When Ryan stopped talking, I was silent for a while. It was a pretty messed up situation and I hated Ros even more. He never deserved my heart in the first place and I was pretty sure that was the reason he never got it.
“Why didn’t you just kill Ros?” I asked.
“He’s my brother. As much as I dislike his actions, he’s still my brother. Besides, I can’t - even if I wanted to. Vampires get stronger with age and because we’re just seconds apart in age, we’re equally matched in strength.”
“I think I’ve had enough of the gloomy past. Tell me something to lift my spirit. How did we fall in love exactly?” I asked.
“Now, that is a very long story.” He said, tickling me.
It was a rather unexpected move from him but it helped cheer me up. I was laughing like someone had sprayed nitrous oxide into the air.
“When all of this blows over, we’re going to have a long dinner, and I’ll tell you exactly how we fell in love.” He said, once my giggles subsided.
He kissed me on my forehead and I closed my eyes, still wrapped up in his arms. He was right. Talking about it now, when we had the impending danger of Halloween would dampen its meaning for both of us. I didn’t want that. I wanted it to be special.
As I snuggled more into his embrace, I knew one thing for sure. I couldn’t wait for Halloween’s day to pass.
Chapter Nine
Omniscient POV
Trina jumped and let out a startled scream as Ryan appeared beside her passenger window. He quickly opened the door and stepped inside the car, holding a dress that clearly belonged to Selena.
“Drive!” He ordered, with a sense of urgency.
“Jeez! Can you actually try walking to the car next time?” She rolled her eyes and sighed.
“I said DRIVE!” He yelled, slamming his fists on the dashboard.
Trina was going to protest about his unruly behavior when she caught a glimpse of two cops exiting Selena’s front door from the side of her eye.
“Shoot!” She exclaimed.
She immediately started the car and sped off the side of the road. She took the first bend off the main street and drove around, before joining the main street again some distance ahead.
“That should throw them off.” She grinned.
“Like we’d need that if you had just moved when you were told to!” He snapped.
“Hey! I’m sorry, okay? I thought you were just being dramatic. Jeez!”
“And your reaction to that is throwing on some more drama? Genius!”
“Whatever!” She pouted.
“You’re just an overly spoiled human brat.” He teased, shaking his head.
“...and you’re just an overly creepy vampire bully. If you hadn’t kidnapped me, I...”
The sound of sirens behind them caused both of them to fall silent. Trina’s eyes widened as the police car came into view on her rear view mirror.
“Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed, stepping on the gas.
“You know what? I’m driving.” Ryan stated.
“I can’t pull over now... they’re gaining on us!” she yelled.
She had barely finished her sentence when she felt herself being lifted into the air. It happened so fast that she registered his action after it had happened. Ryan had switched places with her in a speeding car, with the car maintaining its momentum on the road. He was now on the driver’s seat while she found herself seated on the passenger seat.
“Holy crap. That was super awesome!” She exclaimed.
“Put your seat belt on.” He said, making her cheeks flush from a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.
She strapped herself on, and Ryan sped off at a frightening speed that made Trina jerk back in her seat and scream out in fear. They were going so fast, they could literally be flying but Ryan had such good control of the car and kept it steady. He took a few bends before slowing down and turning to look at Trina.
“You know, with how loud you’re screaming, the cops don’t really need to chase us down. They can track us easily with sound!” Ryan laughed, earning himself a death glare from Trina.
“Okay... at least I lost them. Aren’t you going to give me credit for that?” He grinned.
Trina gave him ‘the palm’ and crossed her hands across her chest.
“I can’t believe you’re pissed at me right now. I just cleaned up your mess!” Ryan faked exasperation.
“Yeah, and almost killed me in the process!” Trina snapped. “Besides, YOU went into a taped off house. This was your mess.”
“I had to get something Selena owned.” Ryan defended.
“Still. You brought the cops on us.” Trina replied.
“Drama queen!” Ryan teased.
“You know what? I like you.” Trina smiled.
“That’s a shocker! Thirty seconds ago, you hated my guts.” He laughed. “I like you too. You’re so random.”
Trina joined in on the laughter and Ryan steered the car to a halt in the parking lot of a hotel.
“Want to come in?” He asked.
“Of course. We’re doing this together.” She replied, stepping out of the car.
They entered a luxury, brown themed suite with a massive king sized bed. Trina raced past Ryan at the door and jumped on the bed, causing him to laugh.
“I see you like my suite.” He said.
“More like love it!” She grinned. “Is your favorite color brown?”
“Brown holds a special meaning with me.” He replied.
“Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!” Trina prodded.
“Don’t you just like to know stuff. I thought the reason would be obvious.” He laughed. “It’s the color of Selena’s hair.”
“Aww. How cute.” Trina gave a pouty smile. “So, what’s the plan? When do we jump in - stakes blazing - and get our girl?”
“Calm down, Lara Croft... and there’s no such thing as a blazing stake!” Ryan teased, rolling his eyes.
