New Blood (The Blood Saga Book 2) (17 page)

He sparred me any comment about
what he’d seen. “Go down the drive. Run for thirty seconds at half your hunting
speed then slow to a walk. About a minute after that he’ll be here. Go. And try
to fidget. Humans can’t stand still. When this is over, I’ll take care of your
hands.” Without a word I did just as he told me and took off running.

Phoenix was dead on about the
timing. I’d been literally counting the seconds in my head to make sure I didn’t
screw everything up.

It was easy to appear as if I were
only strolling. It was just dusk. Right after dinner time for most humans. A
normal hour for people to take a walk to burn off the calories they’d gorged
on.

My hands were folded around my arms
tightly to help conceal the trembling, and hopefully to keep me from touching
him. It hurt like a sonovabitch. My hair was down, luckily, but if he paid
attention he would still see how much I had changed physically.

Before Damien’s and my little
experiment I had changed into some white Egyptian cotton yoga pants and
matching, albeit sparkling tank top. Not smart that I was barefoot. It was late
fall, too cold for clothes like mine. Too late to worry about that though.

As I saw the familiar car I stopped
dead in my tracks. Paul slowed to a stop just a foot in front of me. I tried to
mimic a good expression showing shock and confusion both.

“Paul?” I hoped my tone was just
right to match the expression. I was so unsure of myself that it made me all
the more anxious.

Since I’d turned it was like I’d
completely forgotten what it was like to be human. Seem silly? You try it and
we’ll see how much you struggle.

“Anna!” Obviously furious, Paul
jumped from the car, leaving the door wide open.

Running up to me, I froze, unsure
what to do His hand took a firm hold of my upper arm. His flesh was fire to my
ice. I quivered as I pulled back.

“Told you I could find you. Come on
let’s go,” Paul’s voice was in a low hurried whisper. Desperation tainted his
words. He grabbed a hold of my arm again as I pulled away. Trying to jerk me
along with him, and push me into the car.

Did he plan on me riding in his lap
all the way back to Vermont? Probably.

His strength was nothing compared
to mine now, his pulling didn’t budge me. As I realized my mistake, I
purposefully stumbled over my own two feet. “Paul, I’m not leaving! I know I
lied and I’m sorry. I just wanted to get away for a while.”

“Yeah he’s brain washed you, I’m
sure of that. Where is that motherfu-”

I cut him off, “Oh my God, Paul!
What the hell is wrong with you? Have you completely lost your mind?” Jerking
my arm free, I stepped back too quickly. I would have to focus on being more
careful and moving slower. It was bad enough I couldn’t hide the physical
changes to my appearance like my glowing eyes and red lips.

Paul stepped up closer, getting in
my face. Both hands wrapped around my upper arms tightly. The sear of his warm
flesh was agonizing as I feverishly longed for what caused the burn. Solace.
Salvation.

Jerking away again, I stumbled
back. “Get away from me or I swear to God I’ll scream!” I couldn’t let him
touch me again. I couldn’t stand it.

“What the hell is wrong with you?
God what has that son of a bitch done to you? He’s changed you, Anna!”

Paul only released one arm. Shuddering,
I jerked free, turning my back on him. I couldn’t let him see my eyes glowing.

Gritting my teeth and breathing
through my mouth slowly, I tried to gather a breath so that I would have the
air to speak again. The taste of the air around him scorched my throat.

When he came up behind me and
touched me again, I fell to my knees, curling into a ball. He kept grabbing for
my arms trying to jerk me up right. “Get away from me!” With one hand, I tried
to concentrate to be gentle but I shoved at him too hard and he fell backwards
on the ground. Oops. No touchy. Holy hell that hurt. The air was sucked out of
my lungs as I cradled my hands to my chest.

He grunted as the air was knocked
out of him. “Why are you acting like this? I love you, Anna! I’m not gonna hurt
you. Is this about what happened before? Did that freak try and make you think
I was going to hurt you or something? Just get over it!” He was on his knees in
front of me trying to pull my shoulders up and bring me to him.

“Paul, stop it! Please just go
away,” I made my voice crack as if I were sobbing. My face buried in my arms. He
was killing me. Even my fangs were throbbing, aching to tear into him.

“Don’t you see we’re meant to be
together? Baby, please I need you. I’m not gonna leave you! You’re mine, you belong
to me!” Being balanced on the balls of my feet in the crouched ball hadn’t been
smart.

He surprised me, pushing me
backwards suddenly instead of trying to pull me up. I couldn’t fight back and
risk showing my strength or my speed. If I had, I would have killed him.

He couldn’t really hurt me. I had
to fight my instincts. His smell made my blood boil and rage. I had never
before felt such a torture. Panic overwhelmed me, stunning me motionless. I lay
on the ground beneath him trying to keep my hands up over my face.

Paul forced himself on top of me.
Thank God his eyes were closed as he pushed his disgusting mouth onto my face.
I turned my head away as his mouth molested my cheek, neck and hair.

