Eternal Changes (Mikah) (17 page)

Luce,

I found out that we don’t have pizza delivery where we live. I know you’re not going to love reading that. It’s also not a pizza place we are familiar with, but there weren’t a whole lot of choices. I found you asleep in your room and I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ll be in my office writing if you need me. I hope you enjoy the pizza.

Love,

Mom

Lucy put the note down and read the name plastered in red on the brown pizza box. Snappy Tomato Pizza? That was different. Lucy shrugged her shoulders as she opened the box and took a slice out. Lucy stared at the pizza in her hand as she inspected it.  The cheese was peppered with bacon and ham. She brought the slice up to her mouth and took a small bite. Her eyes widened as she gazed down at the pizza.

Lucy annihilated the slice of pizza and walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door to grab a drink. “What in the world?” she murmured as she looked down at the green box sitting on the clear bottom shelf. “Ski? Never heard of it,” she said as she pulled out one of the soft drinks and popped the top open. She glared at the can before taking a small sip. The citrus and lime flavors exploded in her mouth.  Her eyes widened as she looked back at the can. Who would’ve thought something so small could be so good?

She ate another slice of pizza and shut the box. Lucy’s stomach dropped as she heard someone knocking at the front door. She chewed on her bottom lip as she walked over to open the door. The door squeaked as she pried it open. She looked up into Michael’s face.

“Hey, Michael,” Lucy said as she walked outside and shut the front door.

“Hey, Luce,” Michael said as he grabbed her hand. A smile lit up his face.

Lucy stared down at her pale hand in his tan one and felt nothing. The warmth she’d once felt was gone. What did it all mean? She slowly pulled her hand out of his and looked up at him.

“What’s wrong?” Michael asked as he tried to grab a hold of my hand.

Lucy evaded his touch and sat down on the porch steps. “There’s something I have to tell you, Michael.” She looked out at the sky. A light purple streaked across it where the sun had set not too long ago. A mosquito buzzed around her head and she tried to swat it away.

Michael sat down next to her. “What is it, Luce?”

“I moved here from a place where I was an outcast,” she explained as she glanced over at him. “From the first time I met you, you’ve went out of your way to make me feel welcomed and I’ve enjoyed spending time with you…”

“I’ve enjoyed spendin’ time with you too, Luce,” Michael interrupted.

“I’m not done. Let me finish what I was saying,” she pleaded with him. “All I can be to you is a friend, Michael. I can never be anything more than that.
Ever
.”

“What happened to make you say that?” Michael asked. “You’re all I’ve thought ‘bout since I met you. You’ve overtaken my mind. I thought we had a special connection.”

“I’ve a stronger connection with someone else,” Lucy said as she touched his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. It all happened so fast.”

Michael pulled Lucy to him and slid his lips over hers. She felt nothing. She lay limp in his arms and he pulled away.

Michael ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I don’t think I can just give up on you, Luce,” he whispered as he gazed into her eyes.

“I need you to, Michael,” Lucy said as she dropped her head into her hands.

Michael stood up. “I ain’t so sure it’s what you need.”

Tears filled Lucy’s eyes as Michael climbed in his truck and left without saying another word.

Chapter 15

In the darkness of the shadows, Jaymes and Ophelia hid as they watched the events unfold between the girl and boy. The tree leaves rustled as Ophelia sat down on the rough branch and waited. A small light gleamed from the porch where the two were sitting.

Ophelia smiled as the human male kissed the girl. “Well, that was easy,” she said as she looked over at Jaymes. “When are you going to take the girl?”

 “I’m going to wait until she falls asleep,” Jaymes said. “Karver doesn’t want her harmed and there’ll be less of a struggle if she’s passed out.”

“That’s no fun,” Ophelia said as a flicker of motion grabbed her attention. The boy was climbing in the truck. “Game on.” She jumped from the branch and flew up into the sky.

The truck propelled down the road, but Ophelia was faster. She flew a quarter mile ahead of the truck and landed gracefully on the road. Excitement thrummed through her veins as she waited.

The yellow glow of headlights lit up Ophelia’s figure. A horn blared as the truck propelled towards her. Ophelia smiled as she flicked her wrist. The truck slowed down as the motor sputtered and died. She hopped on top of the green hood as the truck stopped inches from her. She pointed at the driver side door and flicked her wrist and the metal door went flying off its hinges. It landed in the ditch across the road with a loud thud.

