Everlasting Bond (11 page)

Then it happened. Like someone ignited a spark, floods of images ran through her mind. Bits and pieces of pictures were flashing until they formed into one. It was Cole; not the Cole holding her, but the Cole she had seen in her dream. Looking around at her surroundings, Katrina could te
ll she was in a different time.

Cole was staring into her eyes. His glowing white skin made him appear angelic. They were lost in each other. There was no one else except the two of them. Caressing her face softly, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. Her body became a raging inferno at the slightest touch. His firm and yet soft glacial mouth released desires in her she never knew possible.

His tongue tenderly slipped into her mouth and sent a vigorous tingling sensation into every part of her. It tasted as sickly sweet as the rest of him. His hands moved downward, tracing every inch of her delicately and lingered near her upper thigh. His lips slid down towards her neck, sampling it intimately with his tongue. She let out a deep sigh of excitement, as her breath became irregular gasps out of her control.

Cole squeezed his hand around her thigh and threw it around him. Impulse took over and she countered him. Her body coiled completely around him, like a snake. Her fingers ran through his soft auburn tresses, as he moved on top of her. His tongue flicked out licking her collarbone and Katrina moaned. She dug her nails into the middle of his back and begged for more. Neither of them holding back as the other went further.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the intimate surroundings vanished. In its wake a new, darker place emerged. Beneath her, Katrina could feel the chalky soil floor of the basement. It was just as she remembered in her dream. Her erotic feelings dissipated and gave way to panic and fear. Cole's face became strained and serious.

Cole climbed through the window and reached back inside for her. At the same time, she heard a loud vicious snarl behind her. Katrina turned to see a huge brown paw with claws, punch through the wooden door. A yellow eye glared back at her from the opening, as one of the beasts barreled through it and headed straight for her.

Katrina's panic consumed her and she froze where she stood. “This can't be happening!”

“Caroline!” Cole shouted her name, but it was drowned out by her own heart-wrenching scream.

Everything suddenly faded to black. After a few seconds, two familiar figures appeared. Cole was on the ground cursing. Anguish and fury filled his dark sapphire eyes. Lying still in his arms was the limp and lifeless body of a young woman. Though she couldn’t see her face, Katrina recognized one important detail. The body was wearing the same emerald gown she had recognized on herself earlier.

She slowly edged in closer to and found a steel blade sticking out of the young woman's chest. Nausea built in her stomach and Katrina went to look away, when something caught her eye. Clenched tightly in the young woman’s hand was the amber amulet. It slowly started to make sense.

Gasping for air as the realization hit her, Katrina opened her eyes to find Cole’s staring into hers. Everything rushed at her all at once. Now knowing the truth made her reel back like she’d been hit again.

“Shh,
it’s okay.” Cole pulled her against his chest.

“N-no, it’s not.” Katrina began to cry. “Nothing about this is!”

Cole held her in his arms and she let the tears fall. “Don’t cry. We’re together again.”

“Cole, I—” Wiping her eyes she tried to speak, but there were no words. The images replayed themselves inside her head over and over. It w
as too much for her to take in.

“Shh, I kn
ow. I know—but now you do too.”

The two sat still, holding onto one another in silence. The croaking of frogs in the distance, the only sounded penetrating through the night. Minutes passed, but neither made any attempt to move. After forcing herself to pull it together, Katrina finally managed to speak.

“Nikolas is your real name?”

“Yes,” he nodded, softly. “Before you died, you promised you would come back to me. You said the amulet was the key to finding you.”

“The amulet?” She motioned towards her chest, and then remembered it was still in her backpack. “Where did I get it?”

“Your mother gave it to you. She knew you and your brother were—special.”

“Jake?”

“We called him Elias back then.”

“Special how?”

“Your mother was a witch, a very talented one, but not as talented as you or your brother. She knew she had given birth to the Powers. The ones to put an end to the War.”

“War, what war? The Civil War?”

“No.” He shook his head and pressed his lips together in a firm line. After a few seconds, he ran his fingers through his hair and continued, “Vampires and werewolves have been at war for centuries. No one can really remember how or why it started. With the violence between our species growing, all witches were forced into hiding.”

“Why?”

“Werewolves are savages. They want to enslave all of humanity. Imagine a world where humans are the ones on leashes, forced to do the bidding of a dog. Then, when they don't need them anymore, they'll rip them apart and devour every piece.”

“Eww, gross,” she crinkled her nose.

