AllFreeNovel
Share Us
18
Cross
"How much information are we willing to give Ash?" I asked as we walked through the parking lot toward his condominium.
"As little as possible." Rook was exhausted, especially after his romp with Cordelia. I was envious, not just of the sex, but of the connection they shared. I had never experienced anything like that with anyone, human or otherwise.
"We trust him though. Surely our relationship with him is strong enough that we can tell him about Cordie?" I countered, glancing at Rook out of the corner of my eye only to see him frowning even more severely than he had been before. There was nothing I could say to make him feel better in this instance though. Even I felt like a worthless piece of crap not being able to do anything to save Cordie or her grandmother.
Suddenly, Cordie materialized directly in front of us, like my thoughts had conjured her out of thin air.
For a moment I thought she was just a figment of my imagination. She was vivid and detailed, as if she was truly there by our side. Her chestnut hair seemed to blow gently in a wind that didn't exist.
What the hell? Neither of us were asleep or in the liminal state required for connecting remotely. The connection Rook and Cordelia shared was obviously stronger than any of us realized. How else could she appear in this manner?
"Cordelia?" Rook's voice was laced with surprise and something else. Desire? Probably, but it sounded like more as well. Like love. I'd always suspected that what was between them was more than just a feeder and vampire or a physical connection. Rook had always tried to convince me otherwise, but now after everything that had happened it appeared he'd accepted the truth, and I could hear it in his voice.
"How are you here?" he demanded, his eyes wide with disbelief that looked about like I was feeling.
Cordelia looked at Rook, her brow furrowed in confusion. "This isn't a dream then?"
"No," Rook answered. “I'm awake, so somehow you're projecting yourself. This isn't a dreamscape," he explained, gesturing to the parking lot. Rook quickly glanced at me. "Cross is here with me, and he can see you, too." Surprise showed on her face and I knew that she wasn't expecting that.
Whatever she was doing she had no idea how she was doing it, or what it even was that she was doing, not that we were more knowledgeable on it. I couldn't help but wonder how much of her surroundings she could see. Given the surprise on her face at Rook's mention of me it seemed like she hadn't realized I was there.
The whole situation was bizarre. Certainly unheard of. At least, I’d never heard such a thing was possible.
I was in awe of her. This was the first time I had ever seen anything like it. To top it off, Cordelia looked different than before, almost vampire-like with her pale skin and dark eyes. I couldn't stop staring at her or the magic that was surrounding her. What almost appeared to be purple flames danced along her skin but only around the edges of her, like magic was outlining her in the space.
It was fantastic, yet it made me extremely nervous, my heart stuttered in my chest even though it didn't really need to beat. If Hugh or his counsel got wind of this connectivity or the power that came with it, we'd all be royally fucked. My mouth went dry just from the thought. I knew in my gut that they'd come after us with everything they had to make Cordie disappear, and I doubted they'd be upset if Rook and I were taken out at the same time.
"You look different," I told her, but she acted as if she couldn't hear me, either. I tried not to take it personally, knowing that it was more to do with the magic than Cordie ignoring me or something like that.
I sighed, feeling a twinge of jealousy, though I didn't want to admit it. Deep down, I wished that she and I had this kind of strength in a connection, as well. She and Rook had been given the gift of time, whereas Cordie and I were just starting. Was it all over? Or did she still feel something for me? I didn’t know. Couldn’t tell.
“Are you okay?” Rook asked, stepping toward Cordelia. He wanted to touch her. It was written in every glance he took, with every inch he moved forward.
She waved her hand in the air, not dismissing him, but trying to reassure him. "Yes, of course. I'm fine, especially after that energy boost." Her lips curled into a sultry smile.
Good Lord, did I really have to stand here and listen to this? It was almost too much for me to bear.
"Listen, Rook. I had to find you and make sure you knew that the phone call was all a ploy made by the vampire hunters." She paused, rubbing her temples.
She was stressed and I hated seeing her like that. I'd observed her doing the same motion a few times when she came out of her classes and it always made me want to take her away from wherever she was just so that she could leave the stress behind for a little while. That wasn't my job though, and I wasn't sure she'd appreciate it if I did.
"Everything I said was orchestrated by them. It's all a trap. They want you dead." There was a passion in her voice, a need for him to hear her, to believe her. And he did.
He nodded. "I know. It was pretty obvious what was going on. If they had wanted to be more subtle about it, they wouldn't have taken you in the first place,” he pointed out.
Vampire hunters always did have a flair for the dramatic.
"I just wanted to warn you," Cordelia said, her voice shaking.
"It's going to be fine," Rook told her, but she didn't look convinced. "We are working on getting a familiar to check on your grandmother since the hunters are patrolling around the house."
Cordelia's eyes widened in panic. "They're at the house?" she asked. And then, she suddenly disappeared, leaving both Rook and I feeling uneasy.
19