“What the heck’s going on?” the boy asked as he climbed out of the truck.

Ophelia stared down at him. “You’re coming with me.”

The boy’s eyes widened as he backed away. “You’ve lost your mind lady. I ain’t goin’ nowhere with you.”

“I guess we’ll do this the hard way then,” Ophelia murmured as the boy took off running down the road. She flew up in the air followed the boy. She could hear his shoes tapping across the pavement as he ran.

The boy looked back at her before dodging to the left into the nearby woods.

Ophelia’s laughter rung through the night sky as she flew in-between two trees and entered into the thick forest. She scanned the area and couldn’t see him. “You might have been able to run, boy, but you can’t hide from me.”

Ophelia closed her eyes and tuned into the sounds of the forest. Hard, short gasps were coming from a tree to the right of her. She glided to the right and the breathing grew louder as she stopped in front of the tree. She peeked around the tree. The boy was leaning against the tree in a ball. His arms were wrapped around his legs.

Ophelia landed next to him. “Don’t you like what you see?” she asked as she bared her fangs.

“Oh my god!” He screamed as he scrambled across the forest floor on his hands and knees.

Ophelia laughed and reveled in his fear. She could taste his fear on her tongue. “You’re coming with me,” she said as she looked deep into his eyes to compel him to do her bidding.

The boy stopped, frozen in place as Ophelia walked towards him. She smiled to herself as she grabbed him to her. Maybe Karver would let her have a taste of the boy later as a reward…

While Ophelia chased down the human boy, Jaymes continued to wait in the obscurity that the shadows provided. A sudden rustling in the woods caught his attention and he spun around. The golden coat of a cougar shimmered in the night as it large paws pounded against the dirt floor. Its topaz eyes glared at Jaymes, its fangs bared. A growl rumbled low in the cougar’s chest as it leaped into the air. Jaymes threw up his arms and delved his hands into the cougar’s furry coat. Jaymes grunted as he fell to the ground. The cougar’s razor sharp teeth dug into Jaymes’s shoulder and Jaymes screamed in pain.

Jaymes pushed against the cougar’s thick neck as he kicked his legs up and flipped the cougar off of him. Jaymes flew up from the ground and faced the cougar. “What do you want?”

Its golden eyes narrowed. “Your heart,” the cougar snarled as it crouched low on its haunches.

“Come and get it,” Jaymes said as he waited the cougar’s next move.

The cougar’s tail flicked back and forth as it stared at Jaymes. It darted forward and leaped into the air, its mouth wide open as it went for Jaymes’s neck.

Jaymes glided over to the side and punched his hand through the cougar’s chest where its heart was located. Its warm blood streamed down Jaymes’s arm. The cougar roared in pain as Jaymes wrapped his hand around its beating organ. A popping sound rung through the air as Jaymes jerked his hand forward and ripped the cougar’s heart from its chest.

 The cougar’s body went limp in Jaymes’s arms. He backed up and let the body fall to the ground. Jaymes looked down at the heart he held in his hand. It still pulsated against his fingers. He tossed it to the ground and glanced over at the house. He levitated up to a tree branch and waited as he looked at the sad looking white house. Nothing in the house stirred.

A light flickered on in an upstairs room. The girl walked up to the window and stared outside for a few minute before cracking the window open. She turned away and went out of sight. The light went out and Jaymes leaped off of the branch and flew towards the house. He lightly landed on the black metal roof by the girl’s window. He peeked into the room and was relieved to finally see that the girl was lying in her bed.

 Jaymes waited patiently for her to fall asleep. He didn’t have to wait long. The sound of soft snoring floated through the cracked window. Jaymes smiled as he pushed the cracked window open and entered her room. He walked over to the side of her bed and waved his hand over her body as he compelled her into an even deeper slumber. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he slowly picked her up. He looked into her small pixie face. Could something so small really hold that much power?

Jaymes shook his head. The girl wasn’t going to have it easy if Ophelia had her way. It was survival of the fittest among his people. You learned to eat or be eaten.

He carried the girl in his arms and climbed out the window. He slowly levitated and took off flying through the air. The wind whipped around him as he shielded her from it. He looked up at the sky. It was a clear night. Not a single cloud slinked across the sky.

