breathlessly.
She looked different. She was wearing a summer dress and had her hair all done up and no thick mascara under her eyes. It looked wrong and my eyes shot to Mark. He was changing her. Why? She was perfect as she was.
“Hi Trinity,” she replied and then looked to Mark.
His behaviour made me frown.
“I just… I called out to you. You were by yourself. I just wanted to mak…”
“I have tried calling and texting. You have replied to neither,” I pointed out.
Again, she looked to Mark.
“What’s going on…” I went to ask.
A woman walked down the path and pushed past Sky, knocking her forward a step. I had been looking for the woman. She stopped right in front of me leaned in a little and sniffed. She actually sniffed and then pulled back with a frown and put her hands on her hips.
“Why were you following me?” she demanded.
“I just wanted to talk,” I said quietly.
“What are you?” she asked.
I frowned and answered her honestly, “I don’t know.”
“Who is this Trinity?” Sky asked, coming closer to have a look at the woman who pushed past her.
The woman looked to Sky with a snarl. Sky took a step back with a confused look on her face.
I reached out to put my hand on the woman’s shoulder and in a flash she had grabbed me and tossed me a few meters away. I landed on the gravel hard and it immobilized me for a few moments. I jumped up and ran over to her just as she was about to grab Sky. Pulling my fist back, I swung it at her face as hard as I could, sending the woman flying backwards on impact. My eyes opened wide as I looked to my clenched fist and her lying on the ground. Sky and Mark were doing the same.
“What tha…” Mark went to say but was cut off as the woman tackled me to the ground.
I had thought the woman was beautiful, but as I looked up at her from the ground and saw her face twist into a snarl, I changed my mind. She brought her mouth down to try and bite me, but I put a hand up and pushed it against her face to hold it away from me. She pushed against it hard, but I was able to hold her back. Just as she brought a hand up, my eyes flickered to it, and I watched, as her nails grew into long sharp points right before my eyes. I was stunned from the shock and didn’t have time to react as she brought her hand down in a fast move. I felt her nails dig deep into the side of my face. I screamed in pain as it was like her nails were on fire and were burning my flesh.
I heard some running footsteps, then someone yanked the woman off me. I heard a loud scream and got up as fast as I could. I found the woman on top of Sky moving her arms fast. It looked like deep gashes were appearing out of nowhere her arms moved so fast that you couldn’t see the impact. I started running, but as I drew near the woman brought her face down and latched onto Sky’s neck. I forced myself to move faster. However, before I got a chance to grab her, another hand grabbed the back of her dress, picked her up and tossed her aside as if she was a twig. I stood there with wide eyes as my mind tried to understand what had just happened. Sky was screaming as Mark lent over her. I stood there dumbfounded, my eyes locked on Jason’s.
Chapter Twenty-One
I didn’t even think as I rushed over to Sky and put my hand on her neck. The bite was bad, but it didn’t look life threatening. I pushed her hair back from her face, quietly soothing her, letting her know everything was going to be alright. Her body trembled as tears slid down her cheeks.
“What just happened?” Mark demanded.
I looked up at Jason. He was staring intently at the woman that lay unmoving on the ground.
“Trinity,” Lachlan said as he approached and bent down to examine Sky. His eyes locked onto mine then flicked to Jason, then back to Sky.
“She will be okay. We need to get her somewhere safe, away from the public,” Lachlan explained.
“I have a place nearby,” Jason said.
I tried not to look at him. Yet I needed to. The last image I had of him was as he was pulling that woman off Sky like she was nothing. His eyes were so green, his teeth bared and sharp. He had looked dangerous and frightening.
I looked to Lachlan and remembered his words like an echo in my mind. ‘Not as dangerous’. He had been warning me, yet I didn’t see his hidden meaning. I had thought he referred to my heart, not my life. A shiver ran down my spine. Jason could have killed me at any time. Then I paused. He hadn’t, he had tried to protect me. Or was it just to get my guard down?
“I’ll get the car,” Jason said as Nikkee came around the corner.
Did Nikkee know? I looked at her. She was standing over Sky. She looked shocked, but not too worried. Her eyes found mine, then she walked over and put her arms around me.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gently touching the scratches down my face.
I gave her a nod.
She gestured to the female on the ground. “Is she dead?” she asked a little shakily.
“I don’t know, ask Jason,” I said.
“Why Jason?”
The car pulled up and Lachlan lifted Sky into the car.
“Where are you taking her?” Mark asked following close.
“To my place,” Jason said.
“What? What place?” Nikkee asked with a frown.
“Hop in. I’ll explain when we get there,” Jason said. His eyes locked onto my own for a few seconds, then he looked away.
