15

ou’re hit,” said Jayda. She leaned toward Lori and tried to lift her shirt to gain a better look.
Lori waved her hand away. “I’ll be fine. We need to get as far away from this place as we can.” The van continued to speed along the road under the guidance of its erratic driver.
“We can’t just leave them,” Jayda nearly screamed.
“Just Nick. They didn’t get to Arden in time.”
Turning in her seat, Jayda peered through the curtain divider and saw the black, formless mass that was Arden. She slid back around, her voice lowering. “Tranquilizers work on vampires?”
“A vampire’s heart is still alive, but it doesn’t beat like a human’s. Anything that can disrupt the heart can paralyze them.”
Jayda settled further into her seat. “Where are we going?”
“To get my car. We have to ditch the van.”
“But this is Nicholas’ van.”
“And a perfect way to find us. Don’t worry. I’ll leave it someplace safe.”

The lights of the city shown just as they had the night Lori came crashing into Nicholas and Arden’s life. It was the same lights Jayda happened to glimpse on their approach. But instead of circling around to the industrial area, Lori headed onto a secondary road that ran along the city’s edge.
The van’s headlights moved onto a dark blue Dodge Stratus, parked behind a rundown feed store. Lori pulled the van beside the car and got out, walking fast toward the store. She returned moments later with a set of keys.
Jayda followed Lori’s order and helped her with Arden as they placed him in the back seat of the car, then after taking what they needed from the van, they, too, climbed into the car and continued down the road. Lori drove slower this time, keeping her speed in check and obeying the simplest of rules, going as far as to use her blinker even when no other car was around.
The road on which they traveled led away from the city and turned onto an interstate. Jayda could see a hint of relief hit Lori as her hands relaxed on the steering wheel. Her own small brush with relief faltered upon seeing the welcoming sign to California. For the first time since she could recall, she could place her location on this ruthless planet. And as the neon sign to the motel shown like a beacon through the car’s windshield, she added the Tall Pines Motel to the address.
“It’s no five star, five diamond place, but it’ll do,” said Lori as she parked the car. “Stay in here while I get us a room.” Opening the center console between the seats she pulled out a leather wallet stuffed with cash.
“Do you plan for everything?” Jayda remarked upon seeing the fat wallet.
“In this day and age, you have to.” And with that, Lori left the car and popped the trunk as she retrieved a new jacket to cover up the blood on her shirt. She then headed into the main office.
Jayda’s eyes nervously scoped out the surrounding buildings. The typical businesses sat around the simple, two-story motel: a gas station, a locally owned fast food restaurant, and a run-down strip mall. Similar structures lined the two lane road, leaving the place to resembled more of a pit stop for tourists heading into the nearby mountains.
Her eyes then inched closer to the back seat and looked upon Arden still unconscious. His body was covered in the same dark clothes and coat he always wore, with his face and hands the only pale skin to be seen. Even now she found it difficult to look at him, the intimation from his very presence remaining just as strong.
Jayda whipped around in her seat as she saw the shadow of Lori crossing in front of the car.
“Room 9,” Lori announced. She turned on the car and drove to the other end of the parking lot, stopping before a dark green door with a brass number 9. Lori then worked fast as she carried Arden into the room. Jayda continued to keep her distance, though she tried to help where she could with opening the door to the room and retrieving Lori’s bag from the car’s trunk. As she sat the bag on the bed closest to the door, she saw Lori sitting beside Arden on the other bed, checking his condition.
“There’s a first aid kit in my bag,” instructed Lori. “Can you get it for me, please?”
Unzipping the bag, Jayda rifled through the clothes and found three boxes; one a white plastic and the other two a grey metal. She picked up the heaviest metal box and opened it. As soon as her eyes registered the form of a gun, Lori’s hand grabbed the box and removed the weapon.
“Good idea,” said Lori. She released the magazine and grabbed a box of ammunition from her bag. “Get the white box and follow me.” She then headed into the bathroom and waited.
Jayda plucked the first aid kit from the bed and went into the bathroom. She dropped the lid on the toilet before sitting down, hands still clutching the plastic box. Lori finished loading the gun and sat it on the lavatory, then turned her attention to Jayda, taking the kit from her and preparing for the next task.
“Is it just your arm?” she asked, filling a syringe.
Jayda glanced at the dried wound on her arm. “Yeah. They wanted me to scream.”
“They did that to you?”
