Blood Born (15 page)

“They’re murderers, Ava. They spend their days looking for vampires to kill.
You’re
a vampire. See my problem?” I knew Chance was worried about me—he did too much worrying about me—but I couldn’t let him be the cause of two people dying, no matter what extracurricular activities they took part in.

“I understand, Chance, I do. But who’s to say they would ever hurt me?” My mind immediately went to Lila’s threat against me, and the fact that they
were
vampire hunters; killing me would come naturally to them. But something in the back of my mind was telling me that these two—well, three if you count Kayla—were different. I couldn’t explain it, but I somehow felt safe around them. “And you’ve killed vampires yourself.”

“
One vampire
. I’ve killed one. And that was to save you.”

“Either way, you’re no different.”

“I don’t go around hunting them. I’m
completely
different.” He was right. I knew that.

“What if you’re wrong? What if they’re okay? They might be able to help us.”

“I can’t take that chance, Ava. If I can stop something bad from happening to you, I’m gonna do it. Whether it makes you mad or not.” His voice was still so full of anger, though his face somewhat relaxed. “I wish you could understand that. I’m here to help
you
. If that means risking the life of someone who might try to kill you one day, then that’s what I have to do.”

I really didn’t know what to say to that. Chance was right. I barely knew Erik and Lila. And Kayla, for that matter. Who was to say that they
wouldn’t
try to kill me? I didn’t think it was possible, not really, but I could see how Chance would. I really hated him being involved in all of this. I hated the fact that I was the reason he had to make life-and-death decisions at only seventeen. It wasn’t fair to him. I wanted desperately to understand the position he was in, but I just couldn’t let him have the blood of innocent people—of
humans
—on his hands. I had to do something to stop him from telling Aldric. My mind was spinning out of control as we pulled up to Aldric’s house. Before we got out of Chance’s truck, an idea struck me. I knew it was a bad one, one that would probably hurt him in the long run, but I couldn’t stop the words from pouring out of my mouth.

“If you really wanted to help me,” I said, looking over at him, “you wouldn’t do this.” I hated making such a statement knowing what damage it would cause, but I had no other choice. And I could tell by the pained look on his face as we walked up to Aldric’s house that Chance’s heart had just been stabbed by my words.

1

Aldric’s house was not what I expected for a vampire. I thought I would see a castle or some other dark, foreboding structure with cobweb-covered eaves, peeling paint, and maybe a moat. What I saw was a house like millions of others, plain and ordinary, with what looked like a fresh coat of paint and a perfectly landscaped lawn coated in freshly fallen snow. The tan and white-trimmed facade blended in with other houses on the street; no one would ever know it belonged to a lethal killer. I guessed that was what Aldric had been thinking when he chose it. The modest house did sit back far from the road, though, buried behind several trees and thick brush. The rustic seclusion would make it easily overlooked by the common passer-by.

Chance walked a few feet in front of me as we approached. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though his shoulders weren’t standing wide and broad like they normally were. They were sort of slumped and drawn, like he had been scolded. He looked defeated. I hated what I said to him, knowing that
all
he wanted was to help me. But I had no choice. I only hoped I got through to him. I felt tiny nerves prickling my skin as he knocked on Aldric’s door. I hated the anxiety I felt whenever I was around Aldric, like he had some sort of hidden power over me. I figured it must have something to do with him being my Creator, which totally freaked me out. Even though I wanted nothing to do with him, I found myself drawn to him constantly, and that freaked me out, too.

“Come in,” Aldric said in his usual somber tone once he opened the door. “I’ve been expecting you.” I was curious as to why he thought we would drop by, but then I remembered that I had agreed to a more extensive training session sometime over the weekend, so naturally he would have been looking for us.

The inside of his house was night and day different from the outside. It was much closer to what I imagined a vampire’s house would look like; thick, heavy drapes of blood-red velvet hanging over every window and doorway, making me feel like I was standing inside a heart. The walls were such a dark gray they looked black, and the floors were a rich cherry hardwood. I felt like I had just walked onto the set of some Gothic horror movie.

“I wanted the outside appearance to appease the neighbors,” Aldric offered, watching me stare around the room. “But I simply had to make the inside feel like home.” His face held a wide smile, but something dark sat behind his eyes. I knew he was hiding something, him and Chance both. I wanted to call him on it, but after the way things had gone when I confronted Chance, I thought it best to wait on that.

“It’s, well,
different
,” I said, trying to sound polite, though I didn’t really want to be.

“Only to you,” he answered. “I’ve decorated it to look like the last place I called home. A sixteenth century castle in Ireland. Of all the places I’ve lived, that one was by far my favorite.” Aldric offering even the tiniest bit of his past was surprising to me. He didn’t strike me as the type who even thought about such things. “Can I get you something to drink?” His being nice was creeping me out.

