Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (6 page)

Shayna got out of bed and went to the window. The hardwood floor of her bedroom was cold on her bare feet. She peered out. Everything was covered, it wasn’t just a light dusting that the weathermen had called for, there was a thick blanket over everything, and it was still coming down.

“It’s so beautiful, and silent,” Shayna whispered, and watched the snow fall.

“There’s no school,” Melina told her interrupting Shayna’s moment, “Apparently everyone forgot how to drive in this stuff. Idiots.”

Shayna shot a look of disappointment at Melina, “What? We have to miss school for
this
?” she really didn’t mind missing school, but she was missing Cain.

“Don’t worry Miss Perfect,” Melina said to her, rolling her eyes, “Your perfect attendance record won’t be shattered, you can make it up at the end of the year.” with a smirk, Melina walked out of the room.

Shayna didn’t care if Melina thought her attendance record was the reason she didn’t want to miss school. She really didn’t want Melina to know how strongly she was feeling for Cain. She had already told Melina too much. Now that she knew why he would wear a bloodstone ring, she
really
didn’t want Melina to know too much. She sighed, she wanted to see Cain, she needed to see him.

She put on a plush pink robe, and went downstairs. Melina was on the phone, probably with Maria or Delany, on the couch. Shayna went to the big picture window in the living room, and looked out at the neighborhood. She didn’t want to be cooped up all day. She wasn’t going to let a couple inches of snow keep her inside. She went to the kitchen and had a bowl of cereal, and a bagel, then went upstairs to take a bath, and decide what to do with the snow day.

When she was out of the bath she went back to her room, she dug through her closet, wrapped in a towel, for the warmest clothes she could find. Buried way in the back, she found a box she hadn’t seen in two years. Her grandmother had sent it to her. Somehow it had gotten shoved to the back of her closet, to be forgotten about. She grabbed the box and a pair of jeans, and sat down on the bed with them.

“Perfect,” she said to herself.

Inside was a pair of brown, almost knee high, leather  lace up boots, that were lined with thick wool, and a matching hooded coat. I can’t believe I forgot about these.
She thought.

Once dressed she looked in the mirror. She looked like an eskimo princess. Like she was dressed for a frozen tundra. The coat hugged her body, and hung  just over her buttocks. Along with the thermal pants she wore under her clothes, and the two pairs of socks she had on, she knew she would be plenty warm enough.

She went downstairs to the kitchen and found a water bottle, and  filled it. Melina was still veged out on the couch when Shayna came into the living room to talk to her.

“I’m going for a walk to the meadow,” she told Melina, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“You’re crazy,” Melina said, and looked at her sister. “Look at you!” she exclaimed, “You look hot. Are you meeting
Cain
in the meadow?”

Shayna glared at Melina, “I’m going for a walk.” Although, she did wish she was meeting Cain at the meadow, “Can’t I be warm and look good too?”

“Well have fun,” Melina looked outside and frowned, “I’m going to stay right here.” She said pointing to the couch.

“See ya, then,” Shayna said and whirled around on her heels, and went through the kitchen and out the backdoor, grabbing a pair of gloves out of the seat of the bench as she passed.

The cold air hit her face hard, almost taking her breath away. She pulled the hood of the coat over her head, the wool lining doing a good job of keeping snow flakes out of her face. She hugged herself and shivered.

“What am I
doing?” she said under her breath.

She put on the gloves, and stepped off the porch. She carried the water bottle by it’s strap and,headed in the direction of the path, which had disappeared under the snow, even though she couldn’t see it, she knew where it was.

She used the trees that she knew very well, to guide her way through, and it payed off. She got to the waterfall about forty five minutes later. She followed the path past, thinking she should have brought her sketch book with her. The way the weather had been lately, who knew when it would snow again. She trudged through the snow in the direction of the meadow for another hour before she finally stepped into the clearing. She had came because of something she had seen in her dream, something that wasn’t what she remembered of the meadow. The fallen tree. She knew there wasn’t a tree down the last time she had been there, but she also knew to pay attention to her dreams.

