Page 10 of Resurrecting His Soul
Lisandra’s eyes grew wide. “You want me to hold my breath the whole car ride?”
“Only if you need to.”
She shifted in her seat so her whole body faced him. “I know you said we only breathe out of habit, but how am I supposed to hold my breath that long?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he chuckled. “You might have to concentrate on not breathing. Even though we don’t need air to survive, you’ve been breathing your entire life so it will feel odd not to. It feels uncomfortable because we’re used to steadily inhaling and exhaling, but we can survive without breathing at all.”
“Yeah, I tried it after you told me we didn’t have to breathe before. It’s an odd sensation. Waiting for your body to demand air and that feeling never coming, but I can do it to make sure Allison is safe on the ride with us.” Her body went completely still, and he knew she had stopped breathing. Her shoulders were no longer gently moving up and down with every breath, and she just stared at him, her eyes growing wider after every second that passed. She looked like a statue, even if she was the most beautiful statue that ever existed. He started to speak again, but the back door opened and the car quickly filled with a human scent he recognized from the night his life changed… Allison.
“Is it okay for me to get in?” she asked from outside the car. Her voice sounded incredibly steady for a human who had been told she was about to get in the car with two vampires. Lisandra had said Allison always believed in her, and he had to admit her willingness to jump in when Lisandra had warned her it was dangerous made it clear that Lisandra had undersold her friend’s loyalty.
He met Lisandra’s eyes, needing to know she was okay. She still wasn’t breathing, but she nodded. “Yes,” he said, without looking away from Lisandra. “It’s fine. You can get in.”
Allison slowly got in the car, and Ricardo had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Maybe she trusted Lisandra, but she obviously still had the human instinct for self-preservation. It didn’t matter how slow or fast she moved, her scent was just as strong, and if one of them decided to go for her, there would be nothing she could do, and no possibility she could escape. He didn’t wait for something to go wrong, deciding that the sooner they were home and not locked in the car with Allison, the better off Lisandra would be. Him too. Surprisingly, other than some tingling at the back of his throat brought on by the scent of Allison, he did not have any urge to drink from her, or worse. Maybe it was because he’d just fed, not that it would have made a difference in the past, or maybe it had something to do with the fact that the beauty next to him wouldn’t forgive him if he hurt her best friend. He glanced at Lisandra, who was still sitting awkwardly, afraid to breathe. Yup. It was definitely the second option.
ChapterSeven
Lisandra
Allison took her time walking around Ricardo’s guest house, looking at everything like she was fascinated by it all. It was a great house, and under normal circumstances it made sense to get lost in the lavish home, but Lisandra knew her friend was just stalling. Ricardo had not wanted to leave them alone, but she hadn’t really given him a choice. Still, she knew he was just outside the guest house, ready to rush in and save her from herself in a split second if she lost her control, and it surprised her that it didn’t make her feel like he thought she was weak.
The ride from the motel back to Ricardo’s had been awkward, and unpleasant for sure. The burning sensation was still present, even with the space she kept between her and Allison while they walked around the house, but she wasn’t having to fight it too hard. There was a small piece of her, she guessed it was that animalistic nature Ricardo had mentioned all vampires had, that wanted to feed, but it was only a small tingling in the back of her mind. The part of her that loved Allison, that part was so much bigger, and that part did not want anything but to make sure Allison was safe. It was also a little scared that despite their friendship, despite the love they had that made them sisters, even if not by birth, that Allison wouldn’t want to stick around. She was asking a lot of her friend, and if she were really honest with herself, she knew that made her selfish, but for once she wanted to be selfish and she was not ready to give up Allison.
When she started opening cabinets in the kitchen Lisandra knew it was just Allison dragging out the silence before the storm. She took a seat at the kitchen table. It was far enough away that she was pretty sure she would be okay. The part of her that thought of humans as food was small around Allison, but she didn’t want to risk getting too close so soon.
“Stop stalling,” Lisandra said.
Allison froze, her hand still on the cabinet she’d just opened, revealing enough plates and bowls to feed a very large family. “I know that you need to learn to control your new urges,” Allison said. Then she closed the cabinet and turned around to face Lisandra, “but that’s not the only reason we’re here.”
“Of course it is,” Lisandra argued.
Allison crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “You forget that I know you better than anyone else. I saw the way you were looking at Ricardo. You’ve never looked at anyone that way before. It’s a good look on you. If I can accept that you are a vampire, you need to be honest with us both and admit that you have feelings for him.”
Lisandra huffed and looked away, avoiding Allison’s eyes. “How can I have feelings for him, Allison? I barely know him.”
“Sometimes our soul just knows when it has met its match.”
This time it was Lisandra who rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, and you’ve experienced this love at first sight phenomenon you’re trying to sell me on.”
“Not yet, but I hope to one day. Besides,” Allison wiggled her eyebrows at her, “I didn’t use the L word. That was all you just now, but I’m glad I was able to help you admit your feelings.”
“Uh, I should have left you at that hotel.”
“Whatever. You know you don’t want to live without me, or Ricardo either.” A wide grin spread across Allison’s face and Lisandra flipped her off.
A few moments passed and she let out a deep breath. “I don’t know what it is, but you’re right. There is something drawing me to him, but that doesn’t mean I will act on it. We both know I’m not a good judge of character. Besides, it’s probably just because he’s my maker.”
“First, don’t talk down to yourself like that. Jameson was a damn good actor for a while, and nobody saw through his shit until it was too late. That’s not on you.” Allison stared at her hard until she nodded. “Second. What do you mean about him being your maker?” Allison moved towards the table and Lisandra stiffened and held her breath. “Shit, Lis. Sorry. I didn’t think.”
She took a minute before she allowed herself to breathe. Her eyes were drawn to the glass French doors on the other side of the table, and she caught a glimpse of Ricardo. Seeing him helped calm her. If she couldn’t control herself, she knew he would stop her; he wouldn’t let her hurt Allison. Knowing that helped her relax back in her chair. She nodded towards a chair at the other end of the table. “No, you shouldn’t be sorry. I will be okay. Just sit over there. I’m not ready to test having you at arm’s length just yet.” Her eyes went back to the door and landed on Ricardo’s. Were his eyes glowing? She could swear they were like two small blue rings of fire set in his handsome face, which she could see clearly even in the dark. There were some perks to the whole being a vampire thing.
Allison sat in the chair further away, and she put her elbows on the table and leaned in with her hands together like she was holding herself back. She probably was because it wasn’t natural for them to put so much distance between themselves, and she loved her friend even more for doing what she could to make things easier for her, but it was just what Allison did. She protected her, always had, and she had a feeling that she always would. “So,” Allison said. “What’s this maker business?”
“It’s not a term Ricardo used, I just guess it fits. He made me a vampire. Fed me his blood to save me after I was attacked.” Her mind went back to when he’d told her who was responsible for attacking her and it hit her. “I’m his progeny, too.”
“What?” Allison’s eyebrows shot up.
“The person, well, vampire who attacked me. He was her maker, too. He’d called her his progeny. Now that I think about it, the way he’d said it, and the way he talked about her being his responsibility, it reminded me of a parent talking about their child.” Allison laughed, and Lisandra narrowed her eyes at her. “I don’t know what you could find funny right now.”
