Fallen Tears: A Blood Crave Novella (Blood Crave Series) Read online

  “I knew this would happen and I didn’t do anything to prevent it. She’s lost so much that I think if she were to wake up, she’ll need more blood than the average changeling.” Kaji looked back up at Adam directly. “I need you to bleed me.”

  “Do you know what you’re asking? If I do that, your powers will weaken.”

  He shook his head in disagreement. “Don’t worry about me. I can take some of your blood and restore myself—you know I regenerate quickly. Our first priority is to wake Rowan up.”

  Adam didn’t say anything, just turned and left the bedroom quietly. He quickly came back with a large bowl in one hand, wielding his silver dagger in the other.

  Adam had a lot of daggers.

  He gestured to Kaji. “Give me your arm.”

  Kaji offered his arm to him. Instead of taking his wrist, Adam positioned the tip of the blade at the inner elbow and made a deep cut over the artery that was there. Blood poured out from Kaji’s wound as it was caught by the bowl placed underneath his arm, the bowl quickly filling up.

  When the blood reached the rim, Kaji set his arm back down, feeling drained. He looked down at his arm dully, which was still dripping blood, and managed to murmur, “I need you to bottle the blood up and put it in the fridge.”

  Adam left again with the bowl and then returned a few minutes later with a bandage and a tall glass filled with blood. He offered the glass to Kaji as he wrapped the bandage tightly around his arm then sat in a chair nearby. “Drink up. The sight of you dripping blood is making me feel ill.”

  Kaji smiled faintly. Adam always did have a problem with mess.

  He drank all the warm blood down in one gulp, taking pleasure in its rich taste. Setting the glass aside, he licked his lips then frowned, looking back at Rowan, who still hadn’t awakened. He tentatively lifted the bottom of her shirt up with his bandaged arm to see the state of the wound in her belly. Although she was still unconscious, the wound seemed to be healing slowly, although not perfectly.

  It gave him hope.

  “Adam. I’m going to the Cross’. They may be able to help.” Kaji removed his hand from her mouth and tugged her shirt back down.

  “After what just happened with that witch, you plan to go to a witches’ base?” Adam scoffed, shaking his head in disgust at the thought.

  Kaji stood up from the bed and glanced over at Adam as he answered. “They’re different. That family never turned their back on us like the rest. I trust them.”

  “Even with Rowan’s life?” Adam looked directly at Kaji as he asked.

  He didn’t flinch. “Yes.”

  “Then that’s my cue to leave.” Adam stood up suddenly and gave a brief nod toward Kaji.

  He didn’t argue and looked at Adam in appreciation. “Thank you for your help.”

  Adam glanced down at Rowan, whom Kaji had now lifted into his arms, his face expressionless. “Let me know when she’s better.”

  “I will.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Shortly after, Adam left. Kaji quickly followed suit, finding himself standing in front of a dark low-rise building, Rowan cradled in his arms. Pounding heavily on the door with his foot, it soon opened to reveal a tired-looking face through the cracked door.

  “Kaji?” The blonde woman stared in shock at the sight of the unconscious girl he held in his arms. She instantly opened the door wider. “My God,” she breathed. “Come in.”

  He rushed in and gently placed Rowan on the couch in the living room. Her body sank down into the plush couch as Kaji regarded the woman, who was waiting impatiently.

  “Faith.”

  “What the hell happened?” Faith rushed over to Rowan, falling on her knees. She inspected Rowan’s pale face closely.

  “She was attacked by a lapsus.”

  Faith squeezed her hazel eyes tightly as she shook her head, looking over at Kaji in remorse. “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing for you to apologize for.” He didn’t mention that the lapsus responsible was already dead.

  She glanced curiously up at Kaji and motioned to Rowan. “Who is this girl?”

  Kaji stayed silent as he looked back down at Rowan. It appeared as if she were just sleeping, her features almost peaceful. He closed his eyes softly as he answered, “Right now, she’s my reason for existing.” He gave no further explanation.

  “Kaji!” Faith had never seen such passion coming from him in all the decades she had known him. He had always been so emotionless.

