Blood Ties (NaNoWriMo 2015)

Thirty-Three

"Mom, there's been another attack," Damon said to Caiyun over the phone, his words were sharp, tone clipped and to the point. "Ember and I are okay, but the attacker jumped through the window. Whole rooms covered in sunlight, it's not safe for anyone to come in for us right now." A pause and I saw his eyes grow wide. "I got a little burned," he lied and I tried to hide my scoff with a fake cough. A little my ass! But I saw the need to lie, his mother would have lost it if she knew how badly he'd been hurt, she'd lose focus and invest time trying to get to her son rather than go over the most recent threat.

"We'll come out when it gets dark again, we can work on repairs then." Another pause. "Yes, I know they're going to be burned to a crisp by the time that happens, but maybe we can identify them through dental records. The High Court has the records of everyone in the covens, they can run them for us if we ask. Mom, there's one more thing you need to know." And he launched into our theory about Richard Erable. "I want to tail him," Damon finished. "If he asks, we can tell him that we're suspicious of a certain member in our coven and want to lure them into a false sense of security by making it look like we're checking him out." Another pause. "Well do you have a better excuse? I don't know if he'll swallow it or not, but it's better than blaming someone in his coven. He might feel the pressure and do something drastic." Caiyun said something and I saw Damon scowl, his eyebrows drew together in a sharp V and the next time he spoke it was through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to risk Ember like that!"  He took a deep breath and when he spoke this time he was far more controlled and his tone was so cold I shivered. "Mom, I'm the leader of this coven, first I asked you to do what I need done. Now it's an order. I'll see you soon."

He hung up the phone and shut his eyes. "Everything alright?" I asked. "That conversation was," I searched for the right word to use. "Heated," I decided,  yes that was a good word and it certainly was safe, nothing salty in that.

"Everything's fine," he said, rubbing his temples. "My mom's just being her usual self."

I didn't like the sound of that. I drew my legs up to my chest and examined my hands. As it turned out, Damon and I had both benefited from his drinking my blood. My broken hand was completely healed as were the various aches and pains that came from being thrown around like a rag doll. "What did you mean about me?" I asked, running the tip of my tongue over my lips.. They weren't bleeding anymore, but I could still feel the crustiness of dried blood on them, it wasn't a feeling I cared for.

"Mom wants to put more pressure on Richard," he said with a sigh. Damon ran his hand through his hair and continued. "She thinks it will make him slip up, get more reckless with his plans and make a mistake and we can unveil him before the Court for what he's done and the crimes he's committed. But, that might also mean..."

"That he'll kill me in the process and you'll have a murder to pin on him as well," I finished, feeling sick. "Your mother, she doesn't like me much does she?" I recalled how sharp she'd been with me last time we talked.

"She wouldn't risk your life just because she doesn't like you," Damon said looking down at his hands. A tuff of hair fell over his eyes. "But she doesn't like you, you're right about that I'm afraid. See, it's about me. My mom, well she's got no limits when it comes to our family, anything goes when it comes to us. Putting more pressure on Richard ends in your death, but clears me of one serious enemy and proves I was being set up by him, she's willing to make that sacrifice."

"And you're not?" I prompted, feeling surprisingly warmed by the thought that was wasn't willing to role the dice on my life. I'd amused Damon liked me well enough, but the idea that he'd go against his family for my sake...well that made things certainly sound a little different.

"No," he agreed. "I'm not." Damon looked sidelong at me. "You doing alright?"

"No," the word came out of my mouth before I even had a chance to think about his question. Now that he was safe, out of the woods in terms of injury, the panic and fear I'd suppressed were bubbling back to the surface. "No, I'm not alright." My shoulders began to shake, my voice pitched into a whine and tears burned in my eyes. "I'm not alright." I cried and saying those words made all my emotions break out of the dam I'd shoved them behind. I cried in earnest, just like I had when I'd first been placed in the protection of the Robur coven.

"Hey, it's alright," Damon reached out and touched my shoulder. Once, that gesture would have made me stiffen and draw away. Not now, now it was familiar and welcome. I turned into him and buried my face in his chest to muffle the sound of my tears.

I felt something heavy and puffy settle over my body-almost like a blanket and whined out "No it's not" into Damon's shirt.

"And why is that?" he asked and I felt him stroking my hair, another comforting gesture but not one I'd seen him use before.

I lifted my head a little and wiped my eyes on my sleeve. "It's supposed to be safe here for me," I hiccupped. "And I've been attacked twice since I arrived." The words starting pouring out like a waterfall. The half-formed ideas in my mind and the doubts I had began to strengthen. I knew Damon said he trusted everyone that was in the know for our secret but after this attack I knew that was not safe to do anymore. "People outside of Robur aren't supposed to be able to get in here so easily. Especially not in the middle of the day, I know we have locks on the gate and the door. They got the codes to both the gate and the key for the front door or they were already here when we locked down. Someone on the inside is helping Richard Damon and it's someone who has access to those secrets. Someone we know and trust is out to get both of us. Hell, chances are you love them or you'd have never let them get so close! How are we possibly going to find out who it is?"

Damon didn't answer that question. He merely said, "Ember, whatever it is, we're going to figure it out and you're going to be safe. I promise."

I pushed myself up and looked fiercely at Damon who seemed unimaginably certain of himself. I admired his confidence but it certainly wasn't realistic. "How can you promise something like that?" I demanded. "You have no way to insure that the outcome of all this will be the one you want!"

"Yes I do," Damon said and that infuriatingly cute smirk appeared on his face.

"Really?" I said, crossing my arms and I felt my eyes roll towards the ceiling. "What? Magical pixie dust?"

"Pixie dust doesn't make unbreakable promises," Damon corrected. "When combined with a happy thought it makes you fly."

"Whatever!" I growled. "Then is it some other fairytale nonsense?" My voice was harsh, grating against my ears but I was not in the mood to play this game. I didn't want Damon to be optimistic right now, I wanted him to be realistic.

"Yeah," and then he kissed me. The shock of his soft, cold lips on my mine stopped any negative words I had right in their tracks. I stiffened at first, but then let myself relax. I suddenly had a way to classify the feeling I always seemed to get around him. Chemistry, now it seemed really obvious, but I suppose given our huge differences (such as our different species) I hadn't been able to entertain the idea. Right now though as he kissed me, those differences didn't seem to matter so much. One of his hands, callused and cool rested on the side of my face, pulling us just a little closer.

It should have frightened me, I was kissing a vampire, but it didn't. Damon was different than any man I'd ever known before and not because he wasn't human like me.He had saved my life three times now, he made me laugh, treated me as an equal,  a partner and a friend. He was optimistic were I was pessimistic, funny where I was serious, confident where I was meek and relaxed where I worried. We balanced each other, I'd noticed but I'd never given it much thought. It all seemed too impossible.

After what might have been a lifetime, or maybe just a few seconds we broke apart. His free hand was tangled into my hair which had fallen from it's up-do into a frizzy braid.  "That's how I know," he said resting his cheek on the top of my head. "Who can break a promise sealed with a kiss?"

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