Dark Seeker (12 page)

“When I was Turned,” he continued, happier not discussing her death, “I had no idea what I was; let alone what I could do. For the most part I didn’t care. The only thing I thought about was where, or from whom, I would get my next meal.” He smirked, more out of disbelief than humor. “One day I got in an argument with another one of my kind. He’d taken my kill.” Kai paused to explain. “Daychildren frown upon drinking the blood of another’s kill.” Janie nodded in understanding. “The jerk launched me into a wall without even touching me. He was telekinetic.” He placed his finger on his chin. “Bruno, I think that was his name.”

Kai rolled his eyes to the ceiling and placed his hands behind his head, rocking back in his chair. “Anyway,” he said. “I didn’t hit the wall. I went through it and landed in someone’s family room. That’s when I knew I could use my speed to move through things.”

“Have you tried to move through people?”

He grimaced. “No, I’m not a ghost. I mean, I guess I could if I tried, but that’s just creepy.”

Janie covered her nose. “Are you almost done with that burrito? It stinks.”

“Royal Farms—best burritos ever.” He shoveled the remaining portion into his mouth. At least he chewed with his mouth closed.
A Daychild with manners, who knew?

“You’re not that bad to hang out with when you’re not being all sarcastic and cryptic,” she said.

He placed his hands over his chest as if to say,
“Who me?”

“You always seem to avoid my questions.” Janie looked off to the side, focusing on the blank white wall. “Oh, yeah, that’s because ‘we’ll never be that close.’ Isn’t that what you said?”

He let out a stunned puff of air. “So that’s why you decided to commit suicide—death by a lair of Daychildren. You really aren’t that smart, are you?”

“If you’re only going to be rude, I’ll leave.” She removed her phone from his sweatshirt pocket to check the time. “It’s getting late anyway. My mom’s going to worry if she notices I’m not in my room.”

Janie stood up. Kai landed in front of her, blocking her path. She stumbled back. “Stop doing that,” she said. “Just because you’re fast doesn’t mean you can jump in front of unsuspecting people.”

“Don’t leave,” he said. She couldn’t read his straight face. He stood so close, unnervingly close, his eyes locked on hers.

“Look, its fine. I’m not mad. I know the limits of our relationship. I didn’t expect us to become friends.” She moved her gaze to the dark hardwood floor, afraid to meet his intense green eyes. There was something different about the way he regarded her. She wasn’t the most intuitive when it came to the opposite sex, let alone the opposite species, but something had changed.

“Friends—” His words seemed to trickle down her skin, causing goose bumps to form along her arms. Her heart raced. She swore she heard his heart beat just as fast. “So that’s where this is going, friends?”

She lifted her head. “I know it’s never happened before. A Daychild and a Seeker not trying to kill each other, but I’d say we’ve already broken most of the rules.”

“Most,” he agreed. He seemed satisfied, an underlying sadness in his tone.

Her breathing quivered. “So, then, it’s settled. We’re friends.”

Kai’s focus fell to her mouth, his gaze emitting a longing she couldn’t begin to understand. He hesitated. “My heart beats because I’m partly human.”

CHAPTER 8

“What?” Janie stepped back from Kai. Her mouth fell open. She quickly closed it. A police siren blared outside his house, first faint, then so loud it could have passed through the kitchen. It faded, leaving the room filled with uncomfortable silence.

“I’m part-human,” Kai said again. “You asked me why my heart beats.” He fidgeted with the edge of his T-shirt. “You asked. I’m answering your question!”

“I remember,” she said softly in an attempt to calm him down. “You said we’d never be close enough for you to tell me.”

“I’m telling you now,” he snapped. He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Janie let it go. He’d already said so much. She didn’t want to push him. “And your scars?” she asked.

“Human.” He traced the scars on his forearm with his forefinger. “When I stopped being a monster and was granted the capacity to feel again.”

“And your blood?” she said.

“Red.”

They stood in place, staring at each other. Her cell phone rang. Startled back to reality, she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s my mom. I’m sorry. I’ve got to answer it. She’s going to be so pissed that I went into the city.”

Kai stepped away from her and headed into the living room without another word.

The ride home was silent. Neither seemed to know what to say. Kai parked in front of Janie’s house. She climbed off his bike, still stunned by his confession. Janie removed the helmet from her head and tousled her matted hair with her fingers. “I never thanked you.” She handed him the helmet.

“For what?” He placed it on the back of his bike.

“Following me to the lair.” She smiled.

He gripped the handlebars tightly. “I didn’t follow you.”

Her brows rose. She didn’t believe him.

“Okay, fine. I followed you,” he said. “But only because I knew you’d go looking for trouble. You’re reckless. You have a habit of jumping in over your head.”

“True,” she agreed.

He reached into a hidden compartment, retrieved her dagger and handed it to her. “You might need this.”

She placed it in her boot. “So, I’ll see you later?” He didn’t say anything. She ran her fingers along the edge of his bike. The black and chrome shone under a single lamp post. “It’s been interesting.” Janie pushed her hands into the sweatshirt’s pockets. It was cold, but that wasn’t the reason she shivered.

“Janie—with you, life is always interesting,” he said. “I never know what you’re going to do next.” He balanced on his bike and drifted backward. He smiled. “You keep me on my toes, Janie Grey.” The bike’s engine roared to life. “Later.” He nodded and took off in a flash.

Janie sat with her back against the sofa cushion, clutching a throw pillow in her arms. Isabelle glared at her. She couldn’t seem to do anything right lately. “Does it really matter why Kai was with me at the lair tonight? If you’d just listen to me instead of yelling at me, I could tell you what we learned,” Janie said.

Isabelle paced the living room. Abram sat in the armchair wearing his usual attire, a tan suit. With his hands clasped together, he tapped one brown dress shoe on the floor. Creases lined his forehead. He refused to look at her.

