16
I told Dana to tell me every single thing she’d heard about the fight between Nick and John, and she took a deep breath, leaning back in the booth before speaking.
"Well, I'll tell you right off the bat that I don't know too awful much. I was honestly hoping you could fill me in on a few details."
"But you might know more than I do. The first I heard about the fight was just a few minutes ago from Kendra."
"Well, I only heard about it pretty recently, too. Noah called me real quick right before Stephanie’s babysitter showed up, and he just said that John and a few of his fighters had shown up just outside the city, asking for some kind of a meeting with Nick. Nick, Noah, and maybe a dozen more of Nick’s elite coven members went out to see what John wanted.
“Obviously, they suspected some kind of a trap, so they weren’t dumb about it; they had a few dozen other fighters flanking the whole scene, but hidden. So, basically, Nick asked John what he wanted, and basically, in response, John said you. Apparently, he learned from his government buddies that you have the were-gene, so his plan is probably to double-cross his government buddies by kidnapping you and having a hybrid child with you.
“He knows that this could give his coven the ultimate power in the coming decades. So, anyway, he told Nick that he’ll stop with all the spies and the attempted attacks if Nick will just hand you over. Nick obviously said no; this apparently led to some sort of a shoving match, and then the shoving match escalated into a fight.
“Then, somehow, John escaped, and that seems to be what started all the rumors. Nick is normally such a strong fighter that anyone who goes toe-to-toe with him doesn’t survive. Being that this wasn’t the case this time, people started thinking that maybe he let John go on purpose because you would have been upset if John were killed or something.”
I knew this conjecture couldn’t have been further from the truth. More than likely, I figured, John had gotten Nick so angry that he maybe wasn’t able to properly focus on the fight.
I thought for a few moments before asking Dana a question. "Well, did Noah say what Nick’s plan is now?"
She shook her head. "Not really, beyond a sweep of the area outside the city to look for more spies that might have slipped in during the fight or something like that. ‘We’ll wait for them to come to our doorstep again,’ Noah said Nick said. So... I guess nothing has really changed as far as the Dormio situation, except for people thinking there was more to the fight than two leaders simply trying to take each other out.”
"And people truly think the fight was over me or something like that?”
It had been pretty clear that at least Megan strongly suspected that.
Pulling her curly hair over one shoulder, Dana winced. "Well...yes. And even though I hate to say it, they’re not completely, totally wrong. They’re just wrong in thinking it was a fight over you on a romantic level or something. But they’re not totally wrong in thinking that it was a fight over you, at least as far as you having the were-gene is concerned.”
"And people don't think that maybe Nick and John fighting not long after I arrived on the scene could just be par for the course? Obviously, there was already some bad blood, no pun intended, between them before I even came here."
Dana stifled a giggle. "Oh, 'bad blood.' Vampires. I get it. And yes, of course, you’re right. Nick has been fighting with the Dormios for nearly a century. You’d think people would keep that in mind. I guess everyone is just concerned about what’s going to happen next, not that that’s some big mystery. I think it’s pretty clear that John isn’t going to give up in his quest to take Everglen and kill us all, so obviously, there’s going to be some kind of a big fight at some point. It’s more just a question of when and where, and which of our vampires are going to be doing the fighting.”
And which of us human women, I thought.
Sighing, I picked up my fork and began picking at my salad, knowing I shouldn't say any more. If I told Dana that I wanted to figure out a way to get my powers back and join in the fight against the Dormios, I knew she might tell Noah, either accidentally or on purpose. He then might tell Nick, and then Nick would know just how serious I was about the subject, which I was starting to think could be a bad thing. I didn’t know why, but I was starting to get the feeling that the more I dug in my heels, the more he would, too.
Avoiding Dana's eyes, I worked on spearing a wilting lettuce leaf. "All I know is that I need to talk to Nick. With all the Dormio troubles lately, we really haven’t had much time to talk, and we really need to. Especially if some kind of a fight with the Dormios is imminent.”
When Dana spoke next, she stunned me.
“You want to be a part of the fight, don’t you?”
I began stammering, and she cut me off.
“I don’t blame you. If I had some kind of special witchcraft powers, I’d want to fight, too. You don’t have them back yet, do you? Didn’t you tell me it was a car accident?”
I sighed. “Yes. I’ve just never gotten my powers back since then.”
“Well, so how do you figure you’re going to convince Nick to let you join in the fight?”
