The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set) Read online

  He said nothing; I could hear his breathing on the other end. I opened my mouth...

  “How did you...” I said.

  “Your number? Sara gave it to me when she was leaving last night,” he said.

  “Of course she did,” I said. I thought of Sara handing him my number, saying something clever.

  “If I called at a bad time I can let you go,” he said. My heart jumped.

  “NO... I mean no… it's not that, hey listen I…” I said. I could hear him breathing.

  “No need to explain, I feel bad about giving you the wine,” he said remorseful.

  “Ohhh... the wine… yeah,” I said.

  “Well listen, I called to get a do over,” he said, his voice sounded nervous.

  “A do over?” I asked him. He paused; I thought maybe he took it wrong.

  “Yes... I thought maybe we could go out… you know, on a date,” he said.

  I smiled, shouldn't have but I just stood there remembering his heart beating hard against my chest and I started to get all flustered. Then I started to get flashes of him chasing me through the woods.

  “OH…” I said. I sat there not realizing that I didn't really give him an answer, and then he spoke.

  “Okay, Rue listen, if you don't want to…”

  “NO... no it's not that I don't want to, ya know, go out with you. I just... this week is really crazy, with the end of school and stuff… S.A.T s ...” I said, as I hit my head. God, I am an idiot. I started to have an internal conversation, probably not the best idea when you have a real conversation waiting on the line.

  I heard silence on the other end. Then he started to laugh.

  “Okay... well, when you can squeeze something in, you just let me know,” he said.

  I sucked in my breath, realizing I was about to say the worst thing I could.

  “I'd really like to see you,” I said. Well, it was true, but I'm an idiot. He breathed in.

  “I'm glad that you feel that way,” he said, in almost a whisper.

  We sat there in a deafening silence. Then he cleared his throat.

  “Listen Rue, I...” he hesitated. “Well, I don't know what it is about you but I want to get to know you,” he said.

  I didn't say anything. My mind yelled at me to stop. Instead of hanging up, I clutched the phone in my hand, wanting to hear more of his voice.

  “I want to know everything about you,” he added.

  “I feel the same way.” I muttered.

  What the hell is wrong with me? I'm thinking ‘get off the phone’ and I'm just hanging on letting the hole get deeper. I could hear his breathing getting harder, in turn mine did too.

  “Is it too late for me to come over?” he asked.

  “I... I don't think that's such a good idea Johnathan.”

  “Are you sure? I think you would change your mind once I got there,” he said. I bit my lip.

  “And why would that be?” I asked.

  “Trust me Rue, I would make you glad I were there,” he said.

  O.M.G. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I knew what I should say, and I couldn't bring myself to say it.

  “I... I want to see you... now,” I whispered.

  I could hear him breath in hard, probably laying there on his bed. Geez and rice Rue! Put his shirt back on, in your dirty mind. I held the phone tightly in my grip.

  “Are you alone?” he said in a low voice.

  “No… No Kai is here with me, in his room,” I whispered.

  “Well do you want me to come over and pick you up? We could go someplace alone,” he said.

  Thoughts went swirling through my head. He can't be evil… can't be. Sam put a binding on him so… she must have, right? No worries with the vamp thing. I can't leave, I'm bound, but he could come in… right?

  “Rue?” he said. I blinked a couple of times.

  “Yea… ohhh sorry I was just thinking,” I said.

  Johnathan laughed.

  “Trust me, I'm thinking too,” he said.

  My inner Rue, the rational Rue was screaming in my head, “what the hell are you doing?” But my hormonal Rue wanted him, in all the worst ways.

  “Come over now. My window is on the right front side of the house. You could climb up the tree, the branch crosses my window,” I whispered into the phone.

  What the fudge am I doing?

  Johnathan must have jumped up, I could hear his breathing quicken.

  “Be there in ten minutes,” he said. I opened my mouth to say something.

  He hung up.

  Oh crap.

