Trauma

After only a few minutes, Leslie went in, and shortly thereafter, a limo with vampire-safe tinted windows left. Justin and I spent the next hour going over basic form for blocks and punches. It wasn’t that the members of Leslie’s family didn’t know how to fight; it’s just that they didn’t have any formal training. My training wasn’t formal in the old sense of the word, but I knew I had near perfect form.

We spent part of the second hour going through my usual yoga routine to encourage flexibility and muscle tone. At the end of the second hour, Selene and Kyler went back inside the house. Not long after that, the rain came. We were filthy, hungry, and grumpy. Tired of their grumbling, Justin and I cut the others loose, but we weren’t done for the day. It was our routine to run after combat training and yoga. Everyone else trudged up the steps as I did a final stretch of my already loose quadriceps.

“You’re not coming?” Jay called to me.

“We always run,” I called back. “Yoga and running—that’s how you get the lean muscle.”

“But it’s raining,” Santiago complained.

“I’m not made of sugar.” I turned my face up to the sky briefly before I turned to Justin and nodded.

“No shit,” Santiago murmured, and I smiled.

Justin and I set off down the drive. Since I’d known him, we had run together. He always ran to my left because I tended to drift to the right at times. At least this time, I wouldn’t have to worry about foot soldiers or reprimands for running alone.

After a few moments, I heard more footsteps behind us. Jay jogged up on my right, and I bumped into him. Glancing behind me, I saw Santiago. Neither of them looked particularly happy, and I wondered if Leslie had asked them to keep an eye on me permanently. Well, even so, they could use the cardio.

“Three miles,” I explained to them. “If you get tired, let me know. We’ll stop.”

“We can run three miles, no sweat,” Jay promised me. “There’s worse ways I could spend my time than watching you from behind, Cami-girl.”

I shook my head and laughed as he dropped back behind me, and the four of us made our way down the drive. As the rain continued, my clothes stuck to my skin, and my hair stuck to my head. The end of my ponytail slapped against the side of my face and neck.

Trained to endure almost any weather conditions, the rain didn’t bother me. If you have to run, you can’t worry about weather. The only thing to worry about is running at night. I thought about one of those nights when we had to run. Maybe we hadn’t been careful enough or maybe it was just bad luck. Vampires discovered us, and because we refused to invite them in, they set fire to the house. As the house filled with smoke, I crawled on the floor, the glass from broken windows scraping my palms and knees. Screaming and terrified, most of our family panicked and ran out the front door straight to the waiting vampires. I stayed calm, kept my head. I was a good girl, and Aster was, too. We did exactly as my father told us, which was why we made it to the underground escape tunnel and got away. After that, my father always chose houses with lots of doors.

While I ran, I mentally tallied how many we had lost at night over the years. It was so rare for anyone to go out after sunset, and I thought about how utterly stupid it was for Aster to go outside at night, by herself, for a crying child. Throwing caution aside, she darted out the door, before it even registered to my mother and before I could get hold of her to stop her. In any situation, I assumed there was a trick. The pessimism kept me alert and alive. Even as we ran, I scanned and prepared, which was probably why I was able to dodge the tree.

I heard loud creaking, and then a large, mature pine fell at us across the drive. I stopped dead, grabbed Justin’s shirt, and threw out my right arm to halt the advance of Jay. In reaction to me, Jay grabbed my arm and then Santiago’s. My head whipped right and left—watching the tree, watching the men. As the trunk crashed down in front of us, the limbs swatted us to the ground.

A large branch broke over my right hip, but I regained my feet almost as soon as I went down. I did a quick assessment. No breaks, twists, or sprains, but bleeding from a gruesome gash on my right arm. Blood ran down my face, but there was nothing life threatening.

I scanned the sea of branches and needles. Closest to me, several branches trapped Jay. With my help, we managed to pry them apart so that he could climb out from under them. Without a word, I patted down his arms and looked over his shirt for gouges or slashes. Then, I pulled up his shirt, briskly sliding my hands over his chest and back, to check for gashes or punctures. I turned his arms over and felt up and down his legs.

“I’m okay, Cami-girl,” he panted, grabbing my hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. When he released me, he winced. He had a few small scratches on his face, and a cut at his hairline bled.

“You got whacked in the head,” I told him as I swiped at his scratches with my fingers and rubbed his blood on my shirt. He looked even paler than usual. “Get Santiago out. Justin!”

As I climbed around in the limbs, I heard grunting. The smell of pine sap hung in the air, and the slick, wet needles slapped at me as I dug through them. When I found Justin’s arm, I yanked, which issued a sky-splitting scream from him.

“What is it?” I perched above him with my legs straddled wide. When I moved a large thatch of greenery out of the way, I saw a branch puncturing his abdomen. “Oh, God, Justin.”

I reached toward where the branch was in him, and he grabbed my wrist. “It’s bad,” he choked and winced.

I swiveled my head around to where Jay was pulling Santiago free. “I’m on it, Cami-girl.” Jay took off running toward the house.

Although scratched and bleeding, Santiago was standing. He scanned the trees. “How bad is it?” he asked, limping over closer to Justin and me.

“Bad,” I answered.

I leaned my upper body down from my crouched position to reach Justin and hold his hand. He began to shiver, so I took off my shirt and tried to arrange it over him. I felt something on my shoulder and turned to find Santiago had removed his shirt, too. I covered Justin with it and began wiping blood from his cuts with mine.

“Don’t bother.” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “You’ll just ruin it.”

“Shut up. They’ll come. You’ll be okay.”

“Camellia.” No, not the dreaded full name. He grunted in pain. “I’ve got a large branch shoved up in my guts. I’m bleeding a lot. What do you think’s going to happen if anyone tries to remove the branch?”

