Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 148

Tessa moaned softly. Her head rolled as if she were trying to control an unwieldy ball from the inside.

"Cody," she whispered.

Relief poured through him. 'Thank G.o.d. Hang on, kiddo. I'm taking you home."

"Home?"

"Home," he whispered against her hair as he slid his arms underneath her slight frame, scooping her up into his arms. "Hang tight. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Hurts," she moaned.

s.h.i.t. He probably shouldn't have moved her. What choice did he have though? He couldn't exactly leave her alone and injured. Instinct screamed to get her the h.e.l.l away.

He carried her out into the night.

"Cody?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Thank you."

The moonlight half slipped out from behind the clouds to shine down on her ashen face. She looked more vampire now than she ever had. "You're very welcome." He smiled. Then he bent and dropped a kiss on her lips.

He felt her surprise. He'd surprised himself. A kiss on her cheek, her temple, even her hair all would be normal and quite acceptable coming from her brother's best friend. A soft loving kiss on those plump lips not quite the same.

And if he couldn't explain it to himself, he certainly wouldn't be able to explain it to her father or her brother. He snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Concerned relief coursed through him when he realized she'd fallen unconscious again.

With any luck, she wouldn't remember the kiss anyway.

Tessa opened her eyes briefly. And she shut them again as wind rushed past her cheeks. Lying warm with a steady beat under her ear, she realized she was being carried. She frowned. Comfort and safety enveloped her.

The one who held her did so carefully, almost lovingly. Peeking beneath her lashes, she studied the all black clothing in front of her face. Great. All vampires wore black. She cast her mind back, trying to remember what could have brought her to this spot. Her head throbbed on the left side. Was she hurt? That couldn't be good. If her injury didn't do it, her mother would kill her...Then it came to her. Jared. She struggled upright, only to have bands of steel tighten around her.

"Don't move. It's hard enough to carry you while I'm flying, but landing with you struggling...not good."

Cody. Her eyes widened. He was the one holding her so carefully? Like a delicate package that could break with the slightest mishandling. No, not possible. She couldn't help tucking this memory away for closer examination later.

Cody had always been the too-familiar extra brother and the not-quite-familiar-enough dashing ancient, the most respected lines of vampires. An allure of mystery surrounded his entire family. Even though their fathers were best friends, Tessa had always felt slightly awed around Goran, Cody's father. There was an older son too, only he was almost a century older.

Tessa had met him only once and he seemed as unapproachable as his father. Cody, on the other hand, had always treated her like an annoying younger sister. Even going so far as calling her various nicknames, like Tizzy, on occasion.

Now Cody flew like an archangel, strong and sure, confident in his abilities. She relaxed into his arms and enjoyed the novelty of being carried through the night.

"What happened?" she murmured softly. She didn't know if he could hear her with the wind whistling around them. The wind's chill cut through her clothing and attacked her skin. A shiver slid down her spine. A mallet beat on the inside of her skull, increasing its tempo every time she moved. She dared not make a sudden move and send them both crashing to the ground.

"We were attacked back at the house. You were hit in the side of the head again."

"Don't remember."

She felt his concerned gaze on her. Interesting. Then again, her family was liable to roast him alive when they found out what they'd been doing. She dimly remembered the earlier part of the evening, but the head smacking part didn't ring any bells. Maybe that was just as well. She shivered again, loving the male warmth that wrapped around her as he snuggled her up closer in his arms.

"We're almost there. Hang on."

She couldn't actually hang onto anything. Her arms were caught up against her chest, and her chest? Well, she was tucked up against Cody's heart. All kinds of weird feelings churned around in her stomach, making her wonder if she were going to be sick. She'd never felt this type of connection and warmth before.

Cody had always been there in the background. Part of the family, but not family. She'd never considered him anything other than David's irritating best friend. Now all kinds of feelings were washing through her, and heat was just one of them. Was this, as she suspected, all due to her head injury?

Cody descended so quickly, the wind rushed past her face, lifting and tossing her long hair. The moon shone behind him, raising his features in relief. How had she never noticed the clean, chiseled lines of his jaw and high cheekbones? Or the way the breeze picked up those jet-black curls to play in the wind? Good thing her hands were tucked out of the way, or they'd be reaching to see if those strands were as silky as they looked. Waves of warm delight washed over her, making her tingle. She frowned with confusion.

