Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (24 page)

     Noah nodded.

     “Cain?” Melina said, “Answer me.”

     “We have to go now, we have to get to my place. I’ll explain in the car.”

     Cain turned and walked toward the exit, he wasn’t about to wait for Melina and Noah. Although it would be helpful, he didn’t need Noah’s car. He would find Shayna on his own, if he had to.

     Cain walked out of the school building, into the parking lot, followed by Noah and Melina. He hadn’t been surprised when they had joined him in the hallway.

They arrived to Cain’s house, and Cain effortlessy carried Melina into the house. Noah and Aunt Mill moved the coffee table out of the way, so that Cain could lay her down on the couch.

     “Oh dear,” Aunt Mill said. “Poor thing,” she felt Melina’s head, “She’ll be fine, I’ll go whip something together, that will wake her right up,” the sweet woman smiled politly at Cain and Noah, and excused herself to the kitchen.

     Melina had fainted in the car. Cain had been explaining everything to her and Noah, and apparently, him killing her father, and Shayna agreeing to exchange blood with him, had been too much for Melina to handle, and she lost consciousness.

     Noah hadn’t taken his eyes off the road, or said a word, while they drove to Cain’s house. He just drove and absorbed everything that Cain was telling them.

     With Aunt Mill out of the room, Noah looked at Cain, and asked, “So, what does all of this mean? What does Aiden want with Shayna?”

     Cain shook his head, and looked at the ground. He was ashamed that he had allowed Aiden to fool him the way he had.

     “I don’t even know how I am alive right now,” Cain told Noah, “I’m pretty sure that I changed, but I don’t know how,” he gestured to the empty chairs in the livingroom. “You can sit down.

     Noah wasn’t sure what to do. Although he felt oddly comfortable around Cain, the only other vampire he had known, was Shayna and Melina’s father. But he hadn’t known then,that he was a vampire. He was a nice man. Noah thought about Marcus Verona. Maybe I don’t have to be scared.

     “Never underestimate a vampire,” Cain told him immediately, looking staight into his eyes and catching him off guard, “You should always be afraid.”

     “Holy crap!” Noahs mouth gaped wide open, “You just read my mind. How the hell?”

     Cain nodded, and Aunt Mill returned with a small silver cup, that was steaming from the top.

“Cain dear. She said. “Sit her up.”

     Cain rushed to Melina, and sat her up, like Aunt Mill had instructed. The fragile looking woman put the cup under Melina’s nose, so that the steam would fill her nostrils. Almost instantaneously, Melina’s eyes popped wide open. She looked around at the faces surrounding her. When she saw Noah, the tears started to flow.

     “This is a nightmare,” she cried, “It can’t be real,” she put her face in her hands, and sobbed harder.

     Noah sat down next to her and put his arm around her to console her, and Aunt Mill looked Cain up and down suspiciously.

“Well, look at you,” she was smiling from ear to ear, “No wonder I couldn’t find you. I wasn’t looking for
you
.”

     “How did it happen?” Cain said, desperate for a logical answer.

     Aunt Mill went to an old victorian style desk that was in the foyer, and brought back a book, and handed it to Cain. The book was old, and bound in ancient leather. Cain tried, but he couldn’t make out the Italian name that was on the cover.

      Sitting with Melina on the couch, Noah watched their every move.

     “An old friend out in California, was able to track it down. He had it overnighted to me. It arrived just today,” Aunt Mill knew Cain didn’t have time to read it, but she had already gotten through most of it herself, “You fell in love with her Cain. You would do anything in the world for her, except take her blood. But the most important part is, that she loved you in return,” Aunt Mill turned and looked at Melina, and Melina lifted her head off of Noahs shoulder returning the gaze, “That’s how you changed,” Aunt Mill said turning back to Cain.

     “You really do love her? Don’t you?” Melina said.

     Cain nodded his head to Melina. “I do, yes,” he said, but quickly turned his attention back to Aunt Mill, “Where is she? Can you find her?”

     Aunt Mill closed her eyes, at least a minute passed, until she began to speak, “I see water, and I see white,” Aunt Mill said. “White velvet. I can feel it in my hand.”

     Cain was confused, and getting impatient, time was running out.