“Jay’ll be back at the house in less than five minutes. It’s raining so the vampires’ll come out for you. We’ll figure it out.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, “I’m going to bleed to death.”

“No! You can’t. I forbid you. Look at me, Justin.” I reached down and pinched his cheeks. “Open your eyes and look at me.” I shook his face until he opened his eyes.

He tried to smile at me. “Did I ever tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?”

“Liar,” I said fiercely so that I wouldn’t be tempted to cry. I let go of his face and brushed away the needles and his hair. He tried to laugh and ended up coughing and choking. “We both know Selene is way prettier than me. You’re just a suck-up.”

“Tell me how we met. Please. It’ll take my mind off the branch.”

The way he tried to give me a stupid smile left me no choice. “Okay. Um, we were in California. I was leading a group in cleaning out a neighborhood just outside of San Fran.”

“You were what eighteen, nineteen?”

“Shh. Don’t talk,” I said and stroked his brow. “Almost twenty. We came in the house you were using for a bunker, and you had it booby-trapped. The homemade explosives on the windows wounded three of our members so badly that they ended up,” I choked a little, “bleeding to death. The sledge at the door broke two of my ribs.” I wiped at the cuts on his face again. “I found you sleeping in the attic, and I almost slit your throat for the hell of it. You woke up, asked me if I was the angel of death, and kissed me for the first time. That’s why I didn’t kill you. You’ve always been good at kissing.” He squeezed my hand. “Of course, once you realized I wasn’t, you freaked out and fought us.” This brought a smile to his face. “We checked you for bites, which must have been humiliating. We had to tie you and gag you to get you out of there and back to our house without drawing the attention of anyone in the area. You really were wild.” I gave him the best smile that I could. “My parents welcomed you to our home with open arms, despite the three we lost.” He shut his eyes. “My ribs still hurt sometimes when it’s really cold.”

“I love that story,” he said softly. “Kiss me again.”

“Shh. Justin, you shouldn’t talk, okay?”

“Someone’s here,” Santiago said, limping closer to me.

My head shot up, and I scanned the area. I listened, but all I heard was the hammering of my heart and Justin’s labored breathing. Santiago made some hand signal, and I got the gist that he heard the sound from off in the woods, not from the drive. I looked off in the direction of Santiago’s line of sight but saw nothing. When I panned to look up the drive, a blurry Selene headed toward us. About the time she reached us, Kyler landed heavily in front of the downed tree. Gravel sprayed in my direction. Carefully, Selene made her way over to me. When she saw Justin, she gasped.

“He’s in bad shape. Selene,” I grabbed her fancy blue sweater, smearing Justin’s blood on it, “don’t you let him die.”

She nodded once, understanding my meaning, and looked over at Kyler. I backed out of the tree branches, and Santiago limped over to me and put his arm around me. Before I counted to ten, Selene severed the tree limb and lifted Justin. The branch still stuck out of him, and I saw a pool of blood where he had been lying. This was bad, very bad.

I swallowed back a sob and looked at Kyler, who motioned me over to him. “What do you want me to do?”

“Let me hold you. Show her J,” he said to Santiago, who walked over to him.

Santiago put his arm over Kyler’s shoulder, and Kyler slid his arm around Santiago’s back, pinching him at the waist. I walked over, and he did the same to me. His grip was so tight that I almost cried out, but when he jumped, I was glad for it. Kyler didn’t fly, but his leaps were close enough. Four great bounds brought us back to the front porch, where he released us. As he sped forward and opened the door, Selene shot past him with Justin in her arms.

I put an arm around Santiago, and we shuffled up the steps behind them. Inside, Jay perched on a stool while a nervous-looking Heather tended his injuries. He bit his lip as she dabbed at his cuts. When she looked at me, I saw her gulp.

“J, you okay?” Jay asked, and Santiago nodded. I helped him limp over to the bar where he sat next to Jay, who reached out for me. “Cami-girl, you’re all cut to pieces. Come let Heather see to you.”

“Later,” I said brusquely. “I have to see about Justin.” At that moment, I heard Justin scream, and I ran into the dining room.

Selene had him up on the table, and the bloody tree branch was now lying on the floor. Someone had ripped open Justin’s shirt, and his face was white with pain and cold. I ran to him and grabbed his hand. His hold was weak, but he looked at me with wide, terrified eyes.

“C-Cami, I’m g-going t-to d-die,” he chattered as I shook my head violently.

Giving her a piercing stare, I said, “Do it, Selene.” She looked at me and then back at Justin.

“D-Do what? C-Cami, what are you talking about?”

“Drink from her. It will heal you. You won’t die.”

“I’m not drinking vampire b-blood,” he said with as much force as he could before his strength gave way. “You can’t make me.”

“Like hell! Listen to me, Justin Frederick Bellemead. I’m not ready to let you die because a stupid fucking tree fell on you. You can do it; I did. It’s no big deal. Right, Selene?” When she didn’t answer, I snapped, “Right?” and glared at her as I gripped Justin’s hand in both of mine.

“I don’t normally feed humans. It’s something Leslie does in emergencies. I don’t have his control, Camellia. It could end badly.”

Selene looked at Justin’s face, which grew paler by the second. Justin was in pain, and there was pain on Selene’s face. She didn’t want to lose him, but she was afraid.

“Well, Leslie’s not fucking here,” I shouted, freeing one of my hands and slamming my palm down on the table repeatedly to emphasize each word. “It’s gonna end badly sure enough if you don’t try. If you don’t, then let Kyler.”

She straightened her shoulders. “I can do it.”

