CHAPTER 2
Nothing could stop the snow from coming. It was windy and cold and only 10 degrees outside. I couldn't feel my feet, hands, or face.
"Azara, let's go!" Johnny shouted and his wolf trotted beside him, holding her head high.
I sighed as Doom was giving me awkward glances. "You know you do not have to put up with this," he said in a low voice.
"Well how can I possibly get out of it?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. "We're traveling back from a city I didn't even know existed."
Doom shook his head and didn't reply, scooting next to me for warmth.
My toes were frozen and I sighed, being able to see my breath sucked.
"Climb on," Doom said and he leaned down and I quickly hopped on, without thinking, he raced forward and caught up with Johnny easily, who was carrying the bags of blood.
He glanced at me with questioning eyes, his head tilting in the way he always tilted it. Though he didn't say anything I knew he was wondering what was wrong with me.
Doom continued to walk, ignoring Johnny's looks.
"Sorry about that! The counter lady wouldn't let me leave," Blade sighed and walked next to me, only give me a glance.
"Johnny how about you get a head start and I'll catch up with Blade." I nodded at the older vampyre who raced away, Alice following.
Blade looked at me with curiosity. "Why make him leave?"
"You and I need to talk, big time," I said as I hopped off Doom and Blade caught me by my waist, bringing me to the ground.
I glared at him. "That's what I'm talking about!" I turned away from him, my back to him. "You know I'm going out with Dustin!"
He snickered. "You know Dustin is using you to get some other whore? Yea, he does it to everyone!"
I blinked at him in anger. "Why can't you just stay out of my love life?!" I yelled and hit his chest, my head falling in between my arms.
"Because I worry about you!" His voice cracked with pity. "With all of this werewolf shit you seem lost and hurt and in pain… What if I could make it all better?" Blade looks at me seriously.
"N-no!" I backed up and fell on my back from a root sticking up out of the ground, landing in the soft grass below.
He leaned down towards me and picked me up, then raced away as I quickly closed my and held my breath.
"Azara?" Dustin's voice made my eyes flicker open.
"D-Dustin?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and he made a squeaking noise.
"Hi! Did you have a nice trip?" he asked as he kissed my cheek.
My throat tightened up as I lay back down and thought about it long and hard. "It wasn't the best trip ever." I recalled Blade's offer and what happened but everything else was a complete blank. "W-what happened?"
"I'm not sure," Dustin admitted and stood up as Blade bursted into the room.
His voice was neutral as he said, "I wish to speak with Azara. Now!" He glared at Dustin as he quickly hurried out.
"What do you want?" I sat up, my head tilted; I knew he could tell I was burning with curiosity.
"Azara, I have to tell you something that I don't think you'll like…" His head was down and his long blonde hair covering his face. "I-I think I'm in love with you…"
I couldn't have been more surprised. Blade, mister tough guy, was in love with me? I couldn't move or talk. What I tried to say wasn't even words and Blade just shifted uncomfortably. It sounded like: "Es nut ven elige."
Blade shook his head. "I can't even remember the last time I was in love…" His head went up and his eyes met mine, their hazelish gleam only holding anger and sadness. "I tried to stop but... I just… Can't."
"B-but why-why me?" I could feel tears but I held them back. You can't love me! I thought wildly. Please be playing a joke! I can't hurt you…
His eyes flashed and he blinked it away. "I'm sorry, but I have to make you forget this moment..." He leaned in and I didn't know what was happening until he was kissing me. His lips brushing mine, he deepened the kiss and I didn't pull back. I couldn't. I didn't want it to end but I know it was wrong.
Then he pulled away and brushed my hair back. "I love you…" He suddenly stared into my eyes and I felt like I couldn't blink. "Azara, you will forget everything that just happened. Dustin came in here, kissed your cheek and then left. You will remember nothing of me coming in here." Then in a flash he was gone.
I blinked in confusion. When was Dustin coming back?
Sitting in the living room with James and the rest of the vampyres made me feel lonely, my hand on top of Dustin's I rolled my eyes as Johnny stated that we only have two days until we fight with the werewolves.
Dustin leaned over to me. "What did Blade want?" he whispered, careful not the interrupt James.