Exasperated, I set my fork down and returned my gaze to Dana's face. "I really don't know. I guess it depends on whether or not my powers miraculously return anytime soon. It’s a long shot, I know. But I still have a little hope. In the meantime, maybe don’t say anything to Noah or Nick about this. I’d really appreciate it.”
"Well, I won't. Your wanting-to-fight secret is safe with me. I know I can be a bit pushy about wanting to get the scoop sometimes, but I don't go around town blabbing everyone's secret little things. And in fact, just while we've been talking, the thought has occurred to me that maybe we should be a little quieter or switch tables or something. Don't whip your head around to look or anything, but there are two women three tables behind you that are just about falling out of their chairs trying to listen to us. They probably can't hear over the jukebox, but...maybe it’s a good idea for us to move."
"Well, let's just change the subject instead. I really don't have anything else to say, and you're right that I probably should be a little more careful with what and who I talk about in public anyway. So. Why don't you tell me how Stephanie is doing?”
"Oh, about the same. Fussing, flailing around, accidentally bonking herself in the face with her little bunny toy, and then looking at it like it purposefully attacked her. This new tooth cannot come soon enough, for both of us."
Dana and I both soon ordered the soup of the day, which was a heavenly, ultra-creamy broccoli-and-cheese sprinkled with bacon bits. It was especially heavenly to eat something so warm and comforting as the rain falling from the darkening evening sky beyond the wide glass windows of the cafe intensified.
After finishing her bowl, Dana dropped her spoon into it with a satisfied smile. "I'm going to have to try to make that at home sometime. Too bad I can't make it for Noah, though. That's the only downside to having a vampire for a husband...you can't cook for him or share food with him. At least we can share a drink every now and again, though...lately we've been getting into a little bit of Scotch on date nights."
Brows lifting in surprise, Dana suddenly seemed to do a double take at something over my shoulder. "Speaking of the devil...and not that my husband's a devil, but...well, maybe he is sometimes. Mostly in the bedroom." Smiling, she waved. "Well, hi!"
I turned to look, and saw a tall, well-built, sandy-haired man striding toward our booth. Even if Dan hadn't said what she had to indicate it was Noah, I would have known it was him. He and Stephanie shared the exact same eyes and nose.
Dana introduced us, and then invited him to slide in next to her. "We were actually just talking about you. In fact, I was calling you a devil."
Squeezing in beside her and pulling her close with an arm around her slender shoulders, Noah smiled. "Well, how nice. As for me, around my friends, I always refer to you as an angel."
"You liar. You probably refer to me as 'that old ball and chain,' or 'that old sea hag.' Am I correct?"
"No. You're very silly." With his lips twitching with amusement, Noah leaned in and brushed a kiss against Dana's mouth. "I always tell everyone you're my angel because it's true."
Dana kissed him back now, and within a few seconds, this kiss began intensifying, and rapidly. I wasn't even sure exactly where Dana's hands were anymore. They'd been on top of the table, but they'd somehow quickly disappeared.
Just slightly uncomfortable, I cleared my throat. "So, I might order a coffee. Have either of you guys seen the waitress?"
Both suddenly seemed to realize where they were, and they broke their kiss. Noah waved down the waitress, and when she came over, Dana and I both ordered coffee.
After the waitress had brought our mugs and filled them, Noah told Dana that the babysitter had told him she was at the cafe. "And then she shooed me out the door, telling me that she wasn't quite done reading a story to her 'granddaughter.' She then immediately turned about ten different shades of red and told me she'd meant to say 'your daughter' instead. It was really very sweet."
While Dana and I sipped our coffee, the three of us talked a bit more about Stephanie, her funny antics, and her teething troubles, but then the conversation turned a bit more serious when Dana asked Noah how the day fighting the Dormios and looking for their spies had gone.
Noah sighed, raking a hand through his thick hair. "Well, it went as well as could be expected, I guess. We found and killed two of their spies, but another three got away, and Nick was concerned that they might have gotten into the city. So, an all-night search will ensue, and there’s just no way around it. I got sent home for a little downtime, but I'll probably go back out and rejoin the others around dawn if they still haven't located the spies by then."
Setting my coffee mug down, I tried to make my voice sound casual. "So, Nick probably won't be coming back to the building tonight, then?"
Noah shook his head. "Probably not. There’s too much to do. On top of the search, he still has to organize tomorrow's patrols, too. There are a few dozen additional women who want to join in, so they'll have to be sorted according to strength and ability."
