Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (20 page)

     When Cain never showed up for school, Shayna wasn’t surprised. In Advaced Art, she sat in her seat alone, staring at the portrait he had drawn of her.

     The final bell of the day rang, and Shayna left her class, and went to her locker to get the books she needed to complete the History assignment that she still had not turned in. She was able to get a two day extension, telling the teacher that everything was on her laptop, and her laptop wasn’t working. He gave her the extension, and told her to bring the laptop in for repairs. The Art Acadamy had issued the laptops to the students, and handled all maintenance.

     Shayna closed her locker, and to her surprise, Melina was standing on the other side of the door.

     “You okay today?” Shay asked Shayna.

     “I’m fine.”

     Melina knew she was lying, “Come on Shay,” she put her arm around Shayna’s shoulder and turned her toward the exits, “Let me give you a ride home,” she said.

     Shayna didn’t protest, she walked with her sister out of the school to the parking lot, holding back her tears.

     As soon as the Honda was out of the parking lot, Melina started in on her.

“Shayna, what’s going on? I have never seen you so happy, and now you’re staying in bed all day, and your face is obviously, tear stained and swollen,” Melina paused, “Did he do something to you?” she asked.

     Shayna burst into tears, “You wouldn’t understand Melina,” she sobbed.

     “Try me.”

     “I have to get over his past, and it is a very difficult thing to do,” Shayna wiped more tears from her face. She was feeling vulnerable.

     “That seems pretty understandable Shay,” Melina said looking at her twin awkwardly, “His past is his past, Shayna, and if you can’t get over his past, you’re not going to have much of a future.

     Shayna looked at Melina through tears, and said, “Don’t you think I’ve thought about that Mel? If I can’t get over this we can’t have a future. And what he did is,” Shayna tried to swallow a lump that had formed in her throat. She wished she could tell her twin sister, but there was no point in making her hate him, and be in pain herself, all over again. “What he did is pretty bad,” she said after a moment.

     Melina knew Shayna telling her was a longshot, but she asked the obvious question, that was burning on her mind, “What did he do?” she said.

     They were almost to their street. Shayna had forgotten, how quick it was, to get home in the car.

     “He has killed,” she said so quietly, it was almost a whisper.

     But Melina heard her, and remained silent. She didn’t know what to say. She knew there were circumstances when someone had to take the life of another, but she didn’t know Cain’s circumstances. She couldn’t believe Shayna had divulged this.

     Shooting her a look, that Melina had never seen before, Shayna said, “Don’t you ever tell anyone,” the tone in Shayna’s voice was threatening, and very unlike her, Melina knew she ws serious, “I don’t want anyone, but myself to think negatively of him.”

     Melina couldn’t believe that Shayna was telling her as much as she had. But quite honestly, something in Melina’s brain sparked with excitement when she thought of Cain as a killer. He was so handsome, and mysterious, he didn’t look like a killer. The thought made him more attractive.

     “I promise I won’t tell,” Melina said to her, although she would tell Noah, at the first chance she got, but only Noah.

     They got home, and Shayna went staight up to her room to get started on her assignment. She worked for an hour, and got nothing done. Cain’s face was on her mind, and she was unable to focus. She realized she didn’t need time, she was ready, and she was only torturing herself by staying away from him. She was eternally his. She knew what she had to do. She got up from her desk, and grabbed her car keys off of the dresser, where they had been collecting dust. Without saying a word to Melina, who was sitting downstairs on the couch in her usual spot, Shayna left the house. She got in the Honda Prelude and began driving towards Cain’s house. She had to go to him, she couldn’t make him wait any longer.

     Shayna was relieved to see Cain’s car in the driveway. When he never showed up to school, she assumed he had left. But, when Aunt Mill answered the door, Shayna immediately noticed the distressed look on her face. Shayna’s heart sank to her knees.

     “What is it?” Shayna demanded grabbing the old woman’s hands.

     “Come in dear,” Aunt Mill said, bringing Shayna into the foyer, and motioning for her to go to the livingroom. “Please, have a seat.”

