Chapter 4

After watching Tafari and Samantha drive away on the icy road, Leisha felt the pain meds kick in and decided to shower. The hot spray relaxed her sore muscles. The only inconvenience was holding her cast-covered arm out of the shower. She felt almost normal as she dried off and eased into her clothes.

However, when she raised her arm to do her hair, something in her right shoulder pulled. She sucked in her breath and held her shoulder for a few minutes as she waited for the ache to pass.

“Please. Are you such a wimp that you can’t even do your own hair?”

Leisha turned to see Rinwa leaning against the doorjamb.

“You’re used to healing faster than me.” Leisha said. “I’m sure you’d be surprised at what it feels like to wait for the body to recover on its own.”

Rinwa scoffed, tossing her hair. “I think I’m perfectly capable of handling a little pain.” She pinned Leisha with a look. “After all, I got my first whipping when I was only four.”

Stomach clenching, Leisha’s initial reaction was to accept the guilt, but then decided she had allowed those emotions to rule her for too long now. She met her daughter’s gaze. “If not for me, it would have been a lot worse than one lash.”

Rinwa raised an eyebrow. “So you say.” She turned to leave.

Anger and hurt boiled inside. She had defended herself time and again, but no one believed her story of what happened the night she became a vampire. With her human exhaustion and aches, Leisha found that it was difficult to contain her emotions. Before she could think, she stepped forward and punched Rinwa in the shoulder with her good fist as hard as she could.

“Ow!” Her daughter clutched her arm and glared. “What did you do that for?”

Uncertain herself, Leisha waved her hand unrepentantly. “You said you could handle pain. I guess it’ll be no big deal to have a bruise for the next few days.”

“You gave me a dead arm!”

“I’m sure you’ll make do, Adanne.”

Rinwa froze and looked up. “My name is Rinwa.”

Leisha bit her lip, wishing her daughter could understand the devastation she felt from being separated all those years ago. “You’ll always be my Adanne. Nothing will change that.”

It was very quiet, with only the hiss of the heater to pour over them. Her daughter pursed her full lips to the side, as if she were about to say something. After a moment, however, she shook her head and disappeared through the door.

Leisha forced herself not to follow Rinwa. I can’t talk to her when she’s not ready to hear me. Instead, she turned back to the counter to brush through her wet tangles. . She was ready when Samantha and Tafari got back, stomping the snow off their shoes before closing the door. They plopped nearly a dozen plastic grocery bags down onto the kitchen counters.

Leisha went into the kitchen to help put the food away, but as she reached into one of the bags, Tafari placed his hand over hers. “You should be resting. We can take care of this, and I will cook dinner tonight.”

Trying to ignore the heat of his hand, she cleared her throat. “When did you learn to cook?” Leisha asked.

Removing his fingers from hers, Tafari shrugged. “We have been alive a long time, Leisha. I have learned many new things over the years.”

Rinwa came in then. “You mean when we weren’t out slaughtering her kind,” she sniped.

Samantha threw her a warning scowl and Leisha rolled her eyes and retreated to the den. She could hear Rinwa and Samantha setting the table while the sounds of Tafari cooking drifted out from the kitchen. Leisha plopped down on the couch, flipping through channels with the remote. It sounded as if Rinwa and Samantha were talking to each other like close friends. It was difficult for Leisha to not feel jealous, especially because she wasn’t entirely sure which one to be jealous of. Rinwa obviously liked Samantha, even after everything that had happened. It seemed that Rinwa could forgive well enough, as long as it wasn’t her mother. She wished she could kill Ptah again. The bastard had tortured her daughter until she agreed to become a vampire, and then had sent her home before she knew what The Hunger was. It had taken over and she’d come so close to devouring her father, the shaman, and daughter that night. Fortunately, she’d been able to tear herself away at the last minute, but she’d killed someone else in their place.

Pushing away that thought, she went into the dining room when the food was ready.

Tafari was removing an apron as Leisha sat. She couldn’t help smirking, seeing him look so domestic.

They ate mostly in silence. By the way Tafari sent surreptitious glances in her direction, Leisha knew he expected a comment about his cooking, but she still couldn’t taste or smell the way she used to. It was like when a human spent so much time in the bright sunlight that everything was dark when they went inside. Except the darkness extended to all of her senses, and even though it had been more than a day, they still hadn’t adjusted yet. So she mentioned how he had cooked the chicken and veggies to perfection.

