Eternal Changes (Mikah) (25 page)

“What’s happening to me?” he rasped out as his body shook.

Guilt trickled through Jayde as she looked at him. “You’re going through the change,” she whispered as she looked into his stormy eyes. The gray and blue colors swirled together as he stared at her.

His eyebrows scrunched together. “Change?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jayde said as she ran one of her hands through his hair. “You were going to die, so I gave you some of my blood to save you. It won’t be long before you’re fully vampire.”

“No,” he choked out as tears sparkled in his eyes.

“There was no other choice,” she said.

“There was a choice,” Michael quietly argued. “You could have let me die.”

She shook her head vigorously in denial. “That wasn’t an acceptable choice.”

“I’m as good as dead,” Michael said. “I’ll never be able to see my family or my friends like this.” He grunted as he clutched his stomach.

 Jayde tried to touch Michael to help take some of the pain away, but he smacked her hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” he whispered as he scooted away from her. He screamed as he rolled back and forth on the bed in agony.

Jayde opened the plastic jug of blood as Michael gasped for his last breath. She waited as the final stage progressed through his body.

Michael’s eyes soon fluttered open and he sat up. Jayde looked down at him. His irises were blazing red as he looked through her. Jayde held out the jug to him and he scrambled to her as he caught the scent of blood. He grabbed the jug out of her hands and downed it in seconds. She handed the second jug to him as he finished the first one. It wasn’t long before he swallowed the last ounce.

Jayde stepped away as Michael’s eye color slowly turned back to their normal color. He looked down at the red stained jug and threw the jug to the ground. “The sun will be rising soon,” she said as she clutched her hands together. “You need to get your rest.”

“I don’t think I will ever be able to rest well again,” he said as he stared at her.

Jayde ignored his comment. “Everything you’ll want or need is in this room. You can watch tv and if you get hungry, there’s food in the fridge.”

“By food, you mean blood, right?” Michael asked.

Jayde nodded her head as she turned away from him. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Michael,” she said as she waved her hand at the rock wall. The rock slid apart and she walked out of the room.

Chapter 24

Lucy leaned into Ashton as he picked her up and carried her in his arms. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes as the tears trickled down her cheeks. How could she have killed someone that she considered a friend? How was she going to live hundreds of years knowing that she was responsible for ending Michael’s life?

An Image of Michael flashed through Lucy’s mind. He looked down at the pepper plants that were tossed on the ground with the weeds and his blue-grey eyes twinkled as he looked over at Lucy and smiled.

Lucy’s eyes popped open as a sob left her lips. “I’m a monster,” she said as she looked up at Ashton.

Ashton looked down at Lucy as he held her to his chest. “Everything’s going to be ok,” he soothed. “I promise.”

 “We need to get her back to the caves before the sun comes up,” Talmadge said as he walked up to Ashton. “I’ll stop by your bedroom tomorrow night to talk to Lucy.”

“We’ll both be there,” Caoilainn said as she walked over and touched Talmadge’s arm. “It’s time we told her everything.”

Ashton looked up at Caoilainn and nodded and looked back down at Lucy. “I need you to focus,” he said. “Close your eyes and think about my bedroom. Picture every detail and imagine yourself being there. Once you can see the room clearly then open your eyes.”

Lucy slid her eyes shut. Ashton’s cherry oak king size bed floated through her mind. His black silk blanket covered the bed and black and green plush pillows were scattered across it. She took in a deep breath. She could smell the cool moist air of the caves and could feel it slide across her skin.

“Open your eyes, Lucy,” Ashton whispered.

Lucy’s eyes fluttered open and widened as she looked around. She touched the bed sitting in front of her and the black silk tickled her skin.

“You did it,” Ashton whispered as he hugged Lucy to him.

Lucy’s gaze fell to her hands and she pulled away from Ashton as she pulled them up to her face. Her eyes widened as she stared at them. Red stained her pale palms and fingers.

Ashton touched her shoulder, concern etched in his voice. “What’s wrong?”

Lucy turned her palms around so Ashton could see them.