     “I know where she is,” Melina said unexpectedly. Everyone turned and looked at her, “She’s on the island, Mackinac Island,” Melina tried to stand up, but felt dizzy, and quiclkly sat back down. “She told mom and I all about it. Everything in her room was white and the bed was white velvet,” Melina looked at Cain, “It’s surrounded by water. She’s on the island, in that room.”

     Cain turned for the door, and Noah stood up.

     “I’m going with you,” he told Cain.

     Cain stopped and turned around, “No,” he said to Noah as firm as he could.

     “Melina, you stay here with…with…uh,” Noah looked at the old woman.

     “You can call me Aunt Mill.”

     Noah gave Aunt Mill an embarassed smile, and looked back to Melina.

“With Aunt Mill,” he looked back to Cain, who was opening the front door, “I’m going with you.”

     “No, we don’t have enough time,” Cain said, turning around to face Noah. “It’s almost nine already, and it will take close to three hours to get there driving.”

     “Not the way Noah drives,” Melina interjected.

     Noah looked at Cain and smiled. Melina was right.

     “Let’s go,” Cain said to Noah. He knew Melina wasn’t lying about the kid’s driving, and he didn’t have time to stay and argue.

     They walked out the door, and Noah felt safe leaving Melina with Aunt Mill. Cain sent Noah to the car, and then rushed to the  barn, he desperatly needed to feed, before they left.

     Cain and Noah arrived in Mackinaw City right before eleven o’clock. Noah found a ferry line, Shephler’s Ferry, and turned into the parking lot.

     “How are we going to get out there?” Noah asked, looking out at the lights of the Grand Hotel, “None of the ferry’s are running, this late.”

     Cain climbed out of the car.

     “We’re not taking a ferry,” he said.

     Cain walked to the marina and began examining the different boats, and Noah walked up behind him.

     “Well?’ Noah huffed, “What
are
we taking?”

     “That,” Cain said, pointing at a large boat named Gilly-ga-loo.

     Noah looked at the boat suspiciously. It was about forty feet long, about the length of one of the ferry’s, but not as big, “Is it yours?”

     Cain walked out onto the dock, “No,” he said.

     “Who’s is it?” Noah said, running  catching up to him on the dock.

     “I don’t know,” Cain shrugged his shoulders, and jumped onto the deck of the boat. “Can you make it?” he asked Noah.

     “I think I got it,” Noah said, and jumped onto the boat alongside Cain.

     Noah walked to the bow, and Cain went to the helm. Noah wasn’t surprised, when Cain had the motor running within seconds. The boat was fast, taking only about ten minutes to bring them to the west side of the island, where the Grand Hotel was. Cain was able to bring the boat close enough to the island, that when they jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Huron, the were only waist deep.

     They walked out of the water, onto the beach that Cain and Shayna had just been walking on the week before.

     “There is a door on the east side of the hotel that leads to the kitchen,” he told Noah, “If it’s not open, it is unlocked. If she is in that room, the room number is 334.” they walked toward the hotel together, “Go,” Cain said. “If you get to the stables, you’ve gone too far.”

     “What are you going to do?” Noah wasn’t sure what he would do if he got to Shayna first.

     “Don’t worry about me. Just go,” Cain said, and he started to sprint toward the back of the hotel, and out of Noah’s sight.

     Noah wasn’t sure exactly what he had gotten himself into. He was on a mission for a vampire, to save a vampire, from a vampire. Maybe it is all a dream. He thought.

Chapter 20

     The dull red glow, surrounded by bright white  was blinding to Shayna. Her eyes fluttered open, and slowly started to adjust to the light. She looked around, barely able to move her head. Oh my God. She thought.Unbelievably, she was back on the island. This time instead of roses, there were white candles, burning throughout the room. She realized that the candles were the red glow
.
Everything had gone horribly wrong. Her head was pounding, and she hopelessly wondered where Aiden was. He was supposed to protect her from Cain, to stop this from happening, and make sure it didn’t happen at all.   

     A dark hooded figure stepped into the room from the balcony, and walked toward  the bed.

“You’re awake,” he said, and sat on the bed beside her.

     He put his hand on her thigh, and Shayna trembled with fear. The only thing going through her mind, was that, Aiden was supposed to protect her from this. She had trusted that he would do that.

     “Don’t be scared Shayna.” He whispered to her.

