Darkness of day, p.13
Darkness of Day, page 13
A look of alarm shot across his features. “I wish you hadn’t seen that. I really do.”
Melinda shrugged. “Why? It’s nothing I hadn’t considered doing if I could manage it.”
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. He lowered his daggers a bit more. “Something just came over me. I was already angry about what’s happened to me and I wanted to take it out on anyone who drank blood. But when I saw that moon, it was like whatever I was feeling intensified tenfold.”
Melinda was nodding as he spoke. “I know. I felt it, too.”
“What was that?”
“I don’t know, love.” She had finally gotten close enough to touch him. She reached a hand out but stopped when he flinched. After a few more heartbeats, she touched one of his hands and lowered it. “I’m not going to hurt you, baby.” Not that I could, she thought, with a mental smirk. “When we last saw each other Remy was nearby and had deprived me of blood. I’m sure you know by now what the thirst is like. Combine that with him controlling my actions, and that’s what was happening to me.”
She stepped in closer. “So how long have you been dealing with the shock?”
He sighed, putting his daggers away. “Two nights. I feel like I just tainted my soul. If I still have a soul, that is.”
Melinda responded with a sad smile. “I know what you mean, but I think you don’t have to worry about still having a soul. I always thought vampires were supposed to be undead, but my heart still beats. Less frequently, but it beats.”
“There’s times when I feel like I should still mine,” Jelani said, and his gaze dropped to the ground. “Especially after tonight. In the course of a few hours I managed to smack around a woman …”
He winced at the admission and Melinda mentally smiled. Ever was Jelani the gentleman. If he’d attacked a woman, she could guess it was probably because she attacked him, or some other unusual circumstance.
“… and kill more people than I can even count,” he continued. “And not to forget that I left a guy unconscious in an alley after I knocked him out.”
She placed a hand on his chest and he shivered. She felt his heartbeat increase a little and closed her eyes. There were still feelings for her in there. “If it makes you feel any better, you may have saved a lot of people tonight.”
“How so?” Jelani mumbled.
Melinda placed a finger under his chin and lifted his head. She met his earnest brown eyes. Such genuine eyes; even now. “I don’t know what’s going on, or what that moon is all about, but I have a feeling a lot of them,” she nodded her head in the direction of the outdoor grounds, “would have probably gone out and attacked people.”
Jelani snorted. “I doubt it. The Hunters that lurk around the city ensure that mass feedings like that don’t happen.”
Melinda shook her head. “You’re still learning, love. Let me help you out a little. Most vampires who’ve walked the night for at least a few years are capable of a basic kind of mind manipulation. It’s almost innate.” She moved past him, walking toward the edge of the building to look out at the lights below. Jelani turned and watched her, remembering that walk all too well. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him that same seductive smile that had always set his human blood afire.
“When a vampire finds someone they want to feed on, they release a sort of pheromone into the air. I don’t know if it’s actually a pheromone or not, but that’s the best way I can describe it.” She laced her fingers together and put them behind her neck, stretching. “It makes the nearby human practically helpless in that they can’t think clearly, and it also attracts them to you. The aftereffect is a loss of memory of the encounter. This particular trait is inherent in all purebloods, and many who’ve been turned, though not all.”
“That sounds all nice, but how do you explain when a person wakes up and looks in the mirror to see two punctures in their neck?”
Melinda gave him a curious look. “You really must have been in shock when you woke up. Didn’t you look in the mirror?”
“Yeah, but—”
“You didn’t even glance at your neck?” Melinda said, grinning at him. “The first thing I did was check my neck.”
Jelani ran his fingers over both sides of his neck and felt nothing. Melinda walked back to him, leaned her head to the side and pulled her hair back. “This is the side he bit me on.”
Jelani’s eyes widened. Her neck was as smooth as it had ever been. “How is that possible?”
Melinda shrugged. “Can’t say I know the answer to that one, but they should bottle the shit and sell it.”
They shared a chuckle. “What do you plan to do now?” she said, moving closer. He saw the desire in her eyes and fought to control his own. He knew she saw through the facade, though. “Why are you so hell bent on denying how you feel? Did someone tell you it was a sin to be with me?”
He laughed insincerely. “Of course not. It’s just that,” he spread his hands. “I told you before,”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Just, don’t, okay? I really don’t need you to say it right now.”
“Okay,” Jelani said. “I won’t say it, but you know I’m going to always be straight up with you. I don’t know how to be any other way.”
“I know, I know,” Melinda said. “I … just don’t need to hear it.” She looked in his eyes, and he saw a flicker of guarded hope and pride. “I don’t know why I’m so caught up on you anyway,” she said.
That hurt, he thought. He didn’t begrudge her, though.
“There’s a million guys. I don’t know why I waste so much energy on you.” When he didn’t respond, she stared at him. “Nothing to say?”
“There’s plenty I could say, but I doubt any of it is the right thing.”
Melinda laughed. “I guess that’s my answer. Only you could say something like that.” Before he could react, she slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against him. She lay her head against the side of his chest. “The stupid girl in me that wants to be in love still hopes we can be together,” she said. “The proud woman in me wants to slap the shit out of her, then slap the shit out of you.”
