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When I hear the car pull up in the driveway, my nerves peak and I freeze thinking that it’ll take them a minute to get into the house. Wrong. As soon as I hear the car, they are blasting through the front door.
“Where is he?” Daniel demands, a long silver knife in one hand.
“It’s okay. I’m fine and he’s outside. Don’t hurt him!” I shout in a panic. What the hell is planning to do to him, stab him?
Daniel’s lips curls up angrily and Kai’s leather clad body hurls towards the door they just came in.
“If he was going to hurt me, don’t you think he’d have done it by now? He’s been with me for weeks! If it weren’t for him I’d have been killed more than a few times. Daniel, I swear to god, if you hurt him!”
Daniel closes his eyes briefly and takes a long, shaky, deep breath. “I know you don’t know much about our world, but you have to know that vampires are volatile and they’re not in control of their bloodlust. He could snap at any minute.”
I keep the fact that he already almost snapped to myself and also that fact that he killed a cow to myself, knowing that tidbit of knowledge won’t help Kade’s case any. “He won’t. I trust him with my life,” I admit partially to Daniel but also partly to myself.
A whoosh of air causes me to glance to my left. The blur slows beside me. Kade. Then Kai storms through the front door again. My senses are too slow to see Kai and Daniel both rush at Kade, but a moment later, I see Kai dazed on the floor looking confused. Kade is holding Daniel against the wall.
“You know you’re too young, weak, and untrained to get the upper hand on me, but I must say I like the effort, boys,” Kade snarls with annoyance. “Now, can we talk this through like civilized men? May is little delicate for us to be throwing ourselves around in close proximity, don’t you think?”
Daniel’s body relaxes, and he nods once, his face still pinched. “Fine.”
Kade releases Daniel and steps back from him. “Why don’t we sit at the table?” Kade suggests civilly and points a thumb to the mahogany table.
Daniel sighs and begins walking towards it, his feet dragging.
Kai stands up from the ground. He glares daggers at Kade. He then fixes his disheveled hair before following the other two men to the table. My stunned ass doesn’t follow until all three of them are seated at the table and looking at me expectantly. I hurry over.
Just as I sit, Daniel points a finger into Kade’s chest. “You get banished and the first thing you do is shack up with my little sister?!”
My eyes widen and my jaw drops.
“It wasn’t like that. She was the only person outside of the community that I knew. I didn’t know where to go. I screwed around for two weeks and then I just sort of ended up in Seattle on her doorstep,” Kade explains himself and crosses his arms at his chest. Technically, he ended up on my old doorstep but I don’t correct him.
Daniel groans. “I can’t have you around her. You know why. It makes no sense for you to be here.”
Kade’s jaw clenches but he says nothing. I am hurt when he doesn’t argue. Why won’t he stand up for himself?
Kai finally gathers himself, though his glare doesn’t lessen any. “You go, Kade. Daniel and I will stay and protect her.”
Kade glances to me, a question in his deep gaze. “Is that what you want?”
I swallow and shake my head automatically. “I want him to stay,” I admit. “He’s saved my life multiple times and never once has he hurt me. I trust him. In fact, I know him better than either of you two.”
Kai and Daniel stare at me as though I have three heads, their jaws threatening to fall open at any moment.
Kade smiles softly. “You have my word that I won’t hurt her.”
“That’s not enough,” Daniel mutters gruffly and curses. “Kade, you can’t possibly think this is a smart idea. You’ll kill her. You’ll kill my sister.”
“If you don’t believe me then why don’t you stay with us and see for yourself?” Kade offers, seemingly relaxed. “There’s a second bedroom.”
“Where will you sleep?” I ask Kade, worried that he’ll be putting himself out.
“Vampires don’t need sleep, darling. I only sleep to pass the time.” His gaze turns from me to the other men.
Daniel looks to Kai. “We can’t sense vampires. We’d never know one was near until it was right on the doorstep. Not unless it was running inhumanly fast and we could hear it. We’re also not much against a vampire. Let’s be real here. We not exactly the ideal protection either.”
“There isn’t much to do here. I will train you in our free time,” Kade offers, sweetening the deal.