“Get off me!” My hands struggled to
keep between us, knowing I couldn’t really push against him in order to stop
him.

The pain of my broken hands hurt,
but I couldn’t have cared less. All the while fighting him, I played back that
night he’d attacked me when I was human. Every instinct in my body wanted to
rip him a part. This was a million times worse than the hikers. They were salt
water taffy and Paul was pure German chocolate. And I could not risk killing
him.

Then suddenly he was gone. Damien stood
seething over me. He’d come up and literally kicked Paul off of me.

It was a small kick though. He had
so much better practice at hiding his strength and everything else that would
give him away. None the less, Paul had been thrown off me and rolled a few
times across the pavement.

Too afraid to move I lay on the
ground. I turned my head to look at Paul as he jumped up to his feet, and charged
at Damien like a mad bull. The man had a death wish.

Damien caught him by the collar of
his shirt in his fists and turned, using Paul’s weight to propel him right into
the ground.

Instantly I smelled the blood. It
wasn’t much. But it was enough. Phoenix came up at a jog with Lara right behind
him at a steady jaunt.

What he did seemed harsh but it was
smart as hell. Standing over me, Phoenix’s foot planted firm against my chest.
His eyes stared hard on mine. A breath in the wind, “Stay down.” The threat was
enough to hold me in place before he was gone.

Lara was dressed in blue jeans and
a pink tee with a sparkling Hello Kitty face across the front. She looked like
your average teenager. I was shocked. Even her shoes were hot pink canvas high
tops. “No!” She flung herself at Damien, her arms wrapped around his waist.
Only I knew how tight she really held. “Brother, stop!”

Paul staggered to his feet. As he
took a step forward, he walked right into Phoenix. “You need to leave. Now.” He
all but snarled at Paul.

Paul’s black eyes were bulging, his
face was flushed a bright red. “Who the hell are you?” His chest puffed up as
he got right in Phoenix face.

Idiot!
I
sat up, but Lara twisted behind Damien and in front of me, grabbing me by the
arm before I could move another inch. She had her work cut out for her. Both
Damien and I wanted to kill the man.

Licking my lips, I yelled at
Phoenix desperately. “He’s not worth it. Paul, just go home!” If they hurt him
anymore, Lara wouldn’t be able to hold me back.

Paul shoved Phoenix hard with his
shoulder as he pushed past him. The entire time he rambled incoherently about
freaks and slurred enough profanities to make a sailor blush.

At least he had enough sense to
know when he was out numbered. He really had no clue how close he’d come to
death that day.

Lara was struggling to hold Damien and
me in place. She nearly lost Damien when Paul spit at Damien as he walked past
to get to his car.

Damien swung his arm back, but
Phoenix had grabbed him just in time. Luckily Paul had his back to Phoenix and
hadn’t seen him move as fast as a bullet.

Paul paused at his open door,
turning back to Damien pointedly. “You know, let me just ask you this. She ever
tell you she loves you? I mean straight up say the words?” No one spoke. No one
moved. “Heh. Didn’t think so.”

A moment later and Paul’s door
slammed shut. Turning his car around in a sharp U turn, he peeled out with an
ear splitting screech of his tires as he drove away.

Once Paul was out of sight, Lara
let Damien and me go. But only because Phoenix was standing with his hand on
Damien’s shoulder, just in case. “I know, man. I get it, really. But it will
only bring more trouble. Just let him go.” Damien’s eyes clinched shut, still
utterly furious.

“Are you okay, Anna?” Lara knelt
down to me. Her hand rose to brush my cheek.

Too harshly, my hand came up and
swatted her away. “Just get away from me. Please. Just go away.” I buried my
face into my knees. My hand flung out again as she reached for me once more.
She only wanted to help I know but I just couldn’t take it.

“Leave her be, Lara. Come on. You
too Damien. Go back to the house.” Damien snarled low, ready to argue. “I’m
serious, Damien, get out of here,” Phoenix always sounded angry. Rarely did
anyone argue. “You need to calm down and she needs to be left alone. I won’t
leave her. She’ll be fine, I promise. Now go.”

Lara stood and took a firm hold on
Damien’s hand. He didn’t push her away as I had. The two left without another
word.

“Leave me alone, Phoenix,” I
whispered low, unable to stand anyone right then. But he didn’t say a word. He
just sat down there on the pavement beside me. Reaching out he took my arms in
his hands, forcing me to lay them down in my lap.

“This is going to hurt. Don’t
scream or they’ll come back.” Holding my wrist, he took ahold of my hand with
his other and began to reset the bones again. Sucking in a sharp breath, I
doubled over, biting down and cringing through the pain.

Once he was finally done, we sat
there for an hour in silence. His hand rested on my shoulder as I lay crumpled
to the ground beside him.

Phoenix continued his silence as we
walked back to the house at a sluggish pace. He stayed off to my side. Never
too close. Never too far. Just there.

Of course Lara was standing in the
foyer waiting for me. “I’m sorry for putting you through that, Anna. I should
have tried to warn you better. Will you forgive me?” She smiled up at me
hopefully.