  I ran up to my room, closing the door behind me and turned the lock. Oh my god, I can't believe I am doing this! I could hear Sara in my head just thrilled at the thought of me being so impulsive. I could see her with her hands on her hips, cussing at me. I didn't care one bit. I looked down at my hands a small glow was starting to form in the middle of my palms. I concentrated really hard to dull it. My heartbeat slowed and I looked down to see that it had faded. If I had been thinking anything but bad, naughty thoughts I would have snapped out of it… Problem was I couldn't, I had to see him. Even his voice on the phone made me get heated up, in all the wrong places.

  I heard a tap on my window. I jumped up; shocked that he had got here sooo fast. I ran to the window, turned the lock and raised it up. Johnathan slid in, turned, and closed it behind him. I looked up at him, standing right in front of me. He looked back at me and smiled. I turned around realizing I only had two things in my room, as far as furniture goes, my vanity and my bed. I started ringing my hands slowly and turned back to him.

  “Listen, Johnathan I really don't know why I…”

  He stepped closer to me. I instinctively backed up a little, in turn landing on the edge of my bed, almost falling off. I laughed.

  “I'm glad you told me I could come,” he said. I looked up at him; in the dull light of my room he was even hotter than usual. It was not helping at all.

  “Well, I don't usually let boys climb through my window. Really, I don't. This is new.”

  Johnathan came over and sat down next to me on the bed. Vibration started to flow through me.

  “I know you don't, but I'm glad you asked me,” he said.

  I got up and he grabbed my hand. Huh, I thought. He didn't shock the crap out of me. Maybe Sam’s binding worked. He pulled me back down, next to him.

  “Don't leave, Rue listen I just want...” He leaned in close to my face. I wanted to jump up and lay some fantastic sarcasm on him but I stayed there fixed on his face.

  He reached up and gently touched my cheek, I sucked in some air.

  “If you keep reacting to me like that, I can't be responsible…” he whispered.

  “Listen Johnathan,” I tried to say and he carefully put his lips to mine.

  This kiss was sooo much more than the first. I peeked to see if any crazy glow had started to release from my body, but nothing. I closed my eyes, and he started to kiss me harder. I peeked again, sooo afraid that at any moment we would be interrupted by some flash of light, wind, something, but nothing. Thank you, Sam. Johnathan put one arm behind my back and we started to lean back. This can't possibly be good. I didn't care. He slowly ran one hand down my side and over my hip. I sucked in air, inside his mouth.

  Still, with his mouth close to mine, he whispered, “You are not helping.” And he gave me a crooked smile.

  I whispered back, “I'm not trying to help, I'm just doing…”

  He kissed me again. His hand lowered and I gasped. He stopped, and sat up.

  “I don't know what I'm doing here,” he said.

  I propped myself up, “What?”

  He turned to me.

  “I was just wanting to call you, and next thing I know, I'm over here and we…” he stared at me.

  “Johnathan listen, I told you to come.”

  “It's just every time I touch you Rue, I feel like...”

  I looked at him. “Like what?” I asked.

 
“Like I want more... like I can't get enough.” I sat up and he got up off of my bed.

  “If I stay, I don't think I will be able to stop. I just don't...” he said as he looked at his hands.

  “Johnathan, please don't…” I reached my hand out to him.

  He looked back at me and said, “I should go, I should leave now.”

  I lowered my hand and looked at him, completely confused and frustrated at the same time.

  He jumped back at me and kissed me, really hard, and then he turned and climbed out my window.

  I just sat there and whispered, “Shit.”

  ***

  William looked to one hand, then to the other. Both were bound by liquid energy. He considered struggling, but he knew it would only drain him, so he lay his head back and started to think about how the hell he wound up here. The one place he never wanted to be, again. Thoughts of Kai and Rue raced through his mind. He hoped they were safe, they had to be. He hoped that Theodore would keep that information to himself, not share it with Sophia. If she knew, she would be furious and obviously want them brought to her as soon as possible. She wouldn't care that the entering of Valon before their shifting would probably kill them both; in fact she would probably enjoy watching him suffer, at their demise.

