Native Nights ~ Part Three
Most of us had gotten up early in the morning because Micah and Will were too excited to sleep past eight. They ran outside to explore their surroundings and had been gone for over an hour now. Me, on the other hand had been up all night thinking about Niyol, wondering if there was time to find Raven and bring her here. Obviously, I would be the only one to be able to approach her, but after Tucson, she may not be as willing to help. I thought about it long and hard, wondering if she was still in Alaska after all these years or if she had relocated like us. There was no way of telling. I had to get on a plane and go there. Maybe I’d be able to sense her and her dogs.
Gabriel walked into the kitchen where I stood deep in thought.
I thought maybe he had some news for me, “What is it?” I asked worried about the answer.
“Nothing, no more visions. As quickly as it started, it went away. I don’t know what’s going on now.” He said.
“Really?” I was hopeful. “Does that mean he’s not coming?”
“Possibly.” Gabriel rubbed his head trying to find his father. “The connection is gone I don’t know what that means. He’s either not coming or he’s deliberately shutting me down so I can’t find him. All I know is I can’t feel him anymore.”
I wasn’t entirely happy with that response but the fact that Gabriel seemed a lot more at ease, made me feel slightly better. “Then let’s wait to tell the others.
Keep your thoughts open and let me know if you sense him. Anything, even something tiny, I want to know about it.”
Gabriel nodded.
I walked into the living room, it was quiet. Kris had just come into the house carrying a newspaper and collapsed onto a small sofa.
“Do you think your kids are lost?” I asked my brother who was sitting across from me on another sofa.
“No, unfortunately.” Kris had his nose buried in the morning paper.
I smiled. “Don’t you think they’re too young to be running around on their own, they’re not quite teens yet.”
“But they look old enough.”
“What if they get into trouble?”
“I don’t worry about them finding trouble; I worry about trouble finding them. Those boys are hell together. I pity the poor soul that tries to start something with them.”
Tawnie giggled. She sat just behind me rubbing my shoulders. She moved her fingers against the light weight material of my shirt, tracing the burns along my
collarbone. I felt her tenderly following the scar tissue along my shoulder and down the side of my arm. Her awareness of my scars stirred up vivid memories.
A boys’ right to manhood was a test on many levels in my village. My tests didn’t come until I was close to thirteen. My parents were both dead, my brother Kris, sister Raven and I lived with our caretaker Bidziil, a clan elder and former friend to our father.
Even though Kris was the eldest by birthing order, my tests came first. I had perfected my marksmanship skills and consistently impressed the elders with not only the amount of kills I had but also the variety. With my knife and bow and arrow, I was deadly and unafraid. My hunting tests finished quickly followed by approval from the tribe to finally initiate me into manhood. The celebration was elaborate and I was beside myself with pride. I was the center of attention; everyone congratulated me on my accomplishments and welcomed me into the tribe as a man. I wished my parents had been there at that moment, I thought of my father a lot and how proud he would have been for me. I held his hunting knife close to my body; it was the only thing left of him that I carried with me at all times.
My thoughts snapped back to reality once I was reminded of the physical process of reaching manhood. A small fire pit was dedicated to the heating of stone pieces that would be used to burn away the layers of my skin in tribal scarring. I had witnessed some such initiations in the past and was fearful but at this moment, I was not allowed to feel or show fear. I simply waited for the scarring to begin and silently asked my father for the strength to endure the pain for the next few hours as the tribes’ markings were accurately inscribed on my flesh. The first touch of the stone felt cool which was quickly replaced by the searing heat of fire. The sizzling of skin and smell of burning flesh enveloped my senses as I tried to remain motionless while the tribes’ men and women looked on.
A stressful part of my life that was thankfully a distant memory.
“Seen anything yet?” I asked, quickly trying to redirect my thoughts.
“Not really.”
I flipped the page of my paper, “I wonder what would be hot in Hawaii?” I asked out loud. “What could we bring to this area that people would love?”
“Night clubs are always popular.” Tawnie said.
“True, but do we really want to do that again?” I asked.
“Why not? It’s what you know and you’re good at it.” She said.
“I dunno, what do you think Kris?”
“Let’s just keep looking okay?” He brushed the idea aside.
Billy busted through the front door. “Guys, check this out!” He walked over with a small snail like critter pinched between his fingers.
“It’s a snail.” I said.
“You say snail, I say delicacy.” Billy stated.
My face curled up, “Says who?”
“The Hawaiian peeps that I just made friends with. They’re outside clinging to the cliff, scraping these things off the rocks.”
“Billy, honestly we’ve been here less than twenty-four hours, what’s your hurry?” As soon as I asked, I knew the answer. I put my hand up, “Wait, lemme guess you
found women, right?”
Billy just smiled.
“Figures.”
“Ewww Billy, go throw that thing away.” Tawnie said.
I laughed at Tawnie trying to wave Billy away; her only escape was to leave the room.
“Honestly Billy, I think I screwed up somehow when he made you a vampire.” Kris said.
“Why? Cuz I’m not as stuffy as you old guys?” He commented. “I could be serious if I wanted to be but where’s the fun in that? Plus, I’ve been asleep in a tiny
coffin for ten years; I’m ready for some socialization. I’m gonna have fun or you can just stuff me back in the box.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Kris said, briefly looking up from his paper.
Billy and I smiled at each other.
I heard the sounds of heavy running coming up the walkway and knew Micah and Will were back.
“Dad! Look what we found!” They screamed at Kris.
Kris looked at me over his paper, “Today is show and tell and no one told me?”
“Jeezus!” I said when I got a look at a large spider the kids found.
It was a large as a tarantula without all the fur. “That sucker’s huge!” I exclaimed.
Kris looked at it and shook his head, “You better get rid of that before your mom sees it.”
The boys laughed and ran out of the front door again and Billy followed them.
“Where is Blaze?” I asked.
“She’s talking to Brendan. She’s trying to get him to come and stay with us for a while, she wants to change him.”
“Oh. I’m surprised she waited so long.”
“Me too but she said the timing wasn’t right in Tucson.”
Will peeked his head in the doorway again, “Dad, we’re hungry.”
“Okay.” Kris folded up his paper and laid it on the couch next to me.
I folded mine up too, we weren’t going to have any luck today. I sighed and leaned back trying to think about which business we should go into.
“I’ll be back in a bit. I have to go feed my kids.” Kris got up and left.
“Okay.” I smiled at Kris the domestic and thought about not too long ago when he would have never considered being a father. He was lucky though, he had found the right woman to share those things with. And now with marriage and family, my brother was actually normal. I on the other hand, the commitment advocate was
having a hard time seeing things through with Tawnie. I sometimes wondered if maybe we just weren’t meant to be together. A stray thought had entered my mind. Daryl. From what I knew about her, she was very sweet and amazing. I wondered if I would ever get to know her better. For a brief moment this afternoon I saw her and Sam stopping by and resisted the urge to go downstairs to talk to her. Tawnie had been with me and I wasn’t interested in rocking the boat. However, if these thoughts and feelings continued, I would have to address it with her eventually. I frowned to myself.
Tawnie leaned back on the sofa and looked at me. “What’s wrong, I see something in your eyes. Are you okay?” She asked running her finger along my jaw.
I smiled faintly, “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
She nodded. She was smiling now. “You know, not to change the subject or anything but I think you’re going to be a wonderful father someday.”
My eyes got wider, “Someday? Like in the next couple of months?”
“No, not that soon.” She looked disappointed. She looked at me again and the smile returned. She scooted closer to me and bit down on her lower lip, always a bad
sign. It usually meant that she wanted to say something important but she didn’t know how I was going to take it.
She shrugged, “I just see how you are with your nephews and think how great you’ll be with your own kids.”
“Tawnie, you’re thinking.”
She giggled and started pulling at my belt buckle. Tawnie had been pestering me for kids for over a decade now and I was running out of new ways to avoid the conversation. I wasn’t quite sure about our future and was very reluctant to even consider the possibility of adding children into the equation. Not that having kids was a choice with vampires, it was more like a roll of the dice but I still took precautions so as not to increase the odds.
I pushed her hands away and started playing with her. I flipped her backwards on the couch and tickled her. She screamed and fell off the side of the couch and onto the floor. She scrambled to get away from me. I crouched down on the floor and crept slowly towards her, threatening to grab her ribs.
She squealed and laughed, pushing me back with her hands, “Stop it!”
I was creeping closer to her, watching her squirm.
“What are you doing?” She laughed.
“I’m stalking you.” I smiled, still creeping on all fours.
“Stop it Trent!” She squealed again.
I was almost to her when I saw a pair of boots stand next to me. I looked up and saw Kris staring down at me with a confused expression.
“What are you doing down there?” He asked.
My face got serious, “I lost something.” I stated matter-of-factly.
“Like what, your pride?”
I sat back on my legs and stared at Tawnie who was smiling and shrugging.
“Come on romeo, let’s talk.” Kris suggested.
I stood up and tried to regain some composure. “I thought you were feeding the kids?”
“Blaze beat me to it. C’mon, the cousins are coming over, let’s talk business.” Kris led the way to my office and Tawnie excused herself.
“I’ll go visit with Blaze and let you guys talk.”
“Okay.” I kissed her cheek and let her go.
My cousins walked in just as she was leaving. I ushered them into the office and we all sat around talking out a few major decisions.
“You know, clubs are hot everywhere…almost everywhere. Why not have another one here?” I asked Kris.
He shrugged, “It’s not a bad idea. I’m okay with it if we all agree.”
To be honest, it’s what we knew and what we liked. The club atmosphere kept us in constant contact with the younger crowds, enabling us to stay mainstream which was the goal since we had been sleeping for ten years. We couldn’t afford to become stale or appear too ancient. I was looking forward to finding a building
in town, one that would be the perfect place to set up shop.
Kris changed the subject. “So, how are you and Tawnie doing?”
His question took me by surprise and I stared at him for a moment before answering. “Good, I guess.”
“She wants to have kids, huh?”
“Yes.” Kris must have picked up on her hinting just before he caught us on the floor.
“And how do you feel about that?”
I shrugged, “I love and care about her, but I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right, not now anyway.”
“She’s pretty serious isn’t she?”
“About kids or about us?”
“Both.”
“Yes, she is.”
Kris looked at me, “Is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Trent, I know you and I have to say that you haven’t been yourself lately. What’s bothering you?”
“I don’t know, I really don’t. Part of me doesn’t understand why I don’t marry her and have kids and the other part…” I shrugged again. “If I knew what I wanted then I would go after it. It just seems that there is something standing in between Tawnie and I and I can’t figure out what it is.”
“Something or someone?” Kris asked.
I looked at my brother wondering if he knew me better than I thought. He probably did, who was I kidding? “Someone.”
