by Stina
She shook her head.
“Because you were always the only one who was ever bold enough to question my motives. And not only that, but you were the only woman in my whole life ever to catch my heart,” he mused.
Calum blushed and took his hand in hers. “Yes, my king. I remember. When you found me, I was barely clinging to life. My clan was barely surviving against the witches and the werewolves. An entire clan of women would never fare so well alone . . . with no king,” Calum remembered, the tiniest smile easing over her mouth. “I talked them into following me, with no real game plan. We were starving and living in the woods, drinking from animals, when you made your appearance.”
“Yes, and I was rogue, on a mission to avenge my maker’s death. A drifter vampire, with no purpose in life except the murder of all black vampires,” he said. He snatched his hand from Calum and cracked his knuckles. His face turned red. “The moment I looked at you, with those beautiful brown eyes and that genuine soul, I had to have you,” he said, his voice drifting.
She lowered her head. “I know it took a little persuasion to follow your lead, but that was because of my fears. Not only did we have many of the same beliefs, but we also had a common enemy. The Sefu,” she said, her jaw rocking.
“Yes . . . the Sefu. I remember like it was yesterday the day they became my enemies for life,” Tulum said through clenched teeth.
Calum looked up at him, stuck on his words.
He went on. “Buckets of blood were brought to us, the Malum Clan. It was a peace offering, the Sefu said. A way to end the old ways and open the door to new ways, a new law. We were thirsty and naive, so we believed the Sefu, and all gathered to toast to a new beginning. I was young, but I still didn’t trust the Sefu, not even one bit. I did not drink an ounce of blood from the goblet. Shortly after, the members of my clan began dropping like flies, dead. I knew how hard it was to destroy us. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the buckets of blood that the Sefu had brought in offering did not contain blood from the living. It was blood from the dead.” Anger registered on his face.
“I lost everything and fled before it was found out that I had survived the act of genocide. For years I wandered aimlessly, until I finally found a young beautiful woman thirsty for revenge, much like me,” he added, looking into Calum’s eyes. “My beautiful queen, Calum,” he said lovingly. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do, Tulum, but—”
“If you trusted me, there would never be a but,” Tulum said and stepped out of the way as a young man flew by him, hit a wall, and landed with a thud.
Tulum addressed the young man without turning to face him. “Narum! You leave your guard down after every hit you land. If you celebrate victory too soon, then your defeat will be great.”
Narum struggled to his feet behind Tulum and nodded his head, his face bright red, as he was clearly embarrassed. It seemed as if everyone had stopped fighting to stare his way, and some of the other vampires were snickering.
“Quiet!” Calum shouted at the others. “Of all the Malum, Narum is the youngest, yet he is still built like a warrior, better than some of you.”
“Yes. We could all use some of Narum’s speed and passion,” Tulum said, then stepped forward to address his clan. “She says that you are ready for battle.” Tulum’s voice boomed as he raised his arm straight out, with his thumb folded in and his four fingers pointing straight out.
The members of the Malum cheered and followed their leader’s move.
“But the way Narum fights shows me that you are not! All it takes is one of you to fail for us all to fail!” Tulum shouted, quickly changing his mood.
The others glared at Narum. He had made them all look bad.
“Do not look at him in contempt. It is not his fault. It is your fault. You are all so keen on standing out to Calum and me that you fight alone, instead of as one,” Tulum told them.
With the speed of a cheetah and the strength of ten men, Tulum ran toward another one of his clan members. Before the huge man could react, Tulum’s palm was at his chest and he was blasting him back with a powerful force.
“Ugh!” The unsuspecting victim’s groan was loud.
As the huge man flew back in the air, Tulum moved so fast, it seemed like he teleported himself behind the man. Tulum caught the man in mid-flight and stood him upright, helping him to get his footing. The man’s face was caught between an expression of shock and one of embarrassment, and he stepped quickly away from Tulum, but not before looking down at the burn marks Tulum had left in the center of his chest.
