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The next morning, I wake up to the sound of the cows bellowing and the birds chirping outside the window, Kade’s bedroom window. I sit up quickly, the memories of the night before flooding back. I glance to my other side. Kade lies propped up on his elbow staring right at me, his hair tousled.
“What’re you doing?” I demand, a little too harshly.
He smirks. “Waiting for you to wake up.”
“You were watching me sleep?” I ask in horror.
His smirk grows. “Yeah, all night, couldn’t get enough.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I probably snored all night. Jane always used to complain about my snoring.
“Are you mad?” he asks, his smirk starting to fade now as he mistakes my embarrassment for anger.
I shake my head. “No,” I comment. “I’m embarrassed.”
“Why?” He asks, his face wrinkling.
I sigh and brush my tangled hair out of my face. “I snore.”
He chuckles and his smirk returns. “Yeah, you do, but that’s nothing compared to what you had to deal with last night and you’re still here. You didn’t run for the hills.”
“Surprised I didn’t leave in the middle of the night? You thought you’d scared me off, didn’t you?” I shoot back.
His tongue lightly licks the corner of his mouth. “You wouldn’t get far, super hearing, remember?”
“Right.” I click my tongue.
He looks up into my eyes and my heart feels like it’s jumped off a cliff. Part of me wishes that he wouldn’t have stopped last night, that we would’ve gone further, but due to his superior self-control, which makes mine look like nothing, it didn’t go any further than one damn hot makeout section on the floor if the barn and then that life changing feeling of ecstasy that he treated me to.
“You okay? Your heart is racing,” he mocks, knowingly.
I grit my teeth. “I’m fine.”
“You’re thinking about last night,” he states, grinning.
I swallow. “I thought you couldn’t read minds!” I accuse.
He shrugs. “I can’t but it’s all over your face.” He jumps up from the bed in a blur and faces me. “Let me make you breakfast.”
Before I can protest and tell him that I am more than capable of making my own breakfast, he’s gone from the room. “Show off,” I mutter to myself.
“I heard that!” he calls from the kitchen. Of course, he did.
I think back to last night again. The fear, the hurt, the acceptance, the passion, the love, it all blends together in a mixture of emotion that I can’t process although I need to.
We told each other that we love each other last night. Was it a spur of the moment exchange resulting from lust or did it come from the heart? I know the truth but I’m not sure I’m ready to admit it to myself yet. I recall him carrying me back to the house in his arms last night as I basked in the afterglow of the pleasure he shared with me. He laid me down in his bed and then I fell fast asleep in his arms, a feeling of safety and contentment washing over me.
I start to smell bacon cooking and I spring out of bed, running my fingers through my hair quickly. I come out to the kitchen, feeling as if nothing can dampen my mood. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I am happy.
Kade stands in front of the stove, back to me, not acknowledging me. I know he’s heard me come in, but he seems intent on his cooking.
I sit down at the table in my usual spot.
He turns. “I got a call from the errand lady I hired,” he tells me and by the tone of his voice, I know it wasn’t a good call.
“She’s unable to work, she’s too sick.”
I expected as much. “That’s too bad,” I worry. The poor woman.
He flips the bacon in silence. He seems too upset about this stranger’s illness.
Do you know her personally?” I wonder.
He takes a moment to respond. “No. We’ve never met.”
“Why is it you’re so concerned about her then?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound insensitive.
He turns to me, resting his back against the stove. “My human half-sister died from cancer.”
“You had a sibling?” I ask in shock, how has this not come up?
He nods once. “I told you that when I first met you, back in Montana.”
A vague memory of him and I speaking about our shared loss resurfaces. How had I managed to forget?
“My mom never came with my father and I when we came to America. She left my father and then ran from the community soon after. The Bryxx found her a decade later and she had two children with a human man. They killed one of her daughters as punishment for running away and then dragged her back to the Bryxx community and killed her too for leaving. The Bryxx brought the other daughter and her father to live in the community as is mandatory if a human know about our society. Eventually the father died, and my sister grew up and died of cancer in her fifties.”
“The Bryxx sure do like killing people,” I mutter.
