“Like the girl? I think she had baku blood in her,” Arianna added, alarmed that someone would target her. What would have happened if she’d gotten the triple dose? The double dose dropped Thomas in less than a minute.
“Like you, but not specifically you,” Molina replied
“Thank goodness,” Arianna replied, relaxing into Turner’s arm. “Here I was thinking someone was actually spending time researching me.”
“They are, and we are,” Devin replied, standing up and finally facing the table. “Everyone is researching you. Why don’t you seem to understand the danger you’re always in?” Arianna was thankful the diner was empty.
“What do you mean, we are?” Arianna questioned. It had been almost a year since she learned of this new world of night humans, yet there was so much she still didn’t understand.
Molina gave one harsh look to Devin who threw his hands in the air and walked away, only to return to his seat after a moment and ignore them as they talked.
“We’re researching your blood to see how to use the healing properties,” Molina explained. “What you did last year with only a few drops of blood was miraculous. If we can harness that trait, you can’t imagine how much suffering could be eased.”
“And everyone wants to know why I can be both dearg-dul and baku at once,” Arianna added, more quietly for herself, but Molina heard. She didn’t deny the accusation. Since Arianna had discovered her true self, that had been the same question everyone had wondered.
“Who authorized it?” Arianna asked. In her new role as the head of the Randolph estate and family, she was actually in control of their clan.
“You did,” Molina replied.
Arianna thought of the hundreds of documents she had signed over the past year. Anyone of them could be the authorization she was talking about. Arianna would scan the documents, but since there were more each day, she never really read completely through all of them.
“But you didn’t know.” Molina added as a statement more than a question.
“No,” Arianna replied. Arianna had trusted that Devin had read over everything before she signed it. He spent hours each night making sure each form was thoroughly examined. Arianna wanted to ask more, but the bell chimed to indicate some customers arriving.
“The leader said he had the clan’s approval to be here,” Turner said, changing the subject.
“No outsider has approval to be here,” Devin replied, still not looking up. “I’ll double check the files online. It might be that he was just using Seeger’s name, or that Seeger lied to him.”
Arianna stood abruptly and stared at Devin, who was back reading his stack of papers at the diner counter now. He didn’t comment even though she was staring at him. Arianna turned next to Turner, who knew just as much as Devin most of the time. He stared down at his hands, confirming that they both knew what she was not asking. Arianna huffed, trying to keep her anger in check and not accidentally change forms while other people were seated across the diner. Arianna quickly ran back through the diner kitchen. Turner stood to follow, but Devin stopped him.
Arianna began to climb the stairs behind the diner up to the apartment she lived in half the week with Aunt Lilly and Uncle Dean. The two most trusted people Arianna had, both agreed to let the lab do research on her like a test animal. Arianna felt tears building up inside her. Stopping on the last landing, Arianna changed her mind and hurried back down the stairs. The cool wind hit her face as she burst out the back door, gulping for air. She needed more air.
Her shoes glided softly over the pavement as she began to run. She hadn’t intended to go anywhere in particular, just somewhere away from the constant people following her. Running seemed like the best option if she wanted to lose anyone that would follow her. Before she’d changed, Arianna hadn’t been good at many physical activities. It wasn’t that she was uncoordinated; it was just that she lacked the motivation to do anything related to sports. Now, though, there wasn’t much that she couldn’t do. Her feet continued to pound against the asphalt as she slowed her pace through an orderly neighborhood. She began to walk as she neared a day human walking a dog. It was normal here. Everywhere she could feel, it was all day humans. A mom was across the street opening her front door with a bag full of groceries on one hip and a child on the other. In front of Arianna a man and his dog, who jogged faithfully beside him. Behind another house, she heard children laughing. It was normal. She was not.
Arianna didn’t hesitate at the white picket fence. She walked around to the backdoor of the house and reached above the door for the spare key. Pressing it into the lock, she hesitated. Thomas was near-by. He was the only one who could keep up with her a little bit when she ran, if he took to the air. His wings shifted in the air, but he made no move to come closer. Arianna unlocked the door and walked into the home her father had left for her. Outside, Thomas landed, but stayed in the backyard.