“As you can see, I was both Arlum’s foe and comrade in that moment of sneak attack.” Tulum nodded for Narum and Arlum to continue sparring. “You spar with one another to make the other better, not to outdo one another. We will not attack until I see that this clan is a family. If we attack together but fight separately, we are as good as dead. Understood?”
“Yes, King Tulum,” they all said in unison.
Tulum walked back toward Calum. They could hear the fighting continue. He stopped when they were both side by side again, this time facing opposite ways.
“Kesh will not leave. Unlike us, the Sefu follow some of the vampire laws . . . with some expectations,” Tulum said. “She is still a mortal, which means she does not know of his true nature. If he truly loves her, he will tell her who he is only when he is ready to turn her.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because that is what I would have done for you if you weren’t already one of us. You don’t want to live for all eternity with someone who resents you for not giving them a choice. This gift we have is both a blessing and a curse. A curse to those who don’t want it, but a blessing to those who welcome it. We still have time. When it comes to love, time is, well, timeless.”
Calum seemed to contemplate this. She looked like she wanted to argue with Tulum, but maybe she knew that his mind was made up.
“I’m starting to think you are growing hasty,” Tulum said to her. “If you had waited last time, instead of sending your own set of troops, we would have had Kesh right where we wanted him. He would not have left so soon and found his soul mate, either. I’m starting to think that your personal feelings for him, the jealousy you harbor for him, are getting in the way of your judgment. Will they continue to be a problem?” he said.
“No, they will not,” Calum said. “I will keep myself in check from now on, my king.”
“Good. Do not fret. Once we have him where we want him, you will destroy him and take all the power from him, which you have always deserved.”
Tulum walked away before he could see the smile crop up on Calum’s face.
The tree went dark, and Adirah could no longer see the strange people. Her eyes rolled back into place, and she collapsed on the ground, too weak to stay on her feet. The vision had zapped all her energy. She heard Kesh calling out to her, but she couldn’t respond.
“Dira! Are you all right?” Kesh wheezed as he approached her limp body.
Adirah groaned, still unable to speak. Kesh picked her up from the ground. Her head pounded, and her stomach swirled with nausea. She held on to him but quickly recoiled when she remembered what she’d seen.
“Kesh, who are you? What are you? Who are the Malum . . . Calum and Tulum? Am I in danger? Are you in danger? Are they real?” She shot these questions at him rapid fire.
Kesh pulled her into his chest. He was breathing like he was still running, and his body was rigid. He, too, had sensed the wind change, and by the time he came outside, Adirah had disappeared. He had had his clan spread out and search. Luckily, he had found her in time, and nothing had harmed Adirah.
“There are many questions and just as many answers. Right now, you need to trust me. But know this, my queen. In due time, Dira. I’ll tell you everything in due time.”
“Take me home,” she whispered. “I need some time away. I need to leave. Now.” Adirah was exhausted, confused, and scared.
Chapter 9
“My God, I feel like I haven’t seen you in centuries,” Lina squealed, meeting Adirah at the door.
Adirah had barely turned the key to her dorm-room door. “Dang. What were you doing? Standing in front of the door?” Adirah joked. She reached out and hugged Lina. They both moved inside. Adirah breathed out and looked around. It did feel like forever since she had been in her own dorm room. She had been spending so much time with Kesh that she had even begun to bring clothes to his place.
The first thing Adirah noticed was the pile of laundry on her bed, which was not hers, and the second thing that stood out to Adirah was the sheepish expression on Lina’s face.
“Doesn’t look like you missed me that much, since your clothes have found a new closet,” she smirked, pointing at the pile of black garments covering her bed and the floor on her side of the room. She couldn’t be mad at Lina; she probably would have done the same thing. Besides, who knew how long the clothes had been there? She might have just put them on the bed, although it looked like the clothes had been there for quite some time.
“I didn’t think you’d mind, since you’re never here,” Lina replied, one eyebrow up.
“You’re not about to let me live this down, huh? Between classes and him, I just . . . It’s just easier,” Adirah said, tripping over her explanation. It was the first time she realized how much time she had been dedicating to Kesh.
