by Martha Woods
Jared’s gaze finally left the blood and lanced over to her. “He’s a self-involved, manipulatie prick. He’s also happens to be an excellent fighter, which is the only reason Ally keeps him around. Despite my disdain for him.”
“It seemed more than a clash of personalities…”
In attempt to divert from the approaching topic, Jared curled his lips into a charming smile, “Of course it was. I would never stand for him talking to you the way he was.”
She couldn’t fight back the smile that pulled at her lips. He was really cute when he wanted to be, and it warmed Calla’s heart to see he acted that way toward her. She tried to refocus, Calla didn’t want to get distracted from the point of the conversation. “So there’s no personal reason as to why you hate Nolan?” she asked.
The winsome smile disappeared from Jared’s face, his brow creasing slightly. “Why does it matter? I have my reasons, not that I even need them. He’s a vile person, and is someone you should try and streer clear of. Nothing else needs to be said about him.”
“Then who is Bridget?” Calla questioned, not wanting to beat around the bush anymore.
“None of your business,” Jared snapped, standing from his chair.
Guilt immediately consumed Calla. She quickly gripped his hand as though could keep him there with her. “Jared, I’m sorry…”
“I’m not your boyfriend, Calla. You have no right to know anything about me other than what I want to tell you,” he barked.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry I—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jared interrupted before turning and walking into another room.
Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, biting down on the inside of her cheek as she tried not to cry. By no means had Calla meant to upset him so much. She was kicking herself for the way she acted. Jared was right, she shouldn’t expect him to indulge her with every fact of his life. Curiosity had clouded her judgment. It did sting to hear him brush her off by saying he wasn’t her boyfriend. While they didn’t have any kind of label, and she really didn’t see the point in labeling it, he made it sound like they were just sleeping together for the hell of it.
There was something between them, and Jared knew that. Calla knew he would end up regretting the way he had spoken to her. She knew he wouldn’t have done so in the first place if Calla hadn’t prodded him. Slumping in her chair, Calla rubbed her forehead and tried her best to move on instead of harboring on the poor interaction. It was hard to do when she had nothing to do but bleed into a bag. Tessa was catching up on sleep since Ally had woken them up so suddenly.
Soon enough, Calla herself started to drift to sleep, exhausted from lack of sleep and loss of blood.
* * *
Calla woke up, sitting up in a bed she didn’t recognize. Her eyes scanned around the room, her face screwing up in confusion. Where was she? Standing from the bed, she paced over to the window and noticed she was in a beach house. Weird… Calla hadn’t been to the beach since she was a little girl.
Moving from the bedroom, she noticed the mahogany floors of the home she was in were practically reflective they were so polished. Calla looked around for anyone in the home, or for any clue as to why she was there. Walking downstairs, she maneuvered through all of the rooms. It was a beautiful beach house, and was certainly expensive. There was no way this was a memory of hers. How was she dreaming about somewhere she had never been?
She stepped into the living room, her eyes immediately drawn to the fireplace that dominated the far wall of the room. Calla loved the gorgeous brick it was built with. As her eyes traced the wall, she noticed a figure on the other side of the room. An old woman with silver hair sat in a chunky black armchair, a porcelain tea cup in hand.
Calla slowly walked over to her, wondering who it could be. As she approached, the woman looked up to her with a bright smile and brilliant blue eyes. “Why, hello dear Calla,” she called to Calla, her voice as sweet as honey.
“Hi…” Calla replied, giving a weak smile. “Do I know you?”
The woman stirred her tea as she spoke, “Oh, maybe in another life time. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure to meet in this one. You can call me Connie.”
What a strange response, but Calla didn’t think too much into it. She figured Connie was just some sort of cooky old lady. “What are we doing here, Connie?” she asked, glancing about the living room.
“We’re here to have a little chat.”
“About what?”