"What're you talking about?" I asked, glancing at him with confused eyes. "I haven't seen Blade all day until now…"
He gave me a funky look and glanced at Blade who stared at the floor, off in space.
A shrill knock at the door made everyone jump.
"I'll get it!" Glee said and jumped up, quickly walking towards a long hallway, disappearing in seconds.
Opta looked at us all. "Anyone order pizza?" She let out a shrill laugh and then froze as a younger boy walked in, brown hair and brown eyes his t-shirt gray with a red trim on the sleeves. He wore jeans as dark as the walls.
He looked at Dustin and smiled. "Miss me brother?"
I glanced at Dustin with surprise, quickly moving my hand into my own lap. "You didn't tell me you had a brother..." I mumbled to him.
Dustin stood up, glaring at him. "Arkan you can't just burst in here!" He threw his hands up in anger.
"Don't get your panties in a knot big bro." Arkan patted Dustin's shoulder and walked to Blade. "Besides, I was invited here, by Eric who requests you in Tranic city."
His eyes softened. "Alone?" Glancing at me I could something was wrong.
"Yes, alone. Something about a dead vampyre in Nebraska…?" Arkan shook his head, his brown hair flopping around. "I didn't really pay attention. I just got 'Dustin' and 'Tranic city' and then got my vampyre ass here as fast as I could!"
"I'll leave right away!" Dustin walked to his brother. "You'd better watch his house. Guard it and them and her with your life." He glared at him and then raced away, his wolf following after.
"Oh look," Arkan said, looking at me, "you got me a snack!" He laughed darted towards me, Blade meeting his attack with great force he shoved the younger vampyre into a wall and he fell on his ass.
Blade growled, baring his fangs. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"
"Aw, does Mr. Tough Guy have a soft spot?" Arkan smiled and stood up, brushing his knees off and turned around. "I'll go find a room that suits me…" Then he was gone.
"So, um." James looked at Blade. "You can keep an eye on Azara…"
He nodded and walked to me, held out his hand and looked at me.
I reached up and set my hand in his hand and he pulled me up, leading me towards a hallway we went down it and turned left were Arkan stood, leaning against the wall he snickered.
"May I watch Azara; I need to speak with her." He walked forward and glared at Blade who glanced at me.
"Its okay," I assured him. "I can handle him."
Blade turned around and walked away quickly, his hands balled up into fists.
"My my, Dustin isn't going to be happy with you." Arkan's eyes light up with pleasure as he reached out and grabbed my hand, kissing it gently.
I could feel myself blush. "Uh, do you want to go for a walk?" My eyes travel to the floor and I stared at his feet.
"Of course ma'am." He led me towards a back door and opened it, sunlight pouring into the hallway he stepped out and then we began walking, the grass blowing in the light wind and the trees rustling.
The neighborhood was quiet as we walked down the sidewalk.
"I was wondering," I began, "don't vampyres burn up in the sunlight?"
He let out a laugh. "Yes, they do. But Eric provided us with special rings made by Greek Gods to protect us in the sunlight. He has several hidden all around the house," he explained.
"Oh," I said as I brushed the hair out of my face. "Also, I thought they slept in coffins… And that they didn't like people; or wolves for that matter."
"The coffin thing is true, but several decades ago a Greek Goddess named Nyx made it so all the vampyres were free to sleep in beds, so we wouldn't freak the humans out. And truth be told all vampyres hate humans in their own way, but most are just fine with," he explained slowly, as if thinking.
"How old is the eldest vampyre?" I asked and then blinked, jumping over a root sticking out of the sideway. "How old are you?"
Arkan laughed as he stepped over the root. "Chaos is approximately fourteen billion years old. Turning fourteen years old on the twenty-third of February, fourteen days from now." He sighed and glanced at me. "I'm one hundred and nineteen years old."
I blinked in surprise. "And in human years?"
"I'd be turning seventeen in two months..." His eyes showed everything: sadness, loneliness and pity for himself.
We turned onto a gravel road which led into a graveyard.
Arkan's arm stretched out as I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground, my foot hitting the root I fell and laid on my back, searing pain in my ankle.