Kai gapes and his glare dissipates slowly as he considers this. “Why would you offer us your training?”
“Because you guys need it desperately if you’re ever going to protect her, and I want her as protected as possible. Her safety is very important to me. It’d be for her benefit, not yours.” Kade’s tone turns icy, so cold that it doesn’t even sound like him. I’ve never heard him sound so snippy.
Daniel and Kai silently stare at each other almost as if they’re having a conversation that I can’t hear. Daniel finally nods once. “We could use professional training from someone as advanced as yourself, but we need some sort of assurance that you’re not going to hurt her. We can’t blindly trust a vampire you understand.”
We sit in silence, none of us having a clue how to prove that he won’t hurt me.
Kai’s expression turns hard. “We chain him down and see what kind of will power he has. That’s what we’ll do. It’s all we can do really.” Kai appears eager to put his plan in action, too eager really.
Daniel rolls his eyes. “As if, Kai. Do you really think the two of us could get him in chains?”
They want to chain Kade up? Here I thought that vampires were the bad guys but here’s my own brother and his friend, both of whom are Bryxx, wanting to chain up Kade, a vampire.
Kade nods. “If it’ll prove to you that I won’t harm her then I’ll do it.”
All of our eyes land on Kade who shrugs and crossed his arms firmly at his chest. Not for a second do I see uneasiness slip into his expression. He is determined.
“What?” I ask, not understanding. “You’re going to let them tie you up? How smart is that? What if they don’t let you out?”
Kade nods slowly and rubs the scruff on his chin. “I need to earn their trust. If roles were reversed, I’d need to be able to trust me too. I see where they’re coming from.”
“Good thing we threw in the vampire restraints, Danny,” Kai shares awkwardly.
Kade rolls his eyes. “You didn’t actually think you could get me into those without my cooperation, did you?”
Daniel shrugs. “It was worth a try. If we had managed to get the upper hand somehow and didn’t have them, who’d be kicking themselves?”
Kai stands abruptly and leaves the house, presumably to fetch the restraints.
I can’t believe this is actually happening and Kade seems perfectly okay with it. It’s three against one. Is there even any point in me arguing?
“Where should we do this?” Daniel asks Kade, his voice stern, no hint of the laid-back brother I know.
“The barn,” Kade mutters with a sigh. “Let’s get it over with.”
Kade leads the way out to the barn. Kai brings a bunch of metal chunks and chains and drops them onto the ground with a loud thunk. He then begins screwing things together quickly, the metal screeching and moaning, until four attached heavy metal chains lie on the ground.
“Silver diminishes a vampire’s strength to that of a human,” Kai explains to me and puts the final bolt together. It’s clear that it isn’t the first time that Kai has set up these chains.
Kade steps in front of the contraption which Kai has screwed into the brick barn wall somehow. He offers his wrists.
Kai doesn’t hesitate, he slaps the restraints onto them fluidly. “You know if you don’t pass this test, you’re not getting out of these, right?” He waits until the restraints are on his wrists to say this.
Kade scoffs. “Yeah, I know.”
Kai then clasps Kade’s ankles in the lower silver chains.
“You don’t have to watch this,” Daniel assures me. “We can just prick your finger outside and you won’t have to see any of this.”
“I’m staying. I need to see this,” I decide and look up to Kade who doesn’t appear incredibly impressed by my decision but doesn’t argue.
Daniel looks about to protest but Kai glowers at him and Daniel slumps in defeat.
“Ready?” Kai asks and takes a step back from Kade. “Test the restraints, vamp.”
“Yeah.” Kade pulls on the metal but the chains are far from giving out.
Kai nods in contentment and then pulls his blade from his pocket. He runs the sharp edge in a thin line down his index finger, slicing it open. I watch as a tiny drop of blood seeps from his finger and rolls down his hand. Kai stands a safe distance from Kade and lifts his open hand up so that Kade can see the blood as it slides down his pale palm.
Kade observes Kai’s finger intently as if fascinated by it or intrigued but he doesn’t show any sign of losing control.
Kai then takes the blade and positions it over his wrist. He slices a far longer, deeper cut there. Blood rushes out and drips to the ground, puddling there. The sight makes me a bit queasy but after seeing what I’ve seen the past few weeks, I realize that seeing blood doesn’t have nearly as much an affect on me as it used to.