“Well,” Connie began, pausing to take a sip of her tea before resting the cup in her lap. “I sensed that you’ve been having a lot of turmoil in your life lately. I wanted to come talk to you about it, my dear.”
“How do you even know who I am?”
“I know everyone,” Connie smiled. “Just think of me as... as a guardian angel. Or perhaps a counseling angel,” she corrected herself before letting out a light hearted chuckle. “So tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Oh… okay…” Calla breathed, overwhelmed by the strange concept. “Where do I even begin?” she grumbled to herself.
“How about the beginning?”
Sitting down in the chair next to her, Calla looked to the ceiling and contemplated. She was tired of thinking about Deidre. Really, what happened with her didn’t even bother her that much after her conversation with Jared. “I’m stuck serving this witch a few years younger than me,” Calla stated once she had her thoughts together.
“Oh? What young witch?” Connie asked curiously.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Calla sighed. “It isn’t like I mind her. She’s actually kind as well as appreciative. Besides, it was sort of my unspoken job to protect her since before I ever even met her. This makes it easier to do. Though, I never thought it would be the focus of my life.”
“Is that the problem? That it’s the focus of your life?”
“Part of it, I suppose. There’s definitely more to it.”
Connie made a quiet noise as she pondered, and then asked, “And what would that be?”
“For starters, she’s in a pack of vampires. I loathe the stupid nocturnal thing. I miss the sun. Her boyfriend hates me, and treats me like trash even though I do everything he asks. He’s a good guy, but he’s just so protective over Tessa that it makes him volatile to anyone who has ever come to close to hurting her physically or emotionally. Then there’s Jared…”
Connie’s eyes lit up, “Ooh. Who is this Jared fellow?”
Calla blushed lightly, not really sure how to put into words her relationship with him. “He’s a part of the vampire pack. Jared was assigned to babysit me, to make sure I didn’t try and get away or hurt Tessa. We’ve gotten fairly close, maybe a little bit more than that…”
“This Tessa you speak of,” Connie replied, “Tell me about her. Are the two of you close? I know you say you’re protecting her, but is it any closer than just that?”
Her brow knitted together, “Why do you care about her? I thought this was about what was bothering me…”
“Don’t question me, my dear. Believe me when I say I know what is best for you. I know how to get to the root of your problems, but you must answer my questions,” Connie responded as sweetly as possible.
Suddenly, Calla had an uneasy feeling. She stood from the chair, “I don’t think I want to talk, but thank you for seeing me…”
As Calla started to back away, Connie stood from her chair, “What’s wrong, Calla? Talk to me, darling child. I’ll take all of your woes away.”
She shook her head, “No, I’m fine.”
“I came all the way to see you. Do not waste my time,” Connie pressed, annoyance starting to hint in her tone.
“I’m sorry…” Calla muttered. Turning quickly, she hustled toward the door.
Connie hurled her tea cup toward Calla, the porcelain shattering against the wall next to her. She flinched and looked back to Connie with wide eyes. “You’re making me very angry, Calla. Tell me about Tessa.
Right. Now,” Connie hissed.
“I don’t have to tell you a damn thing,” Calla said firmly.
The old woman snarled loudly, sounding almost animalistic. “You little brat!” she screeched. Her eyes clouded into a pitch black as she launched herself at Calla.
Calla screamed as she struggled to try and get Connie off of her, pushing Connie with all of her might. She bared her teeth as she hissed and scratched at Calla.
“Tell me where Tessa is!” Connie hollered in Calla’s face.
“No!”
“Tell me!” Connie grabbed Calla’s head and slammed it against the mahogany floor. “I will chop your head off and drain every ounce of blood from your body once I get my hands on you. I’ll feed you to my fucking dogs. Tell me where Tessa is!”
The room around them started to burn to the ground, intense flames reaching toward the sky as the whole beach house started to fall apart. Black smoke choked Calla as Connie screeched, swinging her arm back to strike Calla.