Her estranged husband smiled at the compliment. The grin softened his hard features, exactly the same way it did in her memories from so many centuries before.

After dinner, everyone was tired enough to turn in early. When saying goodnight, Tafari reached his hand toward Leisha. She thought he wanted to hug her or maybe pat her on the back, but he hesitated, then lowered his arm and walked up the stairs to his room.

She wasn’t sure what she would have done if he hadn’t retreated.

Throughout the next two days, tensions slowly began to ease. Leisha forced Samantha to go back to school. The girl only gave a half-hearted protest before giving in.

She and Tafari were becoming a little more comfortable with each other, but they could only make small talk. Whenever the conversation turned toward them or what might happen between them, one or the other would find a reason to leave. Leisha noticed that Tafari also found excuses to touch her throughout the day. Just little brushes of their shoulders, or grabbing some lint from her hair. Leisha realized she was looking forward to what he would do next and what the explanation would be. Maybe it would get creative.

Rinwa continued to make jabs at Leisha anytime she could, but Leisha began to suspect her aggressive attitude was likely a defense mechanism. It was to prevent people, especially Leisha, from getting close to her. So she tried to take the insults in stride. Besides, although Rinwa worked to push her buttons, she’d taken much worse abuse from Ptah, so it wasn’t too hard to brush off.

On the third day of their visit, they were sitting together at dinner. Samantha’s cell rang and she answered it.

“Sorry, Spencer,” Samantha was saying. “Remember how I told you some of Angela’s friends are staying with us? Well, they’re still here and I’ve got to stick around.” The girl waved a hand even though Spencer couldn’t see her. “You know, the whole hostess kind of gig.”

Apparently the boy said something amusing because Samantha listened, then grinned. “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Leisha and Samantha continued to eat. It took both of them a moment to realize that the immortals were staring at Samantha.

“What?” she asked around a mouthful of potatoes.

Tafari swallowed some water before asking his own question. “How close are you and this Spencer?”

Giving a half shrug, Samantha answered honestly. “He wants there to be more between us. I’m sure you guys can imagine why I don’t really want to date, though. It’s hard enough keeping up this front with regular friends. And if I had a boyfriend, it would feel like a whole new level of deception.”

Rinwa and Tafari nodded. “You have wisdom beyond your years,” Tafari said with a soft smile. “I am not saying that you should not have friends and date. But you are right to realize that getting close to regular humans does put you at risk.”

Leisha could see from the way Samantha twirled her fingers through her hair that the discussion was making her uncomfortable. Leisha cleared her throat. “Sam, why don’t you tell Rinwa and Tafari what we’ve been doing to find the prophecy child?”

The younger woman straightened in her seat, looking relieved at the change of subject. “Well, as you know, the prophecies about the child are pretty vague. So I’ve been searching online about stories of pregnancies that might spark something in my mind or trigger another vision, but nothing has grabbed my attention.” She shrugged. “Leisha studied all the prophecies about him, but nothing hints at where we can find the parents or predict where he’ll be born.” Samantha concluded, “It looks like all our efforts are leading us nowhere.”

Tafari bit into the grilled asparagus. “I thought in your vision you were there to witness his birth.”

“That’s true, which is why we haven’t given up hope yet.”

Rinwa wiped her mouth with a napkin. “So what’s your big plan? You put in all this effort to find him. Then what?”

Leisha shrugged. “We’re not too positive ourselves. We do want to protect him and the mother from the vampires. They’re working to hunt him down and slaughter him.”

“You could bring him to us,” Tafari said casually. “We are more than equipped to deal with the vampires.”

Spine stiffening, Leisha narrowed her eyes. “And what would you do with him?”

“We’d use him to defeat the vampires,” Rinwa said, as if it were obvious.

Leisha and Samantha exchanged glances.

“Wouldn’t that be exploiting him?” Samantha asked softly.

Rinwa gave a half shrug. “That’s what his purpose is.”

Leisha could feel her expression turn grim. “How would you know that?”

Tafari looked directly at her, his demeanor also becoming serious. “Obviously, we do not know for certain. But the prophecies give the impression that he will change the course of both of our species. The vampires cannot have him, so we will take him and use him to purge the world of evil.”

Leisha watched Tafari’s eyes for any flicker of emotion as he talked. Disappointment fluttered in her chest when she could see none. “And what of the mother?”

