Okay, as promised it is Sunday and here is the next chapter. Hope those of you reading are enjoying it and that I am doing this series justice! Reviews are welcome and most appreciated!
Chapter 2
Claira
Age 10
"Hey Mom," Shawna Drapeau greeted as her mother pulled open the door. Muriel Drapeau eyed her sleepily, pulling at the lapels of her housecoat and crossing her arms over her chest. "I got this call for this gig and I have to meet them at five before the tour bus leaves," Shawna explained unfazed by her mother's less than enthusiastic reception.
Claira Drapeau stepped from behind her mother and smiled sleepily up at her Grandma Muriel. The older woman smiled lovingly at her granddaughter, patting her head as she spoke softly. "Claire Bear, why don't you go up to your room and get some sleep while I talk to Mommy."
Claira nodded, glancing nervously between the two women. Her mother smiled reassuringly, pulling her into a quick hug and kissing the top of her head. "I'll see you soon, Sweet pea."
She forced a shaky smile, willing her tears to wait until she reached her room. This wasn't the first time her mother had woken her in the middle of the night with her things packed for an impromptu stay at her grandmother's. She'd felt her mother's growing restlessness over the past few weeks and knew this was coming. Shawna's dream was to be a star and she felt that one day she would be 'discovered' on one of these jobs as a backup singer. Her mother never could stay in one place too long, Grandma had once told her. Having a child had never fit in Shawna's life plan, but she had tried in those first years. Well, that first year, anyway. After Claira's father left, her mother had lost interest in 'playing house' as her grandmother called it. Claira had been living with her Grandma Muriel off and on since.
She hurried inside and paused midway up the stairs to listen as her mother and grandmother spoke in heated whispers. She could feel her grandmother's frustration and her mother's impatience. Tears burned at her eyes at the feeling that her mother couldn't wait to be rid of her again. She'd only been home a couple of months and already her mother wanted to be away again.
"This is the last time, Shawna."
"Come on, Mom, I—"
"Don't come on, Mom me," Muriel interrupted, her hands flying up from her sides. "It's the middle of the night, Shawna. You can't just keep dumping her here whenever you please."
"I know, it's just—"
"I don't want to hear your excuses," Muriel's voice rose and she paused to calm herself, glancing over her shoulder before she continued in a hushed whisper. "Claira needs stability. She's just a little girl! If you can't give that to her, then I will do what is necessary to ensure Claira has what she needs."
Claira's breath caught in her throat, fear seizing her heart as she awaited her mother's response. Would she care? Or would she just tell Grandma Muriel to keep her? A war erupted between Claira's mind and heart. Her mind believed that she would be better off with her grandmother in the long run, but her heart screamed for her mother not to abandon her, not for good, not like her father had.
"You would take her away from me?" Her mother's voice broke and Claira could feel her pain at the thought of permanent separation from her daughter. Yet she could also feel her desire to chase her dream no matter what the cost.
"I will do what is best for your daughter."
Claira
Age 12
Claira stiffened in her bed as the door opened and a shaft of light slid across her bed. She listened intently, trying to keep her breathing steady as though in sleep. She knew Jerry was watching her, hoping to catch her awake. She could feel his frustration with her mother and his building hunger. She could feel it in his gaze whenever her mother's back was turned, the way his eyes raked over her.
Claira mentioned it to her mother once, but instead of listening she reminded her daughter that without Jerry they wouldn't have a place to live. Shawna had met her current boyfriend on her last tour. He was a roadie or something and when they'd returned Shawna had moved her and Claira in with him. His apartment was larger than theirs, she'd reasoned. So, it made more sense for them to move in with him. While this might be true, Jerry's apartment left a lot to be desired. It was dirty and her room was half the size it had been. Not to mention that it was in a completely different neighborhood, this meant a new school for Claira.
