12

he front door to Nicholas’ house squeaked open as Jayda shuffled onto the porch, the familiar cool, night air chilling her skin. She stopped upon seeing the back of Lori as she sat on the steps, one hand holding the tiny gravel from the road and the other tossing them away, one at a time.
“I thought you left,” said Jayda, moving to the porch’s railing.
“Believe me, I wanted to,” Lori huffed, then sighed. “But a promise is a promise, right?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. It was Arden who talked me in to staying. But the walk was a good thing—gave me a chance to clear my head and weigh some things.” Lori tossed a piece of gravel onto the driveway. “You’ve been keeping your distance from me. Why?”
“I didn’t realize I was.”
“So Nick told you about me.”
“A little.” Jayda leaned against the railing, her weight on her forearms. “Is it true?”
“That I was the first person to ever run away from the circus?”
“The truth.”
Lori read the irritability in her voice and eased up on her sarcasm. “If you knew the life I ran away from, then you would know what I said was true.” Another pebble left her hand and bounced over the driveway and into the grass. “What do you want to do with your life?”
“I don’t know.”
“Any dreams or goals?”
Jayda shrugged as she replied, “It doesn’t matter what I do. I can’t escape what’s going to happen to me.”
Lori stopped throwing the pebbles to look at her. “What have you seen?”
“My death,” she said, forcing a laugh.
“How?”
Looking away, Jayda’s mind flirted around the knowledge she once saw. “When they came into the cave, I knew my death would be soon and at the hands of a vampire. But Arden let me live.”
“Did you see the vampire in your vision?”
“There was no vision, only the truth, and they always come true. The end result can never be changed.”
“And you’re certain it was a vampire? Male or female?”
“All I know is that I die at the hands of something older than I can comprehend. I can feel my blood leaving me and my heart slowing. But this thing believes it’s for the best. And that’s it.”
Something older than she can comprehend? Lori retraced the small hints she gathered from Arden, and even her own plans once she discovered Jayda’s talent. This wasn’t a permanent death she was led to believe. She had seen the end of her human life and the beginning of her life as a vampire. This thing she saw could be Gysai.
Lori decided to change her tactics, an attempt to soften the fear she may have on the night of her “death.”
“You know how some people talk bad about their mother-in-laws?” She gave a relaxed grin. “Mine isn’t so bad—a little testy around the edges, but who isn’t? You should meet her. She can explain more about your gift than anyone else.”
“You’re married?”
“Yeah. I can’t recall how many years we’ve been married, but it feels like forever and a century. I may pay him a visit after things settle down here. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
“Is he human?”
Lori laughed. “Not since the Romans worshipped their stolen gods.”
“How old are you?”
“You’re not suppose to ask a girl that question,” she coyly avoided.
Jayda hung her head. “Sorry.”
“I look like I’m in my twenties, right? That’s all I need to know and that’s all anyone needs to know.”
Finally looking at her once more, Jayda asked, “People like me… What can they do?”
Lori returned to tossing the gravel in her hand. “Some can read thoughts by eye contact alone, while some need to hear them speak. A rare few can even gain glimpses of the future. And the strongest can control weak minded creatures. Now that one, though one of the rarest, has found a home in vampire folklore for centuries. Gysai prizes all of these oddities—almost worships them for their talents.”
“Why were you going to leave tonight?”
“There is a group out there who searches for test subjects, like rats to a scientist. They bring in werewolves and vampires, even a few like me. They perform tests and try to find ways to control them. I spent the next five years enduring their tests, and this group now has its eyes on Nick and Arden. I wasn’t going to interfere that night. I needed to know if a certain someone would be there. But Arden found me and I was forced to change my plans.”
“Who were you looking for?”
“We are all forced to do things for survival. But when we are cornered by their selfish reasons, that’s when it crosses the line in my book.” She let out a painful laugh. “I’m the biggest hypocrite in the world, actually.” Dropping all of the gravel to the ground, she dusted off her hands and leaned back, her eyes on the black sky.
“How are you a hypocrite?”
“Let’s just say that I hate it when the tables are turned.”
“Are you going to keep your promise to me?”
“If we’re still alive by then, yeah. Promise will be kept.” Lori heard Jayda’s light footsteps as she walked back into the house, gently closing the door behind her. She was thankful that the girl’s annoying questions were over, but the lack of intuition left her wishing for her own mental gifts.