“To get Nicholas’ attention.” Looking at the wound further, she winced as she noticed how deep it was.
“It’s gonna need stitches. Lucky for you I’m prepared for things like these.” Lori double checked the liquid in the syringe then asked to see the injured arm.
“What is that?” Jayda asked, nodded at the needle.
“Just something to numb the area.”
Swallowing hard, she slowly extended her arm and looked away, eyes shutting tight. Her teeth clenched as she felt the sting from the needle, followed by three more. Lori returned to the sink and recapped the needle before tossing it into the wastebasket. She then readied a different needle for stitching.
Jayda cringed at the sight of the curved needle. “Have you done this before?”
“Plenty of times. When you’ve lived along side humans for as long as I have, knowing how to fix them up comes with the territory. Working at havens taught me much of what I know.”
“Why at havens?”
“Some of the guests can get a little too rough with the humans. I worked in the medical area as an assistant. Usually there’s one doctor and three nurses, but that can change depending on the haven.” Lori went to Jayda’s arm and poked the surrounding area with the needle. “Do you feel that?”
“No.”
As Lori continued talking, Jayda felt the pressure from her hands as she began cleaning away the blood and preparing the area. Upon seeing the needle nearing her skin, she turned her head, shielding herself from the sight. “Aside from the random mishaps,” Lori said, “havens can be sanctuaries for humans, as well. They take in plenty of runaways or people with nowhere else to go. They are then given a job and a place to stay.”
“I know why you’re telling me this.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re on his side.”
“I’m on my own side. He just happened to have the same idea as me. It’s not like she’s this mindless killer. Gysai can be…is one of the most caring of the Six. She will never force anything upon you.”
Tying the last stitch, Lori rinsed the needle in the sink then grabbed bandage from the kit to cover the wound. With Jayda taken care of, her attention went to her own body and the bullet hidden somewhere inside her abdomen.
Jayda, unable to watch her own flesh being worked with, had no issue in watching Lori remove her shirt and pick up a pair of long tweezers, slide it into the bullet hole and begin to fish around for the tiny piece of metal. A torrent of obscenities left her with each twist and prod from the slender, metal instrument. Finally, she removed the tweezers and held the bullet in the air.
“I hate these things,” she grumbled.
“Why not numb the area first before doing that?”
“Drugs like that don’t stay in my body long.” She wrapped the bullet into a wad of toilet paper and asked Jayda to flush it for her.
Doing as she was told, she dropped the ball of paper in the toilet and flushed, then lowered the lid once more to sit down. Lori continued to survey the hole left in her side.
“Are you going to stitch yourself up?” asked Jayda.
“No need. I’ll heal soon enough.” She picked up a bandage and began taping it in place.
Slumping forward, Jayda rested her chin in her hand. “What are they going to do with him?”
“Nicholas? Well, once they get him to his new home, they’ll start processing him into the system and get him setup in his own eight-by-eight cell. They’ll keep him sedated for the most part. Then they’ll begin the evaluation.”
“Why do they want him?”
Lori answered as she closed the first aid kit. “He’s a rogue. He has no pack and no family. He won’t be missed.”
“And Arden?”
“All vampires are loners by nature. The Brotherhood likes to seek out subjects that won’t be missed. Only in the havens do vampires allow themselves to live with others. It’s a safety thing. But that also creates pampered vampires who don’t know how to survive in the world.”
Jayda sat back against the toilet’s cool tank, her eyes lifting to Lori. “I don’t want a life like yours or Arden’s. I want one of my own. That is my choice.”
Crossing in front of her, Lori took a seat on the bathtub’s edge. “Arden was wrong to take you on like a lost puppy. You’re not his to command. It is your choice.” She took in a deep breath before continuing. “I want to tell you a story. I think it was around 350 BC. My father learned that one of his human mistresses was pregnant. The typical nine months later and I was born. I don’t remember much in those years, but I remember when I first saw him. He was the first child of Gysai. Vampires like to call their creations their children, which kinda’ of sounds creepy when there’s a sexual relationship between them. But that’s beside the point. Gysai gave her first child away to be my husband. This was an arranged marriage, and was meant to stop the feud between my father and Gysai’s bloodlines. I despised the fact that I was used as a pawn in their plan, but I kept my feelings to myself. Demetrius, however, saw every thought I carried and he carried the same. But we played our parts, pretended to be the King and Queen we were ordered to be. Throughout all of this, I fell in love and he with me. I no longer hate what my father and Gysai ordered of us. I thank them. I never would have known Demetrius the way I do now. And to this day I trust Gysai’s judgment. She will not request you to stay in her court unless you are worthy of her guidance.”