He doesn’t disagree. “I also have two brothers. The one older than me works high up in one of the Bryxx communities in America. I haven’t seen him in a few decades. We’re nothing alike. He’s like my father. My younger brother is only twenty, so I don’t know him. He was born after I turned into a vampire and I was not welcome to meet him. I’ve only ever seen him from a distance. I’ve heard he’s very intelligent. His mother, my step mother, I suppose, is the daughter of one of the other council members, so it’s likely that my brother will one day become part of the council or at the very least something highly ranked.” He shuts the stove off and drains the bacon grease into a cup methodically, not dripping a single drop onto the counter. What it must be like to be so confident in your movements. I can’t imagine being able to move with as much grace as he does.
In a blink of an eye, a plate of eggs and bacon sits in front of me.
“Oh, my heaven. Are you trying to fatten me up?” I ask, incredulously. My plate is heaping. “Aren’t you going to eat some of this?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I was just eating so you wouldn’t get suspicious that I may not be Bryxx. I don’t need it and I don’t crave it. Well, except a few comfort foods that I still indulge in now and again.”
“Like?” I push and nibble a slice of greasy bacon.
He lights up. “You really want to know?”
“Of course,” I say with an unattractively full mouth.
“Popcorn with butter is my ultimate favorite and any red meat.” He sits across from me. “Rare of course,” he adds onto the end. His smile suddenly transforms into a grimace and he’s gone from his chair and out the front door in a heartbeat.
I stand up instantly, feeling the tension in the room. Something isn’t right.
Unsure what to do, I act on pure instinct, I don’t even think about it. I slip on my flip flops and take off to the barn as fast as I can. I shut the door behind me and lock it. My heart hammers and I feel like it’s going to explode. That’s when I notice something very, very wrong. A dark figure stands at the other end of the barn, arms crossed. He wears a black t-shirt and dark jeans. I’m not sure what gives it away, but I know that this stranger is a vampire. He stares at me, unmoving. I swallow harshly and scramble to my feet, trying to reach for the lock on the barn door. I’ve locked myself inside a vampire proof building with a vampire and I have no hopes of Kade saving me unless I unlock this door.
I’m hauled backwards and tossed into the straw on the floor. Even though I know he can kill me before my next blink, I hurl myself backwards in a modified crab walk. He knocks me over on top my stomach but doesn’t hurt me which surprises me. The other vampires I’ve encountered have be violent and they basked in it. This one is being...gentle?
“Don’t try to escape, you know it’s no use,” the man says, sounding bored. “If you want to live, you need to listen to everything I say.”
I nod in agreement, knowing that if he wanted to kill me or drink my blood, he would’ve already done it.
He removes a vial from his jeans pocket and tosses it to me. “I need your blood to save my son’s life. He’s in transition to become a vampire. Your blood will halt the transition. I don’t want him to succumb to my fate.”
I nod. That’s all? I can do that. Sure. “I don’t have a knife,” I tell him, meaning to come off sounding confident but my voice squeaks.
He approaches me slowly and hands me a switch blade. I take it from him, my hands shaking tremendously. “Would you like me to do it?”
I want to shake my head and refuse his help, but truth is, I’ll never be able to do this on my own. I hand him back the knife and he holds my arm firmly so I can’t instinctively pull away. He slices open my wrist while holding the vial under it. I wince and scream as my wrist spurts blood. Then to my shock he bites into his own wrist with extended fangs and then joins our arms together, letting his blood heal me.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but I must do what I need to in order to save my son’s life,” he says apologetically. He sounds sincere. “Tell my cousin Kade I send my well wishes.”
I nod robotically. I’m speechless. This is Kade’s cousin?
He smiles slightly, though his eyes are dark and gloomy. “My name is Novice. I hope we meet again someday, dear.”
I blink, and he’s gone. I’m too stunned, too shocked to move until I see a blur. To my relief it’s only Kade, he hovers over me and inspects me.
“What the hell happened?!” he demands angrily.
I can’t seem to get out the words. “Novice,” I mutter, hoping it will mean something to Kade.
Kade’s eyes bulge. “Pardon me?”
“Your cousin,” I get out this time. “He took my blood.”
Kade’s jaw drops.
“I’m okay. He healed me,” I assure him.
He looks at the splattered blood on the floor and scowls.
“Don’t be mad at him,” I sputter. “He said it would save his son. He’s in transition to become a vampire.” My mouth is starting to work.
Kade appears dumbfounded but then anger welcomes itself to his face. “Don’t be mad? He sent ten vampires to distract me and then came in here and took your blood. Look, you’re terrified.”
I swallow and finally attempt to stand. He helps me up. “Who is he?” I ask Kade, sensing something more.