Arianna went upstairs to her parents’ bedroom. There was a faint, lasting scent of her father. Arianna walked over to the pictures on the dresser and smiled. The only photo of her family, taken before her mother died, was sitting in a frame, faded from the years. Arianna lightly touched the picture. Did they know they were creating a monster? She gently touched her mother’s face. Why did they have to go away? Arianna’s parents had both been murdered when she was a child: her mother for bringing her to life, and her father for protecting her. A car door slamming shut outside told her the others had caught up to her. Several people surrounded the building. Her guard was punctual, as usual. Arianna walked down the hallway to the playroom and sat down on the couch.
“It’s your job to scold me and take me back to my aunt’s place?” Arianna asked Thomas as he entered. He was the only one she would even talk to at this point, and her guards all knew that.
“Seems so,” he said, sitting down in one of the oversized, plush chairs.
“And what if I say no?” Arianna added.
“Not much I can do about that,” he replied, closing his eyes and leaning back. He was good at ignoring the orders coming from either dearg-dul or lycan. “Just please give me at least ten minutes for a nap before you decide to go running off somewhere else.”
Arianna felt the tension rubbing off him. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Don’t tell the mutt, but he’s right. I don’t know if I’ll voluntarily take a dart for you again. Ugh.” He didn’t move or open his eyes as he talked. “It’s worse than he was describing.”
“Sorry about that,” Arianna replied quietly.
Thomas bolted up. “No, I didn’t mean that.” He tried to cover up his words. “Really. I’m just a bit tired, and my head’s pounding. That’s all.” Arianna nodded, a little relieved. Thomas saw that she wasn’t completely convinced.
“I’d prefer to stay here a bit,” Arianna added. Thomas nodded and went back to resting. Arianna didn’t want to disturb him as she sat, quietly staring outside at the sky through the old window.
“They just want to be prepared to keep you safe,” Thomas said, while not opening his eyes.
“That’s what they always say.”
“And it’s true. Your blood healed everyone so easily.” Thomas opened his eyes to see if she was paying attention. She was still staring outside. “If your blood can heal everyone that means you’re the strongest. But what we don’t know is, if you get hurt, is there any blood strong enough to heal you.”
“What do you mean?” Arianna finally turned back to Thomas.
“When one of our kind gets seriously hurt, there are only two options. One, find a stronger night human and give some blood to the one who’s hurt. Or, two, put them out of their misery.” Arianna’s mouth dropped.
“I’ve never seen that done before,” Arianna replied.
“You’ve only been a night human for one year.” Thomas paused. “I’ve seen it done on multiple occasions. The stronger only share with those they choose to share with. So, poorer night humans have to pledge allegiance to those stronge
r to stay safe. Even then you’re not completely safe.” Thomas spoke from experience.
“Is that why your parents offered your sister as my sacrifice last year?” Arianna asked the question she had been dying to ask for some time. When Arianna changed into a baku the previous year, she had a sacrifice waiting to fulfill the blood rite of the ceremony. The child was Thomas’ little sister.
Thomas opened his eyes and considered his answer before speaking. “Your uncle is a fair man, but sometimes people would just prefer to be free. My kind is especially known for wanting to be free. Must come with the wings.” Thomas, in his night human form, always felt free. Arianna preferred not to have Thomas fly her around as it was terrifying, but she could feel his freedom even from the ground. “But when you’re free of bonds, there’s no protection.” Thomas closed his eyes and lay back down. Arianna still didn’t get a straight answer, but she didn’t push the subject.
