Blood's Voice Page 4

  Both their faces lit up with excitement and relief so thick I laughed in spite of the fact I knew it wasn’t supposed to be humorous. Turning my gaze on Declán now, I asked, “This is why you were so concerned right at first about me and the fact Skye brought me into your little circle? You were worried I would damage your sister’s relationship?” I smiled softly, as understanding lit my mind and my eyes.

  “Well,” he began, “you are very beautiful, and as Skye isn’t interested in guys, at all. Well, what was I to think?” he huffed. “I didn’t want my sister’s heartbroken. And, as Skye is one of my best friends, I didn’t want her hurt either.”

  “No, no, I understand. I would never seek to damage someone’s relationship, please believe me on that. However, I don’t understand why you pretend to date Skye. I understand that they do not want everyone to know they are together, but doesn’t it limit your ability to find love? Or do you prefer guys?” Why did that idea bother me when the girls’ relationship did not?

  Declán laughed. “No, I had just never found the right person, so this set-up worked fine for all three of us. They could be a couple but protected and no one harassed me either, you know, about not dating.” He looked away as he finished.

  “So, why tell me now? I appreciate your honesty and trust.” Wish I could give them the same. “But if you desire secrecy, telling me seems to be against that idea. I would never tell but . . .”

  A wicked grin flashed across Kayla’s face. “Because silly, Declán has finally found someone he’d like to get to know better, but that’s a problem for us. If he started to date, I mean. Well, it could be a problem all around, really.”

  “Okay, but I’m a touch confused. How do I fit into this scenario?”

  Skye elbowed Declán. “Anya, Declán has something to ask you.” Both girls looked like the proverbial cat and canary I had heard of.

  I raised my eyebrows, looking intently at Declán. “Yes?”

  “Um, you two are so going to pay for this!” He then turned to face me, though not quite meeting my eyes. Taking a deep breath, he spoke, “Would you go for a walk with me?”

  “Sure.” I still felt confused, but as I liked him, more private time would please me. Now that I knew he wasn’t actually dating my friend I did not have to worry about any misunderstandings.

  He held out his hand. I hadn’t hesitated when Nicholas had done the same thing, but my touch would not be strange or repulsive to him. Would Declán drawback, uncomfortable, or frightened? Hesitantly, I extended my hand to accept his. Declán didn’t pull back, but the look that briefly crossed his face showed he definitely noticed something was different. I stood and retracted my hand gently. Wow, the aching is back again. Ever since we’d met he’d had that effect. What power is this that he has over me?

  We walked down the sidewalk toward the small park around the corner of their home.

  “So . . .” Did all males need prompting to talk while walking?

  “So, you’re bringing your friend Nicholas to the party tomorrow night?” He looked anxious. Why is he so nervous?

  “Well, you suggested I should, you even mentioned adding some more testosterone to our motley little crew. He’s a bit nervous about meeting you all, though especially you.” I couldn’t help but to tease a little. “He’s worried you won’t want him near your girlfriend. Guys have a bad habit of getting a little territorial around him, it seems.” I shrugged. “But I suppose that’s no longer a concern since you aren’t actually dating Skye.

  “I warned him not to hit on your sister either so don’t be wary. Nicholas is a good guy, really.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried about that. You would have been the danger, not him, to their relationship. I’m just curious about what he is to you. Is he or was he your boyfriend?” His emphasis on the last word seemed odd somehow. I wished I had a better grasp of teenage human nature. Oh well.

  “Nicholas is, I suppose, my best friend. He knew me from before the accident that ended up with my loss of memory. He isn’t my boyfriend, though he says we weren’t romantically linked that way before either.

  “So, is that all you wanted to know, my dating history?” I laughed at the thought. I continued to wonder about the pull he had on me. The more we talked, the stronger it got. What was it about this mortal boy that picked so at my being?