Understanding dawned in Ashton’s gold eyes. “How about a bath? That will help to get the blood off.”

Lucy nodded and followed Ashton into the bathroom. She paused as she walked by the large mirrors. She touched her face as she turned and stared at her reflection. Not a single blemish marred her now creamy white skin and her hair shimmered like gold. The flecks of violet in her hazel eyes sparkled like the purest amethyst. Lucy ran a finger across her now ruby red lips.

Lucy touched a red mark on her face and it smudged as she touched it. Tears filled her eyes as she tore her gaze away from her reflection. “I’m a beautiful monster,” she murmured as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Ashton rushed over to Lucy and wrapped his arms around her. “Please stop saying that,” he said as he stroked her hair. “You
are
beautiful, but you’re
not
a monster.” He cupped Lucy’s cheeks in his hand and looked down into tortured face. “You couldn’t help what happened to Michael. When the bloodlust takes over, it consumes everything. It’s not your fault.”

Ashton kissed Lucy’s head and walked over to the red Jacuzzi tub. “Let’s get the water started.” Ashton said as he waved his hand at the silver faucet hanging from the tub. The water gushed out of the faucet and slowly started filling the tub. Ashton walked over and waved his hand over the porcelain sink and a fuzzy pink towel appeared along with clean clothes.

“I’ll leave you alone for a little bit,” Ashton said as he walked towards the bathroom door. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

Lucy nodded and walked over to the tub. She stared at her hand and then waved it over the tub’s faucet. The water sputtered and trickled to a stop. She waved her hand again and the water rushed out like a small waterfall. Lucy took off her clothes and climbed into the steaming hot water. The water sloshed around as she settled into the bath. A sigh escaped her lips as she laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes.

Images of Michael’s gashed neck and lifeless body flashed across her mind. Her eyes flew open as she scrambled up out of the water. She looked up and stared at the ceiling of rock above her. Would it ever stop? Every time she closed her eyes, image after image of Michael’s ravaged body haunted her. There was no running away from it. It was etched in her mind.

Lucy lay back down in the water as she thought about her mom. Was her mom worried? Did her mom think she was dead? Lucy rubbed her hands across her face. Her mom’s life was forever altered and it was all Lucy’s fault. She took a deep, shaky breath. So many lives had changed for the worse because of her. If she’d never been born, none of this would have happened. Lucy slapped the water with her fists as tears streamed down her face. What did any of them do to deserve this? How was any of this fair?

She closed her eyes and slid down into the tub. Her head submerged under the water and she opened her eyes. Gold strands floated around her face like seaweed in the ocean as the thoughts slowly subsided. Several minutes ticked by and her lungs never burned for oxygen.

The warm water seeped into Lucy’s bones and her muscles started to finally relax. She savored the silence and closed her eyes.

Lucy’s eyes flew open as she heard voices mumbling in the bathroom. She covered herself with her hands as she jerked up out of the water. Lucy blinked her eyes as water trickled down her face. Her gaze wandered around the room and stopped as a flash of blue caught her attention.

“Ye ken we shoods nae be haur, Mischuff.”

Lucy looked from Phitz to Mischuff and shook her head. “What are you two doing here?”

Mischuff shoved Phitz out of the way and walked over to the tub and looked up at Lucy. “Mae and Phitz ur haur tae protect ye.”

“How about we discuss this
after
I get dressed?” Lucy asked as she glanced over at Phitz. His gold eyes snapped down to the ground and he spun around.

“Soonds loch a braw idea tae me,” Phitz said as he tapped his vine-like foot on the rock floor.

“Aam sae sorry princess,” Mischuff said as she rubbed her arm and glanced down at the ground. “Whaur ur mah manners?”

Mischuff leaped into the air, spun around, and landed next to Phitz with her back to Lucy.

“Thank you,” Lucy said as she climbed out of the tub and started drying off with the pink towel. She slid on the purple silk pajama pants and matching shirt and turned to the Eirians. “Ok. Now we can talk,” she said as she walked over and sat down on the cool rock floor next to them. “Why do you feel the need to protect me?”

