“This is Evaine,” Ronan said. “She’s new here so don’t go scaring her.”
The men were very similar. They had large, heavyset builds, hair cropped short, and big goofy grins on their faces. To her they were giants. Not as big as Victor, who must have been almost six foot five, but still, pretty big guys. All decked out in black tight T-shirts and black camo pants with black boots, they looked as though they belonged in a biker gang.
Ronan turned to her. “These are the twins, Bobby Lee and John Casey. They aren’t really twins, but as you can see, they sure look it.” They stood to welcome her to the house.
“Sure is nice to meet you, ma’am.” Bobby Lee had probably the most redneck Southern accent that Evaine had ever heard.
“Mighty pretty, you are.” John Casey’s drawl was equally Southern. “Don’t get many girls here. You let me know if there’s anythin’ I can do for ya.”
Evaine would have blushed from ear to ear if she still had any blood left in her. “Uh…thanks, that’s really nice of you.”
“The twins are head of security around here. Well, underneath me that is.” Ronan puffed out his chest a little. “They patrol the grounds to make sure we don’t get any unwelcome visitors.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Not much. But from time to time we have people interested in an old house that’s set back from the road with security cameras, guards, and dogs.”
“But there ain’t never been a breech since we came here to stay.” Bobby Lee grinned.
“You better believe it, brother. Goin’ on almost two years now,” John Casey said.
“Where are my manners?” Bobby Lee smiled. “I’m sure ya’ll didn’t just come up here to see my pretty face. Can I get you a drink, ma’am? Water or Isis?”
“She’ll have an Isis, and I’ll just have water,” answered Ronan.
“Sure thing, boss,” Bobby Lee said.
It seemed strange that such a big man would be calling a kid boss. Not to be outdone John Casey offered her his seat, even though there were enough seats for all of them and then some. Evaine took the seat that John Casey had pulled out and said thank you. The men started chatting about college sports teams while she drank her blue drink. Not her favorite, but it helped quench the desert in her throat. Her stomach groaned.
Minutes passed, and the hunger pains intensified. She began to pant, trying hard not to draw attention to herself while the men’s friendly banter grew more heated. Finally she let out an involuntary cry and grabbed her side. She slumped over the counter, placing her face on the cool surface.
“Hey, you don’t look so good.” John Casey leaned toward her.
Ronan took one look at her and told Bobby Lee to get something to eat out of the fridge.
“Sure thing, Boss.”
John Casey picked her up and carried her over to the couch. She curled into a ball and lay there trying to process the pain. Bobby Lee handed the bowl to Ronan, who knelt in front of her.
“Thanks guys, I can take it from here,” he said.
Bobby Lee and John Casey left with well wishes for her, but she didn’t hear most of what they said.
“OK, so this won’t taste, well, it isn’t as good as human, but it’ll make the pain stop. And it’ll keep you going.” He picked something up out of the bowl, and he pressed it to her lips. As soon as the cold meat hit her mouth, she wanted to spit it out. She had hoped it would be sweet and tangy, but it wasn’t. It was like hoping for a big juicy filet mignon steak with all the spices and wonderful taste from being on the grill and getting a cold, hard piece of chuck steak that had sat in the fridge for too long. She ripped through the tough meat until she could finally swallow it. Ronan offered her more, this time something different. Same taste, different texture. By the fifth piece the cramps eased and her panting subsided. Waving him off she lay back on the couch and waited till her body absorbed the new food.
Ronan watched her, but not in an intrusive way. “Better?”
“Yes, thank you.” She sat up.
“I’m sorry about that. I should have realized you needed to feed. If I had, I never would have sat there jabbering. I am so sorry.”
“Really, it’s all right. You don’t need to apologize. And now that I know what happens if I don’t eat, I’ll be sure to eat more often.” She smiled at him reassuringly.
“You need to eat about once a week, and you need to drink Isis once a day at least, but other than that, our bodies require very little sustenance.”
