Lailah (The Styclar Saga) (12 page)

She rolled her eyes at me, irritated, and I frowned at Gabriel. “Why do I have a feeling I’ll regret this?” I grinned sarcastically.

“Regret what exactly?” Brooke replied. “Come on, we’re going in to town.”

She grabbed my hand, yanking me up. She surprised me, and I jerked away from her, but I caught myself quickly. If I was going to live here, I would have to get used to the fact that my roommates were Vampires. One way or another, I would have to learn to trust them. I turned back around to Gabriel and picked up the shiny new phone from the sofa.

“Not town,” Gabriel warned, dipping his eyebrows.

“What? But Oxford Street calls!”

“No, stay local. Go to Windsor, there’s plenty of shops there, it’s perfectly adequate.”

Gabriel was clearly the leader of this pack; they all seemed to abide by his rules.

Brooke huffed and made a disgruntled face. She seemed so much younger than she looked, which was odd for a Vampire. I would have thought that with more years behind them, even if their faces didn’t show it, they would be more mature and worldly.

“It’s not fair, just because she’s being chased! Why do I have to suffer? I don’t even want to go with her!”

“I’m being chased?” That caught my attention more than Brooke’s clear disdain.

Gabriel stood up and paced over to the doorway where we were both standing.

“No, Cessie. You’re not being chased,” he replied calmly, easing me momentarily.

“Yes she is. I heard you talking to Jonah,” she shot back snidely, clearly pleased with her eavesdropping skills. “You said that Eligio and his clan are still looking for her.”

I turned to Gabriel for the truth.

“Cessie, what Jonah and I were discussing,
privately
”—he emphasized his last word and glared at Brooke as he did—“was simply that there is a chance that they’re still trying to find you, that’s all. Nothing more than what we already suspected.”

I tapped my foot on the floor, irritated; he was holding something back, I knew he was. “And?”

“And nothing.”

If there was nothing more to add, then why could I feel him blocking me from his thoughts? I didn’t appreciate being kept in the dark.

“Brooke, go and pull your car out of the garage. Cessie will be with you in a minute.”

She flicked her red hair, banging the door shut as she left.

“Well?” I said.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about, but Michael has been feeling Eligio’s presence a little stronger since we got back.” Still he was trying to protect me, putting it as gently as possible.

“More than he normally would?”

“Yes; Michael’s only been parted from his clan very recently, he’s our newest addition. So his connection to his Gualtiero is stronger than that of any of the others.”

“I don’t understand. Does that mean that everything he knows, this Eligio knows too?”

“Not at all. Eligio created Michael, his venom will always be part of him, and as such, they will always sense each other to a degree. It’s only when one or the other changes their proclivity that they essentially tune in to one another,” Gabriel explained, trying to soothe me. “Michael can sense that something has changed within Eligio; he feels him stirring. But it could be anything.”

I let out a breath. It could have been worse. After all, when I saw them outside the burning rubble of the house in Creigiau, there was no question in my mind that they would try to seek me out.

“But we have to be cautious. You’re certainly precious.” He smiled.

“Fine.” I accepted his explanation, just in time to be startled by the impatient honk of Brooke’s horn. “I better go, she’s waiting for me.”

Reluctantly I reached for the heavy handle, pulling the door back open.

Stay close to Brooke, and be careful.
His words filled my mind and I answered him with a thumbs-up as I stepped through the hallway and out of the front door.

Brooke wriggled in the driver’s seat, revving the engine of a brand-new Mini Cooper; pink, of course. I plonked myself down in the passenger seat and we sped off down the drive.

As we zipped through the gate, she grabbed a jacket from the backseat and threw it at me. “You’ll freeze.”

I pulled it on over the ridiculous dress. “So, Windsor? Shopping…” I said, trying to start a conversation.

“Nope, Oxford Street. You know, London?”

Ah. Gabriel would not be pleased, but I didn’t want to put her out.

“And don’t even think about telling Gabriel.”

Brooke drove the car as if she were competing in the Grand Prix, eventually breaking the speed limit considerably. The landscape in London was vastly different from that of Hedgerley. I swapped views of endless greens for built-up concrete and towering buildings. Brooke blared some rock band or another and as the song hit the chorus, I recognized it to be the same band that Jonah had played in the Range Rover.