  Faith scrutinized Rowan, finding something odd about the girl. “You’ve turned her. Yet why isn’t she waking up?”

  “Because I was careless and let her die before I could change her. So I tried when she was already dead.”

  “What?” Faith was shocked by the idea. She roughly ran her hand through her hair. “That’s never been done before—nothing in any of the books ever talked about that.”

  Kaji knew Faith was referring to the collection of records he had given her regarding the lamias’ past. She was the only person he knew that would keep them safe. “I know. So you must do everything and anything to makes sure she wakes up.”

  “Mom?” a voiced asked, interrupting their conversation. Both Kaji and Faith glanced up from the staircase to see a slightly younger-looking replica of Faith standing there, long blonde hair hanging down her back in a ponytail. A questioning look was apparent in her eyes.

  “Sage.” Faith got up and walked toward her, ushering her into the living room with both hands. “Come here. You have to help me.”

  Next to Faith, Sage showed the same look of shock as her mother at the sight of Rowan, who was especially pale in the dim light.

  Her eyes shifted from her mother then to Kaji in confusion and worry. “What happened to her?”

  Faith’s gaze went from her daughter to the unconscious girl on their couch. “She was fatally attacked by a lapsus. Kaji tried to turn her but she’s not waking up. I’m going to need your help with this, okay?”

  Sage nodded in agreement, her own hazel eyes shining bright. “Absolutely,” she said with determination.

  Faith muttered softly under her breath. “This would work better if Remy were here. God, where is he at this hour?”

  Sage rolled her eyes, scratching an eyebrow. “He went to the bar with some friends. I’ll tell him to leave.” Closing her eyes, she stood absolutely still. She then opened them once more, looking back at her mother with a shake of her head. “My dear brother will be here soon.”

  Faith pursed her lips. “Good. Although I don’t know what an eighteen-year-old boy is doing at a bar.” She shook her head in irritation at the thought, then pointed directly at Kaji. “I need you to bring her to the floor.”

  Kaji did as he was told as he carefully placed Rowan on the hardwood floor, her body limp in his arms. Faith kneeled at her head as she looked up at Sage. “Honey, get the chalk.”

  Sage ran out of the room and soon returned, tightly clutching a piece of white chalk in her hands, which she held out to her mother. “Here.”

  Faith’s eyes flickered over at Kaji. “I need you by her feet, okay? Sage, you draw the ring.” She motioned for Sage to encircle them with the chalk.

  Both Kaji and Sage followed Faith’s orders as Sage began to draw a ring around them with the piece of chalk. He knew it was to contain the power Faith would be using. Just before Sage could complete the ring, the front door burst open as a figure rushed in, breathing heavily.

  “What’s going on? Damn it, Sage! You can’t give me a message like, ‘Life or death, get your butt over here, now,’ and then cut off all communication. I was with a really hot girl—”

  The guy stopped suddenly as he saw the commotion on the floor, golden eyes lighting up in alarm. “What’s all this? Kaji, what are you doing here?”

  “Remy, come here at once.” The seriousness in Faith’s voice was not something to ignore. Without questioning, Remy promptly walked into the room. He stood before them, bewilderment clearly showing on his boyish face as he brushed his blond hair aside.

  “I need you to kneel here.” She pointed to Rowan’s side as she spoke to her son. Remy followed his directions instantly, stepping into the incomplete ring as he knelt by Rowan’s side. Sage continued to mark the ground with the white chalk so they were all inside the completed ring as they surrounded Rowan.

  “What’s going on, Faith?” Remy spoke quietly as he looked from his mother down to the girl that lay before him, his knuckles contacting the ground by her side. She was breathtaking. Her hair looked soft to the touch. Her skin was flawless, except for tiny moles that sprinkled the corner of her left eye. Her lips were plump, making Remy want to reach out and lightly trail a finger over them. He desperately wanted her to open her eyes so he could truly see her, his heart suddenly pounding rapidly. Then it ached as he noticed her skin was especially pale.

  She looked dead.

