- chapter twelve -
Boom. Boom. It was the sound of Brielle's fists as they collided with the punching bag. She was training, her conversion with Victor still on the back of her mind. He could have lost his life there, although he didn't know it. How could Rafe have led him into the lion's den? It seemed that as soon as she started to trust the vampire, he would find a way to destroy that little bit of trust, as if he wanted it to happen. There were only two things that could calm the blonde down when she was in this state: training or a swim.
Hearing suspicious noises, she suddenly stopped her training. She took off the bandage around her hands and picked up her daggers, ready for an attack. Slowly, she made her way to the source of the noise, to her front door. There was no doubt that this was a burglary attempt. She took a deep breath before she turned the key and opened the door, wasting no time in throwing the dagger at him. The would-be burglar fell to the floor and groaned in pain as she hit him. It was only at this point that Brielle realised that her burglar was not a burglar at all, but Ace.
— Ace? What the hell are you doing? She asked, annoyed.
Holding his shoulder, the teenager stood up. Yeah, I'm all right. Thanks for your concern, he replied, entering the house without Brielle's permission, not that she was in the way.
— Out of the house, she declared with a cross of her arms. Or I'll call the police, she threatened, to a chuckle from the boy.
— We've already talked about this, darling, he said. Can you have a look at my wound now?
The teenager let out a sigh and went to fetch the medicine chest. She knew the dark haired boy well enough to know that he would have the guts to tell the police about it if it meant that Brielle would be upset. She came back into the dining room where Ace was waiting patiently for her. He was sitting in one of the chairs and she sat down. This might sting a bit, she explained without emotion before forcibly applying a disinfecting compress. There was another groan from the 17 year old, it wasn't just a little sting, it was as if someone had held a blowtorch to his wound. The blonde rolled her eyes at Ace's restlessness. Then she went to get some thread and needles. Both of them knew that they should go to the hospital, but they were smart enough to know that it might arouse suspicion, not forgetting that their parents would be yelling at them and accusing them of not being mature enough or whatever.
When she was finished, she clapped her hands and put the emergency box away. Then she came back with a couple of exercise books in her hand. Now that she'd calmed down, she needed to finish what she'd been working on. She put her things on the table. Then she turned to Ace, who hadn't moved. What are you doing here? She inquired with a raised eyebrow.
— The adults were having a meeting between them, I was practising with my arrows and maybe, I say maybe, I may have broken them. So I asked, with the great kindness that was in me, if I could have a loan of Blair's. She said yes, of course, and told me that I should just go in. It's just that I had no idea that the door would be locked.
— And to warn me, send me a text message was be impossible?
— Let's be honest. Would you have read it?
Brielle kept silent and made the decision to do her homework. So she sat down and began to study her notebook. Several minutes later, she looked up, sighing heavily. Do you plan on watching me all night ? She asked the young man who watched her write, his head on his arms, observing her deeply.
— Do you want me to ? She gave him a disdainful look. It's obvious I can't train for now and I don't know what else to do, he softly said with a smirk on his face.
She had finished her homework, Ace continued to look at her, and when she had put her things away, Ace got up to go to the library. He was on his way to the library for more information. Brielle followed, standing against the wall, arms crossed. What are you going to do? she asked him as he picked up a few books and put them on the coffee table.
— I want to find out some more information about the Cotters.
She uncrossed her arms. She sat down next to Ace and took one of the books. Why do you want to know more about them? She asked casually.
— Mark, Lucas and Damian are missing.
— Good. She declared as she opened one of the books, Let's hope they're dead. Is this why you want to know about the Cotters? Do you think they're behind this? It was possible that the Cotters had kidnapped the three teenagers. Deep down she hoped that Rafe had nothing to do with it. She couldn't help but doubt it. He had taken Victor home knowing what his family was like and he had hurt Mark and his friends before, why wouldn't he kill them?
Ace nodded. He searched the pages for something important they hadn't seen before. Then he had a look at another statement and read it carefully and aloud.