Kyler pressed Santiago’s T-shirt to Justin like a compress. I held firmly onto Justin, and he looked as if he was on the verge of both passing out and passing away.

“Justin, do it for me. I don’t want to lose you.” A tear escaped as I looked down into Justin’s gray eyes, like the color of the rain clouds.

“Jeez, you’re crying. Don’t cry,” he whispered. “Okay. I’ll be a good boy and take my medicine.” His head rolled to the side. “What do I do?”

Selene positioned her arm in front of his face. “Just bite me enough to draw blood and suck.”

Justin slowly nodded his head. His eyes closed, but he opened his mouth, and I watched as he bit into Selene with as much force as he could manage. She made an excited noise, and her fangs extended. Biting was certainly a turn-on for vampires. After Justin secured his mouth over the bite, he sucked and swallowed.

Now, I had done this very thing not long ago, but I found it repugnant to watch, and my stomach rolled. Two swallows and Justin’s eyes popped open in surprise and delight. His mouth curved into a wide smile before he shifted and licked Selene’s arm.

“It tastes like candied apples and cinnamon rolls with a steak and a baked potato,” he murmured before latching onto her.

I pursed my lips. “I guess it’s different for every vampire.”

“It’s different because what food Justin likes is different from what you like,” Kyler explained. “Vampire blood tastes different from human to human, but each of you has a distinct flavor to a vampire.”

It was gross but incredibly interesting at the same time. While I pondered this new information, Justin propped himself up on one arm and let go of me.

“I want him, I want him,” Selene chanted as she tore at her sweater with her free hand.

At the sound of her voice, Justin removed his mouth from her arm, made a hungry sound that could only be associated with sexual desire, and grabbed her by the arms. Her fangs shot out, and her chest heaved. From the looks of things, he wanted her just as badly.

“Kyler, help me,” she pled, her eyes large with panic and her pupils dilated with lust. “We’ll kill each other.”

Kyler stepped to them and wrenched her free. “Mind him,” he barked at me as he dragged a squealing Selene from the room.

Justin collapsed back onto the table. The T-shirt compress fell to the floor, and I saw the hole in his abdomen had stopped bleeding as the internal tears began to heal.

“Cami, oh Cami, Cami,” he cooed. “You should’ve told me it felt so good. It’s almost as good as when I’m inside you.”

“Hush, Justin.” I eased into one of the dining room chairs. “You’re talking out of your head.” He rolled over, following the sound of me, and reached out for me. His eyes opened as I took his hand in mine. “Once you heal, you’re going to feel like a new man.”

“Can I have my kiss now?”

I looked at him. He wore a blood-smeared, self-satisfied grin, as if he’d already gotten dessert and was trying to wheedle an extra piece of candy.

“I think you earned it.”

I kissed the fingers of my free hand and pressing them to his mouth. He frowned and, on a surge of energy, yanked me out of my seat so that my mouth crushed into his. His hands shot up, one around the back of my neck and one into my hair as his mouth moved against mine. When the burst passed, he released me and panted.

“I want you, here, now, but it hurts.” He made a weak sound of pain and collapsed.

I felt for his pulse and found it strong and steady. Not dead, just unconscious. I sat down heavily in the chair. Asleep and alive, I thought, resting my forehead on my crossed arms. Now that the first stage of the crisis was over, I burst into tears.

END CH16 P1

Rude Awakenings

The dream I had while I slept on the sofa was no less vivid than the previous dreams I’d had while staying in Leslie’s house. It began with Aster. I interrupted her from reading, but she didn’t mind. We chatted happily about childhood things like making flower necklaces and playing school with her dolls.

All too soon, the conversation turned to current, adult subjects. I promised her I would talk to Leslie about coming to visit, but I doubted I could come live with her. She gave me an odd look and then yelled at me about family. When she got pushy like that, it was best to ignore her, and when I did, she vanished from the dream.

I floated happily, a dandelion puff on the breeze, and the scene changed as I felt a hand, gentle and soft, stroking my hair back from my face. I found my head was on a pillow in Leslie’s lap. I felt comfortable and the stroking was very relaxing.

“Missed you today,” I said and felt a little thrill when he smiled, a real smile.

“I had some thinking to do,” he said softly. “It was a big day for you.”

“Like Jay. Drank beers.” I rolled onto my back and flung an arm over my head. Leslie stroked from my wrist down my arm, and I purred. “Like this dream.”

“Do you?” He sounded amused.

“Like dreams you’re in.” I hummed as his hand trailed down my arm from my wrist and over my shirt to my waist. He repeated the movement, skimming the side of my breast.

“Justin made up.”

The movement stopped. There was no sound, so I thought I had ended the dream. Then, the stroking resumed, and I felt myself smile.

“And?” he asked.

“Says crazy things.” I bent my leg, pulling my knee up, and Leslie stroked from my wrist to my ankle. With each pass of his hand, a little trickle of electricity ran down my body.

“Like?”

“You love me.” I hummed again as his hand came down and cupped my breast briefly before moving on to my leg.

“And what did you say?”

“Brain damage.”

It got quiet again as Leslie continued to stroke me like a well-loved cat. I dreamed within my dream about a shark that had been swimming for centuries until it found a beautiful woman. I watched in horror as it bit down on her leg. Red filled the ocean around her, and she screamed soundlessly. The bottom half of her leg was gone, and she would drown now, if she didn’t bleed to death first. The shark swam in a circle around her one time before it stopped and faced her. After kissing it, she held its head as she sank into the darkness.

“Save Aster. She’s drowning,” I shouted.

Panic surged in me. I ran, but it was like running in a foot of water, slow and sluggish, through total darkness where there was no light and never would be. I had something a minute ago, and now it was gone. I fell to my knees and used my arms to try to sweep away the water. I felt all over for the lost object.