There it is. Her widened eyes focused on the tree. She walked across the meadow toward it. She hadn’t been here since the summer, and wondered how long it had been down for. The roots had came up out of the ground when the tree fell. It was an older maple, but appeared dwarfed to Shayna. She was almost to it when she heard a crunch in the snow, and saw movement in the trees at the edge of the meadow. Suddenly, in a blur, there was Cain. He stood in front of her determined, he had the most serious look on his face, it frightened Shayna.

“Don’t move Shayna,” his eyes were wide, “He’s dangerous and unpredictable.”

Shayna was terrified. She froze. A million things flashed through her mind, horrible things, bloody things. She had read enough the night before to know what they were capable of. Her eyes were focused on Cain, his eyes were full of…fear. In that  moment, she realized that he was trying to help her, and she felt a push in the middle of her back. Shayna gasped, she tried to scream, but nothing came out. Her throat was too dry from the cold air.

“Shayna,” Cain said, and stepped toward her with his hands held up defensively.

She turned slowly. She knew she wasn’t dreaming, but she wished she was, she didn’t want to see what or who was behind her.

A huge black figure loomed over her, and she was blinded by the white of the snow, and the sun peaking through the clouds. Shayna had to blink until her eyes focused. She was in awe.

“Please don’t move too suddenly?” Cain begged. She heard crunching snow behind her, as he closed in.

Shayna smiled and the massive beast stepped toward her. She put her hand out, palm up, and it placed it’s huge wet, velvety muzzle in her cupped hand. With her other hand she reached up to his head and scratched between his ears.

“He’s amazing,” she said to Cain when he stood next to her. “Is he a Friesian?”

     “He is,” he looked at Shayna in disbelief. “How do you know?”

      “I work at a horse ranch in the summer. This is my favorite breed,” Shayna put her hand under his forelock and rubbed his head there. The huge black horse pushed his head into Shayna’s little body, in delight, and she stumbled into Cain’s arms, “He likes that,” she said laughing, and regained her footing in the snow..

     “This is amazing,” Cain said. He was in awe too, “This horse is the most dangerous horse I have ever owned, or encountered, yet he is like a kitten in your hands.”

     She smiled at him, she couldn’t decide who was more beautiful, Cain or the horse. He looked so handsome standing there in the snow, he wore no coat or jacket. Just a light blue, cotton button up shirt, and a pair of khaki slacks. It seemed so odd to Shayna.

“What are you two doing here?”

Cain pointed at the horse, “He likes to take me on adventures,” he said smiling, “He’s an escape artist.”

     Shayna examined the horse. He was very tall, at least seventeen hands, and jet black. His mane flowed over past his neck, and his tail trailed on the ground behind him. He’s perfect.
She thought.

“What is his name?” she asked Cain.

“Obsidion,” he replied, then changed the subject, “Ya know, he was following you for a while. Don’t you ever look around you? You should be more observant out here by yourself.”

     “I grew up in these woods,” she told him, “If there was anything dangerous out here, I would know.”

     “What about him?” he said, pointing at Obsidion, “I’ve seen him kill two of my stable hands, and break a trainer’s back, and
I
had to tell you he was behind you. You didn’t have the slightest glimmer of danger in your thoughts.”

     “He’s not dangerous,” she rubbed her hands down the horses neck and over his back, as far as she could reach. Obsidion stomped his right front hoof into the snow, with a thud, and grunted.

     “He’s not dangerous to
you
apparently,” Cain said in observation, “I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s like he’s known you forever.”

      Shayna was mesmerized by the creature, Cain reached for his halter and Obsidion rared up , and pulled away from him.

     “Whoa!” he said putting his hands up.

     When the horse was on all fours again Shayna reached for his halter, and grabbed it with a firm grip pulling him towards her, he calmed instantly, and stood next to her. His hot breath visible in the cold air when he snorted.

“Easy,” Shayna whispered to him, he snorted again. She looked at Cain, “You make him nervous.”

     “He makes me nervous,” he said, with a chuckle, “Will you help me get him back?”

     How could she say no to those eyes, those eyes that were
not
shy? “How?” she asked.

     “Maybe he’ll follow you,” Cain said hopefully, “He followed you this far.”

    Shayna gestured for Cain to go, “Lead the way,” she told him. He turned and started to walk by the tree, she followed but Obsidion did not. “This isn’t working.”