— We only know 5 members of the Cotter family: Lilith, her husband Vlad, and Mercy, her husband Seth, and their son. We had to get rid of Mercy and Seth, but their son, Elijah and the other two survived. The couple's death was the result of a pure silver stake through their hearts. Naturally, the arrows they received were laced with vervain. After they died, my daughter, Linda, died, and we believe that this was done out of revenge. We are convinced that the murderer of Linda was Elijah. Her husband was also murdered. For some reason, her son was spared. This is a dangerous family, they have been around since the 1400's but under a different name, the Acheron.
Harold Evergreen.
The words the teenager repeated made Brielle frown. Rafe was actually seventeen. She almost felt sorry for this Elijah, who had lost both of his parents on the same day at the hands of a hunter, but then she remembered that he had killed her ancestors, surely out of spite.
The two of them continued to search for information for many hours until Brielle fell asleep on the couch. Ace held her in his arms, praying that she wouldn't wake up and do battle with him. He laid her down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her before he got down on his knees and looked at her. I'm sorry for this day, love. I just wish that you could see it from my point of view, he said softly, stroking her hair before he stood up to go back to his house.
***
— Stop, please stop!
Tired and sweaty, Victor laid on the grass. He was in a fight with Rafe, who didn't show an ounce of fatigue towards him. You were the one who asked me to train you, remember? The vampire called back, remembering the brunette's request when they had gone to the cinema a couple of days ago.
— I know, I know, I asked you, but I don't have an athletic body like you! Victor shouted breathlessly.
Rafe put his hands on the brunette's shoulders as he sat down next to a sore Victor. Perhaps he should have gone nicely. For the first training session, Rafe wanted to see Victor's skills. So he fought him, a big mistake. Victor got lost, got hit and ended up on the ground, the same position he was in now, because he didn't know a single fighting technique.
They didn't do any talking, just took in the scenery the Cotter house had to offer. It was a bit high up. They could see the village and the forest for miles around.
— Come on! It wasn't that bad, you've got potential, Rafe said, lying on the fresh mown grass. He wasn't lying. Even though he had no fighting experience, as long as he stayed motivated, Victor had the ability to fight well.
The human turned to look at Rafe, who was grinning, You're making fun of me? Are you trying to laugh at me? He asked with a furrow of the brow. Making a small sound of surprise, he sat down. I can't believe it! he exclaimed exaggeratedly. He put a hand to his chest and joked, I feel so hurt. Rafe gave Victor a light tap on the shoulder and then laid back down on the grass with his hands behind his head.
Victor began to look at the vampire with a tender gaze, returning to the position he had been in a few minutes earlier. Rafe looked at the teenager and watched his eyes. Little by little, he moved his gaze from the eyes to the lips. Right then he wanted to taste it. Without noticing, he moved closer to Victor. He placed a hand on his left cheek, moving closer to his face. Victor didn't do anything, he had no idea if he was in favour of this kiss. Rafe moved his face dangerously close to Victor's. He was about to kiss him when he heard footsteps and pulled away.
Unaware of what had happened, Lilith walked over to the two boys. Dressed in a stylish outfit, she was coming home from her job as a secretary. Her hair was ebony black with light grey streaks. Her skin was smooth, as smooth as her son's, if not smoother. Hello, my little boy, and you are? she asked, extending her hand to Victor.
— I'm Victor. It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Cotters, Victor said with a handshake. At the mention of the human's name, Lilith had a smile on her face. So it was this man who had been the winner of her child's heart.
As Rafe stood there, unsure of what to do, Victor smiled awkwardly. In a desperate attempt to escape the embarrassment of the situation, he walked out with a greeting for Rafe and his mother. Lilith turned to her son with a huge smile on her face when there was no sign of Victor. So this is Victor! He is such a beautiful boy! She said with great joy as she clapped her hands. Rafe blushed and scratched his neck in embarrassment. Happy to have met the one who had brought a smile to her child, she took her son into her arms.