Trinity - Defying Destiny Page 6

  “Do you consider yourself an animal?” I asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

  “I am what I am. What do you class yourself as?” she asked.

  I looked down at my hands and then my reflection in the silver water jug. I looked blurred like one of those mirrors at fairs that make you look all weird, but I could see my eyes. They had changed. They no longer looked kind like they used to.

  “A freak,” I answered her in a small voice.

  “What?” she asked in between mouth full of toast.

  “I feel like a freak. So that is what I class myself as,” I replied more clearly.

  I looked up and she was looking at me intently still chewing her food. I wanted to hate her for turning my best friend, but as she sat there with her long mousey brown hair, her dark blue eyes and soft complexion, I couldn’t help but feel sad for her now. She had turned Sky true, but not by choice. Could I blame her? Could I hate her for it? The new me wanted to, though I didn’t want to change. I wanted to stay the old me. Therefore, that was what I decided I was going to do. I am going to forgive Garth, forgive Ally, and forgive everyone that didn’t deserve my new cold shoulder. I wanted to be the old me. I wanted to laugh and joke. I wanted the smart arse in me to be at the top of its game. I couldn’t change what has happened and I am not sure I would even if I could.

  I gave Ally a smile. “So is Sky a part of your wolf clan now?” I was worried what her answer was going to be.

  “Ummm, yes and no. She can choose to stay with me or not, but also the Alpha has to accept her and…” she looked over her shoulder then back to me, leaned in close and whispered, “I don’t think he will because of you.” Then she sat back in her chair and looked around like checking to see if anyone had heard her.

  “What are they blaming me for?” I asked out of curiosity even though I didn’t really care.

  “Because you told a human. That human then told another and now we are in this mess. Also, because you have intermingled the species,” she said kind of unsure as if she shouldn’t.

  “Intermingle how?”

  “Because you are with Jason, he is Second Alpha, in line if Garth dies, and his sister is now a vampire, your other best friend a wolf. They fear a cross species and blame you for it,” she said sitting back in her seat.

  “How can there be a cross species? I am the final descendant. How can they blame me for something that was foretold thousands of years ago?” I said in a defensive tone.

  She just shrugged. “The same reason dogs pee over another dog’s territory… because they can, will and have,” she said chuckling.

  I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  Her smile dropped and I looked at what it was. Garth was walking back with two plates.

  “I will leave you be,” Ally said standing up.

  “Okay,” I said and gave her a small smile, one which she returned walking off as Garth sat our plates down and took his seat.

  “Making friends?” he said.

  I watched him for a moment, trying to see if there was any underlying meaning to his question. Stop it, I told myself mentally slapping my face.

  “Kind of. She seemed scared of you,” I pointed out.

  “She should be,” he replied in a dead tone.

  “Why?” I asked, feeling angry.

  “You will learn soon enough how we are. I am not saying I like it, but fear can be the best medicine to keep them in line,” he uttered more kindly.

  I let it drop.

  “Have you heard anything about Jason?” I asked, eager for some news.

  “Not yet, he seems fine,” was all he said.

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “I will let you know if I hear anything. I thought you would be concerned about your friend,” he said.

  I frowned, “What friend?”

  “Nikkee!” he said in between bites of his food.

  “She is here. What am I supposed to be worried about?” I asked.

  He shook his head, “No, she left not long after we started breakfast. Lachlan is taking her for her first feed.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I had jumped up from the table, abandoning my food. I walked out of the dining room with eyes following me the whole way. I glared back not showing how utterly terrified I was of them. I walked through the reception area, and over to the door we had walked through when we first came here. I stormed down the hall, into the car garage and just about fell over Steven.

  “Hey, why the big rush, is this a prison escape?” he asked in a playful grin.

  “No… Yes… I,” I stuttered.

  “Oh, your friend,” he muttered realizing what I was doing.

  “They will be back soon. It’s only a thirty minute drive into the big town,” he patted my back.

  “What?” I asked not thinking straight. I started walking out of the garage. I heard footsteps approach beside me.

  “You can’t walk there,” he said.

  “I was supposed to be with them. I am the one that turned her, shouldn’t I be…”

  “Lachlan was saying, because you are new as well he might not have been able to keep an eye on you both. I offered my help but he said he didn’t trust anyone with the two of you,” Steven muttered in an annoyed tone.

  “Can you open the door, please?” I asked.

  He walked over, hit his hand on the wall and then the large rollers turned, opening up the moonlight to us. My claws sprung out. I dropped to one knee and my hands hit the ground in front of me catching myself. I watched as they seemed to grow out of nowhere. The pain started to slow to a light throb.

  “Trinity are you…?”

  I shook my head and held my hand up. My jaw ached and as it felt like all my teeth were throbbing with a toothache all at once. They were moving up and down. I screamed out. As the pain was subsiding, I felt my k-nines hit my bottom lip.

  I looked up at Steven. All he did was raise one eyebrow. He didn’t back from me. If anything, he looked curious.

