The Legend of the Blue Eyes (13 page)

Devin rubbed his eyes as he released his
grip on Arianna.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“There’s no one awake in the house, but I
smell blood,” she replied.

Devin lay back down. “Don’t worry about it,”
he responded. “It’s probably my blood you smell.” Arianna thought
for a moment. The scent was familiar, but she couldn’t understand
why. She glanced over Devin and couldn’t see any exposed blood.
“Now that your grandfather completed the transformation, blood you
have tasted doesn’t have to be showing for you to smell it.
Purebloods tend to be really sensitive to blood, and can even smell
blood within someone.”

“Oh,” she replied, lying back down on her
own pillow.

“Are you finished sleeping?” he asked,
noticing her shy away from him. Devin rubbed his eyes and grabbed
his watch from the nightstand. “Seven o’clock,” he read aloud. “I
don’t know too many night humans that like these early hours,” he
joked. Arianna continued to stare at him.

“Why?” she asked as she stared intently at
him.

“Why what?” he replied, rolling to his side
to face her while still lying down. Devin had grown accustomed to
the life Lord Randolph led, and also did not normally wake
early.

“All of this. Why? Why do you watch over me?
Why do you do all of this? You are human, aren’t you? Why get
involved, especially with me?” she wondered.

“Do you remember any of last night?” he
asked. Arianna shook her head no while beginning to blush from head
to toe. “So, you at least remember that,” he chuckled.

“But why me?” she asked. “I’m nothing
special. I’m just some supposedly orphaned kid whose grandfather
was kind to you. Just because he took you in doesn’t mean you have
to like me.”

“No, I don’t have to like you; I just do.
I’ve watched over you for the past few years as a ‘thank you’ to
your grandfather, but falling for you wasn’t part of the job
description. It just kind of happened,” he replied. “I’ve had a
crush on you since I first met you. It used to be a treat to go see
you at Lilly and Dean’s house. Your grandfather would promise me if
I did well on my studies and training, I could go with him to see
you. Year after year, we would stop by to visit Lilly and Dean
without you knowing.”

“Grandfather would visit also?” Arianna
asked. Devin nodded. Arianna pictured her grandfather but couldn’t
recall ever meeting or seeing him at their home or restaurant.

“No matter what you say to me, you can never
convince me that you are not special. You are the most important
person to your grandfather and me, along with many people that have
been waiting to see the legend about the blue eyes come true,” he
added.

“You still won’t tell me about the legend
though.” She pouted.

“Nope, not even if you make a cute face like
that. I respect your grandfather’s decision. He will tell you when
he feels you should know,” Devin added.

“So, you really do like me?” she asked,
feeling like she was in a dream. She had never had a boy tell her
he liked her before, especially not a cute one. Her heart began to
beat faster as she waited for his reply.

“Very much so,” Devin replied seriously.

“But Aunt Lilly said I can’t date until I am
sixteen,” Arianna automatically replied before quickly covering her
own mouth.

Devin laughed. “And I suppose sleeping in
the same bed with a boy night after night wouldn’t be allowed
either?” Arianna blushed as he climbed out from beneath the covers
dressed only in boxers. “Besides, I’m not asking you to date me.
I’m not even asking you to like me back. I just want to be your
friend. I am satisfied just being beside you.”

Arianna continued to blush, not knowing how
to respond.

Devin walked to the door. “If you want, I
can give you a tour of the house and grounds while everyone is
asleep,” he offered. Arianna nodded. “Take your time getting ready.
No rush.”

Arianna sat on the bed as
Devin shut the door behind him. She finally realized she, too, was
dressed in her pajamas.
When did I put
these on
, she wondered, as she searched
her hazy memory.
Nothing,
she thought.
I can’t
remember anything after the kiss last night
. Arianna fell back against the fluffy comforter and pillows
and stared at the ceiling. Arianna laid still and listened as the
soft dripping of Devin’s shower began. Beyond the water, she could
hear no sounds. Everyone in the house was still asleep.

“Molina was explaining how each dearg-dul
has a keeper to drink blood from. Since I drink your blood, does
that make you mine?” Arianna asked, as they walked around the
estate gardens.

“It’s a little more complicated than that,”
Devin replied, sitting on the edge of an empty fountain. “There are
rituals involved in making someone your custodian.”

“Like what?” Arianna asked.

“How about I explain that to you in a few
years? Dearg-duls usually take four or five years or longer to
choose their keeper. It’s a big decision. Once you choose someone,
it can’t be undone,” Devin replied.

“But Molina said I can have as many as I
want,” Arianna replied. “Couldn’t I just choose someone new, if I
make a bad choice?”

“She didn’t explain it all to you. Once you
make someone your custodian, they are obliged to follow your every
order. They’ll never be able to tell you no, and they will always
know how to find you if you call for them. It’s a bond formed
between two people, and it’s stronger than you can imagine.” Devin
watched the clouds drift overhead.

“Well, then, some day, when I finally get to
choose one, can I choose you?” Arianna asked.

“You don’t need to make me into a custodian
to keep me close. I already live only to protect you,” Devin
replied, not looking at Arianna, who was staring at him. “You’re
sure the sun isn’t bothering you at all? No blisters?” Devin took
her face in his hands and scanned it over, looking for burns. “It
must be the baku in you.”

“What are baku?” Arianna asked. “I know
Gabriel is one and you say I am also, but what exactly are
they?”

“They are very similar to dearg-duls. They
come out only at night and drink human blood. That’s why I think
baku and dearg-duls can’t get along. They need the same food. The
only difference is where dearg-duls are sensitive to sunlight; baku
can sit in the sun all day long in their human form. On the other
hand, dearg-duls can turn any time they choose, but baku can only
change into their baku form at night time.”