Jaymes slowed down as he crossed the desert that would lead him to the caves. He stopped and hovered above the ground and flicked his wrist. The ground shook as it cracked open and he lowered himself through it. He looked down and several vampires stared up at him. His feet touched the ground as they closed in on him.

Jaymes whirled around, looking at each one of them. “She’s not to be touched!”

“And why might that be?” a snooty female’s voice asked from behind Jaymes.

Jaymes spun around and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the female vampire. Her sandy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her black eyes glared at him. “She’s Karver’s, so take it up with him, Allie,” he hissed.

Allie’s eyes widened as she took a step back. “I didn’t know.”

 “Well now you do,” Jaymes said as he pushed through the crowd. Several vampires glared at him as he carried the girl to Karver’s room.

Jaymes stopped in front of Karver’s room and the door swung open. He hurried in and shut the door behind him.

“What did you do to her?” Karver asked.

Jaymes shook his head as he looked down at the girl. “Nothing. I just put her in a deep sleep.” He walked over and laid her on Karver’s bed. “I did exactly as I was told. She wasn’t harmed.”

 “How long did you put her to sleep for?” Karver asked as he walked over to the bed.

Jaymes shrugged. “She should be dead to the world for several hours.”

“Good,” Karver said as he bared his fangs. “Then she shouldn’t feel this.” He bit into the soft flesh of her neck and her body jerked slightly, but she didn’t awaken. Karver closed his eyes as he pulled her warm blood into his mouth. The blood sizzled and popped as his body absorbed it. His eyes flew open and he quickly released her neck. He stared down at the girl in front of him and rubbed his jaw with his hand. Could it really be possible?

 “What’s wrong?” Jaymes asked.

Karver glanced over at Jaymes. “You were right. There’s power in her blood and it’s beyond anything that I’ve ever tasted.”

“If you want to keep her alive, I’d make sure Ophelia doesn’t have access to her, sir,” Jaymes said as he looked down at the girl. “If you confirm that the girl’s going to be more powerful than Ophelia, the girl won’t make it to the day she’s supposed to change.”

Karver paced the room. “Are you sure Ophelia would cross that line?”

“Not a doubt in my mind,” Jaymes said as Karver turned to look at him. “Ophelia’s more of a liability at the moment than an asset. Do you want to risk the girl’s existence ending? If she’s going to be that powerful, we could use her.”

Karver’s voice lowered to a barely audible whisper. “I agree. I’ll leave it to you to take care of Ophelia.”

Jaymes nodded. “Consider it done.”

Karver dismissed Jaymes from his presence and walked over to the bed. His eyes travelled across the girl’s features. Who would have thought his brother would have had a child?

Karver’s thoughts shifted to the night his brother walked away from the Haemon all those centuries ago.

He and his brother flew out of one of the many caves scattered across the island of Rathlin several hours after the sun had set. The small island off the northeast coast of Ireland was one of their favorite dining spots. Several villages were scattered across the island’s green coast.

Karver and his brother landed on the sand and waited for the others to arrive.

“Now this is a
brilliant
idea, brother,” Karver said as he adjusted his iron helmet.

“Thanks. Dressings as Vikings will turn the villagers against them and no one will know that they were truly innocent,” Talmadge said as twenty others arrived dressed in similar attire.

“Let’s go,” Karver said as he led the pack.

 They stalked across the sand to the nearest village. Nothing stirred as they walked in-between the huts. A dog barked and growled as Karver passed by. Karver bared his fangs and hissed at the animal and the dog backed up and scurried off.

Karver waited as everyone positioned themselves at a hut. He waved his hand and screams erupted as they stormed into the homes. Karver spun to the side as a man came at him with a sword.

“Do not move and do not speak,” Karver hissed as he turned and looked into the man’s eyes.

The man stood with his arms up in the air. His hands clung to the sword. Screams erupted.

“Silence!” Karver said as he turned to the woman and little girl huddled in the corner. He walked up to the little blonde girl and pulled her from her mother’s arms.

“No!” The woman screamed as she beat her small fists against him. “Not my baby.”

Karver held the child in one arm and grabbed the woman by the throat with his free hand. Her bones crunched as he snapped her neck and tossed her to the ground.

“Momma,” the little girl sobbed as she reached her hand out to her mother’s lifeless body.