Kade squirms a tad and I hear his breathing become labored. A grunt of struggle escapes his chest and his lips part slightly to reveal two elongated incisors. He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
The sight of Kade’s vampiric teeth startles me. The only time I’ve ever seen such things were in near death situations when vampires attacked. It’s unsettling to say the least.
“He’s not thrashing against the restraints,” Daniel states with interest.
Kade then closes his eyes for a moment. His teeth recede and his breathing evens out before he opens his eyes again.
“Hmm,” Kai expresses, his lips turned down in a stiff frown. He turns to me in a blur.
Daniel pulls a pocket knife from his coat pocket and flips it open. “Do you want me to do this or do you want to?”
“I can,” I whisper and take the knife from him. I take a moment before pushing the sharp tip of the blade into the tip of my finger.
All eyes are on Kade who watches with such pure intensity that his gaze could light fires. His hands ball into tight fists and his eyes, I swear they flicker red. His teeth escape his gums again and a pained snarl radiates from him. This is hurting him. It’s obvious. Sweat forms on his forehead. He doesn’t lose control, though. He fights it even though it hurts.
Daniel and Kai watch in amusement and shock, both of their gazes slackened.
I’m tempted to brush my finger on my jeans to get rid of the blood, but I know this won’t help any. Instead, I bring my finger up to my mouth, needing to stop Kade’s pain. I suck on my finger, hoping that the bleeding will soon stop.
Kai pulls my finger from my mouth. “That was only a prick. We need more blood. Chances are if you get hurt, more than a drop of blood is going to be present. A paper cut would cause more blood than that. Don’t worry. We will heal you after, okay.”
I don’t argue, knowing that he’s right; although, I’m not so sure about having myself sliced open. I hand the knife to Kai, not sure if I’ll be able to cut myself.
He doesn’t slice open my wrist or anything insane, instead he takes the knife to my quivering palm and very quickly slices it open.
I gasp in pain and Daniel is at my side instantaneously. “We shouldn’t do this. Let me heal you, Mayflower”
I shake my head. The worst of the pain has subsided. This has to do with life and death. We need to see if Kade can handle himself in this situation, because if he can’t, then that could mean my death.
A throaty growl escapes Kade, then a snarl. He pulls against the restraints erratically. The chains clunk and thunk and rattle.
“Frick that hurts,” I whine as I stare down at my bleeding palm. I’m such a baby.
“She’s in pain!” Kade snarls gruffly. “Heal her!”
Kai raises a single brow.
“Heal her or I swear to god I’ll kill you!” Kade shouts angrily.
Kai crosses his arms in protest, but Daniel takes a step towards me and lifts up my hand.
Kade’s fangs recede. “Heal her! She’s hurt!”
Kai gapes.
Kade is fully in control. He pulls the restraints as he tries to approach me, but not to harm me. His eyes are no longer flickering red. He’s himself and he got that way because he knew I was in pain.
Kai and Daniel seem to have gotten their answer.
“Go to him,” Daniel instructs me. “Let him heal you. He won’t hurt you.”
I glance at Kai who nods in agreement.
I approach Kade carefully, not wanting to set him off. My hand is still bleeding viciously and stinging like something else. The pain of it is causing my hand to shake.
“Take the pin out of the right-hand restraint,” Kai instructs, and I do as he asks one handedly. The silver falls from Kade’s wrist, freeing it. Part of me is still afraid that he could snap at any moment although he appears more concerned about my hand than anything.
Kade brings his palm to his mouth and bites down before offering me it to me. I give him my hand and he clutches it in his, letting his blood heal my flesh.
The pain disappears almost immediately as tingling replaces the ache.
“If I knew they’d hurt you, I’d never have let this happen,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry, May,” he seethes and shoots daggers at the boys behind me.
“It’s okay, Kade. It needed to be done, right? I’m okay,” I assure him and then I pull the pin from his other wrist, then his two ankles.
He shakes away the chains and finally moves towards to Daniel and Kade. “What was that?” he snarls at them. His eyes burn red and incisors poke through again.
