Slowly, throughout the conversation, Aran's wary frown had lifted into an intrigued smirk. It was easy to tell what Aran was feeling, he portrayed everything through his eyes. Any time something caught his attention, or something displeased him, his eyes changed accordingly. He was the complete opposite of Kale, who showed no emotion in his eyes if he didn't want me to see it. Aran seemed to have no control over the matter.
Roland's plan was fairly simple, and Aran seemed to agree to it for the most part, of course he shifted some things around so that it was more reasonable for his part in the plan.
Oh yeah, and as it turns out, Aran played a major part in the angel choir. He wasn't a seraphim--which is the highest choir of angels--or anything extreme like that but he was just below them. Apparently he had the chance to join them, but he declined, remaining a guardian angel.
Roland seemed a little put off that Aran wasn't the highest choir of angels, but he perked up when Aran mentioned that he was part of the council, and held in the higher angels' good graces.
"Excellent." Roland murmured for about the hundredth time.
The plan. Now that was something I was nervous about. Maybe because it was strategic and I was never good with strategies, and maybe it was because I wasn't allowed to help...at all. Then again, I could only comfort myself with saying, "What could I possibly do to help?"
There would be fighting, I knew that much, and Dante was ecstatic. Kale was indifferent, or at least he seemed that way during the explanation, if he had any excess thoughts about the subject he didn't address them.
I'll give you the low down of the plan. Naturally, I would hide. Where? Aran had a place in mind, a place where he assured I would be safe. After a glare from Kale, smoldering with distrust, he assured Kale that I would be returned to him after the fighting was done. Kale was satisfied and remained silent throughout the remainder of the explanation.
And Roland? He was thorough when it came to his plan, as if he had memorized every detail within a matter of minutes.
Brooke would smile and nod, interject in places where she thought he wasn't regarding safety closely enough, and then--during parts that didn't include her--she would roll her eyes and stare out the window, making no attempt to seem interested.
I paid as close attention as possible, even if I was only going to be able to hide while everyone else fought. The plan was to trust Aran to assemble an army of angels willing to fight alongside vampires and werewolves, but he would have to make it clear why there was such a need to do so. In return for my protection, I would hand over a vial of my own blood to the angels, a cure for the vampiric virus. In the later years when their machinery was complete they would clone my DNA without needing me to be around. That would get Heaven off my back. This only left the vampires on my case, and--I shuddered at the thought--Lucifer.
Who would the angels be keeping at bay? Strangely enough, the other angels. I wasn't sure if Aran had any inner turmoil in accordance to fighting against his own sister, but I made a mental note to ask him later.
From what I could tell, Lucifer wasn't even an obstacle at the time, and he was in no way included in the plan. Hopefully, there would be no surprises. I wasn't about to pipe in on the war council either, since I was already the source of the war itself, I didn't want to be overcomplicating things, since I tended to do that.
By the time Roland was done fussing over details and Aran decided to stop interrupting and listen, the sun began spilling into the room. I saw Kale flinch slightly, glaring at the sunlight at his feet.
How long had it been since he'd fed? He hadn't been refraining for my sake...had he?
He seemed to feel my eyes on him, since he swiftly looked up and caught my gaze with the sapphire gems he called his eyes. He smirked when I couldn't look away, and casually walked over to where I stood. I felt like a bashful concubine, the way I blushed and looked down at the floor when he approached. Surely he was much too beautiful to have any real feelings toward me, any that would last longer than a few years. He was a vampire he was going to live forever, why stay with just one person?
And still part of me tugged my eyes from the floor when he lifted my chin gently with his fingertips. I met his eyes carefully, fighting with myself, scolding myself for any delusions I might have concocted. With his opposite hand, he brushed his fingertips just below my eye, where I was blushing heavily.
My heart pounded quicker, while my head asked: What is he doing?
His smirk became slightly more conceded and I must have been burning his fingertips at the rate he was forcing my blush. "When you blush, your skin's so much warmer." He informed me, now pressing his entire palm lightly against my cheek. His frozen hand caused me to shiver, but he seemed to pay no mind.
There was something like curiosity in his eyes as he stared into mine, as if he were expecting to find a certain emotion, but it wasn't present. "Are you scared?" He suddenly wanted to know, noticing my shivering.