“A certain blonde maybe, from Tucson?”
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
He stood and waited for me to continue. “But she doesn’t want to be with me. She turned me down.”
Kris put his hand on my shoulder, “You aren’t happy Trent. If this woman still means something to you, then maybe you should wait and ask her again.”
“I don’t know, maybe. Why don’t I want Tawnie? She’s an amazing woman. What’s wrong with me?”
“Tawnie is an amazing friend Trent. But she may not be the one for you.”
“Maybe I should of thought of that before I made her a vampire…”
“Do you regret it?” Kris looked at me concerned.
“No, of course not but she is with me thinking it will be forever. If we break up, she may regret it. I took her away from her family, made her part of mine and now I’m going to abandon her? I can’t do that. I love her, I do. I will make it work.”
Kris shook his head, “You can’t force it. This relationship can’t work if it’s one-sided. If you know you don’t want to be with her than you need to tell her.”
“But I do want to be with her.”
“Do you?” He looked at me questioningly.
I didn’t know how to respond. I just smiled at him, “Since when have you become my personal relationship counselor? I seem to remember back in the day, it was I
that had to talk you into relationships.”
“Talking people into relationships is your deal, talking people out of them, is my specialty.” He smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
TAWNIE
I was happy to give the guys their space to discuss the new business but more than that, I needed girl time. Blaze and I had been the best of friends for years and I needed her advice about my relationship.
I knocked lightly on the door to let her know I was there and I walked into her living room. She had managed to unpack quite a bit already. I was envious that she had done so much. Trent’s house was still littered with boxes.
Blaze came out of the kitchen. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. I came by hoping we could chat, I kind of need your input on something.”
“Oh yeah?” She said in her waning British accent. She sat on the sofa and invited me to sit with her. “Have a seat.” She sighed and sank into the cushions.
“Are the boys having lunch?”
“Yes. They eat so much, it’s ridiculous.”
I laughed. “I can imagine.”
“Our men still over at your place?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Good, so we are all alone. What’s on your mind?”
“I need some advice regarding my relationship with Trent. I have been fighting a battle for a long time regarding marriage and starting a family.”
Blaze nodded, she was aware of my frustrations with him.
“And I constantly feel that he is avoiding the conversation more and more lately. I don’t really know what to do anymore. I really love him but I’m starting to think it’s one sided. What should I do?”
Blaze thought for a moment. “Tawnie, I know you. You are relentless and stubborn when things don’t go your way. Are you sure you’re not just being impatient? I mean is Trent saying not now or not ever?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know, he doesn’t want to talk about it. I can’t tell what he’s saying.”
“Well maybe that should be your first question. You need to address that with him right away, you can’t live in the dark when it comes to your relationship, it’s just silly.”
“I know.” I felt hopeless and undesirable in that moment. I had always known how men felt about me prior to Trent. He was still a mystery to me at times and I couldn’t read him at all. It made me very insecure the past decade, not knowing what he felt and being too afraid to ask.
“Part of me thinks that he still likes the woman we met at Club Nosferatu, do you remember Daryl, the girl that met us at the beach?”
“Sure I remember her.”
“Yeah, well I think she’s more than just a little infatuated with Trent.”
“Really? Why would you say that?”
“Just by the way she looks at him. I’m telling you, I think I’m losing my boyfriend. I’m going to freak out if he leaves me for her.”
“Well, you need to talk to him right away. Don’t draw conclusions yet, you could be wrong.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
I had tendencies to overthink things, especially when fear was present. It just seemed like the damage had been done years ago already and now all my efforts to correct the past were ‘too little, too late’. My gut told me I was losing him but my mind said we had a lot to talk about.
I was thankful to have Blaze around. She and I talked for hours about relationships. I needed to hear her perspective on my attitude. I knew I was difficult to deal with at times and Blaze was reality check. Her opinions were invaluable to me.
*************************************************
TRENT
By the time Tawnie got home, it was late. I didn’t feel much like talking as I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation Kris and I had earlier. Tawnie could sense something was wrong but true to form it didn’t stop her from touching on another very sensitive subject.
“Why can’t we have kids? You’d be a great dad!” She said sounding frustrated.
“Tawnie, could we please not talk about this again. You know how I feel about it. What’s the rush? We have all the time in the world!”
She sat across from me with her arms folded across her chest and casting an evil glare my way.
“Besides,” I started, “you’re talking about it like all we have to do is make a conscious choice. Having children as a vampire is not as easy as it is for humans.”
“I know that, but at least we would be trying. At least if we agree now, we can start. A baby might not come along for years.” She said.
“If at all…” I mumbled.
“So that’s it?!” She threw her hands in the air, “That’s the final decision? We can’t even talk about it some more?”
“You can talk about it, I’m going upstairs.” I left her on the couch sighing and making obnoxious sounds.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The rain had started again outside, there had barely been one day since we’ve been here that it hadn’t rained or sprinkled.
The splattering of the droplets were almost deafening on the tin roof. Even with the thoughts of replacing my roof, I still couldn’t get Daryl’s face out of my
head. I closed my eyes and remembered our first meeting.
TRENT
The Introduction
I had unknowingly walked into a feud for my brother’s affections. They say: all is fair in love and war. From where I stood, dripping with what was left of an apple martini, I couldn’t tell which one I had just witnessed. Kris had pulled the blonde aside and led her outside by her forearm. I brushed a few droplets off my shirt but the green hue stained and seeped through my white silk shirt. I rolled up the cuffs of my sleeves to keep more liquid from staining the delicate fabric and sought out a towel to wipe my hands.
“Here you go.”
I looked up and saw a pretty blonde staring at me. Her eyes were big and blue, friendly but also showing a hint of remorse. Her delicate hand extended paper napkins to me.
I took them thankfully, “Thank you.” I dabbed and patted some drops of liquor off my collar where I could still feel moisture.
“I’m sorry about that.” She said.
“Why? You didn’t do anything.” I smiled slightly even though I was still feeling annoyed at being caught in the crossfire.
“She’s my sister.”
I looked up trying to see some resemblance of that psycho in the eyes of the woman that stood before me. “You’re kidding, right?” I wadded up the towels and threw them in a nearby waste basket.
“Sometimes, I wish I were.” She handed me more towels and motioned to my sleeve.
I took them and dabbed the spot.
“I’m sorry she ruined your shirt.” She said after a moment.
“It’s fine, it’s just a shirt.”
She smiled, seemingly relieved. “My sister Devin gets out of control sometimes. I think it’s some kind of abnormality that was passed to her from our mother.”
I looked at her again, this time with concern on my face. She must have known what I was thinking because she quickly added, “Thankfully, her mother wasn’t mine. I’m adopted.” She smiled softly.
“Really?”
“Yes.” She smiled again.
We stepped to one side of the club once we realized were standing in the middle of a crowd. I followed her to an empty table and sat across from her.
“Our mother couldn’t have babies, so she and my dad decided to adopt. Of course you know what they say, as soon as you stop trying, you have a baby. Devin came along two years later.”
“So I guess that explains why you two don’t look anything alike.”
“Yeah.” She sighed and leaned back in her seat. “I never thought I’d be so thankful to not be part of a family, at least genetically.”
I chuckled at her comment and obvious relief.
She leaned forward and offered her hand, “I’m Daryl.”
I took her hand and gently shook it, “Trent.”
“I like your club; I’ve been meaning to tell you but too bad it had to happen this way.” She ran her fingers through her long hair and I caught glimpses of pink tinted strands. The pale pink and white blond hair matched the pale tone of her skin. She was ivory, very pale except for a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her pale blue eyes were round and framed with a thick line of lash that added so much femininity to her already beautiful features. Her nose was slender with a tip that turned up ever-so-slightly, lifting her upper lip into a soft pucker.
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Only every weekend since your grand opening.”
I felt a bit embarrassed for not noticing her before. “Oh, well thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled and then glanced towards the exit door where Kris had dragged her sister. “What do you think he’s doing to her?” She looked a bit concerned.
I shrugged, “Who knows, but I wouldn’t worry he wasn’t that mad.”
She looked at me surprised with my comment, “He looked furious!”
“You haven’t seen him furious, trust me.”
She relaxed in her seat and turned to face me again. “She always goes for the unattainable men and this always happens. You’d think she’d learn her lesson by now. She’s too pushy, too aggressive.”
“Men like aggressive women sometimes.”
“Not Devin aggressive, its borderline obsessive.”
“I’m not defending her but there is something to be said about a woman that knows what she wants and goes after it. What do you do when you see someone you like?” I smiled, curious with her answer.
“Me?” She dug her index finger into her chest.
I nodded.
A nervous laughter escaped, “Not much. I mean, I’m shy when it comes to that. I can’t pursue a man.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not me, I don’t have those guts. I’m a wallflower; I can’t go up to strange men and talk to them like she does.”
“But you approached me.”
“That was different, I felt bad that she sprayed you with her drink.”
“So if I hadn’t been bathed in martini you wouldn’t have talked to me?”
“No, probably not. I would have walked away hoping that you wouldn’t notice that we were here together and try and save myself the shame of having to admit I know her.”
“Then it was a shirt well wasted.”
She looked up and smiled at me.
My eyes opened and I stared at the ceiling as the memories of our first meeting faded.
I missed Daryl so much. She had been more important to me than I had ever expressed. Now that she was close again, she terrorized my thoughts and feelings. I had no defense against the images of her and the feelings that returned to the surface.
After all we had been through, I agree to tread carefully from here on out. I needed to protect myself from feeling anything at all. My feelings and actions had thrown me into turmoil more times than I could count. I couldn’t go through that again.
Gabriel walked into the kitchen where I stood deep in thought.
I thought maybe he had some news for me, “What is it?” I asked worried about the answer.
“Nothing, no more visions. As quickly as it started, it went away. I don’t know what’s going on now.” He said.
“Really?” I was hopeful. “Does that mean he’s not coming?”
“Possibly.” Gabriel rubbed his head trying to find his father. “The connection is gone I don’t know what that means. He’s either not coming or he’s deliberately shutting me down so I can’t find him. All I know is I can’t feel him anymore.”
I wasn’t entirely happy with that response but the fact that Gabriel seemed a lot more at ease, made me feel slightly better. “Then let’s wait to tell the others.
Keep your thoughts open and let me know if you sense him. Anything, even something tiny, I want to know about it.”
Gabriel nodded.
I walked into the living room, it was quiet. Kris had just come into the house carrying a newspaper and collapsed onto a small sofa.
“Do you think your kids are lost?” I asked my brother who was sitting across from me on another sofa.
“No, unfortunately.” Kris had his nose buried in the morning paper.
I smiled. “Don’t you think they’re too young to be running around on their own, they’re not quite teens yet.”
“But they look old enough.”