I swallow hard and step between him and the other two. “Calm down, Kade.” I say this as calmly and carefully as I can muster.
“Did you know?!” Daniel shouts, nostrils flaring. Why is he so angry? I thought he’d be happy that Kade was in control. Daniel approaches Kade and shoves him with both hands. Kade stands his ground. Why in the hell would Daniel shove Kade when he’s on the verge of snapping? Way to poke the damn bear.
Kade shakes his head once. “No...but...I suspected.”
“Know what?” I ask, feeling left out of the conversation.
Kai sighs deeply. “He’s in love with you and he’s claimed you. He cannot and will not hurt you. You’re safe with him.”
“What?” I sputter. “What does that mean?”
Daniel stiffens. “It means that he’s subconsciously decided that you’re his. It’s a vampire thing. You’re under his protection until the day you die. It’s something they do when they rarely find their soul mate.”
“A vampire and the descendant of two Bryxx parents. How weird,” Kai mumbles. “Never heard of anything like that.” He kicks at a pile of straw, sending dust flying around.
“You know I can’t help it, right? It’s not something I willingly chose. It just happened,” Kade scolds them, his teeth finally receding again. “And as if you two can talk. It’s not like you two are a traditional couple,” Kade mutters vehemently then freezes after he says it.
It takes a moment for what he said to click. Daniel and Kai are...a couple? How have I not been told this? My brows pull together as I think about this. I haven’t spent enough time around them to really see it, but one of them could’ve told me.
“We we’re going to tell you ourselves when the time was right,” Daniel rattles off quickly. “I’m sorry.” Daniel backs away from me, palms raised as if I’m some wild animal about to pounce on him.
I glance between the two of them. “When the timing was right? Why not just introduce him to me as your boyfriend rather than you friend?”
“We didn’t know how you’d take it,” Daniel admits quietly and looks to Kai who is seemingly ignoring this entire conversation, entranced by the hay floor.
“What?” I ask, confused. “You were worried I was homophobic or something? Because I’m not. Not at all. It’s not the olden days anymore.” Kai and Daniel relax, Kai finally looking up form the ground and meeting my eyes.
“The Bryxx don’t accept homosexuality,” Kade explains. “They’ve had to hide it for years.”
Daniel faces Kade. “I want to know how you knew,” he grunts.
Kade shrugs, appearing bored now. “I just knew. I’m good at reading people. You two look at each other all lovey.”
“Do other people know?” Kai asks, sounding concerned, but his expression not giving anything away.
Kade shrugs again. “Not a clue.”
I lose my patience with this side conversation. “Can we back up to the part where I’m apparently his...” I point a finger at Kade. “...soulmate? We have bigger fish to fry here, guys.”
Kade nibbles his bottom lip, apparently not about to answer me.
The silence is killer as I wait for someone to respond.
“What about it?” Daniel finally asks as if I shouldn’t have any questions about this at all, he slips his hands into his pants pockets.
“We’ve known each other for barely over a month. How does he just get to decide that? You can’t know that type of thing in a month!” Heat floods my cheeks. I’m on the verge of crying and I can’t even place why. Am I mad about this? Sad? Disappointed? Confused?
Kade cringes away from my words. “I didn’t decide this,” Kade answers meekly. “It’s something that just...happens.” He throws his hands up, palms facing me.
Daniel nods. “As much as I’d really love to choke him for falling for my little sister, he can’t control it any more than we can. In this case, I really can’t complain because this actually works out to your advantage safety-wise. You couldn’t ask for a better bodyguard than him, especially if he’s no danger to you. This could ultimately save your life, May. This is a good thing.”
I’m still stuck on the whole soulmate thing. “Okay, but what does this mean? What is the downfall to all of this? I have to marry him or something?” I know my voice is tense and bitter but in the moment, I don’t care.
Kade physically seems to cringe away from my words again and seems to wince. He turns his back to me and paces to the front of the barn. He runs a hand through his hair, grasping and pulling at it as he does.
