So, all my fantastic readers are back I see...or hopefully you are...Anywho, I figured I should explain a few things because I've been asked multiple times and just wonder where in the heck you people's minds are to miss this information! Just kidding, lol. I'm notorious for getting lost in my head and not paying attention so no worries. I'll start with explaining that yes, Jade had been bitten by a purebred vampire because only they can infect humans. Half-breeds can't because they only inherit the virus in their DNA but lose the ability to pass it on because it's more dormant in them and not as effective as a purebred where the virus affects them more. Also, think of Tori's wolf form as holding characteristics of her human self (her fur color is her hair color, she has the same eyes, her build isn't bulky but more lithe). As for the 'type' of wolf she is, I would liken her to the ones on Van Helsing because for some reason those are my favorite. I hope this clears up things for those reviewers who asked. By the way, thank you for all the reviews so far. Now that my giant explanation is done, here is the next installment which will explain the image used for this story. Take from it what you will. Enjoy!
~Jade~
The day spent with Vega was amazing. The things I learned were crazy and sometimes confusing but it was my life now. I got to have a taste of her, which even now, is still imprinted in my head; the memory of the flavor light on my tongue. Every time I thought about it I could feel the hunger in the pit of my stomach. It was always there but easy to ignore if I kept it at bay. We parted after coming down from the hill and returned to town. My dark room would offer me a great place to hide from the sun while Vega had gotten a call from her mother, asking if she could come home and help with something. I didn't bother asking what. I was uninterested in anything the Council needed her to do. I couldn't help feeling like our situation only seemed wrong because of what they thought. To me and Vega, it was the most right thing in the world.
Plus, if Magic deemed it worthy to turn out good, then it would. I dropped Vega off at her house, kissing her chastely one last time before she left. She had warned me about the human scent I would walk into the moment I got home. She told me to put my strong resistant abilities to good use and hold out until she showed up with more blood at night. So, I headed home on edge, hoping my parents were caught up in their jobs as always. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, not daring to breathe. I made it to my room and concluded my parents weren't home by how quiet it was. I heard absolutely no one in the house. I shut my door and locked it as a precaution so that my parents couldn't walk in on me, catching me unaware before I had time to prepare. My room was in the basement, something I had picked to distance myself further.
It was my own little space that also included a small bathroom installation, which I desperately needed. Nothing beat having my own shower. I noted how weird it was to smell my own human scent. I tried not to dwell on the instincts it brought out in me and instead focused on taking a shower. Once I was done washing up and dressed in clean clothes I walked back out into the dimly lit room. I was seriously glad there was only one small window at the base of the house and I had already put a towel over it. I fell back on my bed and sighed, closing my eyes. It figures, the first thing I think about is Vega. I can clearly recall everything about her. I let myself get lost in the sea of thoughts and only snapped back into reality by a door closing. My eyes flew open, my senses reaching out.
By the strong cologne, I knew my father was home. I heard him stomp upstairs to his room and then return downstairs a while later. He was rummaging in what seemed to be the kitchen, if my hearing was correct, which it always was now. The TV soon switched on and I could almost imagine him sitting tiredly in front of it. For him to be home it must have been late. I glanced at the red digital numbers on the sleek black clock on my side table. It was eight at night. I grinned. I just had to wait for Vega now. My werewolf mate made herself known around an hour later. A knock at the window and I was up to push the towel aside. Vega waved at me happily, her bright smile in place. I rolled my eyes at her peppy attitude and swung the window up. I held it so that she could slip in, her thin frame easily fitting. She gracefully landed next to me on my bed.
"Hey you, ready to go explorin'?" she questioned eagerly.
"First of all, stop. Second of all, where is my hello kiss?" I answered, my smirk in place and my eyes running over her. She laughed and pecked me on the lips before hopping off my bed. She landed nimbly. I stepped off to stand next to her, watching her inspect my room.