“What if they get into trouble?”
“I don’t worry about them finding trouble; I worry about trouble finding them. Those boys are hell together. I pity the poor soul that tries to start something with them.”
Tawnie giggled. She sat just behind me rubbing my shoulders. She moved her fingers against the light weight material of my shirt, tracing the burns along my
collarbone. I felt her tenderly following the scar tissue along my shoulder and down the side of my arm. Her awareness of my scars stirred up vivid memories.
A boys’ right to manhood was a test on many levels in my village. My tests didn’t come until I was close to thirteen. My parents were both dead, my brother Kris, sister Raven and I lived with our caretaker Bidziil, a clan elder and former friend to our father.
Even though Kris was the eldest by birthing order, my tests came first. I had perfected my marksmanship skills and consistently impressed the elders with not only the amount of kills I had but also the variety. With my knife and bow and arrow, I was deadly and unafraid. My hunting tests finished quickly followed by approval from the tribe to finally initiate me into manhood. The celebration was elaborate and I was beside myself with pride. I was the center of attention; everyone congratulated me on my accomplishments and welcomed me into the tribe as a man. I wished my parents had been there at that moment, I thought of my father a lot and how proud he would have been for me. I held his hunting knife close to my body; it was the only thing left of him that I carried with me at all times.
My thoughts snapped back to reality once I was reminded of the physical process of reaching manhood. A small fire pit was dedicated to the heating of stone pieces that would be used to burn away the layers of my skin in tribal scarring. I had witnessed some such initiations in the past and was fearful but at this moment, I was not allowed to feel or show fear. I simply waited for the scarring to begin and silently asked my father for the strength to endure the pain for the next few hours as the tribes’ markings were accurately inscribed on my flesh. The first touch of the stone felt cool which was quickly replaced by the searing heat of fire. The sizzling of skin and smell of burning flesh enveloped my senses as I tried to remain motionless while the tribes’ men and women looked on.
A stressful part of my life that was thankfully a distant memory.
“Seen anything yet?” I asked, quickly trying to redirect my thoughts.
“Not really.”
I flipped the page of my paper, “I wonder what would be hot in Hawaii?” I asked out loud. “What could we bring to this area that people would love?”
“Night clubs are always popular.” Tawnie said.
“True, but do we really want to do that again?” I asked.
“Why not? It’s what you know and you’re good at it.” She said.
“I dunno, what do you think Kris?”
“Let’s just keep looking okay?” He brushed the idea aside.
Billy busted through the front door. “Guys, check this out!” He walked over with a small snail like critter pinched between his fingers.
“It’s a snail.” I said.
“You say snail, I say delicacy.” Billy stated.
My face curled up, “Says who?”
“The Hawaiian peeps that I just made friends with. They’re outside clinging to the cliff, scraping these things off the rocks.”
“Billy, honestly we’ve been here less than twenty-four hours, what’s your hurry?” As soon as I asked, I knew the answer. I put my hand up, “Wait, lemme guess you
found women, right?”
Billy just smiled.
“Figures.”
“Ewww Billy, go throw that thing away.” Tawnie said.
I laughed at Tawnie trying to wave Billy away; her only escape was to leave the room.
“Honestly Billy, I think I screwed up somehow when he made you a vampire.” Kris said.
“Why? Cuz I’m not as stuffy as you old guys?” He commented. “I could be serious if I wanted to be but where’s the fun in that? Plus, I’ve been asleep in a tiny
coffin for ten years; I’m ready for some socialization. I’m gonna have fun or you can just stuff me back in the box.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Kris said, briefly looking up from his paper.
Billy and I smiled at each other.
I heard the sounds of heavy running coming up the walkway and knew Micah and Will were back.
“Dad! Look what we found!” They screamed at Kris.
Kris looked at me over his paper, “Today is show and tell and no one told me?”
“Jeezus!” I said when I got a look at a large spider the kids found.
It was a large as a tarantula without all the fur. “That sucker’s huge!” I exclaimed.
Kris looked at it and shook his head, “You better get rid of that before your mom sees it.”
The boys laughed and ran out of the front door again and Billy followed them.
“Where is Blaze?” I asked.
“She’s talking to Brendan. She’s trying to get him to come and stay with us for a while, she wants to change him.”
“Oh. I’m surprised she waited so long.”
“Me too but she said the timing wasn’t right in Tucson.”
Will peeked his head in the doorway again, “Dad, we’re hungry.”
“Okay.” Kris folded up his paper and laid it on the couch next to me.
I folded mine up too, we weren’t going to have any luck today. I sighed and leaned back trying to think about which business we should go into.
“I’ll be back in a bit. I have to go feed my kids.” Kris got up and left.
“Okay.” I smiled at Kris the domestic and thought about not too long ago when he would have never considered being a father. He was lucky though, he had found the right woman to share those things with. And now with marriage and family, my brother was actually normal. I on the other hand, the commitment advocate was
having a hard time seeing things through with Tawnie. I sometimes wondered if maybe we just weren’t meant to be together. A stray thought had entered my mind. Daryl. From what I knew about her, she was very sweet and amazing. I wondered if I would ever get to know her better. For a brief moment this afternoon I saw her and Sam stopping by and resisted the urge to go downstairs to talk to her. Tawnie had been with me and I wasn’t interested in rocking the boat. However, if these thoughts and feelings continued, I would have to address it with her eventually. I frowned to myself.
Tawnie leaned back on the sofa and looked at me. “What’s wrong, I see something in your eyes. Are you okay?” She asked running her finger along my jaw.
I smiled faintly, “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
She nodded. She was smiling now. “You know, not to change the subject or anything but I think you’re going to be a wonderful father someday.”
My eyes got wider, “Someday? Like in the next couple of months?”
“No, not that soon.” She looked disappointed. She looked at me again and the smile returned. She scooted closer to me and bit down on her lower lip, always a bad
sign. It usually meant that she wanted to say something important but she didn’t know how I was going to take it.
She shrugged, “I just see how you are with your nephews and think how great you’ll be with your own kids.”
“Tawnie, you’re thinking.”
She giggled and started pulling at my belt buckle. Tawnie had been pestering me for kids for over a decade now and I was running out of new ways to avoid the conversation. I wasn’t quite sure about our future and was very reluctant to even consider the possibility of adding children into the equation. Not that having kids was a choice with vampires, it was more like a roll of the dice but I still took precautions so as not to increase the odds.
I pushed her hands away and started playing with her. I flipped her backwards on the couch and tickled her. She screamed and fell off the side of the couch and onto the floor. She scrambled to get away from me. I crouched down on the floor and crept slowly towards her, threatening to grab her ribs.
She squealed and laughed, pushing me back with her hands, “Stop it!”
I was creeping closer to her, watching her squirm.
“What are you doing?” She laughed.
“I’m stalking you.” I smiled, still creeping on all fours.
“Stop it Trent!” She squealed again.
I was almost to her when I saw a pair of boots stand next to me. I looked up and saw Kris staring down at me with a confused expression.
“What are you doing down there?” He asked.
My face got serious, “I lost something.” I stated matter-of-factly.
“Like what, your pride?”
I sat back on my legs and stared at Tawnie who was smiling and shrugging.
“Come on romeo, let’s talk.” Kris suggested.
I stood up and tried to regain some composure. “I thought you were feeding the kids?”
“Blaze beat me to it. C’mon, the cousins are coming over, let’s talk business.” Kris led the way to my office and Tawnie excused herself.
“I’ll go visit with Blaze and let you guys talk.”
“Okay.” I kissed her cheek and let her go.
My cousins walked in just as she was leaving. I ushered them into the office and we all sat around talking out a few major decisions.
“You know, clubs are hot everywhere…almost everywhere. Why not have another one here?” I asked Kris.
He shrugged, “It’s not a bad idea. I’m okay with it if we all agree.”
To be honest, it’s what we knew and what we liked. The club atmosphere kept us in constant contact with the younger crowds, enabling us to stay mainstream which was the goal since we had been sleeping for ten years. We couldn’t afford to become stale or appear too ancient. I was looking forward to finding a building
in town, one that would be the perfect place to set up shop.
Kris changed the subject. “So, how are you and Tawnie doing?”
His question took me by surprise and I stared at him for a moment before answering. “Good, I guess.”
“She wants to have kids, huh?”
“Yes.” Kris must have picked up on her hinting just before he caught us on the floor.
“And how do you feel about that?”
I shrugged, “I love and care about her, but I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right, not now anyway.”
“She’s pretty serious isn’t she?”
“About kids or about us?”
“Both.”
“Yes, she is.”
Kris looked at me, “Is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Trent, I know you and I have to say that you haven’t been yourself lately. What’s bothering you?”
“I don’t know, I really don’t. Part of me doesn’t understand why I don’t marry her and have kids and the other part…” I shrugged again. “If I knew what I wanted then I would go after it. It just seems that there is something standing in between Tawnie and I and I can’t figure out what it is.”
“Something or someone?” Kris asked.
I looked at my brother wondering if he knew me better than I thought. He probably did, who was I kidding? “Someone.”
“A certain blonde maybe, from Tucson?”
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
He stood and waited for me to continue. “But she doesn’t want to be with me. She turned me down.”
Kris put his hand on my shoulder, “You aren’t happy Trent. If this woman still means something to you, then maybe you should wait and ask her again.”
“I don’t know, maybe. Why don’t I want Tawnie? She’s an amazing woman. What’s wrong with me?”
“Tawnie is an amazing friend Trent. But she may not be the one for you.”
“Maybe I should of thought of that before I made her a vampire…”
“Do you regret it?” Kris looked at me concerned.
“No, of course not but she is with me thinking it will be forever. If we break up, she may regret it. I took her away from her family, made her part of mine and now I’m going to abandon her? I can’t do that. I love her, I do. I will make it work.”
Kris shook his head, “You can’t force it. This relationship can’t work if it’s one-sided. If you know you don’t want to be with her than you need to tell her.”
“But I do want to be with her.”
“Do you?” He looked at me questioningly.
I didn’t know how to respond. I just smiled at him, “Since when have you become my personal relationship counselor? I seem to remember back in the day, it was I
that had to talk you into relationships.”
“Talking people into relationships is your deal, talking people out of them, is my specialty.” He smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
TAWNIE
I was happy to give the guys their space to discuss the new business but more than that, I needed girl time. Blaze and I had been the best of friends for years and I needed her advice about my relationship.
I knocked lightly on the door to let her know I was there and I walked into her living room. She had managed to unpack quite a bit already. I was envious that she had done so much. Trent’s house was still littered with boxes.
Blaze came out of the kitchen. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. I came by hoping we could chat, I kind of need your input on something.”
“Oh yeah?” She said in her waning British accent. She sat on the sofa and invited me to sit with her. “Have a seat.” She sighed and sank into the cushions.
