Deathless (18 page)

Dral and Bain exchanged glances.

“
Thanks,” Dral said, “but we will wait outside.”

They each moved silently about twenty feet to the side and stood with their backs against the wall. Leesa understood immediately they were acting as sentries. She wondered whether Rave’s visit meant she was in danger, or if the volkaanes were just taking normal precautions.

“
Is everything okay, Rave?” she asked while they were still outside. If something was wrong, she didn’t know if he would be able to tell her in front of Bradley.

Rave kissed her forehead and her knees immediately felt weak. It had been way too long since she had felt even a brief touch of his lips.

“
Everything’s fine. The Elders insisted that if I wanted to return to Connecticut to see you, I had to bring two companions for safety, just in case. By the way,” he added, “I got Max’s message.”

Leesa blushed yet again. She grabbed his arm and led him inside.

“
Bradley, look who’s here.”

Bradley was stretched out on the floor, screwing in a fastener for one of the table legs.

“
Don’t get up,” Rave said.

“
Hi, Rave,” Bradley said from where he lay. “Thanks. I’ve almost got this thing finished.”

Leesa still had a tight hold on Rave’s arm. “I’ve missed you sooo much,” she said.

“
Hey, c’mon Sis, don’t get all gooey on me,” Bradley said, chuckling.

Leesa gave Rave’s arm a squeeze. “Sorry, big brother,” she said to Bradley. “I’ll try to control myself—at least until I get Rave alone.”

Rave grinned. He loved seeing Leesa interact with her family, because volkaanes had no real families of their own. Balin was the closest thing he had to a father, and Dral and Bain the closest thing he had to brothers.

“
Done,” Bradley said. He got up from the floor and extended his hand to Rave. “Nice to see you again, Rave.”

Leesa watched as the two shook hands. Bradley’s expression didn’t change, so she guessed Rave still had enough control of his inner heat to make his hand normal temperature.

“
You, too, Bradley,” Rave said. “You look much healthier than the last time I saw you. It’s good to see.”

“
Thanks,” Bradley said. “I feel great.”

“
I hope you’ll excuse us,” Leesa said to her brother. “Rave and I are going into the kitchen to talk.”

“
No problem.” Bradley nudged an unopened box with his foot. “I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.”

Leesa led Rave by the arm into the kitchen.

“
Oops,” she said, standing in the middle of the kitchen floor. “I forgot there’s nowhere to sit in here yet.”

“
Sure there is,” Rave said. He picked her up effortlessly and deposited her onto the tiled counter between the sink and the stove, leaving his hands on her hips. “See?”

“
Ha! I guess you’re right,” Leesa said. She draped her forearms over his shoulders and gave his ribs a gentle squeeze with her knees. “This is pretty comfortable. Pretty sexy, too.” She cocked her head slightly. “So, what brings you all the way down from New Hampshire?”

“
I missed you. Isn’t that enough?”

“
I’ve missed you, too. But why do I think missing me might not be quite enough to get you to go to the Council of Elders and to bring two friends down here with you?”

Rave looked at her sheepishly. Leesa loved it when he looked that way, because it did not happen often. He was usually so confident and in control.

“
Well, I did miss you,” he said. “And I wanted to check on you and make sure everything was all right. But you are right. There is more. I might be gone a bit longer than I originally expected.”

That was definitely not something Leesa wanted to hear. “Oh, no. Why?”

“
The Council has decided it is safer for everyone that way. For volkaanes, vampires and humans.”

“
How long will you be gone, then?”

Rave shrugged. “I’m not sure. Unless we hear that vampires are running out of control and our presence is needed, it could be awhile.”

Leesa’s heart sank. Why did she have to fall in love with a volkaane? She quickly squashed the thought. Rave was by far the best thing ever to happen to her, despite the obstacles. And there were more than a few, for sure.

“
Three people disappeared within two days of the solstice,” she told him. “Plus one more the other day. There’s no way to know if it was vampires, but even if it was, I’m guessing four isn’t enough to count as ‘out of control’ yet, right?”

Rave shook his head. “No. I’m afraid it will take more than that.”

“
That sucks—no pun intended. So, how long can you stay?”

Rave’s handsome features seemed to darken. “Just this afternoon, I’m afraid. We must leave before dark.”

Leesa was disappointed, but that still gave them a couple more hours.

“
Want to go for a walk?” she asked.

“
Sure,” Rave said, smiling. “Walking with you is one of my favorite things.”

“
Oh? And what are some of your other favorites?” Leesa asked flirtatiously.

Rave’s grin widened. “Well, let’s see. I love carrying you, of course.”

Leesa smiled. She couldn’t argue with that—she loved it, too. She knew Rave understood that was not what she wanted to hear, though.

“
And what else?” she asked.

Rave leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the mouth. His lips were gone almost before they touched her, but Leesa still felt the familiar thrill shoot through her body.

“
And I really love kissing you,” Rave said. “I just wish we could do it more.”

Leesa sighed. “Me, too. I hope you’re not wasting your time up there in New Hampshire. You’d better be practicing that
Rammugul
thing—practicing it a lot.”

Rave laughed. “Trust me, I do little else.” He lifted her down from the counter. “Let’s go get started on that walk.”