  “She’s just having a little trouble waking up, that’s all,” Faith murmured softly as she stroked Rowan’s hair. She glanced over at Kaji. “Kaji, what’s her name?”

  “Rowan.” Kaji seemed eerily calm to Remy, almost as if he wasn’t actually here. Or perhaps he was just in a state of shock, a strange condition for him to be in. Remy always found him to be this impenetrable force that could never be affected by anything.

  Faith gave a small smile at Kaji’s answer, then stared down at the unconscious girl. “Rowan. What a beautiful name.”

  “What do you need us to do, Mom?” Sage looked up at her mother as she waited for her answer expectantly.

  Sitting by Rowan’s head, Faith lifted her hands to each of her children to take hold. “We all need to join hands. Just focus your energy onto Rowan and I’ll do the rest.” They all clasped hands, Kaji included, as they closed their eyes. Faith shut her eyes last as she began to softly whisper foreign words under her breath. As she did, the ring in which Sage drew began to glow a bright white as the power Faith emitted began to flow out of her and aim directly at Rowan.

  Faith suddenly opened her eyes as she stared vacantly up, her hazel eyes beginning to glow eerily similar to Rowan’s attacker. They all grasped each other’s hands as the strong power seemed to want to rip their connection apart. But after a moment’s time, the power vanished as Faith sighed, slumping over in fatigue. The glow from the ring instantly dimmed, along with the light in the room, leaving them all in complete darkness.

  Kaji opened his eyes as he realized that whatever Faith did seemed to knock out all the electricity. He released his hands from both Sage and Remy, then zeroed in on Rowan. As soon as he did, a cry erupted so loud that it pierced his dead heart to the core.

  He breathed harshly. “Rowan.”

  She continued to scream as she unexpectedly sat up, covering her face with her hands, her body shaking uncontrollably. Faith and Sage moved back in alarm. Remy moved forward to help her but she smacked his hand away roughly as he winced in pain.

  She was strong.

  “Rowan.” Kaji moved forward and grabbed her by the shoulders as he shook her aggressively. Her eyes squeezed tight, she refused to open them. “Open your eyes. Now!”

  She must have finally heard him because she slowly opened her eyes as her gaze instantly locked onto him. Her irises were completely black but they slowly turned back to her normal shade of brown as she began to recognize him.

  “Kaji?” She whispered his name like a prayer. “Is it really you?”

  “Yes.”

  At the sound of his voice, Rowan openly cried. She cried long and hard, just like the first time that they had met. He slowly picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the living room to a large metal door. Opening it, they disappeared together as he descended the stairs.

  Kneeling on the ground in darkness, Faith, Sage, and Remy all stared on in silence, shocked at what had just happened.

  “I should stay in more often.”

  Sage punched Remy on the shoulder at his comment. “Stupid. That girl’s life is going to change completely. She was human and now she’s forced to live as a vampire. It’s not going to be easy on her.”

  Faith barely heard her children as she shakily got up from the floor and carefully made her way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Gulping it down quickly, she took a few deep breaths as she tried to steady herself. Her eyes had returned back to normal but something else was troubling her. She’d seen something in her vision when she had awakened Rowan.

  Something that would change their lives forever.

  Taking another deep breath, Faith re-entered the living room to find her children sitting on the couch, exhausted. She always loved seeing the two of them together, her golden children. Her eyes focused on Sage momentarily as she frowned. Then Faith took a seat in between the two and gave a huge sigh, wrapping her arms around them. She didn’t bother asking Remy to restore the light. “Thank you. I could not have done that without you guys.” Now wasn’t the time to mention what she had just seen.

  But she would have to make preparations.

  “No problem, Mom.” Sage rested her head against her mother’s shoulder as her eyes shifted toward the metal door again. “I just hope she’s alright.”

  Remy didn’t say anything; he too, was staring at the door as he thought of Rowan. There was something about her beyond the physical that drew him to her.

  It was scary.

  Moments later, Kaji returned by himself. He stood watching the three blonds who were still sitting on the couch huddled together. Looking at him, it was the first time Kaji appeared so worn-out. “I have some blood for her back home. She’s really weak so I’m going to get it for her.” He suddenly stopped as he glanced back at the large metal door. “Thank you.”