At his desk in his study, Nicholas sat forward in his chair, elbows propped up, eyes closed and fingers rubbing his temples. The shattered tracking device, now in the wastebasket, continued to scream at him. How could he have been so easily compromised by money? Normal procedure had him removing the cash and placing it in his own bag, but years of a clean track record left him feeling too comfortable. And with anything threatening him as a result, it was his fault.
“What do you want?” said Nicholas, sensing he was no longer alone.
Arden stepped further into the room and stood before his desk. “She came back.”
Nicholas sighed as he dropped his hands to the desk. “You should’ve let her go.”
“How do you know I went after her?”
“She wouldn’t have come back if you didn’t.”
“If she is right, they will come for us.”
“Or not,” Nicholas muttered.
“Prepare for all possibilities.”
“I don’t care anymore.”
Arden tilted his head at him, eyes narrowing. “You have been playing human too long. Go into the woods and stay till dawn.”
“I’m fine.”
“Allowing your fur to be seen only on a job or by the pull of the moon is not the life of a true pureblood. You are poisoning yourself with worry.”
“Leave,” said Nicholas as he returned his hands to his head, this time rubbing his forehead.
“It is affecting your judgment.”
“I said leave.”
Arden slammed his hands on the desk, the loud thud piercing Nicholas’ self-loathing demeanor. The werewolf stared up at him, eyes widened by the unexpected outburst.
“I am here by my own choosing,” Arden said, his words sharp. “I am here to protect you. Follow my orders or I will leave you to your destruction.”
Nicholas dared not to blink, fearful that the vampire would use the moment to take hold of him. “All right,” he whispered. “You win.”
“Till dawn,” he ordered.
Nodding, Nicholas agreed. “Dawn it is.”

The woods were once a place where Nicholas loved to visit. His favorite time centered around the fall when the bucks were crowned with their seasonal weapons. Taking down the largest and strongest was something he strived for each year, sometimes landing six before the first snowfall. He was careful not to hunt close to home. He had to protect the local population as well as his whereabouts. But there had been a few close calls in the past.
The last hunter Nicholas surprised was the last time he went on a hunt. As he went for the kill, he failed to sense the human yards away. The hunter saw the massive creature attack the prized buck, and in the moment between awe and bewilderment, the hunter took aim and fired at the beast. The bullet from the rifle drew Nicholas’ attention as it struck him in the back, entering his left lung and exiting his chest. He faced the hunter, growling through his clamped jaws around the deer’s neck. Enough blood pooled in his lung to labor his breathing. But as he stood his ground against the hunter, the bullet wound healed and his body began the task of removing the escaped blood. The hunter lowered his weapon as he saw the creature release the dying buck onto the ground, followed by the blood pouring from his mouth. A roar, mixed with a wheezing cough, continued to leave him, taking with it the last of the blood. He looked at the hunter once more and rose to his feet, snorting at him. As he saw the hunter readying for another shot, Nicholas dropped back on all fours and snarled at the human, ears flat and head still as he slowly moved toward him. Killing the human wasn’t in his plan, but it was an idea he entertained.
With another shot hitting him in the shoulder, inches from his head, Nicholas rushed for the hunter, knocking him back before jostling him around. He kept his claws and teeth from dealing any serious harm. His plan was to frighten the human into running, but this stubborn guy took more than a display of teeth to incite any real fear. After a few seconds under the barrage of this beast, the hunter broke free and ran, thanking God that he would live to tell his tale.
And the tale did spread like Nicholas had feared. But the story told of a bear-like creature, which soon became a story about a bear altogether. Though years had passed since the incident, the urban legend about the invincible bear continued to flourish around the southern towns of Oregon.
This night, however, was neither a time for hunting nor running. Nicholas abided by Arden’s request to stay in the woods until dawn, but he refused to call upon his fur. He sat by a tree miles away from his home and dozed off. This was all the relaxation he wanted. Arden’s worry, as misplaced as it seemed, was one he humored. He was the only one in the world that appeared to give a damn about this worthless rogue.
Even though Nicholas cared little about himself, he began to care about someone else. The poor girl, stolen away from her own messed up life, and forced into another by the chains of greed. He almost regretted letting her live. If he had done his job regardless of Arden’s order, then she would have been put out of her misery. But now, under the veil of a second chance, he felt guilty for even entertaining the idea. Any which way he tackled his thoughts regarding her, he was thankful she was still alive.
As the dark blue of the sky gave way to a paler shade, Nicholas left the tree for the comfort of his bed. Throwing himself onto his mattress, sleep came to him easier here than in the woods. Arden may have been right. He was acting too human. But being human wasn’t all bad. It offered a simpler life, one Nicholas was beginning to yearn for.