I shook my head quickly, "No." I replied simply. And it was true, my shivering had nothing to do with fear, simply his cool hand. But, his frozen touch seemed to lessen as he kept his hand against my skin. Slowly, my blush faded, and, carefully, I put my hand over his, keeping it against my cheek.
Kale seemed surprised at this, and chuckled quietly, pulling his hand out from under mine.
My hand still hovered over the place where his cool hand had been, I couldn't keep all of the hurt expression from my eyes, but I managed to mask most of it, letting my hand drop to my side again.
I was startled when Kale caught my hand in his, gingerly, he turned my hand over in his, tracing over the veins in the back of my hand he murmured, "Jenna," he sighed and shook his head, "You're so fragile." He informed me, and I looked down determinedly at the ground, not wanting to meet his gaze. What would I see there? I was afraid to find out.
"And yet, you're not afraid?" Kale continued, his cool hands tracing the lines on my palm. "Don't you know how easily I could hurt you?" He asked darkly, not looking at me either, but looking distractedly at my hand.
I nodded carefully, thinking of the right words, then, simply, "But you wouldn't."
He looked up at this, trying to read my expression, but I had looked down again, this time at my feet as I shuffled them uncomfortably.
Kale chuckled without humor, "And you're so sure of that?"
It might have been a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway, "Yes."
I looked up from my feet meeting Kale's gaze with unflinching sincerity. Kale searched my eyes momentarily, then closed his, laughing, this time humor in his voice, "Then that makes one of us." He dropped my hand, although there was a trace of reluctance in the action.
It took me a moment to realize that the room had gone quiet. I looked up, blinking several times in confusion before my cheeks burned again. Everyone was staring.
"W-what?" I demanded shakily, as if the conversation hadn't taken place.
Then, Dante's gaze caught mine, it was filled with amusement, "Jenna loves K-aaale!" He chimed happily, sounding much like an ecstatic school girl.
"Shut up Dante." Kale ordered, although there wasn't much heart to the demand.
My blush deepened.
"Ohhh! She's blushing! It must be true!" Dante purred, disappearing and then reappearing beside me. He threw an arm around my shoulders and murmured, "Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell...everyone."
"I-I-I..." I trailed off, and looked at Dante who was grinning widely and then looked back to the ground, then up to Kale, who looked just as amused as Dante was acting.
"Brooke!" I whined suddenly, pooching out my bottom lip in a would-be pout.
Dante pulled his arm around me tighter and held me in front of him like a shield, "That was unnecessary." Dante chided, watching Brooke warily, and she really looked like she had planned on hitting him. Dante sighed, "Looks like I won't be sleeping tonight."
Brooke snorted, "Like you sleep anyway."
Dante shrugged, "It's the thought that counts." Dante grinned a wide grin and continued, "Then again if you were in my bed, then maybe I'd have some incentive..."
Brooke's face reddened in anger, "Dante, I'm warning you, and considering your track record that's extremely gracious of me, any more talk like that and I'll go through Jenna to get to you."
Dante's grin broadened, "Really? Now that's interesting..." He opened his mouth to say something else, but I couldn't quite catch it as I was jerked abruptly to the side, and out from under Dante's arm.
My stomach did a back flip and then attempted to resettle as the room stayed in one place again. I looked up cautiously, seeing that another arm had replaced Dante's, although it was more of a protective arm, rather than one that planned on using me as a shield. I found that it belonged to Kale, and he smirked down at my bewildered expression.
Feeling as if the moment would pass too quickly, I leaned casually into Kale's side, finding it comfortable despite the cold emitting from his very being. Kale stiffened instinctively, obviously not expecting me to respond like I did.
He looked down at me, once again, searching for something, and, once again, not finding the correct emotion present. I examined his facial expression carefully, and concluded that there was something he wanted to say, but managed to keep quiet. He pressed his lips together in a tight line, and looked away again as a wail came from Dante.
"Owww!" He groaned, pushing himself quickly away from the wall before Brooke could assault him again. He glared at Kale who was suddenly smirking at the aftermath of his actions. "You're a horrible brother." Dante informed him bitterly, ducking below a plate that Brooke had found and thrown at him.