“I’ll remember that.”
He bit his lip. “Could you, maybe, not mention this to Luca? He would kill me if he thought I wasn’t taking care of you.”
Luca had thought about her before he left? What was it with this guy? “Well I don’t think you have to worry about Luca. Even if I did tell him, he wouldn’t care. I don’t think he cares much of anything about me.”
Ronan folded his fingers, looked down at them, and paused before responding. “Don’t judge him just yet. He’s a good guy, and he cares more than you would think. Luca has been rebirthed for a long time, and he’s been alone for a long time. He isn’t too sure how he feels about you, and no offense, but, you’re a newborn. Newborns are hard to predict and control, and if there’s one thing Luca likes, its control. He’s saved my life more times than I can count; the lives of a lot of other people too. All I’ll say is give him some time. He’ll get it worked out.”
She wasn’t sure what she thought either. She shrugged. “Where did he go?”
“He had to go out, but he’ll be back before morning, don’t worry.” He smiled and then picked up the bowl and walked into the kitchen.
It probably wouldn’t do any good to ask again so she changed the subject. “What did I eat?”
“Oh.” Ronan looked at what was left in the bowl before throwing into a trash can. “Looks like pig. A kidney, some lung and probably a spleen.”
Just the sound of what she’d eaten made her want to vomit. But wasn’t eating a person worse? “Where does it come from?” She tried to redirect her thoughts.
“We have a business that picks up the extra parts from butchers around the East Coast. We dispose of it, keep some, and some we sell to the Feeders.”
“I thought the Feeders only ate humans.”
“Mostly they do, yes. But as you witnessed firsthand a few minutes ago, not eating can be bad for your health. And there are times when it isn’t always so easy to find…other food. It’s like having ramen noodles in your pantry for when you get really hungry.”
She laughed at the analogy. Ronan switched on the TV and sat down next to her. They flipped through the channels till she found a show she had been watching before she had rebirthed. A lot of time had passed on the show. There was a new character that she didn’t recognize, someone had had a baby, and another couple had broken up.
“What is the date?”
“What? Oh, the date. Uh…it’s October third, I believe.”
October third? The last date she remembered was…she didn’t remember.
The program ended, and they watched another. Ronan stayed with her, though he showed no signs of interest in the television whatsoever. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Nate and Abbey are upstairs doing some paperwork. Cami and Victor are in their room, doing whatever it is they do. I’m here with you. Aron is down in the hospital wing. Bobby Lee and John Casey are patrolling. Then there is Trey and Mary Jane. They’re out of town right now, in the California Haven. Shandy’s staying with the Feeders, trying to gather some information. Quinten’s following up a lead. That leaves the Forgotten, who are downstairs, unfortunately just existing at this point. Oh, and Luca’s on his errand.”
A slender woman with medium-length white hair walked in. Her clothes were a little too clingy and her shoes were high for wearing around the house. Her eyes had been heavily accentuated with dark eyeliner, and she wore red lipstick that made her mouth even poutier. She had actually managed to accentua
te her alien beauty. Evaine hadn’t even thought about wearing makeup.
The girl’s eyes raked Evaine up and down.
“And there’s Karen.” Ronan spoke as if he had forgotten her entirely. But how would that be possible with a girl who dressed like that?
“Hello.” Karen’s tone was cool. She didn’t cross the room to shake Evaine’s hand or look the least bit interested in getting to know her at all, except for what she looked like. Karen continued to eye Evaine.
Finally Ronan broke the silence. “Karen, this is Evaine, she’s the newborn—”
“I’m aware of that.” Karen tilted her head and smirked. “The whole house has been buzzing about the new girl and wondering what powers she might have. Where’s Luca?” She stared at Evaine.
“He’s out.”
Karen gave an irritated glance. “Thanks, computer geek, but where did he—oh forget it, I’ll locate him myself.” Karen spun on her heels and sauntered out of the room, her hips swishing with every move of the mile-high heels.
