“I waited for you. You need to eat before we leave.” He grumbled and tilted his big head to the side. Lexie was almost touched by his thoughtfulness until he blurted, “It’s a long trip and we won’t be stopping a lot. I’l drive you in my father’s Jeep. No more time should be wasted.”
Maxim stood too close for Lexie’s comfort. He’s totally invading my purple circle. He outweighed her by a hundred pounds and she knew the extra was al muscle.
Until standing so close to him, she never realized how big he was. What did Dragos feed him when he was a baby,
Miracle Grow? Nicolai and Alik were both tal too, but they didn’t have Maxim’s mass.
“Ah, that’s nice Max, but I thought I would stop by Liz’s house before we leave and say goodbye. I’l eat there.”
His expression was unreadable, but she noticed his hands clench into tight fists as he twisted away from her without saying another word. Seizing the opportunity to flee, she grabbed her cel phone and bolted out the backdoor, text messaging Liz on the way to meet at their halfway mark for old time’s sake.
She shrugged off Maxim’s bad mood. Instead, Lexie
contemplated her neighborhood while trying to memorize every single detail of each house, tree and yard. It had not changed much in the years she lived there, yet as she
moved along she could not help but feel like she was
seeing it al new for the first time. Would she remember it?
Lexie saw her best friend rounding the corner next to the Lexie saw her best friend rounding the corner next to the park. Her tal , lithe figure looked stylish in the al black ensemble that was truly a Liz original. Her smile had not changed one bit since the day they became best friends in the fifth grade.
Looking at Liz, warmth fil ed her heart when she realized one certainty in life – her friendship with Liz and their shared adventures would always be a central aspect of her life. Just like the memories of her father and his smile and what it was like to have him as her dad, it was al a part of who she was – even the emptiness once he was gone.
Although Lexie did not want to leave her hometown, she wanted to see her mom content. If Ruby’s happiness meant she had to move to the moose capitol and have aliens for stepbrothers, then that was what she would do. Lexie knew deep inside she could cope with the transition if she had to, it would not be the hardest thing she had ever done.
Her eyes met Liz’s. Lexie smirked and then gave a brave smile. They both pledged to not dwel on the fact that she was leaving. They had done nothing but that for weeks and did not want to spend their last morning together repeating the same conversations. It was time to begin planning new memories.
TORIN
Torin’s sleep had been restless. When he awoke, his
sheets were in a tangle around him and he was damp with perspiration. The closer he got to the change, the harder it was to sleep through the night. For weeks he had tried to at least get in three or four hours, but sleep eluded him until the early hours of the morning.
Had he real y dreamed of her again? Her skin was soft and her long caramel hair felt like silk when it ran through his fingers. It was her eyes, a deep green with flecks of gold, which struck him – they had the power to keep him
dreaming of her over.
Frustrated he climbed out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was only eighteen, though he knew he looked much older. He was muscled and lean, with defined broad shoulders and a mature face framed by his dark, chestnut hair.
His blue eyes seemed more acute every day and his
hearing amplified. Ful of power, he was becoming the hunter he was meant to be.
Braden, who was the oldest by six months, had already
made the change and he said it was the best possible pain you could ever imagine. Torin doubted he would turn out as wel as his cousin. Braden did not look much different on the outside, maybe tal er with more build, but Torin could see the evolution of his mood, gate, and speed. Although their elders, including Torin’s father, were exceptional themselves – it was as if his cousin had discovered an untouched energy source that was more impressive than
any of them anticipated.
After a few short months, Braden was already hunting with Donovan and the others. Braden was one of Torin’s closest
TORIN
friends. He always knew that when it came time for Braden to make the change, his cousin wouldn’t give into the
temptation to fol ow the darkness. Even during the final phase, when it was hardest to resist, he knew Braden
would master his blood thirst.
Torin simply wished that he had the same confidence in himself and his younger cousins, Cian and Teagan. The
three of them were so different from Braden. The eldest was a natural born leader from the time they were young up until they graduated from the smal private school their parents had them attend in Nova Scotia.
Torin didn’t share Braden’s enthusiasm over what and who they were. He hated that he had no control over his future and that he could just cease to exist without thoughts and desires, living only to hurt others. His entire life he was forced to remain distant from outsiders, pretending to be something he wasn’t, with only his cousins and family to turn to. Now that he was eighteen, the finality of the change would be coming over
him and once again he would be restricted to the caged life his ancestors imprisoned him in.
What Torin could not understand, was why he was
dreaming of her. It went against the order of things. She exuded innocence and kindness, so different than how he felt inside.
Every time she touched him, he could feel his own body ease and meld into hers.
Anger began to simmer just under his skin – maybe it was a cruel guise and she was going to be his downfal . After al , it always ended the same way. She ran to him with such readiness, without any alarm and just after he embraces her, she screams in horror…Maybe he wil feed on her and unleash his own damnation.
If she knew what I was capable of, she would run in horror all right.