Turning down the volume, I said, “I didn’t see Jonah this morning. Is he okay?”

Brooke’s face strained for a moment before she replied, “He’s fine. He’s been out feeding more than usual, so he hasn’t been in the house much since we got back.”

She made no attempt to water down his eating habits; I quite liked how straight-talking she was. It was easy to see that she hadn’t taken kindly to my arrival, but the fact that she cared so little about me actually endeared her to me somewhat. Brooke didn’t give me a chance to respond, turning the volume back up and placing her large black Dior sunglasses over her eyes from on top of her head.

*   *   *

I
T WAS
D
ECEMBER
and Christmas shopping was in full swing on Oxford Street. We’d been on the go for about four hours and though Brooke was laden with bags, I had only managed to muster up the energy to pick out a simple, long woolen coat and a pair of flat, plain shoes. I was entirely practical about clothing, living in sweaters and jeans. Brooke, on the other hand, was anything but practical when it came to her purchases, selecting only expensive designer shops to grace with her presence. I had spent some time complimenting Brooke on her various outfit changes, and she seemed a little happier with me and offered to take me to a coffee shop for some tea and cake.

As I sat in the far corner of Starbucks, mug of tea and pastry in hand, my attention briefly caught on a light bouncing off the window; but when I looked again, it was gone.

Brooke slid into the cushioned seat in front of me and watched, barely moving, as I added several sugars to my tea.

“Right, the next few hours we are dedicating to finding you some clothes. Gabriel will be rather displeased with me if I return you with one measly jacket!”

“One measly jacket? It’s Chanel! Did you see the price tag?” I said. I was ashamed at having let Brooke coerce me into purchasing something so expensive on Gabriel’s shiny gold card.

“Money is hardly relevant. We have bigger concerns.”

“Such as?” I asked, taking a small bite out of the éclair that had tempted my appetite.

“Such as existing each day trying not to kill anyone,” she whispered.

I almost thought she was trying to scare me off, so I replied showing as little emotion as possible. “But you do … kill?”

“Yes, sometimes it happens. We only feed when we have to—a must-need basis, if you know what I mean. Not for sport. It’s the way things have to be. Gabriel wouldn’t tolerate us otherwise. He’s an Angel, you know,” she added with a grin.

“I heard.”

She looked annoyed that she hadn’t been the one to deliver the news, but she pushed on. “So, human girl, what’s the deal with you anyway?” she asked, fussing with her hair.

“No deal. Just wrong place, wrong time, I guess,” I said, trying to be casual.

“Been there!” She laughed, but sadness turned the edges of her lips.

I didn’t think now was the time to ask her how she had come to be a Vampire.

“Hmm … So why are we hiding you? What’s so special about you, that you have Purebloods on your heel?” She lowered her tone. “And why is Gabriel so protective of you?”

I could have smiled when she said the last part; it made me happy to think she knew he cared. “I guess he feels that keeping me safe is only fair. As you say, he’s an Angel; he’s obliged to do the right thing.”

I almost wondered myself if that’s all there was to it, despite our history. Maybe he was just obliged; he had commented that he had a penance to pay.

“I’m not sure why they’re trying to find me. Perhaps they’re mad that I helped Jonah escape? As I said—wrong place, wrong time.”

At the mention of Jonah, Brooke’s limited attention span perked up. “Well, I guess we have you to thank for that. We wouldn’t have wanted to lose him.” She moved her neck and rubbed her shoulder.

“Are you and Jonah an item?” I asked, attempting to flatter her. I didn’t think they were, but I hoped to encourage her to drop her guard.

“Oh, well, no. But we are closer than you could imagine! He actually saved me from … well, you know. I’m sure he wants me, and maybe we would be together, if we could be.” She quickened her sentence defensively.

“I’m sure, but he’s a bit older than you though, isn’t he?”

“Depends how you look at it. I guess so. But that’s not why we can’t be together.”

She ended her sentence abruptly, as if she had said too much.

Can’t?
I blew on my tea and sipped it, casually slipping in a “Why?”

