New Blood (The Blood Saga Book 2) (13 page)

“I don’t know really. I never saw
him again so I could never ask. So now, I have a question for you.” My eye brow
perked curiously as I turned my body to twist and meet her gaze. Her lips
curled into that soft smile, so tender and sweet. Would I ever not be
overwhelmed by her beauty?

“Anything, Lara.”

“Since your day at the falls,
things indeed seem different with you now. We’ve all noticed. You feel it, too,
don’t you? But you’re not even talking to Damien about it. It has him worried
you should know. If you choose not to confide in the rest of us I understand,
but do not hide anything from him. Not ever. Even if you two part ways. He is much
more than your maker, Lianna. Your body and soul are bound to him for the rest
of your eternity by the blood you have shared. Besides, a maker’s bond should
not be wasted as mine and others before me have.”

Where was the question exactly?

My lips twisted and puckered to a
frown. “Yes, I know.” The human blood had changed me. It brought on changes in
me, and made me realize some things about myself as well. Things I had not yet
discussed with anyone here. I just felt different.

She sighed at my short answer. “There
now. All done.”

Turning me to her, Lara smoothed
over my hair which was still wavy and crimped. It likely would be until I took
a shower. Perfection in the eyes of immortality. With her angelic soft smile,
Lara’s hands stroked down my cheeks. And just like that she was gone.

Finding her had been the easiest
thing I had done that week, though it had not been a good week. She had been a
stronger beacon than a light house in the pitch of night. Eight days hadn’t
been long enough, and at the same time had been far too long.

“Hey, Sticks.” Sticks was a
nickname I’d given her, because stealth was far from her best skill. She still
sounded completely human as she ran through the woods crunching through leaves
and twigs. Or given her speed, more like a tiny tornado. Of course I also
called her cupcake, too, sometimes. There was no real reason for that one.

“Phoenix.” Her eyes closed upon
seeing me. Her dry cracked lips turned up just the faintest bit, but it was not
be enough to call it a smile.

“Anna, you look like hell. How long
have you been up here?” Quite out of her ordinary, Lianna looked like a
weathered gargoyle. Her hair once knotted wild yet skillfully on the top of her
head was fallen in windblown shambles. Her skin was translucent with hunger.

Her thoughts were so clear and
crisp it was as if she had spoken aloud. Lianna had sat in this same spot completely
unmoving for the past six days. “Six days? Mind if I ask why?”

Six days for a New Blood,
especially her, was too long. Was she pushing herself to go longer between
feeding?

Breathing in to speak seemed to
cause her duress. “It’s safe up here.” Again, I heard her thoughts clear and
un-muddled.
The roof is safe. The roof is quiet. I had to make myself stop
thinking so I came up here. I can’t let them hear me thinking. It’s not safe. The
others are up to something. Damien’s losing his mind. I’m tearing them a part.
You’re back
. She was more than pleased with my return. With such a simple
thought the feeling of her relief was immense. She sighed in that humble reprieve
as I sat down beside her. Almost as if my proximity had eased a physical
burden. What a strange thought. There wasn’t time for that now though.

“Yes well, you look like you’re
starving. Why is it safe up here exactly?” Lianna shrugged the answer. “I
thought they were warming up to you?” I’d not have left had I believed they’d
be cruel to her.

It’s so much worse. The way they
look at me… Accusing. Sadness. Hatred. Pity. Fear.
And something more
. She looked away from me. I could feel humiliation in
her thoughts. After some thought on how to say what she intended, she spoke in
a whisper, “I think they had an ulterior motive behind it. They need something
from me. I think they believe I could be the key to his past. Damien might be
going insane. He’s desperate for what he believes is the truth to be real.
Yesterday he tore apart the study because he couldn’t find a book. And I do
mean shelves and all.” Her eyes cast in my direction.

Her chin kept tucked low, but her
eyes looked up to me. Even in her hunger they gleamed an intense, beautiful
silver. “I am very afraid I’m going to have to leave soon. You’re the only one
here that gives me back a piece of sanity. I’m tearing their world apart. It’s
only a matter of time before I rip yours apart, too. I did not want to be
anyone’s burden, Phoenix. Least of all yours after all you’ve done for me. I
just…” Her lips tightened as she looked away from me. “Where can I go?” Her
fingers trembled from physical strain of hunger and the ache of her guilt. Why
hadn’t she fed?

She had indeed flipped my world around,
but ripped? Certainly not. A low growl rumbled through my chest, faint as the
wind. Anger stirred inside of me for what they’d done to her. Now wasn’t the
time to deal with it though. “First, you’re not going anywhere. Not yet. We’ll
deal with that later. Second-You could never tear things that are already torn
to pieces, cupcake.” Hesitantly my hand rose to brush back the wild tendrils
from her eyes, back behind her multiple piercings decorating her ear. She was a
unique little pire for certain. “Don’t worry about the others. I’ll check into
it. And I promise I won’t take off on you again. Let’s go hunt. You’ll feel
better.”

