Blood's Voice Page 12

  “That’s fine. I won’t put you under anything else. And since you don’t seem to know what happened to me, I have no more questions for you.” Allowing my voice just a tinge of work, “I would ask that you not hunt in either the area that would be mine or Nicholas’s.”

  I could see the power working, it wasn’t exactly fair, but I wasn’t about to allow any of my friends to come to harm.

  “I will not harm your pets, child, but,” he stood to leave, “I will take my leave now. I will not bother you here again.”

  With that, he was gone. As soon as the front door closed, Nicholas was at my side.

  “Well, that was different. You gained much but didn’t ask him all the things I would have thought you’d want to know.” He wrapped his arms around me tightly, protectively.

  “You didn’t see him. I want nothing to do with him. I can’t even explain all of it; just trust me, it is better to know nothing than to continue with him.”

  “No, Anya, I do understand. The time you spent talking to him, I used to pick at his mind. Believe me when I say, I want him out of our area. Jonathan has already been in the area making sure he leaves without feeding here. I now understand many of your aversions to our questions about your past. I wouldn’t want to discuss him either.”

  Well, at least he now understands as do I, some. “You searched his mind while I was here with him? Anything I should know?”

  “Um, much of it would make no sense to you. I didn’t even understand all of it. Your sire is a very strange and cruel being, but he was honest with you. He actually fears you quite a bit. He did already, but he can feel how much stronger you are now, and was worried what you’d do to him if he stayed any longer.

  “But, you are older than I thought.” That exasperating smirk stretching across his perfect lips. “And far more powerful than he expected. The part I worry about is what he didn’t say about those seeking you before.” His face softened as worry filled his eyes. “They believe your voice, if you survived long enough to grow in power, would become not just commanding or coercing, but possibly even killing.”

  Horror struck, I barely choked out, “Killing? What do you mean killing?”

  “What I read was that if you became strong enough you might be able to use your voice as a weapon. That might explain why you are so much stronger now. They may have been trying to advance you quickly. That wouldn’t explain your memory loss, but it might explain many other things about you and your time missing.”

  “Others did something to me to make me a weapon? Then why release me?” That made no sense to me. My blood was stronger, but to make me a weapon would be impossible, right?

  “Maybe they failed in convincing to you cooperate. He did say you were stubborn about killing humans from day one. Or, maybe you escaped, or a hundred other possibilities. Right now we should focus on what you want to do about this information.”

  What I wanted to do about it? “What do you mean?”

  “Anya, love, I was referring to the possible danger and power you may possess. We should probably think of how to help you learn to control your temper better if you’re really that potent.”

  “What if they decide to find me again? Would they try again, having failed before?”

  “We’ll be on alert to that problem so relax. You’re safe with us. No one will let you come to harm.

  Star returned then. “Did your guest leave?” She looked painfully on edge. “And will he be returning?”

  “He is gone. I don’t think he will return; he couldn’t wait to get away from me, actually. But Star, it seems I was sought before . . . it might be dangerous to continue living with you, for you, I mean.” I did not like the thought of leaving, but she shouldn’t have to worry about possible issues from my past.

  “No, I’m not worried about such things. This is your home as long as you want to be here.” Always so loving and kind.

  “Thank you, both. Truly.

  “Well, Nicholas, at least you now know why I always insisted on living alone. But, I worry about the safety of those around me even more now. We’re no longer the greatest risk to our friends.” I could hear the frustration seeping into my voice. “I have to learn better control and fast.”

  “Anya, they’ll be protected. What we need to concentrate on protecting is you.”

  Looking up into his fathomless eyes, all I could think to say was, “Stay, please. Don’t leave me tonight.”

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, I again stood in my closet, staggered and bewildered at the thought of trying to win Declán’s parents approval. They had met me already, but only briefly, and at the time, I wasn’t perceived as a possible threat to their daughter’s happiness. Not that they would approve if they knew the truth about me, but thankfully, the demand was only that I be honest with Declán, not the rest of his family.

  Nicholas stayed with me until I left for Declán’s.

  As I arrived, he came out to meet me, opening my door with a bright smile. “Hi.” He offered me his hand, not releasing it as we walked towards the house.

  “Hi, Declán. Are you sure you want to do this? You have no trouble with me but . . . Kayla wasn’t comfortable at first. If it hadn’t been for Skye being so determined, she would have never been around me long enough to become as she is now. Your parents have met me but only for a moment or two at a time.” Somehow, it seemed surreal that he would want me as his girlfriend much less that he wanted to introduce me as such.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve already talked to them, as has Kayla. Come on, they won’t bite.” He laughed as he pulled me through the door.

  “Funny, not!” I muttered.

  Ignoring me, he continued, “You arrived while they’re busy food crafting. Come on.”

  “Food crafting? What does that mean?”

  “Most would call it cooking, but as they are both creative cooks, good but creative, Kayla and I started calling it ‘food crafting’ when we were little. Relax, they already like you,” he added.

  “I’m fine, just nervous.”

  As we entered the kitchen Caera, Declán’s mother, turned and smiled warmly. “Ah and here she is. Look Liam, I think she’s scared of us.” She laughed lightly. A good sign, I hoped.