Adirah walked over to her side of the room, removed the duffel bag from her shoulder, and sat it on the part of her bed that wasn’t occupied. After turning to Lina, she smiled at her. “I see nothing has really changed that much with you.” Adirah motioned to the pile of black clothing.
Lina wore a pair of black leggings and a black-and-white Angry Birds T-shirt. Her hair hung wet, like she’d just washed it, and her face was clear and clean of her usual coat of makeup. “Can’t say the same for you,” she replied, giving Adirah a once-over. Lina walked over and put her hands on the sides of Adirah’s hips. “Looks like you’re spreading and getting a little booty to add to it.”
Adirah swiped Lina’s hands away, her face growing hot. “Spreading where?” Adirah quickly turned to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. “Nah. As usual, you see things from those little skewed eyes of yours.”
“I hope so,” Lina shot back skeptically. “You know what they say about spreading.” Lina made a mound gesture in front of her stomach and smirked.
Adirah waved her off. “Oh, please, Lina.”
Adirah began taking her clothes out of the duffel bag. She hoped that Lina wasn’t right. She had been feeling tired lately. When was the last time I had a period? Adirah thought. She couldn’t remember. The sex had been amazing, but how careful had they been? Adirah couldn’t keep dwelling on this; she needed to get her mind away from such thoughts. “Anyway, what have you been up to? How are classes?” she asked Lina.
“Don’t ‘how are classes’ me. Where have you been?”
“I’ve been”—Adirah thought of Kesh, bit her lip, and smiled deeply—“around.” She chuckled.
“I bet you have been,” Lina said, still studying Adirah. “I can’t lie, though. He is one of the finest dudes on campus. If you didn’t snag him, I might’ve tried.”
“Oh, now you would’ve tried? I thought you hated all the popular kids?”
“Hate, smate,” Lina mocked. “I can make exceptions.”
They both laughed.
Adirah said, “You’re too much, girl.”
Grinning, Adirah flopped down on top of Lina’s clothes and sighed. She’d been spending so much time with Kesh that she could hardly stand the thought of not waking up to his voice or being with him every minute of every day. But there was something going on, and he wasn’t saying. She’d asked for some time alone. Adirah knew that what she’d seen in her vision had to be real, as her visions usually were.
Adirah could feel Lina studying her. “Just ask,” Adirah told her, without looking at her roommate.
“It’s just . . . just . . . something is different about you, Adirah,” Lina said. She folded her arms across her chest and walked over. “You just seem so . . . so . . . much more confident and sure of yourself. When you got here, you were so naive and innocent. The glow you have had since the fire is just, honestly, amazing, freaky, and scary at the same time.” Lina blinked and stared.
Adirah sat up and faced Lina.
“See! Look at how your eyes glow, Adirah,” Lina pointed out.
Adirah stared deeper into Lina than she ever had before, and it kind of gave her the creeps. She heard Lina’s blood flowing and her heart beating. Adirah even picked up a subtle pulse in Lina’s jugular.
She’s one of them. I know it! Lina thought.
Adirah could hear Lina’s thoughts as clearly as if Lina had actually said the words to her.
“One of who?” Adirah blurted before she had time to stop herself.
Lina took a few steps backward, away from Adirah. “Wha . . . what?”
“You said I was one of them. One of who?”
“H-how did you hear that?” Lina asked, her eyes wide.
It was then that Adirah realized that Lina’s mouth hadn’t moved. Lina’s mouth hung open, and although Adirah’s heart rate seemed to quicken, she knew she had to calm herself and convince Lina that she’d spoken out loud.
“W-what do you mean? You just said, ‘She’s one of them.’”
“No I didn’t,” Lina said, shaking her head. “I definitely didn’t say it out loud. I said it in my head.”
“Lina,” Adirah said, making her voice sound as soothing and self-assured as possible. She even forced a grin. “You said it out loud. What do you think I am? Some sort of mind reader? I hope you’re not getting back to the crazy talk again. You make me worry about you.”
