Breathless (32 page)

As she said the words, she clasped a hand over her mouth, realizing her faux pas. We broke into hysterics.

“
I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, face flushing a scarlet red. “Mina, Chaseyn, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

By day three, we were all getting on each other’s last nerve. We had been cooped up inside the small house, tripping over one another. Using all of my powers of persuasion, I managed to convince the others that it would be a good idea to get some fresh air for a while.

“
What harm can come to me in a mall,” I asked the group. They were arranged like a jury in a row on the couch, and I stood before them pleading my case. “We have to do something. Sitting around here is driving us all mad.”

After about an hour of deliberation, weighing and balancing the positive and negative possibilities, everyone agreed that the mall seemed a relatively safe haven. Everyone, except Chaseyn. He tried to insist that I remain in the confines of the house.

“
Over my dead body,” he said, knowing the argument was futile. Eli stood to take him up on the offer, not realizing the irony of Chaseyn’s remark.

“
You’re being ridiculous, Chaseyn,” Mina said methodically. “You know that would require way too much effort, not to mention flights around the world to bury your dismembered parts on consecrated soil in various countries. Eli, honey, take a seat. You simply don’t have what it takes to challenge my son.”

Everyone looked at each other quizzically before looking to the two of them for an explanation.

“
Never mind,” Mina urged. “That’s a tale for another day. Eli, Chaseyn, you take Lia to the mall and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. I’m sure Hank and Etta have a million things they would like to do as well. I’m just going to run home to grab a few things.”

“
Home? That will take days,” my grandma said. Again, the group broke into laughter at her words. “What now?”

“
Come on, Etta. I’ll explain it all on the way to the market,” Hank suggested, taking her by the arm.

Chaseyn had driven his V-Rod, and Mina planned to drive her car at least partway home in an effort to avoid raising suspicion among the neighbors if she returned walking while carrying loads of heavy bags. Refusing to cram into the cab of Eli’s so-called truck, Chaseyn opted for taking my grandma’s old clunker. We piled in and began our long drive across town.

As we strolled through the corridors of the busiest mall in town—I knew this because Chaseyn insisted we research these statistics before selecting the most suitable destination—I made every effort to shake my escorts, but to no avail. Even when I wanted to try on a pair of jeans, they pushed into the fitting room ahead of me to inspect every angle. It was all I could do to convince them to wait outside the room—although, I was quite certain that had little to do with a potential vampire attack. Chaseyn, always the gentleman, was easier to persuade than Eli.

Now, a certain matter of nature was calling, and I knew that using a public washroom was entirely out of the question. I begged for lenience to no avail.

“
But I really have to go,” I begged. “I had that huge drink at lunch.”

“
Well, next time, you will know better,” Chaseyn replied. Eli laughed.

“
It’s not funny,” I pouted.

After about two hours of uneventful toiling around the mall, I could no longer ignore the pressure building against my bladder and demanded we return home.

“
Chaseyn, I know you can drive faster, and I am going to ask that, on this one occasion, you ignore the posted speed limit,” I said urgently.

When we left the house, it seemed no concern that the mall was on the other side of the city. Our priority was to find the location with the most people so that we could blend effortlessly into the crowd. Now, it seemed an unfortunate circumstance. I fidgeted uncomfortably in the passenger seat, while the boys made inappropriate comments about running water and swimming pools. Finally, the streets became familiar; it would be only a few more blocks until we reached home. Just one week ago, my arrival to this place had been plagued by negativity. Now, I felt joyous at its sight.

The house was empty. Presumably, Mina had gone home, and grandma was still out with Hank. Without thinking, I dashed upstairs to use the facilities.

“
Lia, no,” Mina called as she rushed through the front door and past the boys. She was panting hard.

As I pushed open the bathroom door, I heard her shout of protest from down the hall, but it was too late. There stood Frost. Like a statue come to life, she flung herself at me and bit down hard on the opposite side of my neck. Then, she turned quickly and jumped through the open window in the shower stall.

I lay on the floor, blood staining my shirt and spilling to the ground below, when Mina found me. She was three blocks away when she sensed both Chaseyn’s and Frost’s presence. She ditched her car and ran flat out, hoping to make it to the scene before any damage could be done, but she was too late.

By now, a fluffy white hand towel—one meant for display only, never to be used—was pressed tightly against the gaping wound in my neck. A feverish sweat poured over my body, and while I felt I should be writhing with the pain of the bite, my limbs lay perfectly still. Chaseyn was holding my hand, though I could not feel him. Paralysis had set in.

“
Help her,” Eli screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. Mina rose quickly and guided him out of the small room and down the hall. All the while, Chaseyn whispered soothing words in my ear.

“
It’s okay, Cordelia. I’ve got you,” he assured. “I won’t leave you again. Not for one moment.”

Mina returned with a bounty of fresh linen and antiseptic wipes. She began working away at the gash, cleaning and mending. I knew a visit to the hospital was out of the question, and she seemed perfectly capable of tending to my needs. Thankfully, I had lost all feeling and was starting to doze.

When I awoke, it was much the same scene as it had been in the hospital just a few days earlier. Again, my grandma rejoiced when I opened my eyes, and I could see the others lingering in the background.

“
I brought you a cookie,” she said smiling. “We have enough to feed an army.”

This time, I was on my feet within a few hours. Mina had managed to keep the blood loss to a minimum, which left me feeling lightheaded but capable of exerting a minimal amount of physical effort.

“
How will I ever explain these scars,” I joked. No one laughed.

Chapter 29 - Plan B

“
How could I let this happen to you—twice,” Chaseyn questioned dejectedly.