“I was ten when Sara was born. She was actually born as a sacrifice because of my stupidity. I had been out with my friends. We were having fun, flying around and racing. We began a competition that now sounds so stupid.” Thomas rubbed his forehead. “There was this especially witchy lady that lived on our street. She had an immaculate lawn and garden and would spend hours daily picking weeds. She loved her garden, and hated us kids. Every time something went bad, she blamed us for it.” Arianna raised her eyebrows and Thomas smirked. “Well, I guess, okay. We mostly caused all the bad stuff. But not that time. She had got us all grounded for two weeks for something we didn’t even do. So, we began a stupid game. We’d start up on her house and dive down to pull her hair and then fly away. The goal was to get close enough to do so without getting caught. My friends all tried, and no one was brave enough to go close enough to her. We weren’t that good at flying. I figured they were all just scared of her. I decided that I’d be the one to do it. Well, let me tell you, you shouldn’t dive down at someone that’s squatting on the ground. Long story short, I ended up hitting the ground at full force, never having the chance to change my direction. I should have died, but your uncle saved me. With his blood I was able to heal over a two-week period. I’ve had no side effects from it. What he required in turn was my parents’ devotion to him, and another child that he wanted to use as a new member sacrifice. My parents then had Sara.”
“She was born only to be fed to someone?” Arianna was still not used to the night human world.
“She was born to be fed to you. Your uncle knew you’d need strong blood to turn, and he needed more than a day human. We don’t look kindly upon sacrificing night humans for the change. This way he had what he needed, and my parents couldn’t protest. To save me, they would have to sacrifice her.” Thomas laid back and closed his eyes. Arianna returned to staring outside. “There’s still so much about this world you don’t know.”
“Then why doesn’t anyone tell me?” Arianna tried not to whine, but it came out that way anyway.
“Devin is doing his best, and, as much as it hurts me to defend him, so is Turner. They’re afraid for you. You’re not safe, and may never be, until you fulfill the legend.” Thomas didn’t move as he spoke.
“And why doesn’t anyone tell me how to do that?”
“You need five keepers before you can even think about doing that,” Devin said, appearing from the shadows. Thomas didn’t even stir from the couch. “You don’t need to know more of what needs to be done until you get those five people pledged to you. You only have Turner. One doesn’t mean a thing until you find four more. Can we go home now?”
FOUR
Arianna stared out the glass window of the plane as they descended into her own private airport. It technically wasn’t her airport, but that of the Randolph estate. Being the sole heir made it hers by default, but over the years it had been a way for night humans to avoid commercial airlines, and the temptation of being locked in a space with access to tons of day human blood. In such a situation, newly turned would have a hard time sitting still if their blood supply was used up. Arianna was thankful to be past that stage of her new life. Now, being fully night human, she could change at will and use as little blood as possible to perform night human tasks. She could last weeks or longer without needing blood.
“We will have only a few hours before the celebration begins,” Molina said, as she stood next to Arianna.
Arianna followed Molina out of the plane to the waiting car. She still hadn’t talked to Devin or Turner. Thomas was right in that they only wanted to protect her, but Arianna wanted at least some choice in the decision. Being a science experiment was never part of her plans.
“Who will be your escort to the Randolph party since we already know who will be escorting you to the Grace party?” Molina asked, sitting inside the limo as it took its short trek to the manor. Molina was nice enough to not mention Andrew’s name. The clans got along much better now, but they still wanted to honor her birthday in their own ways.
“Thomas,” Arianna replied, staring outside at the passing scenery.
Arianna didn’t look around the car but felt the change in moods. Turner was pissed off at her choice. He was the prime candidate for her date, as he had already pledged himself to becoming her keeper, but he was never her only choice. She could show up with Devin just as easily. Devin’s emotions didn’t change, but that was due to years of practice. Arianna checked so see if she could find a small chink in his emotional armor. It wasn’t there. Annoying as it was, Devin was true to his word. To the outside world, he would only ever be her bodyguard.
Arianna did her part and got ready in record time. Parties weren’t something she liked, but life as the head of the Randolph clan required it. In the past year, she had already attended at least two dozen parties in her honor and other people’s honor. Everyone wanted the same thing: to bask in the presence of the girl that was now the head of the clan. For some, it was the glory and awe of being able to see her, for others, it was to watch and assess her growth, and yet others sat and looked for her weaknesses. All the higher-up people in the dearg-dul community would be attending. Arianna didn’t wish to see any of them, but tradition dictated protocol.