"Wow Jade, I knew you liked the gore, morbid, macabre, and dark theme but what is all this?" she asked, actually intrigued instead of disgusted.
"This time, being a vampire has nothing to do with it," I joked. She smiled, still waiting for a serious answer.
"I honestly don't know. It just always interested me to be different and like what I like without giving a rat's ass what others think," I told her truthfully. She frowned at my language but said nothing. Instead, she began studying various things around my room. She stopped at a deck of cards and picked them up thoughtfully. They were a glossy black. The numbers as well as images of the usually black suits were white instead and the red suits were a deep blood red. She held them up and began shuffling them deftly. I watched as she spread them in her hands and then began picking out choice cards. Then, she crouched down and set them out on my red rug, putting the rest of the deck to the side. I walked over curiously and knelt in front of her.
"What are you doing? Don't you want to get going?" I asked her. She kept working, concentration strong, before she sat back and looked up at me. There was an intent expression on her face telling me to shut up and listen so I wordlessly sat down and got comfortable.
"I'm going to attempt to explain to you what my father told me just a few hours ago. I asked him why only humans could be with vampires as well as wolves. Why couldn't vampires and wolves be together? He gave me a strange look he often gets when I start getting too curious for my own good. Thank the Maker it was just me and him in the garage while he tinkered. I really didn't want Trina getting nosy and my mother shutting him up in fear I would be affected in some way," she began with a roll of her eyes. I smirked at her family dynamic but remained quiet. She reached out and ran a hand over the king of hearts before picking it up.
"My father is a very passionate and loving man. He's sympathetic and understanding. Everyone listens to him without doubt or worry because he has never led us astray so far," she stated. She set the card down and reached for the three remaining kings; the spade, the diamond, and the club.
"These are his advisers who'll make the choices should anything happen to him. Their opinions mean just as much but my father's always comes first," she continued. She set the three cards under the king of hearts and pointed to the king of spades first.
"He's in charge of intelligence, leading the scholars into new ideas concerning the world," she explained. She pointed to the king of diamonds next.
"He's in charge of our wealth, like a treasurer, and decides where we should put our money towards bettering our needs," she said. She pointed to the last king, the king of clubs.
"He's in charge of our army for lack of a better word. Should we need to fight or use force, he knows all the battle techniques and tactics," she went on. I nodded, still trying to understand where she was going with this.
"Let's not forget the wives of all these kings," she said, adding each matching queen to the king of the same suit. She set out the jacks next, right under the paired kings and queens.
"These symbolize the highly trained warriors that are usually the kings' sons but could also be high ranking officers should a king not have a son," she explained.
"And these," she said as she grabbed the remaining deck, fanning them out under the jacks.
"Are the citizens, if you will; the people ranging from talented to average who are ruled by the higher class. Everyone has a place," she stated. She finally looked up at me and offered a sad smile for some reason before holding up the four aces.
"You realize, that out of all these cards that share four of each, there are only four lone aces. With the rest of the cards there are different suits but same numbers, making them nothing but a combination of the same thing; except for these aces. They only have each other, special, like one another," she explained, her gaze growing heated, her voice strong.
"Imagine these aces being us. Wolves and vampires who feel like their once in a crazy chance at life is cut short because they're different. There might only be four but since they're all aces, they can be with one another because they are their only hope. The only other chance they have may come from the just as left out jokers, or wild cards, but how often do they show up? They have an even lower number if not at all in certain situations," she continued, her voice beginning to sound hurt. I reached out and held her hand, making Vega drop the aces and jokers she held. Tears were dripping onto them and I finally began to get an idea of what she meant.
"You see Jade; once in a while you get a lucky hand, Magic dealing its cards. Sometimes a lone ace or joker is drawn. It can be the special card that's needed, and other times, it's a waste of space. It depends on what the player decides he or she needs at the time. But since there's only so few, discarding it could mean screwing yourself later, or making the best choice you ever made and you win," she pushed on brokenly.