Ronan gave an apologetic smile to Evaine. “Sorry about her. She’s a little dramatic and pretty much a prima donna but she’s the resident white pages, so we keep her around. Besides she sleeps a lot of the time and so we only have to see her every few days.”
Evaine nodded, still staring at the now empty doorway. She wondered if Karen had come back with her humanity or if she was somehow faking it. Her thoughts turned to Luca. Why Karen was looking for him? Her skin tingled. Maybe if she waited around long enough she would see him when he came back from his mysterious errand.
It took Evaine four shows to realize Ronan was her chaperone. He’d started snoring halfway through the second show. She’d waited and waited for Luca to return, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t sure why what she did seemed to revolve so much around him now. But, the connection between them was a comfort in her new world as much as an annoyance. She got up to get water, and Ronan snorted awake.
“Oh, man, sorry, I must have fallen asleep.”
“No biggie. I think I’m gonna go to my room.”
“Things will get better. Soon as you’re tested you’ll be given more freedoms and you won’t be required to have me hanging around your neck.”
“I just wish I knew what was so stinkin’ important that Luca had to leave.”
“Hey, do you like to read? We have a huge library full of books.”
“Yeah, OK.” Her attempt to find out where Luca had gone had failed. Again.
Ronan led her through the dining room to a room behind the kitchen. There were shelves and shelves of books, rows and rows of shelves. Enthralled, she picked out five books that she was pretty sure she hadn’t read before. Then she went to the magazine section and pulled out a couple. Lying around on her bed eating bonbons and reading the latest magazine wasn’t something she was used to doing, but she’d give it a shot—well the laying on the bed part and reading, anyway.
Grabbing her water bottle on her way through the kitchen she headed to her room. The piercing screams from one of the Forgotten had gotten worse. Ronan reached into his pocket.
“I forgot. Aron wanted me to give these to you.” He handed her a small case with earbuds inside. She put them in. They filtered the sound, as opposed to blocking it out. She could hear Ronan speaking clearly, but the high-pitched screams, the air conditioner, even the squeaking of Ronan’s shoes had filtered out.
Making it to her room she lay down and flipped open one of her magazines. Someone had put an alarm clock on her table, it read 7:30 p.m. She still had a whole night to read.
By a.m. she’d finished three magazines and The Magician’s Nephew. She gulped down the rest of her water and flipped off her light. In the darkness she lay in her bed thinking about Luca, his face, so white, so flawless. His breath on her face, the way his fingers tingled her skin. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of Luca possibly being involved with someone else. Maybe Karen. It was ridiculous; she had no right to him. Yet, a burning desire boiled inside her. Every time he touched her, she felt she might burst.
She let her mind wander, thinking about him. About where he was, what he was doing, his hands, his face, his lips.
* * *
Luca sat in the darkened car for the second night in a row. Staring out the window he watched people come and go from the building. Their lives moved forward at a rush, while he sat in the shadows, his existence on hold because of one man. Coming down here had been a bad idea the first night; now it was just plain reckless. Luca knew that Nate was more than angry with him. And Nate didn’t know what he was really doing. Before he’d left two nights ago, he had gotten an earful from Nate.
“There’s no reason for us to be going into the city tonight. What’s the big deal?” Nate asked.
“I need some space. I can’t… I have to.”
Nate had stared at him and shook his head. “We’re starting Evaine’s testing.”
“Wait for me. You’ll need me.”
Nate threw him a quizzical look. “I won’t make her sit down there with nothing to do while you run off and get ‘space.’”
“I’ll be back. Wait for me.”
“I’ll do what I can. But whatever this is, whatever you are going to go do in the city, do it and be done with it. We need you here, brother. I won’t ask if it involves going off diet.”
“It doesn’t.”
“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. Whatever it is though, make it quick.”