“
You could have stopped her,” Eli challenged.

“
No, Eli, this was beyond Chaseyn’s abilities,” Mina reminded. “He feels badly enough.”

She was right. Chaseyn had tried to blame himself for everything that had happened, but we all knew he was not at fault. Eli took advantage of Chaseyn’s guilty feelings, until I made it known that I found his behavior reproachful and that he should be ashamed. Eli was agreeable ever after.

Chaseyn had kept his promise to remain with me at all times. If I stood—even just to stretch—Chaseyn stood beside me. When I slept, he watched. It was both suffocating and endearing.

“
Twice,” he muttered. “How could I let it get this far?”

“
We all played a part in this, Chaseyn,” Hank, who had been unusually quiet the past few days, said loudly. “One of us should have stayed behind to keep watch over the house. It was a novice error, but now, we know better.”

Chaseyn nodded, and Eli gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. Only I could see him grimace when he turned away. Chaseyn may be part human, but his body was rigid. While Eli was used to being tackled by enormous linebackers, they seemed like kittens compared to Chaseyn’s perfectly sculpted physique.

No one spoke of it, but it was on all of our minds. Frost still had more than a day to make one last attempt at accomplishing her goal. There was nothing we could do other than be on guard, so there was no point harping on the subject. Instead, we decided to watch a movie.

“
We should watch
The Longest Yard
,
” offered Eli. “Adam Sandler is so funny.”

“
Adam who,” asked Hank. “Burt Reynolds stars in that one.”

“
No, grandpa. Burt Reynolds has just a small role,” Eli corrected.

“
Have you lost your mind, Eli? He’s the main character.”

“
Grandpa, what do you know about this movie, anyway? You haven’t been to see anything other than fairytales and love stories in more than a decade,” Eli teased.

“
I won’t argue with that,” Hank said, sending a loving look at my grandma who adored those film genres. “But that film is from the seventies. I doubt this Adam kid was even walking back then.”

They argued a little while longer before deciding the only way to settle the score was to watch the movie. I took this as the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep, and curled up in a ball beside Chaseyn, who had seen both versions of the movie but had thought it more fun to watch Hank and Eli banter. It was late when I finally woke again, and everyone had decided to call it a night. Chaseyn had remained completely still at my side while I slept.

“
What time is it,” I asked in a raspy voice.

“
Late. I should take you to bed,” he said quietly. I smiled menacingly. “You know what I mean.”

“
I know, but the thought of something more was nice, wasn’t it?”

“
One day, Cordelia. It will be very nice.”

He carried me to my room and tucked in the sides of the blankets around me. I could barely move I was folded in so snug. He sat on the chair across from the bed where he could keep a constant vigil. Sunday night was restless. With less than twenty-four hours to the next full moon, I was anxious to be rid of this ordeal. In the wee hours, I stirred again, and Chaseyn was at my side in an instant.

“
I need air,” I whispered, a sudden feeling of claustrophobia had come over me. “I can’t breathe in here.”

He nodded in quiet agreement and scooped me into his arms. Craddled like a baby, he carried me out into the quiet moonlight, resting me gently on a tire swing that my grandpa had hung in a large oak tree when I was a toddler. Chaseyn placed his hands gently on my back and began to push. For the first time in days, I felt carefree and liberated. I leaned back on the swing so my head dangled upside-down. My hair nearly reached the ground below as it swept back and forth in the wind. Touching my feet to the earth, I came to a slow halt, and Chaseyn moved in close, wrapping his strong arms around me. As we stood there staring deep into each other’s eyes, it was as if all of the world had melted away. It was just us. The two of us. And, we kissed, our lips barely grazing. His hands pressed firmly at the small of my back, and I tangled my fingers through his dark curls. I wanted to press pause—to keep us frozen here forever.

“
Chaseyn,” whispered an unfamiliar male voice from the shadows, making me jump and Chaseyn tremble. The deep baritone came like a melody on the wind, but I sensed its sweet sound was deceptive.

“
Mina,” Chaseyn called out in fear, wanting to alert his mother to the danger I knew we now faced.

“
She’s on her way, son,” the man offered, and my heart stopped.

“
Alexei,” I said quietly, inquisitively, my voice shaking ever so slightly. Another figure stood silently behind him. Frost.

Mina appeared in the doorway. There was no time for her to express her displeasure at Chaseyn and I for taking such a risk. Instead, she made her approach.

“
It’s time,” Alexei said to Frost.

Though there were more of us in number, we lacked the strength to fend off this powerful duo. Even if Eli joined the fight, we would be no match for Alexei’s brute strength. Chaseyn and Mina joined forces against Alexei in an effort to keep him safely away, but Frost was free to attack—her third, and final, bite was imminent.

For a while, she danced tauntingly around the yard, circling near me and then farther away. Tauntingly, she twirled and flitted about, occasionally leaping onto rooftops or perching on the branches of tall trees. I was thankful for the cover of night shrouding us from view of the neighbors. However, I knew Alexei would never let Frost jeopardize their lifestyle by so wistfully flaunting it in the open if he had thought anyone was awake to see.

“
Now, Frost. Stop wasting time,” he shouted in anger at his youngest child.

In the penultimate moment, Frost jumped down from where she had been balancing on a fence post, exposing her fangs with a hissing sound. The beauty of her face contorted into a wretched shape, and she sank her sharp teeth deep into my jugular. I let out a loud shriek—the pain was unbearable, and I knew this bite had triggered my transformation. Instantly, I felt a new reaction to her attack. Previously, I had felt nothing. There was no pain, only fever and paralysis. This time was different; I could feel my body dying.