  “WOW! That was some sort of change. Seemed like your wolf wanted full control, but your vamp chose to put its own two cents in,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Never mind, you look freaky as hell,” he rushed to tell me.

  I looked up to the moon. I wanted to run, jump and feel the freedom of the wind in my hair.

  “I have never seen a change like that, even for a newbie,” Steven uttered in awe.

  I started walking up the steep slope and out to the yard. I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled.

  “I can’t believe they went without me,” I said sadly.

  “Don’t take it to heart. It’s because you are both Lachlan’s. It’s hard enough to have one newborn let alone two,” he defended Lachlan.

  “I am not Lachlan’s.”

  “Right, yes, your Jason’s.”

  I couldn’t help but hear the distaste in his tone. I turned and faced him.

  “You don’t like that, go bite me,” I snapped.

  “What is it with you and your friend offering biting sessions with me? I know I am good looking, but now I am just getting a big head,” he quipped with a cheeky grin.

  I gave him a half smile, “I thought you looked different. Must be the new custom sized head.”

  I walked over to the long grass, held my hand out and let the grass tickle my palm.

  “What are you doing?” he wondered from where I left him.

  “Shhhhh,” was all I could say.

  I closed my eyes. I thought of Nikkee. I tried to concentrate, but Steven kept talking or should I say muttering to himself.

  “Could you please be quiet for just a few minutes I’m trying to concentrate?” I said in a serious tone.

  There was complete silence.

  I thought hard. I tried sifting through my emotions to see what was mine and what could be hers.

  Excitement.

  I thought harder. Lachlan had mentioned that he would guess where I was by using my feelings when I let them
out.

  Nothing, just excitement.

  “Damn!” I yelled frustrated.

  “Couldn’t feel her?” Steven asked.

  “I did, but I can’t pick where she is,” I was disappointed.

  “It takes a long time for you to be able to do that. Most of us avoid creating another vampire; we only do so when we are much older,” he said.

  I turned around, only my upper chest could have been seen, and the grass covered the rest of me.

  “How old are you?”

  “Technically I am thirty three, but I was turned when I was nineteen,” he said in a quieter tone.

  “Why did you turn?” I asked.

  He laughed, “It’s not as if most of us have a choice Trinity.”

  “I’m confused. Aren’t you all governed?” I said.

  “Only those that want to be.”

  “Ok, how did you turn and why?” I asked differently.

  “Oh, you know, met a cool chick at the club. The next thing you know she is biting my neck and forcing me to drink her blood.”

  “What happened after that?” I asked.

  “Well I stayed with her for a while, when she got tired of me she moved on to the next poor guy,” he told me with a hint of distaste.

  “What? You were turned by a vampire to be a play toy?” I chuckled a little.

  “That’s how good I am Trinity,” he smirked.

  My pocket vibrated. I frowned and pulled it out. It was a private number. I hesitated and decided to answer.

  “Hello”

  “Trinity?”

  “Jason,” I breathed out and my heart started to speed up.

  “How are you?” he asked. He seemed off, like he was talking mechanically.

  “I’m ok. What about you?”

  “All seems fine at the moment. We are on our way back,” he said.

  “We?” I questioned.

  “Dustin, Chelsi and I.”

  Oh Chelsi, yippee. “That’s great,” I replied, hiding the resentment, I was starting to feel towards her.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m just outside with Steven, getting some air and waiting for Nikkee to come back,” I smiled.

  There was a long pause.

  “Jason?”

  “Why didn’t you go with Nikkee?” he asked.

  “Cause they left without me,” I said in a cranky tone.

  “You should have Garth or Vex with you,” he mentioned concerned.

  I turned around watching Garth walk toward us.

  “Why?” I asked, not understanding.

  “It’s just safer,” he said.

  “I don’t understand. It’s just Steven.”

  There was a long pause again.

  “Just keep someone close to you, someone you trust,” he definitely was sounding irritated.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Everything’s fine, I will talk to you soon.”

  Then the phone went dead.

  That was strange, I told myself. Steven was no longer where he was. Garth had taken his place. I mentally sighed. What was going on with Jason? Was he being jealous, overprotective, or both?

  “Hey,” I said to let him know I acknowledged he was there.

  “You ok?” he asked.

  A small frown came, “Yeah, apart from my friend having her first feed without me, my… well Jason either going possessive or paranoid. I don’t even know where Sky is, although I haven’t really looked. Apart from that I think I am getting a handle on things.”

  “Nikkee will be fine. Jason is not being overprotective or jealous.” I went to say that I hadn’t said jealous, but he cut in, “He is not being paranoid; he just wants you safe and looked after until things settle down. You have gotten a taste of what things are like here, the rifts, and the non-understanding. They fear you because they do not understand you,” he finished walking towards me.

  “I don’t think I understand myself,” I replied honestly.

  “I understand you. Now you understand you, too. Nothing much has changed Trinity; you can still be you even as you are now,” he said stopping in front of me.