“I get you,” he said. “If it would make you feel better to take a shot at me, I can take it.”
She leaned back and rolled her eyes at him, then stepped away and slapped him across the face. His head remained turned aside, and she could tell that it had hurt his heart rather than his face.
Finally, he looked back at her with kind eyes. “Feel better?” he said, forcing a smile.
“No,” Melinda said. “Come here.” She leaned in close.
“Melinda, you know I—”
“Shut up, will you?” She grabbed the back of his head and forced him down to her. Before he could object, she rose to her toes and kissed him.
Her slightly thin, reddish pink lips were just as soft and sweet as he’d remembered. Part of him wanted to pull away, to not betray his love for Alisha. Another part of him knew that Melinda needed this. She needed his touch, his caress, his kiss. He couldn’t begin to imagine what she’d endured in her servitude to Remy.
If he was honest with himself, he would know that part of himself craved her as well. Melinda was a feisty, spirited, and insatiable lover that Jelani had found was a similar experience to riding a raft down a river rapid. Her hand behind his head was strong, but still gentle. Her kiss was rough and urgent, but also soft and exploring. Her tongue flicked in and out, teasing, testing. Knowing he would regret it, Jelani relaxed, and allowed himself to enjoy the contact.
For some time, they stood there, kissing on the roof of the supermarket. When Jelani thought she would break away, she wrapped her other arm around his waist and kissed him more deeply, more urgently. Finally, when Jelani was beginning to think she would try to rip his clothes off right there, she broke away. For several long heartbeats, they stared at each other. Jelani didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t ruin the moment, so he didn’t say anything.
“Cat got your tongue?” Melinda asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Am I that good of a kisser that I’ve left you speechless?”
“You’ve always been a good kisser, and you know that, Melinda ‘the tease’ Reese.”
That drew a wistful smile. “Seems so long ago when I got the nickname I wasn’t supposed to know about.” She ran her slender fingers through her sandy brown hair, leaning her head to one side and providing Jelani a clear view of her neck. He thought not about biting that neck, but kissing it.
She smirked at him. “See something you want?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“I know.”
She shook her head. “Only a samurai could take their honor more seriously than you, Jelani.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Why not?”
Jelani raised an eyebrow. “Well, I have no concept of honor in comparison to a samurai, for one. Secondly, I did kiss you.”
“Correction,” Melinda said. “I kissed you. And thank you for not stopping me. I needed that.”
“I know.”
“How could you?” She blinked at him. “How could you possibly know what I need?”
“We’re both standing here on a rooftop in the middle of the night, are we not?”
Melinda narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m sure your little Shiva Goddess treats you a lot better than Remy treats me.”
Dangerous ground, Jelani thought. “That’s true,” he ventured, “but despite that, I can still feel the control there, that my free will could be snatched away as quickly as it would take for her to think it.”
“Do you think she would do that to you?” Melinda asked. Jelani almost thought he heard a hopeful tint to her voice. It was always easier to share your plight with another when your circumstances were similar.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Even when I was human she would do this hypnotic thing that would leave me dazed. Remember that pheromone thing you were talking about? I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I imagine it’s much stronger with her.”
“Interesting friend you’ve got there,” Melinda said dryly. “Sounds like she’s got you right where she wants you.”
“I doubt it. I’m too confused about all this for anyone to be anything other than frustrated with me.” He indicated Melinda and himself. “Case in point.”
Melinda smiled at him. “Your biggest frustrating trait is always trying to do everything right. It’s impossible, you know?”
Jelani shrugged. “Maybe. I can always try, though.”
“What are you, obsessed with karma or something?”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Jelani said, grinning.
Melinda wasn’t buying it. “Oh? Look where it’s gotten you so far.” She waved at their surroundings. “It’s the middle of the night and instead of having mind blowing sex with me, you’re standing on the roof of a Safeway. You’re a vampire, I’m a vampire, we’re not together, and you can’t even be with the girl you dumped me for, as I’m sure you’ve concluded by now.”
Melinda sighed at him. “Let’s not forget that the son of a bitch who turned me had been out to kill you and your friends.” She indicated him with her hand and let it drop, slapping the side of her hip. The motion drew his eyes downward and he absolutely did not find her hips distracting. Not even a little.
“You listening to me, or fantasizing about my lower body, Jelani?”
“No, I’m listening,” Jelani lied. “I just look down sometimes when I’m concentrating.”
“Concentrating.” Melinda rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “Well, here’s something else for you to concentrate on. Remy wants me.” She waited till the statement really sank in. “He’s only tried to take me once, but I managed to piss him off enough to stop. I don’t think that’ll work forever.” She turned her back on him and went to stand at the edge of the roof, gazing past the buildings, past the water, at the bright lights of North Vancouver. “I know we’re not together or anything, so it’s not really your concern. I just thought you’d like to know.”
Jelani was moving to stand beside her, but the comment stopped him. For a few minutes he stood in silence as she continued to stare out at the city on the other side of the water. “Well,” he finally said, “if you wanted to hurt me, you just did.”
