Finding Faerie (7 page)

E
rica never called, so I dialed her number as soon as I woke up. It went straight to voicemail, so I assumed she’d turned her phone off. I decided to try Vance, knowing he always kept his close by.

“Hey,” he answered.

“Hey,” I repeated. “I tried calling Eri, but it went straight to her voicemail. Is she up?”

“Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on a sec.”

I heard their muffled voices as he handed the phone over. “Hi, K.”

“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?”

“Hold on, let me go to my room.” I could hear her moving across the house. “Okay, I’m back. I’m guessing Vance told you what happened?”

“Yeah, he did. I’m so sorry, honey.”

“It sucks so badly, ya know?” she sobbed. “One minute you’re making all these plans, and the next…you’re not. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that could’ve been. Her first words, her first steps, her first date. She never even had a chance.”

“
She?
Did the doctors say it was a girl?”

“No,” she sniffed. “It was too early for that. But I felt it. I know that sounds crazy, but I
felt it
. I know I had a daughter, Karli. And now…now, I don’t.”

“Honey, I’m so, so sorry. I wish I were there.” I tried keeping my tears at bay but wasn’t succeeding very well. “What happened? How did you know that she was gone?”

She took a moment to compose herself. “That’s the really fucked up part. I sensed it right before it happened. I was fast asleep, and all of a sudden, I woke up. I was instantly wide awake just lying there in bed. No more than a few seconds had passed when I felt a bunch of blood gush out. I ran to the bathroom and I...just knew. There was no mistaking it, Kar. I fell to the floor and started bawling. Vance was already at work, so I just sat there with blood soaking through my clothes, crying for hours. He found me like that when he came home for lunch and rushed me to the hospital.”

“Oh, God,” I breathed.

“I’ve known several women over the years who have miscarried. I always thought it was sad, but I never really understood how heartbreaking it was until now. You’re not just losing a baby; you’re losing an entire lifetime of possibilities.” She took a deep breath. “I just feel so broken, Kar. First Jake, then this happens. I feel like there are so many missing pieces of me that I wonder if I’ll ever be able to find them again.”

Okay, my decision was made. “Eri, I’m coming home. I’ll be there as soon as Leo can get a flight for me.”

“What? No, you can’t. You need to find that portal.”

“Honey, the portal can wait. You’re way more important.”

She blew her nose. “No, K, it can’t. You need to figure out how to control your powers. Besides, I think I’m going to stay with my sister, Shanna, for a while.”

“The one in La Jolla?”

“No, that’s Amy,” she corrected. “Shanna’s in San Clemente, right outside the base. She’s the one who married the Marine.”

“Ah, now I remember.” Erica had twelve sisters, so it was a little hard to keep track of them sometimes. “How long will you be staying with her?”

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure things out at work; I don’t have much time off left.”

Erica and I both worked for a popular bar located on the Las Vegas Strip. Lucky for us, Leo happened to own it. Normally, I would adamantly refuse any special treatment, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “Eri, I’ll talk to Leo. I’m sure your job will be waiting for you when you’re ready to come back.”

She sighed with relief. “Thanks, Kar. Really. Look, I know we’ve had a rough time lately, but I really do love you. You’re my family. You know that, right?”

I smiled. “Yeah, I do, but it’s still nice to hear. Are you sure you don’t want me to come back?”

“I’m sure. Hey, I’m going to let you go so I can go lie down for a bit. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay. Get some rest. I love you, Eri.”

She yawned. “Love you too.”

“Shh, it’s okay, my love,” Leo cooed.

It took me a moment to gather my bearings. I was in bed, circled in Leo’s arms, and my eyes felt like sandpaper. When I rubbed them, I found fresh tears on my face. “What’s going on?”

“I sensed your distress. I came in here and found you crying in your sleep. Bad dream?”

I thought about it for a minute. “I guess…I don’t really remember.”

He stroked my hair. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be right here.”

I stretched and felt the stiffness in my muscles. “What time is it?”

He looked over his shoulder at the alarm clock. “Five minutes past one.”

Wow, I’d spoken with Erica around six in the morning. I couldn’t believe I had slept for another seven hours. No wonder my bladder was about to burst. “I need to talk to you about Erica.” I got out of bed and made my way towards the bathroom. “Give me a few minutes to freshen up, okay?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

I came out feeling minty fresh and started sifting through the closet for something to wear. I was exhausted, but I thought getting dressed would help me perk up. Eying a pretty sundress I asked, “No chance the temperatures have heated up about twenty degrees, is there?”

He chuckled. “Why are you looking through your clothes?”

I crinkled my brows in confusion. “Because I don’t want to spend all afternoon in my jammies.”

He laughed, full on this time. “My dear, it’s one o’clock in the
morning
, not afternoon. You’ve been in here for over twenty-four hours.”

“What?! I slept through the
entire day
? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

He shrugged. “You seemed tired so I left you alone.”

I lost a full day?
I sat on the edge of the bed and grumbled, “I’m still tired.” 
Stupid immortal side effects.

He hooked an arm around my torso and pulled me into him. “Rest, my sweet. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

I snuggled into him and yawned.
He didn’t need to tell me twice
. “Okie dokie.”