“You must think I’m pathetic.” She
laughed one hard cold laugh. Her eyes remained on the trees of the forest. “I
just couldn’t go into the woods. I felt…”
I felt like something was out
there, watching me.

“Did you tell anyone?”

“Damien knew. But he said there was
nothing out there, that him and Hendrick checked and there was nothing. They
think I’m crazy. Now you must, too.” Her eyes closed as she looked down.

My hand caught under her chin, forcing
her to look at me. Wild, bright silver irises met mine. “Never presume what I’m
thinking.” At least it was safe on the roof. She was right about that. She
could have run off. Not that I wouldn’t have been able to find her, but there
was no guarantee I would have found her before someone else had.

“Come on now. Let’s get you fed.
Nothing will happen to you as long as you’re with me. All right? You have my
word.” Standing, my hand extended for Lianna. She stared at my waiting fingers
emptily. Hesitantly she reached for me, and let me take her frozen hand in my
own. The lack of blood and stone like state had made moving more difficult. I
pulled her up slowly- keeping my hand grasped around her elbow, the other close
around her waist. Every small movement seemed to cause her pain.

“Damien taught you to go after deer
because there is such a plethora. Decades ago, Jezabell had a coven enchant the
property to attract the docile creatures, and promote their breeding to aid in
sustaining us. But there are other things, wilder animals that can be more
appetizing you could say. Bear and bore blood are the best. Being omnivores
they taste nearly human. The carnivores are quite satisfying as well. Their
blood’s a bit more wild. Deer and other herbivores taste like dirt in my
opinion.” He grimaced at the thought.

“Why just deer then? Why not
attract more?” my voice was raw, it hurt to speak. I’d never been told this
before.

“Our scent drives them away. But
they do tend to stay near our boarders, as the enchantment worked a little too
well, and there are plenty for the lesser predators as well.”

Phoenix kept an arm around my waist
for physical support. I wasn’t at my best. We left the boarders. At last we’d
found out hunt. Perched high in the trees, he whispered close to me so as not
to alarm the foraging black bear below. “He’s going to put up a fight. All of
these creatures do.”

Swallowing involuntarily on my
burning throat I looked hesitantly down at the beast. Could he hurt me as out
of whack as I was? “Don’t worry, cupcake, I won’t let the big bad bear hurt
you.” He chuckled lightly, and winced back as I jammed my thumb into his ribs
as he’d once done to me. Minimal pressure needed, maximum effect achieved. He
didn’t let go despite it. “It’s natural for you, Anna. This will teach you a
lot about how to defend yourself also. It’s instinctive. You’ll do great.
Remember? I’ve seen your temper.”

As Phoenix grinned smugly I dropped
silently from our high perch. Weaving as quiet as a butterfly down to the last
branch, I stopped and watched the foraging bear bellow.

He fought back just as Phoenix
promised, but it wasn’t more than a few seconds. Even as his claws dug into my
shoulders, trying to peal me off him, I had ripped his throat out with my bare
teeth. Massive paws dug deep into my stone like flesh dragging down my body
without heed.

My fangs ripped through his thick
flesh tearing huge gashes as I usually did to avoid the filthy fur, and end the
animals suffering faster. Humans were better. But this was an easy second best.
In fact, deer was now off the menu.

Long after the animal lay dead, I
kneeled close, sucking every drop I could to the point of gorging myself.
Phoenix stood behind me chuckling to himself.

With revitalized senses I jumped up
and lunged, knocking him back into a tree. Blood covered my face over my
cheeks, nose, eyes and even my hair. It was the first time I had seen Phoenix
surprised. “Do not make fun of me. I don’t like the taste of the fur. It’s
disgusting.”

He smirked at my serious lecture.
His eyes radiating the most brilliant Caribbean blue. “Never.” Hesitantly his
icy white fingers ran down over the bloody flesh of my cheek before licking
them clean. “You do know how to bring out the hunger in a man.”

In a moment he pushed past me. My
brows rose as I turned to follow after him. My hands wiped at my face licking
the blood clean as I followed after him. Waste not want not.

After that Phoenix took me out
every day. We avoided most everyone, sticking to the roof or the edge of the
property. When I was in the house it was just to shower and change clothes. At
one point Jezabell went through the closet and burned all my royally screwed up
clothes. They were all replaced with things I’d never touch. I found my duffel
bag we’d brought from Vermont, and started wearing those instead. I also told
her if she touched my own things I’d start wearing her clothes when I went
hunting instead. They’d be ruined. She never went near my things again.