Shaking her head, Jayda remained steadfast. “I don’t want to be a part of her collection.”
“I know I can’t talk you into this, but perhaps Demetrius can. He’s not like Arden or any other vampire you’ll meet. It’ll be one conversation. I promise.”
Jayda’s voice softened. “I just want to go home. Nicholas promised he would take me home.”
Lori broke the solemn atmosphere surrounding them as she stood and grabbed her shirt from off the floor. “However this goes,” she said, pulling the shirt over her head, “we have to find out where they’re taking him.”
“You don’t know?”
“There are three facilities on the west coast. The closest is in Washington, east of Seattle. The other is in Arizona, and the third is in southern California.”
“How will we know which one has him?”
“I have a source. He’s the one who’s gotten me this far.” Lori gathered up the gun and kit, then headed back into the main room.
Jayda stepped into the room, as well, and sat on the bed next to the bag. “Were you really born in 350 BC?”
“Give or take,” she said, setting the gun and first aid kit on the dresser. “But I was asleep for the most part. Woke up in time for the Civil War, but I was in Europe at the time. Boring stuff, really—as fascinating as history class.” Returning to the other bed, Lori sat next to Arden, checking on him once more.
“Why do you care about him so much?” Jayda asked.
Lori kept her eyes on him as she answered. “He’s a guardian. His life is similar to mine. He was groomed to serve others, to protect them and to keep all other feelings hidden. Guardians are used to watch over havens and elders. They are the Originals’ private militia, so to speak.”
Jayda raised an eyebrow at Arden. “And brought down by a single dart.”
“They got the drop on us,” she defended. “They’re professionals at their little game of tag.”
Watching the caring movements of Lori’s hand against Arden’s forehead, Jayda asked a daring question. “What would your husband think if he knew you were with him?”
“Not much, I’m certain. He has his own distractions and I have mine. When you’ve been with someone or as long as I have, you become attuned to every part of their being. It is hard to tell where they end and you begin.”
“Then why aren’t you with him now? Why don’t you ask for his help?”
“Because there are some things you need to do by yourself. This is my mess. Besides, I don’t want him swooping in to have all the fun.”
Jayda found herself shaking her head again. “You’re a big contradiction.”
Lori looked at her and smiled. “And a hypocrite… when it suits me. It’s nice to see you getting vocal”—the smile dropped from her face—“but you can shut up now. I think we’ve talked enough.”
“No. I’m not finished.” She didn’t know where this bravery came from, but she made no attempt to wrangle it into submission.
“Well, I’m finished,” Lori deflected. She went for the small table between the beds and grabbed the restaurant leaflets. “Pizza, Chinese, or subs? Take your pick. They all deliver.” She handed them to a stunned Jayda.
“Uh, pizza is fine,” she said, handing them back.
“What do you want on it?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Lori picked up the phone and dialed the number on the pizza leaflet. As she began ordering, Jayda left the bed and calmly entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She pulled a wash cloth from the towel rack and ran it under the facet, drenching it with cold water and placing it to her face. The water from the saturated cloth ran down her neck and arms and dripped into the sink.
Why wouldn’t anyone listen to her? She tried to be heard, she tried to speak up, but everyone acted as though they knew what was best for her. If she had a choice in all of this, then why were they so quick to ignore her pleas?
Jayda heard a quiet knocking on the door, followed by Lori’s voice.
“If you want to take a shower, I have some extra clothes if you need them. But I’ll have to change the bandage on your arm.”
Staring at her disheveled appearance in the mirror, Jayda replied, “I’ll take one later.”
“Alright. The pizza will be here in twenty minutes. I ordered the basic pepperoni and cheese. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“That’ll be fine.”
Jayda waited for Lori to reply, but the woman returned to the main room to await the delivery of the pizza. With a deep breath, Jayda continued to stare at herself in the mirror. How could Lori see this girl as anything more than an object? Others repeatedly tried to beat it through her thick skull. She was an object to them. And now with the fight to persuade her into an even darker existence, she wanted nothing more than to run away from it all.
But she had to stay… for him. Nicholas was on her side. She had never been so certain of anything before. He would protect her—take her home to a family once forgotten. This is the only thing she had left to hold on to.