Loving the leech (Guardians of Red Moon city #4)

Kaylin’s POV

In front of me stands Brandon with the heads of the remaining vampires in his hands. To say that I’m surprised is the understatement of the century. He smiles shyly before throwing them away and wipe his bloody hands on his pants.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” I say, raising one of my eyebrows. “He has bite after all.”

Brandon shrugs his shoulders and begins to walk away. He tries to hide it, but I see the big smile on his face as he passes me. I follow him and laugh inside my head at how cutely insecure he is.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Brandon asks after a few minutes of silence.

“I guess that he’ll try to ally himself with the remaining ones and go against us,” I reply, looking smiling up at him. “We’re a strong team, after all.”

The scent of blood reaches our noses, and we give each other a glance before hurrying through the forest to take us to the next zone, east. Despite our good cooperation and joint strength, Brandon nor I are immortal, which means we also need to be careful about how and when we move forward in the plan. There are five who are still alive beyond me, and Brandon, one of those five, is at the tippy top of my death list; Tyson. I have to kill him; I feel like he will try to kill me outside the arena otherwise. There isn’t a single peaceful cell in the young man’s body, and I honestly think how he has become is tragic.

My father always says that no being is born evil, but that circumstances and destinies shape us into who we are in the end. Life hasn’t been excellent to Tyson, and it shows. I don’t want to kill him, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to kill any of the others either, but there’s not much I can do about it. In here, you kill or get killed, and I want to live a long time to have a baby with my beloved. Ha! It feels bizarre to think of William as my beloved now that I accepted him as my other half. For you, it may seem that I’m careless or naïve, but you’ve never experienced how a bond between two souls works because you’re human.

Humans can’t understand how this bond sculptures us because you rarely meet your soulmate, and once you do, you give up on the person for various reasons. Therefore, I’m grateful that William is in my life, even though I wasn’t as optimistic at the beginning. There’s one truth, only one; no one can resist the bond with their soulmate.

“Have you met your beloved?” I ask Brandon.

He looks confusedly at me as if he can’t see why I suddenly wonder about such private matters. I avoid looking at Brandon because I don’t want him to know the pain and longing in my eyes; how much I miss William despite our fleeting encounters that humans never will accept in their society.

“Yes, I met her a few months ago,” he replies, smiling dreamily as if thinking back.

“What’s her name?” I ask curiously and notice how his facial expressions change into sadness.

“Her name was Cara. She passed away a week before I found out I was coming in here,” he replies, and I feel his inner pain flowing out of his pores.

I don’t comment on his words but stop, turn him towards me and put a hand on his shoulder. It may not be a great consolation, but hopefully, he might not feel alone if he knows I’m holding his back. I smile gently at him, and he puts his hand over mine. With a little squeeze, I let go of him, and we continue our journey to the East in silence, fearful of what’ll well out of us if we talk more than we should.

“Damn, we’re in the spring zone, and there are no flower buds anywhere,” Brandon points out with a huff of frustration that makes me smile.

“I didn’t know that you’re interested in plants,” I respond, smiling and rinsing my face in the small stream.

“Not plants,” he says, pointing at me with both eyebrows raised like a parent usually have when they ask “really?” to their child who has done something stupid. “Flowers.”

I nod, humoring him, way too tired to start an argument. In my opinion, all flowers are plants, and they probably are, according to various botany encyclopedias also. But who am I to question his hobby?

“If you say so,” I answer and grin at his irritated facial expression.

If it weren’t for the large force field surrounding the arena as a globe, this could as well have been a hike with a flower-interested pal. I really wish it was like that, instead of all the thoughts swirling around inside my head; this is the first time I actually think correctly about how much my experiences will change me as a person. I’ve wanted to break down several times, but I know I can’t; never show weakness in front of opponents. I’m afraid of how I change and that William doesn’t want me anymore. What if, in the end, I change enough so that I don’t even recognize myself; what do I do then?

A lonely tear rolls down my cheek, and even though I’m quick to wipe it off, Brandon notices that something’s wrong. He stops and studies me carefully. Gently he wipes away all the evidence after the tear and sighs with a sad smile on his lips. Brandon understands; I see it on him.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” he whispers.

“Not in here, I can’t show emotion at all, and I’m afraid I’ve already shown too much,” I respond with a sigh.

“Why would that be a big problem?” he asks with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Because I play a role in here, I’m not this person really, and I don’t know how supervised we are,” I answer quietly.

“We don’t have cameras that persecute us all the time; it’s only at the beginning. Your clan can see you practically all the time, but there are limitations, and they don’t hear our conversations. The council may be sinister fools, but they respect at least a little that we need private time too.”

“When is it that everyone can see us then?”

