Craved (Book #2 of the Vampire Legacy) (12 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Scarlet raced in the Lamborghini, speeding down the twisting and turning side streets, still trembling from her encounter with her dad. She had been shocked by his anger, and even more shocked at her own reaction. She hadn’t meant to hurt him like that; she’d only wanted to throw his arm off, to shove him away. She had barely touched him, and he’d gone flying across the room, like a cannonball. She had never seen anything like it, and her own strength terrified her.

Was it true? Was everything in her mom’s journal real?

Was she becoming a vampire?

Scarlet was finding it harder and harder to discount all of the strange things happening to her. Her super strength. The light sensitivity. Her speed. And most of all, her desire to feed. Too many things were adding up.

As she drove in the darkness, she felt there was only one place she could go, only one person she could turn to who might understand.

Sage.

She didn’t know why, especially after his having asked her to leave, but for some reason she felt he’d understand. She followed the streets back to River Road, past mansion after mansion, until she came to his.

Her heart was pounding as she pulled through the open gates, onto his driveway. Was coming here a mistake?

She didn’t know where else to go, and felt as if she had no one else left in the world. If all that drama hadn’t happened tonight, maybe she could crash with Maria. But after tonight, that wasn’t an option.

She sped down his driveway, pulled up before the door and killed the ignition, amazed she made it in his car in one piece.

She jumped out and marched to front door, her footsteps crunching on the gravel, and as she did, she was struck with a terrible thought: what if Sage didn’t want her here after all? What if he sent her away? She would be crushed. And then, where would she go? After all, just hours ago, he had told her to leave. Might her showing up here like this turn him off?

She just needed a place to stay. Even if he didn’t want to see her anymore, maybe he could just let her crash on a couch somewhere, just give her until the morning to figure things out. After all, his house was big enough.

She took a deep breath as she reached for the knocker.

But as she did, the door suddenly opened.

Standing there, facing her, was a boy she’d never met. He looked to be about Sage’s build, except he was taller, with sandy, long-ish hair, and blue eyes. He was very attractive, but there was something about him—something almost sinister—that Scarlet sensed right away. Her skin went cold in his presence.

“Well, you must be Scarlet,” he said, a smile on his face, as he extended his hand.

She shook it warily, and felt a dark energy emanating off of it as she did. Her hand had never felt so cold. His eyes seemed to gleam, to light up as he touched her. She didn’t understand how he knew her name—had Sage been talking about her?

“I’m Lore,” he said. “Sage’s cousin.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said.

He held onto her hand too long, and as he stared down at her, his eyes locking on hers, she began to feel a little creeped out.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” he added.

“You have?” she asked, hearing the surprise in her own voice. Had Sage really been talking about her? She hoped that he had.

“All the time,” he said. “Seems our boy is smitten. Though he’d never admit it. But don’t flatter yourself just yet—he’s that way with every girl that comes around.”

Scarlet’s heart sank. Was he telling the truth? Somehow she doubted he was.

“Um…is Sage here?” she asked.

Suddenly Sage appeared in the door, reaching out with one arm and pushing Lore side. She sensed the tension between them.

“Well then,” Lore said with a smile, and disappeared into the house.

“Sorry about him,” Sage said.

“Who is he?” she asked. “Is that really your cousin?” She suddenly started to worry if his family was really creeped out.

“He is. It’s a long story,” Sage said.

He looked down at the car keys in her hand, and she realized, and reached out and handed them to him.

“I’m sorry to come back,” she said.

“I’m glad you did,” he said with a smile. His words warmed her heart. She knew it. She knew he’d understand. Finally, a place in the world where she was welcome.

“Sorry about before,” he added. “It wasn’t me. It was just…” He looked away. “I can’t really explain it.”

She could feel he was genuine, and didn’t want to bring it up again.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I understand. Maybe it was all just a bit much at once.”

She sensed movement inside the house. Sage must’ve sensed it, too, because he stepped outside and closed the door behind them.

“It’s a nice night,” he said. “Let’s take a walk.”

She was happy as she reached out and placed her hand in his. It felt good to hold his hand again, and he led her for a walk on the grounds, around the side of the house.

They followed a winding trail that led them around the backyard, then twisted and turned off to the side of the house, underneath huge trees. It led them across the rolling grounds, up and down hills beneath the huge full moon.