"A human man once pointed out, 'Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, of playing a poor hand well.' He believed that even when life didn't give you what you wanted, or in this case, the Magic that governs us, then you can still turn it into something great," Vega said with conviction. Her hand tightened in mine and her eyes locked on me.
"The chances that anyone has ever shuffled a pack of cards in the same way twice in the history of the world are infinitesimally small, statistically speaking. Therefore, how can they be sure, a vampire and wolf union will happen again? And if it did, then when and where would that ever occur again?" she suggested, her voice rising in strength. I stared at her, trying to work it all out.
"If the Magic has dealt this deck after a particular shuffle," she began, jabbing a finger at the laid out cards.
"Then the next deck will most likely consist of very different cards with the next shuffle. The chances of it shuffling the same way are too small to happen again," Vega said excitedly. Now I was lost again, and it didn't help that her emotions were giving me whiplash. I growled and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Vega, stop being philosophical and just tell me! You understand what your father told you by this explanation right?" I demanded. She nodded her head. I could tell she couldn't understand how I didn't get it but I didn't care. I was too impatient to sit through all this shit.
"Then please tell me in your words what's supposed to be explained through all this!" I pleaded, making sure to let her know I appreciated her showing me her understanding but I just wanted to know. She smiled and leaned in to kiss my cheek.
"Ok, I'll tell you the simple way, bossy," she gave in.
"Don't call me bossy," I grumbled.
"Well, ya are," she insisted. I narrowed my eyes at her and began gathering my cards.
"Help me get these together," I told her. She pouted but began helping.
"Bossy," I heard her mutter under her breath.
"What?" I demanded.
"Nothing, I'm collecting the cards," she replied quickly. I held out my hand for the ones she picked up and I added them to my own. They were now in a neat and orderly deck again. I put them away while Vega hastily stood and begged me to hold out for her long explanation. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms but nodded. She pulled me to the bed and I immediately sprawled across it, waiting for her to start talking again. She threw herself next to me and got comfortable, snuggling up to my side. I wondered if she was cold but I figured her high temperature would be enough for both of us and most likely warm me up before I could cool her down. Her hand found mine and our fingers entwined.
"The Council came across this happening before, Jade. They didn't like it. They thought that if a vampire and wolf were able to mate, then the Magic between them would create a new race better and stronger than them. Should it decide to refuse the Council, it could cause untold destruction. It could ruin everything they built up to, so they had the vampire and wolf executed," she said in an eerily calm way. I looked over to her to see her squeezing her eyes shut. She was trying hard to not let it get to her. I pulled her closer and wrapped my arms around her.
"They didn't deserve it and neither did their unborn child. They didn't give them a chance because of their selfish fear. Their already slim chance was cut short and who knew when that would ever happen again? I mean, what if that child went on to create a way for vampires and wolves to live together? What if the Council at the time just didn't want to be overruled and made the law that stated vampires and wolves couldn't be together? But if that was the way things were meant to be, then why did the Magic keep pairing them up every so often?" she speculated. Now I was finally understanding where the whole card set up was going.
"So you think this happened for a reason; that it's rare, but it'll give all of us a chance at true peace because the new deck that was shuffled and dealt doesn't necessarily have a power-crazy-Council this time around?" I simplified even further.
"Exactly," she replied. Silence reined for a good few minutes before I pushed her away softly and stood.
"Mother of fuck, Vega! Why the hell didn't you just tell me what all that shit meant from the start? How did you expect me to figure all that out? I mean, who could, besides a smart ass like you? We weren't all raised by scholars, combat warriors, accountants, and benevolent rulers," I exploded, my frustration at the whole thing rising. Vega watched me with shock at first but it slowly turned into amusement. She laughed heartily when my rant was done and then got up to hug me.
"You're such a hot head West, but I love you for it," she told me, kissing me softly. My mouth hung open immediately after; appalled she took my anger and absorbed it all. She smirked and pushed my mouth closed.
