Authors: Kristen Reed
The Way of Escape (26 page)
“Why would he be immune,” I asked. “If he was a dhampir, he would’ve been in the same predicament as me.”
“Yes, but you both share an unusual trait that may account for these anomalies,” Augustus pointed out. “You attributed your freedom from the sire bond to your faith and that may also explain his immunity to vampire manipulation.”
“Has this ever happened with anyone else before Connor?”
“It has. However, most vampires don’t spend enough time around their victims to know intimate details about their beliefs. When they realize that a human can’t be controlled, they either leave them be without taking a drink or kill them to cover their tracks.”
“Is this something you have to tell The Vampire League about?”
“No, there’s no need to involve them or anyone else as long as this stays between the three of us.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to tell anyone.”
“If this is really happening because we’re Christians, there’s at least one more person who remembers what happened on the island.”
“Leah,” Connor realized. “Have you heard from her?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Maybe she just needs some time to herself.”
“Considering what she went through, the last thing she needs is to be alone, but I doubt she’d want to talk to me after the way we left things.”
“Then I’ll give her a call tonight and feel her out. Whether she’s mad at you or not, we know what she’s been through, and we can try to help her.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I should call Leah myself though. I need to make things right with her.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Connor agreed with a nod.
“Well, Augustus and I should probably head out. I need to reach out to Leah and figure out how I can get something to drink tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll walk you guys out.”
The three of us got up and stepped out of Connor’s room. As we walked downstairs and the noise and chatter of his roommates’ movie watching grew louder, part of me envied them. While they knew that Connor needed support and healing after his ordeal, they were completely oblivious to the dark corner of the world that Emmanuel had forcibly immersed us in. Thankfully, we hadn’t been alone in the shadows and we knew now more than ever that the light was infinitely more powerful than the darkness.
♦ ♦ ♦
When Augustus and I arrived back at my apartment, I took a moment to watch him as he removed the leather jacket he’d been wearing, set his keys on my coffee table, and sat down on my couch. Even though the fiery-haired vampire had been in my home the previous night, I’d been too distracted by my homecoming to focus on him. Seeing Augustus in the place where I’d hosted so many movie nights, Bible studies, and sleepovers should have seemed strange. Instead, he looked like he belonged.
Despite the annoyance I’d felt at Connor’s house, I began to wonder how he would fit into other aspects of my life. Would he like the same restaurants and hangouts that I did? Would he enjoy the same movies? Would he get along with my friends? Did I
want
him to?
The question isn’t if I want him in my life … It’s whether I
should
want him in it. Even if he perfectly blended into my life here, the fact that we don’t share the same beliefs and that I already have feelings for him means that I can only let him in so far. Just because I’ve changed my diet and gained a longer lifespan doesn’t mean I should throw the standards I’ve developed out the window … even if no one will ever meet them.
I pushed those thoughts out of my head and sat beside Augustus with a couple of feet between us. Whether I would allow him to be an integral part of my life or just have him as a supernatural acquaintance, he was my maker. He also served as my only link to the vampire world, and I needed him for the foreseeable future.
“Shall we try again,” he asked.
“Sure.”
Even though I wasn’t eager to risk consuming another round of vomit inducing blood, I scooted over, leaned in, and bit his neck. I expected his blood to hit me over the head with the disgusting flavor I’d been subjected to twice that night, but I was pleasantly surprised by the same bittersweet taste that I’d experienced on the plane. Though my throat burned slightly, it was the familiar tingle I associated with taking a shot of top shelf vodka instead of the scorching heat human blood gave me. The galvanizing euphoria that his blood brought was greater than any buzz an alcoholic beverage could give. Fortunately, it didn’t reduce me to a hot drunken mess. If anything, it removed all of the clutter from my mind, so I could think more clearly.
Once I had my fill, I pulled away, sank into the couch, and I relished in how physically relaxed yet mentally alert I felt.