“Leslie, where are you?” I found nothing but darkness. “You’re never here when I need you.”

“Here,” he said. “I’m here.”

I felt his hand caress my cheek. Monsters didn’t deserve affection, and I was something worse. I didn’t want to be, and so I cried. As the grief spilled out of me, I drifted off into the black again.

* * * *

When I finally woke, I saw a tiny lamp burning in one of the outlets in the bathroom, and I knew I was in the basement instead of on the couch. I couldn’t remember coming down the stairs. It was a wonder I hadn’t fallen and broken my neck.

My dreams came back to me, disturbing me deeply. I understood the symbolism in the shark and the beautiful woman, on several levels. I shivered at the memory of the darkness. There were many foul creatures in the world, and I was certain that I should be included in the group.

I caught a whiff of myself and decided it was time to start making an effort to shower before I got into bed all sweaty and stinky. My hair smelled like fried meat and potatoes. Leslie was in bed with me again, unconscious again, and I was determined not to repeat the previous day’s mistakes. This time, when I got up, I lacked the grace, speed, and subtlety of the previous morning, and I jostled the bed.

Leslie’s eyes flashed open, and he hissed at me before he flung himself out of bed against the wall. He was wearing a long-sleeved pajama shirt and boxers, which I would’ve thought funny if I hadn’t been more concerned that he was about to attack me. Every visible muscle in his body tensed, ready to strike. He lunged at me, and I danced back, flicking on the bathroom light. I jerked my hands up in defense.

As calmly as I could, I said, “Leslie, it’s Camellia Rosegarten. Don’t attack me.”

His eyes, clouded with fear and rage, cleared as he relaxed in degrees. “I’m so sorry,” he panted. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just reacted. Please, don’t let this scare you off from sleeping in the bed.” He came around to me and took my hands in his. “I can sleep elsewhere.”

“It’s not necessary,” I assured him, “but I’d like you to tell me why.”

“Why what?” He tried, and failed, to sound oblivious. He rubbed my hands with his, as if trying to warm them.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Why are you afraid? Why did you tell me that you normally hide when you sleep, but you sleep with me? Then, you tried to attack me.”

“I told you that I feel safe…no, safer with you.” His hand came up to tuck some loose hair behind my ear as he looked into my eyes.

“Leslie,” I tilted my head, “that didn’t look like you felt safe at all. I thought you were going to tear me to bits. Tell me why.” I searched his face, saw the internal debate in his eyes.

“I don’t speak about it.”

“Well, you better start. If I get my throat ripped out one morning I’d like to know there was a good reason why.”

He took both my hands again and pulled me down to sit on the bed. Facing me, he took a deep breath. “I would never rip out your throat. I would never hurt you. The fear, it fades very quickly once I’m aware. Please, believe me.”

Not to be swayed by his pleading look, I said, “Spill it,” and glared at him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths. “You’re the first I’ve ever told, so try to bear with me.” He looked at me, and I nodded curtly. “The one who made me,” he looked down at our joined hands, “kept me alive for weeks before he made me. Once he did, he and his followers often starved me and…did other terrible things to me. They encouraged ally groups that joined us to treat me the same.” He paused and looked up at me briefly. His eyebrows knit before he looked back down at our hands and toyed with the ring he had given me. “Do you remember when you said that you thought I was exceptionally attractive?” I nodded, as my head filled with images of tortures he might have endured. “The vampire that made me and those that joined him thought so, too.”

“What did they do to you?” I asked softly, carefully banking the anger that erupted in me. I lifted my ring hand to his face, and he put his over mine.

“I won’t speak of it.” His voice hitched. “You don’t want to know, and it doesn’t matter.”

“Clearly, it does.” He wouldn’t look at me. “You made them pay for it.”

He nodded then looked up into my eyes. I wasn’t sure how to respond or how to comfort him. Horribly abused and taken advantage of, it was no wonder he was such a big fan of free will.

Slowly, I took him into my arms and held him. I laid my chin over his shoulder and rubbed his back, a gesture my mother always used to comfort me when I was sad or hurt. Leslie’s arms hung loosely around my waist, but when I said, “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he pulled out of the embrace.

Embarrassed, he stood. “You see, when you’re scarred that badly as a young vampire you don’t get over it, even if you live a thousand years.”

“And I startled you, so you went into attack mode,” I extrapolated.

“That’s an accurate description. I want you to keep sleeping in the bed. I rest better by your side than I ever have.”

“That’s funny. My dreams are vivid, incredibly vivid. In fact, I think I might have sleepwalked down here last night.” I got up and went into the bathroom. I took off my shirt and tossed it into the bedroom, where Leslie swiped it out of the air.

“You didn’t sleepwalk; I carried you. I found you asleep on the sofa.”

“Oh, well, thank you. I must have nodded off during the movie. I’ll try to watch it again some other night.”

I started to take off my pants but remembered we were training today. There was no point in bathing only to get filthy and stinky all over again. Instead, I brushed and braided my hair. When I came back into the bedroom, I motioned for Leslie to return my shirt to me. He gave me a puzzled look, so I explained.

“There’s really no point in showering since we’re just going to get all sweaty again.”

Amused and intrigued, he asked, “Why is that?”

“Oh, I meant the humans. Training. Justin and I are going to whip your family into shape.”

I took my shirt back from Leslie and yanked it over my head. How easily he had maneuvered me from talking about him to talking about me. I needed to pay special attention to avoid the trap.

“It’s a good idea. At least if you and Justin are working together, I won’t have to worry that you’ll hurt each other.”