“Are the boys having lunch?”
“Yes. They eat so much, it’s ridiculous.”
I laughed. “I can imagine.”
“Our men still over at your place?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Good, so we are all alone. What’s on your mind?”
“I need some advice regarding my relationship with Trent. I have been fighting a battle for a long time regarding marriage and starting a family.”
Blaze nodded, she was aware of my frustrations with him.
“And I constantly feel that he is avoiding the conversation more and more lately. I don’t really know what to do anymore. I really love him but I’m starting to think it’s one sided. What should I do?”
Blaze thought for a moment. “Tawnie, I know you. You are relentless and stubborn when things don’t go your way. Are you sure you’re not just being impatient? I mean is Trent saying not now or not ever?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know, he doesn’t want to talk about it. I can’t tell what he’s saying.”
“Well maybe that should be your first question. You need to address that with him right away, you can’t live in the dark when it comes to your relationship, it’s just silly.”
“I know.” I felt hopeless and undesirable in that moment. I had always known how men felt about me prior to Trent. He was still a mystery to me at times and I couldn’t read him at all. It made me very insecure the past decade, not knowing what he felt and being too afraid to ask.
“Part of me thinks that he still likes the woman we met at Club Nosferatu, do you remember Daryl, the girl that met us at the beach?”
“Sure I remember her.”
“Yeah, well I think she’s more than just a little infatuated with Trent.”
“Really? Why would you say that?”
“Just by the way she looks at him. I’m telling you, I think I’m losing my boyfriend. I’m going to freak out if he leaves me for her.”
“Well, you need to talk to him right away. Don’t draw conclusions yet, you could be wrong.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
I had tendencies to overthink things, especially when fear was present. It just seemed like the damage had been done years ago already and now all my efforts to correct the past were ‘too little, too late’. My gut told me I was losing him but my mind said we had a lot to talk about.
I was thankful to have Blaze around. She and I talked for hours about relationships. I needed to hear her perspective on my attitude. I knew I was difficult to deal with at times and Blaze was reality check. Her opinions were invaluable to me.
*************************************************
TRENT
By the time Tawnie got home, it was late. I didn’t feel much like talking as I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation Kris and I had earlier. Tawnie could sense something was wrong but true to form it didn’t stop her from touching on another very sensitive subject.
“Why can’t we have kids? You’d be a great dad!” She said sounding frustrated.
“Tawnie, could we please not talk about this again. You know how I feel about it. What’s the rush? We have all the time in the world!”
She sat across from me with her arms folded across her chest and casting an evil glare my way.
“Besides,” I started, “you’re talking about it like all we have to do is make a conscious choice. Having children as a vampire is not as easy as it is for humans.”
“I know that, but at least we would be trying. At least if we agree now, we can start. A baby might not come along for years.” She said.
“If at all…” I mumbled.
“So that’s it?!” She threw her hands in the air, “That’s the final decision? We can’t even talk about it some more?”
“You can talk about it, I’m going upstairs.” I left her on the couch sighing and making obnoxious sounds.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The rain had started again outside, there had barely been one day since we’ve been here that it hadn’t rained or sprinkled.
The splattering of the droplets were almost deafening on the tin roof. Even with the thoughts of replacing my roof, I still couldn’t get Daryl’s face out of my
head. I closed my eyes and remembered our first meeting.
TRENT
The Introduction
I had unknowingly walked into a feud for my brother’s affections. They say: all is fair in love and war. From where I stood, dripping with what was left of an apple martini, I couldn’t tell which one I had just witnessed. Kris had pulled the blonde aside and led her outside by her forearm. I brushed a few droplets off my shirt but the green hue stained and seeped through my white silk shirt. I rolled up the cuffs of my sleeves to keep more liquid from staining the delicate fabric and sought out a towel to wipe my hands.
“Here you go.”
I looked up and saw a pretty blonde staring at me. Her eyes were big and blue, friendly but also showing a hint of remorse. Her delicate hand extended paper napkins to me.
I took them thankfully, “Thank you.” I dabbed and patted some drops of liquor off my collar where I could still feel moisture.
“I’m sorry about that.” She said.
“Why? You didn’t do anything.” I smiled slightly even though I was still feeling annoyed at being caught in the crossfire.
“She’s my sister.”
I looked up trying to see some resemblance of that psycho in the eyes of the woman that stood before me. “You’re kidding, right?” I wadded up the towels and threw them in a nearby waste basket.
“Sometimes, I wish I were.” She handed me more towels and motioned to my sleeve.
I took them and dabbed the spot.
“I’m sorry she ruined your shirt.” She said after a moment.
“It’s fine, it’s just a shirt.”
She smiled, seemingly relieved. “My sister Devin gets out of control sometimes. I think it’s some kind of abnormality that was passed to her from our mother.”
I looked at her again, this time with concern on my face. She must have known what I was thinking because she quickly added, “Thankfully, her mother wasn’t mine. I’m adopted.” She smiled softly.
“Really?”
“Yes.” She smiled again.
We stepped to one side of the club once we realized were standing in the middle of a crowd. I followed her to an empty table and sat across from her.
“Our mother couldn’t have babies, so she and my dad decided to adopt. Of course you know what they say, as soon as you stop trying, you have a baby. Devin came along two years later.”
“So I guess that explains why you two don’t look anything alike.”
“Yeah.” She sighed and leaned back in her seat. “I never thought I’d be so thankful to not be part of a family, at least genetically.”
I chuckled at her comment and obvious relief.
She leaned forward and offered her hand, “I’m Daryl.”
I took her hand and gently shook it, “Trent.”
“I like your club; I’ve been meaning to tell you but too bad it had to happen this way.” She ran her fingers through her long hair and I caught glimpses of pink tinted strands. The pale pink and white blond hair matched the pale tone of her skin. She was ivory, very pale except for a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her pale blue eyes were round and framed with a thick line of lash that added so much femininity to her already beautiful features. Her nose was slender with a tip that turned up ever-so-slightly, lifting her upper lip into a soft pucker.
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Only every weekend since your grand opening.”
I felt a bit embarrassed for not noticing her before. “Oh, well thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled and then glanced towards the exit door where Kris had dragged her sister. “What do you think he’s doing to her?” She looked a bit concerned.
I shrugged, “Who knows, but I wouldn’t worry he wasn’t that mad.”
She looked at me surprised with my comment, “He looked furious!”
“You haven’t seen him furious, trust me.”
She relaxed in her seat and turned to face me again. “She always goes for the unattainable men and this always happens. You’d think she’d learn her lesson by now. She’s too pushy, too aggressive.”
“Men like aggressive women sometimes.”
“Not Devin aggressive, its borderline obsessive.”
“I’m not defending her but there is something to be said about a woman that knows what she wants and goes after it. What do you do when you see someone you like?” I smiled, curious with her answer.
“Me?” She dug her index finger into her chest.
I nodded.
A nervous laughter escaped, “Not much. I mean, I’m shy when it comes to that. I can’t pursue a man.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not me, I don’t have those guts. I’m a wallflower; I can’t go up to strange men and talk to them like she does.”
“But you approached me.”
“That was different, I felt bad that she sprayed you with her drink.”
“So if I hadn’t been bathed in martini you wouldn’t have talked to me?”
“No, probably not. I would have walked away hoping that you wouldn’t notice that we were here together and try and save myself the shame of having to admit I know her.”
“Then it was a shirt well wasted.”
She looked up and smiled at me.
My eyes opened and I stared at the ceiling as the memories of our first meeting faded.
I missed Daryl so much. She had been more important to me than I had ever expressed. Now that she was close again, she terrorized my thoughts and feelings. I had no defense against the images of her and the feelings that returned to the surface.
After all we had been through, I agree to tread carefully from here on out. I needed to protect myself from feeling anything at all. My feelings and actions had thrown me into turmoil more times than I could count. I couldn’t go through that again.
Part Four
It seemed that if things were going to go wrong, it was going to happen in ‘threes’. I didn’t necessarily live my life by this thought but more often than not, it was how disasters played out for us. Strike one was Niyol. Just the idea of him circulating in the world again was unnerving. He usually kept hidden and kept quiet. There had to be a good reason for coming out of hiding now. And another thing, couldn’t he have waited a few years? We just got here.
Returning to the confines of the chateau was starting to sound wonderful right about now.
Strike two against us was a phone call I received earlier from Kris. Blaze’s mother was dying and the fear of her passing away soon pushed plans to visit her to the forefront. Blaze and Kris had been packing all afternoon and trying to get things organized for the boys, who they opted to leave behind. Micah and Will were days away from starting school, it seemed silly to take them along to England right now. The cousins and I all agreed to chip in and care for the boys until Kris and Blaze returned. And who knows when that would be.
I walked over to their house and watched the whirlwind in progress.
Micah and Will ran down the stairs.
"Hi Trent!" Micah shouted.
Micah was the eldest of the two and the mellow one. He seemed more grounded and more of a ‘thinker’ type than his younger, more impulsive sibling, Will. Micah had grown up in a chateau for the majority of his life, like his brother. I had gotten to know them better as we stayed hidden those ten years. I could see Micah’s disposition and knew that he was a good mix of his mother and father; more so his mother. He was sweet and patient but every once in a while I could see Kris’ personality emerge. I saw Micah was capable of embracing that side of his demeanor. It seemed he always walked a fine line. Even his appearance mirrored Blaze more than Kris. Micah’s hair was still the two shades. Primarily black but there were bold, garnet highlights from Blaze’s genes that appeared when he spiked his short hair on top of his head. His pretty turquoise eyes shone brightly at me along with a friendly smile that accented a small dimple on his left cheek.
"Hi, come and sit next to me." I motioned for both of them to pause and sit for a moment. Micah got to me first and nestled against me when I wrapped my arm around him. Will jumped on the couch, rowdy and full of energy.
My brother and his wife were pacing back and forth through the living room and into the study as I watched. Kris called the travel agent and booked their flights to Heathrow. Once that was finalized, the packing frenzy began. Blaze and Kris decided quickly what they should bring and what they could purchase once they landed. It was difficult since what few clothes they had were still in boxes, but they managed.
Kris smiled at me, "Thank you for helping out with the boys."
"Of course." I said.
"I know Will can be a handful, just hold your ground and you'll be fine."
"Don't worry about us, we'll be alright."
"I know."
"Micah, Will, upstairs, its bath time and then bed." He announced.
They groaned in unison.
"Come on." He clapped his hands together, "Let's move, I have things to do."
The boys ran upstairs to start their showers.
"I'm going to be up in a minute to check on you!" He shouted from the foot of the stairs.
Kris turned his attention to me, "Our plane takes off at eight-twenty tomorrow morning so we should leave here by six, six-thirty. We'll bring the boys over in the morning, okay?"
