Survivor (22 page)

“Whoa…”  I said, holding up my hands.  My mind was
stumbling over itself as I tried to find words.  “Haine…  I’m Peter’s mate.”  I
was glad for the semi-privacy the dark afforded.  I’d never said it before.  It
sounded so medieval.

He took a step closer, slowly closing the distance
between us, and I backed up until I hit the tree trunk.  I froze as he reached
out to caress my cheek, my heart beating faster than it should have been.  “I
know.”  His eyes met mine and he must have seen the panic there.  He withdrew
his hand and ruffled my hair, giving me a reassuring smile.  “I didn’t mean to
startle you.  I know you are Peter’s.  I simply want…a bond.”

I took a deep breath of the night air, hoping to
clear my head.  Instead, I was filled with his scent.  He smelled like fall
leaves and the rain on grass.  Not helpful.  “I don’t love you,” I said
firmly.  Though it wasn’t exactly the truth.

Haine laughed.  “Liar.”  He could sense emotions far
better than I could.  “But I understand what you mean.  You love me in the same
way I love you.  As someone dear,  a sister, a coven mate.”  He ran a hand
through his silky hair and gave me a wry look.  “Well, maybe I care for you a
bit more than most of my coven mates.”

I relaxed a bit, realizing how foolish I had been to
think that Haine was about to attack me.  “I can’t bite you.”  My voice wobbled
a bit, damn it all.

He looked out at the water again, and I was able to
breathe.  “Melody, I’ve lived a very long time with no companionship other than
that evil voice in my head.  I simply wish to be connected to someone good; someone
who isn’t able to exert control over me.  I didn’t mean to make you feel
conflicted.”

My teeth had elongated at the thought of tasting
him. 
Crap
.  I squared my shoulders and pulled it together.  He relaxed
his posture, and I tried to match my aura to his, willing the tension to leave
my body.  I shouldn’t let myself get so worked up, especially not without Peter
nearby to reel me in if I lost it.

Then I heard it- the deep, heavy rhythm of a warm,
beating heart.  Haine heard it too.  He instantly closed the distance between
us, pressing me against the tree while I fought a losing battle with my
instincts.  I was already on edge because of Haine’s little request.  This was
just too much.  My breath came in ragged pants and everything went red around
the edges, as if I was looking at the world through a bloody tunnel.  My fists
clenched and I ground my teeth together, but the jogger was coming closer.  I
could smell his sweat, and the joyful endorphins of his runner’s high.  My
throat ached and I strained against Haine, baring my teeth at him when he
refused to let me go.

“Shhh...” he cooed.  “Melody, take shallow breaths. 
You don’t want this.  This isn’t you.”

I clawed at his imprisoning arms and twisted my body
like a wild thing, doing anything I could to escape.  I was almost there.  I
grinned, knowing I was about to slip Haine’s grasp.  The jogger’s pace was
slowing.  He had caught sight of Haine and me.  I could feel his mild worry.  He
was probably wondering if the man was hurting me.  If he needed to step in and
help. 
Yes
, I thought hungrily. 
Just a little closer.

Haine glanced over his shoulder, taking in the
jogger’s altered trajectory.  Then he shifted his body to shield me from view. 
He wrapped his arms around me and bent close, as if for a kiss.  With a soft
growl, I buried my teeth in his neck. 

His blood was unlike anything I had ever
experienced.  It flowed into me, filling me with power.  Ecstasy lit though me
like wildfire, and I pushed closer, pulling at him hungrily.  Panic pulsed
thorough me as I realized that I would never be able to stop on my own.  He
chuckled and stroked my head tenderly.  “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered.  “It’s
only my age.  It’s not your fault.  Take your fill.”  The jogger’s steps
faltered, then picked up again, a bit quicker than before.  He hastened on his
way, leaving the two lovers entwined under the spreading branches of an old
oak.

I closed my eyes and lost myself in Haine, bathing
in his ancient aura.  Finally, he moved his hands to my shoulders, gently
urging me back.  It took more effort than anything I had ever done in my entire
life just to let go of his neck.