Then, Brooke smiled at Kale, "But a wonderful friend." She appraised happily. Apparently she didn't much like that plate.
I was abruptly aware that Aran was still present, although I only realized it when he spoke between the brief silence, "Your little family here is by far the strangest thing I've ever seen." He shook his head, but he was smiling faintly. Then, he sighed, "I should be on my way, if you want this plan of yours to take place soon, that gives me very little time to assemble a small army." He sounded only slightly irritated at the end of his sentence.
"Okay," Roland was the one to speak first, "and you'll keep in touch, right?" He wanted strings to pull and he wanted those strings close to him, like a paranoid puppet master that was afraid everyone was determined to cut his strings while his back was turned.
Aran nodded once, "Right."
Then, he turned silently and glided out of the room. It was at that moment that I realized that I was the least graceful creature in that room. Everyone else seemed to glide instead of walk, well, in my case it probably seemed like I was stomping everywhere I went. It felt like it when I suddenly followed Aran to the front door.
There was no way he couldn't have heard me, but he didn't turn around until both him and I were outside and I had closed the front door behind me.
"Do you need something?" He inquired sourly. Although I wasn't sure where the tone had risen from.
I hesitated, considered the reasons, and then chose to ignore the tone, "This plan is...okay with you?" I was trying to find the right words without asking the obvious question in my mind: Was he going to be alright fighting his sister?
The irritation left his eyes and was replaced with a softer emotion, "Janelle, there's no need to worry about me." A faint smile graced his boyishly handsome face. "I've lived long enough to gain more experience than you would even think is possible. I know what I'm doing, and there's no need to fear for my mental state." He paused, then a frown appeared, looking misplaced on his features, "You, on the other hand are still very young--"
"I'm seventeen." I interrupted briskly, but Aran only chuckled.
Soon to be eighteen. I added silently to myself.
"By my standards." He reminded me gently. I rolled my eyes and he continued, "As I was saying, I'm not sure you fully understand the danger you're in." All laughter was gone from his voice. And, for a brief moment, I felt as if he'd sweep me off my feet and take me as far away from Kale as possible.
I back peddled a few steps, "I do understand, and I know where I'm safest. You may not think I've made the right choice but you don't exactly know those four either." I paused to let that sink in, but continued again, "You're biased anyway."
Aran smiled wryly, obviously finding no truth in my words. "You don't have to run from me Janelle, I'm not going to take you away if you don't want to go. Although, if I suspect you're in any danger..." He trailed off thoughtfully.
"I won't be in any danger...Or at least not any more danger than is considered normal. Besides, if I do happen to get in any trouble, Kale will protect me." I added a little too quickly, "He's good at that sort of thing."
"Only for as long as you serve your purpose as a bargaining chip." Aran muttered bitterly, but I still heard him and flushed.
"What?" I demanded, although I didn't wait for an answer, instead I flew to the defensive, "You have no idea what you're talking about. Kale is trying to keep me alive and, unlike you, he's done a better job, avoiding such things as dragging me into a torture chamber!" Just before I turned I saw the nerve I had stuck, a painful one, based on the look in his eyes. But I was too angry to regret it at the time.
I stomped into the house and closed the door, refraining from slamming it as my anger already began to die off.
I stood in the hallway for a minute, calming down as my anger completely left me. Then, my conscience began to pull its way to the surface, and I half-turned to the door to apologize, but ended up stopping short, shaking my head and walking into the living room.
Dante was grinning when I walked into the room, and appeared at my side to throw an arm around my shoulders, "See? I knew, you were one of us!" He let out a lyrical laugh that melted small portions of my heart, but I tried to focus on something else, other than the fact that everyone had heard my entire conversation.
I stole a glance at Kale who smiled darkly in my direction, it wasn't his usual adorable smirk, but something he pulled up to contradict his emotions and distract me from whatever he had been thinking at the time. I pressed my lips in a hard line, and blushed at any remaining remarks Dante had about my actions or--in some cases--my perpetual blush.