“You know, you’re such a kill joy.” Trina pouted.
“I thought I was a monster?” Ryan placed his hand on his chest and faked being hurt, causing Trina to laugh.
“More seriously, I’m going to warn her. I’ll reach into her thoughts and tell her she’s with Ros. Then I’ll figure out where Ros plans to take her tomorrow.” Ryan stated.
“Tomorrow! Isn’t that too risky? Why wait till Halloween’s day before finding her? What if we’re too late? We should go looking for her today.”
“Well, we can’t do that for three reasons. First, we don’t know where she is at the moment and we can’t search an entire city. Second, showing up tomorrow gives me the surprise advantage. Ros is not going to know for sure whether or not I’m coming and third, I don’t hear a better plan from you.”
“Did you really have to add the third?” Trina frowned. “...and somehow, I’m the drama queen.”
Ryan laughed.
“I know you care about Selena. I’ll get her before Ros hurts her. I promise.” He squeezed Trina’s shoulder and offered her a smile.
“Thanks.” She replied. “How are you going to reach her mind this time? I thought Ros was making her shut you out?”
“That’s exactly why I went over to her house. I have something she owns now, reaching her should be a lot easier.”
“Okay... do you want to reach her now?” She asked.
“Sure. Just try not to make any noise.” He replied.
Ryan laid on the bed, holding Selena’s dress to his chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated, while Trina watched from the wooden chair in the corner. He remained in that position for about five minutes and Trina was beginning to think he had fallen asleep.
“Vampires are not supposed to sleep, right?” She thought to herself.
Ryan’s body jolted up from the bed and he placed his palm over his mouth. What got Trina worried though, were the changes that were clearly evident on his face. He was several shades paler and a few droplets of blood fell from his eyes, unto his cheeks.
At first she panicked, thinking he was having some sort of crazy blood craving but as she continued to watch him, what was really happening became clear to see.
Ryan was crying!
Trina rushed to his side and squeezed his hand.
“It’s okay.” She consoled him. “What happened? Is Selena dead?”
Ryan shook his head slowly.
“I saw her... for the first time... in this lifetime...” More droplets fell out of his eyes, forming a red line on his pale cheeks.
Trina understood. He was overwhelmed. Whatever bond they shared had to be so strong. It was clear to see that what he felt for Selena was true love. She pulled him into her arms and hugged him.
“I never thought the day would come when I’d have to hug a vampire to stop him from crying.” Trina said, still holding him.
Ryan chuckled, seemingly gaining his composure again. He pulled out of the hug and wiped his cheeks. The pale color of his skin slowly faded and he regained his original light olive complexion.
“Thanks, Trina.” He said. “I didn’t know I was going to be so overwhelmed. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
Trina smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
“Were you able to warn her?” She asked.
“Yeah, I told her not to believe Ros’s lies but she freaked out. She shut me out before I could tell her anything else.” He replied.
“You’re going to have to explain the lifetime thing you mentioned earlier but for now, I’ll assume it makes sense to me.” Trina said, causing Ryan to laugh.
“If Selena keeps shutting you out, she’s probably scared of you. Maybe she thinks you’re Ros. Why don’t you try approaching her with happy thoughts? Like a sweet memory you guys share. Once she’s calm, you can warn her or try to ask her questions.” She added.
“You know you’re a really smart one, right?” Ryan smiled. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Yeah, you can have my autograph later.” Trina smirked.
“I don’t know what I’ll do with you.” Ryan laughed. “...but thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Trina smiled. “Don’t forget to show me how you met Selena tonight.”
“Oh, I won’t.” Ryan replied.
“I’m going to step out for a bit. While I’m gone, you can call room service for anything you want.”
“Where are you going without me?” Trina pouted.
“Tomorrow’s a big day, Trina. I need to feed in order to function at my best.”
With that, Ryan stepped out of the suite and closed the door behind him.
Chapter Ten
Omniscient POV
Ryan got back to the suite at 9:30 pm and grinned at Trina. He looked just a tad happier than before he left and his skin tone was a few shades deeper.
“Hey there! Miss me?” He asked.
“You have no idea.” She replied. “Why did it take you so long? Did you feed on the entire city?”
“Just half of it.” Ryan grinned.
Trina shook her head and threw the fashion magazine in her hand at him. He easily dodged it and smirked.
“With that aim, you’ll definitely win the ‘world’s best sniper’ award.” He teased.
Trina stuck her tongue out at him and laid back on the bed.
“I hope you got me a change of clothes because you ruined my shirt with your blood... um... tears.”
“What part of ‘call room service for ANYTHING you need’ didn’t you quite get? A mall isn’t exactly my go-to place for a meal.” He smirked.
Trina rolled her eyes and picked up the phone beside the bed. Three minutes later, she was done.
“They’ll have a rack up in five minutes.” She announced excitedly.
“Good.” Ryan smiled.