As I sat on the bed to tug on a fresh pair of socks, I noticed my journal sitting on the dresser. Apparently, Leslie brought more than just me downstairs.

“Aren’t you going to dress?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow. Leslie strode into the walk-in closet on his side of the room. I went over to the dresser and flipped through the journal. After checking a few pages here and there, I decided that everything was in order. “I don’t know that they’re particularly excited about it, except for Jay and Santiago.” I found my running shoes just outside the bedroom door. I sat down in the floor and shoved my feet into them.

“Why are they so enthusiastic?” Leslie appeared in the doorway, fully clothed in a dark green sweater and khaki pants. “I always get the impression they’re as trained as can be.”

“Well, they’ve got plenty of muscle, but they love me of course.”

Well, of course,” he agreed and smiled.

I considered Leslie’s choice of sweater. “You shouldn’t wear that color. It dulls your eyes.”

“Since when are you a fashion expert?” His smile widened, and he casually crossed his arms.

“Since never, but if I had eyes like yours, I would do everything to, what’s the expression? Play them up.”

He rolled said eyes at me and disappeared into the closet again. “Love,” he said, returning before I finished tying my second shoe.

“Love?” The word startled me, and I yanked my shoelace too tight.

“I wouldn’t think that would make someone want to be beaten up by you.”

“Oh.” I shook my head. “Well, they have another incentive.”

“What’s the incentive?”

“Ask them.” I smiled up at him and saw that he now wore an eggplant-colored sweater. “That’s much better.” I sighed before clearing my throat and my mind. “Well, I should go grab a quick bite.” Leslie held out his hand and easily tugged me to standing. “You’re a survivor, you know. Sometimes, you do things—things you aren’t proud of, for that purpose alone. I hope one day that you’ll feel like you can share more with me. If not, maybe you should think about keeping a journal. It helps me think, and it can help me get closure.” When I had the courage to let it.

“Yes, I’ve read a few of your recent entries.”

Shocked and embarrassed, I felt my face going red again. “Those are my private thoughts and feelings.”

“They certainly are.” He trailed a finger down my cheek. “You shouldn’t leave it out where anyone can read it. It would give Jay quite a lot to tease you about. It could give someone the wrong ideas about you.” He smiled at me and let his finger drift down my neck. “Or maybe the right ones.” If he had been reading my journal, then he knew how much it excited and bothered me to be physically attracted to him. Sensing my uncertainty, he took a few steps back. “I may be a patron, but I’m not a saint. If you knew all the sins I have committed against other people, and not just for survival…I don’t think you’d care for me much.” He frowned a bit. “I have done terrible things out of spite, out of revenge, out of desire, and on a whim. I’ve been making an effort to do and be better for some time now, but you only know that side of me. You shouldn’t pity me.”

“Okay, but I still care for you, and I value your friendship and our partnership. I’ll even keep sleeping with you.” I couldn’t help the silly little smile that spread across my face. “But do me a favor and don’t say anything else about biting or blood drinking. I think Justin’s had his limit.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and could still hear his soft laughter as I walked through the outer room.

END CH15 P1

Jay N Jay

While Selene and Justin played a game of cat and mouse and Leslie locked himself away in his room to brood, I tried to write in my journal. I began writing about the gala, and even with the disruption of Selene’s and Justin’s arguments, I made good progress. I wrote for a while and then went back over what I had written, adding or taking away, studying what happened and seeing if I could gain any insight from it.

By four in the afternoon, I had as much as I could stand, which was when I decided to pick a fight with Jay and Santiago. I wanted to find out if I could take them when unarmed. They gladly cleared the furniture once I promised them that I would take full responsibility for anything that got broken, human or otherwise. I wondered if someone had told them about my fight with Justin.

“You two might be big and muscular, but you can learn a thing or two from me,” I informed them.

“From a skinny little girl like you?” Jay, the redhead, teased.

I decided Jay must have been the Brit messenger my mother had described. He had an English accent, a strong one. When he said “little,” it sounded like li’ull.

“You bet,” I taunted. “I won’t run away from you this time. To start, just try to catch me.”

They came at me as a team, and I ducked and spun, taking Jay down with a kick behind the knee, careful not to break it. Santiago danced back, reassessed our positions, and made a grab for me. I spun under his arms and around him and punched him in the back. I skipped away from them and watched as they straightened and rubbed various body parts.

“You’re too slow. You need lightning reflexes. I know you guys are the muscle, but it needs to be fast, lean muscle. Got it?”

They looked at each other and shook their heads. When they looked back at me, they shrugged and then nodded. Their moves were so well-timed that I grinned. When they came at me again, I took both of them down with leg sweeps. I encouraged them to attack, and as they did, I instructed as I dodged and darted out of their hands. Before long, they were both leaning against the wall and panting.

“It’s not as fun as I thought it’d be, Cami-girl,” Jay admitted, christening me with a new nickname. “You’re the scrapper here, not us.”

“I’m thinking we need an incentive,” Santiago said. His coloring hinted at Hispanic heritage, his accent a Texas drawl.

I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my eyebrows. “What more incentive do you need than getting faster and therefore less likely to be killed?”

“Lots. Think up something more fun,” Jay suggested. “There’s been a shortage of fun around here lately. Your little family drama has been the most exciting thing to happen for weeks.”

“I’m so happy my family distress entertained you,” I growled at him. “You’re not endearing yourself to me, Jay.”

“All right.” He patted his hands at me. “How’s about a kiss then?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “There haven’t been enough kisses to go around either.”

“I don’t just kiss people.” I uncrossed my arms and put my hands on my hips.

“Really?” Jay asked. “I got a different impression from the shouting match you all had earlier today.” He winked at me, and the red, a mix of anger and embarrassment, crept into my cheeks.