He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. No time for trying to find sleep now. She was out there somewhere
awakening to the sun streaming through her windows. He
TORIN
wondered if she thought of him during those first few
moments of consciousness, confused as to why she was
dreaming of him, too.
Maybe she will think of me today.
Torin gathered his clothes from his closet and headed to the shower. He might as wel make good use of what was left of his time. It would be his turn to face his fate soon enough. He would see if his fate was fixed, or if he could control his destiny.
He didn’t want to hurt her – he just wanted some of her gentleness in his life. If she was his, he could hear the ring of her laughter and learn what she found exciting. He would spend eternity discovering if being with her for real was as wonderful as his imagination, or better.
The dream’s ending stil bothered him. He couldn’t harm her though, as much as the dream left him cautious.
Besides, if he fed on anyone, then Braden and the others would have to hunt him down and kil him. He felt sick with dread just thinking of
it. If that time came, he would try to find the ones already cursed to darkness and kil a few of them first.
Without even having to discuss it, the two friends began to walk towards their favorite coffee shop. Lexie was
determined not to cry, she just wanted to share a muffin with Liz like it was any other Tuesday morning.
It was in the seventh grade when Liz was the ‘new kid’
in school that the two became best friends. None of the other girls in class would sit next to her because she was different with her nails painted black and a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel always in her hands. Lexie found Liz intriguing; she seemed different than al of the other girls who looked alike in their matching pastel getups.
By the end of the first week of class, the two were back at Liz’s house eating apples with peanut butter and designing outfits for her Bratz Dol s. Liz’s favorite had been a Jade dol with her hair chopped off into a Mohawk and eyes
darkened
with black sharpie, a memory that made them both laugh.
Neither of them had to try to impress each other, their friendship was just natural.
Lexie always loved Liz’s unique style. Her mom never
would have al owed Lexie to highlight her hair or even wear makeup if it wasn’t for Liz. Ruby warned her to not take it too far, the way Liz did, and end up looking like she
belonged in a manga book. Not that she would have
anyway, Lexie’s look was more relaxed – with jeans and fitted tees being the go to outfit of choice. A late bloomer, Lexie was natural y slender and petite.
Only Liz knew the secret relief she felt when her breasts final y developed. At five foot three, she was only a little bit tal er than El a.
After arriving at the coffee shop and ordering their usual, the two found a seat next to the window.
“So, this morning, you wouldn’t believe who actual y spoke more than one consecutive word in a row to me.” Lexie instigated with a grin, knowing Liz loved to make fun of her new stepfamily.
“Yikers, what would have brought that on? Did he want you to load his jock strap on to the truck for him?” Liz joked as she stuffed a bite of cappuccino muffin into her mouth.
“Nice visual! Thanks for that.” Lexie’s nose wrinkled with the thought.
“No prob.” Liz was the funniest person Lexie knew and her dark haired friend took great pride in that fact. “So, what did his Mighty Prickness want so dearly that he was wil ing to converse with someone as low as yourself on the food chain?”
“He wanted to take me to breakfast.” she offered with a sly smile.
“Shut! Up!” They both laughed in unison at Maxim’s
unexpected behavior. “I knew it! He wants you Lexie. That is why big Blondie is so hostile. It’s al that pent up sexual frustration!” Liz was animated and a few other patrons looked over at them with scowls.
“Okay, now you have managed to agitate my gag reflex,”
Lexie grinned. “I’m hoping he’s going to try to act human, which is best case scenario. Most likely, he was afraid I would slow down everyone even more by taking off, which is what I have done anyway.” With a laugh she nibbled away triumphantly at her half of the muffin and washed it down with her mocha latte.
“Speaking of time, when are you hitting the road?” Liz asked although they both had discussed it al week.
Glancing at her cel phone, Lexie knew she should be
heading back. It was already close to nine.
“I can stay another ten minutes. I don’t want to appear too eager, but I don’t want Mom anymore stressed than she
already is. She said last night that she thinks her hair is starting to fal out.” Suddenly Lexie wasn’t feeling up to laughing anymore. The stress was getting to Ruby and even Lexie noticed al the extra hair plugging the sink.
“You know Lex, if it’s a total hole up there, Bev said you can crash with us. I already talked to her about it. She said just give it a chance, and if you are not happy by the time Christmas rol s around, she’l talk to your mom and you can stay with us.
We have plenty of room.”
Liz’s Aunt Bev was a proud Avon representative who had a passion for cupcakes and British Literature. It was easy to see where Liz got her individuality from. Lexie thought it was pretty amazing that Bev al owed Liz to live with her so her niece wouldn’t be forced to fol ow her single father al over the world each time he was reassigned to a different naval base. As a career navy man, Liz’s dad knew a lot about sailing and military strategy, but nothing about females. Perhaps that is why Liz’s mom vanished before her first birthday.