  Theodore was always on the line. He floated somewhere in the middle, appearing loyal to Sophia, but sympathizing with the revolt against the old ways. A dangerous place to be. He suddenly thought of Josh and Samantha. Theodore would have sent one or both to protect Kai and Rue, he hoped. If Josh even knew, he'd go for sure and Sam always enjoyed anything that pissed anyone off, so she would also go if Theodore asked her too. She, above all three, was most loyal to family. He just had to believe that, if he was to survive this. So he chose to believe.

  “Hello William.”

  William raised his head up, in the direction of the voice.

  He laughed a little. “You really came to see me alone?” he said.

  Sophia smiled. “I doubt you are in any position to threaten me right now.”

  Sophia waved her hand at the liquid William was laying on and brought him to an upright position.

  She walked up and smiled. “I won't lie; I am pleasantly surprised to see you here in Valon.”

  William began to laugh again. “Listen, whatever you’re doing here, is not going to get you anywhere with me,” he said, as he half laughed at her.

  “Oh, always so hard to get.” Sophia reached out, and touched his face. He turned his head.

  “You know William, you and I could have ruled together but you just couldn't do that for me could you?” she said as she stared at him.

  “There were never any ‘togethers’ for us Sophia,” William said as he grinned.

  She waved her hand and started to laugh, “Oh, I remember a time that you didn't act that way. When you spent every night in my bed telling me you wanted me,” she said. “Before Grace…” she added.

  “I won't do this with you Phia,” William said as he strained against the liquid mirror.

  “Now see Will, you called me what you used to call me, before all of this messy business.”

  William glared at her.

  “What Will...? We can't have a civil conversation? I only came to catch up. You know for sport. Can't you play along?” she said as she tilted her head.

  “You don't do anything without a reason,” William said.

  “Always so stubborn. Well, I need for you to do me a favor,” Sophia said as she looked off.

  “What? A favor? You have to be kidding me,” William said, laughing.

  “No, I'm asking for you to make this quick, and easy, tell me where Grace is.”

  William started to laugh so hard, it hurt his side. “You’re kidding me right? I will not. Why don't you ask your son... Caine?”

  Sophia hardened her look. “Well what would Caine have to do with any of this?”

  “Phia... really... come on. You’re evil creation has everything to do with it, everything to do with everything. Caine has had his hand in every dispute, every death, for a thousand years!”

  “Well I would ask him if I knew where he was. Caine left Valon 75 years ago and I do not know where he has gone,” she said as she walked to the middle of the room.

  “What?” William said as he lifted his head.

  “You heard me William. Caine is not here, has not been for a long time,” Sophia said with little emotion.

  “Oh, I see now,” William said as he laid his head back down.

  “You see what, William?”

  “This is about Caine,” he said as he grinned.

  Sophia turned away from him.

  “It's always been about Caine for you Phia. You changed a long time ago, you were once so…”

  Sophia turned back to him. “I was what William, so willing to accept things for what they were?”

  William saw a chip in her armor and decided to worm his words into it.

  “Phia, there was a time, a time I loved you more than I could ever express to you but you were so driven by the want of more. You just were not able to have a child of your own, not with me.”

  “I only wanted...” she whispered.

  “You should have never made that abomination with your brother Phia.”

  “Shut up Will,” Sophia said as her voice started to tremble.

  He continued on, “You could not find a mate suitable to your own genetic code Phia. That does not mean that you bend the rules. You killed Joseph in the process!”

  “ENOUGH!” Sophia started to be engulfed in black flames, wind whipped around in the chamber, so hard that it took William’s breath away. She formed a white-hot orb in between her hands and hurled it in William’s direction. The energy flew past him.

  She threw herself to the floor and screamed out.

  “You would be dead right now if I didn't need you.”