“Oh, now, don’t get all huffy. Besides, me and J here aren’t just people, Cami-girl. We’re family now.”

“J? Wait, I thought your name was Santiago.”

“That’s Spanish for Saint James. We’re the two Jameses, you see? We’ve been doing everything, well, almost everything,” he paused to give me a knowing look, “together for years now. Somebody started calling us James and James, which shortened to Jay and J, as in J-A-Y and just J to tell us apart. Well, eventually, ‘and’ got shortened to ‘n’—Jay n J, our little nickname.”

“Like mine is now apparently Cami-girl?”

“That’s right.” Happy I was catching on, Jay smiled at me.

I smirked. “Do you do all the talking?”

“No, I just talk more. So, now, back to the kisses.” He wagged his index finger at me. “I say it’s a good incentive. Besides, it’s like traditional or something to give out kisses to the winner of a fight.” He swelled with pride for thinking up that one.

“I don’t think it applies when you’re fighting the one who’ll be rewarding you.”

“So we bend the tradition a bit.” Jay poked an encouraging elbow in my direction. “C’mon. What do you say?”

“Not that it matters. You two won’t catch me.” I eyed them and then caved. “Okay then.” I lifted my finger in the air and righteously said, “Kisses to the victor.”

“Real kisses,” Jay clarified. “Not any of them pecks on the cheek, mind you.”

“Real kisses,” I agreed. “Not that it matters.”

They came for me, punching, kicking, trying to work as a team, but they never did catch me. At one point, I grabbed hold of one of the small gold hoops that Jay wore in his ears, teaching him a valuable lesson about fighting while wearing jewelry. He yelped, but I didn’t actually hurt him. Still, I gave both men plenty of bruises and knots. Finally, they gave up, Jay moaning about exhaustion and starvation.

“Well, no kisses today.” I gave each man a slap on the back. “But, if you practice with me enough, you’ll eventually get good enough to win one. How about dinner as a consolation?”

They agreed easily enough and plopped down on stools at the bar to keep me company while I cooked. I didn’t expect to be getting a lesson from Selene anytime soon, so I thought I’d keep it simple. I went to the refrigerator and rummaged through the meat drawer. I found a big package of ground beef. I hadn’t had a hamburger in over a year, and it sounded like the most delicious thing to me.

Getting my hopes up, I went to the pantry, which took up the one interior wall of the kitchen. I found two packages of fresh buns—the large kind, with poppy seeds and onion bits baked onto the tops. I did a mental head count and determined that there would be plenty to feed all humans with seconds if they wanted.

In the bottom of the pantry, I found a wooden box that served as a root cellar. I took out six potatoes and an onion. I decided to press my luck and, after a bit of a search, I found oil, a large, deep Dutch oven, and a fry basket that would fit in it.

“Somebody loves me boys. We’ve got everything we need for hamburgers and fries.” I took down the biggest skillet on the hanging rack and carried it over to the stove.

“You’re not going to grill them?” Santiago asked.

“Texas, right?” I asked, and he nodded. “Well, I’m from nowhere really, but I like my burgers fried and greasy. You want a grilled burger? I’ll save you some patties, but you’ll have to do it yourself.” I set the meat on the island counter and brought a plate over so I would have a place to put the patties. I pressed a wad of meat into my palm and started forming a disk. “Does Leslie have a grill?”

“Les has at least one of everything,” Jay said. “Life’s been good since we hooked up with him, eh J?”

Judging by the look they exchanged, I guessed that whatever had come before Leslie had been on the level of my worst nightmares. I set my first patty down and scooped up another palm full.

“If you’re cooking, I’m eating, and I won’t complain,” Santiago said.

I’d yet to meet a man, human or vampire, who was a picky eater but most human men were reluctant cooks. Justin was capable in the kitchen, but cooking duty wasn’t for everyone. We all had different talents we brought to the group. My best skill was fighting, but I wasn’t above cooking a meal for my friends. I set the second patty down and moved on to the third.

“Okay, can either of you slice veggies?” When I looked up at them, they appeared to be on the verge of saying no. “You fix the fixings, and I’ll fix the rest.”

“Deal,” they both said.

As per my instructions, they got out cutting boards, a large plate for the potatoes, and small plates for the onion, tomatoes, and lettuce. Tomatoes in winter—I smiled and shook my head. Fresh meat, dairy, and vegetables were such a luxury to me, and now that I lived with Leslie, I could have them daily, if I wanted. Thankful didn’t begin to cover what I felt.

After peeling the potatoes and slicing them into fries, I heated the oil in the Dutch oven. When the skillet was hot enough, I slid in the first six burgers. Jay and Santiago chatted while they sliced the rest of the veggies. They also rooted out a jar of pickles, sliced the cheese, and sliced the buns.

The scent of food drew the other humans down to the kitchen. Heather came in with two six packs of bottled beer, which she explained were kept in the refrigerator in the laundry room.

“Laundry room?” I asked.

She passed me a beer and nodded. “It’s on the side of the vampire drive opposite the house. There’s a wine cellar and an incinerator, too.”

I gave her a shrewd look and twisted the cap off my bottle. It had a wonderful flavor, and I enjoyed sipping it while I cooked. I tensed when Justin came sulking into the kitchen. Seeing my reaction, Jay intercepted him with a slap on the back, a beer, and a conversation on fighting tactics. Jay gestured to me with his beer, and the gloom lifted off Justin as he gave Jay pointers on how to take me down in a fight.

When the oil was finally hot enough, I dumped the fry basket in the Dutch oven. As I slid the first round of burgers out of the pan and onto a plate, Justin came up behind me.