     Shayna sat down on a red velvet victorian couch, the matching chair she realized, was at the bookstore.

     “Where is Cain?” she asked Aunt Mill, nervously. Her instincts told her that this wouldn’t be good news.

     The old woman sat down next to her, “I don’t know,” she said and stared out the window at the barn. “He left yesterday morning, before I went to the bookstore to do inventory, and I haven’t seen him since. When I try to reach out to him, I get nothing but blackness,” she looked at Shayna with frightened eyes, “Like he isn’t there. I can’t find him.”

     “What does that mean?” Shayna asked. She had an inclining, that Aunt Mill could sense and see things. She figured it out the day Cain said she sent him a message to go to the cemetary. Shayna could feel the tears stinging her eyes, she new something wasn’t right.

     “I don’t know, it could mean more than one thing,” Aunt Mill looked out at the barn again.

     Shayna fought back tears and asked, “Like what?”

     Aunt Mill took a deep breath, “It could mean he’s too far away from me, it could mean he’s blocked me out,” she fidgiting with a loose thread on the long floral dress that she wore. “Or, it could mean that he’s gone,” she said quietly, and looked down at her lap.

     “Gone?”
     Aunt Mill didn’t say anything, she continued to stare at her lap.

     “What do you mean gone, Aunt Mill?” Shayna asked, she needed to hear her say it.

     The woman sighed loudly, she didn’t want to see Shayna in pain, but she knew she need to tell her. “He has either left, and we’ll both never see him again, he’s dead, or he has changed,” she said, “And, it’s highly unlikely that he has changed.”

     Once again fighting back tears, Shayna asked, “Do you think he’s dead?”

     The same distressed look she had at the door, returned to Aunt Mill’s face, “I don’t know,” she said, “I don’t know anything. That’s what worries me the most. All I see is blackness,” the old woman bagan to tremble.

     “Would he have left because of me?” Shayna asked.

     “Shayna he would die for you, and if he couldn’t have you, he would want to die,” Aunt Mill didn’t hesitate to say, “And, yes, he would leave. What is left of his spirit would probably leave too. He doesn’t want you in pain.”

     Shayna didn’t know what to say. Cain couldn’t leave her, how would she ever find him to tell him that everything would be okay, and that she forgave him. She was still his.

     She sprang to her feet, “I have to go,” she said.

     She knew Aunt Mill would not mind if she began sobbing like a baby on her couch, but she had to get out of there.

“Thank you Aunt Mill,” she said and bent down, and kissed the woman on the cheek. “I wil come back soon, I promise.”

     Shayna didn’t even make it out the door, and the tears were rolling. She had almost reached the Honda, when she heard a loud thud, coming from the barn. Obsidion. Her mind was so focused on Cain, she had forgotten about Obsidion. Without thinking, she turned and headed towards the barn.

     She reached his stall, and slowly opened the door. The massive black stallion immediately beagan rubbing his head on her, practically knocking her over. Shayna laughed through her tears, and rubbed his neck.

     “Hey boy,” she said to him, and laying her head against his neck. “Where is he?”

     Obsidion grunted, and gently pushed his way past Shayna, and out of the open stall door.

     “Hey!” Shayna called after him, “What are you doing?”

     He looked back at her, with big black eyes, and headed for the open barn doors. Shayna quickly followed after him. She couldn’t believe he was going to run off on her, her first time alone with him.

     The horse walked out of the barn, and Shayna came out behind him, and almost walked right into him. He had taken the kneeling position she had seen him do before, and was waiting for her to mount him.

     Shayna looked around the property for anyone watching, wondering if she should do it. Obsidion whinnied softly, and Shayna finally climbed on his back. He stood upright, and Shayna gathered some of his mane, at his withers, and almost simultaneously, Obsidion took off at a full run. He ran around the barn, and down the driveway, heading west towards the sun.

     Shayna knew she was being stupid. She had been neglecting so much lately, and here she was riding off  into the sunset on a beautiful, black stallion. Obsidion ran, and didn’t stop. All Shayna could do, was lean her body down by his neck, and let the wind whip against her face, and through her hair. She realized she really didn’t care where this incredible creature was taking her. She felt so free. When they came to the top of a dune bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Obsidion suddenly came to an abrupt stop, right when Shayna was sure he was going to leap off the edge with her on his back.