“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m
sorry I slapped you.” My brow arched slightly. My lips twitched faintly at the
dark comedy that was my life.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” With
a soft smile on her lips she took my hand and pulled me into the living room
where everyone was waiting.

No they weren’t healed, but I didn’t
dare flinch. All I wanted to do was go feed. So much for that option. I should
have gone straight for the woods, but for some reason my feet drug me back
here.

Hendrick leaned against the
banister of the winding stairwell. Phoenix took a seat awkwardly in one of the
great wingbacks out of his normal grace, leaned forward elbows on his knees his
chin in his right hand.

The fingers of Phoenix’s left hand
wiggled slow and slight. Below his hand a small crystal hovered, rolling
through the air. It sparkled as brilliantly as a diamond. Perhaps even more so.
It was perfectly round and smooth like a large glass marble.

Lara left me at the edge of the
living room, returning to Jezabell and curling up with her on the couch. They
were the only two that matched this house.

Damien sat in his usual seat. I
curled up in a ball on the floor between him and Phoenix.

“So, Paul then. He knows where
Lianna is at and therefor where to find us. Demetrius is closer than ever. I
believe I saw Demetrius in New York by Stone bridge,” Lara confirmed for us.

What she was trying to say was
along the same roads that Paul would be driving. Right on state border.
Demetrius was close.
Great, just great
. “What are we supposed to do now?”
I asked as casually as my anxiety could muster.

Lara closed her eyes to
concentrate. “There’s a girl. Plump, pretty. Soft features. She’s upset. Curly
brown hair. Green eyes. It keeps coming and going. I don’t know anything else
yet.”

“The girl doesn’t matter. Our
confrontation with the others is unavoidable. We have to be ready for it. We
must avoid it coming to this House at all costs.” Jezabell was still furious.

“Lara, any idea what’s coming in
the next couple days?” Damien sounded desperate.

“Oh yes. Paul will be back. The
girl will be with him this time. He makes it very hard to see around his
actions. What he thinks will happen is not going to come to pass. Because of
these things it’s hard to see the reactions. However now that I’ve met him I
think I will know when he decides to return,” she sounded hopeful. That’s why
she came.

Damien glanced to each person,
eagerly absorbing their thoughts. Randomly he would answer people that had said
nothing at all. The most amusing was with Hendrick.

“No, Hendrick.” Hendrick looked up
disgruntled and huffed a bit under his breath. He never moved from his post.

Damien rolled his eyes and shrugged.
“You’re probably right, my friend, but let’s not cross those boundaries.
Remember, if he suddenly disappears then someone is bound to come here asking
questions. Or believe me he’d be dead already.”

“He’d be a good snack though,”
Hendrick mumbled.
Hah!

“Melody…” Lara whispered in trance.
“That’s her name. Terrible darkness surrounds this girl.”

“Melody? Melody Harper? Paul and I
went to school with her. We’ve known their family for years. What’s she have to
do with this?” No one answered me. Silence lay heavy in the room. The saying “you
could cut the tension with a knife” had nothing on this House.

My mind continued to drift over
these series of events. Paul’s intentions disturbed me a great deal though I
tried not to think about it. It sickened me to know Phoenix had already seen
everything. I shuddered hard once.

Phoenix sneered audibly. He could
hear me rethinking what had happened before as I was mortal as well what had
happened outside just a few hours ago. It made us both disgusted. Damien hadn’t
been focused on me as intently or he just didn’t react.

“What is it? You two seem disturbed
over something,” Hendrick asked with that brotherly concern as he stared at me
hard.

“It’s nothing, Hendrick.” I looked
down to my feet, hoping the topic would swiftly pass.

“Paul’s intentions for Lianna are
less than friendly. And more intimate than anyone would like them to be,” Damien
explained rather casually.

“Thanks, Damien,” I snarled, loaded
with sarcasm. “Intimate is such a mild and polite term.” The entire room fell
quiet.

Phoenix stiffened. The clear marble
stopped midair and paused for a second or two before dropping to the floor just
as gravity originally intended. He and I stared down at the rolling marble
which landed against my bare toe.

My emotion was not well controlled.
My feelings were one chaotic rollercoaster. Damien and I were at an impasse. It
was difficult remembering Paul this way. Not to mention the thirst.

The pain. The pain of thirst. My
hunger was a living thing at that moment. My eyes were still blue but no one
seemed too bothered by it anymore. The wild New Blood has a few quirks, I guess
is how they looked at it.

Reaching down I picked up the
marble, rolling it back and forth in my palm. Truly the small glass ball was
remarkably beautiful. It glittered with more colors than I could ever name or
had even fathomed before.

Phoenix stood up. Twisting to stand
in front of me, he held his hand out. When I held the marble up to him he grabbed
me by the wrist and pulled me up to stand. Without a word, he turned me so my
back was to him, his hand replacing to my shoulder walking me to the door.

Damien didn’t say a word. He didn’t
follow. He didn’t even look at me as I walked past him.