“Kisses?” he asked. The way he said it, the tension, anger, and ugliness of the morning evaporated.

I smiled and shrugged. The next round of burgers went into the pan. “You don’t think it’s a good incentive?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I think it’s cruel of you to get their hopes up.” We both laughed. “I wonder…are you willing to extend your incentive to me as well?”

I snorted. “When have you ever asked my permission for a kiss?”

“Never, but maybe a little friendly competition is what they need.” He took a swig of his beer.

“You’re just torturing yourself, you know.” I didn’t understand why he insisted on  holding onto his feelings for me.

“Well, it’s my fault then, isn’t it?”

I flipped the burgers. “Yeah, but you’ll blame me, and then you’ll do something ridiculous like break my bones or call your host a monster in his own house while you sleep in his bed and eat his food.” I gestured at him with the spatula.

“Probably, but you’ll forgive me because I’m your family and the man you’ve been having sex with for the last five years, and he’ll forgive me because he loves you.”

I barked out a laugh as Justin pinched my bottom. I set down the spatula. “I don’t think I gave you a concussion; I think I broke your head.” I gave him a level look and pointed to the fry basket.

“Get the fries out and onto something to drain, would you?”

There were eight of us when we gathered in the kitchen and living room and devoured the burgers as if we hadn’t eaten in weeks. Jay entertained everyone with his jokes and tales of me kicking his butt. His eyes would go wide as he spoke. He gestured with his hands and moved so much that he almost fell off his stool twice.

Santiago was quiet, but he laughed and, on cue, embellished Jay’s stories. When we ran out of beer, he made a trip down to get more.

This dinner gave me a chance to meet Kiera. She and Heather were physical opposites— Heather being short and fair while Kiera was taller and warmer. Kiera spoke even less than Santiago, the person who most captured her attention.

With olive skin, dark hair, dark eyes, Santiago was tall for a Hispanic man. Jay was pale with hair the color of a new penny. Strawberry-blond, that was it, I thought. His intense green eyes laughed, even when his mouth didn’t. Both men were large and muscular, with thick necks and square jaws. To be so differently colored, they looked remarkably alike.

The other two men were twins, Courtland and Montgomery, or Court and Monte for short. They were average height, thin, darkskinned men with shaved heads. They enjoyed team-teasing Jay and finished each other’s sentences.

The beer loosened everyone up, allowing us to get comfortable with one another. Having been at House Wells since the gala, I had scarcely seen anyone but Heather. I wondered if, initially, Leslie told them to stay away to give my family and me time to adjust.

When I asked, Court said, “The house is large. You could go all day without seeing any of us if you wanted. Except for Jay, everyone is usually gone in the daytime. We have projects we work on related to what Leslie’s doing.”

“Right-o,” Jay added. “Since you arrived, Cami-girl, J and I have been helping the vamps by checking the grounds in the daytime. Makes Les less paranoid. The vamps are really the muscle around here, but we can do in a pinch.”

“You aren’t fighters?”

“In a pinch, I said,” he repeated as if I were slow.

“I guess that makes us the trainers,” Justin said pointing between himself and me.

“When we’re here, Kiera and I mostly tend to the needs of the household,” Heather explained.

“Hoy, and needs we have,” Jay added and wiggled a flirtatious eyebrow at her. Kiera rolled her eyes but smiled. Heather waved Jay off, blushing.

“Of course, the vamps do a little bit of everything,” Santiago said.

“Brains, brawn, and a mixture of both in their leader,” I said.

“I think our Cami-girl might be a mix herself. What do you say, J?” Santiago eyed me and nodded. Jay raised his beer. “Cheers, everyone,” he called out, and we drank deeply.

END CH14 P1

The Morning After

Even though Leslie’s room was dark, my body knew it was daytime, and I awoke feeling refreshed and energized despite the odd dreams. I was smelly from sparring with Justin and wrestling with Leslie. A smile spread across my face as I thought of the shower with hot water.

More quickly and more silently than I had ever moved, I slipped off the bed and into the bathroom. Leslie’s blood cured my ills and apparently made me more agile. I flicked on the bathroom light and squinted against the glare. After being in complete darkness, it was too bright, so I turned my back to the bathroom. That’s when I saw Leslie, resting just as peacefully as in my dream.

My brow furrowed. If I remembered correctly (and I did), Leslie told me he hid when he rested. I shook my head. Another mystery.

When the spray hit me, it felt heavenly. Even though I don’t sing all that well, I couldn’t help myself when in such a positive mood. Whenever we took out a nest or stayed in an abandoned house, we took the music CDs for playing in the car. We weren’t picky about what we took. My parents considered CDs a way to educate Aster and me about music. My father clearly preferred what he called “nineties alternative” and “classic rock.” My mother’s tastes were more eclectic.

Other than nursery rhymes, I didn’t know the words to many songs, but the music tended to stick with me. As I shampooed my hair, I sang and stomped out a beat that matched my perky mood.

As I washed my face and body, I thought about the books we had found and read over the years. We rarely took them with us, so I got in the habit of writing down summaries of them in my journal. Oh, my journal! I needed to retrieve it from the old house. I had a lot of action to write about now.

Body clean and steaming, I dried off and searched through Leslie’s bathroom drawers for a comb. I found one with wide teeth that would do just fine. I hummed the chorus of an old folk song my mother loved as I worked out the tangles in my hair. Once that job was completed, I headed back into the bedroom.

The light from the bathroom showed me that the previously sleeping Leslie was now awake. On his side and propped up on one arm, a smile spread across his face. “What a wonderful way to wake up,” he said. “You’re singing isn’t that great, but still,” he gestured to me, “wonderful.”