Arianna went through the motions of welcoming all to the party. She acted surprised when they brought out a cake and sang to her, and graciously thanked everyone for attending. As boring as the parties normally were, her birthday celebration was especially stifling. Formal announcements and decrees of fidelity to their leader filled the time, and Arianna blanked out listening to them. The only entertainment that even brought a slight real smile to her face was Thomas. He was holding up especially well for all the hateful glares, but he was still more uncomfortable than she was.
“And this is why you chose to not bring Turner?” he asked quietly for her ears only. “You wanted some form of amusement.”
“It’s always fun to make you get into a monkey suit since you love it so much,” Arianna smiled mischievously. Thomas tugged again at the bow tie. Turner sat further away, just as displeased at his clothing also. Turner and Thomas were quite similar in many ways in Arianna’s eyes. They hated each other enough to have never had a full conversation, therefore they would never know it, but Arianna did.
“I don’t think it’s the monkey suit you’re finding so humorous.” Thomas ignored the nearest glares that he would even assume to talk to their precious Arianna.
“Maybe not.” Arianna’s coy smile faltered as Paul Seeger approached.
Thomas stood quickly and nodded his head toward the elegant silver-haired man. Seeger nodded back, but Thomas didn’t return to his seat. He stood, on guard, partially between Arianna and Seeger. Seeger wouldn’t try anything in such a formal setting, but Thomas didn’t trust the man any more than the rest of Arianna’s guard. The only difference was that being tengu meant Thomas didn’t have to adhere to etiquette and give the older dearg-dul leeway. Seeger’s formal title meant nothing to Thomas.
“What a celebration,” Seeger commented, not trying t
o break through the wall that was Thomas. Seeger stood and glared briefly at the young man before he smiled down at Arianna, who only nodded her head without a smile. “The council would like to see you tomorrow. We’re holding an emergency session. It’s been a year now, and you are no further along with the prophecy than last year at this time. We would like to have a planning session to help you along and give you some guidance.”
Arianna felt the meaning behind the words. Seeger was a masterful manipulator. It had helped get him out of trouble last year after he murdered her grandfather. Seeger was able to convince everyone beyond Arianna’s small circle of supporters that the assassin worked alone and was only using Seeger’s name as a cover. Arianna knew the truth though. Seeger had killed her grandfather, and she was next on his list.
“That would be great,” Arianna replied. “I’d love to hear everyone’s ideas. I’ve been running through a few of my own, but additional input is always welcome.” Seeger paused only a beat before nodding to leave. “Will your son be attending, Lord Seeger? I heard rumors that you were starting to train Michael to take over for the Seeger family.” Rumors were actually that Seeger wouldn’t let Michael do anything for the family. He didn’t completely trust the boy, but was trying hard to mold him into the child he wanted. Seeger smiled.
“Try as I might, it’s hard to get young people interested in such things as politics,” Seeger complained before bowing to Arianna and leaving.
“Did he expect a confrontation?” Thomas asked, sitting back down beside Arianna.
“He always expects a confrontation. The best way to play his game is to just agree with him, whether you intend to listen to him or not.” Thomas suppressed a laugh, knowing that she had won the war of words with Seeger, once again.
* * * * *
The next morning Arianna sat at the head of the council table. Twelve pairs of eyes stared back at her, including Lord Seeger’s. The council wanted progress on the legend. If they truly had the blue-eyed night human, they wanted the power that was said to go with it. They had said everything she had suspected they would and were all patiently waiting for a reply. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to fulfill the legend, though it kind of scared her, but she was too busy to actually do anything. Arianna felt her stomach flip around like she was going to be sick. She never liked to go to the council meetings, and she detested everyone sitting in front of her, but it had never made her feel sick before. As always, Devin caught her slight change. He wouldn’t question her in front of everyone. Turner didn’t see it as he was still sulking at not being her date for the party the night before. That was the difference between Turner and Devin. Somehow, no matter what, Arianna couldn’t deny that Devin knew her better than she knew herself.