“All spectators can change the channel of the tv at any time and choose to watch any of us, but it’s only when something dramatic happens that it appears on the big screen that everyone sees at the same time, it’s also then that the music changes to suit the situation. That’s when everyone can hear what we’re saying.”

I frown and don’t understand why it’s necessary to turn our situation here between life or death into overdramatic entertainment with music. Isn’t it enough that all the participants know that we may not get out of here alive? Brandon stops and listens; I do the same. A buzzing sound echoes through the forests, and I don’t know what it is that makes those noises, but we shouldn’t stay here. It turns out I’m right when a roar makes the ground vibrate.

“Run!” I scream, and Brandon follows me quickly.

It sounds like flapping wings, but on the other hand, I’m not going to turn around to see if it is what I suspect. The heat spreads around us, and I notice the fire in the trees next to me. Even though we’re fast, it’s clear that we can’t outrun this majestic creature called a dragon. It becomes even more apparent when a huge burning tree falls to the ground before us; I quickly turn around and realize that the fire surrounds us; there’s nowhere to go. The music changes to “The crazy ones” by Stellar Revival, and the dragon roars again.

Brandon and I give each other a look before we throw ourselves at it. Strangely enough, we think the same thing and don’t need to communicate before doing what we believe. He distracts the creature while I throw myself upon the dragon’s back and hold tight when I realize it’s lifting off the ground. In just a few seconds, we’re high up in the air, and I know that if I fall off now, then I’ll die.

“’Cause we are the crazy ones

The mavericks, the dreamers

The forgotten sons

We color outside the lines for fun

We are the crazy ones

Cause we are the crazy ones

The badass, outcast

Son of a guns

We march to the beat of a different drum

We are the crazy ones

We are the crazy ones.”

I must admit that they have a great track of which music fits best in which situation, and this suits me excellent! The dragon flies majestically around the arena, and we pass my clan several times. When my gaze lands on my new family, I grin and give them a wink before picking up my ax to cut the throat of the dragon. Now I hold on with only my thigh muscles, and I pray a silent prayer to whatever God is listening that it’ll be enough. Repeatedly I cut my axes into the thick hide at the neck of the dragon. I don’t particularly appreciate hurting or killing other creatures; it doesn’t matter if it’s humans or animals.

It feels just as wrong anyway, especially this time for some reason. But right now, I have no choice, this dragon is out to kill us, and I can’t allow it, not when there’s so little time left until we’re released.

Thank you for saving me.

I don’t understand where the voice comes from, but I have no time to think about it. Because the blood splashes out of the carotid artery on the screeching dragon, it decides to fly to the highest point of the arena’s “roof” before it silences, and we fall together quickly downhill. I’m not sure if I thought through my choice to euthanize the dragon in the air, considering that I’ll now fall face-first to my death. My body does somersaults in the air when I fall, and I can’t see anything either under me or around me, considering the wind that makes my eyes tear. I think I hear a scream from the stands, but I can’t be sure.

A massive force strikes me, and I realize I’m landing in the deep lake. Slowly I sink, and the darkness surrounds me hastily. I struggle to make my way up to the water surface when something grabs my ankle and pulls me downward. Quickly as an arrow, I turn my head toward the threat and see a pair of shiny black eyes staring back at me; mermaids. According to Salazar, mermaids aren’t as dangerous as one might think, provided that you don’t pose a threat to them or that they’re feral, which unfortunately these seem to be.

The depths we’re at are squeezing my lungs painfully, and I know I have to get up now; otherwise, I won’t survive. I use my pyrokinesis in a desperate attempt to detach myself; gratefully enough, it works, and all beings leave me after getting burned. It amazes me that I can use fire in water; there shouldn’t be a possibility. But now it doesn’t matter because I’ve used all my air, and the last thing I see is a few rays of light from the water surface that I’ll never reach in time.

Brandon’s POV

I’m surprised Kaylin decides to jump up on the dragon and sees her fight bravely with it; that’s not what I was thinking. My idea was that we should try to attack it from different angles and confuse it; instead, she chooses to jump up on it. I don’t believe she thinks through her idea correctly, given that I see both her and the dragon fall quickly to the ground. A scream echoes through the arena, but it doesn’t come from Kaylin; the voice is way too dark. From my position in one of the higher trees, I can see who it is; Kaylin’s beloved. My gaze returns to Kaylin, and I know I’ve got to do everything I can to save her.

Water can’t usually kill a vampire, but everything here is magic, hence the increasing threats everywhere, the dark magic water can make her drown. Everything that generally can’t kill us suddenly can, at least in here. No one should have to experience the same pain I did when my beloved left mortality. Especially not when she’s mine to guard, just as Kaylin. I jump down from the tree and rush through the forest while trying to figure out where Kaylin will arrive. Given that her body spins in the air and moves in different directions all the time, she can end up anywhere.