Shrugging, he answered, “She will be welcome to come with us. If she supports us, we may even turn her into an immortal.”

“What if she doesn’t, Tafari?” Leisha asked, frustration lacing her words. “What if she doesn’t want to go with you at all?”

Tafari looked at her calmly, but didn’t answer.

“If she doesn’t want to let him go or come with us, we’ll have no choice,” said Rinwa. “We must have the baby. Besides, he’s better off with us than with the vampires.”

Too upset to sit still, Leisha slowly stood, her muscles protesting only a little. “There could be a third option.”

“What, you mean you two?” Rinwa pointed at Leisha and Samantha with her fork. “You’re gonna be able to convince the mom that you are the good guys, huh? And what about when the vampires and immortals hunt you down? You think you can elude us for long?”

Samantha piped up. “At least we would be giving them a chance to live the way they want to. We won’t imprison them and we won’t kill them.”

Glancing between Leisha and Samantha, Tafari also stood. “But you will prevent him from performing his duty, the very reason he will be born in the first place.”

Unable to endure the conversation anymore, Leisha walked to the doorway. “None of the prophecies have been that specific. No one knows what his purpose is. But you’d take him as a baby and raise him to be your secret weapon, and kill his mother in order to do it. You guys are as bad as the vampires.” She turned to leave, but felt a large hand grab her arm.

“You are a vampire, too,” Tafari spat. “Why do you pretend that you are better than them?”

Leisha could feel her cheeks grow hot. “I don’t claim to be better than anyone. However, I actually value human life.”

“This coming from the woman who kills people on a regular basis!”

Suddenly Samantha and Rinwa squeezed past, both avoiding looking directly at them. “We’re going to see a movie,” Samantha called from the front door. “Don’t kill each other.”

“I’d totally stay if that were going down, but that’s not really the vibe I’m getting from them,” Rinwa murmured as the door swung closed.

Ignoring them, Leisha continued her argument with Tafari, her blood quickly igniting with temper. “I only kill when I have to!”

“You are still taking lives.”

Leisha pulled her arm free and headed for the stairs. “And I only kill those who deserve it.”

“Who are you to play God?”

She whirled around, Tafari stopping only a few inches from her. “We’ve had this conversation before. You’ve seen what happens when I don’t feed! Would you rather I waited until The Hunger takes over and chooses anyone from off the street?”

“And you think this qualifies you to be the child’s protector.”

“If not me, then who?”

He backed her into the wall. “I was the one who took care of our daughter when you left, yet you think you can snatch someone else’s child and raise him?”

Leisha pushed against his chest with her unbroken arm, but he didn’t budge. “I did what I had to in order to keep her safe!”

“Well she certainly is grateful to you, is she not?”

The slap against his cheek was deafening. It surprised Leisha as much as it did him. Tafari grabbed her wrist and slammed it above her head, his chest touching hers. His other hand held her shoulder back, avoiding her cast completely. Both were breathing hard.

Suddenly, she was very aware of their close proximity, their bodies almost fully together. Leisha couldn’t stop staring into his fierce eyes. There was some emotion dancing within them that she couldn’t decipher.

She wondered if he could feel the thunderous beat of her heart the way she could feel his pulsing against her. His breath brushed over her face, and she unconsciously tilted her lips toward his. Tafari was more intoxicating than blood, she realized. Even when she hated him, her body craved him. His hot touch and warm mouth beckoned her more powerfully than The Hunger.

The next thing she knew, Tafari’s mouth was over hers, hard and urgent. Heat washed through her as she kissed him back.

He released her wrist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her injured one hang behind his back. His hands roved under her shirt, leaving hot trails along her spine.

Leisha pulled her head back to gasp for breath, but then Tafari was kissing her again. His scent filled her nostrils, his tongue worked magic on her. Blood rushed through her veins, and her body felt aflame.

She knew she would have to stop this before it went too far. They still had much to discuss and sex would only complicate things.

But when Tafari grabbed the outside of her thighs with his large hands and pulled her up, she couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her legs around him, cradling him to her core. He started up the stairs while trailing a line of kisses under her jaw and over her neck. He gently bit her collar bone and she melted further into his arms. Clinging to his body, she savored the sensations he evoked.

Soon, Leisha thought while she nibbled on his neck, I’ll have to be the one to stop this.

But it was already too late.