"That's fine. I'll have the spare room ready for them."
"Well, I guess that's about it." Kris said.
"Okay, well I’ll let you get the kids settled and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sounds good."
It seemed that everything was coming together well. Kris had booked flights not only for him and his wife but also his brother-in-law Brendan who was to meet them in L.A. at their connecting flight. Leave it to immortals to be able to move on a moment’s notice. He had every angle efficiently worked out.
*************************************************
The next morning was very hectic. Trying to see Blaze and Kris off while reigning in the kids, proved to be a bigger challenge then I thought it would be. Johnny was nice enough to drive them to the airport, so Tawnie and I could focus on more pressing things.
“What do you kids want for breakfast?” Tawnie asked for the third time.
Both boys were effectively ignoring her question.
I finally looked at her and said, “Make whatever, I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Okay.” She looked a little concerned that the boys were too upset to eat but she went into the kitchen to get started.
“Listen guys, your parents will be back after they take care of some family matters. In the meantime the three of us are going to the mall today so we can get you some supplies for school.”
“Is Tawnie coming?” Micah asked.
“No, she has to go to your school to drop off some paperwork so you guys can start on Monday.”
“But I don’t want to go to school!” Will screamed.
“Do you talk to your dad or mom this way?” I asked, knowing full well Kris wouldn’t tolerate this. Will didn’t answer, he just hung his head. “Alright then, no more whining, you are going to school.”
Micah was staring out of the window, tracing his finger over the glass.
“What are you looking at Micah?” I asked, walking over to him.
“A leaf.” He was following the motion of the leaf with his fingers. The breeze flipped and swooshed the leaf into many corkscrews and free falls.
Tawnie came out of the kitchen, carrying two bowls of cereal to the table. “Time to eat.”
Micah turned his head around, briefly looking at Tawnie. His finger had stopped tracing the glass. Not far from the window, the leaf had also stopped in mid-flight, motionless in the air until Micah’s finger moved again.
I looked at him and the leaf again, surprised at what I was seeing. “Micah!” I put my hand on his shoulder, “How long have you been able to do that?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “Only about a month or so.”
“Do your parents know?”
He shrugged again.
“Can you do anything else?” I asked.
“Some stuff.” He turned from the window and sat down to eat.
I sat next to him and Will, “Like what?” I asked.
Micah looked away from me, not wanting to make eye contact.
“He can kill stuff.” Will piped up.
I turned to Will and then back to Micah, “What do you kill?”
He shrugged, “Bugs mostly.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s easy.”
I looked over at Tawnie who was just piecing together the conversation she had walked into. She looked concerned, just as concerned as I felt. Great, Micah is starting early, at twelve his powers were already coming.
“What about you?” I turned my attention to Will.
Will smiled, “Yep, me too.”
Micah looked at him, “Liar.”
“Am NOT!” Will yelled.
“Hey!” I pushed Will back down in his seat. “Can you or can’t you, don’t lie to me!”
He looked away.
“He can’t…not yet.” Micah said.
I was only partially relieved. The only thing I could hope for was that Micah’s powers were slow coming; he technically still had about four years before they matured. If all else failed, I hoped at least Kris would be back soon, so he could deal with this instead of me.
I spent the rest of breakfast explaining to the boys that under no circumstances were they to ever, ever, show these gifts to anyone other than family. I felt that at least Micah would do what I asked, Will on the other hand smiled a mischievous smile; I was thankful he wasn’t the elder of the two.
Tawnie and I split up for the day. She headed to the school to submit some last minute paperwork.
The boys and I headed to the mall in town so I could pick up the bare essentials before Monday. Keeping two young boys in tow was very difficult. They were running every which way, enjoying all of the stores, electronics and toys they found. Being captives in a Chateau for the majority of their life had quickly melted away and two curious young boys were now soaking up the wonders of the real world.
We were able to get our errands done fairly quickly and headed home.
The kids were hungry again by the time we got home.
“Go find something in the kitchen. I have to make a phone call.”
I instructed them. Both boys shot off towards the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets.
I sighed, falling onto the couch and calling my cousin Gabriel.
“Hey. Listen, I may need your help later. Can you come by?” I asked.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I have to go run a few errands in town and Tawnie’s not back yet. Can you watch the kids?” The day was melting away quickly and I was running out of time to get a few things done. I was happy to have a backup on hand.
“Sure.” He agreed.
“Okay, I’ll call you if she’s not back in an hour.” I hung up the phone, listening to Will giggle and being generally obnoxious in the kitchen.
I walked into the room, “What’s going on in here?”
Will smiled. “Nothin’. Just eatin’.”
Will was eating a sandwich that Tawnie had put together earlier. I looked at Micah who was hanging his head over the sink eating something.
“What are you doing Micah?” I turned him around and a raw steak was clutched to his face. He had bitten into the meat and was licking as much blood from the steak as he could.
“What the fuck?!” I grabbed the meat from him. “What are you doing?!” I shouted.
“I was hungry.” He said with a surprised look on his face.
I had startled him, Micah was still the more timid of the two and I needed to be careful. “Why didn’t you ask me to cook it for you first?” I threw the meat away.
“I didn’t want it cooked.” He said wiping the blood from his face.
“Do you do this a lot?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“Sometimes.”
I looked over at Will who was still giggling. “It’s not funny Will. Take your sandwich outside and finish it there, I need to talk to your brother.”
He sighed loudly, collected his sandwich and went outside.
I turned my attention to Micah. “Do you want blood? Is that why you’re doing this?”
He shrugged.
“Do you know or don’t you want to tell me?” I asked.
His eyes were wide with genuine concern, “I don’t know Uncle Trent.”
I nodded, “Alright.” I put my hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay, but the next time you have this craving, tell me first. And don’t do it in front of anyone else, promise?”
“Promise.” He nodded profusely.
I sighed a bit of relief and grilled a rare steak for Micah while I waited for Tawnie.
I sat and watched him tear through the steak, savoring the juice and the blood that dripped from the pink meat. I wondered what it was like to be in his body right now, what he must be feeling. I didn’t remember having these cravings when I was young but then again, I was a little different; a pureblood, not a half-breed like him. I remember the blood lust that hit me once I became a vampire, but this was totally new for me. I had no idea how to calm his craving. I hoped that it wouldn’t get any worse and that he would be able to control it in school.
“Micah?”
He lifted his face from the plate, blood covering his lips.
“Can you control it, the need to drink blood?” I asked, hoping for a good answer.
His eyes shifted from side to side, perhaps thinking. “Sometimes, but sometimes it gets really bad.”
“How bad?”
“Like, I can’t wait.” He trailed off a bit, looking almost embarrassed.
“Do you ever think about taking blood from people? “
His eyes widened, “No.”
“Okay.” I watched his expression and then observed him as he continued to lick the plate clean.
I ran my fingers through my hair not knowing what to do. Should I keep him out of school? I needed to talk to Kris but he wasn’t going to be available for a while, he and Blaze were still in the air. Maybe I should get a tutor for him and have him stay here so I can watch him. There was too much going on in my head. All of this and somewhere in the back of my mind I refused to forget about Niyol. He was actively moving around again, which was something that he typically didn’t do. I was concerned but I relied heavily on Gabriel and his senses.
Deep in thought, I lost track of the time. Luckily, Gabriel came by.
“Hey. Don’t you have shit to do?” He asked when he found me.
“Oh crap!” I looked at my watch. “Yeah, I do. Can you watch the kids?” I grabbed my keys, looking for my wallet.
“That’s why I’m here.” He collapsed onto the couch and was immediately attacked by two young boys.
“Uncle Gabriel!” They shouted.
“Hey!” I practically shouted at Gabriel while running out of the door. He looked surprised, “Yes?” “I need to talk to you later, it’s important. Don’t let me forget.”
“Okay.” He went back to wrestling with the boys.
I was barely out of the house when my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Trent. Hey, Blaze and I are in L.A. How’s everything going?” Kris asked.
“Good. The kids are fine.”
“Good. I wanted to tell you, I won’t be able to call you once we reach London, but I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“That’s fine.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I lied. “I’m good.”
“Okay.”
We said our goodbyes and Kris quickly disconnected.
The main thing on my mind was Niyol. It had been a couple of days since Gabriel had mentioned anything to me and I was starting to wonder if he was keeping something from me. Last night I had the distinct feeling that Raven was trying to contact me. I hadn’t felt that in years, so why now? There was something going on and it had kept my mind worrying all day. I would get things straightened out at home as soon as I got back from Hilo.
Right now I was rushing to go and meet Daryl. She had called me earlier in the day asking to see me, somewhere private. I had no idea what she wanted but something ignited in me when she said she needed me. I immediately jumped at the request and the thought of seeing her today. I drove to the park and waited for her to show up.
She pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and got out of her car. I unlocked the doors of my car so she could slip into the passenger side. It felt sneaky, almost wrong to have her here right now, sitting in my car but I told myself it was for my comfort level. I didn’t want to stand out in the sun to have this discussion. She quickly got in the car and settled in with a smile. “Hi Trent, thank you for meeting me.”
“Of course, what’s going on?”
Her face got solemn, “My sister. She disappeared months ago without a word. I’ve been a nervous wreck trying to find her but it’s useless.” She looked at me with worry in her eyes, “And I need to tell you that she was spending time with Sheriff John Monroe, April’s dad before she disappeared. I don’t know what she knows but she didn’t hear it from me.”
I sighed out loud. Sheriff Monroe was not a name that I wanted to remember ever again. He was a thorn in our side and a silly nuisance from our days in Tucson. I could feel my gaze harden when I looked at her. It wasn’t Daryl, I knew that. It was her sister Devin.
She looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m fairly sure that she and John are looking for you and your family. It’s not over yet.”
“If they find us, it will be over…for both of them.”
Daryl’s eyes widened. “Trent, I know Devin can be stupid but she’s my sister. What are you going to do with her?”
“She’s not you, she’s not trustworthy Daryl. If she comes here then I can’t help her.” I looked at Daryl, “You better pray she’s not that stupid.”
With everything else happening right now, we couldn’t afford to get locked into and human vs. vampires war. The risk of discovery was higher than ever, we never should have come back.
I paused for a moment when I heard Daryl crying. Her hands covered her eyes while she sobbed for her sister.
I turned to face her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder pulling her close, “I’m sorry Daryl.”
She cried harder.
“I know she’s your sister but…”
She reached up, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and cried into my chest.
I sighed, feeling defeated. “Okay, listen. I will do what I can for her but no promises, okay? I will do my best.”
She lifted her head and looked at me through tear filled eyes, “Really?” She had a faint, hopeful smile.
“Yes.” I wiped a tear from her cheek, “Please don’t cry anymore.”