Dana had told me that, like with humans, most vampire women weren't as physically strong as the men, so they tended not to fight the Dormios directly, as the Dormios were mostly men. The female Everglen vampires wanted to help in the fight against them, though, and so many of them had been volunteering to help search for spies.
Dana spoke next, asking a question I wanted to know the answer to as well. "So, should anyone be concerned about some kind of a massive fight with the Dormios within the next couple of weeks or so?”
For the second time, Noah raked a hand through his sandy-colored hair, avoiding Dana's gaze. "I'm too tired to talk about all this right now, hon. I need to grab a half-hour of sleep at home before I can even think straight. I need to feed soon, too. There was some talk today about some of us from the elite coven heading out of town briefly tomorrow or the next day for a hunting trip in the forestland, and I'm starting to really need it. A week is about as long as I can go without feeding on something."
Characteristically persistent, Dana started to again ask him something about if he had a guess as to when the Dormios might attack, but Noah cut her off.
"Tell you what. If you can hold all your questions for later and head home with me right now, I'll treat you to a piece of that triple-layer caramel cake I saw in a case up by the register. I'll even get you two pieces because I know you have more than one sweet tooth."
Dana agreed, and Noah ended up buying four pieces of caramel cake, two for Dana and two for me. The three of us left the cafe and walked across the street back to the building together, and before we parted ways, Dana promised to give me a call the next day.
She did, calling me fairly early in the morning, actually, but she had no news about the Dormio situation. During Noah's half-hour of sleep, she herself had fallen asleep, and by the time she'd woken up, he had already left.
I didn't see Nick all day, and when I ran into Clara in the hallway, she said she didn't even think he'd been home to change clothes, adding that when she'd went to his apartment to deliver fresh towels, the ones she'd delivered the day before had still been in a clean stack.
I knew he had to come home sometime, although I knew he could just as easily grab clean clothes from someplace else in the city, and probably shower somewhere else, too.
Around eight in the evening, I received a call from Nick, and he was pretty brief and to the point, saying that he was thinking about me and trying to get away so that he could see me. Disappointed, I told him that I hoped to see him soon.
I didn't. Five days passed. Five days of Noah being evasive with Dana; five days of Nick having his hands too full to see me; and five days of me nearly going insane with uncertainty and anxiety. I was beginning to feel like I might never get answers from Nick about me joining in the fight. Also, I was beginning to feel like I might never get to see his handsome face again and feel him pull me close, kissing me, which was somehow almost even worse. Just almost. Maybe it was a tie.
The evening of the fifth day, Dana and I took a spin around the city in her new glossy black car, which had been a birthday gift to her from Noah. Being that the city was still very much on the smaller side, traffic was sparse, and we zipped through the streets with ease, taking in all the various sights around town.
One of them, which was a lighted spring flower display set up in a small park near the center of the city, was particularly beautiful. Ten tall ovals, meant to be eggs maybe, had been made from small daffodil pots suspended from thick wire and strung with white lights. All these ovals surrounded a towering sycamore tree. Dana and I got out of the car to walk among the ovals and get a better look at them, and she paused beside one and looked over at me, smiling.
"Noah and I are taking Stephanie to see this spring display tomorrow. And just think...next year, maybe we'll both be bringing our babies to see the daffodils. I can just picture it...Noah, Stephanie, and me, and you, Nick, and a baby of your own. All of us going together as one big group."
I knew she hadn't meant to upset me, but nonetheless, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut for some reason. Or more precisely, the heart. It was just that I couldn’t imagine Nick and me ever getting past our current troubles and having a child. I wasn’t even sure if I ever saw our relationship continuing at this point, period, with or without a baby.
Suddenly wanting to be alone, I told Dana that was a nice thought about a group outing to see the daffodils, then began strolling away to one of the ovals. "I'm going to go get a closer look."
She immediately began following me, apologizing. "I didn't mean to say something wrong, if I did. Was it that I said it might be you and Nick bringing a baby to see the flowers next year? I just didn't really know what to say considering the situation, and despite the troubles, I've kind of just picked up a vibe lately that you might be interested in a very long-term future with Nick. I didn't mean to assume anything, though. Sorry if I upset you."
Now at one of the ovals, I stopped walking and looked at her. "No...no, it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't because you said about Nick and a baby. I actually think I might really want that someday. It’s just that with the way things are now, I can just hardly imagine us getting past everything as a couple, let alone actually having a baby together.”