That had been two days ago. Luca knew it was stupid, but he had to do this. The pain that he might sustain if Evaine’s memory returned and she left was something Luca wasn’t prepared for. The longer he was around her, the more he couldn’t deny the fact that he had feelings for her. That hole in his soul that had been ripped into him years before finally showed signs of mending. With every touch of her soft skin, every glace of her bold blue eyes, every sound of her sweet and terrified voice. Though she deserved better than him. She deserved the man he had once been. The man he was now was nothing like the man he’d been while alive—sensitive, shy even. Now…
How many had he killed? How many doctors, scientists and hired thugs? He’d lost count years ago. Every death hardened him to the world a bit more; got him one step closer to finding the ones who had done this to them all. If only he could stop losing control and killing them all.
But somehow Evaine was unlocking the old Luca. Even now he could feel parts of his hardened and closed-off heart opening to her.
Luca scratched at the back of his hand. The itching from the feeding lasted longer every time. He was on the edge of a knife, in danger of falling to the addiction. He reached for the Isis in the cup holder, opened the cap, and drained the bottle. All he wanted was to catch a glimpse of him. The one who could take away Luca’s budding happiness. He wasn’t going to hurt him. He just wanted to see him. Then he’d head home and check on Evaine. He’d been surprised at how much he had missed her the last two nights. Like a piece of him was far away. The feeling had him on edge.
A young man exited the building, and Luca’s head snapped up to see if it was the man he was waiting for. Tall, dark hair, boyishly handsome face. It all fit, till a tall blond woman took his arm. Not the man he was looking for. His phone rang, the caller ID read Nate Lake. Luca drew in a deep breath and hit his Bluetooth.
“Nate.”
“We are doing the testing tonight.”
“No, not tonight. I won’t be back in time. Wait till tomorrow.”
“No. We waited for you, like you asked, and did the mental testing last night. You knew we were doing the other testing tonight. We aren’t going to make her wait any longer.” Nate hung up without another word.
“Dammit!” Luca pounded the steering wheel.
It was almost midnight. The drive would be at least three hours. Cursing again he turned the key, slammed the vehicle into drive, and jetted away from the curb. He hit the brakes at the stop sign. A man walked out of a park with a large whit
e dog on a leash. Luca froze upon seeing the face burned into his memory by the photos he’d found on the Internet. Tristan Atwater. He was being propelled forward by the huge animal.
For an instant Luca had the urge to run him over. To feel the crunch of his bones under the tires as the front end lifted and then dropped over the body beneath it. Luca gripped the steering wheel tighter and ground his teeth together. Tristan lunged across the street without even looking at him.
It took several deep breaths for Luca to regain control of his rage. A honk from a Prius behind him pulled him to the present. Home…he had to get home. Luca rounded the corner and gunned the engine, heading for the highway.
Chapter Twelve
Evaine woke with a kink in her neck from having fallen asleep reading. At some point through the night, someone had come into her room, laid her book on her nightstand, turned off the stereo, and put a blanket over her. Had it been Luca? Her shoulder hurt from where she had slept on it. She grumbled and rubbed her face. Irritation raced through her though she couldn’t pinpoint what the problem was.
A shower might help. She pinned up her hair, stepped in, and let the water run over her body. It didn’t help. After several minutes she gave up and got out.
The black T-shirt and black fatigues that she had worn the first few days she had come in were all she had to wear. Cleaned and pressed they smelled like Tide, her new favorite smell in the world. She didn’t remember what her favorite smell used to be, but now, it was Tide detergent.
Turning the stereo on she went to her bed and sat down to wait again. The waiting made her anxious, more than anything she wanted to start this testing so that she could get the access code to the door and leave this room without a parent’s permission.
She replayed the events of the previous evening in her mind. Nate had come and gotten her. They had gone down to meet Aron and had done the passive ability testing. She had sat in a chair for more than two hours, seeing if she had telepathy, telepathic influence, teleprojection, and a myriad of other abilities, none of which she possessed. Afterward Aron had given her a memory test. She was to blurt out the first thing that sprang into her head.
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