“We’ve been fighting over the centuries with the witches to keep their numbers from rising, to keep the balance of things. But if they were able to get their hands on you or your brother, that could change everything. They'd be unstoppable. It'd be open season on all humans.”

“I don’t understand. How could they do that?”

“By turning you or your brother into one of them. Being twins, the two of you share more than you realize. You’re linked to each other. If they find one of you, they’ll have no trouble tracking down the other.”

“They want to turn us both into giant dogs?”

He nodded. “But, I would die before I let that happen!” He practically spat out the words and his pupils became dark pools of blue, reflecting the sunset behind her. It was so intense she looked aw
ay. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. So, what happens now?”

When he didn't answer, Katrina looked up and found his face blank, lost in a trans-like gaze. He sat motionless, staring off into nothing. Katrina sat there and waited it out. She wasn't sure how long he would be like that, so she tried to distract herself by listening to the croaking of the frogs. The time seemed to drag on for hours and she was beginning to wonder if he'd ever come out of it. Then, just as fast as he disappeared he was back.

“Something’s wrong. We need to go.” Cole stood and held out his hand to her.
She took it and got up quickly.

“Go where? What’s wrong?” She brushed the dirt off her jeans.

“They’re in trouble.”

“Who? Jake?”

“We need to hurry. Forgive me,” Cole said, and moved so fast she barely had time to register what he was doing, until it was too late.

He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Her hands held onto the back of his legs for support and regained her sense of balance. She tried to yell at him but, Cole's shoulder dug into her stomach knocking the wind out of her. All that came out was a muffled yelp of
protest. The second he ran off, Katrina thought she was going to lose her lunch.

A cloud of air swallowed her vision. The ground became a sea of blurry images. With each step his shoulder blade hit against her stomach
, making the nausea build. She shut her eyes to at least stop from vomiting all over him. Just as fast as it started, her wild ride had come to an end, as Cole came to an abrupt stop.

Everything was still spinning, when Katrina heard the creaking of the car door. Cole’s cold hands threw her forward and slipped her into the black leather seat. The next thing she heard was the clicking of her seatbelt. By the time she caught her breath and fought back the nausea, Cole was in the driver seat. He turned the ignition and peeled out
of the cemetery’s parking lot.

It took her a few seconds to calm down and find the strength to speak. When she turned towards Cole, ready to rip him a new one, his face stopped her short. He was in hunter mode and constantly roaming through their surroundings. His razor sharp eyes were those of a predator, ravaging across the darkening sky, searching. For who, Katrina still wasn’t entirely sure. Whoever it was might have gotten to her brother and Andrew already. Fear welled up inside her, as she thought the inevitable: not who, but what?

It didn’t take Cole long to reach their destination and for that Katrina was thankful. Her stomach was still recovering from earlier and his fast driving didn't help matters. Not to mention, she was still confused as to what was happening.

Cole slammed the car into park and her body jerked forward. The seat belt locked, pushing tighter into her stomach, making her nausea even worse. She took a deep breath and tried to take her mind off it, when she heard sirens.

“What the hell’s going on?” In front of her, an orange glow was bursting out of what use to be Trudy’s Salon. In a panic she took off her seatbelt, swung open the car door, and started to run. Then the smoke hit her. Air became scarce and her lungs started to burn.

“Caroline, wait!” Cole grabbed her from behind.

“Let me go!” she half screamed and half coughed out. She forgot how fast he could move.

“It’s not safe.”

“I don’t care. I need to find my brother.” She tried to kick back, but it was no use. He was too strong. She finally gave up and tried to catch her breath, while he held her. Seconds passed before he finally spoke again.

“No one’s inside,” he whispered in her ear, holding her so close she couldn’t move.

Katrina rested herself against him, trying to make sense of what he said. “Where are they?” Her voice sounded hoarse as she fought back tears.

“They’re fine.” He slowly turned her to face him. “My father came and picked them up before the police could ask questions.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Cole slowly let go of her and explained. “They just told me.”

“What? How?” She looked around, confused.

“Like you and your brother, we have certain—gifts.” He looked into her eyes and when she didn’t respond he continued. “Getting inside one’s head is second nature to us.”

“So, you can sense each other?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what?”

“It’s not like you and your brother. Distance isn’t an issue.”

“Then, you can read minds?”

“It’s another way vampires communicate.”

“Then what did you mean by getting into someone’s head?” she pushed. He hesitated and looked away from her. “What did you mean?” she asked again, this time demanding an answer.

Cole ran his fingers though his hair and averted her gaze. “We can get into a person
’s mind and make them do anything we want.”