“My dad’s late sister’s son. He died in a demon attack on his community almost two hundred years ago. At least that’s what we’ve all thought. His son is my age. Last I heard he was living in a community near New York City but that was years ago. Novice was a good man.”
“Maybe he still is,” I suggest. “He cares for his son and he never hurt either one of us.”
“He took your blood. That is enough,” he snarls.
“To save his son from becoming a vampire. What would you have done? He never even tried to attack me.”
Something I can’t place crosses his expression. “He shouldn’t have been able to control himself around you.”
“He’s old. Maybe he has some sort of super self-control like you do. Maybe you’re wrong to think all vampires are terrible people. Maybe you’ve just only encountered bad ones.”
He doesn’t reply, and we walk back to the house in silence. He opens the door for me and I walk in and kick my flip flops off.
“I wonder how he found us,” Kade mutters, still sounding angry. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. How would he even know I’m with you or...” Kade appears to have an epiphany. “Henry. They used to be good friends. He had to have sent him, but I need to be sure.” Kade picks up his cellphone and dials a number. After a few moments he says, “It’s me. Did you send me a visitor?” Kade asks, seeming calmer, but his words still escape him in a growl.
After a moment’s pause, he relaxes even further. “You could’ve warned me.” Kade rolls his eyes at Henry’s reply. “I’m fine. I hope Lawrence will be alright.” Another pause. “She’s not mad, angry, nothing but shaken up, but please warn me first if you’re ever sending someone here.” A final pause. “Thank you and yes I do care about her, a lot, so this can’t happen again.”
Kade hangs up and turns to me. “Henry sent him, knowing he wouldn’t hurt either of us. Not that it excuses his lack of informing me or asking your permission first.”
I’m not sure how to respond. The more I calm and reflect on the incident, the more I decide that I’m not mad at Novice for taking my blood. If my child were to be in vampire transition, I probably would’ve been a whole lot hastier to get the cure.
“My blood is like gold to vampires,” I state the obvious, just now starting to understand it’s worth.
“It tastes like ecstasy, it smells like ecstasy, enough of it can turn a vampire into its previous form, it can stop a transition, May, it’s more than that, though. I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet but since I’ve tasted your blood, I haven’t been in any pain. I’m not thirsty like I’ve spent every day since my turn. I feel almost...Bryxx again and it’s such a relief to be painless, you can’t even imagine it.” Kade looks dumbstruck, like he’s not sure how to handle the revelation.
I can’t imagine what he goes through on a day to basis, especially now that he’s around me every day. “Novice, was only saving his son from an eternity of pain and thirst, Kade. I’d have done the same.”
“I know,” he admits with a strained sigh. “I would’ve too, but because I love you as much as I do, May, I can’t fathom anyone hurting you. There is no reason in my mind that justifies his actions. I know that’s not right, but I can’t accept it.”
I stuff a bite of cold egg into my mouth so I have a moment to digest everything further before I have to reply. “Let it go. He didn’t hurt me. I’m okay. He was even going to let me cut myself. I just...I couldn’t do it. I’m such a baby, Kade. How am I supposed to fit into this world when I’m scared to fricken death of everything? I couldn’t even cut myself. I could barely poke my finger when Kai wanted me to. I’m so scared all the time.”
“May, you’re human. That’s just human instinct. It’s natural and expected. There’s nothing wrong with it.” Kade reassures me. “I’m centuries older than you, I’m immortal, and I still get scared.”
“Yeah? What are you scared of? You’re fearless and you’re strong. You don’t get it. I’m so weak. You could kill me before I have the chance to lift a finger. I’m so defenseless.” I start to feel tears welling up and my vision blurs. Then a tear slides down my cheek, followed by another.
I see well enough to take in Kade’s worry as he pulls up a chair next to me quickly. “I’m scared of losing you. You’re vulnerable and fragile, that’s enough to make me scared but then there’s also the fact that you smell like absolute heaven to vampires. The demons want their hands on you, the Bryxx want their hands on you, not to mention that vampires want to kill you. You’re literally a beacon for trouble.” He rubs the back of his neck with his palm. “And I’m selfish. I want to have you forever, even if that means that I have to make you like me or have you become Bryxx and that’s more than unfair to you, but you have to understand that you may have at the very most, eight decades to live. To put that in perspective, my life expectancy is centuries. My dad is two thousand years old, give or take a few centuries. At a century a human is considered ancient, at a century, an immortal is still young.”
