New Title 1 (39 page)

Chapter Six

Three months later.

“Yara it’s for you,” Sam said as she walked into the nursing room with a cellphone in her hands.

“Who is it?” Yara asked shoving the smelly nappy in the garbage bin.

Z chuckled from the rocking chair. “Guess.”

Sam lifted her eyebrows with a
you-know-damn-well-who-it-is
face.

Yara’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it Rafe?”

Sam’s gaze went somber, almost apologetic. “It’s CJ, he wants to invite you to the re-opening of the Dungeon.”

Yara forced a smile. “Please tell him I’m busy,” she replied.

“You don’t even wanna…”

“No, Sam, thanks, I’d rather skip it.”

Her friend nodded then lifted the phone to her ear. “Hi CJ, she can’t make it, sorry.”

Yara watched Sam walk out of the room and pretended to be busy cleaning up the mess Z and her adorable little girl had left around. Ever since Naiah’s death, she had stuck to her promise - she had been a good girl and stayed away from trouble, from Rafe, from sex clubs, fighting rings, and the rest. Yes, she was about to lose it, but it was worth it. She had to change, she had to grow up and start being more responsible. But by Apa Dobrý, she missed him. In the beginning, he had tried to contact her almost every day - first by cellphone, then by turning up uninvited, even by letter – and after a week or so of silence from her end, the attempts had stopped. Her mind had celebrated because that meant “no distractions, no temptations”; it meant she could go on, down the changing-for-a-better-world path, undisturbed. But her heart was singing a completely different tune.

“Where’s my little princess?” Tardieh’s deep baritone voice resonated in the room. The king walked in carrying a large pink and green box which displayed the words “My Chanting Owl” on the side.

“Hon, not another noisy toy!” Z complained but the smile on her face said otherwise.

Tardieh ignored his wife’s comment and started unpacking the present.

Yara smiled too. It was quite fun to see the powerful vampire king be reduced to a pile of smootchy-ness. She crossed the room and crouched in front of Z. Her leader was glowing, and for a very good reason, she had just given birth to the most adorable baby girl of all times.

Little Zoe was fair in skin and had the most amazing green eyes, just like her father’s. She had her mother’s high cheeks and Tardieh’s patrician nose but when she cried… Ai, Apa Dobrý, the entire house rushed just to witness her eyes glow yellow and fire pour out of her cute little nostrils, like a true dragon. Yep, things have definitely changed around here.

“Would you get me another blanket, Tardieh?” Z asked. “I think Zoe’s getting a little bit too cold.”

“Of course she’s cold, she’s a vampire,” Tardieh said with a lighthearted pride.

“Half,” Z replied. “Half-vampire.”

“I’m gonna go for a walk,” Yara said but knew she hadn’t been heard. As per every second evening since the birth of their child, Z and Tardieh locked horns in debate about which side would prevail in their new offspring – the fang or the fire. It was hilarious and sometimes, Yara even stayed and watched them come up with the most ridiculous arguments to make their case. But not tonight. The sadness that had taken permanent residency in her heart had crawled out and claimed her inmã again.

Yara went down the long staircase, crossed the main foyer and opened the front door. Dexter, the new house manager, was busy delegating tasks to the staff. Since Arthur’s murder and with his daughter’s arrival, Tardieh had reinforced his internal protocols and had asked Joel to strengthen the security system.

She lifted her chin in greeting at Dexter. He nodded in reply. He knew Yara needed her regular walks, and never tried to stop her, even though going in and out of the mansion without lodging an entry in the “Status Panel” was strictly against the new rules.

The night was cold, winter had been particularly harsh this year. Or maybe she was feeling it more, she didn’t know. She wrapped her arms around herself and slowly strolled down the stone path that led to the gardens. Every evening, and sometimes during the day, she took time out from the busy life in the mansion – little Zoe was a handful and Z had needed everyone’s help to tame the fiery baby – and went for a walk. She didn’t shift, she hadn’t felt the urge to ever since she left Rafe alone by the gate.

Yara sat down on one of the benches and took a deep breath. “Ai, Apa Dobrý, when will I stop feeling this emptiness inside?”

“When you let yourself live again.”

Yara jumped startled by the anonymous answer. She turned around searching for the source of the voice. “Ai, Dyam, you startled me.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to,” he replied coming to sit by her side. His voice carried no color.