Daniel looks between the two of us. “You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, but if his soul sensed that yours is the one, then it’s the one, May. It might take you longer to see it, but he is the one for you. I know that’s probably really fucking weird for you, but I’d think that after all you’ve accepted thus far, this wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
I just love how I have no choice in the matter. I’m in my early twenties. I don’t want to be tied down to a vampire of all people. This is insanity. Can my life get anymore awful and just plain ridiculous? I find myself wanting Jane here more than ever. Like some sort of brat, I begin to cry at the unfairness of everything.
“Kade, go for walk while she cools down. She just needs some time,” Kai mutters quietly to Kade who doesn’t hesitate to disappear from the barn.
Kai and Daniel both stare at me as if I am the problem.
“What?” I ask them with annoyance. I feel like pulling my hair out. What ever happened to me working at the gas station, my only real worry how I was going to afford to go to college?
“You hurt him when you refuse him,” Kai tells me. “Imagine you’ve fallen in love with your soulmate and then they tell you that they don’t want anything to do with it and they’re actually angry at you for falling in love with them. For you it’s weird, for him it’s not, it’s who he is and what he knows.” It surprises me that Kai defends Kade, so much so that I force myself to place myself in Kade’s shoes for a moment. I get what Kai is saying but it’s still not fair to me.
“You will love him back one day, Mayflower. Whether that’s tomorrow or in fifty years from now. He’s who you were created to be with,” Daniel finishes and bring his down to rest on my shoulder comfortingly.
“Don’t turn your back on the idea so quick. Let it process. You might not want to be with him now and that’s okay, we’re not saying you have to start dating him today, but you will marry him one day, May, mark my words. That there is your future husband, the man you will one day have no qualms about giving your life up for.” Daniel seems both frustrated with me but also understanding. He lightly gives my shoulder a shake.
“I know what you’re saying,” I whisper. “He’s already in love with me and I just basically told him that I couldn’t care less that he’s my soulmate.” Which isn’t true might I add. I do care about Kade, more than I’ve admitted to myself. I realize that he and I need to talk one on one. “Where is he?” I ask, knowing that they’ll have heard where he ran off to.
“He went east then wrapped around, kicked a metal corral in and then took off west. He’s out of my hearing range,” Daniel answers. “He will be back when he blows off steam. He won’t go far.”
“Why don’t you guys go settle into the house, that is if you’re going to stay here?” I ask.
“We have clearance for four days, then we need to be back,” Kai answers and turns hastily for the door.
“Okay, well you guys can go get your room ready then. I think I will stay out here for a while. I need to think.”
Both men nod in acceptance and then leave the barn, stranding me with my thoughts. I pace around the barn and then I head outside towards the chicken coop, thinking I may as well feed them while I’m out here and collect the eggs. When it gets into eye view, I see that I’m not the only one with this idea. Kade sits next to the coop with his back against a piece of ply wood propped up against the metal gate. In his hands is Dorothy. He pets her as if she’s a dog. Lucy and Marie run around in front of the coop, pecking at the ground.
I know Kade hears me coming, but he doesn’t look up or acknowledge me until I’m right in front of him. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “If I could change it and make you happier, I would.” I look down to his hand as something catches my eye. The fidget spinner I gave him weeks ago. I can’t help but grin when as I watch him spin it.
His words only make me feel worse, though. “Don’t be sorry. I was just surprised. That’s not something you have to deal with in my world.” Or what seems to be my old world. “I understand better now and I’m okay with it. I just don’t know if I’m ready to commit to you yet. I’m young and I have a lot to learn and a lot to experience. I wasn’t expecting this at all.”
He nods. “I know and there’s no rush, but when you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”
“And next time I upset you like that because I don’t think before I speak, please talk to me, don’t run off to the chickens,” I tease, and he smiles.
“Deal.”
“Do you want me to make something to eat? Are you hungry?” I ask him, my stomach growling fiercely.
He chuckles gruffly. “I don’t actually need to eat food. It gives me no nutrients. My body just disintegrates it.”
This is a strange thought to me, but I guess it makes sense. “So, is that a no?”
“I will cook for you while you catch up with your brother. What would you like?”
His thoughtfulness makes me grin. “How about a turkey sandwich?”
A low grumble of a laugh escapes his chest. “I guess I have my work cut out for me.”