Hearing his worries, I begin to see his life in a clearer perspective. I’ve never really thought about how he felt before this. “I have Bryxx blood somewhere in my ancestry. Even if I did make that choice it’d probably kill me, and I don’t have the will power to be a vampire. I can’t even resist eating this entire plate of bacon and eggs even though it probably has more calories in it than I should eat in an entire week!”
“I’d never force you to become immortal, but if it came down to losing you or trying to make you immortal so you could be with me forever, no matter how many fricking people you’d kill as a vampire with your apparently terrible willpower, I’d take that risk in a heartbeat and that makes me a terrible person. I know that but I’m selfish and you’re all I have. I may have strong will power and I may not fear my own death or anything like that, but I do fear things, love. I’m weak in other ways.”
I put my fork down with a clatter. “You realize that I probably won’t live for another eight decades, right? My life expectancy is far below that before the fact that I’m basically vampire crack. I’ve probably already surpassed my life expectancy.”
He gulps. “I know.” For the first time since I met Kade, I see terror in his expression and I know he isn’t exaggerating one little bit.
“But, there isn’t anything I can do about it. I don’t want to be a vampire. I’d never be able to be like you. I’d hurt people and I’d rather die than be like those vampires that attacked me in Seattle. I don’t want to be Bryxx either even if it were likely I’d live through the change.”
“Then I guess we better hope like hell that all my training has paid off and I’ll be able to protect you.” He doesn’t seem convinced. “That or I’m going to have to make a deal with the devil.”
I raise an eye brow. “Don’t joke about that. My family made deals with demons, remember? And they all lost their lives because of it, probably their souls.”
“I’m not joking, May. Maybe there’s something I can give them in exchange for your immortality. They’re powerful and they have ways of conducting such things.”
I grit my teeth before spitting, “Their price would be more than we could pay. They take babies and souls. Don’t you dare do anything stupid. Promise me you won’t.” I find myself growing increasingly angry.
He nods once but it doesn’t convince me. “I won’t.”
We’re interrupted by my cell phone ringing which startles me because it hasn’t rung since Daniel called around a week ago. The caller ID is private. I show it to Kade, not sure if I should answer it.
He snatches it from me. “Hello?” There’s a long moment of quiet where the only hint I have is Kade’s reaction. He appears unconcerned but intent, as if he’s listening to instructions. He thanks whoever is on the other line then hangs up.
“What now?” I ask in disbelief. Can we not just have some normal, quiet time for once?
“That was Jane. She and Darrel are alright. Whoever their boss is believed that you were killed. Your dad made a deal with whoever it is—his life for yours. Since you ‘died’ in their care, the deal has been broken, the contract destroyed, and your dad’s soul has been released.”
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting that. “What were they doing with it?”
“You don’t want to know, May, but it’s over now,” Kade replies grimly.
“Where does he go now?” I wonder.
Kade debates this. “I’m not sure. I don’t know much about deals with demons to be honest.”
“Do you really think Jane and Darrel are alright? Shouldn’t they be in some sort of trouble?”
He nods. “I’m sure they’re in loads of trouble, but the fact that she was able to call us says something.”
After breakfast, a few games of checkers, a shower, lunch, some time with the cows and chickens, and supper, I lay down in my bed while Kade takes his turn cleaning up the dishes. I don’t mean to fall asleep, but the events of the day put a toll on me and I fall deeply into sleep still fully clothed on top of my covers.
I awaken in the middle of the night with a throw blanket tossed over me. My heart is leaping erratically in my chest for no apparent reason. I must’ve had a bad dream. I glance at my phone to see that it’s well past midnight. Something feels off, but I can’t place it. I get up from bed to grab a glass of water and see if Kade is awake or if he’s passing time with a nap.
I find the tv on but the couch empty. Strange. He never forgets to turn off the tv. On a whim, I tip toe to his room and crack the door slightly. The lamp is on, the bed untouched, but no sign of Kade.
“Kade?” I ask out loud, knowing he will be able to hear me anywhere in the house or around it.
I wait a handful of seconds. No reply. Are we under attack again? Twice in one day? When I am about to take off to the barn, although that never worked out so well last time, I hear the front door open and close violently. What the hell?
Before I have a chance to think, a dark, cloaked figure approaches me hurriedly. I don’t have a chance to move out of his way. He scoops me up before I even have the chance to scream, presses two fingers to my forehead and everything goes black.