“Thank you Trent. I know it’s a lot to ask and I honestly don’t want your family to be in danger either.”
“I know.” I still held her close.
What I had discovered about Daryl early on was I could see the pain she had felt in being adopted. She had deserting issues that started in childhood and ran the course of her life. I knew that she had wanted to stay human because she didn’t want to leave her sister behind but all that changed when Devin took off on her own, leaving Daryl instead. With the death of her parents, Daryl was left feeling alone again. I knew how much it meant to her to be reunited with her sister and truly wanted to give that to her. I just had no way of telling what the future held and what would happen once Devin and John Monroe came back into our lives.
“You know,” I continued, “you could have come to the house with this concern. Why did you want to meet alone?”
She looked up at me, something flashing across her face and she leaned in close to kiss me.
I pulled away a second before our lips touched. “Daryl, I can’t do that. I’m still with Tawnie.”
“I know.” She looked down, a bit embarrassed but quickly regained her confidence and met with my eyes again. “I hope you don’t think that because of Tucson, I don’t want you. I just wasn’t ready to be a vampire then. I needed to take care of my family. Now that my parents are gone, it’s just me and my sister.”
I nodded remembering how sad I felt for her when Sam had told me that both Daryl’s parents had passed away while we were gone. I had felt a lot of sadness knowing that I wasn’t here for her when she needed me. I hated that she had to go through the loss of both parents virtually alone.
“I do want to be with you forever, I really do.” She inched closer to me, wanting a kiss again.
I looked down at her watching her body language and lips move closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned in again. I closed my eyes and let her lips lightly brush mine. The scent of her face so close and the feeling of softness from her lips were thrusting my body into a heightened state of awareness. My heart thumped against my chest, the fever of my blood was rising to the surface and my breath had quickened. Despite the effort it took to conceal, every sense in me was alive and racing inside. The anxiety and tension was building behind my throat along with a small fluttering in my stomach. I wanted to let go and kiss her, hold her and love her the way my mind had imagined but it didn’t feel right. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind and an image of Tawnie that kept flashing through my memories. I needed to get away from Daryl, at least for now, and before it was too late.
I pulled away once more, this time gently pushing her back into her seat. “Enough please stop.”
This time she looked sad, almost defeated, which wasn’t the case. “You really love Tawnie, don’t you?”
“I do.” I thought better not to add anything more to that statement. I was confident that I loved her, just not that I was in love with her.
The tears came again but this time it was for another reason. She wiped them away as they came, “Have I missed my chance?” She looked at me with pretty blue eyes. The light dusting of freckles on her face reminded me of youth and innocence, my heart felt as if it were melting at the sight of this beautiful woman crying over me.
I cupped her face with my hands and lightly touched her cheeks with my thumbs, “No, you haven’t.” I whispered.
She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to her, “Then kiss me and don’t pull away again. If it’s guilt you feel, then place the blame on me. I will be the temptress, the bad one. If you want to be angry, be angry at me, I can take it but please, kiss me.”
I tilted my head to one side and kissed her. Lightly at first, soft and with tenderness, then my body was engulfed with seductive hunger. I kissed her deeply, holding her head close locking my mouth over hers. I wished that we weren’t in the car; the desire to have our bodies touching was almost too much to bear. I wanted to feel her beneath me. The thought of that feeling was so overwhelming, my body trembled with excitement.
My phone rang, instantly breaking the spell and literally ripping me out of the moment I just shared with Daryl. My first thought was, Tawnie.
I refused to acknowledge or even look at my phone. I let it ring and sat in silence with Daryl until it stopped.
When it stopped I looked at her, “I need to go.”
She nodded, “Okay.” She reached for the door handle and began to exit the car.
I reached over and took her hand for a moment causing her to look back at me.
I looked at her hands, such lovely, long, feminine fingers with tapered nails. I brushed my cheek and lips against her fingers, kissing them lightly before letting her go.
“Goodbye Trent.” She said softly before closing the door.
“Goodbye.”
I took a second to catch my breath and allow my heartbeat to settle before starting the engine and heading home. The attraction between us was obvious, now if I could only figure out why I wasn’t acting on it.
*************************************************
Tawnie was home by the time I got there. “Hey, when did you get home?” I asked.
“Not too long ago.” She replied.
“Get everything done?”
“Yes, the boys are all set for school on Monday.” She smiled.
“Good job. Where are they?” I looked around for the two hellions.
“They’re outside running around.”
“Is Gabriel here?”
“No he left.”
“I need to talk to him. I’m sorry Tawnie, I’ll be right back.” I left the house and headed for Gabriel’s.
Gabriel’s house was down the gravel path from us, just on the other side of Kris and Blaze. I walked up the walkway, maneuvering around the overgrown tropical plants that haven’t seen a shear, ever. His house was dark and the wood was worn all around the exterior with remnants of paint that told me this house was once forest green. I made my way up the dilapidated stairs and opened the slightly ajar door.
“Gabriel?” My eyes quickly adjusted to the blissful dark. I scanned the room for my cousin. I walked up to the French doors that led to the back patio and pulled the torn curtains aside to peer into the back yard. Dust and dirt instantly clouded the air. I was thankful I wasn’t breathing; the idea of inhaling this filth was disgusting.
“Yes?” Gabriel had appeared at the top of the stairs and was peering down on me.
“This place is filthy! When are you going to clean it?” I brushed dirt and dust from my shirt and walked over to him.
“I am cleaning. But since I don’t have a live in maid…unlike some family members, it takes a bit longer.” He draped his rag over the banister and slowly made his way down the stairs.
“You think you could open a window or something?” I suddenly felt like I needed a shower. I coughed, trying to expel a clump of dust I was forced to inhale for the sole purpose of carrying on a conversation.
“If you must know, I have my priorities: kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms then living room.” He continued, “I find it very hard to believe that you came over here to critique my cleaning skills. What can I do for you cousin?”
“I need to talk to you.” I said, desperately waving away bits of floating debris
“Clearly.” Gabriel walked towards the kitchen, “Please join me in the more comfortable part of my home.” He led the way.
I followed him into an immaculately clean kitchen. Night and day from the room I previously visited. His dishes were put behind glass cupboard doors, steel pots suspended in an orderly fashion from above the small kitchen island that Gabriel had constructed out of old wood he found on the side of his house. A few clay pots of herbs and flowers sat on a nearby bay window that extended into the sunlight. A colorful medley of fresh fruit lay in a deeply colored Koa bowl sat neatly on a small pub table with two high back wooden chairs; Gabriel, more than any of us, wanted normality. These dishes would never see use pots that would never feel heat. They were there merely for decoration and because Gabriel loved them.
“This is more like it.” I marveled at the transformation of the room.
Gabriel sat on the stool and grabbed an apple from the wooden bowl.
“Are you really going to eat that?” I sat on the other stool watching him.
“Fruit seems to be the only thing I can eat. It doesn’t bother my stomach like other foods. Besides I like the sweet flavors and textures of apples very much.” He held the fruit to his nose briefly inhaling its scent. Then he placed his thumbs near the stem of the apple, the rest of his fingers beneath, to hold it steady, he tore the apple in half offering part of it to me.
I put my hand up, “No thanks.”
He bit into his half with a cracking sound and slowly chewed, savoring the apple.
“Have you had any dreams about your father lately?”
Gabriel looked up at me and glared, still chewing his apple. “If I had, I would have told you.”
I grabbed the rest of the apple from his hand and leaned in close to look him in the eyes, “I think you’re lying to me.”
He calmly mirrored my gaze, not saying a word. He dabbed the side of his mouth with a cloth that hung nearby, “You’re entitled to your opinion.”
My power over Gabriel was not absolute. Unlike virtually every other vampire in the coven, Gabriel and Johnny were not made, they were born. They were not linked to my brother or me, which made controlling them difficult. Johnny, ever mild and willing to cooperate never put me through such grief. It was his respect for me that made Gabriel obey my wishes and nothing more, but some days he was stubborn. Even still, he had to be reminded that I was one of two that was stronger than him, at least on this island. I hoped my warning would keep him in line, if the argument ever crossed into a physical battle, it would be catastrophic. I could only hope my power and speed could match his rage and fighting skills. I silently hoped that I would never see the day.
He finally relaxed and directed his fiery eyes at me.
“Have you had any other visions or dreams?”
“Only small pieces, I can’t yet see where he is only that he’s travelling. I don’t know where he’s going but I don’t think it’s here. He’s trying to hide himself from me. I was waiting for him to rest during the day before trying to find him in his dreams but he’s not sleeping anymore; he must sense what I’m trying to do. What I do know is he’s thinking about Raven an awful lot. I think he’s trying to find her.”
I thought about it for a minute. Why would he try to find Raven? To kill her? To ask her to join him? Both seemed possible though I was betting on the first choice. I couldn’t see the logic in joining her; he detested her wolves as much or more than we did.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“Nothing that makes any sense to me.”
“Well keep me posted, I want to know everything.” He wasn’t making eye contact anymore. “Gabriel?” I warned.
He looked at me, “I understand.”
“Thank you.” I stood to leave tossing what was left of his apple to him. He grabbed it quickly out of the air and bit a crushing bite.
I headed home, still thinking about Niyol and Raven. Wondering what the connection would be.
By the time I laid down for the night, my thoughts were running ragged. All I could think about was Niyol, coming here. It was never good to have him close because he was so unpredictable. Being a human, he was evil but as a vampire elder his carnage was unimaginable. Why was he coming here? What could he want with us or with his sons and after all these years?
Returning to the confines of the chateau was starting to sound wonderful right about now.
Strike two against us was a phone call I received earlier from Kris. Blaze’s mother was dying and the fear of her passing away soon pushed plans to visit her to the forefront. Blaze and Kris had been packing all afternoon and trying to get things organized for the boys, who they opted to leave behind. Micah and Will were days away from starting school, it seemed silly to take them along to England right now. The cousins and I all agreed to chip in and care for the boys until Kris and Blaze returned. And who knows when that would be.
I walked over to their house and watched the whirlwind in progress.
Micah and Will ran down the stairs.
"Hi Trent!" Micah shouted.
Micah was the eldest of the two and the mellow one. He seemed more grounded and more of a ‘thinker’ type than his younger, more impulsive sibling, Will. Micah had grown up in a chateau for the majority of his life, like his brother. I had gotten to know them better as we stayed hidden those ten years. I could see Micah’s disposition and knew that he was a good mix of his mother and father; more so his mother. He was sweet and patient but every once in a while I could see Kris’ personality emerge. I saw Micah was capable of embracing that side of his demeanor. It seemed he always walked a fine line. Even his appearance mirrored Blaze more than Kris. Micah’s hair was still the two shades. Primarily black but there were bold, garnet highlights from Blaze’s genes that appeared when he spiked his short hair on top of his head. His pretty turquoise eyes shone brightly at me along with a friendly smile that accented a small dimple on his left cheek.
