Blood's Voice Read online

  “You are able to resist? Really?” I felt my eyebrows raise and pull together. “Star said others like me would be affected just like humans.”

  “Well, I can resist enough to speak up about what you are doing but not enough to not give in, no matter what you say. It never overly bothered me as you were always able to talk us out of trouble,” he added.

  There was something so familiar and soothing about being here with him. I wished I could remember him, as he seemed to remember me. A friend that was like me? Someone that could understand me and know me? Wow!

  “Well, we have eons to catch up Anya.

  “Why don’t we let them get to know each other dear . . . without adult interference?” With that, Jonathan and Amber excused themselves. Leaving just Nicholas and myself.

  “Come on, let’s go for a walk,” Nicholas said as he again extended his hand.

  I couldn’t help giggling a little as I took it and he pulled me out the back door toward the forest.

  “So . . .”

  “So, you want to live among the humans, not just near them? That’s different.” Though I could see the curiosity burning in his eyes, he kept his voice controlled.

  “Yes. They are fascinating, and I don’t want to hide in the house all the time, so I figured I should learn how they interact. As I said, Star thinks I am crazy for choosing high school to start, but as I am forever sixteen or so, I thought it would be a logical place to begin.”

  “Well, I can see both sides to this one and frankly, I’m not sure how you’re able to manage so close to them on a daily basis.” Looking a little awed, he continued, “Isn’t the temptation dreadful?”

  “No, not really. Mostly their scent is delicious, but I just don’t see them as food. They are people, fascinating, thriving, bizarre beings, and I want to live in their world. Honestly, when Star told me that I lived by drinking blood I was revolted. I could not imagine killing a human even before I knew one. Star says that others of our kind won’t approve of me because of this attitude.” I couldn’t help the sadness that leaked into my voice.

  “Also, I wear a reminder in plain sight to remind me of my vow if the temptation starts to get to me.” I held up my right hand, so he could see the ring. Star had given it to me my first day of school.

  “You wear a ring to remind you to not harm humans?” He looked more than a bit confused as he examined the ring on my thumb. “And that works?”

  “Well, it’s just something to keep the thought in the foremost part of my mind. It does not stop me; it just reminds me why I am doing this. So far, so good.” I smiled, trying to stifle a laugh.

  “Huh, you have the most bizarre life now, don’t you.”

  “Eh, better this life than living as a murderer, yes?” I hoped he was not offended by my wording.

  “True, true . . .” he trailed off, deep in thought now it seemed.

  “Not to change the subject but do you mind if I ask you a little about me?”

  “Huh?” Nicholas said as he struggled to pull himself out of some train of thought. “Oh, um, sure. What do you wish to know?”

  “Well, I’m not going to ask a lot as I am not the same person, obviously, but I would like to know if you know what happened to me. How I ended up alone, with no memory. Do you?” This was my one connection to my past, oh how I hoped he knew something.

  Nicholas motioned to a natural stone formation that made a lovely bench area, and motioned for me to sit with him.

  “I don’t know what happened to you or how an immortal can have their memory erased as yours obviously has been. I do know why you left us though.” The sadness in his eyes made him look truly ancient suddenly.

  “You weren’t technically part of our family, preferring to live on your own. You maintained a home and such separately. We were best friends, and each spent as much time with each other as we did at our own homes.

  “As I said before, you didn’t discuss who made you, but after many years, you decided that you needed to seek out your creator. Sadly, you never told me who that person was, nor did you tell me why you wanted to find your sire.

  “You never returned. I had hoped that you’d just lost track of time and would return in time. However, I feared something terrible had happened. I was never able to find out anything from others we encountered either.

  “Anya, you have been missing for nearly three decades! We were friends for about thirty years before that, and you were not wholly new to this life when we met.” The sadness did not lift. He looked as if he would cry, though in the end, he didn’t.

  “I have been missing for thirty years? Seriously?” I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept. What had I been doing for the last thirty years? Why can I not remember? A growl slipped through my teeth startling Nicholas.

  His eyes looked wild as he jumped back. “What!”

  “Sorry, it . . . I’m just more frustrated now than I was before. It didn’t bother me when I had no idea of a past. For all I knew, it was some glitch in the transformation – though Star was certain I was not new to this life – but to know I have a past, a past that is sitting right here with me, can offer no clues as to what happened . . . to where I have been . . . Grr, it’s so . . . maddening.”

  Nicholas still stood in the same defensive stance looking as if he thought I was going to attack him.

  “Nicholas, why do you look at me that way?” I pleaded as I slowly reached my hand out to him.

  Blinking hard a couple of times, he relaxed his position, finally.

  “Um, oh. Sorry. You know how your voice has extreme persuasive abilities . . . why you always keep your voice soft?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, when you get upset and raise your voice, it has severe effects as well.”

  I looked down; I would have blushed, as the human girls do if I could have.

  “I am truly sorry. I did not mean to let my temper get the better of me. I have never been angry at Star, or anyone else for that matter, to have noticed my anger being a problem.”

