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I stared at Landon talking to Vienna, noting that small crinkle on his forehead, scrunching up of his lips, as he tried to keep up with the conversation that Vienna insisted to have at high speed talking. Faintly smiling I returned and focused on the potion Eilith insisted I create for Landon since I did that miracle a week ago with healing him.
Adding the ingredients blindly, I continued my staring not being in control with myself. Vienna touched Landon’s arm in a flirty way that I had to grip the boiling cauldron not to go clawing her face away.
Vienna has been keeping Landon away from me whenever possible, I don’t know how she figured out my crush but she did. I guess she feels something is different about me to feel threatened enough to pump up her flirting attempts to high voltage.
“Audrey! Why don’t you fetch me some water?” Vienna high-strung voice called out. “I’m absolutely parched.” She added unnecessarily giggling.
“Sure thing Vi,” I said injecting sweetness in my voice, I discreetly grabbed the poison and hid it in my pocket.
“Audrey, why don’t you go to the library?” Eilith said causing me to jump. I turned and looked at her with Bambi eyes. “I’ll get Vienna the water, you skip ahead.”
Eilith looked weary; I wondered quickly if she saw me pocketing the poison. She raised her eyebrows impatiently and opened her palm pointedly. I nodded in defeat, handed Eilith the poison to her open palm, and headed to the library without a backward glance to the couple lounging and laughing loudly now.
I closed the library door with an irritated bang and decided quickly to view the vampire section. Wildmasters library didn’t have a vampire section for me back there because it’s semi-rare, but in Neurombel with the pirates looting the world they managed to find quite the collection.
My footsteps echoed the library, humming an off-key tune. I wondered what could be happening up there. Did Sabina and Ashton return? Is Jason regretting letting me go so easily to the grasps of Zorya? Did they execute Zorya or at least punish her? God, I hope so.
“Landon…” I said confused. Didn’t I just leave him with Vienna?
Landon looked away from the shelf and smiled at me. “Pirates magic.” He said vaguely winking, my mind sputtered into a halt banning all thoughts and questions. “Pirates can do duplication, commonly once is the pirates limit.” Landon explained mistaking my dreamy face for confusion.
I managed to tear my face away, hating the fact I’m acting like a whipped puppy. “Interesting,” I murmured as I traced each vampire book. “Vienna too much to handle?”
Landon laughter echoed across the library, it sounded husky and deep. “Always,” I smiled slightly and picked a random before walking away and settling into the chair to start my reading.
“I know you how you feel about me,” Landon said quietly as he joined me, breaking the silence. I felt my eyes darken as I looked at him questioningly. “I’m familiar with vampire behavior.”
“Care to explain more?” I asked trying not to raise my attitude eyebrow.
“I used to be a scholar before…I became what I am today, and I had a fascination with vampires mostly.” Landon started already looking lost in a memory. “One thing that intrigued me was their love pattern.” I blushed looking away but he continued. “Vampires are like wolves in a way; they pick the strongest candidate they believe would ensure their survival.” I looked at him in disbelief. It sounded like the Vampires were dealing with items.
“Vampires are much more complicated than wolves though, there’s more than one partner in this universe born into the world fit with the right genes for that peculiar Vampire. Only one though could have an effect on a vampire that could change everything in them though and not just one or two things.”
“The Vampire also turns protective and…clingy in a way for every lover they meet. And when the Vampire finally meets one of the right lovers, they turn them into a vampire sooner or later.”
“Wait…what if I for example picked you then I found out a stronger love and I already turned you into a Vampire?” I muttered embarrassed, trying to keep up.
“You’ll kill me and suck the magic of my own and yours that’s in my blood to exchange with the other.” Landon said blankly, I stared at him feeling cold at this piece of information. “Vampires only can share venom once, anymore than that they’ll lose the magic in them and die eventually.”
“Does it have to be a vampire?”
“No, any species really, whether a velar to a lunar to a human.”
“How does it feel for you?”
Landon sighed. “Vampires actually fall in love when the other accepts it, whether love or just lust.” I scrunched up my face confused more than ever. “Say you for example fell for me, it’s because I feel that way about you. What the other person feels the vampire copies.”
“I thought…”
“A Vampires copies emotion in its own way, it doesn’t mean it isn’t real though. The stronger the candidate means the stronger the emotion, that’s what helps them know their mate.”
“And…why do they do it?” I asked thinking about babies as a solution to survival, but I couldn’t imagine myself wielding a baby, it kept transforming into a bloody axe.
Gosh, violent Audrey.
Landon understood and said, “Each Vampire is different, I think your –“ he stopped and stared intensely at the book in my hands. “Audrey, give me that for a second.” I obediently handed it over slightly annoyed he didn’t answer the last question.