“I just want to get started.” I hoped he would pick up on my urgency. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to leave his house. I wasn’t really in the mood to train, but if it would keep Chance from telling Aldric about the hunters, then I was willing to do it.

“Of course.” Aldric’s pleasantries dissipated, and he was once again his usual cold, brooding self. “Shall we?” He looked at me as he gestured to a velvet curtain hanging on the wall to his left. I glanced over at Chance before I moved. His face was practically screaming ‘what the hell,’ and I tried to reassure him that he would get his chance to tell Aldric what he wanted—which wasn’t an easy thing to do only using hand signals. He couldn’t even look me in the face, his head lowered and his eyes focused on his shifting feet below, and I felt a sudden surge of guilt course through me. I was mad at him for trying to protect me, and now I was looking to him when something didn’t feel right. The term ‘hypocrite’ came to mind as I reluctantly followed Aldric through the curtain, with Chance once again lagging behind.

The curtain hid a very dark, very creepy staircase leading down to what I imagined was a basement. The walls felt cold to the touch, made of rough stone and raw cement. Not what I imagined a typical New England basement to be, but I was becoming a pro at misjudging things lately. I watched as Aldric gracefully took each step, impressive due to the lack of lighting. Though my eyesight was markedly improved from before I became a vampire, his was obviously better. Had I tried to mimic him, I would have ended up tumbling the rest of the way down. Instead, I carefully planted both feet firmly on each step before moving to the next. I knew that being a vampire made me strong—and immortal—but I had no clue how well my new body could handle a bunch of broken bones. Aldric was waiting patiently once I finally reached the bottom landing.

“Let’s begin,” he said, walking further into the basement. The room itself was adorned with burning candles scattered haphazardly along the walls, which were made of the same rough stone as the one flanking the stairs. I could only imagine that the castle he had lived in looked exactly like this room. The flickering glow of candlelight made the walls appear as if they were moving, alive, almost breathing. The effect definitely upped the creepy factor.

I tried to force the uneasiness to the back of my mind and focus solely on learning what Aldric had to teach me. I felt good about my ability to sense when a vampire was close. It wasn’t perfect, but I could at least protect myself and the people around me. So I was more than ready to learn something new. I wasn’t ready, however, for Aldric’s roundhouse kick to my chest. His speed was so fast, catching me off guard.

My body went flying across the room, crashing hard into an antique piece of furniture shoved against the far wall. It splintered into a million pieces that flew around the room. I crumpled to the floor, intense pain filling my chest. I didn’t black out, but I couldn’t really see, either. Bolts of electricity were surging up my body into my head, making opening my eyes nearly impossible. I could hear shouting and scuffling around the room, mostly Chance telling Aldric he was going to kill him. I knew by the garbled sounds of scurrying footsteps that he was charging at Aldric, and I knew that it would end badly. I fought hard to open my eyes and get up, the pain excruciating. I felt I would pass out at any moment. I used my hands to push my body upright, leaning back against the wall. A sea of black dotted with bursts of color filled my vision, making me nauseous and lightheaded. I used all my strength to open my eyes, the swirling colors slowly fading, leaving me with a hazy view of the room before me.

I saw Chance standing inches from Aldric, the two of them looking more like warriors ready for battle than a vampire and his helper. Rage was clearly fueling Chance’s actions, squirming across his face like blood. And speaking of blood, the scent of his was massive. It instantly flooded my mind, pouring over my senses and clouding my thoughts. I fought harder than ever to ignore it, to push it away so I could focus on him. I could tell by the rapid rise and fall of his chest that he was mad, madder than I had ever seen him. I knew what he wanted to do, and I couldn’t let him try and tragically fail.

“Chance, no,” I coughed out, willing my legs to work and hold up my body. I was grateful for the rough stone behind me; I would’ve fallen without it to lean against. My vision was still blurry, but I could see that Chance was ignoring me. That, or he didn’t hear me at all.

“Chance!” I yelled, my voice coming out warbled. It was effective enough, though. He broke his gaze with Aldric and looked over at me. The rage and anger on his face was prominent, but I also saw immense concern. He sprinted over to me, his hands falling onto my shoulders awkwardly, his eyes intense.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a shaky voice. His hands began busily searching my body for cuts or broken bones. It hurt like hell when he began moving them across my neck and shoulders, but I was too out of it to complain.