  “You’re the only one I have ever encountered whose voice can influence as fully or deeply as it does. It’s one of the reasons I worry about you spending the next year in high school and then if you’re planning to continue to college, surrounded by impressionable humans.

  “As long as you remember to keep your voice in check, I think you should be fine though. Just, be careful with the human males. Your beauty is likely to cause them enough problems, your voice could land you with more than one obsessive admirer . . . or on more than one humans ‘hit list’.

  “Ha–ha, not funny.” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

  I made it home about four in the morning. I was worried Star would be upset, but she was curled up on the steps inside, waiting for me when I arrived.

  “Good morning, Star.” I grimaced; I could see the annoyance in her eyes. “Sorry I am late. Nicholas and I got to talking, and I simply forgot the time.” I hoped she wasn’t angry.

  She sighed heavily, “I’m not mad, really, just concerned. You didn’t call. You have a cell phone, you know, or did you forget? So, tell me how things went with Nicholas and his family?”

  Folding my arms across my chest, I stated, “You never said we had neighbours like me, much less that they had known me before. Nicholas has photos and paintings from years ago with me in them. It was fascinating yet frustrating to be able to find out so much and yet so little.

  “He met me about sixty years ago, but I left about thirty years ago, and neither he nor his parents has any idea what happened to me during that time. None of them has any idea how my mind was erased so utterly either.

  “He says we were best friends, and I felt so comfortable with him. It was so nice to be so at ease with someone other than just you.” Rolling my eyes, I continued, “Oh, and he thinks I am just as nuts as you do for wanting to attend school.”

  Star’s face and posture had relaxed and she finally started talking again. “He knew you before but do
esn’t know what happened? Hmm . . . I hadn’t wanted to tell you until I thought you were more settled into this life. I’ve known them for probably two decades now. Amber is decidedly unnerved by me, sadly. It’s not uncommon for blood drinkers to be uncomfortable with bloodless immortals, as they call us. Still, Jonathan and Nicholas never had an issue. I keep hoping she’ll relax.

  “So, have they talked you into joining them?” She looked worried I would so easily leave.

  I worked to make sure my face showed the compassion and love I felt and said, “No silly. They didn’t even try to talk me into any such thing. Nicholas was surprised that you would take one of us in and that I would choose to stay with you. He says I maintained my own home before, alone.

  “Oh, I did learn one thing that is worrisome though. While we were talking earlier, I got upset and lost my temper, not with him but due to frustration over the thirty year gap . . . and well, he quite literally leapt into a defensive stance as if I was trying to attack him. He said that it has to do with the persuasive power of my voice. It seems that when my anger is verbalized, it’s nearly the same as being physically attacked. It seems it’s frightening even to others like me.” A fact I was not happy about, at all.

  “Huh, well, that’s good to know, I guess. You will need to be watchful. I wonder how a human would react if he, a vampire that knows you, reacted so strongly . . .?” Her musings were not comforting!

  “Well, this gives me lots to think about. A human outing and an old friend all in one weekend,” I couldn’t help but find it all amusing.

  “But, I need to get ready for school,” I murmured with a wink, “and focus on being ‘normal’ before I head out.”

  As I bounded up the stairs to my room, I called out to Star, “Have a good day!”

  The party of three was waiting for me at school when I pulled in, Skye and Kayla both waving for me to join. There was a slight edge to their smiles, but they were, I thought, getting used to me.

  “Hey, Anya,” Skye said.

  “Hi, guys. How was the rest of your weekend?”

  “Oh, the same as always, we hung out together.” Kayla smiled nervously as she answered.

  Skye, I think wanting to shift the conversation for some reason, spoke up again, “And what did you do yesterday?”

  “Me? I went and hung out with an old friend.”

  Declán raised his right eyebrow at this news but did not say anything. His face left me feeling uncomfortable, so I scrambled to expand my answer a bit.

  “Someone who knew me from before the accident managed to track me down.” I shrugged.

  “Oh? Cool! Maybe you can bring him, or her,” Skye looked very curious now, “along next time we go out.”

  Hmm, I wonder if Nicholas would want to meet my human friends. He said he does not usually hang around with humans but is fully committed to not harming them. I wonder . . .

  “I can ask him. Nicholas isn’t in school here, so I do not know how he would feel about hanging out. He would only know me, but if you do not mind another extra . . .”

  I liked the idea of bringing him along, but would it be safe? Well, he can always say no if he does not want to or is troubled about his or their safety.

  “Cool!” Declán said. “It’d be nice to level the oestrogen out a bit, bring in some more testosterone.”

  I couldn’t help but join in the burst of giggles from the ‘oestrogen department.’ “Silly boyo!

  “So, does that mean you already have some new outing in mind?”

  “Well, there is a party Friday night. Maybe you’d like to join us. We can go as a group . . . You can bring your friend with you.” Skye was giggling by the end.

  Sighing, I explained, “He is purely a friend, Skye. Trust me. Anyways, if we’re going as a group . . . do you want to meet there or you want me to pick you up again?”