     It was dark, but Shayna could see so much in the moonlight. The lake looked gorgeous in the dark, hundreds of feet below her. She inhaled the fresh air, and held it in her lungs, enjoying the need to breath while she could. Cain’s face appeared in her mind, so handsome. His emerald eyes looking at her, with nothing but love in them. She felt scared.

     Obsidion began to hoof the ground, and prance in place,

     “Easy,” Shayna said to him.

        The horse stepped towards the the edge of the bluff, then stepped back again. He continued to do it until Shayna said,

     “Is there something down there?”

     She started to swing her leg over his back, to take a closer look, when she and the horse both heard a deep growl from behind them. Shayna jerked her head around in the direction of growl. In the darkness, were a pair of red eyes.

     Shayna gasped. Go Sid. She projected. Shayna never looked back as Obsidion ran past the bush that concealed the red eyes. The horse didn’t stop until he had returned her to Cain’s house. Whatever the
thing
had been, it did follow them, but only for a short distance. Shayna knew it was gone when she stopped hearing the growls, but she told Obsidion not to stop until he had got to the barn.

     Obsidion was panting horribly when Shayna walked him into the barn. She took him back to his stall, and got him some fresh water. She didn’t leave until his breathing had returned to normal, and he had calmed down a little.

     She wasn’t surprised to see, the hawk sitting on top of the barn, when she climbed into her car, but she wondered how long he had been there. She nodded her head at him, acknowledging him, and started the engine and left. She had wanted to talk to Aunt Mill about what she had seen, but the house was dark  when Shayna came out of the barn, and she didn’t want to wake her. She drove home praying for Cain to return to her, she was already, so lost, without him.

Chapter 16

     It was after midnight when Shayna finally returned home. She expected Melina to be waiting up for her, but she was asleep in her bed, snoring away. Sarah was at work, and the house was quite. Shayna went to her room, and changed into her favorite pink, plaid pajama pants, she  took off her cardigan, and left the white camisole, that was underneath, on.

     Her stomach growled. Eat! She thought. She went back downstairs to the kitchen, and opened the fridge to find something that looked appealing to her, to eat. She found a container labled blood sausage, and her mouth began to water. She grabbed the container, and a loaf of bread out of the bread box, and put them on the counter.  She turned around, and reached up to open the cupboard, and that was when she felt it.

     There was an icy feeling on her neck, and then what felt like, soft, caressing, nibbles. She turned to face her intruder, and a squeak of a scream, escaped her lips, before a finger covered them.

     “Shh,” standing there with a sly smile, looking almost as handsome as his brother, was Aiden, “You would think, that you being destined to be vampire soon,” he said still smiling, “That your senses would be better.”

     Shayna’s back was to the counter, and Aiden put his arms on both sides of her,  with his hands on the counter. His face was next to hers, touching hers.

     “Do you trust me yet?” he whispered into her ear.

     Shayna felt a little intimidated. She knew Aiden was trying to get a rise out of her, and it seemed to be working. She didn’t answer him, she trusted him to take care of her, but she didn’t trust that he knew what was
 best
for her.

     When she didn’t answer, Aiden brushed his cold face, against hers, and gently he found her lips with his. He pressed his lips hard to hers, and pulled her closer to him, embracing her body, and kissing her even harder.

     Shayna didn’t return the kiss, she broke herself loose, and placing her hands on his chest and pushing back, she said, “No Aiden. I can’t do this,” she didn’t care where Cain was. “He’s coming back for me,” she told Aiden.

     Aiden backed away from her.

“You’re right,” he said, “He probably is coming back for you, but not in the way, that you think  he is.”

     Shayna narrowed his eyes at him.

     “He doesn’t take rejection well,” he started to tell her. “And, when he wants something, he won’t stop until he has it. He wants your blood, he needs your blood. So, deny it all you want,” he leaned against the opposite counter, and folded his arms, “He will be back for you, and I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”