I Am Lightning (Laurel Defense Series) (2 page)

“Where does it hurt?” I asked, running a clean hand delicately over the top, trying to feel for any torn flesh, however minute.

Mark frowned and moved his wing closer to himself.  He pointed in the general direction of one upper part.  I saw a tiny piece of shard stuck to it.  “It’s going to bleed, isn’t it?” he asked.

“I’m afraid so.  Let me go get the First Aid kit, okay?  So much for healing spit rocks,” I mumbled.

“I can help,” a deep male voice offered from across Mark’s desk.  It was Robert.  “I know how to heal,” he said, noticing that both Mark and I became very protective of his wings.  We had to be.  One of the worst punishments for a sprite was to have our wings cut off.

Even though Mark snarled at Robert, I had enough wits to not antagonize the newest member of the Laurel Defense.  He was just trying to help.  “We don’t like other people touching our wings.  I’m sorry, Robert.  It’s nothing personal.”

Robert smiled at me and bowed solemnly before leaving.  Mark calmed the snarls down to silence and I went in search of the First Aid kit, which was never where it was supposed to be.  I looked in Jacinda’s desk, in the ladies’ room, in the men’s room (earning me a couple of stares), in the break room, down by the holding cells… It was getting ridiculous, quite frankly.  On my way back from the holding cells I ran into Robert, who was holding the elusive First Aid kit.

“Oh, thank goodness!  Where did you find it?” I asked, taking it from his hands.

“I’ve been looking for you.  I found it in the men’s locker room,” he answered and smiled.

“I didn’t think to look there,” I mumbled.

“Good thing you didn’t because Brenton was in there naked,” Robert laughed. Brenton was a tall fire demon, a descendant of Adramelech, the President of the Senate of demons.  Brenton was probably very good looking naked, but had a temper befitting his species.  If he had seen me in the men’s locker room I would have never heard the end of it.

“Thanks!” I said, meaning it from the bottom of my heart.

“Here, use this,” Robert said.  I extended my hand and he put a small round pod of a whitish color.  “When you take out the shard from Mark’s wing it will start bleeding.  Squeeze this until it pops and spread the unguent on the wound.  It will stop the bleeding and will help with pain.  It’s also an antibiotic.”

“That’s very nice of you, thank you,” I said, closing my hand around the little pod.

“Don’t mention it,” he said and went back to Ifan’s office.  Hm!  A vampire that was learning to be a wizard… If he could wield the magic then more power to him.  Usually only humans that had been born talented in the magic department could become a witch or wizard.  Maybe Robert had been a talented human before being turned into a vampire.

I tended to Mark’s wing and did as Robert said, all the while thinking of the sexy vampire.  The unguent came out thick and white, looking a little like Neosporin, actually.  For all I knew that’s what it was, but shortly after covering the wound with it, the white thick cream disappeared leaving nothing but a mended wing.

As we wrote our reports I heard Mark chuckling.  “How do I put this on the report?  Nobody will believe me,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“You flew upside down Abby.  I think both the dragon and I were mesmerized just watching you.  I didn’t know you could do that,” Mark shook his head, looking at me in wonder.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Ifan and Robert walking through our office.  I took the opportunity to flirt from really far away.  I flipped my hair back behind my shoulder and made a show of smugness.  “It takes a special sprite to fly upside down,” I said and smiled my best smile.  I let my eyes roam to see if Robert was looking, and since he was I winked.  He returned my smile with one of his own.  I
felt double the smugness, and Mark saw exactly what I was doing.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered, but didn’t really mean it.  He was happy for me.  I owed him this new life I was living, taking care of myself, free and single, making my own money by working for the Laurel Defense.  He had saved me from a lifetime of servitude to a husband.

Two years before when Mark found out that he had been the unwilling participant of an arranged marriage with me, he took me from my house under the guise that he wanted to have me under his roof.  I’d been very scared at the time.  He had been gone for a few years, and I didn’t know if he still saw me as his friend and his cousin, or if he really wanted me to keep his house and have his children.  When we got to his house he sat me down and asked me if I wanted to be married to him.  Before I answered him he explained that he would marry me if that was what I wanted, but that he saw me like a sister more than a mate.  I’d been so relieved that I cried and cried for days, on and off.  That’s when he asked me if I wanted to be part of the Laurel Defense.  He helped me get the training, then helped me get the job, then helped me buy a house of my own.