After Naiah’s death, Dyam had distanced himself from everyone, having his blood-meals in his room and only coming out only at the king’s request. Yara had wanted to go talk to him, to understand what had really happened between him and her sister, but she still felt too raw, and was afraid she’d do even more damage than help, so she stayed away. But now, he was here, and his presence reminded her how much she still ached inside.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly.

He shrugged. “You?”

She shrugged.

They sat there in the darkness, looking over New York City down below.

“As I grow old, and time passes, my mind does a natural selection of memories. Like an involuntary spring cleaning,” he declared out of the blue. “Maybe it’s because I choose to forget things that aren’t important, or maybe my storage capacity is finally running out of space. It sometimes bothers me because I tend to forget the details about people who have passed through my life but are no longer part of it. I don’t remember my mother’s features, for example; I forgot what fresh corn smells like just after the harvest.”

He paused. Yara waited, unsure why he was talking about corn.

“But one thing keeps on coming back to me, over and over again,” he added. “Naiah’s last words.”

Yara frowned.

“Just before she stormed out on me, in a true Latin soap-opera style.” A ghost of a smile lifted the corner of his lips, but then disappeared as quick. “Do you know what she told me?”

Yara shook her head, too dumbfounded to answer him with words.

“She said ‘I thought that you vampires had it all figured out, but I guess I was wrong.”

Yara frowned. “Why would she say such a thing?” Naiah was the sweetest girl ever – she was still Latin, yes, but Yara couldn’t fathom her sister uttering those hurtful words at anyone.

“Because she was right,” Dyam replied. “She was giving me a hard time because I over think things too much. And because of that I missed the opportunity to fully enjoy her company.”

“I’m so sorry, Dyam,” Yara whispered. “I didn’t know you and Naiah had hooked up.”

“We didn’t, and that’s my point to you, Yara. Naiah, in all her inexperience and freshness, did have it all figured out. She wanted to see the world, to experience every feeling there is to know because
living
for her was much more than just doing a good job at waking up every morning. Not enjoying something new just because you don’t know what the outcome will be, was a waste of life for her.” He lifted his gaze and captured Yara’s. “Rafe called me.”

Her breath hitched inside her throat. “He did?”

Dyam nodded. “He’s been calling me every second day.”

What?
Her mind went into overdrive, divided by conflicting feelings – she was jumping inside celebrating that Rafe hadn’t forgotten about her, the same way she hadn’t stopped thinking about him. But on the other hand, her newly-found reasonable-self chided her, reminding her of her new mission in life.

“He’s worried about you, Yara.”

“Well, he shouldn’t be. I’m not his girl; he should get the hint and move on,” she heard her lips utter.

Dyam’s gaze turned downhearted. “Don’t make the same mistake I did, Yara. You shouldn’t erase the future just because it doesn’t fit the present. Rafe is a good man. Yes, he fucked up but he has worked really hard to prove himself worthy ever since.”

Yara clutched her jaw tight and looked away, but deep inside she was besieged by his words. Dyam defending Rafe – that had got to be a first.

“Since the very first time I saw you, Yara, I admired your fierceness but most of all, I admired your passion for life.”

“It was exactly that
passion
that got Mother Neide and Naiah killed,” she replied, already feeling her eyes fill up with tears.

“No, it was that passion that brought you two together,” Dyam countered. “Yes, you need to work on your impulsiveness and I’m sure you will find the balance one day, but don’t deny yourself completely. We are who you are, Yara, and trying to suppress that has only brought you even more grief.”

Yara exhaled sharply.

Dyam stood up and gazed at the moon. “I didn’t come here to lecture you; I have no right to do that, but before I go, I just wanted to tell you what Naiah told me. I was too stubborn to understand it at the time but I think now I’m starting to get it – Life is about seizing the moment, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company while it lasts.”

With those words ringing in the night, Dyam turned around and walked back to the mansion.

Yara stayed on the bench for a while longer. The fat tears rolled down her cheeks once again, but she felt something shift inside her. She was actually tired of crying, tired of denying herself, trying to try and become someone she was not. The past three months had been tough. She had busied herself as much as she could, with the arrival of little Zoe and all, but something was still missing. And that something was her
self
. As she came to terms with that realization, the dark cloud in her heart lifted. Maybe Naiah was right. Life could be about seizing the moment, and when done with respect and maturity, there was no harm in adding a little bit of spice to it. Maybe a bit of passion was the ideal zest to bring balance to the world they lived in. And maybe, just maybe, she could learn how to tame her wild side while enjoying it too.