          “Come on Sid,” Cain pled in frustration, and turned around. The horse stomped the ground and whinnied, and Shayna laughed.

     “Is he rideable?” she asked him.

     Cain returned to her side. “He used to be, but nobody has been able to get on his back in two, three years,” he looked down at her, she was starring at the horse.

     “Can I try?”  she asked, turning her eyes up to Cain.

     “I don’t know,” he stomped at the ground like Obsidion had, “I would feel horrible if something happened to you.”

Before he could say anything else, Shayna was walking toward the horse.

“Wait!” he called after her.

     “Just give me a leg up,” she said. She stood beside Obsidion, and Cain rushed to her side. He wasn’t used to taking orders, but it felt right to obey, when Shayna was the one giving them.

     She gathered Obsidions mane above his withers, and Cain lifted her up by her leg until she was able to finally pull the other leg over the horse’s back. Obsidion stood perfectly sill through the process, and hoofed the ground again, once Shayna was sitting atop of him. Cain  looked at Shayna and the horse. She was so petite and Obsidion was so massive, Bella Vista. He thought to himself. Shayna was focused on the horse, she squeezed her heels into his side, and was pleased when he began to step forward.

     Cain watched in amazement as they walked past him. His old obsession, and his knew one. They talked about Obsidion while they walked, and about how Cain had acquired him. He told her a story of how he saved the horse from a trainer who would have killed him, if Cain hadn’t been walking through the stable at a horse show, and found them. He had bought Obsidion for quite a substantial amount of money. But Cain was starting to think the horse seemed crazy.

     Shayna had other things on her mind, she had questions she wanted to ask him. She looked down at him walking next to horse. She saw his ring, she knew why he wore it. Underneath her clothes she wore her fathers necklace. She had taken it out of its velvet sanctuary and put it on before she went to bed.

She swallowed hard, “Do you know what I am?” she asked him. This stopped Cain in his tracks. “Whoa!” she said to Obsidion, and the horse stopped abruptly. She faced Cain, she had caught him off guard.

     He slowly looked up at Shayna, his emerald green eyes sparkling in the snow, and his hair falling around his face, he was beautiful, if a guy could be.

He nodded his head, “Yes, I do,” he said and remained motionless.

     “Am I really,” Shayna thought for a moment to find the right words, “What is called, a Halfling Princess?”

      Cain returned to their side and looked up at Shayna, “Yes,” he said.

     She felt dizzy, looking down at him, but continued, “So, when I turn eighteen, I will stop aging, and I will no longer be mortal?”

     Cain reached up and squeezed he gloved hand, “That’s correct.”

     Shayna’s expression turned to worry, “Will it hurt?” she asked Cain.

     “It shouldn’t,” Cain said with sympathy in his eyes, “But every princess is different, I guess, and you are one of a kind, so I don’t know for sure. I’m sorry.”

     “How long does it take?” Shayna squeezed her legs around Obsidions belly and he walked forward.

Cain strolled beside them, and said, “I don’t know how long it takes,” he looked at the ground while they walked. “I’ve never witnessed the change.”

     “And the bloodstone will protect me from the sun, when I change?” Shayna was full of questions. She never had anyone to ask them to, before. She wanted to ask the right ones.

     “Yes, but you have to wear it outside of your clothes,” he pointed to the silver chain around her neck.

     “Do I need it now?” she asked, reaching into her sweater to pull the gemstone out.

     “No, I guess not,” his eyes caught her bloodstone, “Where did you get
that
?” he said with  great interest.

     “It was my fathers,” she responded, holding the necklace in her hand, she looked at it. “Why?”

    “These stones aren’t that easy to come by, for the most part, and they need to be polished to be effective,” he pointed at Shaynas necklace, “But,
that
is very rare. Do you not see the flecks off platinum in it?”

Shayna held the stone in her hand, and rubbed the smooth surface. It did look different from the pictures on the internet.

     They were finally approaching his place. She could see Aunt Mill through an upstairs window watching them walk into the barn. It wasn’t long after they had Obsidion in his stall, with a blanket, oats, and hay, when Aunt Mill showed up with a single cup of steaming hot cocoa.