Pulse. Part 9

Stuart followed her in.

The sight of Maeve, lying pale and motionless on the hospital bed, was almost more than Kalina could bear. "Her neck..."

"We don't know what it was, yet," said Justin.

Kalina turned to Stuart, her eyes filled with questioning.

He nodded. It was a vampire, after all.

"Jaegar," Kalina spat out the word. "d.a.m.n it! Excuse me."

She stormed out of the hospital, into the night. "Jaegar!" she called. "I know you're out there a get over here right now. And don't even think of trying anything! I have my stake."

my stake."

The night seemed to laugh back at her. Suddenly, with a swooping wind, Jaegar appeared before here. "Hi there, precious. You rang?"

"What did you do? What did you do?"

He stalked towards her. He looked like a jaguar in the night a his gait long and graceful a with cool, collected eyes, fixed on her a fixed on his prey.

"Do what?"

"Maeve!" she said. "You attacked Maeve, didn't you?"

"Did I? So many girls, I can't recall..." He bared his teeth at her and licked the blood from his fangs. "Was this one of the cheerleaders?"

"And to think a I almost thought you were a decent guy."

"I'm a vampire, darling. Underestimate that, and you're a bigger fool than I thought you were."

"Go to h.e.l.l!" Kalina couldn't control herself. She rushed towards him, punching him straight across the face, pummeling his chest with her fists. "Aaron a Stuart a they could control themselves a it was so, so hard, but they could manage it! Why couldn't you? Why can't you?"

Jaegar grabbed her wrist and stared at her in the face, his eyes now dark with fury. "I'm not Aaron or Stuart," he said. "I never will be. And..." he pushed aside her long hair from her neck to reveal her neck and moved his lips so close to her neck, she can feel his breath on her skin. For a moment, her heart stopped beating. It was only the fear, she told herself.

She closed her eyes, prepared for the worse when she felt his mouth on her neck. There was no sharp bites, no pain. Instead, his lips were kissing her gently along her throat heading up to her jawline and then her mouth. She found herself kissing back. Jaegar's lips were so soft, yet hard with the pressure of pa.s.sion pressing against her lips. His kiss was at once hot and cold, gentle and hard. She could not stop kissing him and wanting more...

The moment she regained control she kicked him. Hard.

He stepped backwards, a smile spreading across his face. "Unlike my brothers," he said, "when I want something, I just take it."

He vanished into the night.

chapter 11.

"Kalina!"

She whirled around, her face red with shame. What had happened? She could have kicked herself for being so stupid a for letting Jaegar in, for getting close to him, for succ.u.mbing to the strong attraction she felt for him. He was just as bad as she'd imagined. All the jokes and witty banter in the world couldn't make up for how he had taken advantage of her trust, how he had attacked Maeve! If this was a vampire nature, she wanted no part of it.

"Kalina!" Stuart was running out to meet her. He looked more handsome than ever in this moonlight. She understood now better than ever the strength that it required to live, day by day, without succ.u.mbing to the evils of his nature. She admired him a she could only imagine how difficult it was for him to exist, to strain against the bonds of his temptation.

"Are you all right?"

"Jaegar came," she said, shivering. "You were right about him, Stuart. He's...everything you said he was a and worse! He attacked those girls! He attacked Maeve."

"Oh, Kalina, I'm sorry." He enveloped her in his arms. "Please a don't...I will bring him to justice, I promise you that. I can excuse him, say that it is in his nature to sin. But it is in mine, too. It was in Aaron's. And a we didn't! And he spits in the face of all of us who try to maintain our humanity."

Kalina was shaking. "When Jaegar told me he was a vampire a I couldn't help defending him. Thinking a you know a it was no worse than eating a hamburger a it was his nature, but...G.o.d, Maeve's my friend. It's different, somehow. When someone can talk to you and reason with you and decide you're food a it can't be someone's nature, it just can't!"

Stuart sighed.

"Screw it a I'm becoming a vegetarian." She wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Maeve will be fine," said Stuart. "When the doctors weren't looking, I slipped her some blood. She's still asleep a but the blood will help her heal faster."

"Thank you," said Kalina. "I'm sure she'd appreciate it. You know if she believed in vampires."

"Will you tell her?" Stuart asked.

Kalina nodded. "If that's okay with you. I think she deserves to know what happened. But a is it okay?"

"We can't keep our secret forever," said Stuart.

"I'm glad you're here," said Kalina, quietly. She kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Take me home?"

"As you wish." He took his keys out of his pocket.

They drove home in silence.

"Is every day going to be like this?" she said. "Now that I'm in with vampires."

"Not every day," he said. "But many days. And many will be worse."

"What a life."

