B007Q4JDEM EBOK (12 page)

We walked down the winding path for a few more feet until it broke off and our shoes fell upon dark soil and gentle green
moss
. The sound of water grew louder with each step. As I
looked around
the area, I saw that we had come into a clearing in the dense forest. The surrounding trees formed an arch overhead and brilliant rays of light eased through the branches and leaves. Ahead of us, beneath the archway was a magnificent, long creek lined with large stones varying in size
and color
. A fallen tree lay across the water, forming a
natural
bridge.

I watched in awe as Salem gracefully walked across the log. He smiled back at me expectantly, but I shook my head. There was no way I was climbing across that thing! I could easily picture myself tripping, falling into the creek and smashing my head against one of the many
large creek
rocks.

“I will keep you safe, you know that,” h
e called toward me as he slid off the tree, ran his hands through the water and cleansed the blood off. “At least come
to the water’s edge
.”

I obliged, walking to the edge of the rippling creek. I sat on the moist soil,
pulled
both of my shoes and socks off, and slowly inched my feet into the
shallow water
. It was freezing cold!

“How can you
stand
how cold this is?!” I said as I pulled my feet out.

“It feels pleasant
enough
to me,” h
e grinned. “Let your feet adjust to the temperature.”

I reluctantly lowered my feet back into the ice cold water. Gradually, it didn't feel quite as cold.

“See, it's not so bad.”

“It's still a lot colder than I was
expecting
!”

Before I had a chance to react, Salem was at my side, pulling me further into the water. Despite my shouts of protest, he continued dragging me in. I shivered against his chest as he held me. “It's
even colder with you next to me,
” I laughed through chattering teeth.

He just smiled down at me. I was relieved to see his eyes had returned to their familiar pale blue. I gazed up toward the sky, noting it was beginning to darken and realized I had never gotten a chance to convince Jason not
to have the party. I groaned.

“What's wrong, Alex
is
?” h
e whispered into my ear.

“Jason is still planni
ng to throw a party at my house,” I sighed.
“I
tried
to call him and have him
put
it
off to another night
, or forget about it altogether, but I never
got ahold of
him.”

“Oh,” he replied quietly, “d
o you need to leave?”

“Maybe...I don't know.
Is there a phone at your place?”

“No, bu
t that could easily be arranged,” he laughed. “o
r, better yet...” he held out an empty hand and his eyes twinkled violet momentarily. A small cell phone materialized against his palm. “This
ought to
work.”

“You're amazing, do you know that?” I grinned and took the phone from him. I quickly dialed Jason's number – finally he
answered
!

“Hey Jason, it's Alex,
” I said into the
cell
.

“It's about time! The party is in less than an hour and I
’ve
been trying to cal
l you for the past two hours!” h
is voice sounded strained.

“I tried calling you this morning, but you never picked up.”

“I was out picking up some supplies. Are you at home?”

“No...” I muttered. “I'm at least twenty miles away from home.”

“How am I supposed to throw this party if you're not
t
here?!” h
e nearly shouted.

“There's a spare key under the owl statue beside the walkway. I'll try to make it home before the party is over, but you can take advantage of the place before I get there. Just remember your promise!”

“No alcohol,
”
I could hear his voice relaxing,
“I hope you can make it, it wouldn't be the same without you.”

“I'll try to make it, I promise.”

“Great! Have you had a chance to
try out the laptop yet
?”

A sudden queasiness overcame me as I recalled the articles I had read. “
Yeah...I used it a little today,” my voice was distant, “j
ust to test it out. I'll definitely use it more, though.”

“Awesome, glad you're using it.
Hope to see you at the party!” h
e said excitedly and hung up.

“Something is bothering you,
” Salem said as I hung up the phone. He took it and laid it on top of the
fallen
log.

“Is it that obvious?” I scowled.

“Your expressions are e
asy to read,” h
e replied. “What i
s on your mind?”

He climbed onto the
makeshift bridge
and helped me up. I sat beside him, letting my feet dangle over the edge and rest in the
cold
water. I didn't know where to begin, whether with what I heard from Paul or what I
had
read online. I decided to start with the story that was less painful to tell and rambled on about the articles.

“You believe it i
s a vampire doing it, then?” h
e said once I finished talking.

“I think it’s
a lot more likely than I
did
before
. Before it was more about Janet than anything, but now the same thing is ha
ppening to more and more people,
” I blurted out quickly. “How likely is it that a bear is doing
all
this?”

“It’s not very likely at all,” h
e grimaced. “You may have
been right
all along. But there i
s more you want to tell me.”

“Yes,
” I sighed. “This won't
nearly be as easy as the stuff about the articles, though..
.”