* * *
Calla jerked awake, her body broken out in a cold sweat. She drew in sharp breaths. God, her head was killing her. Feeling the back of her head, she winced as her fingers gently pressed against a sizable bruise. How was that even possible?
“You’re awake,” Kristian spoke as he approached her. She jumped from the suddenness of his speaking, her wide eyes flying to his face. “Are you okay?” Kristian asked, actual concern gleaming in his eyes. “You look terrified…”
“I… I…” she stammered, her brain struggling to process the dream she had just had. What if that had been an actual Calder trying to poke around in her head? What if she had dreamed the concept because of how her sister had poked around in Calla’s head? It was impossible to tell, and she definitely didn’t want to tell Kristian that and him freak out. “I just had a bad dream… It felt real…”
“I see. Tessa gets those from time to time,” Kristian said, closing the space between them and handing her a plate. “You need to eat. You’re looking a bit ill.”
Calla looked to the blood bag, noticing it was lower than she remembered. She must have already filled one and they were taking another. “Thanks,” she murmured, looking down to the food to get her mind off the blood. He had fixed her a pan-fried steak, baked potato, and fresh peas. The aroma alone made her stomach growl and mouth water. Balancing the plate in her lap, she cut into the steak and took a bite of the medium rare meat. She groaned the moment it hit her taste buds, “You’re a great cook,” she complimented.
“Thanks,” he replied. “I knew you needed to eat, and trust me when I say you don’t want Jared cooking for you.”
Calla smiled weakly. Was Kristian actually making small talk with her? He had never talked to her outside of barking orders or snapping at her. “How would you know? I thought human food is repulsive to vampires.”
“It is, however I cook as a hobby. Jared’s never cooked, not even as a human. I’d be terrified to see a meal prepared by him.”
She giggled lightly, “Wow, that’s true. I never thought about that. I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind.”
Kristian sat at the island, looking down at some book as Calla ate. After a couple of minutes of silence, Kristian spoke again, “I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass to you. I was bitter about what you did with Deidre. However, Tessa has helped me get my head out of the sand and realize it wasn’t your fault. Now I can see what all you’re doing and sacrificing to help keep her, as well as my family, safe. I can’t stay upset with someone who is helping protect the ones I love. So, thank you for all you’re doing. Especially with training Tessa and donating us your blood.”
His emerald green eyes were soft and sincere, proving that Kristian meant what he said. Calla was taken back by the sudden show of appreciation. He had been so angry with her this whole time, and it was a little hard for her to believe that he had a change of heart. However, she knew he was being genuine, she could feel it in his aura. Slowly, a smile appeared on Calla’s lips. Maybe things would start looking up for her once the fight with the Calder was over. “Thank you, Kristian. It means a lot to me to hear you say that. You don’t have anything to apologize for. I understand you were just being protective of Tessa, and you had every right to be. I only hope that we can start to be friends, or at the very least civil with one another.”
“I’d like that,” Kristian nodded. After a moment, his lips twitched into a smirk, “Especially since you’ll be involved with Tessa and Jared.”
Her face turned beet red in color, “Oh, so I take it he talked to you about it then?”
“He didn’t have to. I’ve known him since I first met Ally. He hasn’t been protective over a woman since his wife.”
“His wife?” Calla gaped.
Kristian’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “I… I shouldn’t have said that. It kind of slipped out. Please, for the love of God, forget I said that.”
“He never told me he was married…” Calla breathed aloud, though she wasn’t exactly talking to Kristian when she said it.
“Because it didn’t end well and I’m sure he tries to forget about it. Just as you should forget it too.”
“I won’t tell him you said anything, I swear. If I do, then you’re welcome to take all of my blood,” Calla replied, locking eyes with him.
“I wouldn’t be that drastic,” Kristian said, shaking his head. “But alright, I trust you not to tell him.”
“Was his wife Bridget?” Calla asked.
He sucked in a breath, “Yes, but that’s all I’m telling you.”