What was going on here? She'd never considered Cody in this light. She'd been too busy drooling over Jared.

The landing, despite all his efforts at gentleness, jarred her.

"Ohh." She moaned in pain as her head bounced.

"Sorry." He straightened and stared down at her, worry etched into his features. "I tried to be careful."

"It's okay." It wasn't really, because now the hammer inside her head had been replaced by a sledgehammer. As she gasped for breath she tried to hold back the tears. "It's not your fault."

"I don't think anyone else is going to believe that," he muttered.

She almost didn't catch his tone. And couldn't come up with one good reason why people wouldn't believe him. Cody was one of the good guys. Everyone knew that.

"Oh, my G.o.d."

Tessa stirred at the voice. "Where are we?"

Cody never broke stride as he walked down the back pathway. If anything, his back stiffened as he entered the house to the concerned cries of everyone present.

"We're home."

"Oh, no." She so wasn't ready for this. She turned her face further into his chest.

He cuddled her closer. "Sorry. Your mom needs to see to that injury. This is the second one tonight. Any more than this and it could be the end of you."

"I'm tougher than I look," she muttered so only he could hear. She refused to open her eyes and face the glaring accusations she knew would surround her.

"What the h.e.l.l happened?" Her father's roar filled the room, followed by startled silence. "Is that Tessa? Now what did she do to her hair?"

Tessa moaned, as her dad's voice turned the sledgehammer in her head into a jackhammer.

"She's been hurt again. It's her head. She's in a lot of pain. Can I lay her down somewhere?" Cody stood in the middle of the living room, turning around, looking for a place to put her.

Tessa's mother rushed over to them. Tessa tried to open her eyes but couldn't stand the light from the kitchen. "Light hurts," she mumbled.

"Let's take her to her room." Her mother led the way and Cody followed, still carrying Tessa. In his arms, she didn't feel she was large and awkward or any other of the other million mixed-up feelings she usually had to deal with.

Now there were new ones.

"Here. I'll pull back her covers." Blankets rustled, then Tessa felt the coolness of cotton sheets under her back as the beautiful warmth of Cody's body lifted away. She protested.

"Shhh. You'll be fine now. Let your mother take care of you."

Cold on both sides, Tessa curled into a ball while her mother pulled the blankets over her.

"Cody?"

"I'm here." He reached over to take her hand gently in his.

"Thanks," she whispered and let the darkness take her away.

"Go. I'll look after her. You need to explain what happened to Serus. I don't know what's going on, but this has to stop. She's not like us."

Cody looked over at Tessa's mom in surprise. "Rhia, I think she's more like us than you realize."

Rhia stopped stroking a white streak of Tessa's hair to glance up him. She looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I spent more time alone with her tonight than I think I ever have, and I know she surprised me. Maybe I've been as guilty as everyone else of a.s.suming her genetics made her less of a vampire." He shook his head. "I have to tell you, I think it's made her a better one." With that cryptic comment, he cast one final look at Tessa and walked out to face the gathering of angry vampires below.

There was only one way to handle this and that was to give the truth. Tessa wouldn't appreciate it. It could mean she might never be allowed free on her own again, at least for a good long time. That didn't change the fact that something ugly brewed in their vampire world, and everyone needed to know what was going on. Cody, for one, wanted the others to help him find out what that was. The best he could do would be to minimize Tessa's involvement.

Or better yet, accent the strengths she'd showed tonight. Foolish and impulsive actions, maybe...except her heart had been in the right place.

Then again, as he thought about it, he didn't need to embellish anything. Tessa had done just fine tonight all on her own.

CHAPTER SIX.

Tessa woke to a darkened room. She surged upright, wincing at the pounding in her head, as memories of last night crowded into her awareness. Her panicked glance showed the same curtains on the window of her childhood room and the cozy blanket David had bought for her birthday last year. Home. Sighing, she relaxed into the pillows.

Not wanting to face the day and not yet truly rested, she pulled the blanket up to her neck and tried to snuggle deeper.