“What does a baku look like?” Arianna asked
more specifically.

“You saw them when I picked you up at
Gabriel’s house: those men I fought with. Big, pigment free, long
white haired guys? They always look like that,” Devin replied.
Arianna pictured the men that appeared out of nowhere to surround
them that night.

“They all looked the same,” Arianna
complained. “With straggly hair, and very tall, muscular bodies.
Eww. Will I look like that if I change into a baku?”

“I don’t know,” Devin replied. “I’ve never
seen a female baku before.”

“What?”

“I’ve only ever encountered male baku, never
female,” he repeated. “There are some females, children of
purebreds that can partially transform, but never a full
transformation. I’d guess, with being a purebred, it will be a full
transformation for you.”

“Eww,” she repeated, imagining herself
growing into a large, ugly, muscular man. “If dearg-duls change at
sixteen, then when do baku change?”

“There’s no special age. Baku change through
a ceremony that I believe Gabriel, or the head of the clan,
performs. I’ve never seen a baku changing,” Devin admitted. “I do
my best to avoid them. They don’t bring back too many fond memories
for me.”

“Right,” Arianna replied, remembering the
reason Devin was also an orphan. “Then what happens to me now? This
isn’t a life I ever dreamed of, or wanted.”

“You learn to live this life and decide what
you want now,” Devin replied.

“And what if I want my old life back?”
Arianna complained, picking at the stone beneath her.

“You can’t go back,” Devin replied. “Just
forward.” Arianna hung her head in defeat. She knew that she
couldn’t go back. There was no way to erase all that she knew. But
that didn’t mean she didn’t want to go back.

“And how do I do that?” Arianna looked back
up at him.

“By learning about who and what you are at
our own school,” Devin responded, offering her his hand to help her
stand back up.

“When do I start?” Arianna asked.

“Tonight,” Devin replied.

“Of course, night people have night school,”
Arianna deduced. Arianna took his hand and stood. “Great. More new
people and another new place. How exciting,” she added
sarcastically.

“You’ll be fine,” he reassured her, leading
her away from the fountain. “Besides, I’ll be right there with
you.”

“Promise?” she asked. Devin nodded.

Arianna walked into the neatly-organized
classroom behind Molina. The blackboard was near the door that she
entered from, and six long rows of tables were filled with students
sitting before her. She didn’t like how all the students eyed her
over as the teacher talked. Devin moved to the back of the room and
sat down as Arianna stood beside the teacher. Arianna had no
problem being the center of attention in a group of people she
knew, but strangers were a different matter. Arianna stood like a
statue as the teacher talked.

“Everyone, we have a late arrival to the
school term. This is Arianna Grace,” the older, gray-haired woman
introduced Arianna.

“Hello,” Arianna replied, with a slight
wave, before going back to curling the edges of her new uniform
skirt between her thumb and forefinger.

“As everyone should be able to tell, she’s a
purebred dearg-dul. These are two of her PPU. Here, Miss Grace, we
can make space right here for you, since you will have to catch up
to the class,” the teacher said, pointing to a seat already filled
with a student. “Molly, move to the back please,” the teacher
added, smiling kindly at Arianna. Arianna could feel the distain
behind the girl’s eyes as she smiled sweetly back at the
teacher.

“No problem, Miss Johnson,” Molly said
nicely.

“Don’t worry about it,” Arianna added,
moving to stop the girl from standing. “I can just sit there. There
are plenty of seats free back there.”

“But,” the teacher complained, getting
frustrated as Arianna walked past the seated students to the empty
last row of tables. “If that’s what you wish,” the teacher finally
replied.

Arianna sat through the first hour’s
lecture, and found herself daydreaming. She was completely lost on
the material, and didn’t care too much about it. Tuning out the
lecture on the merits and quality of blood types, Arianna gazed out
the large windows beside her rather than listen. The teacher didn’t
seem to notice, or mind, Arianna’s lack of interest.

“Miss Grace,” the teacher repeated to catch
her attention. “Is any of this familiar?” she asked.

“Not really,” Arianna replied, snapping out
of her daydream.

“Have you gone over any of this with your
guardians?” the teacher asked in front of the class.

“Nope,” Arianna replied to the shock of all
the students in the room. “They didn’t think to tell me about
anything, least of all that this was what I was.” The students
began to murmur. How could a purebred not be told about anything?
The teacher looked to Devin sitting behind Arianna, and he nodded
in agreement.

“Oh my,” the teacher replied. “I guess we
have a lot more catching up than I thought. We might need to have
additional classes. Maybe some of the students can help you catch
up as well,” she suggested, but Arianna knew that wasn’t going to
happen. Without ever talking to the students, she could tell that
they already disliked her.

“I can help her,” a student said, entering
the room late for class. Arianna stared at the boy. His shaggy,
reddish brown hair hung past his collar, and he peeked from between
his overgrown bangs. The boy quickly pulled his hair back as the
teacher began to scold him.

“Late again, Mr. Winter?” she asked. “What
was it this time? Your shoes still missing?”

“No excuse,” the boy replied. “I just
couldn’t wake up.” The class laughed. The boy made his way through
the rows of seated students and sat down beside Arianna. “I’m
Turner Winter,” he said, stretching out a hand and introducing
himself.

“Arianna,” she replied, shaking his hand
while still staring at his eyes. Something about him seemed
familiar, but she had never seen his face before.

“You may help her, on one condition,” the
teacher added. “You start showing up to class on time.”