Breathless (22 page)

“
Chaseyn? Did you rebuild this car yourself.”

“
Something like that,” he said, looking up from under his heavy brow. A wicked grin crossed his face, and for the first time, I noticed his pronounced eyeteeth.

“
Like what,” I asked, already certain of the answer.

“
I sort of bought it new,” he said, looking away to hide his smile.

I did the math quickly in my head, knowing I wouldn’t be able to make sense of it all. I let out a loud gasp, and spun around swiftly to reach for the door handle. Chaseyn grabbed my hands in his own. His grip was firm but gentle, but the smile that was gracing his face only a few seconds earlier had transformed into a thin line along his lips.

“
Don’t,” he said, pleading. “Don’t be afraid. It’s not
quite
what you think.”

How could he possibly know what I was thinking when I hadn’t even sorted through the details yet. The rain poured down harder, and a loud thunder clap roared through the town. Seconds later, a sharp light seared the sky. It was as if the gods were interpreting my thoughts, using inclement weather to express my inner turmoil. The last thing I wanted was to run halfway across town in a torrential downpour, so I sat still, waiting for Chaseyn to speak.

He didn’t. Not for a long time. When he did, his words cut through me like a warm knife through butter.

“
I don’t know what I would do without you,” he said, choosing every word with extreme care. “My kind, we are destined to spend our lives searching for our one perfect match. Most never find that person. But, without even trying, I found you.”

Tears spilled from my eyes. My heart was throbbing inside my chest, and I could barely breathe. Without any thought, I tore my hands free and sprang to my feet. Stumbling out of the car, I left the door wide open and started to run. The water weighed down my clothes, slowing my pace, but I kept moving, salt water flowing from my eyes. Chaseyn scrambled over the gearshift and out the passenger door after me. He was calling after me, desperately pleading.

“
Please, Cordelia. Don’t do this,” he shouted. Though his voice cracked and a sob escaped his lips, not a single tear ran down his cheek, and I knew then he was not of my species.

I felt like I was running full throttle, but I was barely making any headway. In a flash, he was there, and I was huddled in his arms, half holding him, half punching. After a few rounds, I tucked my head into the crook of his arm, and gave myself over to his embrace. As much as I wanted to run, I knew I never could.

“
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t leave,” he said. “Even if
you
wanted me to.”

Never looking up, still cradled in his arm, I nodded. The rain fell down around us in sheets, and we stood there statue still. His arms wrapped tight around me, head dipped protectively over my own.

“
I swear to you,” he said, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. “I’m not
him
.”

I nodded once. Our eyes locked, lips brushed gently. He kissed me then, deeply, passionately.

Chapter 22 - Destiny

“
You’re going to catch a cold,” Chaseyn said, grave concern on his face. “Let’s get you into something warm and dry.”

Instead of returning to the car, Chaseyn bent slightly to cradle my body in his arms. His smooth lips caressed my own, and he started walking slowly across the park, never lifting his gaze from mine. I rested my head against his broad shoulder. Any fear I was feeling washed away with the rain. A wave of exhaustion swept over me, and I fell asleep in his arms. A few minutes later, I heard my mom’s worried voice, but I could barely lift my head.

“
Chaseyn. Lia. Is everything okay? You’re soaked” she asked anxiously.

“
We’re fine, Mrs. Jameson,” he said smoothly. “We had some car trouble and had to walk in the rain. She’s pretty worn out. Is it okay if I carry her up to her room?”

Such a gentleman. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been a part of our lives for nearly two months, Chaseyn knew my mother would never mind if he was involved. She was totally entranced by him. Much like I was. He crept carefully up the stairs, trying hard not to wake me. My mother walked slowly behind, eager to help me dress in dry clothes.

“
Chaseyn,” I whispered. “‘Don’t leave.”

He nodded, and then looked to my mom for approval. She motioned for him to wait downstairs. I was so tired, I could barely stand. All of the emotion and running had sapped my energy. My mom grabbed some clean flannel pajama bottoms and a fleece sweater from my dresser drawer and helped me peel off my wet clothes. I was soaked to the core, making it hard to strip the fabric that was plastered to my body away from my skin. We chuckled as I tried to wriggle free. It had been weeks since my mom and I had been this close. After all that had happened with Chaseyn, I had shut her out again emotionally. I had shut everyone out, even Addie. The truth was that I didn’t want to get hurt again, so I buried myself in my schoolwork instead. I couldn’t help but think that maybe Chaseyn was the reason why—our common ground. When we were done, I crawled under my warm quilt. I could already feel the sick creeping over me.

“
Can Chaseyn stay a while,” I asked quietly, my eyes closed. My mom simply nodded and smiled.

Chaseyn appeared in the doorway, and I patted the fluffy down duvet flat beside me. He looked unscathed by the circumstances. My mother loaned him some baggy sweatpants and an extra large shirt she kept for bloated days. He was always so impeccable; it made me smile to see him dressed this way. He sat backward in the chair at my desk, facing me with his back to the window. He rested his chin on the top of the chair; he was pensive.

“
Tell me more,” I mumbled. “I want to know the rest. Are you some kind of hybrid freak?”

He laughed.

“
More like a super freak,” he said, winking.

“
I bet you can do some really neat stuff,” I said, knowing my choice of words sounded childish and silly.

“
I don’t want to disappoint you,” he started. “You seem to be expecting something extraordinary. I’m just your run-of-the-mill, semi-immortal being.”

I wasn’t sure how to react—it was possible that Chaseyn was a threat, but I had trouble believing that. Flight was my first thought, but running away
again
wasn’t going to solve anything. I decided to channel my response in another direction.