He was about to sit beside her when Trina made a seemingly ridiculous observation.
“I don’t see you wearing a daylight amulet.”
“A what?” He arched his eyebrow like he had no clue what she was talking about.
“A daylight amulet... You know, the little black ring, bracelet or necklace with a spell cast by a witch that makes vampires able to move around in daylight?” She explained with a shrug.
Ryan burst into a fit of laughter.
“You don’t really believe that, do you? There’s no such thing. At least, none that I know of.”
Trina looked at him wide eyed.
“Um... So, how do you move around in daylight?”
“By performing a rare ritual of swallowing fireballs every morning.”
Trina’s face immediately grew pale like all the blood had been drained from it.
“I’m just kidding.” Ryan laughed. “Did you see your face? It was priceless!”
Trina buried her face in her palms and laughed.
“I can kill you right now, Ryan Soille!” She looked up and yelled.
“...and you’ll relish the dark feeling of satisfaction. Why don’t I do it for you then?” Ryan asked, placing his hands over his jaw like he was about to snap his neck.
“No!” Trina yelled.
“Oh.” Ryan paused. “The ice-hearted princess cares after all.”
“I’m not ice-hearted... and I don’t care! I’m just a super nice person.” She shrugged, making Ryan laugh again.
“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. The Serafino clan of vampires like many other clans, are day-walkers. There are just a handful of clans that can’t walk in daylight these days. As a vampire, you’re either a night-walker or a day-walker. There’s no amulet to keep you safe in daylight. If you’re not a day-walker, you can’t walk in daylight. Period.” He explained.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, accompanied by a feminine voice that said ‘room service’. Trina opened the door and smiled as a young lady pushed an iron rack of clothes into the suite.
“Oh my Gosh! There’s no way I can make just one choice.” Trina exclaimed, after flipping through the hangers.
She stood back and stared at the rack with delighted eyes.
“You can keep the entire rack if you want.” Ryan shrugged.
“Really?”
“Um-hum.” He replied.
“I’m keeping it!” She announced to the smiling lady who nodded and left.
As soon as they were alone, Trina jumped into Ryan’s arms.
“Thank you so much!” She said excitedly, hugging him tighter. “I’m so going to get myself a vampire boyfriend.”
“Aww. I’d have been flattered but I’m too busy trying to forget you threatened to kill me ten minutes ago!”
Trina laughed.
“You’re such a drama king.” She said, and stuck her index finger into the air. “...but I like it. I like that you don’t let things get you down.”
“Why, thank you.” He smiled. “So, are you ready to see how I met Selena?”
The smile on his face was child-like. Trina could tell he was excited to relive the memory again.
“Sure. But don’t I have to be asleep first?” She asked.
“I can compel you to go to sleep.” Ryan winked, causing Trina to laugh.
Five minutes later, Trina was soundly asleep. When she opened her eyes, she was in a ballroom of some sort, amidst several other invited guests at the Soille mansion in 1889.
Several men dressed predominantly in long black coats that stopped below their knees, white shirts, black pants, long black hats and bow ties chatted loudly with one another in circles. Some smoked big cigars and many others drank from patterned wine goblets. Beside them stood fair ladies, clad in long taffeta silk gowns with puffy hands and even puffier skirts. The ladies were clearly not invited to the conversations. They merely stood as spectators, with smiles on their faces and agreeable nods for their leading men whenever they looked their way. A dark haired singer dressed in a long red satin gown with thin straps, long black velvet gloves and a black hat with black netting that covered most of her face sang a slow sensual tune from a stage built in the far corner.
Her red lips moved suggestively as the words left her lips, visually aided by the movement of her hands and the sway of her hips.
Trina stood among these people, seemingly invisible to them. She looked around at the splendor of the mansion, its art pieces and creatively excellent chandeliers. It felt like being in an ancient castle with not enough time to explore the beautiful antiques. As her eyes hovered around, she spotted Ryan in the crowd. He was dressed similarly to most of the men in the room but his coat was much shorter and had a collar lined with purple velvet. He held a black cane with a golden head as an accessory, and sipped from a plain wine glass.
Trina walked over to him and grinned.
“There you are!” She said, tapping him on the shoulder.
He didn’t seem to notice. He turned around to face someone calling his name and kissed the blushing young lady on her cheeks. They continued having a conversation he was clearly not interested in. The lady clung to his arm and giggled at everything that came out of his mouth, which was rarely more than two words at a time.
The music stopped abruptly and everyone turned their gaze to the door. A long line of men dressed in all black - shirts, trousers, coats, hats and shoes - walked into the ballroom in two rows. Right at the end of the line, was another Ryan... No. It was Ros Soille.
“Shouldn’t you have come in with the council?” Trina heard the lady clinging to Ryan ask him.
“Let’s just say I’m not interested.” He replied, gulping down the content of his glass.
She gave him a curious look just as Trina turned her gaze back to Ros.