I sat back, embarrassed.  “Thank you.”  I shuddered
at how quickly I had almost murdered an innocent person.  Haine stepped back
and ruffled my hair, winning a glare.  “Are we bonded now?”

He smiled.  “You’ll probably only notice the
connection if either of us are in danger, or in need of the other.”  I
continued to glare.  He’d gotten his way, damn him.

“I asked if you trust me,” he said quietly.  “There
are other reasons for me to share my blood with you- reasons I cannot speak
of.  I can only say that I think it will be of some help in the future.”  He
was frustrated.  I could feel emotions coiling around him like snakes, tangled
and slippery.  I thought maybe even he didn’t know what he was feeling.  But he
was asking me to trust him.

I closed my eyes, not believing what I had done. 
When I opened them, he was close, towering over me.  He gazed down at me with
those beautiful blue eyes.  “Melody, this is very important.”  He grasped my
shoulders, squeezing hard for emphasis.  “If I ever try to bite you, no matter
what, let it happen.  Don’t try to stop me.”

I nodded and stepped away, feeling awkward.  Haine gave
me a half smile and headed back down the path.  “Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

Peter met us on the path just before we got back to
the bar.  He was furious.  “Melody, how could you wander off?  I trusted you to
stay near.”  His green eyes were irate, but he wasn’t vamping out, which was a
good sign.

Haine held up his hands in surrender.  “I took her
for a walk.  I made sure she was safe.”  I suppressed the urge to roll my
eyes.  Safe from everyone but him. 

The breeze picked up and Peter stiffened.  “Melody,
I smell blood.”

I bit my lip.  If he smelled blood, then he knew
who’s it was.  “Ah…”  I started to explain, but Haine stepped between us. 

“Please don’t punish her Peter.  There was a jogger
on the path.  I thought you would be angry if I let her feed without you, so I …
distracted her.”

I rubbed my temples.  Judging from the look on
Peter’s face, things were about to get ugly.  “Stop it,” I said firmly.  I was
buzzing with power, thanks to my little snack, and it was making me cranky.

I pushed past Haine and took Peter’s hand, drawing
him down the path.  Haine followed a bit behind, amusement playing at his
features.  “It was just a bite.  That’s it.”  I kept a grip on Peter when he
would have spun and attempted to decapitate the other vampire.  “I am not
sleeping with him.”

Haine snorted with laughter and Peter’s muscles
beneath my hand tensed with the urge to attack him, but he kept walking.  “Then
do you mind explaining just what the hell you think you are doing?”

I sighed.  “I don’t know.  I’m new, remember?”

Haine piped up behind us, while Peter pretended the
other vampire didn’t exist.  “I’m honored to have been able to protect her, for
both your sakes, Peter.  I promise you that I am not trying to steal your child
away.” 

We managed to reach the back door of the bar before Peter
lost it.  He rounded on Haine, and his aura flared to life like blue flame.  A
cloak of menace seemed to hang about him, and a lock of dark hair fell forward
to hide his sparkling, liquid silver eyes.  Haine stood his ground with his
arms crossed, unfazed, but his own aura had slowly risen into existence, a
swirling cloud of red and gold.  Peter was a skilled assassin, but Haine was
much, much older.  And with age, came power.  This was going to be ugly. 

I pushed between them before the first blow,
stalling.  “Just stop it!”  Crap, there was nothing I could do to stop them
once they got started.

The door banged open and Leah strolled out.  She
neared us and I felt my shoulders relax in response to her ability. 
“Gentlemen,” she said softly.  “I would appreciate it if my coven members would
get along.”

I could hear the frogs singing, and the dull sounds
of voices and music from inside the bar, but somehow it felt as though the four
of us were frozen in time.  Then, ever so slowly, they both stood down and the
world began to move again.

Peter had lost his aura of impending death, but he
was still pissed.  “He tried to bond Melody.”  He said tersely.

Leah looked at Haine in surprise.  “Is this true?”

Haine looked defeated.  “Not out of love or
servitude,” he insisted, making it obvious that he was tired of repeating
himself. 

Leah nodded and glanced at Peter.  “Then I suggest
you drop it.”  Then she turned and went back inside.  I thought she looked a
bit more irritated than the situation warranted. 