"Hi, come and sit next to me." I motioned for both of them to pause and sit for a moment. Micah got to me first and nestled against me when I wrapped my arm around him. Will jumped on the couch, rowdy and full of energy.
My brother and his wife were pacing back and forth through the living room and into the study as I watched. Kris called the travel agent and booked their flights to Heathrow. Once that was finalized, the packing frenzy began. Blaze and Kris decided quickly what they should bring and what they could purchase once they landed. It was difficult since what few clothes they had were still in boxes, but they managed.
Kris smiled at me, "Thank you for helping out with the boys."
"Of course." I said.
"I know Will can be a handful, just hold your ground and you'll be fine."
"Don't worry about us, we'll be alright."
"I know."
"Micah, Will, upstairs, its bath time and then bed." He announced.
They groaned in unison.
"Come on." He clapped his hands together, "Let's move, I have things to do."
The boys ran upstairs to start their showers.
"I'm going to be up in a minute to check on you!" He shouted from the foot of the stairs.
Kris turned his attention to me, "Our plane takes off at eight-twenty tomorrow morning so we should leave here by six, six-thirty. We'll bring the boys over in the morning, okay?"
"That's fine. I'll have the spare room ready for them."
"Well, I guess that's about it." Kris said.
"Okay, well I’ll let you get the kids settled and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sounds good."
It seemed that everything was coming together well. Kris had booked flights not only for him and his wife but also his brother-in-law Brendan who was to meet them in L.A. at their connecting flight. Leave it to immortals to be able to move on a moment’s notice. He had every angle efficiently worked out.
*************************************************
The next morning was very hectic. Trying to see Blaze and Kris off while reigning in the kids, proved to be a bigger challenge then I thought it would be. Johnny was nice enough to drive them to the airport, so Tawnie and I could focus on more pressing things.
“What do you kids want for breakfast?” Tawnie asked for the third time.
Both boys were effectively ignoring her question.
I finally looked at her and said, “Make whatever, I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Okay.” She looked a little concerned that the boys were too upset to eat but she went into the kitchen to get started.
“Listen guys, your parents will be back after they take care of some family matters. In the meantime the three of us are going to the mall today so we can get you some supplies for school.”
“Is Tawnie coming?” Micah asked.
“No, she has to go to your school to drop off some paperwork so you guys can start on Monday.”
“But I don’t want to go to school!” Will screamed.
“Do you talk to your dad or mom this way?” I asked, knowing full well Kris wouldn’t tolerate this. Will didn’t answer, he just hung his head. “Alright then, no more whining, you are going to school.”
Micah was staring out of the window, tracing his finger over the glass.
“What are you looking at Micah?” I asked, walking over to him.
“A leaf.” He was following the motion of the leaf with his fingers. The breeze flipped and swooshed the leaf into many corkscrews and free falls.
Tawnie came out of the kitchen, carrying two bowls of cereal to the table. “Time to eat.”
Micah turned his head around, briefly looking at Tawnie. His finger had stopped tracing the glass. Not far from the window, the leaf had also stopped in mid-flight, motionless in the air until Micah’s finger moved again.
I looked at him and the leaf again, surprised at what I was seeing. “Micah!” I put my hand on his shoulder, “How long have you been able to do that?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “Only about a month or so.”
“Do your parents know?”
He shrugged again.
“Can you do anything else?” I asked.
“Some stuff.” He turned from the window and sat down to eat.
I sat next to him and Will, “Like what?” I asked.
Micah looked away from me, not wanting to make eye contact.
“He can kill stuff.” Will piped up.
I turned to Will and then back to Micah, “What do you kill?”
He shrugged, “Bugs mostly.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s easy.”
I looked over at Tawnie who was just piecing together the conversation she had walked into. She looked concerned, just as concerned as I felt. Great, Micah is starting early, at twelve his powers were already coming.
“What about you?” I turned my attention to Will.
Will smiled, “Yep, me too.”
Micah looked at him, “Liar.”
“Am NOT!” Will yelled.
“Hey!” I pushed Will back down in his seat. “Can you or can’t you, don’t lie to me!”
He looked away.
“He can’t…not yet.” Micah said.
I was only partially relieved. The only thing I could hope for was that Micah’s powers were slow coming; he technically still had about four years before they matured. If all else failed, I hoped at least Kris would be back soon, so he could deal with this instead of me.
I spent the rest of breakfast explaining to the boys that under no circumstances were they to ever, ever, show these gifts to anyone other than family. I felt that at least Micah would do what I asked, Will on the other hand smiled a mischievous smile; I was thankful he wasn’t the elder of the two.
Tawnie and I split up for the day. She headed to the school to submit some last minute paperwork.
The boys and I headed to the mall in town so I could pick up the bare essentials before Monday. Keeping two young boys in tow was very difficult. They were running every which way, enjoying all of the stores, electronics and toys they found. Being captives in a Chateau for the majority of their life had quickly melted away and two curious young boys were now soaking up the wonders of the real world.
We were able to get our errands done fairly quickly and headed home.
The kids were hungry again by the time we got home.
“Go find something in the kitchen. I have to make a phone call.”
I instructed them. Both boys shot off towards the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets.
I sighed, falling onto the couch and calling my cousin Gabriel.
“Hey. Listen, I may need your help later. Can you come by?” I asked.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I have to go run a few errands in town and Tawnie’s not back yet. Can you watch the kids?” The day was melting away quickly and I was running out of time to get a few things done. I was happy to have a backup on hand.
“Sure.” He agreed.
“Okay, I’ll call you if she’s not back in an hour.” I hung up the phone, listening to Will giggle and being generally obnoxious in the kitchen.
I walked into the room, “What’s going on in here?”
Will smiled. “Nothin’. Just eatin’.”
Will was eating a sandwich that Tawnie had put together earlier. I looked at Micah who was hanging his head over the sink eating something.
“What are you doing Micah?” I turned him around and a raw steak was clutched to his face. He had bitten into the meat and was licking as much blood from the steak as he could.
“What the fuck?!” I grabbed the meat from him. “What are you doing?!” I shouted.
“I was hungry.” He said with a surprised look on his face.
I had startled him, Micah was still the more timid of the two and I needed to be careful. “Why didn’t you ask me to cook it for you first?” I threw the meat away.
“I didn’t want it cooked.” He said wiping the blood from his face.
“Do you do this a lot?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“Sometimes.”
I looked over at Will who was still giggling. “It’s not funny Will. Take your sandwich outside and finish it there, I need to talk to your brother.”
He sighed loudly, collected his sandwich and went outside.
I turned my attention to Micah. “Do you want blood? Is that why you’re doing this?”
He shrugged.
“Do you know or don’t you want to tell me?” I asked.
His eyes were wide with genuine concern, “I don’t know Uncle Trent.”
I nodded, “Alright.” I put my hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay, but the next time you have this craving, tell me first. And don’t do it in front of anyone else, promise?”
“Promise.” He nodded profusely.
I sighed a bit of relief and grilled a rare steak for Micah while I waited for Tawnie.
I sat and watched him tear through the steak, savoring the juice and the blood that dripped from the pink meat. I wondered what it was like to be in his body right now, what he must be feeling. I didn’t remember having these cravings when I was young but then again, I was a little different; a pureblood, not a half-breed like him. I remember the blood lust that hit me once I became a vampire, but this was totally new for me. I had no idea how to calm his craving. I hoped that it wouldn’t get any worse and that he would be able to control it in school.
“Micah?”
He lifted his face from the plate, blood covering his lips.
“Can you control it, the need to drink blood?” I asked, hoping for a good answer.
His eyes shifted from side to side, perhaps thinking. “Sometimes, but sometimes it gets really bad.”
“How bad?”
“Like, I can’t wait.” He trailed off a bit, looking almost embarrassed.
“Do you ever think about taking blood from people? “
His eyes widened, “No.”
“Okay.” I watched his expression and then observed him as he continued to lick the plate clean.
I ran my fingers through my hair not knowing what to do. Should I keep him out of school? I needed to talk to Kris but he wasn’t going to be available for a while, he and Blaze were still in the air. Maybe I should get a tutor for him and have him stay here so I can watch him. There was too much going on in my head. All of this and somewhere in the back of my mind I refused to forget about Niyol. He was actively moving around again, which was something that he typically didn’t do. I was concerned but I relied heavily on Gabriel and his senses.
Deep in thought, I lost track of the time. Luckily, Gabriel came by.
“Hey. Don’t you have shit to do?” He asked when he found me.
“Oh crap!” I looked at my watch. “Yeah, I do. Can you watch the kids?” I grabbed my keys, looking for my wallet.
“That’s why I’m here.” He collapsed onto the couch and was immediately attacked by two young boys.
“Uncle Gabriel!” They shouted.
“Hey!” I practically shouted at Gabriel while running out of the door. He looked surprised, “Yes?” “I need to talk to you later, it’s important. Don’t let me forget.”
“Okay.” He went back to wrestling with the boys.
I was barely out of the house when my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Trent. Hey, Blaze and I are in L.A. How’s everything going?” Kris asked.
“Good. The kids are fine.”
“Good. I wanted to tell you, I won’t be able to call you once we reach London, but I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“That’s fine.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I lied. “I’m good.”
“Okay.”
We said our goodbyes and Kris quickly disconnected.
The main thing on my mind was Niyol. It had been a couple of days since Gabriel had mentioned anything to me and I was starting to wonder if he was keeping something from me. Last night I had the distinct feeling that Raven was trying to contact me. I hadn’t felt that in years, so why now? There was something going on and it had kept my mind worrying all day. I would get things straightened out at home as soon as I got back from Hilo.
Right now I was rushing to go and meet Daryl. She had called me earlier in the day asking to see me, somewhere private. I had no idea what she wanted but something ignited in me when she said she needed me. I immediately jumped at the request and the thought of seeing her today. I drove to the park and waited for her to show up.
She pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and got out of her car. I unlocked the doors of my car so she could slip into the passenger side. It felt sneaky, almost wrong to have her here right now, sitting in my car but I told myself it was for my comfort level. I didn’t want to stand out in the sun to have this discussion. She quickly got in the car and settled in with a smile. “Hi Trent, thank you for meeting me.”
“Of course, what’s going on?”
Her face got solemn, “My sister. She disappeared months ago without a word. I’ve been a nervous wreck trying to find her but it’s useless.” She looked at me with worry in her eyes, “And I need to tell you that she was spending time with Sheriff John Monroe, April’s dad before she disappeared. I don’t know what she knows but she didn’t hear it from me.”