Now here we were, writing a report on “The Case of the
Cuélebre that Abducted the River Nymph.”  Mark and I wrote our reports, thinking of more silly titles for them, and sent them off.  They were to be filed by our Records Department.  We printed copies to put on Ifan’s desk and slowly made our way out of the building.  It had been a long night.

Mark and I commuted, though it wasn’t a very long drive.  We both lived in Laurel.  It had been his turn to drive, so I got into his Jeep Wrangler, the kind that
has no doors.  There was a shiny black Mustang Cobra right next to it, and I was admiring it openly when it lit up and made the sound of doors unlocking.  I turned to see that the pretty car belonged to Robert.  He was making his way slowly, waiting for Mark to leave his parking spot.  I was so captivated by the way he walked that I forgot to put on my seatbelt.  Robert didn’t.  He made a motion, miming pulling on a seat belt, and then called out, “Safety first.”  His words echoed in the night as we made our way to the main part of Laurel.

CHAPTER 2

“Paul!  I swear, don’t make me come get you!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.  The ghost that lived in my house, Paul, was stomping up and down the stairs.  I’d purchased this house for next to nothing, thanks to him.  As a lightning sprite, able to sense the energies around me, I could also see ghosts.  After all, ghosts are only the leftover energy of a living being.  I could use ghosts as a source of energy too, and banish Paul to Hades! The stupid thing was behaving more like the haunted soul of a rhinoceros instead of the haunted soul of a man.  He was usually quiet, but when he made noise it was almost vengeful. 

The stomping stopped.  I glanced at the clock and it was only eight in the morning.  I’d gone to sleep at nearly three after the long night I’d had, and I wasn’t due at work until seven in the evening.  I turned the other way and tried to calm down and fall back asleep.  After the night I’d had taking care of the snake dragon, all I wanted was some peace and quiet. 

Half an hour later I was getting dressed and cursing under my breath.  There was no way I was going to sleep now.  I was mad and wanted to release some angry energy, so I decided to go do some work at the training facility of the Laurel Defense.  I was so mad that I gave myself a shock when my hand connected with the door handle of my new-to-me Volkswagen Golf, and again when I touched the gym’s door.

Inside the gym I found only one other person.  That wasn’t unusual.  It was almost eight in the morning and most people had used the gym much earlier, or would use it much later.  The teams usually went out at around seven in the morning and then later at seven at night.

The man in the middle of the gym was dressed in what appeared to be a black ninja suit.  Interesting.  He was wielding a sword, tracing delicate patterns in the air, sometimes holding the hilt with his right hand, sometimes his left, sometimes both. 

I was staring and drooling a little.  The man was tall with broad shoulders, and the fitted suit showed off every sinuous line of his body as he moved.  His legs flexed as he brought the sword down with a whoosh just inches over the floor.  He brought his body to his full height and turned, swinging the sword wide in one fluid movement.  I knew the two-handed claymore sword he was using weighed only about six pounds, but it was always too long for me to wield with any sort of finesse.  The way he wielded it told me he was a master.

I couldn’t tell who he was.  Even his head and face were covered.  He looked like a ninja with goggles, to be honest.  I wondered when the defense had hired and ninja and giggled.

My giggling drew the attention of the man in black.  He turned to me and pointed his sword. 
Hm… a challenge.  I was never one to turn down a challenge.  I dropped my bag and jacket at one corner of the gym, revealing much less clothes than what he was wearing.  My wings were inside my back, hidden by slits on my skin that looked like well-healed scars.  My training bra had been made especially so I could unfurl my wings if the need arose during training.  Otherwise I would’ve had to wear my own black leather suit with the slits built in, and with the way I trained I was sure to get it ruined.  So I usually only wore the training bra and a pair of leggings together with my beloved Asics sneakers.

I walked over to the armory and grabbed my preferred sword, a smallish German sword called a
Katzbalger.  Upon approaching my opponent we bowed, never taking our eyes off each other. 