I trailed off, regretting even having said as much as I had. The last thing I wanted was for it to get back to Nick that I was starting to have doubts about our relationship. It would be all too easy for Dana to accidentally let my secret slip out to Noah, who might tell Nick, who then might change his thinking about me. The way I saw it was that if he knew that I was having doubts about our future together, maybe he would start having them, too.
Standing against one of the bright ovals, Dana just studied me for a long moment, frowning, before responding to what I’d said. "Oh. I think I get it. You can’t really imagine a future with Nick until the whole Dormio situation is taken care of. Is that it?"
I didn't respond, but she continued as if I had.
"I should have known. I kind of felt the same way when I first met Noah. I didn’t really want to have a family, knowing that I could lose him, because he’s in constant danger fighting the Dormios. Eventually, though, I just kind of came to accept things because I loved him so much, and that was all I could do. Basically, I just had to trust in our love, and trust that everything will always be okay, no matter what. I had to trust that our love was strong enough that we could get through anything together.”
I ran my hand along one of the ovals, admiring how the tiny twinkle lights made part of the vivid yellow daffodils appear to be dappled with the palest shade of cream. "I understand what you mean…and I’m glad that things have worked out so well between you and Noah. I know it can’t be easy knowing that he’s out there fighting every day. I worry about that with Nick, too, but it’s almost like our main problem is almost on a smaller level than that.
“It’s not that I can’t move forward because of the uncertainty of him fighting all the time; it’s that I can’t move forward not knowing if I can ever be a part of that fight. After learning the truth about what the Dormios did to my coven, getting some revenge on them has become so important to me."
“More important than your relationship and future with Nick?”
I didn’t know how to respond because I really didn’t know the answer to her question. Besides, just then, four cars pulled into the small parking area adjacent to the park, one right after the other.
I asked Dana if she was ready to go. "I think more sightseers just pulled in, and I'm sort of not feeling a crowd tonight."
What I was really not feeling was the possible sight of happy couples and happy families. They would just serve as reminders to me of what I might never have with Nick.
Once back home at my apartment, I changed into my pajamas, put my hair up in a knot, and climbed into bed. Then I promptly screamed at the top of my lungs.
*
I hadn't closed my bedroom curtains that evening because, for some reason, I’d wanted to watch the stars twinkling high above the city before I fell asleep. It was a unique sight, to see stars above the outlines of tall buildings, which was only possible because the city was still so new and small, and light pollution hadn't yet made stargazing impossible. For whatever reason, I found the sight comforting in some way.
However, it wasn't the sight of stars above skyscrapers that currently had my attention. The sight that did was of some dark shape moving down the steel beam that connected the building I was in with its neighbor. The shape was moving slowly and deliberately, as if it were a cat sneaking up on prey. It was obvious this was no cat, though.
The shape was far too tall, at least the height of a man. It took me several seconds, clutching my blanket in fear while trying to decide what to do, before I realized that the dark shape moving down the beam to my room was Nick. Even though I couldn't see his features clearly, I could tell it was him just by the way he moved. Which, now that I was noticing, was kind of cat-like. It was in a way that displayed a bit of feline grace, unusual for a man so well-muscled.
When he opened my window and leaped inside, landing soundlessly, he actually had the nerve to grin. I could see his perfect white teeth glinting in the pale moonlight.
"I’m so sorry, Tiff. I really didn't mean to make you scream. I heard it all the way outside. I just thought this might be a novel way to bring you a late-night snack. I thought you'd recognize me immediately and think the whole thing was fun."
Sitting up with my back against the headboard, I snorted, thoroughly irritated. "Yeah. Real fun. Going to bed and seeing some dark, unknown shape creeping down a beam toward my room, eleven stories up. I'm not exactly fully used to vampires and all their superhuman jumping tricks yet, you know."
"I really am sorry, Tiffany.”
The sincerity in his eyes told me that he really was. But still, I said nothing, still irritated at him.
“Look. To show you that I’m sorry, I'm going to make it up to you. Ever had a deluxe turkey-and-swiss sandwich delivered by a vampire before?" After walking over to my bed and flicking on a nightstand lamp, he held up a white paper bag printed with the name of one of the restaurants in town. "I told them to go easy on the mustard, just how you like it. In fact, if you’re not completely happy with the mustard-to-bread ratio, feel free to throw the sandwich right back in my face. I’d deserve it for how I scared you. Not to mention, any time that I get to spend with you, I consider enjoyable. You can even throw sandwiches at my face all night if you want to.”
