tell you they vandalized my office building?” The words were flying out of her at high speed, so I threw my hands up to silence her.
“Okay, okay. That may all be true, but they didn’t attack the palace and I know that for a fact.” I gave her a stern, challenging look and she swallowed hard. I realized then that she probably felt what I had when I’d first met Fox. Did I have the same effect on her? If I did, I should probably keep my anger in control. I leaned back and softened my expression.
“What are you saying?” Jacklyn asked, sounding fearful.
“What I’m saying,” I grasped her hands in mine and sighed, “Nicolae said it was them because he didn’t want the people to know what really happened. It would cause mass hysteria, and it would be too dangerous for people to know the truth right now, but I couldn’t lie to you. It’s not safe for you here.”
Arrick leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. “What Claire is trying to say is that a danger far greater than the anti-vampire league is at work here.”
Jacklyn shook her head. “Why are you telling me this?” Her voice was wavering in fear.
I dropped out of my seat to my knees and knelt before her. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m trying to warn you.” Before I knew it I was emitting my emotions toward her and embracing her with them, trying to calm her fears. “I want to keep you safe.”
“Wha… What really happened then?” She began rubbing her temples as her voice calmed and her breathing relaxed.
“There’s a group of really bad vampires that don’t like the way we live.” I was sugar coating it to say the least, but did I really need to tell her that evil personified wanted to kill us all?
“Bad vampires?” She said those two words like they didn’t make sense to her. I should have known she wouldn’t understand. In her eyes, vampires were as good as gods. Bad and vampires were two words that didn’t go together.
“Yes.” I pulled myself back onto the couch. “You know the history of the dark ages, don’t you?” She nodded. “Well…” I was going to have to stop beating around the bush and just come out with it. Maybe she would be able to handle the truth better than I thought she could. “There’s a vampire named Baal that Nicolae fought in the dark ages. Everyone thought he was gone, but he’s been spending all this time regaining his power. And now…” I could see her mind reeling as her eyes grew wide. How could I put this without making her head explode?
“Baal has returned. He craves a world of chaos, where vampires hold dominion over humans. Where they feed freely and kill whomever they desire,” Arrick interjected without faltering.
Jacklyn slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. “This can’t be!” She gasped through her fingers. “Nicolae would never let that happen.”
My brow furrowed, she still wasn’t getting it. “None of us want it to happen, and we’re going to do everything we can to stop him, but he’s already attacked so many. Not just in this region.”
She rose from her seat slowly, before starting to pace the room. “This just can’t be,” she repeated over and over as she hugged herself.
After what felt like an eternity of watching her walk back and forth like a clock pendulum, I rose and clicked off the TV before grasping her by the shoulders and holding her before me. “Come with me. I can keep you safe.” I searched her watery eyes, but she avoided my gaze.
“I can’t.” She pulled away from me and walked to the china cabinet where she kept her liquor. She poured herself a glass of the amber liquid and downed it in one gulp. “I can’t come with you.”
“What? Why not?”
It never occurred to me that she would say no. I only worried that the truth of what happened would scare her to death, and even though she looked like she’d seen a ghost, she wanted to stay.
She poured another drink, but sipped it as she took a seat on the arm of the couch. She eyed the many boxes throughout the room; the flyers, posters, banners, and buttons, before she spoke. “Our world was once a dangerous place to live; and it will be again, not because of the evil in it, but because of those who don’t stand up