"Well, that's not a pretty face," she mocked, using the very words I used on her at one point. I grinned and began laughing with her.
"Vega, I have no idea what I did to deserve you," I told her honestly. She smiled sweetly and looked away.
"I guess the deck was just shuffled in our favor. So what are you going to do with your rare ace?" she asked me coyly. I smirked and advanced on her, taking her in my arms.
"Treat her with the utmost respect and be there for her at all times. She's special and I would fight until I die to keep her safe because at this time when the world views us as different, we have to stick together. But above all else, it's because I love her," I stated, my voice dropping into an emotional tone I didn't know I was capable of. All I knew was, my cold body had heated up and my heart felt like it could jump to life again. Tori looked up at me with fresh tears in her eyes, touched by my statement.
"I love you too," she whispered, her voice breaking just as emotionally. I smiled; proud of myself for feeling and saying something that came straight from the heart. It didn't matter if it was sappy or romantic, or anything I had thought in the past. It was how I felt and I liked the feeling it came with. Tori pulled me close and held me tight against her. Her face buried in my neck and I could feel the hot tears soak my shirt and run down my skin. She was a silent crier, the kind that let the rivers of tears flow without a sound. I held her, feeling like I wanted to cry with her but I couldn't. I tucked my head in the crook of her neck instead. I waited for her to recover with careful patience. She pulled away and wiped at her face.
"You ok, Tori?" I checked, completely concerned. She nodded, a watery smile on her lips. I snatched a shirt off my desk chair and offered it to her. She took it without question and proceeded to use it to pull herself together and clean up. I held a curious hand to my chest, feeling a slight humming. It felt like my body was wired and alive in a different way.
"Are you ok?" I heard her ask. I looked at her to see she was feeling better.
"Yeah, it's just, I feel like…my heart…" I tried to explain.
"It's the Bond. I can feel the Magic too," she said with a nod. I sighed and offered her a gentle smile, taking her hands in mine.
"Not to kill the moment, but did you still want to go out? It'll take our mind off being the only two of our kind," I joked, trying to inject some form of light-hearted emotion. It was getting too heavy for a moment, even if the heavy emotion was good. She giggled but nodded.
"Sure, let's go one of a kind," she agreed. I grinned, and dug around for my favorite boots. I slipped them on and tied them up before climbing on my bed and lifting the window. Tori climbed out, graceful as ever. She held the window for me so that I could slip out. My curvy frame didn't go quietly though and I growled at Tori's muffled chuckles.
"Screw you, Vega. At least I'm not a stick," I snapped, retaliating the only way I knew how.
"Maybe later, West. I have something to show you," she responded, easily ignoring my comment. My eyebrow rose at her reply before I smirked devilishly. I stood and dusted myself off before pulling her against me.
"I like the sound of that," I purred, my lips finding her sensitive neck. I kissed under her ear, hearing her sigh, and then let her go. She smacked my arm to get me back and then grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. She yanked me into a speeding run down the street, heading for the center of town. I had no idea where we were headed but I didn't care. As long as I had Tori by my side it didn't matter where I was.
Ok so I was reading other stories idly, just browsing and came across more great writers which always make me feel like my writing could use some improvement. Not that I have low self esteem because the reviews I get tell me I'm doing a good enough job and I feel I do pretty good so whatever. I know I'm good but theirs are definitely better. Then, I find a story that cheers me up quickly because I know I can top that any day without even trying. So thank you nameless writer with bad grammar for making me feel better. Sorry if I offended anyone just now but these are my thoughts and I'm sticking to them. By the way, I swear I'll update as soon as someone correctly guesses who said that quote Tori uses. Like seriously, as soon as I get the answer you get a new chapter. Try not to cheat with Google, I know you will anyway but what the heck, another update right? So, I'm done rambling. I hope the whole explanation using the cards made sense. It was the major scene I had in mind when I got the idea for this in the first place. Well, until next time.