“I swear, I said it in my head. I was thinking it. I didn’t say it,” Lina argued. “I know for sure I was thinking it.” She shook her head adamantly.
Wasn’t I?
Adirah heard Lina’s voice again but didn’t see her lips move. Adirah’s heart raced. She had to get out of there. What was happening? She had always been able to hear spirits, but she had never been able to read people’s thoughts. Something was different. She couldn’t have Lina questioning her and spreading rumors. If this started to circulate, then it could lead back to Kesh, and Adirah would not let that happen.
“Listen, Lina, I’ll be back.” She restuffed her duffel bag, zipped it back up, and threw it over her shoulder. “In the meantime, can you please get this stuff off my bed, just in case I might want to sleep here?”
Without waiting for Lina’s response, Adirah told her good-bye and made her way back out of the door. It slammed shut. Adirah stood outside of the door and listened for a few minutes, knowing that Lina was probably in the same spot, staring at the door.
“I said that in my head,” Lina mumbled to herself. “I know I did.”
Adirah chuckled. “You definitely did.”
* * *
Kesh had entered Adirah’s dorm by using his gift. He’d used his speed and beaten her there. He’d entered like a gust of wind when Adirah opened the door, and he’d hovered above them in the room, almost invisible. Kesh hadn’t left when Adirah exited the dorm. He wanted to see what Lina would do after the encounter with Adirah.
After Adirah left, Lina stood frozen, staring at the door. Kesh entered her mind to listen in on her thoughts. She was trying to make sense of what had just transpired. Adirah had done a good job of planting a seed of doubt in Lina’s mind, causing her to wonder if maybe she had given voice to that thought. Kesh was pleased with his queen, but Lina would still need to be watched.
Lina was so mentally transfixed by what had just happened with Adirah that she jumped violently and gasped at the loud, resounding knock that shook her dorm door.
“C-come in! It should be open!” she shouted.
She knew the door was open, because she hadn’t locked it after Adirah made her quick getaway. The
door swung open.
“Hey, Lina,” said a male voice.
Kesh had to keep himself from growling and giving away his position on the ceiling when he saw and smelled the source of the voice—a young member of the Malum Clan. He had been concentrating so much on Lina, he had not been able to smell his enemy until it was too late and he was in the room. Kesh was mad at himself, but this was not the time for any of that. He needed to be sharp in this moment. If he could pick up the scent of his enemy, his enemy could pick up the scent of Kesh. This was a delicate situation, and if there were more of the Malum Clan on their way, it could be disastrous.
Kesh noticed the five-point star symbol branded on the guy’s arm right away.
“What’s up, Narum?” Lina greeted. “You kind of caught me off guard there. You didn’t say you were coming by my dorm today.” Still, she grinned at the handsome olive-skinned boy as he shut the door. He was wearing a white short-sleeve button-up and a pair of khaki shorts that stopped just over his knees, exposing his hairy legs. A tan fedora was sitting neatly on his head.
Kesh shook his head at the outfit. They’d do anything to fit in with the crowds. They had never had their own identity. Another reason Kesh wanted no part of the Malum Clan.
But how was Narum walking in the light? Kesh suddenly felt a swirl of anger and nausea. There were only a few vampires who had the rings that allowed day walking, and they were all Sefu, not Malum.
Who in my clan has betrayed me? Kesh was seething at the thought. Above all else, Kesh cherished loyalty to the clan, and now someone had broken that sacred bond.
“Yeah, you really shouldn’t leave your door unlocked like that. You never know what could get you. I could have come in here and tied you up,” Narum joked.
“You?” Lina laughed. “Narum, I don’t think you could hurt a fly if you wanted to.”
Narum smiled at Lina, but he didn’t say anything. Kesh saw the struggle to stay normal play across Narum’s face. Kesh knew from the pulsing vein in the boy’s neck that he wanted to throw Lina down and feed on her. Kesh could also tell, Narum was there for a purpose. The struggle between want and need flickered in the boy’s features. Kesh figured that Tulum had to be the one who sent Narum.