I
was careful to check the AM/PM indicator on the alarm clock when I woke up. It was just past five in the morning, and Leo was snoozing next to me. I quietly crawled out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. I took my time showering, letting the hot water beat down on my sore muscles. It always amazed me how quickly my body seized up from inactivity. As I was shaving my legs, I got a sudden wave of dizziness. That turned into a large volt of energy shooting throughout my entire body, causing me to gouge myself with the razor.

“Fuck!”  I looked down and saw pink water swirling around the drain. Man, I got myself good.

The door burst open a few seconds later. “What happened?” Leo asked.

I jumped in shock and made a feeble attempt to conceal my nudity. The shower had a clear glass door so all my goodies were currently on display. “Leo! What the hell?”

His eyes quickly scanned the room, seemingly satisfied that no threats existed. He turned around and said, “I apologize, my sweet. I heard you shout…then I smelled your blood. I thought you were injured.”

I sighed. “I’m fine. I cut myself shaving; no big deal.”

“Would you like me to heal you?” A vampire’s saliva had enzymes in it that carried the ability to repair broken skin. Leo had sealed more than a few of my wounds since we’d met.

I looked down at my leg and saw the giant gash I had created.
Dammit.
“Just give me a minute, okay? I’ll meet you out in the bedroom.”

“Of course,” he said as he exited the room.

Once the door was closed, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry off.
I grabbed some tissue, attempting to staunch the blood flow, but wasn’t having much luck. Resigned, I wrapped a towel tightly around my body and stepped into the bedroom.

Leo’s eyes zeroed in on the cut as his fangs grew in response. He patted the open spot on the bed next to him. “Sit.”

I sank into the mattress and stretched both legs over his lap. He stared at the blood trickling out for only a moment before he lifted my injured leg to his mouth and began lapping at the wound. Before meeting Leo, the thought of anyone cleaning up my blood with their
tongue
would have grossed me out. Now, all it did was remind me of the blinding pleasure he could induce with a simple prick from his fang. I felt my body warming at the memory of his bite. Based on his enthusiastic licking, I was sure he was feeling a bit nostalgic as well.

I needed to focus on something other than his tongue lazily drawing circles against my skin. “Something really weird happened right before I cut myself.”

“Hmm?” Leo murmured.

“I got dizzy,” I continued, “and then I felt this crazy jolt of power. Have you ever been around a downed power line? It was like that —I could feel the charge in the air—except it was
inside
of me. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

He gave me one more lick for good measure and raised his head with eyes closed. I watched as my skin knitted together between his hands, leaving everything good as new. His fingertips bit into my calf muscle while he took deep breaths through his nose.

“Leo, you okay?”

His fingers continued to flex and retract. “Just…give me a minute.”

Instinctively, I started to pull away but he forcefully held me in place. “Ouch!”

His eyes immediately snapped open. He looked down, saw that he was holding me hostage, and instantly released his grip. “I’m sorry, my love.”

I scooted away from him. “What the hell just happened?”

“Do you still feel it now?” he countered without acknowledging my question.

I thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I do. It’s different though. Like the power has been leashed somehow. What just happened, Leo? You were starting to scare me.” I looked down at my aching leg. “I’m already starting to bruise.”

His eyes flashed with regret. “Again, my love, I apologize. I’ve never experienced something like that before. I needed a minute to rein it in.”

“Rein
what
in, exactly?” Okay, now he officially had me freaked out. Leo’s never had trouble controlling
anything
before.

“The power,” he whispered. “Your blood…it’s different.”

“Different, how?” He looked a million miles away; I’d never seen him so distracted before. I started pulling up a pair of yoga pants under my towel and threw a hoodie over it. I wasn’t really concerned about underwear at the moment in case I needed to bolt.

Just like that, his eyes cleared and he snapped out of whatever haze had been pulling him under. “I’m guessing your powers are getting stronger since your immortality is getting closer.” He paused. “Maybe you should see if you can find something in the book.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” I bit my lip. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Leo quickly stood and started walking towards the door. “Of course, my dear. I’ll order some coffee and meet you out front.”

Wait…what?
As he walked away, I was left to wonder what the hell had just happened…and whether or not I was truly safe in his presence.

Room service was just leaving as I stepped into the living area. “That was fast.”

Leo grabbed a piece of fruit from the table. “I offered an incentive if they expedited it.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. As I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, I noticed that his knuckles were white from clenching his fists so tightly. Before I had a chance to ask him about it, he said, “I need to attend to some urgent business. If you need me, I’ll be in my bedroom.” He used his superhuman speed to climb the stairs before I could even blink.
What the hell?
He never did that unless it was absolutely necessary.

“What? Wait!” He acted as if he didn’t hear me and closed his bedroom door. I followed him upstairs and knocked. “Leo, what’s going on? Please open the door.”

A moment later, he cracked the door but made no move to let me in. He was texting someone, deliberately avoiding eye contact. “Karli, maybe you should take some more time to explore the city during the day. Takk will be here any moment to escort you.”

I was thrown back by his suggestion. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Of course not, my sweet. I simply have a large workload and thought you’d enjoy yourself more if you got out of this stuffy suite.”

I wasn’t convinced in the slightest, but I knew when to pick my battles. “Fine. Are you going to meet me somewhere later?”

He looked at his watch. “We’ll see how everything goes. Have a good time.”