Blood Bonds Pt. 06

"Sarah, this isn't the same. Kev and I are from this realm. You can't imagine what—"

"I don't see how it's any different," the dark girl said, standing defiantly and striding into the bathroom, clothes in hand. "I'm forgetting we ever had this conversation. Let me get changed and then we have to go or we'll be late."

***

Sarah walked with Ana down to the beach in stony silence. Ana seemed to be on the brink of simply yelling out whatever frightening information she was holding on the tip of her tongue, but every time the dark-skinned girl would look in her direction, she bit her lip and sighed.

Kevin was vibrating with excitement when they met him on the sand, eyes red, fists curled tightly, skin flushed. His newly enhanced muscles tensed and rippled beneath his white tee and loose red linen pants.

"Jeez, Kev, relax," Sarah laughed, reaching up and pushing his hair out of his eyes playfully, bad mood melting beneath the weight of his anticipation.

"No one ever sees this, understand?" he breathed, looking down at the two of them intently. "No humans, no wolves, no one but them. Much less be allowed to participate in the ceremony. This is beyond forbidden—"

"Well, when you put it that way..." a clear voice cut through from above.

The two girls jumped slightly as Andrenin dropped gracefully out of the sky, grinning from ear to ear with gleaming white teeth, golden hair settling around his shoulders like a gloriole.

"You're about to bust too, blondie," Pershing said, emerging onto the beach as well, dressed in jeans and a black linen shirt that fluttered open in the breeze, revealing flashes of sculpted torso, tanned and lightly furred with black hair.

"You're late."

"Don't change the subject," the wolf shot back, glancing quickly at Ana.

"Yeah, I'm excited. But when Council has my head on a pike tomorrow night, it'll probably dull the sheen a bit," the elder vampire snorted.

"Like they'd harm a hair on your pretty golden head," the werewolf chuckled, clapping Kevin on the back as he approached.

"Not that they'd get close enough to try," the vampire conceded, shrugging. "Alright, kiddies, I need to fill you in on what's going to happen in a few minutes. You don't get to just stand there and gape."

"They will though," Visarius put in, smiling as he appeared in a rush of silver , Lessa on his arm. "Gape, I mean."

"Like you won't when you see—" Andrenin started to shoot back before stopping himself.

"See what?" the Alpha asked.

"You'll see," the blonde vampire said evasively, then took a deep breath and began to explain the process of making a new vampire the official way.

"See, it's not so bad."

Talera's voice rose silkily from the shadows, the glint of moonlight off her black eyes disconcerting. Sarah jumped when her friend melted out of the darkness of the trees, or maybe just out of the darkness, she wasn't sure. Ash was at her side, hand on her shoulder to steady her as she was obviously out of it.

The demon moved with a feral grace that set the girl's instincts on high alert. Talera seemed to float across the sand, eyes unfocused behind the black depths, expression distant.

"You okay?" Sarah asked, waving a hand in front of Talera's face. "Seems like your clock is running about two seconds behind everyone else's."

"Mmm," was all she got in response, the dreamy look on the demon's face darkening slightly.

"She's fine, just...depleted," Ash said, taking her by the shoulders and holding her still as he glanced up at the moon, then back at Andrenin, who looked at everyone gathered on the beach, eyes resting on Kevin, Ana and Sarah lingeringly.

"You're absolutely sure you want to do this in front of them?" he asked, glancing at Talera, then back to them, quirking his lips to the side tensely.

She glanced from them to him. Something unsettling seethed around them in the shadows, whispers, half-heard and incomprehensible, swirled in on the wind, sending a sharp chill up the spine. Sarah noticed both Pershing and Kevin's eyes dart to the sides, then meet, exchanging a look before settling once more.

"You think they're in danger?" she asked, tone somewhere between surprised and genuinely concerned, though her expression bordered on arrogance.

His eyes did another sweep before he shrugged, shaking his head.

"You gonna tell them first or..."

"They'll be fine. They wouldn't believe me anyway. I'll—"

"For fuck's sake, shut up and get on with it!" Pershing cut in with an agitated growl. "I'm dying of anticipation here!"