Ch. 20
We walked into my building, James’ arm around my waist, protectively drawing me into the shelter of his body. Now that I knew he loved me, I couldn’t get close enough to him. I only wished I could have moved my mouth enough to kiss him harder, but I had to admit that last one had hurt. When we got to the desk I took my ID from him and showed it to the girl, leaning out of his shadow so that she could see it was me.
“Oh my God, what happened to you?” It was the blonde who had gawked at James the other night. Was that all it was, just a few days that had passed? Things were so different now, for better and worse.
“I got mugged. I’m here to get a few things and then I’m going to stay with a friend for a while. Until I feel better.” I tried to speak as clearly as possible. It was difficult, I had to open my mouth to speak so much louder for humans. It was convenient to have a vampire with super hearing for a boyfriend when your jaw hurt and your lip was tight enough to burst.
The blonde looked at James and probably thought she would give up a tooth or two of her own to spend some time alone with him. I felt a twinge of jealousy. James tightened his arm around me. “If you don’t mind, Claire has had a long day and I’d like to get her home and resting as soon as possible. If anyone comes looking for her you can tell them she’s gone for the time being and you have no idea when she will return.”
The blonde’s eyes went glassy and she nodded mutely. He wheeled me to the elevators, passing the curious looks of other students on the way. We were positioned with my bruised right side toward his body hiding my face. We probably just looked like we were snuggling close to anyone passing by, although the only glances we drew were from girls and those were most likely due to James’ good looks. I could have been a rhinoceros and no one would have paid me any notice.
He took my key when we reached my room and opened the door. Once inside, I found my suitcase in my closet and set it down on the bed. I sat down next to it and put my head in my hands. I felt the bed move as he sat down beside me. His hand stroked the back of my head. “It’s going to be okay. We will all fight when the time comes.”
The guilt I had been feeling for the past hour erupted in a tired and pathetic whine. “I know, but why do you have to fight for me? I don’t want anyone to be hurt on my account. Can’t we just leave the country or something until this all blows over?”
“Claire, we would still fight even if you were the only reason, but you aren’t.” I met his eyes, trying to read him. “There is much more at stake than you or me. This is a fight for territory and also a skirmish in a much bigger battle. Our kind is approaching a war between those who want to live side by side with humans, and those who want to hunt them to extinction with the exception of food stock.”
“Why?” Now I understood why Henry was taking this encroachment so seriously.
He sighed, resigned, “Why does any group hate another? From the time that Lillith was cast out of the Garden, our kind has fought your kind and now is no different. Humans have stronger weapons and greater numbers and we have greater physical strength and abilities, and that’s without factoring in which side has the most launch codes. Henry is just one of many across the country and across the world who are working to keep things as they are. Us in the shadows, humans thinking they are the only intelligent species on the planet. Sometimes, some vampires kill humans to feed, but that is the natural balance. Our side can’t be the dominant side because we are too hard to kill and our potential for damage is too great. If one of us gets out of hand, we handle it internally with the greater population none the wiser.”
“Don’t look so surprised,” he teased, “we’ve been around as long as you have. We’ve developed our own rules that we live by.” He stood and changed the subject. “Let’s get you packed up and back home.”
“Home,” I repeated after him considering what that meant for me now. Staying at James’ house until this passed. What then?
He put a hand on my elbow as we stood. “My home is yours for as long as you want it. But you have to explain it to your parents when they come for a visit,” he teased. It was enough that he loved me and I loved him and I didn’t dare think beyond that for now. I gave his arm a squeeze in response.
It didn’t take long to pack up some clothes, my books and laptop. Really, everything else was superfluous. Once we returned home, Stephen, Henry, James and I all sat down to figure out who would drive me to school, walk me to my classes, pick me up and take me to and from work. I was never to be left alone and though I knew it might save my life, I also couldn’t help but wonder if it was all really necessary.
“Don’t you guys think you’re going a bit overboard on the protection? I’m just some human to them. Yeah, they roughed me up, but I am still just a human. They don’t need to concern themselves with me anymore; they got what they wanted.” The painkillers were acting like anti-anxiety medications now and I was the calmest of us all.
James growled ominously when I mentioned the violence, but explained the situation in a way I hadn’t considered. “Claire, they have found someone more vulnerable than us that has proven to be a weakness for me. That might be a bargaining chip they look for again. Besides, Gina might seek you out just because she is crazy enough to do it and now she has focused her anger on you. Either way, we will not risk you, nor will we lose the opportunity to capture any of those bold enough to come for you again.”
James and I had been sitting together. I was leaned against him, legs across his, Henry was on the opposite side of the couch and Stephen was in the chair. Stephen had seen us sitting together earlier but having James point out my special status with him caught his ear and he perked up.
“Hey, did you two hook up and not tell me?” He wagged a finger from one to the other, shaggy hair hanging in his eyes. He had never felt more like a little brother to me.
James glared at Stephen. “Watch it.”
“Geez, James, he’s just being Stephen. Don’t get your nose out of joint.” I rubbed his chest playfully. The feel of his body was fascinating. His chest was firm, more so than muscle; it was like touching surgical rubber stretched over steel cables. Despite my physical ailments and the constant dose of painkillers Henry had me on, I was quickly becoming distracted as I started to think hard about James’ body and what it felt like under my hands and against my skin. His hand caught mine when it lingered too long on his chest. Flicking my eyes up, I saw he was amused at my attentions and trying to be serious with the others in the room. Slightly out of wack from the meds, I leaned into him, content to just feel his voice vibrate my head as it lay against his chest.
“Sorry, Stephen, I was raised to never speak so casually about affairs of the heart.”
Stephen joked back. “I didn’t know we were talking about an ‘affair of the heart’. I thought we were just talking about a little action.”
James growled again and I lifted my head up enough to shoot Stephen a look. “Don’t you know to leave well enough alone?” Meanwhile, my half-baked mind was trying to wrap around James’ sudden need to publicly claim me as his, I was warm all over.
Stephen laughed, undaunted, rising to go to the door. “Yeah, I have my own affair to get back to but I’m not looking for a heart.”
“You will be back here this evening with your family for us to discuss how to go forward,” Henry spoke calmly, though I heard the hint of a command in his tone.
“No problem, we’ll be here. I would assume you need some stealthy cats to back you up as usual?” Stephen seemed awfully cocky about his prowess.
“Watch yourself, Stephen. I have no desire to lose you to carelessness. Things are heating up and we all need to use extra caution now.” Henry was ever the voice of reason.
Not Stephen. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back after dinner, ready to serve and protect.”