"You're bleeding!" Arkan gasped and grasped my ankle, taking my tennis shoe off he took off his shirt and wrapped it around my ankle.
I looked up at him. "You didn't need to do that, you could just run me home," I said in a shaky voice.
"We don't want you to lose any blood. James'll try to pull a move like trying to get you to turn vampyre," he said quickly as he picked me up like we'd just got married.
"You know the drill," he said as I closed my mouth and eyes, not breathing and too scared to move.
I could tell we'd reached home as soon as Blade began yelling things like: "Did you feed from her?!" and "Is she dying?!" or "Dustin is going to kill you!"
My eyes flickered open to see James leading Arkan to my room. He swung open the door and had him put me on my bed.
Doom walked in, glaring at Arkan. "Did he hurt you?" Doom demanded, looking at me.
When everyone had left I replied, "No. I tripped over a root and cut my ankle. Don't worry Doom, if Arkan lays a finger on me I'll rip his eyes out!"
Donta entered the room. "You have a letter from Dustin." She flung it at me and it hit the bed. "Have a wonderful day," she snickered as Glee entered, carrying supplies.
I quickly opened it and began to read:
Dear Azara,
I'm doing wonderful in Tranic city. Eric requested me because of a death of a vampyre. She passed from a werewolf bite. Her name was Sky, of course at the time she didn't respect any of our laws so we would've had to kill her anyways but the death of a werewolf bite on a vampyre is pure cruelty. It's painful and can cause delusions plus it can last for more than ten days. I'll only be here for another twelve days.
My heart pounded as I thought about it. A werewolf bit her and then let her roam around like a blind chicken… I thought and I continued reading the nicely written handwriting:
Anyways, how're you doing? Has Arkan been annoying and picky? I miss you. Eric wants me and some guards to search Sky's body. I love you. Keep an eye on Arkan please.
You're beloved,
Dustin
I sent the letter on my nightstand and then looked at Glee as she applied this medicine to my ankle. "What does that do?" I asked.
She sent me a glance. "I'm not really sure… James gave me it and told me to apply it to your ankle gently."
"Oh, well, you're doing a great job." I nodded slowly. "How old are you?"
Glee gave me a weird look. "Eighty-seven years. Human years is sixteen." She shook her head as if saying, glad for it.
"I was thinking about it," I announced, "and I think becoming a vampyre sounds fun!" I threw up my hands in joy.
"Fun isn't the word for it. In the beginning it hurts and it's hard to act normal around humans' when all you want to do is drain them." Glee took out a bandage and wrapped it around my ankle carefully. "Then there's learning how to drink the human and how to flit-that thing that we do to go faster-and to learn the rules," she explained and rolled her eyes.
My hand went to my forehead and I whipped the sweat off. "It's really hot in here," I breathed slowly, my head pounding in my chest I thought I would die.
"Why the hell does it smell like blood?" Johnny entered the room and looked at me. "What happened? Was it Arkan?"
"I tripped over a root in the graveyard, no big deal," I replied with a smile and a nod as I felt more sweat down my back. "Is it hot in here?"
Suddenly, Dustin bursted into the room, his eyes gray. "Where is he?!"
"Dustin!" I screamed and jumped out of the bed limping quickly to him I half fell half tripped into his arms.
"Where's James?" he growled. "He isn't going to get away with this!" He pushed me off him and went into the dining room and as I followed him I could hear Arkan and James talking loudly.
Dustin had his hands balled up into fists. "How dare you?!"
"How dare I do what, Dustin?" James blinked innocently as I entered the dining room to see Arkan sitting in a chair and James leaning against a wall.
"You can't do whatever the hell you want!" he snapped, his eyes burned in anger and he took a few steps forward.
"Says who?" James' wolf entered the room, his tail wagging but his claws were digging deep into the ground, threatening Dustin to attack his master.
I let out a wail. "Do what?!" I screamed at them, looking at Arkan.
Dustin faced me, eyes full of hurt he said, "James put lots of vampyre blood in you after what happened to your foot… Azara, you died…"
I blinked in surprise, anger and stupidity. "I'm a fucking vampyre?!"