“There’s so much about me that I want to tell you,” he said, after they’d walked for a while in silence. “But I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?” she asked.

He looked away, sighing.

“It’s a family thing,” he said. “I’m sworn to secrecy. It’s hard to explain.”

She wanted to know more, of course, but she didn’t want to pry. She was just happy to be here with him.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m just happy to be with you.”

“I’m so happy you came back,” he said with a smile.

She turned and smiled at him as they walked. She had never been happier. She wanted him to know everything about her.

“I had some drama with my parents,” she said. “It’s…well, um, I guess it’s kind of hard for me to explain, too,” she said, trying to think of how much to tell him. She didn’t want to sound crazy. “Sometimes I feel like no one understands me,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t even understand myself. The last few days…they’ve been so crazy. I don’t know how to explain it. But I…I feel like I’m changing…”

He turned and looked at her.

“What do you mean, changing?”

She struggled in her mind over how much to tell him. She didn’t want to scare him away; but at the same time, she was beginning to feel really close to him, and a part of her felt that she had to lay it all out on the line now, upfront, before their relationship could get any deeper. She wanted him to know, wanted him to either reject or accept her for what she was. If her heart was going to get broken, she’d rather it get broken now.

The trail rounded a bend and finally sloped down, right to the bank of the Hudson. They reached the shore, and stood on the sand, looking out at the water, which was aglow in the moonlight.

“I know this sounds crazy,” she said. “And if you think I’m crazy, just tell me. But these last few days…my body…well…I can’t deny it anymore. I’m different. I’m not the person I was. I can’t explain it, I know this sounds insane but…I think I’m becoming a vampire.”

Scarlet turned and looked into his eyes, searching for his response, expecting him to send her away. Her heart was pounding as she hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t.

But to her surprise, his expression hardly changed. Almost as if he’d expected this.

“I don’t think that’s crazy at all,” he said.

She stared back at him.

“You
don’t
?” she asked, shocked.

He shook his head.

“The other day,” she continued, excited to be able to tell someone, “I had this urge, it was so strong. I haven’t told anyone. But like, when I was with Blake, I felt this need to, like, feed on him. Like, drink his blood. I’m sorry, I know that sounds gross. But I can’t deny it. I really did. Not that I understand it. I was afraid it might happen with you. But the weird thing is, when I’m around you, I don’t get that urge. I don’t understand that, either. Am I losing my mind?”

He turned and stared at her.

“It makes sense to me. All of it. And if you knew more about me, you’d understand why.”

Now Scarlet was intrigued; she felt a sudden to urge know everything about him.

“Please tell me,” she asked. “Please. I need to know.”

Sage turned and looked up at his house; he looked as if he were in fear of something. He turned and searched the shore, and his eyes locked on a small canoe, nestled against the water.

“I will,” he said. “But not here. Do you like boats?”

Boats?
she wondered.

“See that small island out there?” he asked, pointing.

She looked out and saw a small, uninhabited island in the middle of the river, covered in trees.

“I visit it sometimes. What do you say? It’s a beautiful night. When we get there, when it’s just the two of us, surrounded by water, I’ll tell you everything.”

He held out a hand.

Scarlet smiled as she placed her hand in his. There was nothing she wanted more in the world.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Scarlet stepped into the narrow, rocking kayak as Sage held it steady for her. He followed her in, then shoved off from shore.

They went gliding, weightless, into the strong tides of the Hudson River.

The huge moon sat on the horizon, lighting up the water, and the night was incredibly still. The only sound Scarlet could hear was the lapping of the waves against the boat.

She leaned back in the boat and closed her eyes, feeling the water gently rock her, as Sage paddled the kayak, alternating hands. She breathed in the cool, moist October air coming off the river, and for the first time in a while, felt completely at ease in the world.

She opened her eyes and looked up, and saw a galaxy filled with stars. It was the most magical night she’d ever seen.

They soon approached a small island, sitting in the middle of the Hudson. Uninhabited, covered in trees, it stretched hardly a hundred feet in each direction and was ringed by a small, sandy shore.

“I come out here sometimes,” Sage said softly in the night. “It’s a place I can go to be alone. I’ve never shared it with anyone.”