In the end, it becomes apparent when I see the coal-black lake and the direction of the wind she moves in. However, it scares me because I know what creatures are in it. I ended up there by accident, already my first day here, and barely took myself up from there before it was too late. It’s a bit of a run for me, and the exact second I reach the beach, Kaylin lands in the water with a loud splash. Her body drops fast, and I jump in even though we both might not get out of here alive; there are no guarantees in this arena anyway. We all knew what we were getting into before we even took the first step in the arena’s direction.

I feverishly look for Kaylin without seeing anything until a blinding light pulsates beneath me, and a multitude of loud screeches echoes in the deepest parts of the lake. Despite the water pressure, I keep fighting, and I know I have to work fast when I realize that Kaylin’s mouth is open. If I don’t hurry up to the water’s surface now, she’ll die. We’re practically on the bottom now, and with the vampire princess in my arms, I’m using my strength to kick my legs against the bottom. With force I don’t know I possess, we fly up out of the lake and land on the shore with a thud.

The music changes once again because the council believes that something dramatic is happening, “Don’t let me down” by Conor Maynard echoes across the arena. My head is throbbing, but I have no time to lose, and I’m going straight to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, also known as CPR. I place one of my hands in the middle of Kaylin’s sternum and place the other above the other. My hands press down five centimeters and keep a pace of one hundred and ten pressures a minute; I’m not one hundred percent sure. When I press for the thirtieth time, I begin with blow-ins.

I put one hand on her forehead, bend her head back and lift her chin with my second hand’s index and middle finger, holding her nose closed, and place my mouth next to Kaylin’s, blowing in the air. The chest rises, but beyond that, not much happens. I continue with chest compressions and blow-ins, but nothing happens! The panic spreads in my body, and I don’t know what else I can do.

“Come on, Kaylin!” I roar and slap her in the face before returning to pressing her chest. “Don’t leave me in here alone!”

She starts coughing, and the water flows out of her mouth. I help her lay down on her side so the water can drain out of her mouth. Her lips are blue and breaths heavy, but she’s alive; I saved her! She keeps her eyes closed and tries to recover from the unprepared swim.

“Are you okay?” I ask her softly, and Kaylin opens her blue eyes to look at me.

She says nothing but just stares back at me with millions of thoughts in her eyes. I smile at her, and she keeps looking astoundingly at me.

“You saved my life,” she says quietly.

“Yeah, I did,” I reply, nodding. “And I’d do it again. It’s my job to keep you safe as you do with me.”

I don’t expect Kaylin to say or do anything. Hence I get confused when she throws her arms around my body in a cold hug. Even though vampires have a lower body temperature than humans and werewolves, hers is far below the limit of what’s healthy.

“Shit, Kaylin! You’re freezing!” I exclaim and rub her arms with my hands to at least try to return some warmth. “I’ll try to find some firewood.”

She nods and rubs her legs with her cold hands. I have to increase her body heat before she goes into thermal shock. Kaylin and I haven’t known each other for a long time, but I feel responsible for her safety, because I am. And it’s not just because she’s the rightful heir to the throne of our race, but because she’s very reminiscent of Cara. I feel a bond with Kaylin, a strong connection as if she were my sister. There’s no way to describe it, other than that it feels like we’re family and belong together; not in a romantic way, though.

Thanks to the fact that we’re in a sunny and dry zone, it doesn’t take long to find enough firewood for a moderate fire. I hurry back to Kaylin just to see her slowly rolling back and forth on the ground. She looks at my puzzled facial expression and chuckles at me.

“What in the world are you up to now?” I ask with my eyebrows almost up at my hairline.

“I can’t stand up yet, and I have to get my blood circulation going before I go into shock,” she explains, continuing to roll.

Her words make me smile at both her knowledge and resourcefulness. I laugh to myself, shaking my head and putting up the wood in a pile. Kaylin looks at me and sends an orb of fire quickly into the piled-up wood. I help her sit in front of the fire, and she leans her head against my shoulder. This is the first time she seems small and young, minimal, like a lonely child without parents. Basically, I realize that Kaylin is a very lonely person, thrown into a world that scares her. Her eyelids are heavy, and she struggles with staying awake.

“It’s okay, Kaylin,” I say, stroking her hair. “You sleep; I’ll be here when you wake up.”

A/N:

Hello everyone!

It doesn’t seem like our radar pair is going to have any long-er quiet time, or what do you say? Both of them also seem to need each other in there to make sure they both get out.

❀ What do you think of Brandon?

✿ What do you think about Kaylin’s fight with the Dragon, stupid or brave?

❀ Do you think they’re connected somehow?

Please let me know your thoughts since they help me develop in my creative process! Thank you for reading. Lots of love.<3