“Okay,” Calla sighed. She wished she could know more, but didn’t want to put Kristian into any sort of situation with Jared. That wasn’t fair to Kristian.
Kristian cleared his throat, “Eat up and be sure to drink your juice. We’ll need a couple more bags, but we’re going to do it as safely as possible. If you need anything, let someone know.”
“Could I have an aspirin? My head is killing me,” Calla asked.
Kristian nodded and then sped off in the blink of an eye. He reappeared in front of her with two white pills in hand.
“Thanks,” she said, taking them and popping them in her mouth. Kristian walked away, and Calla’s eyes fell on the blood once again. It was going to be a long couple of days. She was ready for the fight to be over and done with, no matter the outcome.
Part Three
Calla dozed on and off all night and the following day, never getting the best of sleep but never staying up for long either. Once again, she was terrified to sleep, afraid this time that it was the Calder trying to get into her head. Thankfully, she had breaks from filling the blood to shower and to rest here and there to keep her from crashing completely. They were doing a very slow drip, figuring it would help her not crash as hard since they weren’t taking a lot at once.
Finally, the next evening, Ally believed they had just enough to give each vampire about two hours in sunlight. As soon as Ally unhooked her from the machine, Calla tried to stand. Her knees wobbled and began to buckle, but Ally’s hands appeared on her shoulders and steadied her. “You need to take it easy, Calla. You’ve given a lot of blood.”
“I’m fine,” Calla stated stubbornly. She didn’t feel fine, but she wanted to see Jared. He hadn’t come out of the bedroom since she had tried to ask him about Bridget. She needed to apologize again, make sure he wasn’t still pissed off. Calla also needed his comfort. He had made her feel better through these spells of exhaustion.
“You’re not,” Ally insisted, pushing her to sit back in the chair. “What are you trying to stand up in such a hurry for?”
Calla’s eyes darted away from Ally, looking off into the distance. “I wanted to talk to Jared,” she admitted.
Ally then walked away. When she was out of sight, Calla heard Kristian speak to Tessa across the room, “Come on, Tes. Let’s get out of here for a little while.” Calla looked up to Kristian. He winked at Calla before heading out the door with Tessa. She smiled t
o herself, touched by the kind gesture. He truly was putting in an effort to be kinder to her.
A few minutes passed before Calla heard the bedroom door open and close in the distance. Ally then walked passed Calla, waving at her before leaving. Before he even stepped into view, she could feel Jared’s aura. He was anxious and upset. Slowly shifting her eyes over, Calla looked up at him as he walked through the threshold.
As soon as his eyes landed on her, they practically bulged out of his head. “Holy shit,” he breathed, moving to her in a blur, taking her chin in his hand as he examined her face. “They’ve practically drained you…”
Calla shook her head, “It’s not that bad. I’m just tired.”
“You look unwell,” Jared urged.
“So does your caring for my well-being mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” Calla questioned.
He let out an uneasy sigh, “Not necessarily.”
“Jared,” Calla groaned, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to prod. I-I… I know that you’re not my boyfriend or anything. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I had overstepped. It was impulsive and I won’t do it again.”
“Stop apologizing,” Jared said gently, sitting down in the armchair next to her. Reaching over, he took her hand and held it in his. “I didn’t mean that I’m still mad right now, just that me caring for you doesn’t mean that I’m not mad. I’ll care about your well-being no matter how I’m feeling.”
Calla smiled weakly. He really did care about her. “So you aren’t mad at me?”
He shook his head, “No, I’m not mad. I shouldn’t have been mad in the first place.”
“You had the right to be upset. I shouldn’t have been pressuring you to tell me things that you clearly didn’t want to…”
“That didn’t give me the right to talk down to you, and make it sound as though I only care about what’s between your legs. There’s more between us than that, and I know that. It was a dick move to try and downplay it. So, I’m the one that’s sorry,” Jared breathed.