She was touched.

“Thanks for bringing me.”

They lodged on its narrow shore, and Sage jumped out and pulled the boat up onto the sand. He then reached out and gave Scarlet a hand up.

Sage yanked the boat further onto the sand, making sure it was secure, then reached down and took off his shoes. Scarlet did the same, and the sand felt so nice and cool on her bare feet.

He took her hand and led her across the small beach, bringing her to a spot halfway around the island, marked by a sand dune. They sat side by side. She leaned back against the sandy dune, and had never been so comfortable. It was like reclining back into a chair.

Above their heads were the branches of a tree, leaning out over the river. Before her, the entire Hudson was spread out.

He reached over and took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers. Their hands felt as if they were meant for each other.

They sat in silence for a long time, and Scarlet began to wonder if he was ever going to speak. She hoped that he would. She loved just sitting there like this, but she was dying to know everything him. Her mind raced with questions. But she thought it best to wait until he was ready to tell her whatever it was he wanted to.

She didn’t know how much more time had passed, when finally, he cleared his throat.

“I’m going to tell you everything,” he began. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret.”

She looked over and saw how serious he was.

“I promise,” she said earnestly. “You can trust me. After all, I trusted you: I just told you I thought I was a vampire.”

“But what I might tell you, it might turn you away,” he said. “If that’s what you decide, then I understand.” He looked down. “You probably won’t believe me when I tell you.”

“Sage, I promise,” she said. “I’ll believe you. Whatever it is, I’ll believe you.”

He looked up into her eyes, and he finally seemed to believe her. He looked back down at the water for a very long time, until once again, he was ready to talk.

“I am an Immortalist. I come from a family of Immortalists. We have been alive for nearly two thousand years. Our name, though, is deceptive: we are not immortal. None of us. Our life span is finite. Two thousand years, exactly. In fact, as fate would have it, we have only weeks left to live.”

Scarlet felt a knife go through her heart. He would die in a few weeks?

She stared back at him, her heart pounding with the ramifications. She wanted desperately to believe him. And a part of her did. It would explain everything—how different he was, how different his family was. Why she felt so strongly about him.

“You’re going to die?” she asked, barely able to say the words.

He nodded.

“That’s why I had to send you away earlier,” he explained. “I got struck by the pains. In our final months, the pains get worse. I didn’t want you to see me like that. And I didn’t know how to explain.”

“But you could have just told me,” she said, her heart lifting as she finally realized that he hadn’t been rejecting her after all. “I would have understood.”

“Would you have?” he asked, staring at her.

Scarlet thought about it, and realized that maybe he was right, maybe she wouldn’t have understood. Maybe at the time it would have all seemed too far-fetched, too fantastical. She wasn’t even entirely sure if she believed all of it now. A part of her still wondered if this was all just Sage’s strange fantasy.

“You are wondering,” he said, looking at her. “I can sense it. You don’t believe me.”

“Well, I, um…well, it’s not that I don’t believe you…it’s just that…”

“I’ll show you,” he said, suddenly sitting up. “I’ll prove it to you. Give me your hand.”

She looked at him skeptically.

“You don’t have to prove anything,” she said.

“I want to,” he said. “I want you to believe me. To truly believe me. It’s important to me.”

He held out his hand, palm down, and she slowly placed hers under his, palm up, wondering.

He closed his eyes, and as he did, she felt a tremendous heat emanating from his palm. The heat grew more and more intense, until he opened his eyes and slowly removed his hand.

As he did, she was shocked at what she saw: sitting there, in her palm, was a small, translucent orb, a circular white light about the size of a baseball. It was warm and fuzzy to the touch. She was amazed to see it rise up and hover just over her palm.

“What is it?” she asked, breathless.

“A light orb,” he explained.

“What does it do?” she asked in wonder.

“We use them to light up the night, or sometimes for heat, or for healing. Sometimes, we use them just for fun, the same way your kind blow bubbles. We send them off into the night, like balloons. Eventually, they dissipate. Watch.”

He bent over and blew on her hand, and as he did, she was amazed to watch the orb drift off into the air. It flew in the air, carried by the wind, like a balloon. She watched as it floated over the Hudson, slowly getting farther and farther away, like a firefly disappearing into the night.