Claira liked her old school; she'd been there since kindergarten. True she only had two or three friends there, but she just wasn't good at making friends. She'd been at this new school for over a year and still hadn't made any real friends. Mostly the other kids in her class teased her about her bright red hair, calling her Red or carrot top (which did not make sense as carrot tops were green). Over the summer she'd grown almost three inches which now meant that she was taller than most of the boys in her class and only made the teasing worse. She longed to return to her old school and her friends there. She would never fit in here, though her mother insisted she just had to try a little harder.
At first it hadn't been so bad. Claira and Shawna were often left alone for months on end when Jerry got work as a roadie. But a little over six month ago, Jerry had been injured on the job and now he stayed home unable to work, collecting social assistance. Shawna had gone to work then, taking this job or that to make ends meet and Claira could feel her mother's growing unhappiness at how ordinary her life had become. She'd always longed for the spotlight, working the checkout line at the local grocery store was about as far from the spotlight as Shawn Drapeau could get.
Shawna became distant, pushing both Jerry and her daughter away. She spent most her nights with a bottle of wine, drowning her sorrows. The distance began to put a strain on her relationship with Jerry and his stealthy glances at Claira became blatant stares, setting her skin crawling and her heart hammering in her chest.
Things took a turn for the better a couple of weeks earlier when her mother landed a job at a small downtown jazz club. She was following her dream again without having to leave her daughter behind. It was the best of both worlds and Shawna's elation was contagious. Only when she realized that her mother would be gone a few nights a week and she would be alone with Jerry did Claira's happiness turn to dread.
Every night she was alone with Jerry, Claira skipped her shower and went to bed early hoping he would pass out watching television and leave her alone. Some nights she was lucky and that was exactly what happened. Others he would stand in her doorway watching her until he was satisfied she was asleep. She didn't know what would happen if he found her awake one night and she didn't want to find out. It was enough to feel the weight of his gaze on her back and stare at the shadow he cast in the doorway. She was just happy he couldn't hear her heart beat or its frantic cadence would give her away. She'd lie awake in bed until she heard her mother come in, finally able to let her guard down and fall asleep.
Tonight, he'd come back twice already and she could feel his growing frustration. Silently, she prayed for time to quicken and her mother to return as tears pricked at her eyes.
"I know you're awake," Jerry muttered from the doorway. Fear gripped her chest and she fought the urge to try to run. He was testing her. He couldn't actually know she was awake without coming closer, could he? "Did you hear me?" he growled, taking a step into her room.
Claira bit down on her lip and struggled to keep her breathing steady, closing her eyes so she watched the shadow on the wall growing closer through veiled lashed. Panic seized her when he came to stand next to her bed. Her fight or flight instinct took over and she bolted from her bed, running for the door. He caught her by the arm and yanked. Her screams were cut short as her head connected hard with the bedpost of her canopy bed.
Suddenly, she was pushed onto the bed. Her ears ringing so that she couldn't make out what he was saying as she blinked at the dark spots clouding her vision. She screamed, her throat feeling raw though no sound came out as he climbed atop her. He pushed at her shirt, yanking it up and exposing her chest. She struggled and thrashed beneath him, her small fist connecting with his face. Pain radiated down through her arm and he slapped her hard across the face.
Dazed she stopped moving and his hands returned to her chest squeezing her small breasts until she cried out. He grinned down at her, relishing in the pain he'd caused her for a moment, before his hands moved to her pants pushing them down her thighs. The foot of her bedframe dug painfully into the back of her thighs and she could feel the tears slipping into her hair. She closed her eyes, trying to pretend that it was all a nightmare and she would wake up safe in their old apartment with her mother telling her everything was okay.
Jerry jerked awkwardly atop her and she felt something wet on her face. She slowly opened her eyes. There was a look of stark disbelief on his face as he gazed down at the dark spot spreading across his chest. He slid off her, turning to look behind him. As he fell to the ground, Claira saw her mother standing in the doorway, gun in her shaking hands still pointed at the spot where Jerry had been.