  Glancing at Faith, he motioned her over. “May I speak with you?”

  Faith got up from the couch and walked over to Kaji as they both strolled toward the front door. Both Remy and Sage looked on to see them seriously discussing something for a long time. Then Kaji gave a nod and was gone. Faith walked over to them and gave them a smile. “It seems like we’re going to have a guest here indefinitely.”

  “Indefinitely? She’s staying here?” Remy asked, confused. “But what about Kaji?”

  Faith crossed her arms together as if suddenly cold. “Kaji just went by their place to fetch her things. She told him what happened. Apparently the lapsus who attacked her knew she had been around a lamia. That’s why she was stabbed. Kaji feels it’d be safer for her if they were to keep away from each other.”

  Remy thought that train of thought was illogical, especially coming from Kaji and considering Rowan, too, was now a vampire. He wasn’t the only one to question it however, when a voice suddenly erupted into the room, loud in protest.

  “No!”

  CHAPTER 7

  The lapsus all looked up in surprise to see Rowan standing, clutching the doorframe with all her strength before her body sank low to the floor. Kaji must have left the door ajar, for Rowan would have been too weak to open it on her own. She regarded them all with fresh tears streaming down her face, eyes bloodshot and face pale.

  Sage rushed toward her as she knelt down beside her. “Hey, now. You can’t be up like this. You’re too weak and you’ll pass out. Kaji will be here shortly so why don’t you just wait until he gets back, okay?”

  “He can’t leave me. I can’t be alone.” She whispered this as if in a trance, her pupils dilated. She seemed to be staring at something only she could see.

  “You’re not alone. There’s me, Remy, and my mom. My name’s Sage.” She smiled kindly down at Rowan. “Why don’t we go back down so you can rest until Kaji gets here? You’re still pretty damp from the rain so I’ll get you some of my clothes to wear and a towel to dry yourself off, okay?”

  Rowan refused to look at Sage, staring straight ahead. She repeated in a monotone voice, “It’s dark down there. I can’t be alone.”

  Confused, Sage bit the corner of her bottom lip. Then she nodded her head firmly as if in understanding. Her voice became gentler. “You don’t like the dark, do you?”

  Rowan finally looked up, staring straight into Sage’s eyes. The naked fear Sage saw when she observed Rowan made her want to blink back tears suddenly forming in her own eyes. Still staring at her, Rowan whispered again, “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You won’t.” Sage shook her head then looked over toward Remy and Faith. They were both watching quietly with solemn expressions. She sighed as she asked, “Remy, why don’t you help Rowan downstairs so she can relax until Kaji gets back. I’m going to go get her some clothes from my room.”

  “Why doesn’t Faith do it?” Remy, a bit apprehensive at the thought of being alone with Rowan, shifted his eyes from her and over to Faith.

  Sage regarded her brother in exasperation. “Because Mom’s exhausted after depleting all her energy. I can’t believe you even have to ask that. Besides, you’re a strong man. Be strong.” She smiled widely up at him as she mockingly flexed her biceps at him for emphasis.

  Remy inwardly rolled his eyes but approached Sage and Rowan. Sage stood up, looking over at Faith. “Mom, get some rest. Remy and I will handle everything.”

  “Are you sure?” Faith looked almost as fatigued as Rowan did as she leaned next to the banister.

  “Absolutely. Go on, now. I’ll see you in the morning.” Sage gave her mother a smile of encouragement.

  “Okay.” Faith glanced back down at Rowan, a look of concern showing on her face then murmured, “Goodnight, Rowan.” She slowly ascended the stairs to her room, the stairs creaking under her weight. Sage looked one last time at the dark-haired girl, saying nothing. Then she followed her mother up the stairs, going to her own room. Both Remy and Rowan were left alone, Remy staring down at her dark head as she in turn stared silently down at the floor.

  “Hi.” He didn’t know what else to say.

  She glanced up as he spoke but then quickly looked away. She managed to mumble a reply in return. “Hi.”