Sky was not doing too well. She was still bleeding a lot and was starting to panic, as was I. The car was weaving in and out of short streets in what looked to be an estate. We hadn’t been driving for long when we pulled into a long driveway. Jason had pushed a button that opened up the garage and parked the car in there. As soon as the car came to a stop, Lachlan and him quickly jumped out and carried Sky inside. Nikkee, Mark and I stayed in the car a little while longer looking back and forth between each other.
“What the Fu…” Mark began as Nikkee cut in with a “My brother has a hou…” as I cut in with “This shit is crazy.”
Both Nikkee and Mark looked at me. I didn’t swear much but I did when the occasion called for it and this situation was wacked out.
I looked at the back seat where Nikkee and Mark had crammed in with Lachlan and Sky. There was a lot of blood and both of them were covered in it.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” I asked knowing they wouldn’t know the answer.
“We should go inside and see if they need help,” Nikkee said and hopped out of the car.
Mark and I followed suit and walked through the doorway that lead to the inside of the house.
Nikkee and Mark walked off ahead as I lingered, taking my time. The house was lit up not only from the lights but also from the light
cream coloured walls. Everything looked clean and hardly used. The kitchen looked as if it had never had someone so much as make a sandwich in there. The furnishings were all timber and the sofa and chairs dark brown. It almost looked like a display home. I heard a scream from down the hall and voices talking back and forth. I held my arm out and let the tips of my fingers gently drag along the wall as I walked past. My mind spun around in circles with Jason’s face as a monster making its way to the front. I tried to push it away but it kept coming back.
I swayed a little as my mind suddenly became sluggish. My fingertips felt for the doorframe. I reached my other hand out, turned the knob, and walked inside shutting the door behind me. My vision blurred and I stumbled forward a few steps. I caught myself as I placed my hand on what seemed to be a bed. My breathing felt shallow and deep as if I was struggling to find the energy for air. I climbed onto the soft cushioning and managed to crawl my way up to place my head on a pillow. Well at least that’s what I thought it was. I knew this was no time to pass out. Sky was hurt, possibly in danger, and could need my help. Jason was a Beast and I needed information and most of all I needed to know if my best friend knew all along but didn’t want to enlighten me. I wanted to know if this changed things for the good or bad and most of all I wanted to know if Jason had real feelings for me. Where did it leave us and where did my loyalties lie? Questions swarmed through my mind as my vision went dark.
I was standing in a forest. Foliage camouflaged the ground around me while the trees stood tall and protective, blocking out most of the sky above. I felt at peace and sat down. The air was crisp, fresh, and it made its way into my lungs as I inhaled deep breaths. It seemed to be easing my mind and all my worries. What had I been worried about?
I laid back against the soft cushioning of mossy shrubs. I was so comfortable but I seemed to have the need to squirm. I heard a twig snap. I sat up quick as another one snapped, and then another. I leapt up to my feet and scanned around. The sound was getting closer and closer with every snap but then it started coming from another direction as well. Fear grew from within fast. My heart was skipping beats and my breathing quickened.
A figure from my right started coming into view as well as a figure in front of me. I lifted my head up and tried not to look scared. I tried to portray confidence but inside I was terrified.
To my right Jason came into view and in front of me came Lachlan. They stopped two meters away from me. Jason looked dishevelled, his hair messy. It looked cute. His eyes looked greener than normal and it made me frown. I glanced to Lachlan, his eyes were black. I took a step back.
“Don’t be afraid Trinity. We are what we are,” Lachlan said as he reached a hand out to me.
“What am I?” I asked.
“The future,” Jason answered me.
“I don’t want it,” I told them both and took another step back.
“You have no choice now,” Lachlan said taking a step towards me.
“You must make a choice,” Jason added.
I started moving slowly back and raised my hands as if I was trying not to scare an animal.
“There is always a choice,” I said with conviction.
“Not when your destiny has been chosen for you,” Lachlan pointed out.
“I choose my own destiny,” I spat out, moving my right hand to the base of my back, I pulled out a knife.
“You can’t,” Jason said softly.
“Watch me,” I said with confidence as I plunged the knife into the middle of my chest, and pushed it as deep as I could. My eyes looked onto both of them as they lunged for me, but it was too late. I felt the final beat of my heart before my body collapsed to the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was still a little blurry but it seemed better. I could feel a sharp pain in my arm so I turned my head to look at it. A needle was protruding from one of my veins. It was connected to a thin, plastic tube that travelled along the bed and up to a bag full of red liquid that hung on a steel pole. I frowned and reached for the needle with my other arm only to find that it also had a needle in it but the tube of liquid running from it was clear. I started to panic as the room looked unfamiliar and waking up to find a needle in each arm would freak anyone out.