  “No, I was just interested. You said you had no memory, but you have a friend from before. It makes me curiouser about you.” Seems everyone, vampire and human alike, enjoyed walking while trying to puzzle me out.

  “Nicholas sought me out. He found me, and we have become friends again. I spent a great deal of time and effort to learn as much as I could, before restarting school. It wouldn’t have gone well if I couldn’t function relatively normally, now would it?” I winked, and his breath caught oddly. “Now, what do you want to know? It’s easier to ask than to try to ferret it out of me.”

  “I don’t know really. I can’t ask about your childhood or your family. You said you live with someone named Star now but that she is not your original mother. So I guess I’m just curious about what your goals are from here forward.”

  I didn’t know how to answer him. I couldn’t tell him that this was an experiment, my attending high school. Nor could I explain that I would be forever sixteen or so many other things. Star had explained that not only do mortals not deal with our existence well, when they believe in such things, but it’s also against the rules.

  “Well, once I finish high school I plan to attend college, though I am not sure what my major will be yet. I want to travel the world and experience everything I can. What about you?” Maybe I can get him to talk about himself, his goals and aspirations. Humans, males especially, seem to like to talk about themselves. “What is it about you that makes you, you?”

  “Well, you met my sister already. We are twins, though I’m the big brother.” He laughed at the idea, as did I. “We have lived here our whole lives, really. We never travel far, not even for vacations. Once I graduate I’ll go to college, but I want it to be some place far, far away from here. I want to see more of the world than just my backyard.”

  His hand tentatively reached out to again touch my hand. I wasn’t sure I should allow it, but was just as perversely curious about his touch as he seemed to be of mine. Again, the warmth, the roughness of his skin encapsulated my hand. At that moment, I was very glad that Star had taught me always to keep my nails painted – our nails attract attention if left uncovered. ‘Normal’ people do not have glistening, transparent nails as we do.

  “Wow, you’re so cold.” He didn’t let go, but his eyes seemed to clear of thought for a moment. Before his thoughts returned, he had released my hand. After a moment, his reason returned.

  He slowly shook his head for a moment before he continued. “Oh, do we get to meet your friend before we go out as a group?” The strange look didn’t return, but something was off in both his voice and face. “I mean, if he’s supposed be giving me a run for my money, shouldn’t I get to meet him?”

  “A run for what? Lost me there, but if you want to meet him first, I can call and see if he wants to hang out. I don’t know what he may be doing though, so your curfew may be a bit too close.”

  “We have to have dinner with the parental, but that doesn’t mean we’re confined to the house the rest of the night. But I would like to meet him before, if that’s alright.”

  “Okay. Let me call him.” I stepped away, pulling out my cell and dialled Nicholas’s number, remembering to keep a normal human pace to my speech.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Nicholas. I have an odd request from the gang. Declán would like to meet you before we all go to the party tomorrow evening. Do you mind?”

  Laughing, he replied, “Sure. Wants to check me out first, does he? Funny. I take it, he’s right there?”

  “Yes. It has to be either before six or after their dinner time; they do this whole family meal thing.”

  “Not like i
t will take me more than a couple of minutes to get there, Anya. Where do you want me to meet you? I’ll get dropped off right around the corner so my lack of vehicle won’t upset their sensibilities.”

  “Thanks. Well, Declán and I are around the corner from their house at the park. Could you get dropped off at their house and we will meet you at the park?” I hoped he understood the reasoning and then gave him the address.

  “Cool, I’ll be right there.”

  Turning back to Declán, I said, “There. He was in town already so he’s going to be dropped off at your house. We just need to go back to the front of the park, so he can meet us.”

  “Really? That’s fast. Well, okay, lets head back then.”

  He looked normal again at least. Maybe Nicholas will have an idea for why the pull and what happened to him when he took my hand the second time.

  By the time we arrived at the entrance to the park, humans walk so slowly, Nicholas was walking around the corner. “Nicholas!” I ran over to him, taking his hand to drag him over to Declán. I leaned in to whisper, “Please keep your eyes and senses open. There is something different about him. And, please, behave.”