“
I’m not sure what that means. Can you be a bit more specific?”

“
Alexei is my father,” he said.

I gasped, terrified, now. He caught me completely off guard. Suddenly, our light-hearted fooling around went awry. Until he said Alexei’s name, I had convinced myself that it was still possible we were talking about two totally different things—that Chaseyn had inadvertently played into my worst fears without knowing it.

Clearly, I was the one being played. My grandma wasn’t entirely wrong. Alexei hadn’t come for me, but his offspring had. Beneath the blankets, I scrambled to pull my knees up tight to my chest in a defensive pose. If Alexei was Chaseyn’s father, it could only mean one thing. A part of him, if not all of him, was vampire. Chaseyn noticed the realization in my expression, and he immediately began to reason with me.

“
Don’t,” Chaseyn urged. “Don’t be afraid.”

It was easy for him to say. He wasn’t staring his destiny in the face.

“
Are you kidding me? He sent you to do his dirty work—reel me in—and then, what? You’ll turn me over to him to be his immortal bride for all eternity. Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“
No, Cordelia. It’s not like that, I swear. Calm down,” he said, his hands out in front of his chest to brace against a potential attack from me.

“
Then, what is it, Chaseyn,” I was trying to be abrupt but calm so as not to raise my mom’s suspicion. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods if you’re not doing his bidding?”

It all seemed so incredulous. The fact that there had been some truth to my grandma’s story seemed to be the least of my problems. Chaseyn’s ominous confession was a bigger concern to me now. He had all but confirmed that the finer details of her tale were true. I had no idea what to do next. It seemed futile to flee, so I waited impatiently for Chaseyn to speak.

“
I’m not here to hurt you, Cordelia. It’s quite the opposite, in fact,” he said trying to calm me, but it was no use. I trembled uncontrollably. “Please, let me explain.”

Realizing my options were limited, I decided to remain perfectly still. This same person who had once made me feel more safe than ever before was now the thing I feared most on the planet. Perhaps, if I avoided sudden movements, he would let me live.

Chaseyn stood calmly, avoiding quick movements so as not to frighten me further. He crept slowly up the side of the bed, and I pressed harder against the headboard, my legs pushing me back farther and farther away from him, until there was no place left for me to go. He sat on the edge of the bed at my side and stroked my hair back from my forehead. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. Choking back the sobs, I managed to shake my head quickly from side to side, indicating I didn’t appreciate his caress.

“
Shhh,” he whispered, bringing his face closer to mine. I imagined his teeth sinking into my neck, and a chill ran through my spine. “I’m not going to hurt you. I can’t do what you think I can.”

Swiping with the back of my hand at my tear-stained cheeks, I lifted my head to look into his eyes. He was intense, and perhaps, a bit saddened at the thought that I was so frightened by him. He took my chin in his hands and forced me to look at him while he spoke. His grasp was firm, unrelenting.

“
I’m not a vampire, if that’s what you’re thinking.” he said, staring me straight in the eyes, unblinking.

“
But—” I started to talk, but he cut me off abruptly.

“
Let me finish first,” he implored.

I nodded.

“
But, I can turn you,” he finished, bracing for my reaction. I pulled away from him, standing quickly and walking to the other side of the room. “I wouldn’t, Cordelia. Not without your permission.”

A million thoughts raced through my mind, drowning out the words he spoke next. He muttered something about protecting me, immortality, and never hurting me intentionally. That was the problem—he could hurt me unintentionally.

“
Permission? To make me a vampire? This is ridiculous, Chaseyn. Did my grandma put you up to this?”

He shook his head, but it was starting to make sense to me now. She had found a comrade in Chaseyn, and the two of them had set up this crazy plan just to get a rise out of me.

“
Cordelia, if I were to bite you in the jugular now, it would start the transformation process,” he explained, his face stone-cold serious. It was suddenly clear that this was no joke. “It wouldn’t take immediately. I would have to do it several times, and then, you would need to drink some of my blood to complete the process.”

I was pacing the room now, rubbing my temples frantically as I let the words soak in. I didn’t dare look at him. I didn’t want to witness the sincerity on his face as he explained vampire philosophy. The fact that I was even playing along with this ridiculous ruse was unthinkable.

“
And, then I would be a vampire?”

“
Well, something like that, anyway. It’s not quite that simple. Your human body has to die first,” he said lackadaisical. Ignoring my look of disbelief, he continued with his reasoning. “My mom and I began looking for you as soon as we heard about the curse of Lorelei Dryden. We thought it would be difficult because we weren’t actually sure you existed, but it was surprisingly simple. Your family is easy to trace. Your great grandmother came to the United States as a war bride in 1945. She lived with her husband’s family in Amarillo, Texas, and they had three children—your grandma and her two sisters. As you know, two were brunette and one was blond. None fit the description to fulfill Alexei’s curse. Your grandmother was the only one to bear a daughter, your mother, but she, too, did not meet Alexei’s standards.”

“
How do you know so much about my family,” I asked awestruck by his knowledge of my entire family tree.

“
Public records. They’re surprisingly easy to trace,” he explained matter of fact. “Anyway, your mom went off to college and met your dad. You were born soon after, and they moved here for your dad‘s work. We didn’t know when we came here if you would fit the description, but it didn’t take me long to find out. I knew the minute I laid eyes on you at school that day that you were Lorelei Dryden’s kin. Have you ever seen her picture?”

I shook my head, and he pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket. He unfolded the relic carefully and reached across the room to hand it to me. I didn’t want to come too near to him, so I gripped the corner from the farthest distance I could manage. I was taken aback by the face staring back at me from the tattered image. I gasped loudly. It was as if I as looking into a mirror.