I drew my sword back and held it high, crouching to attack and waiting for him to do it first.  Two seconds seemed like too long to wait for an attack, so I thrust my sword at him but he blocked it easily.  I turned and used my short height to advantage, trying to get his feet.  He jumped over my sword and tried to swing at me, but I had kept moving so he missed.  Finally it turned into an all-out battle.  He blocked every one of my moves.  Every thrust and every swing met with the clanging of metal against metal.  The sound became deafening.  This turn of events didn’t help with my current deranged status due to sleep deprivation and I became frustrated.  I went at him with everything I had, grunting with each move, getting closer to my opponent and using every ounce of strength I possessed.  He met every one of my attacks with expert defensive moves.

Finally I’d had enough.  I unfolded my wings and was behind him in record time, holding a sword to his neck.  Flying.  Upside down.  He hadn’t seen me coming.

“Don’t you know you should let a lady win?” I said breathing hard and deep.  I’d gotten my workout, all right.  A lone drop of sweat slid from my arm onto his suit.

“I would have if I’d been fighting a lady,” the man said and chuckled.  He wasn’t out of breath at all.  I had a hard time placing the voice.

“Who are you?” I demanded, holding my sword tighter on his neck.  He was covered by clothing; he wouldn’t bleed.  Meanwhile I was starting to get edgy.  Who
was this stranger and what was he doing here completely covered from sight?

“I’m Robert.  We met last night,” he said slowly.

“You lie!  Robert is a vampire,” I snarled and sent a tiny jolt into the man.

He grunted feeling the sting of my power through the sword at his neck.  “Abby, I met you last night with Ifan.  You were with Mark.  I gave you the healing pod for his wing,” he said, still talking slow so that I would understand.

I blinked and let him go, coming around right-side up but still keeping my distance by flying in mid-air.  “How come you are out during the day?”

“It’s a potion I take so I can be part of the force, otherwise they couldn’t use me,” he said, rubbing his neck.

I kind of felt bad now.  Kind of.  “Did I hurt you?” I asked, finally landing.

“You burned me.  I don’t rejuvenate like other vampires because of the potion I have to take,” he said.  His voice was gruff now, as well it should be.  I’d
made a major boo-boo.  I deflated quickly.  My temper never led to anything constructive.

“Sorry.  Can I help you?” I asked, properly apologetic.  I even softened the tone of my voice.  I could be a real klutz when I put my mind to it.

“Yes, you’ll have to help me.  I can’t see very well in the daytime, another trade-off of taking the potion.  We have to get out of the sunlight, though.  The sun will burn me,” he said pointing to the ceiling where the high windows let the sun in.  We walked to the armory and returned our swords then I followed him to the men’s locker room.  There was nobody there either.

He sat at a bench, took off his gloves and tried to peel the mask.  I had seared it to the skin over his neck.  I hissed and so did he.  “I’m so sorry,” I murmured, helping him.  I revealed the now bleeding thin line of burned skin, and the rest of his face.  He had shaved but his messy hair was the same as the night before, maybe messier.  His eyes were closed in pain.

“It feels like a really long paper cut,” he said and gave me a half smile.

“I should have asked you who you were before I…
well, anyway, do you have any more of those little pods?” I asked, changing the subject.  Being so close to him was having some kind of effect on me.  I began to feel warm all over and I knew it wasn’t from the workout.

He was just as handsome now as he’d been the night before.  Now I could appreciate the angular lines that made his jaw, his soft pink lips, the straight nose… even his smell was tantalizing, of something male and spicy.  Robert produced one of the small white pods and I began applying it like I knew what I
was doing.  When I was done I looked up to discover he’d opened his dark blue eyes.

“Better?” I asked and swallowed the sudden lump in my throat.  How could someone be so handsome?  It ought to be illegal.

“Much,” he said and scrunched his eyes, as if he was trying to focus.  “Your hair is very red, like fire,” he said and reached up to run his fingers on the end of my braid which had fallen forward over my shoulder and was resting near my waist.

I frowned in confusion.  “Um… thanks?  I think,” I said and shook my head a little.

“It’s hard for me to see much without special glasses,” he said and stood up towering over me.  He reached inside the locker in front of us and pulled a pair of Oakley sunglasses with orange iridescent lenses that wrapped around his temple.  “All I see is your white skin and your fire red hair,” he said and slipped on the glasses.  “There!  Better!”