Out in the living room, Bradley was sitting on the couch, taking a break from assembling furniture. He had managed to complete a small end table while Leesa and Rave were in the kitchen. He stood up when they emerged.

“
Rave, can I ask you something?” he said.

Leesa watched her brother carefully. She recognized the curious look he always got when he wanted to know something. She hoped he wasn’t going to ask Rave about being a vampire.

“
Sure,” Rave replied.

“
If your people don’t drive or ride in cars, how did you get down here from New Hampshire? Is there a horse and buggy parked outside?”

Rave laughed, but Leesa was worried. How
was
Rave going to explain how easily his kind covered long distances?

“
No, there is no horse and buggy, I’m afraid,” Rave said easily. “Sorry to disappoint you. When we have somewhere important we need to go, if it is not walking distance, we are allowed to ride the bus. We have a different definition of walking distance than most people, though.”

Leesa smiled, amazed at how easily the lie came from Rave’s lips. She knew just walking onto a bus would probably fry every electrical system on the thing. The Mastons had lived on the edges of society for so long, she guessed they had come up with plausible explanations for most of the questions curious humans might ask.

“
Important things like coming to see my sister?” Bradley asked.

Rave smiled. “I can’t think of anything more important. Can you?”

Leesa smiled. She
loved
hearing that. She took Rave’s hand.

“
Nope, I can’t,” Bradley said.

“
We’re going for a walk,” Leesa told him. “I hope you don’t mind me leaving you here with all this stuff for a couple of hours.”

Bradley grinned. “Of course not. Rave rode the frigging bus to come see you, after all.”

They all laughed. Leesa grabbed her parka and cap and led Rave out the door.

Outside, it was cool but not freezing. The mid-afternoon sun shone down from a mostly clear sky, providing a bit of warmth. Leesa guessed the temperature was in somewhere in the mid to upper thirties. Not bad for New England at the end of December.

The light layer of snow from Christmas Eve had long since melted. Dral and Bain crossed the small lawn and fell silently into step behind Leesa and Rave as soon as they started toward the side walk.

Leesa had no particular destination in mind. She simply led them out to the main road and turned east, toward Middletown. She didn’t care where they went—it was enough to be walking with Rave and holding his hand. They talked lightly, easily. She told him about Christmas, about her mom’s job at the bakery, about the trip to New Haven for furniture. Rave told her about the caverns in New Hampshire and the temporary shelters his people had erected outside them. She hoped the shelters would be
very
temporary.

For the most part, Dral and Bain walked silently behind them, though now and then one of them would make a comment. Whenever Leesa looked back, she saw the same alert vigilance in their manner that she always sensed from Rave. The volkaanes were not really worried about vampires right now—it was a bright afternoon and they were walking along a fairly busy road, so it was unlikely any of the creatures would be in the area. This was simply the way they were—careful, alert and attentive to the things around them.

They walked for almost two hours, all the way to the downtown Middletown and back. The sun hung just above the horizon when they returned to the apartment complex. The day had grown much colder as the sun ebbed, but with her hand in Rave’s hand, Leesa scarcely felt it. It had been a wonderful walk, a wonderful afternoon, but she knew it was now time for another good-bye.

She turned and wrapped her arms around Rave, pressing her cheek against his chest as she felt his strong arms encircle her, trying to absorb as much of him as she could while he was still here. Finally, she pushed her head away from his chest and looked up at his face. Dral and Bain had moved a few steps back, giving them some privacy.

“
Thanks for coming, Rave. It was a wonderful surprise.”

“
The pleasure was mine,” Rave said, smiling. “A two hundred mile jog is nothing—not when you are at the end of it.”

“
You’re such a flatterer,” she teased. “Two hundred miles isn’t that much for you whether I’m at the end of it or not.” She rose up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I like hearing you say it, though.”

She stepped back out of his embrace. “Now get out of here. I hate long good-byes.”

Rave grinned. “As you wish.” He nodded to Dral and Bain, who started down the walk.

Rave kissed the top of her head. “Keep yourself safe, my love,” he said, then he turned and followed his companions.

Leesa watched until they disappeared around the corner. It wasn’t until she had turned to go inside the apartment that she realized she’d forgotten to tell Rave about her vampire dream. Oh, well, she thought, there was no sense worrying him over a stupid dream anyway. She pulled the door open and went inside.

24. A NEW FRIEND

T
he first thing Leesa did when she got back to school, after putting her stuff away in her room, was go down to Cali’s room. She had only seen her friend once over the break, when Cali had borrowed her mom’s car and driven to Meriden two days before Christmas. That had been nearly two weeks ago, and Leesa missed her best friend. Texts were nice, but there was nothing like getting together in person.

Cali’s door was wide open. Inside, Leesa could see Cali and Stacie sitting at Cali’s desk, their backs to the doorway. She knocked lightly on the door to let them know she was there and entered the room.

The two girls turned at the sound of Leesa’s knock, and she immediately saw she had been mistaken. The second girl was not Stacie—this girl’s long straight black hair, so similar to the half-Japanese Stacie’s—had fooled Leesa. She had never seen this girl before. She was very pretty, with large, almond-shaped dark brown eyes and high cheekbones that gave her an attractive, exotic look, as did her café au lait complexion.