“I’m just stating fact, Jelani—”
“Stating fact,” he interrupted, “yeah, whatever. I hate Remy with every fiber of my being. I hate what he’s done to you. You knew that would hurt, you said it. You’re pissed off at me, I get that. Believe me, if I had any way of knowing that going for a simple jog around Stanley Park at night would have caused all this, I assure you I would’ve made a different decision.”
Melinda ran a hand through her light brown hair, her thin lips pressed into a line. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just feel mad at everything. Mad at him for making me into this. Mad at life, because this had to happen to me. I don’t feel like I’ve led a life that deserves this.” She turned back to face him. “Sometimes I’m mad at you, too. I know it’s not fair, but it’s the truth.”
Her face softened and Jelani didn’t know how to feel. So many lives—his included—turned upside down because of one, seemingly innocuous decision.
“None of it is fair, but at this point it doesn’t matter.” He took her hands in his. “Some gifts come with a curse, and some curses come with a gift. Maybe this is a curse, maybe not. But we did get a gift or two in the bargain. We’re immortal and can do things we only could have dreamed of before.”
He let go of her hands and turned toward the view of North Vancouver. “I’m going to track him down and kill him.” Jelani’s eyes glowed. “I don’t give a damn if I have to go through his entire coven to do it. I’m gonna lay him down cold, and that’s what’s real.”
Melinda giggled. “I love it when you talk dirty, baby.”
Jelani laughed. “Quit doing that. I’m trying to be serious and determined.” He turned back to Melinda and grabbed her shoulders. “Do you want to work together on this?”
“Love to,” she said. “But he has a grip on my will, so I can only do so much. When I’m within a certain proximity to him, it’s game over. If he willed it, I’d attack you without any control over myself.” Her face went hard. “I hate him for that more than anything else. I might be able to live with the blood-drinking thing, and I can definitely get used to immortality and the strength that comes with it. But not having my own free will is crushing.”
“We’ll work on that,” Jelani said. “Can you stay out of his reach indefinitely?”
“No.” Her hands balled into fists. “He’ll pick up on my intent the moment he realizes the distance increasing. If I try to resist his call, it becomes stronger until it’s physically painful to ignore. When I return to him, the pain in my mind has company when he gets his hands on me.”
Jelani’s eyes widened. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, but still, the thought of some guy putting his hands on Melinda infuriated him.
Melinda smiled that sexy slanted smile. “Oh, be calm, my dark savior. I do plenty to irritate him, and in the end, it’ll be worth it when he’s dead.”
“I’ll be sure to prolong the process of removing his head from his shoulders.” A part of Jelani was horrified at what he’d said, but it didn’t change what he intended to do.”
“You may actually have to fight me for that pleasure, love. I want to be the one to kill him.”
“We’ll see,” Jelani said.
Melinda started to smile, but it turned into a grimace. “Speak of a worm and it crawls out of the dirt. Son of a bitch’s calling me. I have to go.” She turned away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Try to remember all the details, but don’t tell me too much. When I’m close to him he can touch my thoughts, so I try my best to forget what I can and make important things feel unimportant. You get my drift?”
“Gotcha,” Jelani said. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” She went to the opposite side of the roof and stepped off, descending to the dark alley below.”
Jelani watched her go, then sighed and turned away. He thought about what he’d done tonight, and what he intended to do. He delved within himself and found a coldness that wasn’t there in his former life. Could his re-creation have changed him so much, or did it simply awaken what was already there? “What the hell have I become? And how many times am I going to ask myself that?”
He caught a whiff of fresh roses, summer rain, and lilacs. Jelani’s gaze fell to the ground in front of him, and he half sighed, half chuckled.
“Hello, Saaya.”
20
Every side of the roof of the Safeway had about two to three feet of overhang; perfect for one who might be strong enough to hold themselves in the narrow space, staring at the ground below. An unusually strong and confident human could achieve such a feat for a short time. Even among his own culture, Yako had found some of the stories about ninjas amusing. That they could be capable of some of the things depicted in stories was simply comical. One of the more impressive feats—by human standards—was a ninja’s ability to hold themselves upside down while spying on or waiting to descend on their target. That part was actually true.
His arms, core, and legs taut, Yako hung upside down beneath the overhang, his back pressed against the piece of roof above him. He held on to two handholds, as still as the building itself. The impossibility of the position would have left a gymnast envious.
He had remained where he was for the entirety of the two fledglings’ conversation. What he heard had confirmed his suspicion; that the one named Melinda sought a way to kill Remy, and that Jelani was also on the Hunter’s trail. Cold and calculating as he was, Yako couldn’t help but give a tiny shake of his head. That Remy could inspire such hate in so many was in itself a talent.
“Disgraceful,” he muttered. Often a re-created human would arise in shock to their new existence, but then come to be thankful to their re-creator, whether it was through genuine recognition of their enhancement or through subtle manipulation of the still fresh and humanlike mind. Not making the mystery of Jelani’s resistance to his influence a top priority was mistake enough, but for Remy to so abuse his other fledgling while being hunted by the Eldest Hunter himself was idiocy. He had created an enemy out of one that might have been an ally—willing or not—and his newest creation was plotting against him as well. Fool.