“Unless tonight has been some strange stroke of bad luck, it seems as if you can only drink vampire blood,” Augustus said. “I suppose I should be surprised by this latest development, but I think I’ve come to expect the unexpected with you as a vampire.”
“How am I going to find vampires here and convince them to let me drink from them? Is there a food truck for that too,” I joked weakly.
“Your life would be forfeit if the league found out that you’re drinking from vampires, so we need to keep this between us,” he decided. “I’m going to relocate to Dallas. That way you can have someone you can trust to feed from.”
“Permanently?”
“Yes, I will stay here until you move on and remain by your side when you do. There are very few vampires I trust to be your donor and to keep silent about your unusual diet. Even then, I’m not fond of you experiencing that kind of closeness with another vampire.”
I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair as I mulled over the prospect of Augustus moving to Dallas and being my sole source of nourishment. It wasn’t ideal, but the alternatives weren’t great. I could either starve because I didn’t know any trustworthy vampires in the area or risk exposing myself to The Vampire League by mistakenly trusting the one or two I might find lurking about with my secret. While I was already aware of Augustus’ territorial attitude toward me, I could actually see the wisdom in keeping my unusual nature between the two of us. However, that constant intimacy and isolation would end up being more trouble than good …
“Well, I don’t want to make getting cozy with you a habit either. I know I haven’t gotten hot and bothered during my feedings so far, but I can’t keep putting myself in compromising positions with you,” I decided. “We’ll have to figure out a way for me to feed that doesn’t involve us getting up close and personal alone in my apartment every night.”
“If you insist.”
“I do,” I confirmed. “What about your position with The Vampire League?”
“I can work from anywhere. There may be times when I have to travel for work, but we can cross those bridges as they come.”
Several moments of contemplative silence passed before Augustus spoke again.
“As I’ve said before, I will respect the restrictions you’ve placed on our relationship, but I’d like you to keep an open mind about the two of us,” he began. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever believe as fully or deeply as you and Connor do, but I’d be a fool not to learn more about the god you follow after everything I’ve witnessed. If he can overturn the sire bond, make humans immune to supernatural manipulation, and change your appetite for blood, he definitely sounds like a god worth investigating.”
I gaped at Augustus for a moment as hope and joy burgeoned in my heart. Despite the fact that he hadn’t placed his trust in God and Christ yet, Augustus becoming willing to explore the truths that had literally saved my life was monumental. Augustus having even a fraction of a change of heart after centuries of unbelief meant that the same might be possible for other vampires. It didn’t change how I felt about my situation with him, but it changed my outlook about the future … and the not so distant past.
Maybe the humans weren’t the only ones who needed saving.
“Clara?”
I squared my shoulders and met Augustus’ troubled green gaze as I buried the remorse that had begun to burgeon in my heart.
“Are you alright?”
“Do you really mean what you just said,” I evaded.
“About exploring your religion or about moving?”
“All of it.”
“I’m absolutely positive.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “This could be really good.”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “It could.
”
Before we could continue our conversation, there was a knock at the door and I hopped up.
“Let me get that.”
“Are you expecting someone?”
“No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of my other friends was checking in on me.”
I shot to the foyer much as I had earlier that evening and took a deep breath before opening the door to greet my visitor. The instant I saw who was at the door, I crushed the poor, innocent doorknob with my untested strength and my pulse pounded. Augustus must have heard the crunch of metal and my racing heart because he was in the entryway, pulling me behind him and glowering at my unannounced guest with blackened eyes and extended fangs before I could even call his name.
“You don’t look very happy to see me,” Leah complained.
“It’s not
you
they’re unhappy with,” Emmanuel consoled as he dropped a seemingly comforting kiss on her hand, which he’d been holding since I opened the door. “Trust me.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristen Reed,
a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, is an artist, filmmaker, and author from Dallas, Texas. As a Christian, her faith influences her writing and is the driving force in her life.
The Alazne Series
The Kings’ Council
The Prophets’ Guild
The Valley of Eternity
The Clara Robinson Series
The Way of Escape