CHAPTER 25. CONFRONTATION
Rain fell that night, a slow, soundless rain, and Leesa loved it. But even if she hadn’t, it would not have mattered—not with the memory of that amazing kiss still lingering in her brain and warming her heart.
She was sitting on the lawn in front of her dorm, her back propped comfortably against the smooth trunk of a stout maple, protected from the wet grass by a black plastic trash bag. Rave had dropped her off a few hours earlier, following another dreamlike journey cradled in his arms. After eating a tasteless dinner of mac and cheese—in her euphoric mood, it could have been cardboard and she wouldn’t have minded—she’d tried to study, but found herself too restless and excited to stay cooped up in her room. Every time she thought about that wonderful kiss—which was anytime she didn’t force her thoughts elsewhere—her pulse quickened, her skin grew flush, and she couldn’t keep from smiling. So she’d donned her bright blue waterproof Windbreaker over a sweatshirt and jeans, grabbed her umbrella and the plastic bag to sit on, and headed out the door with no goal in mind other than to escape the confines of her room.
She’d expected to walk for a while, but hadn’t gotten far. The soft grass under the maple, covered with a blanket of fallen leaves, seemed to beckon her as soon as she stepped outside. Enough leaves still clung stubbornly to the limbs above to shield her from the light rain, so she had closed her umbrella and rested against the tree, enjoying the cool, wet night. A slight breeze rustled the maple’s leaves, and the pleasant smell of new rain still infused the air.
She closed her eyes and drifted back to the kiss. Once again, she could almost feel Rave’s warm lips on hers. Had any girl ever experienced such a kiss? She’d read about plenty of kisses between people in love, and had thought all the rapid breathing, racing hearts and heaving bosoms were nothing more than corny flourishes meant to add excitement and passion to a book. And she’d seen countless passionate kisses in movies and on television, but they were make-believe, performed by trained actors playing their roles. Nothing like that happened in real life, she’d always thought, certainly not in her meager experience with guys.
But now she knew better. Love really did make kisses magical—and a little inner fire didn’t hurt, either. She couldn’t believe that just a few days ago she’d been wondering whether she could be happy without ever kissing Rave again. As if! At least Balin had given them a glimmer of hope with that Rammugul thing. She sure hoped it worked—without any danger of Rave losing his fire, of course. Otherwise, Balin was going to have to chaperone them whenever they wanted to kiss, and Leesa was afraid that might get old fast. But maybe not, she thought, recalling how completely lost she’d been during their kiss. Maybe not. Her cheeks grew warm, despite the chill night.
The rain began to fall harder, splattering more loudly on the leaves and the street. The heavier drops started to penetrate the leafy canopy and onto her uncovered head, so she popped open her umbrella. Safe again from the rain, she leaned back against the tree and watched the raindrops dance upon the asphalt.
She breathed out a long sigh. How she wished that kissing Rave and worrying about Rammugul was her only problem. But she also had to decide whether to tell her mom about the grafhym blood, and if she did, figure out a way to convince her to come to Connecticut. She hoped the chance for a cure would be enough to get her mom on a plane—if there was a way to cure her that didn’t involve leaving the house, Leesa was pretty sure her mom would go for it. Determined to call tomorrow, she rehearsed what she might say, and guessed someone was going to have to go to California to help her mom prepare for the trip. She knew it would probably be her, but perhaps Aunt Janet might do it, or at least come with her.
The rain began to fall even harder, peppering the street furiously now, the drops splashing upward in a parade of tiny white fountains. Leesa’s umbrella popped with a staccato pounding as heavy drops streamed off the saturated leaves above. The chemical smell in the air was gone now, washed away by the torrent, replaced by the musty odor of wet, decaying leaves. Leesa drew her legs more tightly against her body. Perhaps a forecast of rainy days would help persuade her mom to come to Connecticut.
As complicated as getting her mom here was going to be, and as irritating as the need for restraint with Rave was, neither was as frustrating as the third issue bedeviling her—finding Bradley. Unsure what her next step should be, she’d allowed the problem to slip into the background, focusing her efforts and thoughts on Rave and her mom. But as she sat here in the rain, having hashed and rehashed both problems more than enough, her thoughts turned to her brother and her talk with Professor Clerval.