“Relax. It’s alright,” Came a calm gentle voice and a warm touch on the back of my hand.
“Jason!” I said and pulled back a little.
My eyes focused on him more until I could distinguish every detail in his face including the hurt look from my rebuke of him. It was not his presence that had alarmed me, but the memory of my dream, and the last image of him lunging at me.
“How long was I out?” I asked sitting up.
“About 12 hours,” he answered looking to the window.
I yawned and tried to stretch but my left arm was restricted from the tube.
“How’s Sky doing?”
“She is resting. She lost a lot of blood but she’s recovering.”
“Is she going to turn into a werewolf?” I asked in a quiet voice.
He turned his face to me then looked down at my hand. “Yes.”
“Is that all it takes to be infected by one? A scratch?” I asked.
“No you have to be bitten, then the poison will go through and infect the whole body and start the change. It will be faster for Sky because there is a full moon in a week and a half. Most people are bitten right after a full moon so they have a month before the change,” he said still not meeting my eyes.
“I was only scratched,” I pointed out.
“You are different,” he said simply.
“Why?”
“I don’t know Trinity,” he said as he looked up at me.
I gave him a small smile then said, “Yeah I have been getting told that a lot lately.” I looked back down to my arms. “What’s this?”
“One is blood and one is fluids to help speed up your recovery,” he said and reached a hand out and stroked down the side of my battered face. It stung a little at his touch but I wanted him to keep his hand there.
“Why am I not recovering?”
His hand dropped down, he placed it on the bed, and his body was leaning over my legs. His torso lingered millimetres away. I wanted his touch again. He was right there. Yet he seemed so far.
“Vampires have their first real feed within the first twenty four hours of being bitten. You have not had one yet. Your body is changing and you do not have the strength to keep up with it. Mark said you did some fast moves last night and even knocked the werewolf off Sky with one punch! It takes a lot out of you when you have nothing there built up. The blood is for the vampire part in you and the fluid is for the human,” he said.
“What about the werewolf part of me?” I said flatly.
He chuckled and sat up. “Nikkee is onto it now. I hope you like your steak rare.”
“No I don’t really,” I said scrunching my face up at the thought of it.
“Don’t worry you will. Get some rest she will be in soon,” He said as he stood up and took a step towards the door.
“Wait,” I called out. He stopped and turned back to me. “How long have you been a werewolf?” I asked.
He watched me for a moment. I was starting to think he wasn’t going to answer. “Since I was eighteen,” he said and then turned and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him.
I sat back against the pillows but I needed more height so with much difficulty I managed to prop another pillow behind me so I was more comfortable.
Not long after, Nikkee came through the door with a serving tray. The aromas made my mouth water. My stomach growled. I hadn’t realised I was hungry until that moment.
“Hey. You look heaps better,” She smiled as she placed the tray on my lap. Yes, sure enough there was a large piece of steak and some mashed potato and vegetables.
Nikkee walked back around the bed and climbed in the other side, propping herself up with her elbow and hand. I put a big piece
of steak in my mouth without looking to see how red it was. It was so delicious that I chewed it quickly and took another mouthful.
“How are you feeling?” I asked in between a mouthful. Jason was so right. I was in love with the steak.
“Kind of freaked out,” she said.
“Did you know?” I asked.
She sat up with a frown and looked at me. “If I knew my brother was a werewolf, I would have said our search could start in his room. Plus I would have told you years ago.”
“Maybe that’s why you never knew,” I pointed out.
“Huh, probably,” she said and went back to the same position as before.
“It’s a good thing though. You could be with Jason if you wanted to now.”
“Now I know he is a wolf.”
“Yeah. You said you couldn’t be with him because you were turning into a monster. Well he already is one so he is trained. Perfect,” She said with a huge grin.
“Shut up,” I said playfully.
“He is head over heels for you Trinity. What would be the harm?” she asked.
“Well, what if I chose to be a vampire. That would make it awkward,” I stated.
“Why not pick being a wolf. Sky is going to be one. Jason already is one, so you could be one too.”
“Why can’t I just stay in the middle? Be a fence sitter and be both sides,” I half whined.
“Because apparently you can’t,” she said with a sad tone.
“I think I am scared of them,” I admitted.
“What, the wolves?”
“Yeah. Nearly every encounter I have had with them has been a bad one. They scare me,” I said biting my lip a little.
Nikkee’s face went soft and she gave me a gentle smile. “You all bloody scare me, but this mere mortal human is still here.”
I gave her a smile back. “That is true but you have always been fierce and strong. We wouldn’t scare you that much,” I said and then chuckled.
“It’s all I have compared to all the super powers going on around here. By the way I hear you can throw a punch like Mike Tyson,” she grinned.