Damien wasn’t getting any better. I
hadn’t spoken to him in weeks now. Phoenix gave me updates, but they became
more minimal by the day. We really didn’t talk about the House or its occupants
at all anymore. He told me stories of his past, and we discussed history more
than anything.

We also talked about the one thing
that concerned me the most. Demetrious. He hadn’t died, though we did not know
if he still hunted me. Phoenix agreed to teach me how to fight, agreeing I
needed the training for defense. He also believed it might help me get a handle
on myself in general. “There is more to knowing how to fight than just knowing
how to hurt someone,” he explained. “It’s knowing how to use your surroundings,
and how to adapt to any situation. More than anything it is about self-control,
pushing yourself beyond your limits, and mastering them.”

It was amazing to work with
Phoenix. His agility was astonishing. To say he was fast was putting it mildly,
Vampire or not.

Phoenix taught me to fight and so
much more. When we hit, it was like being tackled by a semi-truck. Phoenix
caused more than a few injuries. They ached, but it was more of an annoyance
than anything.

Thankfully I healed considerably
quickly now, which was good seeing how frequently he landed hits. He didn’t
draw too much blood, but you could tell he enjoyed it a great deal when he did.
I still had to feed every day, but it was mostly to keep my healing up.

We fought for hours. It was nothing
like the way Damien had fought in play. This was by all means serious and then
some. I even felt a tingle run down my spine, wondering if at some point he
would truly turn on me. If Phoenix was going to, it would not have been him
mistakenly going overboard. He was far too controlled for that. That’s what
worried me actually.

He executed every maneuver with
five counters already in place. It wasn’t the force we used but the strategy. It
was comparative to the most complicated and physical chess game imaginable. I’ve
always been pretty good at chess though.

Like a sponge, I soaked up
everything he was teaching me. Even the subtle things. How to react to an opponent’s
action. To mimic their movements and in doing so to learn how to predict their
every step. Hours were spent going over maneuvers and steps. “Use your
surroundings,” he said as he picked me up off the ground, and put me back into
a defensive low crouch after knocking me flat.

“You can learn to do anything that
you put your mind to with enough focus and training. Besides, you landed a good
hit on me earlier. You drew blood this time. You’re getting better than you
think.” It reminded me of a gymnastics class I’d taken as a child. I only went
for one year. My parents had thought it would develop my balance and focus. It
didn’t.

One evening just past dusk when the
fighting was done, Phoenix showed me his true nature. His greatest gift.

As the dusk was settling and the
fog was slowly creeping over the blades of grass, I found Phoenix standing
about fifteen foot in front of a massive ancient white oak. He stood facing the
tree in perfect stillness in a silence that disturbed even the air. Silently, I
came to stand just behind him and to his side.

As I stared my mouth parted. The
limbs were moving. It wasn’t from the wind though. They stretched up, curled in
like they were stretching their fingers. Then I caught sight of movement at his
side. The limbs moved as his fingers were. One by one, his fingers curled in
and out just a the limbs were.

Phoenix finally turned to look at
me then and with no more than a nod he walked past me in the direction of the
house. The tree had returned to its normal state.

“Phoenix, wait!”

Phoenix was strolling at a most
human pace. When I darted in front of him, he stopped. His features were
expressionless other than the slight arch of his left eyebrow. He didn’t say
anything of course. Narrowing my eyes, my head shook no in disbelief. “You have
to tell me. No.” Breath. “You have to teach me.”

My voice was low as I looked up to
the man towering over me in his gaunt demeanor. His arms purposefully folded
over his chest as he stared at me in silence for what felt like my own
impatient eternity. “Tell me, Lianna. What makes you think that I do?”

Pausing for a moment before just
the slightest twist came to my lips as they curled into a smirk. “Because you
said I can learn anything I put my mind to. If you didn’t think I could do it, you
wouldn’t have shown me.”

Phoenix was silent for a long time
before his head just gave the slightest nod, and a smirk twisted into the
corner of his lips.

No words of course. Nothing that
truly acknowledged what I wanted. It was only his nod that confirmed his
agreement with my request. He looked in the direction of the house, and then
back to me.

Death’s friend. Phoenix is what you fear more than
anything to be waiting for you at the end of a dark alley. His Caribbean blue
eyes appear cold as the statuesque man stares down at you. Thin, lean, and tone
with skin so placid he looks like death itself. Raven black shaggy hair. Thin
pale lips. Clothed in black. His mind, a lock box to everyone unless he chose
to let them in. Secretly he carries an ability to force the world to move at his
command. Enigmatic and quiet. Hard and vicious. Keen and yet trust worthy. I
stand in wondered awe by his secrets.