Claira frowned, she hadn't heard the shot. Weren't guns supposed to be loud? Her mother was at her side, adjusting her clothing and pulling Claira into her arms. Shawna held her tight and rocked her as she'd done after so many other nightmares. Was that what this was, a bad dream? Was that why she couldn't hear her mother's whispered reassurances? Claira's gaze fell to Jerry's body, crumpled on the floor and she began to shiver despite the warmth of her mother's arms.
Shawna pulled away, holding Claira at arm's length and looking her over. She was speaking, Claira was sure of it. She could see her lips moving, but no sound seemed to be coming out. She frowned, blinking at the black spots in her vision, her eyelids becoming so heavy she finally gave in and drifted into the darkness. When she woke everything would be okay, this would all have been a nightmare.
Claira
Age 13
Claira couldn't hear them, but she knew they were fighting again. Her mother's pain and guilt screaming in her mind louder than any words ever could. In the nine months since they'd moved back in with her grandmother she'd felt it growing louder and stronger in her mother. Their fights were becoming more frequent and she could feel things coming to a head.
Today, after their latest visit to yet another hearing specialist, Shawna's desperation was nearly palpable. There was a way that Claira might hear again, but it was not covered by the government medical plan and Shawna's job at the club didn't come with insurance. It was expensive, that much Claira had gathered as she struggled to read her mother and grandmother's lips at the dinner table. They'd sent her upstairs to work on her homework after dinner, but she knew it was so they could argue without her around.
Shawna opened the door and popped her head in to get Claira's attention before she spoke. Claira was getting better at reading lips, but only if she was really paying attention to the person. She'd begun to learn when it became clear that her deafness could not be helped by a hearing aid. It wasn't that her ears couldn't hear the sounds; it was that there was some kind of short circuit between her ears and the part of her brain that processed the sounds. When she'd hit her head on her bedpost the pathway had been damaged.
"Hey, Sweet Pea," Shawna greeted with a faltering smile. As her mother spoke it was like she could hear her mother speak the words in her mind. The doctor said it was normal, that her memory knew what her mother sounded like and so her brain made it seem like she could actually hear the words she was seeing. "Can I come in?"
Claira smiled and nodded, putting aside her textbook. "Is everything okay?" she asked, forcing herself to speak at a normal volume. That was another thing she'd had to learn. She couldn't hear herself speak and at first she'd been yelling though she hadn't realized it. She worked with her speech therapist who taught her how to recognize the volume of her voice through how it felt as she spoke.
"Of course," her mother lied. She sat on the bed next to Claira, staring down at her hands for a long moment. Finally, she met Claira's gaze again and continued. "Grandma Muriel and I just had some things to discuss, but we've come to an agreement."
Claira felt her throat begin to work at the lump forming. Her mother's guilt was suffocating. "Y-you're going away again."
Shawna nodded, her smile quivering at her lips as her eyes glistened with tears. "Just for a little while." Claira watched her mother's swallow hard at her lie. She knew she was never coming back. "I got this great gig, it pays really well," she explained, drawing a shaky breath as she blinked at the tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna get the money to fix—" Her hand cupped Claira's face, her thumb grazing her cheek as she struggled to speak.
"This isn't your fault, Mommy," Claira insisted, wishing she could make her mother believe.
"It is," Shawna nodded, losing the battle with her tears as they streamed unchecked down her cheeks. "I messed up, but I'm gonna make this right." She leaned in and kissed Claira's forehead as she stood. She framed Claira's face with her hands, pulling her daughter's gaze up to her as she spoke again. "I love you, Sweet Pea – always remember that." With one last kiss atop Claira's head, Shawna turned and quickly left the room.
Claira stared after her. She jumped to her feet, calling after her mother though she knew nothing she could say would change her mother's mind. Shawna smiled up at her, wiping at the tears on her cheeks and blowing her a kiss. She stood at the top of the stairs, watching her mother and grandmother hug, and knew in her heart that she would never see her mother again.