If Edwina was indeed a vampire, there was a chance she was holding Bradley as a feeder. Leesa refused even to entertain the idea that Edwina had turned him vampire—that would mean he was lost to her forever. Step one was to learn everything she could about feeders. Between Rave, Balin and Dr. Clerval, she had plenty of vampire experts to turn to. And in addition to the knowledge stored in their heads, the professor and Balin had access to lots of other sources of information. She began making a mental list of the things she needed to learn. If Bradley was a feeder, where might he be being held? Would there be a way for her to reach him? And most importantly, was the process reversible, or would simply putting an end to his misery be the best she could hope to do for him? She prayed that was not the case, but if it was, she was determined to do it, one way or another.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the dark figure approaching in the rain until he stood only a few feet in front of her. Startled, she sucked in a quick breath, relaxing slightly when she saw it was Stefan. But only slightly. She remembered Rave’s warning not to be alone with him.
Standing there in the rain and smiling down at her, he didn’t look very threatening. He was wearing a long black wool overcoat and black leather boots. The rain had plastered his long hair tight against his head and heavy drops dripped from the hem of his saturated coat, but he didn’t seem to notice the rain at all.
“Hi, Leesa. Sorry if I startled you. Beautiful night, huh?”
Leesa detected no hint of sarcasm in his voice. She guessed vampires must like rainy nights as much as rainy days. If Stefan really was a vampire, she reminded herself. But Rave should know.
“Hi, Stefan,” she said evenly, pushing the vampire thought from her mind for the moment. “It wasn’t raining this hard when I came outside, but to someone from San Diego, this is kinda fun.”
Stefan grinned. “A girl after my own heart. I love this weather.” He looked around at the deserted street and sidewalk. “It doesn’t look like anyone else shares our love for the rain, though.”
There was nothing threatening in his voice, nothing to hint he was doing anything more than making conversation, but Leesa was suddenly aware of her vulnerability. She felt her heartbeat quicken, and hoped her alarm didn’t show on her face.
“So, what brings you out on a night like this?” she asked. The question seemed stupid the moment she asked it—he’d just said how much he liked the rain—but Stefan didn’t seem to notice.
“I like walking in the rain. It’s so quiet and peaceful, especially at night.” Stefan looked at the building behind her, as if noticing it for the first time. “Is that your dorm?”
His question seemed genuine. Leesa was glad to know he hadn’t been stalking her, and she hoped he’d come this way purely by chance. “Yeah. I thought I was gonna take a walk, but this spot seemed so inviting I just plopped down here.”
Stefan glanced at the ground beside her. “Mind if I join you for a bit?” he asked. “Or would you rather be alone?”
Leesa was torn between the danger of letting him get closer and the chance to ask him some of the things she’d been wondering about. She decided to hedge her bet. “I’ve gotta go back inside in a couple of minutes, but you can join me until then.” She lifted herself a few inches off the ground and stretched the bag out beside her. “I’m not sure if there’s enough room on this, but give it a try.?
??
Stefan eased himself down, sitting half on the bag and half off, unfazed by the wet grass and leaves. He wrapped his ropy arms around his shins, looking comfortable and relaxed. Leesa knew he could have used the bag as an excuse to squeeze closer and took it as a good sign he hadn’t.
“Looks like it’s letting up a bit,” he said.
Leesa hadn’t noticed, but the rain had indeed lightened, coming down with perhaps half the force of earlier, the drops barely bouncing off the street at all now. And the breeze had died completely.
“Yeah, too bad,” she said. “I liked it better when it was pouring.”
“So did I.”
She felt his eyes on her face and turned toward him for a moment before looking back out toward the street, reminded of the mesmerizing power of those bottomless pools that were his eyes. “It was really bouncing off the street a little while ago,” she said. “Like a thousand miniature fountains.”
Stefan looked up at her umbrella and grinned. “You should have felt it bouncing off my head.”
Leesa laughed. “Umbrellas aren’t all that expensive, you know. Or hats, for that matter.”