“You what?” Taking a few steps back and looking around for somewhere to run, Katrina couldn'
t believe what she was hearing.

He looked up and slowly edged forward pleading with her. “No, it’s not what you think.
I would never do that to you.”

“Why should I believe you?” She crept backwards, but Cole had managed to suck up the distance between them. He wa
s just inches in front of her.

“Because it’s the truth.” His eyes met hers and she could see so much pain behind them.

Katrina stood there, unsure what to do. It was obvious he meant it, but she was still hesitant. Tears were still running down her face, while she struggled to come to terms with everything and it wasn’t getting any easier. “But, that night with Brody—you did.” It wasn’t a question, as she slowly put the pieces together.

“To protect you. If things got out of control I couldn’t risk hurting you.” He reached up and held her face.

“I thought you said you don’t kill people?”

“We don’t. But when I attack I can’t control it. If you had gotten in between us, I could have—” Wiping her stray tears away, he gently le
aned in and gave her soft kiss.

At first Katrina was too shocked to move, but then she soon found herself kissing him back. It lasted just a few seconds before Cole pulled away and said, “We need to get out of here before they start askin
g questions.”

Katrina slowly nodded in agreement. She was still recovering from his kiss and couldn't speak. Cole took her hand and after a slight hesitation, she followed him. Neither of them spoke as he helped her into the car and they left the grim sce
ne behind them.

Looking at what was left of Trudy’s made Katrina sick to her stomach. She was just thankful Jake had made it out in time. Tilting her head back against the leather seats, she tried to block out the horrible thoughts of what could have happened if he hadn't.

Feeling the car slow down and eventually turn off, Katrina looked up and was taken aback by the appearance of the house. It used to be the most run down home in the town of Morgan Springs, but now it had gone through its own renaissance.

Cole opened her door and her eyes were still taking in all of the details. It was like something out of a magazine and for a moment it took her mind off her troubles.

“Wow.” Katrina was stunned.

Cole smiled and took her hand. As he led her up the winding brick walkway, rows of flowers came into view. It was like a melting pot of colors mixed together to form one beautiful bouquet.

Nearing the front porch, Katrina could make out the vivacious 3-story Victorian style home. Its vibrant colors shimmered against the moonlight. The icy gray exterior had hints of lavender that radiated against the translucent white trim. Two Jasmine vines delicately intertwined along the two posts that supported the front porch. Following Cole up the front steps, they stopped at the large white front door and he seemed unsure about something.

Cole slowly opened the door and gestured with his hand for her to enter. Inside, the original character of the house was still preserved. Every piece of molding was adorned with swirled carvings embedded deep inside the wood. It was a craftsmanship rarely seen anymore.

Before she could take another step she heard a husky deep voice call out, “Caroline?”

Katrina turned to and found a pale stranger smiling back at her. He was as strikingly handsome as his son. It was like seeing Cole’s reflection. His emerald eyes were the only real difference. They sparkled against his translucent skin and his coffee colored hair hung against his youthful jaw.

“Caroline, it’s so good to see you again.”

She stayed quiet. It was really awkward to be addressed as someone else. Then he wrapped her in his arms and forced the air out of her. He had a very firm grip. As he released her and pulled back he said, “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Sorry, no. I wish I did,” she shrugged.

“Allow me to formally re-introduce myself then,” he smiled. “I’m Alaric Aldrich.” Giving her a playful wink, as he bowed his head to her.

Not wanting to be rude, Katrina nodded her head and said, “Nice to meet you.”

Alaric stood back up and kept his warm smile. Katrina stood there feeling a little awkward. He seemed so comfortable and yet, it was the opposite for her. Finally after what seemed like way too long, Cole asked, “Father, where’s—Jake?” He stuttered over Jake’s name.

“Who?” Alaric gave him a confused look.

“Elias,” Cole quickly corrected himself.

“Oh. He’s upstairs with your cousin.”

Katrina felt her anxiety grow. She wanted to run upstairs and check on her brother, but she also found herself intrigued by Alaric. She was startled when Cole slightly tugged on her arm. Her eyes met his and he nodded for her to follow him.

“Perhaps, we can catch up later?” Alaric asked, giving her a big smile. Katrina gave him a quick nod and smile before following Cole up the stairs.

When they reached the top, they passed what appeared to be a decent sized bathroom. Nearing the wooden door to Andrew’s room, she could hear her brother's voice. Then like a hammer, Jake’s feelings hit her. It was a jumbled mess and she couldn’t get a fix on any specific emotion. If it kept up, she was going to end up with a nasty migraine. Cole opened the door and she followed in behind him.