  William slammed back down so hard against the mirror that he lost consciousness, and Sophia pulled herself up from the floor and ran out of the room, pulling the huge door behind her.

  Chapter 3

  I’m With Stoopid

  I had fallen asleep. Dreams of my mom and dad drifted through. I awoke to car doors slamming shut and voices coming towards the house. I stood up, not quite awake yet, swaying a bit.

  The door opened and Samantha walked through, followed close behind by a tall boy. He had dark hair, almost black. He had a strong jawline and large eyes, his eyelashes were thick, his lips full. Pretty, very pretty. I blinked, as I stared at him. I couldn't help it.

  “Listen Sam, I will not go back there. You could feel the energy in the room, it was unnatural.”

  “Not losing your nerve are you?” Sam said with a smile.

  Obviously neither one of them noticed me, busy bitching, I guess.

  He started to laugh, “Please, if I could recall all the times I saved your ass...”

  “Ohhhh… so now you were the one saving ass?” Sam said as she rolled her eyes at him.

  “Yep, just like now. You can't even handle two kids.” the boy said.

  I cleared my throat, thought it would be a good time.

  They both looked at me.

  Samantha looked at me, then to him.

  “Ohh… Rue, what are you doing up?”

  “I fell asleep down here,” I said as I stepped forward.

  “Well... ummm. This is...” Sam started to say.

  I looked at him, him at me... He was so hot. What the hell is it with these people! I was just about to ask who he was when…

  He came flashing up to me. He placed his hand on the side of my head; flashes of memory came swelling up, sooo fast it made me dizzy. He got right to Johnathan, pressing hard against me...

  I jerked away from him and stumbled backward.

  “What the shit?” I screamed at him.

  Josh leaned in and smiled, “You… are a naughty girl.”

  My hands started to tremble, blue flames rising at my feet

&nb
sp; “How dare you! I... I can't believe… Who the hell do you think you are anyway?!” I stuttered.

  Samantha flashed in between us. She looked at me, “You need to calm down now. Don't make me bind you Rue!” she yelled.

  I glared past her and straight through him, I felt so violated. I looked at Sam.

  “Oh please… Give it a shot, I'll do whatever damage I can to that boy,” I yelled.

  He looked at me, I wanted to hate him, but he looked like something you'd love to eat. I bit my lip.

  “One day I will be the one doing the binding,” I said as I tried to sound pissed, hoped I did.

  Samantha put her hands on her hips and gave me a ‘if you think you can’ stare.

  “Well, without my help, you will never even know how to. So how about we just call a truce?”

  I felt the heat start to fade in my face and hands; it allowed the blue glow I was accidentally creating to dissipate into mist.

  “See that's better Rue, just sit down before you get in over your head,” Josh said.

  I let that one go; truth was every time I got worked up in any way I just needed to sit down. I heard my stomach growl. This energy thing made me sooo hungry.

  Samantha looked back at her brother.

  “Really Josh? Whatever happened to, ‘Hi, I'm Josh, other than being an arrogant ass, I like reading books and watching sunsets’…”

  Josh laughed, “Oh Samantha, if you only knew how much easier it was, I just like to get right to the point.” Then added, “Sunsets… What the hell?” He kept laughing.

  Samantha looked back to me.

  “Rue, this is Josh, my brother, I'm sure when he, well ya know, he didn't even tell you that, I guess I'll say ‘I'm sorry’ for him.”

  I crossed my arms, looking as if I just got told I was grounded.

  “Hi, well you already know me, so I don't have to tell you,” I said.

  “No you don’t.” Josh got a wicked grin on his face.

  I felt a rush of blood; I just knew my face was getting red.

  “What was, what did you do to me anyway,” I asked him.

  Samantha chimed in, “Listen Rue, my brother here can take memories with touch, it's a nice little trick Theodore taught him. I told him not to use it on girls, wouldn't be a good icebreaker, but obviously I don't get listened to. Do I Josh?” She glared at him.