“I see we’re getting nowhere with this conversation,” Isabelle said. “It’s now midnight. I can’t discuss
him
anymore. Just tell us what you learned tonight.” She marched back and forth. Her hair flopped around on top of her head. Dark circles framed her eyes and her face was gaunt.

“Finally we can discuss something of meaning.” Janie huffed. “Apparently, Daychildren are killing vampires, and the vampires aren’t happy about it.” She played with the fringe along the edge of the pillow, focusing on the small pieces of string and not her angry mother’s stare. Her face flushed. They trusted her to do her job, but didn’t trust her to follow her instincts—about fighting, or Kai.

“What would be the purpose of killing vampires?” Isabelle said, slicing through Janie’s thoughts.

Unusually silent, Abram spoke for the first time since they started the conversation. Her father figure since her father’s death, he wasn’t usually so passive. When she was seven and wanted to play in the street, he’d swept her off the ground and moved her to the grass, lecturing her about getting hit by a car. In junior high, the beginning of Seeker training, she wanted to go out on her own and test out a new kick she’d learned. Isabelle caught her climbing out of her second-floor bedroom window, so Abram refused to train her for a week.

He’d taught her everything she knew about Seeking. He had taught her every lesson she had learned. Only none of the lessons seemed to apply to Kai. He was the exception to every rule. It frustrated her that everything she’d learned about the “undead” wasn’t necessarily true; there were gray areas. It also frustrated her that she was relieved Kai wasn’t like the rest of them. She enjoyed having him around. He definitely made life interesting. And as much as she tried to deny her feelings, they were there.

“According to the Chapter, Daychildren need a vampire’s pure venom to create their own,” Abram said. “Their venom isn’t pure enough since they’re half-breeds. That’s why they’re killing vampires. They need the venom from their fangs.” He kept tapping his shoe on the floor. “They need something else as well, something from the demonic world. We aren’t sure what it is yet. Leo is looking into it.”

Isabelle twisted her ponytail around her fingers. “So you’re saying Daychildren need vampires in order to create more of their own kind, but the vampire community isn’t willing to just hand them their venom.” She finally stopped pacing and took a seat at the coffee table.

Janie held up her hand. “Don’t get mad at me for using
his
name again, but Kai said the vamps have had to clean up after the Daychildren because they are wild and uncontrollable. The vampires are trying to blend into human society, even become accepted, but they can’t while Daychildren are killing everyone they come across.” She looked over to Abram, who looked distracted, and continued. “Abram’s right. It seems as though Daychildren are killing vampires in order to obtain their pure venom. The vamp gang leader told the lair leader to stop killing vamps. There is a definite turf war going on. The gangs don’t see eye to eye.”

“Although I despise the source,” Abram said through gritted teeth. “He’s right, Isabelle. The vampires we used to kill are changing, evolving in some way, and Daychildren are the new babies, a youthful demonic species who only live to kill. They have no intention of blending into the human world. It’s not like when we were Seeking. There were few of them then. Now that they don’t need actual demons, their race is multiplying quickly.”

“Antony threatened Jerome with a name—Tavares,” Janie said. She turned to Abram. “Do you know who he is?”

Abram met her stare. She could see the disappointment in his eyes. It stung. “Unfortunately.” He stroked his brow with his fingertips. “The Chapter wasn’t aware he was still in charge. He’s been quiet for years. He was the vampire king when your mother and I were active Seekers; the leader of the head vampires, or den leaders, as they call themselves.” Abram’s fingertips lowered to his eyes. He rubbed them in silence. The stress of the recent events had clearly gotten to him, although Janie still felt it was something more. “He’s pure evil. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s behind all of this,” he continued. “There were rumors that Tavares was relieved of his throne, but who knows. The vampire community isn’t exactly predictable.”

Janie leaned forward. “What can I do? I can’t just sit around and let Antony get away with this. The missing teenager from Towson High—” Janie turned to her mother. “Remember the student we saw on the news? I saw him tonight. They Turned him.” She raised her shirt to expose the bruise on her ribcage. “He did this to me. Antony is targeting high school kids. That’s why they showed up at the bonfire. They Turned one of Matt’s friends, too, a wrestler. Unfortunately, Kai and I had to kill him. I’ve got to do something to stop this. I refuse to let Antony get away with this.”

Abram lurched forward. Hate fumed from his blue eyes, making them appear an ashen gray. “Janie Marissa Grey—never speak
his
name again. You heard your mother. You are
not
to see
him
again!”

“Abram—” Isabelle gasped.

He stood, smoothed his dress pants and took in a few meditative breaths. “I’ve got to report to the Chapter. See if Leo’s found out anything. I’ll come by tomorrow,” he said more calmly. Abram kissed Isabelle on the forehead. He glanced over at Janie, disappointment on his brow. “Stay away from the city. There is nothing you can do right now. Wait for my instructions. And for God’s sake, stay away from
him
.”

After Abram left, Janie excused herself from the living room. She stomped up the steps to her room and threw her bedroom door open, striking Kai. He blocked the door with his forearm.

“Ah!” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “What are you doing here? You scared me.” She hurried into her room and closed the door behind her.

“You’re a Seeker, you don’t get scared,” he said. He walked farther into her bedroom and pivoted around on one foot to face her. “I don’t understand you. You’ll go into the city and knock on the door of a known Daychild lair the night after you were poisoned by a demon splint, but you freak out when I show up in your room.”

She squinted. “Usually when I enter my room I don’t open the door into guys who can run through bedroom walls, or windows, or however you got in here.” Out of breath, she stopped waving her hands in the air. “I don’t usually have to wonder if something undead is creeping around my room, so I’m not on guard.”

“Undead,” he said with a scowl.