He smiled. “Yeah, but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun, would it?”
Leesa couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with a guy who was probably a vampire. She wondered if Rave could have been wrong about Stefan. What the heck, she thought. Might as well ask. If Stefan meant her harm, she couldn’t stop him in any case.
“Stefan, are you a vampire?”
A look of surprise flashed across his pallid face. He adjusted his position, swinging his legs around so he was facing her. “That’s a strange question to ask someone,” he said. “What makes you think that?”
Leesa kept her eyes on his face, focusing on his mouth to avoid his eyes. “Just something someone said.”
“Really? I’m surprised—not many people believe in vampires nowadays. Do you believe in them, Leesa?”
Leesa thought about how to answer that. “Let’s say I’m keeping a very open mind on the subject,” she said. “But you haven’t answered my question.”
“If I said yes, would you be frightened of me?”
Leesa shifted her gaze to his eyes. They were black mirrors now. “Should I be?”
Stefan smiled, and his eyes became inviting pools once again. “No. I would never hurt you, Leesa, nor do anything against your will. I seek more from you than that.”
Leesa’s brain raced. He still hadn’t admitted he was a vampire, but he hadn’t denied it, either. She struggled to put it all together. What did he mean he sought more from her than that? More than what? If he was indeed a vampire, she realized, she now had a fourth vampire expert at hand—one who would know far more than the others. Could she use whatever he wanted from her to get the answers she sought?
“Do you know Edwina?” she asked.
Stefan blinked, obviously surprised by her question. Before he could answer, another voice broke the silence.
“Get away from her, vampire.”
Leesa could not believe her ears—and eyes. Of all the times for Rave to show up! She silently cursed herself for staying out here in the open with Stefan. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t been, of course. Thinking, that is. She’d been too engrossed in prying information from Stefan. Now what was she supposed to do?
Rave loomed above them, no more than ten feet from where they sat, his eyes fixed on Stefan. He wore a dark blue raincoat that covered him down over his hips. He’d come upon them silently, while they were distracted by the dance of their conversation. She could see the tension in his limbs, as if he were ready to spring. Tiny blue flames flickered from his fingertips. Beside her, Stefan uncoiled slowly to his feet. Two wicked-looking fangs dropped from his upper teeth and a menacing growl rumbled from his throat. Leesa sat paralyzed, unable to will her muscles to make her stand up.
“I said get away from her, Stefan.”
Stefan’s face was a mask. “Do I know you, volkaane?” He began unbuttoning his long coat, using only one hand.
Rave followed suit, unzipping his raincoat with equal care. Each kept his eyes cemented on the other, knowing any distraction, no matter how small, could be fatal.
Leesa felt as if she’d become invisible. Her eyes darted back and forth between Rave and Stefan. With his pointed fangs and ominous growl, Stefan seemed by far the more dangerous. But she’d seen Rave in action and had witnessed the effect of his fire on the young vampire just a week before.
She suddenly realized the rain had stopped, as if nature itself had paused to watch the impending confrontation. It seemed she could hear every drop falling from the tree and spattering onto the soggy leaves below. But the rain’s end was not why Rave and Stefan were taking off their coats. She knew she was watching two warriors gird for battle—a battle that would not end until one of them was dead. And that was something she could not allow. Only her nearness to Stefan had prevented Rave from attacking already, but if she didn’t do something quickly, that would not last. Surprise, Rave had said. That’s what usually made the difference in these contests. With Stefan distracted by their conversation, Rave could have had all the surprise he needed, but obviously had not wanted to risk any harm to her.
She could not let this continue, could not take the chance of Rave getting hurt. Hunting vampires was what he did, but he had already given up his advantage and would be distracted by her presence as well. She remembered him saying how powerful Stefan was. No way could she let Rave fight him under these conditions. Nor did she want Stefan destroyed, for he might have the answers she needed. No, this was a fight she had to stop. But how was a mere girl supposed to keep these mortal enemies from doing what centuries of enmity was urging them to do?
She forced herself to her feet. Sucking in a deep breath, she stepped between them.