Despite not really wanting to, and despite the fact that I felt like I shouldn't for some reason, I was suddenly laughing. I was a little mad at myself for doing it, but I still couldn't stop, at least not until I'd done a few hearty chuckles. I was starting to hate how Nick could get me laughing even when I wanted to remain angry, but at the same time, I kind of liked it.
Seemingly encouraged by my laughter and not surprisingly, he kicked off his boots, hopped into bed right next to me, fully clothed, and handed me the restaurant bag. "Here. Enjoy. And if you don’t, just give me a head’s up so I can brace myself to get a sandwich thrown right in my face.”
I ate my sandwich in bed while Nick entertained me further with various little jokes. It was only after I'd brushed my teeth and returned to bed, finding him shirtless, that things began to get a bit more serious.
Without knowing what was ultimately going to happen between us as far as our future was concerned, I wasn't exactly eager to climb in bed beside him, knowing what it might lead to now that I was finished eating. However, not really wanting to lower the mood by telling him how I was feeling, I really didn't feel like I had much of a choice, so I did.
I'd just slid in beside him when he pulled me into his arms, inhaling the scent of my hair. "You know, Tiffany...I think we could really make a great team together, in the long-term. I love the way your hair always smells absolutely delicious, like wildflowers; I love the two of us together in bed; and I love how you laugh at my jokes, even when I’m being a little corny.”
I smiled. “A little?”
“You're utterly gorgeous when you smile, you know."
I couldn’t help but smile again. “Thank you.”
Nick gave me a sexy half-grin, pulling me even closer still. "Thank me with a kiss. After all, I did have to do some intricate maneuvering to break free from my elite patrol team, just so I could come here and spend a little alone time with you."
“Well, I guess you’re right. I guess that does deserve a kiss. But just one. That’s all you’re getting.”
A short while later, after I’d found myself unable to give Nick just one kiss only, he undressed down to his boxer-briefs and climbed back into bed with me. Soon, in the pale moonlight, I was being held, caressed, and kissed, with all of this stimulation quickly bringing me to a point where I was panting with desire.
Before long, after planting a slow row of kisses down the side of my neck, Nick returned the kisses to my lips and began plundering my mouth with his tongue. At the same time, he began sliding a few fingers in and out of my slickness, giving me my first earth-shattering climax of the night. My second came a while later while I rode Nick, moaning out his name while I did so.
In the morning, he was already gone, of course. I was pretty sure that the two of us had fallen asleep at about the same time, but being that he only needed a half-hour or so of rest a night, I figured that he’d probably headed back out on patrol shortly after that.
I spent the day in a state of anxiety and regret, feeling like I’d blown a chance to really talk to Nick the night before. At the very least, I’d wanted to ask him about the fight with John, but it just hadn’t come up.
At the cafe for dinner with Dana again, I found I couldn't eat more than a few bites of my food, which was extremely unusual for me, especially since the food at the cafe was so good. When Dana asked me what was up, I told her the truth.
“Oh, I’m just hoping for a long-awaited talk with Nick tonight. I had the chance last night, but I just kind of blew it. Maybe after I finally get some things sorted out with me and Nick, I'll finally be able to tell you a bit more about some things that have been going on between us, though I'm not really even sure yet. All I know is that this talk is so long-overdue, and if for some reason, Nick can't make it back to see me again tonight, something like a problem with the Dormios or something, I swear I'm going to put my fist through a wall."
It turned out my worry was for nothing.
Nick showed up at my apartment exactly at eight, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt fitted just well enough to reveal the hard contours of his chest. He came in my apartment door this time instead of coming in through my bedroom window via the steel beam outside, which I appreciated. After closing the door, he immediately pulled me into his arms, kissed me briefly and fiercely, yet tenderly at the same time, not hurting my lips in the least, and then pulled away to look at my face. "I just want to tell you something, the very first thing."
"What is it?"
"I know you’ve been upset lately, and I hate it. I know you’ve heard about my fight with John by now, and I hate that you’ve probably been troubled by it. I hate that you probably feel like all this stuff with the Dormios is keeping us from planning any kind of a real future together."
“Yes…I do feel that way. It’s just that I have a hard time with uncertainty as it is, but especially with a person that I’ve grown to love. I’m sick of wondering when a big battle might take place, and where. I just want this all to go away so that we can just live our lives, together.”
“I want that, too.”
Nick kissed me again, and I kissed him back, enthusiastically, realizing that I wanted to make love to him, right then.