  “Now, now, be nice dear.

  “It’s nice you could stop by, Anya. You always seem so shy when around us,” Liam said.

  “Be nice, da, she’s not used to parents; that’s all.”

  “No,” I corrected. “I’m glad to be here, I just worry what you think of how things have changed . . .”

  “Good, then you won’t mind if I kidnap you from my son,” Caera said, looking like she was up to something. I could see where Declán and Kayla both get their mischievous tenor.

  “Um,” gulp, “no, that would be fine.” What would she want from me that required alone time? The teens I was starting to understand, but parents . . . Parents were weird.

  “Mom, no scaring her off.” Declán’s mock annoyance was almost cute enough to alleviate my worry. Almost.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’re going to have a nice chat. It’s a girl thing, you wouldn’t understand,” she said and winked at him.

  “I’ll be fine, Declán. Where would you like to talk, Mrs. Keane?”

  “Call me Caera, please. We can go hide in the study to talk, they can’t hear through the doors there.” That was not an encouraging thought. What does she want that requires they not hear?

  She led me to the study, closing the door tightly. Gesturing to one of the chairs, she took the other. “Please, I’m really not that scary. I just wanted to ask a few things if you’re going to date my son. Indulge me?”

  How could I deny her, what she asked only made sense? “Okay, let the questioning begin.” I tried to sound confident, sure.

  “Relax lass. I’m not that bad, really. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things.” She paused seeming to order her thoughts or questions.

  “Anya, I’m assumi
ng you’re the one that gave Declán the necklace, yes?”

  “Yes, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, I don’t mind that you gave him something, but I am concerned by what it is. I know what it says and what it means. He doesn’t know Irish, but I do.” I couldn’t puzzle out her expression. “It’s a very interesting choice of sentiments to give him, especially at the beginning of a relationship.”

  “Sorry . . . I’m confused, a little. You’re not objecting that I gave him a necklace but rather to the sentiment it bestows?” I had honestly not considered that one of them might read it and understand what it said.

  “More like curious. Do you know what it says? What it means?” Caera asked.

  “Yes, grá mo chroí, which means ‘love of my heart,’ ” I said softly. She couldn’t understand the connection, but maybe she could tolerate it.

  “Okay, so you do know what it says. I wasn’t sure, though Liam was certain you would. I mean, you have a mild Irish accent but still.

  “We worry about our son getting his heart broken, it’s nothing personal.” She sounded so protective, endearing.

  “Don’t worry; I’m not trying to steal your son away.”

  “You know, he’s only turning eighteen in a few days, and you two haven’t known each other long, though this does seem to be the way of my children.” Her smile lit with humour. “Skye was an instant member of the family as well.

  “Liam is more worried than I am, honestly. There’s something about how Declán talks about you that tells me that he’s serious.”

  “I worry Liam but not you?” Odd, why wouldn’t I bother her too?

  “I see how happy my son has become. He’s a very introspective person, so I’m sure that he has thought through the possibilities and concerns of your relationship. As long as he’s happy, I am. Liam is more worried; he had his heart broken a few times before we met.”

  “Ah, he’s worried Declán will get hurt. I can understand that, but I have no intentions of hurting your son.” My voice rang with love and sincerity. “He is in no danger from me.” As her eyes unfocused, my voice working on her mind, I smiled.

  “I believe you.”

  “Thank you.

  “Caera, I do have something I wanted to talk to about before we rejoin the others. Skye and I have been talking about birthday presents. I wanted your permission and assistance . . .”

  “So, what did you two talk about?” Declán asked. He still looked a little worried even though it had been hours since his mother and I had rejoined the afternoon events.

  “Mainly we talked about your necklace. I hadn’t thought of the fact your parents might know Irish. I suppose I should be glad they were so polite about it. Liam’s worried we’re too serious and that I’ll leave you.”

  “Yea, she was eyeing it before you came over. She seemed happy and relaxed when you came out, so I assume you were able to reassure her.” He had an oddly suspicious glint to his eyes.

  “Yes, but I barely used my voice. Promise. I only used it to soothe, not to force.” Well, on that point anyway.

  “What else did you talk about? I notice you said ‘mainly.’”

  “Nothing important, just birthday ideas for you and Kayla. And no, I will not tell you a thing, you just have to wait.” I couldn’t help the wicked grin that was plastered across my face now.

  On Wednesday, we met at my car as usual, but something had changed. Sitting on my seat was a folded piece of red paper. I quickly checked the doors; no, they were still locked. Opening the door, I picked up the note and read it.

  – Change is inevitable –

  By then the others were in the car, Declán up front while Skye and Kayla took the back seat. I didn’t want to worry anyone, so I simply tucked it in my pocket for now, and put on a happy face. I wasn’t sure, but I thought Declán noticed. It was probably my imagination . . . maybe.

  We went back to Declán’s house to hang out as we did most evenings, me trying hard not to show my unease.

  “Anya?” Kayla said pulling me back to the conversation. “Are you coming to Declán’s show tomorrow?”