  “I don’t know if I can. I feel different; I guess I look freaky with my eyes, fangs and claws. But I am just not sure if I can go back to how I was. I liked the little circle I had, I had come to like my life. Now there is all of this,” I waved my hand out around us.

  “This is not permanent; it is just a place for you to stay while the heat cools off. It can also be a place you want to come back to, a home of sorts. Alternatively, I can build you a home somewhere else. It doesn’t matter where. People care about you, I care about you. We just want you safe,” he said placing his big warm hand on my shoulder.

  I turned and looked at it. I had that touch once, I had embraced it when I was scared and confused. It had comforted me and made me feel safe. I tried to let it have that same effect.

  “I understand, but I also want to have a normal life or at least some kind of normal. I want to go to college,” I replied simply.

  “And you can; you have a few weeks before courses start. It should be long enough for Nikkee to have a handle on things. Sky is doing quite well, like yourself. There are things you can do. You just have to be careful.”

  “Will you be there?” I asked.

  “I won’t be far away,” was all he replied.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I waited outside until Nikkee came back. Garth and I were sitting on the ground in the short grass. We didn’t talk about much while we waited. I mainly wanted to sit there and enjoy the peace and quiet. Not that it was quiet. I could hear the grass moving and swaying slightly in the breeze, hear small animals and bugs flying around. The barn creaked and croaked with the cool night air. After calming myself, my nails slowly retracted back under my fingers. It wasn’t as painful as when they were coming out, but it still slightly stung as they made their way back under my skin. I didn’t know why it hurt so much that time compared to my other changes. Was it because of the sudden attack from the moon or the fight between vamp and wolf? I could still feel the sharp points of my teeth touching the bottom of my lip. I was actually quite surprised that I could talk normally with them, but it almost felt like they had been there my whole life. I only wish my nails felt the same way. The sudden change had hurt and yet other times I didn’t even know I had changed. Could it be my temper blocking it out?

  I was still confused with the whole monster vs. monster saga. Steven had been fine talking to me, but the mention of me being with Jason made him seem angry about it. I knew it was because Jason was a werewolf. Did Steven think that I should be with a vampire instead? I thought back to Sky asking about my vampire side. I tried to think putting aside what I was feeling. I wondered if I could feel separate things between the two halves. Would I be able to pick one at a time or did I have to be all three regardless? And what would happen if I let the vampire side take over my wolf side? Will my feelings for Jason change?

  A pain started in my chest at the thought of not being with him. Did my wolf and vampire side overrule my heart; was that still at least my own? If they wanted to fight with each other, what was I going to be able to do to tame both beasts? When Jason wasn’t near me it felt like I was leaving my heart open and exposed. Everything was so new especially with Jason. I felt like a freak and my heart was telling me that Jason deserved better, someone that didn’t think they were like a ticking time bomb. I felt like I was going to explode.

  Nikkee and Lachlan finally made it back just before sunrise. She looked radiant with the new spring in her step she came running over to me and engulfed me in a hug.

  “Oh my gawd, Trin, that was AMAZING!” she gushed, and then added, “I feel so alive. Every inch of my body feels like I am being zapped. I just can’t seem to sit still. I just ran and ran. It kind of pissed Lachlan off…” she had taken note of my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just thought you would have wanted me to come wi
th you,” I told her honestly.

  She grabbed my hand and said, “I did, but Trin, I was so hungry, you have no idea how hungry. I wanted you to have time with Garth to talk about things. I’m so sorry, I can’t explain it. Sky was even looking appetizing.”

  As she explained it to me, I started to feel stupid. Again, my mind was trailing off, thinking stupid thoughts. I had actually felt jealous that they had gone out without me when I should have known that my best friend would not leave me to go do something as big as this unless she absolutely had to.

  ”I’m sorry Nikkee, you are right, I didn’t know. I must have been blocking you out and not feeling your pain,” I said feeling sheepish.

  “It’s ok,” she smiled, “Where is Sky?”

  “In the training centre,” Garth said.

  “Training centre?”

  “Do you want to take a look?” Lachlan asked.

  Nikkee and I both looked at each other and said, “Hell yes!” at the same time. Lachlan turned around and started heading back inside while Nikkee and I hung back. She told me that she did really well with her first feed and that the guy barely noticed what she had done. Even though she wanted to just keep drinking her rational side told her she couldn’t. She said that Lachlan had been very impressed, because she only took a small amount, however, that meant she had to feed on other people to get her full feed. She said that once she learns her limits she should be able to just feed on one. She seemed very proud of what she had accomplished, I felt the same and gave her a squeeze with the arm I had around her shoulders letting her know that I was just as proud of her.

  I gave her the run down on what Garth had told me in the dining hall. I also told her about Ally and all the things she had told me. She listened intently as we wove ourselves around the hallways until we walked into a large open room that was like a hangar. I looked up and saw large beams along the roof. The floor had large mat areas in different colours that I guess meant different things, over on the far wall in front of us were lines of all different types of weapons and fighting gear, and then I saw there were a few people standing around on a blue mat.