She hardly knew what to say. She couldn’t believe it: it was real. All of this was real. Every word Sage was saying was true. The supernatural really did exist. Which meant, maybe, she was a vampire. And which meant Sage really was going to die soon. These thoughts overwhelmed her.

“We have our own strengths and vulnerabilities,” he continued. “For example, we have super-sonic hearing, yet we cannot hear over bodies of water. We cannot tolerate high-pitched sounds, which can incapacitate us. We don’t need to feed—ever. Our own life force is self-sustaining. That is why we’ve been able to live in harmony with humans all this time. Yet, despite this, some of our kind do feed anyway. Not because they have to, but because they get a high from it. Feeding on a human gives a rush, like a drug high. It has been outlawed by our Grand Council and is strictly forbidden. Lack of harmony with humans is bad for us all, and can draw unwanted attention. But now, with the end of days coming, everything is changing. The rules are being disregarded.”

He took a deep breath.

“We don’t have blood. And that is why you felt no urge to feed on me, as you had with Blake. Vampires are more powerful than humans, but we are more powerful than vampires.”

Scarlet’s heart was pounding, as she was starting to believe it all. He was so convincing.

“We have the ability to transform into a raven-like creature,” he added. “When we choose to, we can fly. When our kind feeds on humans, they swoop down and wrap their wings around a human tightly. It doesn’t kill them. But it does drain their energy and can lead to a psychotic break.”

Scarlet suddenly realized.

“Tina. That girl in my class. The one who was attacked by an animal the other night and went crazy. One of yours did that?”

Sage nodded back gravely.

“Lore. I am ashamed to say. He’s out of control.”

Scarlet’s mind spun as she tried to process it all. She didn’t feel afraid of Sage, but she sensed danger, and was growing increasingly afraid.

“Is that why your family came here? To this town? To feed?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” he said. “They didn’t come to feed. Not most of them, anyway. They came for the cure.”

“The cure?” she asked, perplexed.

“Our legend tells us there is a cure for our condition, an elixir that will enable us to live past our two thousand year limit. One that will enable us to be truly immortal.”

“And you think the cure is here?” she asked.

“My family does. Legend tells us there will come a day when there appears one other immortal being on our planet. A teenage girl. A vampire. And that she will hold the key. She must give us this key freely in order for it to work. Once we have it, it will lead us to the elixir. And then, we will be cured. And truly immortal.”

Scarlet’s eyes lit up in recognition. She was almost afraid to ask.

“The teenage girl. The vampire. Is that…me?”

“Yes,” he said, gravely. “It is.”

Scarlet started shaking inside. She felt her whole world crumbling around her. So that was why Sage was interested in her. Not because he liked her. But only because he thought she held the key to his immortality. She felt hurt. Used.

“So,” she said, devastated, “then that’s it? The reason you’re with me?
 
Just so you can get the key and live forever?”

She felt like crying, and began to get up to leave.

Sage sat up and grabbed hold of her wrist.

“Scarlet, it’s not like that. You have to understand. Please, give me a chance.”

She saw the earnestness in his eyes, and willed herself to listen. To give him one chance.

“It’s true, my parents sent me on this mission, to come to the school, to meet you. They were hoping I would convince you to give us the key. Yes, it’s true, they hoped I would gain your trust. At first, I went along with the mission.”

He leaned in and looked at her meaningfully.

“But from the moment I met you, I knew I could never go through with it. I knew from the second I saw you that I loved you too much. This, now, our being together—it has nothing to do with their mission. It has everything to do with us. That is
their
mission, not mine. I’m here with you now because I love you.”

Scarlet examined his face, searching it to see if he was being honest. She sensed that he was.

He
loved
her. She could hardly believe it. Especially because she felt that she loved him, too.

“I know it’s too soon to use such strong words. But I say what I feel. I always have. And I have only weeks left to live. I am have no time to waste. I want you to know how I feel. I
need
for you to know how I feel.”

Scarlet saw the sincerity in his eyes, and she believed him. And she loved him back, more than ever. But at the same time, her heart was breaking.

“I mean, why fall in love with me? Why now?” she asked, on the verge of tears. “When you only have weeks left to live? Why torture yourself? Why torture me?”