Claira
Age 16
Claira smiled at Scotty as he took her hand. Even with everything that happened he'd always remained her friend. When she'd returned to her old school after moving back to her grandmother's he and her best friend Courtney had both been there to help her adjust to her new life in silence. The teachers had been especially accommodating offering print outs of their lectures and Scotty and Courtney were always there to offer their own notes to help her. They spent almost every night at the library; taking turns helping her catch up with her studies. She knew without their help she would never be graduating in a couple months with her classmates.
Scotty paused at a bench a little ways away from the library entrance and gave Claira's hand a squeeze. Nodding at the bench, he took a seat and pulled her down beside him. She met his nervous gaze and smiled reassuringly. "There's something I wanted to ask – I mean you can say no – but I just, I thought—"
"Ask me what?" Claira smiled, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. She could feel his trepidation though she couldn't understand the cause.
"I thought – maybe – if you wanted to," he drew a shaky breath, his green eyes darting to the library then back. He raked his hand through his hair, nodding at one of their classmates as they passed. When they were gone he met Claira's gaze again. "Do you want to go to Prom with me?"
"P-prom?" Claira's throat closed around the word. She hadn't really considered it. Who would invite a deaf girl to a dance? "I hadn't really thought about it," she added quickly as she felt his hopes plummet as she spoke, his gaze falling to her hand in his. She could feel his grip slipping from her fingers as she held tighter to his hand. "I'd love to go with you, Scotty." Her other hand found his chin and she lifted his face so his eyes met hers and he could see the smile playing at her lips.
"Really?" His green eyes lit up as he they glanced from her smiling lips to her eyes. She nodded, her smiled widening as she felt his happiness wash over her. His gaze ticked to her lips again as his tongue wet his own and Claira's eyes drifted closed in anticipation of a kiss that never came. Her eyes snapped open as she felt Scotty's hand torn from hers. She glanced around frantically for him. She found him crumpled against the wall the brick wall of the library behind them.
She jumped to her feet rushing to him when someone's arm laced around her waist. She felt the strong muscles of a man's chest against her back and felt herself freeze. She could feel her attacker's desire, a dark hunger that set her heart pounding frantically in her chest. She felt the man's breath in short bursts against her cheek as he spoke. "I-I can't – I don't hear," she croaked, feeling the man's growing impatience mixed with his desire for her. He spun her around and Claira's breath caught in her throat at the sight of flames dancing in his eyes. "P-please don't hurt me."
"I could never hurt you, Sívamet." As the man spoke she could hear his words in her mind, but there was no way to explain how this could be. She didn't know this man; it wasn't the memory of his voice that her mind was accessing. Somehow he was speaking to her in her mind. "You are my salvation, my lifemate. Do you not hear my heart crying out to yours?"
His arm circled her waist and pressed her firmly to him, his mouth claiming hers briefly before moving to her neck. She felt his hunger become all-consuming as he teased at her neck with his tongue, before a sharp pain radiated from her neck. She cried out, her heart constricting in her chest. Her vision swam and he held her tighter to him as she felt her legs threaten to give out from beneath her. She drew a staggered breath as he pulled away and gazed down at her.
She watched his lips move even as his words sounded in her mind. "I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give to you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care."
"Pl-please," she breathed, wondering if her voice could be heard at all. "Please let me – let me g-go." She could feel herself fading now, even as his desperation enveloped her. Her body felt heavy, his arm the only thing keeping her from crumpling to the ground. She drew a shallow breath. She stared up at her attacker, watching as his gaze tore from hers and over his shoulder. His lips were moving, he was speaking to someone. She drew on her last reserves, pushing at his chest hoping to break free of his hold in his distraction.
His gaze tore back to her and he spoke again. "We must complete the exchange quickly, Sívamet." Her eyes grew wide as fangs descended and he bit into his wrist. He moved to put his wrist to her mouth, but something stopped him. His face contorted and his mouth dropped open in a scream. She couldn't hear it but felt it vibrate through him as his armed tightened further around her. There was a flash of lightning and Claira frowned as she felt herself falling, darkness was creeping in around her.