Peter and I followed, leaving Haine skulking about
in the night.  When we got home, I expected to feel the full brunt of my
master’s wrath, but nothing happened.  He simply shook his head and let it go. 
“You are too soft,” he told me seriously.  “You cannot care for every stray dog
that wanders onto your doorstep.”

I looked at the floor, feeling foolish.  I felt like
I had been tricked, manipulated.  But even if the jogger hadn’t come, I would
have eventually agreed to Haine’s request.  He was the only real friend I had
in this world, besides Peter.  I was amazed that Peter was able to understand
everything.  I smiled wryly.  I knew no one would ever understand the twisted
inner workings of my mind the way Peter could. 

“Thank you,” I said softly.  He laughed and drew me
close, dropping a kiss on my forehead. 

“I trust your judgment,” he said calmly.  “It just
scared me to think that you had wandered off.  I have to admit, I am glad the
old man was with you.  I don’t ever want you to have to experience the weight
of taking a life.”  He sighed.  “I guess it’s time to work on your hunting
skills.”

W
e strolled along the river, drawing
closer to the oldest part of town.  The buildings weren’t run-down, exactly,
but they weren’t as sharp and expensive as the buildings on the other side of
town.  This was where the working class lived.  It wasn’t a ghetto or anything,
but there was definitely less money on this side of the river.

I’ve always thought this area of the roadside park
was more attractive than the one downtown.  There were less people and the
scenery was more natural, more relaxing.  On the weekends, the place would be
filled with kids, but on evenings like this, the park was empty.  I glanced at
the bright pinky-peach sun sinking toward the horizon.  It was still daylight,
but it wouldn’t be for much longer.  The afternoon was lit by a golden glow as
the sun sank behind the trees.  I breathed in the warm, sun-scented air.  I
appreciated the sun’s beauty, but I was happy to see it sinking lower in the
sky by the second, relieving my discomfort.

We moved as one toward the lone figure on the swing set.
 This was my first time leading the hunt, but it was instinctive.  Peter was
with me and his aura fed my hunger.

The woman didn’t notice us at first, too caught up
in her own personal drama.  Emotion stirred in the air, complicated and
delicious.  Reading the chemical and energy signals humans give off was still
hard for me.  It’s not something you develop immediately.  It was as if I had
been given a complicated GPS device.  Sure, I had the capability to find
anything I needed- but I had to figure out how to work the damn thing first.  I
was still learning to interpret what I was sensing.

The woman on the swing was a swirl of conflicting
feelings, but the smell of tears was pretty obvious.  I paused, my morals
warring with my hunger.  She was crying, for cripe’s sake.  Peter took my hand.
 “What do you feel?”

The woman looked up, blond hair falling back to
reveal bright blue eyes- one of which was ringed in an ugly red that would soon
be a bruise.  I compressed my lips. “Confusion?”  I said, at a loss.  

He raised his dark eyebrows and gave me a look.  He
tried, he really did, but sometimes my new teacher was a bit exasperated with
my progress.  He shook his head and took a step forward, dropping my hand.

“Hello Ma’am,” he said politely, a note of concern
in his voice.  “You seem upset.  Is there anything we can do for you?”  He gave
her a kind smile and she sat up straighter, wiping the back of her hand across
her eyes.  She looked haunted.

“Oh, um… no.  No thank you.”  She said, awed by his
appearance.

I took a step forward and plopped into the swing
beside her.  I pushed myself lazily, not looking at her.  “Who hurt you?”

She was quiet for a minute.  I mean, how often do
complete strangers take note of someone and actually care what is going on?  Most
people would probably keep walking, afraid to interfere, or just too lazy to
put forth the effort.

Her hand went to her eye then darted away as if she
were afraid to call attention to it.  Embarrassed, I thought, though I sucked
at this whole reading emotions thing.  “It’s nothing.”

I shrugged and slid off the swing.  Peter was
standing back, leaning against the leg of the swing set, arms crossed, gazing
off into the distance.  No matter how it might look to the casual observer, he
was watching me.  I took a deep breath. 
Aw hell
.