Mischuff turned and touched Lucy’s knee as she looked up into Lucy’s face. “Yoo’re nae only a Mikah, lass, but a princess tae boot. You need a few Eirians aroond to watch ower ye an’ who better fur th’ job than me an’ Phitz.” Mischuff looked over at Phitz. “He’s a wee prickly aroond th’ edges, but he’s a guid fellow. Ye jist got tae gie tae th’ cair ay heem.”

Phitz puffed and his cheeks went from blue to gold. “Dornt ye be embarrassin’ me noo. Ye hear?”

“Och hush, Phitz,” Mischuff said. “Ye embarrass yerrself mair times than nae.” She turned and looked back at Lucy. “We can help ye.”

“How can you help me?” Lucy asked. “Can you bring back Michael?”

Mischuff’s voice lowered. “Ack. We cannae dae ‘at lass, but we can help wi’ th’ pain yer feelin’.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“Phitz and Ah can feel yer hurt. It’s radiatin’ aff ye in waves an’ it saddens uir hearts,” Mischuff said as she patted Lucy’s knee. “Lit us tak’ yer pain awa’ lass.”

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. “You can’t take this pain away. It’s inside of me.”

 “We ken lass,” Mischuff said as she wrapped her black viney fingers around Lucy’s bare wrist. “Lit mae shaw ye whit Ah mean.”

A gasp left Lucy’s lips as her wrist started to tingle. Her eyes slid shut as a tune she’d never heard floated through her mind. “I can hear different types of flutes and whistles in my mind,” she whispered.

“They’re called algraces an’ they’re gart up of th’ finest wuid in aw ay Euphranor,” Phitz said with pride tingeing his voice. “Best soond ye hae ever heard.”

Lucy nodded as she listened to several algraces chirp and tinkle. “It’s beautiful,” she said as her eyes fluttered open.

Mischuff released Lucy’s wrist and stepped back. “Hoo dae ye feel princess?”

Lucy’s eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up as she looked down into Mischuff’s black eyes. “I don’t feel like crying anymore.”

A smile lit up Mischuff’s golden face. “Glad tae hear it.”

“That’s absolutely Amazing,” Lucy said as she brought her wrist up to her face. Not a mark marred her pale skin. She looked from Mischuff to Phitz. “I’d be honored to have you both not only as my protectors, but as my friends.”

Excitement glittered in Mischuff’s eyes as she hopped up and down. “Dae ye mean it?”

A small laugh left Lucy’s lips. “Of course.”

Mischuff jumped up and did two flips in the air. Her long gold droopy ears flew out and she drifted to the ground next to Phitz.

Phitz rolled his gold eyes. “Shaw aff.”

Mischuff nudged him with her elbow. “We nae only gie tae protect th’ princess. We gie tae be friends. Isn’t ‘at brammer?”

“If ye say sae,” Phitz said.

A light knock sounded at the door. “Luce?” Ashton asked from outside of the bathroom. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” Lucy said. “You can come in.”

The door slowly creaked open and Ashton’s walked over to Lucy. His eyes widened. “When did they get here?”

Phitz’s gold eyes narrowed. “We got haur when we felt loch getting’ ‘er. Dae ye got a problem wi’ ‘at?”

Ashton threw his hands up. “Whoa. I didn’t mean you weren’t invited,” Ashton said. “I was just asking a simple question.”

Phitz crossed his arms. “Aw ye can dae is ask simple questions bot. Ah dornt expect anythin’ else frae a simple minded fewl.”

A giggle erupted from Lucy.

“’at was nae very braw, Phitz,” Mischuff chided.

Ashton’s eyes widened as he looked at Lucy and then at Mischuff. “It’s ok Mischuff. He can call me whatever he wants if I get to hear the sound of Lucy’s laughter.”

Mischuff smiled up at Ashton. “She’s feelin’ a bit better efter Ah was able tae help ‘er.”

Ashton frowned as his eyebrows scrunched together. “Help her?”

Mischuff nodded. “It’s whit Eirians do. We tak’ th’ bad energy out an’ put the guid energy back.”