Her heart constricted in her chest but she didn't feel the pain anymore. She knew she was dying as she stared up at the stars. Suddenly, there was a face looking down at her. Dark eyes filled with worry as his lips moved. She didn't have the energy to explain that she couldn't hear him. Lucian, it was his name. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. She felt safe as he picked her up and held his wrist to her mouth. "Drink, Cistri," his velvety voice whispered in her mind. "He has taken too much from you, we must work quickly." Though she could sense the urgency he felt that she do as he asked, his voice remained calm and soothing. She did as he asked, drinking from his wrist as he held her gaze. "Good, sleep now, little one, while I heal your heart." Her eyes fluttered as he spoke and she felted compelled to obey.
"Scotty," she murmured, fighting her heavy eyelids to search him out.
"He is well, little one," the velvet voice assured in the same calming tone. "Now sleep." Her eyes slid closed and she felt a bright golden light envelope her as she drifted.
When she woke again it was night. Her room was dark, a small shaft of light drifting through the open door. She couldn't remember going to bed. She frowned, her bed felt uncomfortably hard beneath her and the sheets were scratchy. She glanced around the room as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and realized this wasn't her bedroom at all. She was in the hospital. What was she doing in the hospital and where was her grandmother?
She sat up quickly, a wave of nausea hitting her as the room shifted off kilter. She drew a shaky breath and swallowed down the bile at the back of her throat. Her right hand raked through her tangled hair as she examined the I.V. stuck in the back of her left hand.
"Grandma," her voice caught in her throat as another wave of nausea washed over her.
Her grandmother's pale face came into view. She looked exhausted, her face lined with worry. "Lay back, Claire Bear," she said, clearly forming the words for Claira to see on her lips. Her Grandma Muriel's face and familiar pet name eased the panic gripping her chest and she felt she could breathe again.
"What happened?" Claira watched her grandmother as she waited for her to respond. Muriel turned to someone in the darkness beyond the foot of Claira's bed and said something she couldn't make out. Claira watched the darkness, her heart filling with hope that her mother had come home when she heard she was in the hospital. A tall dark haired man, with warm dark eyes emerged from the darkness with a small blond woman with crystal blue eyes at his side. "Claire Bear, you remember your mother's cousin Lucian and his wife, Jaxon," her grandmother reminded gesturing to the couple who took up a spot on the opposite side of the bed.
Her gaze raked over the man and woman. Panic seized her momentarily when she didn't immediately recognize them. Had something happened to make her lose her memory? Lucian held her gaze and the worry eased as he smiled down at her and spoke. "It has been a long time, Aunt Muriel, I barely recognized Claira." His velvet voice sounded familiarly in her mind and she smiled, her mind awash with memories of her older cousin visiting her when she was a child. Her gaze drifted to Jaxon and she remembered their wedding, Jaxon's beautiful dress and the dress she'd worn as their flower girl. She felt safe, protected and loved with them there with her grandmother.
Lucian touched her hand, pulling her attention back to him as he spoke again. "We've talked your grandmother into moving in with us. Our house is so big, and in a much safer neighborhood."
Claira found herself nodding her agreement, before she'd given it much thought at all. But as she considered moving again, she was reminded of Scotty and what had happened to them both. "Scotty, is he alright?" she asked. "S-someone attacked us—" Her worried gaze travelled between the three of them, waiting for an answer. Her left hand drifted to her throat, feeling the bandage there. The details of the attack were hazy but she could clearly remember seeing Scotty crumpled against the wall of the library.
"He's all right, sweetie," Jaxon assured. Claira met her gaze. There was nothing uncertain in Jaxon's crystal blue eyes. "Mild concussion and a broken arm, but he'll be out of here tomorrow morning," she explained with a smile. "Luckily, guys have really hard heads," she added with a wink, nudging her head at Lucian. "Believe me, I would know."
Claira laughed, watching Lucian send Jaxon a disapproving look even as a smile tugged at his lips. "Can I see him?"