I retold the story Paul had told me early this morning, keeping my eyes focused on the rippling creek as each word fell from my mouth. Salem was silent the entire time, waiting patiently for me to finish. He cringed at the mentioning of Raziel.

“I'm so sorry, Alex
is
,” h
e said quietly and draped an arm around me, pulling me closer to him.

“Would it offend you if I said I was tempted to...help Paul find Raziel and put an end to him?”

Salem gazed down at me, I couldn't read his expression. “It doesn't offend me exactly, but the thought of you hunting,” he recoiled as he spoke the words, “Once you begin, it's hard to stop...”

“I wouldn't hurt any more of your kind, I swear.”

“You say that now,” h
e shook his head. “I won't allow it. You need to avoid it at all co
sts
. It is in your blood to be a
hunter;
you would not be able to stop so easily
.”

I didn't respond. I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to hurt Salem, but at the same t
ime, I hungered for vengeance against the monster that had taken my mother from me.

“There's another reason,” h
e broke the silence, and I could tell from the sound of his voice that it wasn't something I wanted to hear.

“What?”

“If you kill him, you kill me, and any other vampires he created.”

“No...” the word was barely audible. “Paul has been searching for him ever since the incident...what if he finds him?”

“Then I c
an only hope he doesn't succeed,” Salem
frowned. “Had it not been for meeting you, I honestly wouldn't have cared to have died by now.”

“Salem, what if...” I could hard
ly get the words to come out, “w
hat if Paul finds you?”

“He's found me before,” h
e grinned slyly. “I told you before; I am smarter than he thinks. I imagine Raziel is hardly any different. In fact, he is probably smarter and quicker than I am.”

“Oh...” I wasn't sure how to respond. I sulked, leaning my head against his shoulder and
thinking as I pulled my feet out of the water. “I’ve got one more question.”

“More?” h
e chuckled. “You are full of them!”

“I'm sorry. You would be, too, if this were the other way around!”

“I suppose you are right.”

“Your accent...it
sure
doesn't come from
anywhere around here
,
” I commented. “Where
are you from?
”

“That i
s one question I was actually surprised you had not asked yet. While my ancestors may have originated in Massachusetts,
I was born and raised in Wales,” h
e smiled, appearing to be reflecting on old memories.

“Wales...” I said in awe. “How did you end up here, of all places?”

“I
have traveled most of the world,” he
said thoughtfully. “Eventually, I decided to settle down someplace.”

“But why here?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Alex
is. I know
you will object because you already know my other secrets – but this is something even I cannot quite comprehend.”

“I think I can handle it.”

“I a
m not so sure,” h
e looked up to the sky. The glow of the moon could barely be seen between the shrouds of trees. “It involves you.”

I jerked my head up from his shoulder and looked directly into his pale blue eyes. “How could it have anything to do with me?”

“That is e
xactly why I don't think you will understand.”

“Please, just tell me,
” I begged.

“Very well, but promise me you won't laugh.”

“I promise.
”

“Here, take my hand,” Salem said as he stood up from the log. By now it was already dark, but I reluctantly took his hand and followed him as we began to walk further into the woods along the path. I had to know what he was going to tell
me, late for the party or not.

“I'm sure yo
u have heard of Plato in school,” h
e commented as we
delved deeper into the forest.

“Yeah, sure,
” I said, somewhat confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“L
et me finish,” h
e smiled. “According to history, he wrote of humans originally having four arms, four legs, and a s
ingle head made up of two faces,
” I stared awkwardly at him. “But, in fear of their power, Zeus split them all in half, condemning them to a life of searching for their other half... I don't necessarily believe in that,
however
...”

My expression told him I was still unsure where he was going with this. “Alex
is
, do you believe in soul mates?” I believe his cheeks would have flushed at that moment had he been human.

“I-well...I had never
really thought about
it before,
” I replied honestly. “But, even so, why would y
ou think I was your ‘other half’
?”

“Raziel, actually,” he grimaced, “h
e said that when you bite a human, you can see their memories, and sometimes snippets of their future. He saw you...”

“What?!” I asked incredulously.

“He didn't know you were human – especially not the daughter of a Waldron – from what I gather...
but, he said he saw me with you
.”

My mouth moved to speak, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say in response to that? “You have been waiting over
a hundred
years for me?” I said in disbelief.

“Apparently so,” h
e replied.
“
When Janet and Mark came to me, they brought a picture of you so that I would be able to identify you at school. I was awestruck when I saw it was
the girl Raziel had told me of.”

“That's why you’
re so protective of me, and why you have been so insistent upon being around me.”

“That definit
ely has something to do with it,
” We stopped walking abruptly and Salem pulled me close against his body.