I sighed out loud. Sheriff Monroe was not a name that I wanted to remember ever again. He was a thorn in our side and a silly nuisance from our days in Tucson. I could feel my gaze harden when I looked at her. It wasn’t Daryl, I knew that. It was her sister Devin.
She looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m fairly sure that she and John are looking for you and your family. It’s not over yet.”
“If they find us, it will be over…for both of them.”
Daryl’s eyes widened. “Trent, I know Devin can be stupid but she’s my sister. What are you going to do with her?”
“She’s not you, she’s not trustworthy Daryl. If she comes here then I can’t help her.” I looked at Daryl, “You better pray she’s not that stupid.”
With everything else happening right now, we couldn’t afford to get locked into and human vs. vampires war. The risk of discovery was higher than ever, we never should have come back.
I paused for a moment when I heard Daryl crying. Her hands covered her eyes while she sobbed for her sister.
I turned to face her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder pulling her close, “I’m sorry Daryl.”
She cried harder.
“I know she’s your sister but…”
She reached up, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and cried into my chest.
I sighed, feeling defeated. “Okay, listen. I will do what I can for her but no promises, okay? I will do my best.”
She lifted her head and looked at me through tear filled eyes, “Really?” She had a faint, hopeful smile.
“Yes.” I wiped a tear from her cheek, “Please don’t cry anymore.”
“Thank you Trent. I know it’s a lot to ask and I honestly don’t want your family to be in danger either.”
“I know.” I still held her close.
What I had discovered about Daryl early on was I could see the pain she had felt in being adopted. She had deserting issues that started in childhood and ran the course of her life. I knew that she had wanted to stay human because she didn’t want to leave her sister behind but all that changed when Devin took off on her own, leaving Daryl instead. With the death of her parents, Daryl was left feeling alone again. I knew how much it meant to her to be reunited with her sister and truly wanted to give that to her. I just had no way of telling what the future held and what would happen once Devin and John Monroe came back into our lives.
“You know,” I continued, “you could have come to the house with this concern. Why did you want to meet alone?”
She looked up at me, something flashing across her face and she leaned in close to kiss me.
I pulled away a second before our lips touched. “Daryl, I can’t do that. I’m still with Tawnie.”
“I know.” She looked down, a bit embarrassed but quickly regained her confidence and met with my eyes again. “I hope you don’t think that because of Tucson, I don’t want you. I just wasn’t ready to be a vampire then. I needed to take care of my family. Now that my parents are gone, it’s just me and my sister.”
I nodded remembering how sad I felt for her when Sam had told me that both Daryl’s parents had passed away while we were gone. I had felt a lot of sadness knowing that I wasn’t here for her when she needed me. I hated that she had to go through the loss of both parents virtually alone.
“I do want to be with you forever, I really do.” She inched closer to me, wanting a kiss again.
I looked down at her watching her body language and lips move closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned in again. I closed my eyes and let her lips lightly brush mine. The scent of her face so close and the feeling of softness from her lips were thrusting my body into a heightened state of awareness. My heart thumped against my chest, the fever of my blood was rising to the surface and my breath had quickened. Despite the effort it took to conceal, every sense in me was alive and racing inside. The anxiety and tension was building behind my throat along with a small fluttering in my stomach. I wanted to let go and kiss her, hold her and love her the way my mind had imagined but it didn’t feel right. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind and an image of Tawnie that kept flashing through my memories. I needed to get away from Daryl, at least for now, and before it was too late.
I pulled away once more, this time gently pushing her back into her seat. “Enough please stop.”
This time she looked sad, almost defeated, which wasn’t the case. “You really love Tawnie, don’t you?”
“I do.” I thought better not to add anything more to that statement. I was confident that I loved her, just not that I was in love with her.
The tears came again but this time it was for another reason. She wiped them away as they came, “Have I missed my chance?” She looked at me with pretty blue eyes. The light dusting of freckles on her face reminded me of youth and innocence, my heart felt as if it were melting at the sight of this beautiful woman crying over me.
I cupped her face with my hands and lightly touched her cheeks with my thumbs, “No, you haven’t.” I whispered.
She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to her, “Then kiss me and don’t pull away again. If it’s guilt you feel, then place the blame on me. I will be the temptress, the bad one. If you want to be angry, be angry at me, I can take it but please, kiss me.”
I tilted my head to one side and kissed her. Lightly at first, soft and with tenderness, then my body was engulfed with seductive hunger. I kissed her deeply, holding her head close locking my mouth over hers. I wished that we weren’t in the car; the desire to have our bodies touching was almost too much to bear. I wanted to feel her beneath me. The thought of that feeling was so overwhelming, my body trembled with excitement.
My phone rang, instantly breaking the spell and literally ripping me out of the moment I just shared with Daryl. My first thought was, Tawnie.
I refused to acknowledge or even look at my phone. I let it ring and sat in silence with Daryl until it stopped.
When it stopped I looked at her, “I need to go.”
She nodded, “Okay.” She reached for the door handle and began to exit the car.
I reached over and took her hand for a moment causing her to look back at me.
I looked at her hands, such lovely, long, feminine fingers with tapered nails. I brushed my cheek and lips against her fingers, kissing them lightly before letting her go.
“Goodbye Trent.” She said softly before closing the door.
“Goodbye.”
I took a second to catch my breath and allow my heartbeat to settle before starting the engine and heading home. The attraction between us was obvious, now if I could only figure out why I wasn’t acting on it.
*************************************************
Tawnie was home by the time I got there. “Hey, when did you get home?” I asked.
“Not too long ago.” She replied.
“Get everything done?”
“Yes, the boys are all set for school on Monday.” She smiled.
“Good job. Where are they?” I looked around for the two hellions.
“They’re outside running around.”
“Is Gabriel here?”
“No he left.”
“I need to talk to him. I’m sorry Tawnie, I’ll be right back.” I left the house and headed for Gabriel’s.
Gabriel’s house was down the gravel path from us, just on the other side of Kris and Blaze. I walked up the walkway, maneuvering around the overgrown tropical plants that haven’t seen a shear, ever. His house was dark and the wood was worn all around the exterior with remnants of paint that told me this house was once forest green. I made my way up the dilapidated stairs and opened the slightly ajar door.
“Gabriel?” My eyes quickly adjusted to the blissful dark. I scanned the room for my cousin. I walked up to the French doors that led to the back patio and pulled the torn curtains aside to peer into the back yard. Dust and dirt instantly clouded the air. I was thankful I wasn’t breathing; the idea of inhaling this filth was disgusting.
“Yes?” Gabriel had appeared at the top of the stairs and was peering down on me.
“This place is filthy! When are you going to clean it?” I brushed dirt and dust from my shirt and walked over to him.
“I am cleaning. But since I don’t have a live in maid…unlike some family members, it takes a bit longer.” He draped his rag over the banister and slowly made his way down the stairs.
“You think you could open a window or something?” I suddenly felt like I needed a shower. I coughed, trying to expel a clump of dust I was forced to inhale for the sole purpose of carrying on a conversation.
“If you must know, I have my priorities: kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms then living room.” He continued, “I find it very hard to believe that you came over here to critique my cleaning skills. What can I do for you cousin?”
“I need to talk to you.” I said, desperately waving away bits of floating debris
“Clearly.” Gabriel walked towards the kitchen, “Please join me in the more comfortable part of my home.” He led the way.
I followed him into an immaculately clean kitchen. Night and day from the room I previously visited. His dishes were put behind glass cupboard doors, steel pots suspended in an orderly fashion from above the small kitchen island that Gabriel had constructed out of old wood he found on the side of his house. A few clay pots of herbs and flowers sat on a nearby bay window that extended into the sunlight. A colorful medley of fresh fruit lay in a deeply colored Koa bowl sat neatly on a small pub table with two high back wooden chairs; Gabriel, more than any of us, wanted normality. These dishes would never see use pots that would never feel heat. They were there merely for decoration and because Gabriel loved them.
“This is more like it.” I marveled at the transformation of the room.
Gabriel sat on the stool and grabbed an apple from the wooden bowl.
“Are you really going to eat that?” I sat on the other stool watching him.
“Fruit seems to be the only thing I can eat. It doesn’t bother my stomach like other foods. Besides I like the sweet flavors and textures of apples very much.” He held the fruit to his nose briefly inhaling its scent. Then he placed his thumbs near the stem of the apple, the rest of his fingers beneath, to hold it steady, he tore the apple in half offering part of it to me.
I put my hand up, “No thanks.”
He bit into his half with a cracking sound and slowly chewed, savoring the apple.
“Have you had any dreams about your father lately?”
Gabriel looked up at me and glared, still chewing his apple. “If I had, I would have told you.”
I grabbed the rest of the apple from his hand and leaned in close to look him in the eyes, “I think you’re lying to me.”
He calmly mirrored my gaze, not saying a word. He dabbed the side of his mouth with a cloth that hung nearby, “You’re entitled to your opinion.”
My power over Gabriel was not absolute. Unlike virtually every other vampire in the coven, Gabriel and Johnny were not made, they were born. They were not linked to my brother or me, which made controlling them difficult. Johnny, ever mild and willing to cooperate never put me through such grief. It was his respect for me that made Gabriel obey my wishes and nothing more, but some days he was stubborn. Even still, he had to be reminded that I was one of two that was stronger than him, at least on this island. I hoped my warning would keep him in line, if the argument ever crossed into a physical battle, it would be catastrophic. I could only hope my power and speed could match his rage and fighting skills. I silently hoped that I would never see the day.
He finally relaxed and directed his fiery eyes at me.
“Have you had any other visions or dreams?”
“Only small pieces, I can’t yet see where he is only that he’s travelling. I don’t know where he’s going but I don’t think it’s here. He’s trying to hide himself from me. I was waiting for him to rest during the day before trying to find him in his dreams but he’s not sleeping anymore; he must sense what I’m trying to do. What I do know is he’s thinking about Raven an awful lot. I think he’s trying to find her.”
I thought about it for a minute. Why would he try to find Raven? To kill her? To ask her to join him? Both seemed possible though I was betting on the first choice. I couldn’t see the logic in joining her; he detested her wolves as much or more than we did.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“Nothing that makes any sense to me.”
“Well keep me posted, I want to know everything.” He wasn’t making eye contact anymore. “Gabriel?” I warned.
He looked at me, “I understand.”
“Thank you.” I stood to leave tossing what was left of his apple to him. He grabbed it quickly out of the air and bit a crushing bite.
I headed home, still thinking about Niyol and Raven. Wondering what the connection would be.
By the time I laid down for the night, my thoughts were running ragged. All I could think about was Niyol, coming here. It was never good to have him close because he was so unpredictable. Being a human, he was evil but as a vampire elder his carnage was unimaginable. Why was he coming here? What could he want with us or with his sons and after all these years?