“Landon,” I started, he looked up but his eyes stayed glued to the book. “What creatures have magic in their blood?”
“Everyone does, it’s just different percentages. Humans least of all and vampires the most, the higher your magic the more you attract.”
Silence settled in.
“So you have a schoolgirl’s crush on me?” I asked smirking. Landon looked up displaying his dimples as he grinned at me unaffected by my tone.
“That’s highly offensive. Comparing my crush to you to a schoolgirl crush, really?” Landon said unembarrassed. Out of the few days, he’s stayed with us I’ve learned he’s as honest as hell and rarely gets embarrassed in the direst situation. “It’s like saying Vienna is unaffected by my hotness.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored that. He’s also cocky. “Hot with weird lips.” He ignored that but still kept his grin. “So you admitted you have a crush on me, well I have the reason is I mimicked your feelings, tell me what your excuse for liking me.”
“Audrey, you’re a vampire. You would allure us whether your covered in blood or mud it’s in your genes to be alluring and charismatic, and it just happens I’m one of those people made right for you.” Landon said smiling cheekily, I blushed vividly and he returned to the book smugly.
“So do you want to leave this place, Audrey?” Landon asked after a long silence that only rustling pages broke. I looked at him curiously and thought about it.
Did I want to return? No, especially not after Landon confessed but…
If I stayed, I’ll still be oblivious to my species, no matter how much Landon would explain and all the books of the world. Elizabeth even promised me I’ll meet my own kind if I behaved, and I was just becoming friends with Jason after my irrational fear of his eyes melted away. Not to mention I missed my other friends.
“I do more than ever, but you know I have to leave… ” I said firmly, Landon nodded once in understanding grimacing slightly. He handed me the book and pointed at the page. “I can return with a kiss from a water siren?” I asked after rereading the sentences to ensure I understood.
A kiss from a water siren should black out the person and in vampires cases they go back in time. Doesn’t make much sense but who am I to question the world I’ve only recently entered.
“Yeah, and I happen to know one near here.” Landon said brightly, I smiled at his enthusiasm but my heart was tightening at the thought of leaving the peace here and Landon.
You have to leave.
Right I get it, sheesh.
“We need some Gilwaer leaves to attract them though so I guess we need to hunt around the island firstly.” I groaned and banged my head onto the table not bothering to raise myself. “For a vampire you’re seriously lazy. Come on now before I whip you.”
I snorted with laughter. “Any idea how disgusting that sounded?” he simply wiggled his eyebrows and dragged me out of my chair, past Vienna who looked livid now his duplication seemingly left her, Eilith who winked at me and into the quiet forest.
I shivered in my short dress and wrapped my arms comfortably for heat. “What now?” I muttered with shattering teeth, annoyed that the sun had the opposite effect of warmth.
“Okay…well how about we split up and second let me show you how the plant looks like.” He said pulling out a miniature book that held dozens and dozens of pictures of plants and animals. “The guidebook to pirate-hood, interesting. “ I read, scoffing at the title and waited impatiently jumping around to get my blood flowing while he looked for the Gilwaer pictures.
“Right this is it, remember it and don’t pick anything else,” I rolled my eyes and studied the picture; it looks like nettles except it was bright blue. “Okay I got east side and you go west.”
“Do you think we should tell the girls?” I said worrying if we would be gone long, he just shook his head and ran off east, only to trip over a root. I smiled and walked off west ignoring his pirate curses.
The sunset arrived and I was still searching, too deep in the woods to return empty handed. “Damn,” I muttered angrily coming across another nettle roots. I threw it aside and continued my search bitterly murmuring insults to every living creature for making my life hard.
I longed to be at Clarisse’s place stuffing my face with chocolate chip ice cream screaming at the T.V as if the horror characters could hear me and take my helpful advice. But nooo, I’m stuck here with a honest pirate that I happen to have mutual feelings for, missing my friends up there, and itching from the poison shrub I’ve recently tumbled in.
Thank god, poison doesn’t affect vampires like it does with humans. I scratched my arm irritably before shrieking loudly causing some birds to eye me madly. There it is in all its grace, power and beauty, some Gilwaer.
I ran over and stomping on some of the Gilwaer on my way, wincing I managed to pick some that survived my feet and pocketed them safely. Beaming I looked up and dropped the grin when I the realization that I’m lost settled in.
I haven’t been moving west like I said I would, instead I zigzagged the entire island that I’m quite surprised I didn’t run into Landon. I cursed and spun in slow motion circles trying to plan something out.
Squaring my shoulders, ignoring the itching that build around my entire body and decided to walk south to the shore then I’ll make my way to east until I spot the house. I stopped my walk after a few minutes and gaped at the new sight that seemed to clash with the forest.