It wasn’t better for me.  I was positively too close to the man.  I needed some distance before I did something I would probably enjoy but definitely regret.  I started walking backwards out of the room.  “I
gotta go, before anybody sees me in here,” I said and finally turned, walking away briskly.

I was stopped by an arm over my neck and a tall broad body behind me.  I felt one cool finger tracing over the opening for my wings and I shook with pleasure.  That is a very sensitive area.

“I’ve always wondered where your kind kept the wings,” Robert whispered.  His hold on me was light enough that I could escape if I wanted to… I didn’t want to, not after him touching me in such an intimate way.  Did he know that touching my wings felt as good as him touching my breasts?  I felt his cool breath at my neck.  Someone, sometime, had warned me that vampires just took what they pleased.  Hm… Boy, were they right!

“May I remind you that I’m poisonous to you,” I said trying to keep my voice even and calm with a lot of effort.  Sprites and vampires were notorious for getting into trouble on that regard.  Many calls to the Defense involved poisoned vampires after they had gotten… frisky… with sprites.

“A pity,” he said and inhaled deeply.  I slipped my right hand over his arm slowly, like a lover’s touch.  My left hand slipped under his arm so I could grab it from both sides, but still caressing it as he continued taking what he pleased in the form of my scent.

In a move worthy of a vampire, I slipped out of his grasp and moved behind him, never letting go of his arm.  I held his arm at a painful, awkward angle that he would not be able to slip out of, and pressed his whole body against the lockers with mine, feeling his firm butt on my stomach.  “Did you also know that I’m almost as strong as you, and just as fast?”

“Now THAT is a surprise,” he said trying to move from my grasp.  He could have if he had really tried.  I was nearly as strong as him, but certainly not stronger.

I let go of his arm and moved away.  Robert turned quickly to face me.  I looked at him from head to toe.  No sense in wasting the wonderful view.  “I’m hungry,” I said, turned and left.

I figured I would eat first and then take a shower, so I gathered my things, put on my jacket, and walked to the main building where they would, no doubt, have some leftovers from breakfast.  I was aware that I was being followed out of the gym.  I threw out my “sprite-y” sense, the one that detected energy signatures, and the person following me had none.  There was only one person on the force without any energy to speak of, because he was dead: Robert.  I turned and walked backwards.

“Are you following me?” I asked, a little peeved and a little flattered.  Like all males I’d come in contact with, he was clearly admiring of my attributes.  I had to rein in my raging hormones because he was not going to make a good bedmate.  For one his species: we were simply not compatible.  He would want to bite me and he’d get hurt.  For two the general rules forbade fraternizing within the defense.  That last one was open to interpretation and could be circumvented easily enough.  Not that I was going to try.  I was brand new and Mark had gone through a lot to get me the job and have them trust me at my (relatively) young age.

“I’m going the same way as you,” Robert answered.  He had his mask on again.  “I’m hungry too.”

I shrugged and turned away.  He caught up and walked beside me, matching his long strides to my short ones.  His spicy scent was stronger than the scent of dead leaves floating in the cool October air.  Robert held the door for me and followed to the break room.

I grabbed a donut, a Danish, a large cup of coffee with tons of sugar and creamer and sat down where I could keep an eye on the other available items.  Somebody had eaten most of the protein, not that I wanted it.  The eggs and bacon were gone.  There were tiny boxes of cereal, bagels, and fruit, but they didn’t offer enough calories, and I was craving sweets.  I was eyeing a muffin I’d missed on my first trip, when Robert blocked my view and sat in front of me.  I drew an exasperated breath and let it out with a puff.

“You burned my neck, so now we’re even,” he said, taking off his mask.  He also had a cup of coffee, black.  I made a face.  Black coffee was definitely not on my list of favorite things.  Sweet light coffee, on the other hand, was right up there with chocolate and sex.

“My burning your neck does not entitle you to touch me,” I said in a low voice.  This was between me and him, and there were supernaturals in the office that could hear us easily.  If things got out of hand, and my talk had no effect on him, I’d go to Ifan.  But there was something about Robert that I liked, besides his good looks.  I was almost sure that he’d been driven to touch me by his nature more than his desire for me.  Or maybe equal parts.  Who knew?  He was the first vampire I’d ever met.  Right at that moment he was surprising me by actually putting something in his stomach other than blood.  I guessed there was a lot about vampires that I didn’t know.