“Fine,” I muttered, the nausea and dizziness subsiding a bit. Thankfully, Chance stopped patting me down. “Just got the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.” I wasn’t sure if it was a lie or the truth, but I knew I wasn’t in serious danger. I couldn’t be, I was a vampire. I didn’t yet know much about my new life, but I was pretty sure it would take more than a kick to the chest to kill me, even if that kick came from someone like Aldric.

“He’s a dead man,” Chance whispered, his breath hot on my face. “I promise.” And I knew he meant it. Maybe not soon, but one day he would die trying to end Aldric’s life.

“It had to be done,” Aldric chimed in, still standing firmly in place across the room. “Catching you off-guard is the first lesson in defense. Once you can anticipate your enemy’s move, you can counteract with one of your own.” I heard what he was saying, and it even made a little sense. But in my current state of pain and confusion, his reasons meant jack. I was pissed, and I wanted him to know it.

“Let me go,” I told Chance, pulling my body away from the wall. “He’s right. I have to do this.” I didn’t agree with Aldric’s method—and I fully intended to
show
him just how much I didn’t agree—but I had to move forward with my training, and apparently defense was going to come before offense, whether I wanted it to or not. Surprisingly, Chance backed away, confident that I wasn’t hurt. The daggers he was shooting at Aldric with his eyes showed he wasn’t happy about it. Once I didn’t have the stone wall behind me, I realized how hard standing actually was. My legs felt like jell-o, shaking uncontrollably. I had to actually lock my knees to keep from falling over. I took in a deep breath, my lungs expanding, pressing the muscles in my chest against my ribs. The pain was fierce, but I was determined to stay standing and not let it defeat me. I fought my way through it, wincing at the fire circling inside my body. I was a vampire now. I needed to learn to deal with something as simple as a kick to the chest. I half walked, half stumbled over to where Aldric was waiting, careful not to lose my footing on any of the broken pieces of wood scattered across the floor.

“Shall we continue?” Aldric asked once I came to a shaky stop in front of him. I could tell by his tone that he meant it as more of a statement than a question.

“Yes,” I said, standing tall and putting as much confidence into the tiny word as possible. A wicked smile crossed Aldric’s face, and I was sure that he enjoyed hurting me. I planned on enjoying hurting him, too.

The rest of my training session—over
four
hours—was spent dodging punches and kicks and super-fast charges from Aldric. I managed to get several good kicks and hits in myself, while simultaneously keeping an eye on Chance to make sure he didn’t step in with a wooden stake to drive into Aldric’s chest. After it was over, my body felt like it had been thrown in front of a train and dragged fifty miles. I was actually sweating, something I hardly ever did, and something I had hoped wouldn’t be possible seeing that I was a vampire. Aldric explained that since I’m half human, my body would still experience things the way a human would. I would still sweat and cry and
blush
…all the things he no longer had to deal with. Hearing that only made me want to fight him again, but I was so tired I could barely climb the basement stairs. I agreed to another round tomorrow—more lessons on defending myself—and Chance and I left. It was only when we were a few miles from Aldric’s house that Chance finally spoke.

“I hated watching that,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I hated doing it,” I answered back, surprised at my quick wit given my current state. My body felt every bump in the road as we headed back into town. “But I know what you mean.” And I did. I knew that it must have taken a great deal of control for Chance to stand by and watch me get attacked by a vampire. After all, he was there to protect me, as he kept repeating. Even though I would be fine, I definitely didn’t look it. Aldric managed to avoid leaving any lasting marks on my face, for which I was grateful. My body healed much faster than a full-fledged human’s, but still not as fast as it would were I not a hybrid. So I was glad I wasn’t going to have to worry about explaining bruises to anyone.

“And thanks for not telling him about Erik or Lila,” I added, realizing that Chance had kept their identities to himself. “And Kayla, too.” She was the one I was most concerned with, so I was glad she was safe, at least for now.

“Only reason I didn’t is because I was too busy watching out for you. But I plan on telling him, Ava. I have to.”

“I know,” I said while exhaling. Even something as simple as breathing took a bit of extra effort, the muscles pushing against my lungs aching in response. “I’m just glad it wasn’t today. I need a little time to feel them out, see if they’re a danger to me. Can you give me that, at least?” I was looking across the cab at him, praying he would understand what I was asking. I didn’t like the idea of simply turning them over to Aldric without first finding out if they were okay. It was unfair.

“I can’t do that. I’m sorry.” Chance’s response surprised me. Up until now, he had always been concerned with what I wanted, so for him to say no was kind of a shock.

“Why not?” I asked, anger lacing my words.

“Because those two have one thing on their minds, and that’s killing vampires. Regardless of how nice you think they are, or how comfortable they seem
to be when you’re around, you need to remember that. They’re killers, Ava, no matter what.”