  He nodded, following beside me.

  “Declán, this is Nicholas Young. Nicholas, Declán Keane. Skye and Kayla are back at the house right now.” Looking at Declán now, “Should I go get the girls?”

  “Uh, sure. I know they’ll want to meet your friend too.” He was eyeing Nicholas oddly. Huh, maybe it’s some weird guy thing because Nicholas had about the same look in his eyes. Oh well.

  As I took off around the corner, I heard Nicholas mutter where only I could hear, “Thanks,” in the most sarcastic tone ever. I smiled though he couldn’t see. I just had to hope he had the sense to be careful.

  I could hear Kayla coming to the door only moments after I knocked. Good. She opened the door with Skye right behind her.

  “Hey guys, Declán had me call Nicholas so you all could meet. You want to come out, or you want me to drag the two of them in here?”

  “Oh . . . sure, bring him over. Wait, you left your friend with Declán? Oh, this should be interesting.” Skye looked at Kayla, both bursting into giggles.

  “Er, right. I will go get them. Why you all cannot just convene in one spot . . .”

  I again headed out, not finding this ‘ring around the rosy’ thing to be overly fun. Maybe this is normal for humans. Oh well.

  As I rounded the corner, I was immediately aware that something was very wrong. Nicholas and Declán were standing about twenty–feet apart. Declán had that strange blank look on his face again, not moving other than breathing. Nicholas was anxiously looking around, and when he saw me, he was immediately at my side.

  “Anya, why didn’t you tell me? What did you do to him before I got here? We were talking, and he reached out to put his hand on my arm, a somewhat interesting fact considering, but the moment we touched he froze in the form he is now!” Panic and fear rang through his voice and filled his very being . . . as it did mine.

  “I did nothing to him Nicholas. He and I were talking and he asked me about meeting you. He did reach for my hand, and since I couldn’t think of a way to deny him, without hurting his feeing, I permitted it. He commented on the fact my skin is cold and then his face went blank. He dropped my hand and then reanimated as if he had never touched me.

  “This boy has had a very strange effect on me since I first saw him. He sits next to me in my ASL class, well, him on one side and his twin sister on the other. I was going to ask you about him. Remember I said to keep your eyes and senses open? He’s why.”

  Nicholas’s face wasn’t calming. He began to pace too fast considering we were in a public park. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I pulled him to a stop. “Nicholas, remember where you are? Please.” Truthfully, I probably would be doing the same except for the knowledge that it would be too noticeable. Blending in is hard at times like these.

  “Right.”

  I proceeded to Declán’s side. Taking his face in one hand and his shoulder in the other, I murmured, “Wake up, Declán.” The moment I said his name he startled, blinking a couple of times hard, as if he was trying to clear something from his eyes.

  “Huh, wha? What happened?” He looked confused but aware of himself and his surroundings at least.

  “Declán!” I sighed with unimaginable relief. “Thank goodness. What happened to you? Nicholas said you just phased out. He couldn’t wake you. Does this happen a lot?”

  Declán looked around until he found Nicholas and then back to me. “I’m sorry, Anya. I–I don’t know what happened. We were just talking and . . . man, I’m sorry. Where are the girls?” He looked around again, confused.

  “They said to bring you two back to the house, so I came to get you. That sounds like a really good idea right about now. How about we head back now? Come on.

  “Nicholas, you coming?”

  “Right behind you, Anya. Lead the way.”

  Just before six, Nicholas and I excused ourselves. Declán and Kayla’s parents would be home any minute, then it would be ‘family time.’ We walked to my car and of course, he went to my side of the car to open the door for me, waiting for me to be seated before closing the door gently.

  As we drove away, Nicholas looked to me. “Finally, no watching humans. The girls I’m fine with, but something is seriously off with the guy, and I’m not just referring to the fact he has a crush on you.