“Hello, Caroline.” Andrew was sitting on the bed next to Jake. An odd grin on his face. Jake was leaning back next to him, playing with the navy comforter.

She slowly edged her way in further and glanced around his room. It wasn’t what she expected. She thought it would be something dark and cold, but it was every bit the opposite. It reminded her more of an arcade than a bedroom. In the middle was the simple wooden bed that was big enough for two, but that was the on
ly normal thing about the room.

Numerous video gaming systems were sprawled out on the floor. Hovering on the wall above the dresser was a huge flat screen television. It took up the entire top half of the wall. This was the closest thing she’d seen that made either of them seem at all like a couple of teenagers.

“Kat!” Jake jumped off the bed and ran over to her.

Katrina wrapped her arms around him and then quickly pulled back, examining him. “You hurt?”

“No. I’m fine,” Jake said. Still not convinced, Katrina just looked at him. He must have picked up on her feelings because he felt the need to assure her. “Not a scratch. See?” He spun around for her.

Katrina let out a sigh of relief. Seeing for herself was better than just being told. “What happened?”

“You might want to sit down for this.” Jake motioned towards the bed.

Feeling Cole grasp her hand, she followed him over. A strange energy was forming in the room. The three of them gave her a look that spoke volumes and she knew she wasn't going to like what Jake said next.

“We were doing some last minute
things
in the salon, when Andrew heard something.” His eyes met Andrew’s and Katrina felt the tingles of warmth through her own body as Jake blushed. “He grabbed me and we ran out of there. The next thing I knew the whole building exploded.”

“You never saw anyone?”

“Not exactly,” Jake sighed.

“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”

“I couldn’t see anything, but there were these eyes in the dark. They were creepy and—” Jake looked at her and Katrina grew impatient.

“And what?”

“And yellow.”

“Yellow!” Her heart jumped in her throat as she realized what he was saying. “No. It can’t be.” Katrina shook her head and went into heavy denial. It was the only thing that could help her cope at the moment. “Maybe you made a mistake?”

“It’s no mistake,” Andrew’s stern voice interrupted their conversation. Katrina looked up and caught him staring at her. There was a hint of annoyance hidden underneath his words and that got her temper flaring.

“Caroline, I know you’re still in shock from earlier, but the werewolves are here. And that puts you both in grave danger,” Cole explained. It was obvious he was trying to smooth over
Andrew’s clipped tone and that only aggravated her more.

“Maybe we need to get them out of town? Who knows how many o
f them are here?” Andrew added.

They
were both making plans as if she wasn’t there and that was the last straw. Her temper hit breaking point. “You know I’m sitting right here!” she snapped. “And I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Caroline—” Cole started to say when she cut him off.

“Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Katrina!” Tears streamed down her face and she jumped off the bed. She jerked the door open, ran down the stairs, and out the front door, never looking back. Home was the only place she wanted to be right now. She made a few more feet, when her foot got caught and she tripped. The next thing she knew, Cole was helping her up.

“I’m fine.” She shrugged him off, embarrassed that he had to catch her yet again. Crossing her arms, she s
tood there not looking at him; she was too pissed to do anything else.

“I know this isn’t easy for you.” Cole’s voice sounded so calm, her guilt started to set in. He was being so patient and she was flying off the
deep end like a crazy person.

“Look, I’m sorry.” She stared at him, trying to get a handle on herself. “I know you think I’m your precious Caroline, but I’m not. I’m me and like it or not I don’t like being told what to do.”

“Some things never change,” Cole muttered.

“What’s that suppose to mean? You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.” Katrina turned ready to leave, when his hand on her back stopped her.

“Please, don’t go.”

“Why should I stay?” she asked, turning to face him.

“I know it’s not easy. Everything takes time. How about I make you a deal?” Cole gently put an arm on her shoulder as he spoke.

“What kind of deal?”

“If you give me time to prove it to you,” one of his hands rested against her cheek, “Then I will try to refrain from making any hasty decisions for you?” He lifted the corners of his mouth and gave her a warm smile. Relieved he was finally starting to respect her boundary, she nodded her head in agreement. “Can I offer you a ride home?” Still smiling, he bowed towards her and never broke eye contact. His attempt to lighten the mood worked and broke some of the tension.

“I’d like that.”

“Wait for us!” Jake cut in. Unaware he was even there, Katrina turned in surprise. Both he and Andrew were smiling back at her.

“How long have you been standing there?” Katrina asked, her face turning red.