“I know Liz, but Mom and El a need me, or I would have already applied for emancipation when I was old enough to research it on Wikipedia.” She swirled the liquid around in its cup.
The truth is, she had thought about pleading her case to her mother, but just could not bring herself to say the words that
would devastate the woman who had sacrificed so much to raise her and El a alone for the last year. Lexie knew she needed to show the same courage now that her mom did
over those first horrible months after her dad died.
“Wel , my bestie can’t leave without some presents…so
close your eyes!” Liz asserted with satisfaction.
“Okay, but just so you know – I’m peeking.”
Liz reached into her tattered back pack and pul ed out two gift boxes in ivory tissue paper with black satin ribbon.
“Here, this one first.”
Lexie took the smal est package and opened the delicate wrapping, unveiling a smal box. Lifting the lid, she
discovered a beautiful silver cross with a little emerald stone, on a choker length chain. It was gothic enough for Liz to qualify it as cool, but simply stunning to Lexie.
“Liz, I don’t know what to say, it’s so pretty.”
“I just knew you would love it. It’s a little tame for me, but the green in the stone looks like your eyes. Besides, it wil protect you from vampires.”
Lexie laughed at their ongoing joke. She always told Liz if she saw a vampire, she would turn and flee but Liz would run it down and tackle the unsuspecting creature of the night.
Lexie fingered the delicate chain, loving the sterling silver and admiring the green in the stone. Liz was right; it was a lot like the pigment in her eyes. She knew that whenever she missed her friend, she would wear the necklace to think of her.
“Okay, next gift…you’re going to love this.” She handed Lexie the weighted package.
This time Lexie didn’t take her time, she pul ed away the tissue paper to discover a black leather address book. She flipped it open and ran her fingers through the feather light pages. When she got to the “L” section, every single page had Liz’s name and address penned in it.
Lexie reached out and hugged her best friend. She knew no matter how far apart they were – Liz would be up visiting soon enough.
WOLF
The wolf’s claws extended out and burrowed into the dank soil. The smel s of decomposing foliage deep within the earth aroused his appetite. It had been too long since he shed his skin and the feeble form he was trapped in. He wanted to hunt.
He walked a tight rope. Always pretending he was just a backdrop in everyone else’s world. It angered him how
oblivious humans were. They were so caught up in their supremacy that they couldn’t see they were nothing but cattle at a slaughter house. They spit on him and made jokes at his expense when he held their lives in his hands.
It was the moment of capturing his prey he loved most.
Seeing the fear and acceptance in his victim’s eyes as they flailed beneath him in surrender, that real y did it for him.
His body shivered with pleasure at the thought of tasting blood
again. It had been months and he could barely contain his desire for it.
With his nose in the air, he raced into the vast forest fol owing a decadent smel . The others yelped as they fel into formation. Staying low to the ground, he could smel his prey’s fear and knew he would be the first to go for the throat. He tensed with anticipation, his excitement made him want to do more than just kil .
Change was in the air and he was ready to mate. He wouldn’t wait in the background anymore.
TORIN
Torin stepped out into the beautiful quiet of the morning.
It would stil be dark for a mortal; just a year ago, it would have been black out for him too. However, as he walked out to the lake his family home was built upon, he could see every blade of grass, every ripple upon the surface of the water. He was wide awake and ful of the desire for
escape.
He breathed in the
rich predawn scent of the air.
Although he was not transformed yet, he enjoyed the
interesting musky scent of a bear who had wandered past during the night.
He ran his tongue along the top of his teeth. Soon he would show the slightest sign of fangs when he thought of the hunt and the need to feed.
Torin looked at the stars reflecting off the crystal clear water from where he sat on the dock. The older he became the
deeper connection he felt to the earth. He intended to remember the joy he felt inside as he sat awaiting the sunrise. If it were a perfect world he would let himself dream of having his fate-partner by his side and they would watch the sun awaken the day together. He pul ed off his t-shirt and dove into the refreshing water, al owing the pleasure of releasing himself into its hidden depths.
After twenty minutes, he noticed a lone figure on the shore.
Even though he was about thirty yards away and the sun had just begun to cast a slight glow from behind the horizon, he could see it was Cian. His dark haired friend looked like his only company was misery.
Torin swam to the water’s edge and hoisted himself onto the dock. The two sat in silence and watched the sunrise.
“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to never see the sunrise again?”
Cian nodded. “I always think of the others, only knowing darkness for so long. What would that do to a person?”
“I don’t know. I think it would make you even colder on the inside.” Torin wondered how maddening it would be to
never get warm again or feel the heat from someone else’s skin.
It was not an experience he would wish for – not for him or anyone else.
TORIN
He studied his cousin, who was only two months younger than himself. The hardest part for Cian wasn’t the worry that he would feed on humans, it was recognizing that someday he would dream of his fate-partner and his feelings for his girlfriend would end. Regardless of their feelings, history or memories, he would change towards her. Cian once told
Fate Fixed Page 2