  “Something is acutely wrong. He touched you and went blank but only for a moment. He touched my arm and went blank until you touched him and spoke. I just don’t understand. And then there is the strange pull he exerts on you. I can see its effect; it’s not natural . . . even for how unnatural we are. Can you come over now? I need to talk to Jonathan about this. Maybe he’ll have some kind of insight.”

  “No problem. Just let me call Star, after my disappearance the other night she’ll probably get worried if I don’t check in.” Giggling as I continued, “How human.”

  His presence disturbs my very essence just as my touch causes his mind to recoil from his own reason. What then am I to do? He fascinates me. He calls to me even, just as it seems I call to him. What then am I to do if he cannot be near one of us without losing himself?

  The apprehension of my consciousness has become beyond palpable to me and within the mere taste; I become lost in a sea of remembrances. Longing, aching, divine fulfilment, these are my . . .

  Pleasure, temptation, satisfaction, love, and revelry of existence are no longer mine, for fate seems to have graced me with two divine souls yet neither can thrive under my foreboding embrace.

  “Hey, Anya, while I know you can drive without much thought, it would be nice if you spoke at least a little. I’ve already seen the boy loose himself. Say something, please.” He seemed to be listening yet I hadn’t spoken during the ride. “I can hear your mind, but you don’t speak. Anya!”

  I blinked coming back to myself. “Sorry, I don’t mean to worry you. I was just thinking about the issues and oddities of this week, both of Declán and of you.

  “Wait, you can hear my mind?”

  “I focused on your thoughts. I forgot you wouldn’t know about other abilities. Not all of our kind can. It takes concentration to do, but Amber and I can do it. Jonathan swears he can’t but in truth he just refuses. You were never able to, but being you can just ask for the thoughts of others and no one can deny you . . .

  “I’ve never met anyone that can command and coerce like you. Yours is a more powerful gift in some ways, definitely more dangerous if you choose to use it that way. But, for now we need to concentrate on the issues with your human.”

  “Agreed.” We pulled up to his home, and he, of course, opened my door for me. I just shook my head indulgently. “Are you going to do that every time I get in or out of the car?”

  He simply grinned.

  Taking my hand, he dragged me up the stairs calling out, “Jonathan, Amber, we need to talk to yo
u. We have a problem with her humans. Well, one of them anyways.”

  “My human? You speak of him like some kind of pet. Declán is a person, not a toy.”

  He just shrugged.

  “Hello again, Anya. How can we help?” Jonathan asked as he and Amber appeared. He was always so kind, really they both were.

  Nicholas gave a quick, but detailed, review of the afternoon’s events and then we waited while both Jonathan and Amber thought.

  “Maybe Anya should be more careful using her powers.” Jonathan said gently. “You have to be more cautious.”

  “Wait, I don’t understand. I did nothing to Declán. I didn’t even choose to touch him when that happened. I only chose not to pull away when he chose to touch my hand. The effect was far worse when he touched Nicholas!” I was getting a bit upset. I had done nothing to Declán, nor would I. I didn’t want him harmed; I liked him. How could Jonathan assume that I deliberately did something to an unsuspecting human boy? Harrumph!

  “I did not use my voice. I didn’t do anything I know of that should cause a problem. If I did something wrong, then what in the name of the Gods did Nicholas do to him?” I crossed my arms across my chest defensively.

  Nicholas put his hand gently on my arm. “Anya, he isn’t attacking you. Please, calm your voice.” Only then did I notice the fright welling up in both Jonathan and Amber’s eyes.

  “Sorry. I am not angry with you. I’m just worried and then he started in on me, as if I was being deliberately negligent. Forgive me, please.” I relaxed my body hoping that they could all relax too.

  “My apologies, Anya. It’s just that you seem to have a lot of issues with your abilities. I shouldn’t blame you for that; you don’t know your own power and abilities yet. This is part of why I was worried about one of the bloodless being your mentor, she has no understanding of how to teach you.