In my bubbling, happy zone, I had completely forgotten about him. There I stood, naked. I would not be embarrassed. My mother had not raised me to be shy or ashamed of my body. Justin had admired it many times.

Someone had the good sense to put some clothes in the dresser. I rummaged through the top drawer and found underwear, my underwear. In another drawer, I found new clothes and, under them, my clothes. I turned around holding a shirt.

“I made a trip to your old house last night. I thought you’d like what was yours. Mm.” Leslie sounded as if he had smelled or tasted something delicious.

“What?” I asked as I tugged on a sports bra.

“Nothing,” he waved his fingers through the air dismissively. “Continue. I’m enjoying watching you dress.”

“No, you said, ‘Mm,’ so I want to know what that’s about because you’re creeping me out just a little.”

“Then, be prepared to be creeped out even more.” He lifted his nose in the air. “Your scent is strong today. Must be a result of my blood.”

“My scent? Like my hormones?” I whipped a long sleeve T-shirt over my head and searched for panties. I had so few pairs.

“No,” Leslie drew out the word. “Your blood. It perfumes the air.” I stopped shuffling clothes and turned to find him sniffing at me. “Delicious.”

I made a face and fake-gagged. “That’s just disgusting. Human blood tastes gross.”

“Just like my blood tasted gross to you?” he countered.

“Touché.”

“At least I don’t go berserk every time I get a drop of yours in me,” Leslie said superiorly.

“You should’ve seen your face when you were sucking on my knuckles,” I shot back. “You just keep laughing. You weren’t so jolly last night.”

“No, that was…intense. I wanted to bite you and tear off your clothes.”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“Yes, but not with someone…” He waved his hand again. “Yes, I have ripped clothes off of women and drank from them until they were dry.”

The thought made me shiver, and I could almost see Leslie’s mind sifting through memories that, from the looks of his face, were a mixture of horror and ecstasy. His lips parted slightly, and he sucked in a breath just before he said, “Dress, please. You make it very hard for me to be a gentleman.”

I smiled mischievously. “What if I were to walk over here and…Oops! I dropped my panties.” I held my hand up to my mouth and bent over suggestively in front of him.

“Do you enjoy playing games with me? You know I’ve killed. You know I drink blood.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his nostrils flared. “You should take care, have a better sense of self-preservation.” His eyes lost focus.

Instead of picking up my panties and going back into the bathroom like a smart person, I stood up, turned, and walked over to the edge of the bed. His blood made my senses stronger. I caught the scent of him—rosemary, mint, and male—and found myself suddenly aroused. He bit his lower lip, and I smiled.

“Step away from me,” he growled.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

In one flash of movement, he snatched me onto the bed and hovered over me, kissing me like a starved man who has found a feast. “I shouldn’t—” he started to say, but it came out strangled, as I met his hunger with my own. “Rah,” he yelled and pushed me up the bed until the top of my head smacked into the headboard.

His fangs sank into the tender skin of my upper inner thigh. The sensation was nothing like the faux fangs. There was no pain and all pleasure, pure exhilaration. My lower body flooded with heat from the saliva. The humming sensation filled me. I grabbed the headboard with my hands and held on while Leslie fed. I panted, called his name hoarsely. When he lapped at the bite and then nipped higher, I screamed as I reached the strongest peak I had ever experienced.

In one swift move, Leslie was off me and in the bathroom. I felt warm and incredibly fulfilled and then suddenly awkward. This was Leslie. Leslie was a vampire. Leslie had bitten me, and boy had I liked it. I stifled a crazed laugh.

Slowly, I got off the bed and retrieved my panties. I walked into the bathroom and found Leslie staring at himself in the mirror.

“I…am…a…monster.” He said each word slowly and precisely.

“You were provoked.” I waved a hand at him before re-combing my hair.

“It’s no excuse. I didn’t have your permission.” He looked at his reflection disgustedly. “I really didn’t want to make any mistakes with you.”

I slapped the comb down on the counter. “I waved myself in front of you like a red flag.” His eyes flashed up to the reflection of my face. “Don’t be so angry. So, you bit me. Big deal. You’ve already had my blood.”

“I went for your femoral. I fed on you like an animal.” He closed his eyes. “I should have more control, but it is very hard when you act like you want me. At least I didn’t force myself on you.”

I knew I wasn’t acting. I really wanted him, and if he had taken me, it wouldn’t have been against my will. I didn’t know what to make of myself, so I said nothing. Leslie looked so dejected.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said quietly. “Can you forgive me?”

“Like I said, I provoked you.” I shrugged.

“That’s no excuse for me to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me.”

“Camellia.” He lowered his head and opened his eyes. His voice sounded pained. “You cried out.”

“I had an orgasm, you idiot.”

If vampires could blush, he would have. He turned his head ever-so-slightly to look at me and must have seen the truth in my face. “I…I didn’t realize you, ah, enjoyed it.”

“It surprised me, too.” I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Woke me up better than the shower.”

Leslie returned my smile. “You’re really okay with what just happened?” he asked as he dabbed at his lips with my washcloth.

I held up my hands and then placed them firmly on the counter. “Let’s agree we’re not going to act weird about it. I taunted you after you warned me, and I got bitten. That’s only to be expected. What I didn’t expect was the orgasm, but now that I think about it, I can say I had both of them coming at your expense.”

Leslie shook his head, but he genuinely smiled now. “You have a wonderful flavor.”

“Okay, if this whole not-acting-weird thing is going to work, you can’t say things like that.” He laughed at me, and I smiled back at him. “But, thank you, I guess. You taste like the best dessert I ever had.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Right, so we’re delicious.”

This time, I didn’t hold back the laughter when it came. Yep, life had definitely gotten weird.

END CH12 P1