“Just the way things are. Vampires”—she lowered her voice once more—“can’t be with other Vampires, physically. It’s sort of forbidden. But you know a Vampire could never be with a human either. Not really, it’d never work out,” she said, pretending to look through the tops of her shopping bags.

“Well, what human would want to go out with Jonah!” I said. I giggled, trying to break the tension; I was afraid she might close up.

Feeling less threatened, she attempted a smile.

“Why is it forbidden?” I pushed, taking another bite out of my creamy bun.

“You’re new to all this so I’ll cut to the chase. You’ll never see many girls—well, girls like me. Very few are created, or so I’m told. If a male and female were to give in to their desires they would likely end up”—she pointed at my cup—“you know, what you’re doing now, from each other.”

“And that’s a problem?”

“Because of what runs through our blood, yes. One feeding off the other is one thing but that sensation would lead to both feeding from one another. At that point, neither would be able to stop. The power of each individual would be transferring, mixing between the two. Ultimately one would be ended. The males are more powerful so inevitably it’s the female that gets it.” She was enthusiastically explaining now, enjoying my reactions.

“Right, so it’s forbidden by who?”

“By the Masters; it reduces their numbers. Though Ruadhan told me that sometimes they would allow it—manipulate it, even, on purpose—if they wanted to strengthen a particular male in the clan. Not like Jonah could take up with a human either,” Brooke continued. “It would take a lot of willpower to avoid the same end occurring for the unwitting girl.”

She made sure she got that in.

“I’m surprised you got off so lightly, you must not have whet his appetite enough!”

I recalled the flash in Jonah’s eyes as he had fed from me. I was sure I did more than whet his appetite, not that I was about to reveal that to Brooke.

“So you can never experience love?” I asked. By my reckoning, this tale was applicable to Brooke as much as it was to Jonah.

She almost snorted at me. “Love isn’t an emotion that comes easily to … Vampires,” she whispered again.

The coffee shop was bustling with tired shoppers. They chatted loudly, surrounding us in a cloud of half-heard conversations. I looked over my shoulder and when I felt safe that no one was listening in, I carried on. “But you love Jonah?” My statement tumbled out before I had a chance to stop and think.

Brooke looked like I had hit her in the face. It was the most honest expression I had seen her wear yet. She sat silently and I didn’t dare break the silence first. I was half expecting her to throw a fit. I was suddenly thankful she kept the dark glasses on, masking her eyes. To my surprise, she lifted them instead, and spoke softly.

“Yes, maybe. It’s more difficult for him. I never served a Gualtiero; Jonah did serve for some time. Perhaps I am closer to my humanity because of it. I’m sure, deep down, he must feel the same, but he knows how this works and he would never risk me like that.”

As she said it, I nodded with empathy; though I couldn’t help think that she had somewhat deluded herself. The Jonah I knew didn’t exactly fit the “knight in shining armor” persona that she seemed to have created for her own fantasies. I thought she must have been lying to herself to avoid his rejection; that, I could genuinely sympathize with. I guess it was a lot less painful to accept than the truth.

I finished my tea and crumpled the paper that the éclair had sat in. I stood up, preparing myself for the rest of the shopping onslaught.

We moved fast from shop to shop and I picked up several practical pairs of skinny jeans and a few pairs of boots, including a black pair of something Brooke had referred to as “Uggies.” Apparently, if I had to be practical I could at least be on trend, or so she insisted. Legs aching, my fingers sore from the plastic bags that dug into the palms of my hands, I was ready to give up and insist on calling it a day when a little boutique shop on the corner of the road caught my gaze.

The word
MADEMOISELLE
neatly swirled above the door.

Brooke tried to move me along, but before she could convince me, I had stepped through and was already scanning the racks of vintage clothing.

It was one floor, with only a few racks, but the items hung individually, each unique and distinct. Fingering my way through the lace tops carefully, I finally felt at home.

“This stuff is hardly vintage! Everything looks ancient!” Brooke said.

“It’s beautiful,” I replied, picking up an ivory-lace buttoned top.

I turned it around and saw that the back of it was absolutely stunning. I was saddened momentarily at the fact that I would have to wear a slip underneath to cover my scar.