"Sure thing, Sweetie," Jaxon squeezed her hand and moved to the door. She returned minutes later, smiling triumphantly, with Scotty in tow. "Seems he'd been dying to see you, too." She moved to Lucian, taking his hand and giving it a tug, before moving to Muriel's side. After a few words Claira couldn't make out, Jaxon ushered Lucian and her grandmother out of the room.
"Hey," Claira greeted, a small smile tugging at her lips as she looked Scotty over. She frowned a little at the sling holding his casted left arm. "Does it hurt?"
"Not much." Scotty's gaze ticked to his arm as he shook his head. "What about you?" he asked, his right hand moving to the bandage at her throat. She gave a little shrug and smiled reassuringly up at him. "They said you lost a lot of blood…" He paused, his throat working so that she knew he'd feared the worst. "I was so scared when I woke up and found you like that on the bench." She felt his fear as he remembered and searched out his hand, holding onto it tightly.
"I'm okay," she assured her voice tight. "I just don't remember what happened. Do you?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly. He shook his head, but didn't meet her gaze.
"I couldn't even keep you safe," he murmured. "That guy could have killed you and now he got away and I—"
"This wasn't your fault, Scotty," she insisted and though he nodded she could feel his disbelief and guilt.
Scotty looked up and Claira's attention was drawn to the door. Her family had returned with the nurse who was leading Scotty out of her room and back to his own. "Scotty," she called and he paused at the door to look at her. "I remember what you asked me." She smiled shyly at him. "My answer is still the same." He nodded and a small smile played at his lips as the nurse tugged at his uninjured arm to follow.
Cassie
Age 20
"I don't like this," Lucian muttered to Jaxon as they followed Claira into the apartment building. "It is safer for her in our house, even when we are not there the safe guards keep her protected."
"She's not a kid anymore Lucian, she wants her own space," Jaxon explained, smiling as Claira grinned back at her expectantly.
"It is my duty to keep her safe until her lifemate is found."
"So, you put your safe guards up here to keep her safe the way you have at home." Jaxon shrugged and moved into the apartment to Claira's side.
Lucian sighed, the girl's enthusiasm was contagious and he felt himself smiling despite his reservations. It had been four years since he'd saved her from the vampire attack and insinuated himself and Jaxon into her life to keep her safe. He'd erased Claira's memory of the attack, after she's spent the first night in the hospital reliving it in her dreams. There was no need for her to be forced to relive the event over and over and it would be much too hard to erase only his presence from her memory and harder still to explain why he'd been there to save her.
He briefly considered using his link to the girl to give her a mental command that she did not want to move out, but rather remain in the safety of their home. Jaxon's cutting reprimand in his mind put an end to any such thoughts. She needs this, Lucian, her soft voice whispered in his mind. With her grandmother gone, she feels it's time and we need to respect that.
"Don't you love it?" Claira asked, in a hurried whisper, glancing at the landlord who was showing them around. "And the landlord says I have access to the roof, I can bring my telescope up there and everything! Can you imagine the view of the heavens?"
A smile crept to Lucian's lips at her enthusiasm. "What about the safety requirements for your deafness?"
"I will happily have the proper smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors installed for her," the landlord chimed in.
Lucian looked from the landlord to Claira's expectant gaze. "If this is what you want, little one, I can do no other than to ensure your safety and happiness." He turned to the landlord and added, "She will also require a top of the line security system, which I will gladly pay for." Lucian's arm circled the man's shoulders as he led him away to discuss the details.
"I can't believe this place is gonna be mine," Claira gushed excitedly to her cousin. "I'm gonna need to save up to buy furniture."
"Not a chance, Sweetie, I'm taking you shopping and Lucian's paying," Jaxon informed, ignoring Claira's eye roll. "Right, honey?" Lucian nodded absently as he continued his conversation with the landlord. "Lucian has more money than he knows what to do with and you are our family, it's our job to spoil you!"
Thanks for reading! Next Chapter Wednesday or Thursday!