"I'm sorry to get you involved," said Stuart. "But a you were involved from your birth. It's in your blood. I can smell it on you. As you get older a if you'll excuse my vulgarity, riper, in the minds of vampires a you will be in danger, whether we're around or not."

vulgarity, riper, in the minds of vampires a you will be in danger, whether we're around or not."

"Like I said," said Kalina, as they pulled into the driveway of her house. "I'm glad you're here."

They stopped the car and got out. Stuart walked her to her doorstep.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat.

"Well," she echoed him. "Fun date, huh?"

"Fun date." He couldn't help laughing.

She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him. "Better now?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Yes. Much better." He wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel the warmth of his kiss spreading from her lips throughout her body, like hot tea on a cold winter's night. His body was cold a ice-cold a but his kiss felt real, felt alive. He wasn't like Jaegar a or Aaron. No, he was strong. Mature. She could trust him. She felt his desire pulse through the kiss, his suffering, his self-control.

She pulled away slowly to look at him. On his face was a look of inexpressible joy.

"I'm so glad you did that," said Stuart.

"You're so strong," she said. "So brave. To live the way you do."

"It's a struggle," he said. "But easier a now that you're with me."

"Do you want to come inside, Stuart?" The invitation escaped her lips.

He pushed her through the doorway and continued kissing her as they moved towards the couch; she pulled him down towards her, wrapping her legs around him. He stopped, pulling away, composing himself.

"It's okay," she said, stroking his face. "Whatever you're comfortable with a it's fine with me."

"Thank you," he said.

"But a would you mind sticking around? I feel safer with you here. You can sleep on the couch, if you want. Or a next to me." She laughed. "I won't try to seduce you in the middle of the night. Promise."

"I can't say I'd object," said Stuart. "I'm sorry a I don't mean to...be difficult. But my self-control a I'm still a vampire, Kalina."

Kalina stood up. "I understand." She stopped. She suddenly felt very lightheaded. The exhaustion of her cheerleading practice, the stress, the attack on Maeve, Jaegar's kiss, was suddenly too much for her. Her vision began to swoon before her. "I'm still a...." It was the last thing she heard before she fell to the floor.

Kalina woke up to find her brother standing over her.

"Kaley?" Justin stroked her forehead. "You're okay!"

"What's that smell?"

"Bacon! Your boyfriend's a wizard with a frying pan."

"That's not all he is," she murmured, her mind still cloudy with sleep.

"What?"

"Nothing a what happened?"

"Low blood pressure, Kaley! How many times have I told you a someone with low blood pressure should never, ever skip dinner! No matter what your cheerleading friends say!"

"I didn't..." she trailed off. "How long have I been out?!"

"Two days!" said Justin. "Thank G.o.d this Stuart guy was willing to stick around a I was able to make my shifts." He cupped her cheek with his hand. "You really know how to pick the good ones. He stayed watching over you for two days."

"G.o.d, Justin!" She blushed. "If you like him so much, you can marry him!"

"I like my significant others in skirts, thank you very much." He swatted her with the pillow. "I swear a you and guys a moths to a flame, Kaley. I'm going to have to quit my job just to make sure none of these boys have any bad intentions."

"I don't think you have to worry," said Kalina.

Justin turned red. "Just remember," he stammered. "There's a box of condoms in the downstairs bathroom. Just in case..."

"Ew!" Kalina sat up and hit him with the pillow. "Ew! Ew! Ew! That's gross, Justin! It's none of your business!"

"I know it's gross!" said Justin. "Believe me, I don't want to have this conversation any more than you do. It's even weirder for me a you're my kid sister!" He sighed. "But I'm also your acting father figure. And I'm a few months away from being a doctor. And...it's my job to keep you healthy and safe and responsible." Justin sighed. "Just a please a don't tell me anything! I don't want to know! As far as I'm concerned, you're still playing with Barbies!"

"Believe me," said Kalina grimly. "I wasn't planning on it. And I never played with Barbies."

A knock came at the door. "Is she up?" she could hear Stuart's voice.

"Come on in!" she said.

"Eat," said Stuart, bringing in a large plate of bacon.

"You hungry?" Justin asked him. "I can get another plate for you."

"I'm good," said Stuart, a bit too quickly. "Eat, Kalina."

Justin tactfully retreated.

"Are you going to make breakfast for me every morning? If so, I should get sick more often."

"Only if I get to do this every morning." He kissed her forehead.

"Sounds like a fair trade." She kissed him again.

"Kalina, can I tell you something?"

"Sure." She began digging into the eggs.

"I've...wanted to do that ever since I first saw you. But...given the circ.u.mstances a I wouldn't have imposed a have presumed...I'm very glad you presumed for me."

"I'm glad I did too," she said.

chapter 12.