Chapter Seven

The cross punch connected to his opponent’s jaw, making the guy stumble backwards and bounce off the ring’s ropes. His trainee was obviously feeling it, but Rafe didn’t slow down. “Come on, cub, get up and strike back. Do you think the world will wait for you to pull yourself together?”

From the corner of his eye he saw Archie cringe, and knew that he may have crossed the line a bit. His friend had taken him aside the day before to tell him off. Apparently Rafe had been going too hard on the training sessions. They were starting to lose clients. His answer? Toughen up, you bunch of sissies! If a wolf wasn’t strong enough to take his punches, he wasn’t strong enough to survive in the real world – that is, the cage.

He exhaled sharply and backed away. “All right, take five to recover, and then we’ll go over your lousy 3-3-2 again.” He went to the corner of the ring and drained his water bottle.

Damned the Soartas, every second he wasn’t focusing on not getting punched, the image of Yara would pop into his frontal lobe and glue itself to it. He hadn’t shared that piece of information with anyone, but that was why he’d been training so hard and so often. Yara’s silence was killing him. He had tried everything. He had tried to talk to her, he had sent her flowers, he had even thought about sending her a singing card with apologetic lyrics but reconsidered. Somehow he knew Tardieh wouldn’t appreciate a group of strangers wearing Panama hats and striped suits showing up unannounced at his mansion. But the truth was – Rafe was running out of ideas and stamina. It had been three months since he’d seen Yara. His heart ached to be with her, his wolf howled to taste her again. He had never been so jonesed for anyone like that before. How ironic was that for someone who didn’t believe in soul mates, huh? He had given up denying it after the first month apart. He simply couldn’t get his mind off Yara, her scent of forest leaves after the rain followed him around, everywhere. Like right now, it permeated the air and reached his senses, despite the stench of the other males in his gym.

Rafe sniffed the air again and closed his eyes. May the Soartas damn him for eternity, but if he couldn’t have Yara, he’d at least find solace in the memory of her fragrance – which was getting stronger by the second.

His eyes popped open in alarm. His heart drummed up a jam in his chest. He slowly turned around, almost too afraid to check.

“I heard this was one of the best training joints in the state,” Yara said already inside his ring. “Is that true?”

Rafe’s mind went into overdrive and crashed.

By Apa Dobrý, she was here! She was right there, just a few feet away from him again. She wore a black leather jacket over a white tank top, blue jeans and knee-high boots. Her hair had grown longer and now framed her beautiful features. She looked absolutely stunning.

He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, tell her he was sorry for having lied to her; that he was a different man now, he was starting a new pack with his closest friends; his gym was going well and he was training a group of fighters to start a private security company with Archie. There was so much he had wanted to say to her … yet nothing came out. He had spent the months they had apart rehearsing what he’d say to her, going through the words, choosing the best ones, and now, nothing.

Not even one little syllable came to mind.

So, he just nodded, certain he looked like a silly thunderstruck schoolboy.

Yara lifted an eyebrow at him. “Do you always stare at new clients like that?” she asked, then shrugged. “Ok, then.”

She opened her stance and lifted her fists up. “Let’s dance.”

Touché
. Her repeating his words back at him jolted Rafe’s mind into action. He forgot where he was, who was watching, or what his kickass, weight-lifting clients would think of him. There was only Yara. And only she mattered right now.

He closed the distance between them in two strides, cupped the base of her head with both hands, and kissed her hard.

Yara let out a moan of surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Her delicious tongue waltzed with his, firing up every inch of his body. The entire gym whistled and clapped in mockery, but he couldn’t care less.

“By the Gods, how I missed you,” he whispered against her lips, after coming up for air. “I’m so sorry for lying to you, Yara. Please believe me.”

She smiled. “I do.”

Rafe’s heart filled with emotion. She had forgiven him; she had finally given him a second chance.

“We’ll just have to take it one day at a time until we learn how to stop sabotaging ourselves,” she whispered.

Rafe nodded at her truthful words. So simple yet so hard to break old habits.

He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered, then awarded him with one of her irresistible wicked smiles. “But there’ll be plenty of time for vows later. Right now, my panther craves to run with your wolf again. Naked.” And with that, she sealed his mouth with another scorching kiss.

Rafe returned her passion with his heart and soul, and vouched silently never to let her go again. Ever.