  “Of course I am! Well, as long as he wants me to.” I looked at him with curiosity. “You don’t mind do you?”

  He looked a little nervous but happy. “No, I don’t mind. I was hoping you would go with me. It’s kinda boring but . . .”

  “I would love to go. Is this the scholarship one?” I smiled.

  “Yes, so it will be really boring but . . .”

  “I do not think your passions are boring.” Both girls started giggling behind us. “Be good, you know what I meant.”

  “Yeah, but it’s more fun to tease,” Kayla giggled. She was smirking at Declán now. “Anyway, you have fun; we’re running out for a bit. Mom gave me permission to borrow the car, so we can shop for you.”

  “Ah, well, you girls have fun. I already did my shopping.”

  Skye and I exchanged a deliberately pointed stare for a moment, before she hauled Kayla out the front door.

  Declán raised his eyebrows, “You aren’t going to tell me what you two are up to, are you?”

  I batted my lashes, eyes wide feigning innocence, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” This was fun!

  With pleading thick in his voice, “Yeah, right . . . you know something you aren’t telling.”

  “Of course I do. What kind of surprise would it be otherwise? Now, be good.”

  Taking his face in my hands, I gently kissed him. His scent and heat never ceased to amaze me or nearly overpower me. His parents would be home any minute, so I had to be the responsible one.

  “I need to go for now.” How I wished . . .

  “You don’t have to go,” he sulked.

  “Yes, I do. Do you want to explain why I’m not eating with your family? No, I didn’t think so. Besides, I have a few errands to run. I’ll be back later, promise.” I kissed his cheek and left.

  Once home, Star was not there as was common in the early evenings, I could smell something odd . . . someone had been there. I ran to my room and threw open the door. My room was a mess, books and disks thrown everywhere. Looking around I found another slip of red paper like the one in my car earlier except the words were different.

  – You cannot hide child –

  While cleaning up my room, I found that nothing was missing or broken. If they were after something, either they didn’t find it or they copied it. Nothing was gone, it was just trashed. Why though? Why trash my rooms and leave cryptic little notes? One thing was certain of though; it had been other blood drinkers in my room. They had also been at my school and in my car. Was this part of something to do with the House that Gabriel had mentioned or was this something else? It felt like the pit of my stomach fell out, though I knew it was in my head. What did they want with me?

  After I had finished cleaning up, I paced frantically. Would they visit my friends? My family? Could I protect them from whomever this was harassing me?

  Should I tell Nicholas or Star? They would both be furious, either way. It was in this fretting state of being that I heard someone outside. As I was beyond upset, it took me a moment to realize it was Nicholas. He came in my window looking around with wild eyes. Yes, he smelled the intruder and was clearly not happy.

  He was suddenly at my side, encircling me in his arms defensively. His eyes darted over every inch of my room before he spoke. “Anya, who’s been here?”

  “I wish I knew,” was all I said at first. His reaction made my nerves worse.

  “I came in to find my rooms trashed and a note left for me. This makes the second note today. Someone has decided to stalk me. I do not like this!” I worked hard to keep control of my voice, but my face gave away my fear.

  “Two notes?”

  Opening my hand to show the slips of paper I clutched, I explained, “Yes, two. The first was in my car today when we came out of school, and the second was here in my room. But they are typed, and I have no idea of the sce
nt.”

  Nicholas took the two notes to look at, yet didn’t release me. “This does not bode well. First your sire and now this?” He growled, “This is bad, very bad!”

  “I know that, but right now I’m more worried about those around me. Whoever they are, they know where I am during the day and where I live. They could easily go after you or your family, Declán and his family, Skye, or Star. I cannot hide everyone!” My voice went up a few notches as I thought of any of them being harmed just to get at me.

  Nicholas controlled the strain in his voice, mostly. “No, you can’t, but we can patrol the area and make sure the weak links are not left vulnerable. We’ll keep them protected.”

  “I’ll stay as close to Declán, Kayla, and Skye as possible. I can arrange to be visibly with them from just before school until their curfew, and then I’ll watch Declán’s. I cannot watch Skye’s too. I’ll have to hope either whoever it will leave our humans alone or that they chose the right house.” Could I get ill?

  Releasing me so he could face me, Nicholas spoke again. “I’ll watch Skye, you watch Declán and Kayla. With the connection you have with Dec, you may need to let him know something. He’s likely to notice your presence, even if he’s not fully aware of it. Tell him that you’re being overly protective or something, but stay close.”

  Caressing my face soothingly, he continued, “We’ll figure this out, I promise. Also, I’ll alert Jonathan and Amber to be on the lookout. They won’t like this. This is our territory, and we all defend and protect the humans here.”

  “Thank you. I’ll keep my cell on at all times too.” With that, I kissed his cheek quickly and headed out.

  As I drove, I was overly vigilant of everything around me. The thought that another blood drinker might be hunting me was bad enough, but that the same creatures might try to harm my friends and loved ones was making my thoughts and feelings turn violent. The anger was nearly palpable as I pulled up to Declán’s home. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I couldn’t let any of them see, much less hear, me angry or scared.