Loud noises from below disturbed her peace. She didn't know what they were arguing about, but it had gone beyond normal family fighting. That's probably what had awakened her. She lifted her hand to her head and gently explored her skull, wincing as her fingers caught on the dried blood matting her hair. A shower would be wonderful. Just the thought of putting out that much effort made the rest of her body scream in protest. The events from last night were still shady, still sapped her energy.

Images and feelings mixed with odd impressions and partial memories, leaving her unsure of what had actually happened. And then there was Cody. Even as she thought his name, a gentle sense of connection swept through her. She sighed. She needed to get a grip before Cody got wind of that. He'd laugh her into tomorrow.

Speaking of Cody. Was that his voice? s.h.i.t. She glanced at the clock and groaned. She'd hardly slept. Less than an hour had gone by since her return. As her father's bl.u.s.tery voice whipped through the house, Tessa cringed. Cody had saved her. She'd been the one who hadn't wanted to go back and get help. Please don't let him get ripped by her father.

Cody had been the hero. She'd been the idiot.

They could blame her if they wanted. They would anyway, to a certain extent. But they shouldn't be treating Cody badly. Knowing she'd never rest if she didn't do her part to right the injustice, she slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

The room spun around for a few seconds, then calmed down. Using her night table for support, she stood up and carefully made her way to the doorway. She didn't want to face her father's wrath. In truth, no vampire in the world would. But she couldn't let Cody take the blame for her actions.

Good intentions were fine, in theory, navigating the stairs to make good on them was a different matter.

She accidentally stepped down on the last stair hard and gasped as spikes drove into her temple. Biting her bottom lip, she forged ahead into the living room. The room swelled with vampires.

Great, there'd be an audience to hear her admit her stupidity. Bitterness washed over her in waves. Surely, for once in her life, some things could be private? Not this, apparently. Then again, of all her actions, this one would have the most widespread repercussions.

"I don't want to hear it," snapped her father, his barely leashed temper adding a cutting edge to his voice.

Tessa couldn't suppress the moan that slipped out. His voice... Could he please remove the spike now deeply embedded in her brain by his raised voice? She ma.s.saged her temple and fell back against the doorway.

"Tessa?"

The room erupted into chaos.

Her mother rushed to her side. Cody beat her.

"Why the h.e.l.l aren't you sleeping?" he snapped.

"Uh, gee, maybe because of all the yelling going on," she snapped back. She didn't argue as he slipped a hand under her elbow and led her to the closest chair. Sinking in deep, she closed her eyes briefly. Opened them to see her mother glaring at her father.

"I told you to keep your voice down," Rhia said.

His glare swiveled from Rhia to Tessa and back again. "Maybe it's better this way."

Tessa watched her mother draw herself up to her full height, in no way prepared to give an inch. "You will not question her right now. She's injured. Twice now, I might add."

"I know that. I'm not going to beat her, for Christ's sake," he muttered. "I just want to ask her some questions. Get some answers we need."

Any other time, Tessa would have grinned at her father backing down in the face of her mother's wrath. Those two had been together for centuries. They knew just what boundaries they could cross and which ones they couldn't. Then the sooner everyone knew what had happened then maybe something could be done to save Jared. "Mom, it's okay. I'm fine."

Her mother spun on her heels, frustration firing her voice with heat "No, you are not fine. I want you to march upstairs and get yourself back into bed. And stay there. Do you hear me?"

Tessa heard the words, and when she looked in her mother's eyes she recognized real fear behind the tone. Tessa smiled gently. "I love you, too, Mom."

Her mother's eyes filled with tears and she rushed over to hug her only daughter. "Tessa, you could have been killed. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," Tessa whispered against her mother's blue-black locks.

Her mother wiped away her tears and pulled back a little to look down at Tessa. "Please, wait until you're feeling better. I don't know much about the kinds of injuries you have. Maybe I should call a human doctor...? Taz." She brightened at the idea. "Yes, that's what I'll do. Let's go back upstairs. Taz will be happy to come."

Tessa glanced over at David and Seth, who both rolled their eyes at her. "Mom. I'm not human, remember. And Taz isn't going to want to come into the house with this gathering going on." She motioned to the room full of black-clad vampires. "Though I might get injured a little more than the rest of you, and I might take longer to recuperate, that doesn't mean I don't have any vampire traits."

Cody stepped closer. "And I'd be the first one to say I've seen more than a few of them in action over the last few hours."