  They all looked at each other for a moment, then in unison said, “Ride together.”

  “Do you three practice that?”

  “Nope,” Declán replied. “But if we all don’t get a move on we’ll be late for class. Come on girls, go–go.”

  “Alright, alright, come on Anya,” Skye said and we all went to our various classes.

  The knock at the door was not a true surprise as I could smell him, but it was unexpected.

  “Come in, Nicholas.” I could hear the smile in my voice as I knew he could.

  “I didn’t catch you at a bad time did I? You know, I don’t want to make a nuisance of myself.” His sumptuous voice rang through my room and my ears. I idly wondered how my human friends were going to react.

  “No, no, I was actually hoping to hear from you soon.”

  “Oh really, why?” he asked as he came over to sit next to me.

  “Well, for a few reasons. First, I like hanging out with you. And, of course, there is the fact that I am supposed to be inviting you to go out Friday night to a human party.”

  – Blink – Blink –

  “To a what!”

  “You remember the friends I told you about before? Declán, Skye, and Kayla?”

  “Yes.” His voice was strained, his posture tense.

  “Well, they invited us to a party Friday night. I hope you don’t mind that I mentioned finding a friend from before the ‘accident.’” I had already explained the accident and amnesia excuse I’d given to them. It was true enough.

  “Anyway, they said I should bring you. I know a human party is probably not quite your thing, but you never know, it might be fun.” I wasn’t real hopeful he’d want to go, but it was worth a try, right?

  “You want me to go to a human party . . . with you and your humans? Really?” His eyes were wide and searching as they probed my face.

  “You don’t have to go. Nor will I be upset if you don’t feel comfortable with the idea. No worries, really . . .” I trailed off silenced by his strange look.

  “Anya, relax, please. I’m just surprised you’d want me to meet your humans is all.”

  “You do not feed on humans, so why not? I mean, I know what you said, and your eyes back up your words. Declán is actually excited at the thought of balancing out the oestrogen with another male too.” I thought of his face when he’d said that and couldn’t help but smile, again.

  “That’s not what I meant. I would never endanger one of your friends! It was more the thought of you willingly introducing me, to share your humans. That and aren’t you worried about what they will notice if they see me next to you?” His face was a strange mixture of confusion and intrigue.

  “What they would see?” I was trying hard to understand but. “Are you meaning the fact that our features are so similar?”

  He nodded tightly.

  “We hardly adhere to common vampire lore. While we are both pale and our features are too perfect, we have common enough eye colours, and we both know how to move more like them, so our grace isn’t too strange. Not to mention, even if they did suspect such a thing of us . . . we don’t have large fangs hanging out or dress anachronistically. I even lack the ridiculous coffin that seems so common in their myths.

  “Besides, I don’t speak loud enough for them to be affected by my voice or for them to really even hear the unusual ring to it.” Yes, I was certain that having a pale friend wouldn’t be a problem, other than possibly if one of them developed a crush on him.

  “True. Well, I suppose you can count me in then. Your friend Declán, he isn’t the jealous type, I hope? I have an unfortunate habit of turning heads.” He didn’t look overly pleased with that fact. Interesting.

  “Well, he is dating Skye so just make sure you are thoughtful when interacting with her. His sister is Kayla, so I would say be considerate of how you relate to her, as well. He’s a bit protective of them both.”

  “No worries, I don’t get romantically involved with humans.”

  Just then, a decidedly wary look crossed his face. “Star has warned you about getting involved with one of them, hasn’t she? Romantically
, physically I mean.” He was suddenly on his knees, towering over me.

  “Um, we have never actually discussed romance or intimacy. She mentioned that she is not like us on that point and left it at that. Why?” He was worrying me.

  “For most of our kind love is the only lasting bond we make. Friendships are often transitory things, though not always. However, if a human falls in love with one of us, they can become consumed by the power and near obsession it causes. It’s often the same for us, though truly loving one not of our kind is rare.

  “The most dangerous issue comes in that our passions are more than a mortal body can handle. Accidentally killing one of them is a real concern. And . . . once you start on that desire path you will crave it, always.” His whole form seemed to freeze in pain as he explained.

  “I am not trying to date any of them, though there is something strange about Declán . . . an odd pull that he has over me. Even so, why would I get involved that way with one of them, I will never change while they age and die? Somehow it seems foolish to get that attached to beings with such ephemeral lives.” I hadn’t considered dating one of them, though I had heard the boys at school whispering about me.

  “Okay, just please keep it in mind.” He relaxed finally.

  “So yes, I will join you and your friends for the party. Happy?” he added with a soft smile.

  “Yes, they will be excited to hear the news!”

  “Good.” He looked around quickly and leaned in to whisper, “Do you think we could go out for a while, though there are a few things I want to discuss, but Star is here?”

  “Sure, where to?” I whispered right back, feeling a little silly and more than just a wee bit curious.

  “Jonathan and Amber are out on a hunting trip, so I thought my house would be a safe place to talk.”

  “Okay, let me just tell Star I’m going out. She’s still nervous about me disappearing, I think.