     He leaned down toward her and with his soft, but deadly, fingers he gently moved the hair off of her shoulder, exposing her throat. The veins in her neck throbbed with every beat of her heart. Right there. He thought, eyeing the biggest vein of all.

      “This won’t hurt too much.” He leaned in even closer to her. “If you don’t fight it.”

     Shayna closed her eyes tightly. This is it. She thought. This is how I am going to die. She let out a muffled cry, and tried to imagine Cain’s face, so her mind would be, where she wanted it to be. Aiden’s hand gripped her thigh harder.

     Just get it over with! She prayed. She could feel tears escaping her closed eyes.

     “Look at me,” Aiden said, grabbing her face under her chin, turning her head toward him. “Open your eyes,” he demanded

     Afraid of what would happen if she didn’t, Shayna opened her eyes. She knew she was going to die, but wanted to make it as painless as possible. Shayna looked into Aiden’s eyes. Looks truly were deceiving, and as she looked at his handsome face, she knew how ugly he was inside.

     “Why are you doing this Aiden? You’re not a Changeling,” she said. “You don’t need my blood,” her voice was barely a whisper. Her throat burned from the poison he had her inhale.

     Aiden’s eyes became red, “I don’t need your blood Shayna,” he hissed, and leaned closer, “I want your blood. Your blood is so unbelievably powerful. The moment I caught scent of you, I knew, I had to have you.

     Shayna felt like she would vomit. She had trusted Aiden, and the whole time he had lied to her, and betrayed her, and her father.

     Aiden began laughing, “I can’t believe my weak brother was able to resist you for so long,” he said. He looked at Shayna,  and pretended to have sad eyes, “He really did love you Shayna, but he killed Roslyn,” Aiden leaned in as close as he could to Shayna, “He won’t be coming back for you Princess,” he said laughing harder. “I made sure of that.”

     Shayna spat in Aiden’s face, and slapped him. He grabbed her wrists and held her down on the bed, his red eyes piercing hers.

     “It’s time,” he said with a hiss.

     He started to lean closer to her neck again, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw movemnet on the balcony. She glanced over, moving only her eyes, and beheld a pair of green and red eyes staring back at her. Her heart started beating faster. She looked back to Aiden hoping he hadn’t noticed her looking at the balcony.

     “Cain is going to kill you,” she told Aiden matter of fact.

     Aiden laughed in her face, “Shayna, Shayna, you stupid little Halfling, don’t you get it? Cain is dead,” he smiled at her and ran his tounge acrossed his extened canines.

     Shayna started squirming under Aiden’s grasp, and finally Cain stepped into the room.

     “You forgot one thing brother,” Cain said.

     Aiden jerked his head around in Cain’s direction, growling.

     Cain held up his hand showing his ring to his brother, “You forgot to take my bloodstone off of me, when you through me off that bluff.”

     Aiden growled louder, and Shayna could feel it vibrating in her chest.

     “Impossible.” Aiden said. “You’re dead.”

     Cain stepped further into the room. “No. You thought you killed a Changeling.” Cain looked at Shayna, lying trapped beneath Aiden’s body, her eyes were full of fear, and hope, “I wasn’t a Changling, when you thought you killed me,” he told Aiden.

     There was a knock at the door. Aiden hissed, and turned his head to the door, and Cain took his chance. He lunged at Aiden, knocking him across the bed, and onto the floor on the otherside.

    
Knock. Knock.

     “Shayna, are you in there,” it was Noah.

     Shayna couldn’t peel her eyes away from Cain and Aiden fighting, it was like something she thought she would only see in the movies, they viciously growled at each other, and tore chunks of flesh from each others bodies. She feared that the outcome would be bad for both of them. Shayna slowly got off of the bed, and started making her way to the door. Aiden saw her, and growled. His blood red eyes locked in on her like missiles. He managed to slip away from Cain, and made a move for Shayna, grabbing a handful of her hair, and yanking her to him. Shayna screamed. Holding her, with her back to him, Aiden sank his teeth, deep into her neck. He hadn’t got the bulging vein he had hoped for, but he would settle for where he landed.

     Cain pulled the platinum dagger out of his boot, and rushed toward Aiden with it, and stuck in deep into the middle of his back. He knew it wouldn’t do any permanent damage, but he had to do whatever her could to make him release Shayna.