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That night, I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling with no thoughts in my head and butterflies in my stomach. Needless to say, the plan would be executed tomorrow--as they had decided--and I would be left on my own. It was a nerve-wracking thought. As odd as it was, I was used to having Kale as a body guard.
And now that I knew he wouldn't be anywhere near me, I felt like a turtle without its shell.
Kale knew I was awake, since, as always, he was in the room with me as I slept. Sometimes I wondered if he even left at all when I was asleep. The common sense side of me said: of course! While some foreign side of me said: I hope not.
What truly unnerved me, was the fact that he hadn't said anything since Aran had left, and still, that dark smile haunted me when I closed my eyes. What had he been thinking? Had I said something wrong?
I scolded myself for feeling bad, if he didn't like what I said, he shouldn't have been listening...And even so, I hadn't said anything bad about him.
In the midst of my thoughts, Kale spoke, his golden voice just beside my ear, "Jenna?"
I jolted into a sitting position, my heart thudding three times faster than its usual rate. "What?" I asked softly, unwilling to shatter the silence that had been driving me insane.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" He asked, and I found him standing beside the bed, looking out the window, with his back to me. I was almost certain he knew why I wasn't sleeping.
I pulled myself from under the covers, tugged my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them and rested my chin on my knees. "Too much to think about." I semi-lied. I was thinking about a lot, but I was more so nervous about tomorrow.
"You're nervous." Kale corrected me, a slight sound of amusement in my tone, probably at my horrible lying skills. Not only could I not lie, but I couldn't even tell a decent half-lie.
"Yeah." I agreed, blushing only faintly at being caught in the act of my horrid half-lying skills.
"About tomorrow?"
"Yeah." I said again.
"You shouldn't be. You'll be out of harms way." Kale still had his back to me, and the amusement had left his voice, he sounded as if he had his mind elsewhere.
"I know." Was all I said.
"You're not very talkative." He pointed out
"Uh-uh."
Kale sighed and turned around at a phenomenal speed, to the point where he became a blur for a fraction of a second, "What is it?" He asked in a rush of breath, obviously annoyed at my short answers.
I recoiled at the vicious tone and turned my back to him, I was shaking slightly. I didn't want to see him like that, it was the side of Kale that I saw less and less of, but it was the side of him that frightened me most. I squeezed my eyes shut when he appeared on the other side of the bed. "Are you done?" I asked shakily, although I had meant for it to sound defiant, but somehow failed.
Kale's fingertips brushed against my jaw line and in response, my jaw tightened when my teeth clenched together. His hand retracted and I knew I'd done something to either anger him further or maybe even hurt him.
"I'm sorry Jenna. I didn't mean to snap at you...I just have a lot on my mind." Kale said gingerly, judging by his tone I'd hurt him. "Sometimes the monster inside me gets out." He spoke in a whisper for his last sentence, "I don't want you to be afraid of me."
I let my eyes slide open and my body had ceased shaking. He was back to normal again, the Kale that I'd grown used to, rather than the demanding angry vampire that had kidnapped me so many months ago. "You know what's bothering me. I want to know what's bothering you." I said in a surprisingly level tone.
Kale was facing me now, kneeling beside the bed in front of me, although he refused to look me directly in the eyes when he spoke, "You really want to know?" He asked carefully, although I was certain he'd rather not tell me.
"Yes."
Kale sighed and blurred from my sight. The bed sunk beside me and I turned to find him lounging with his back against the bed post. I pushed my back against the headboard, watching him curiously.
"You are bothering me...essentially." He added the word as an after thought, seeing the hurt in my eyes. "Before I make you cry, let me explain." Kale said quickly.
A lot he knew, I didn't cry. At least not over hurt feelings, just deaths and sometimes frustration.
He continued, "You confuse me beyond no end, Jenna."
I blinked several times, not sure how to respond to the statement. "Sorry." I finally offered when he didn't continue.
"Don't apologize when you haven't done anything. It drives me crazy." Kale said quickly, making sure to keep his voice non-threatening. He sighed again and closed his eyes, pressing his palm to his forehead as he seemed to sort through his thoughts. "Jenna?" He asked, still with his eyes closed.
"Yes?"
"Do you really have so much faith in me? Did you really mean what you told the angel?"
His name's Aran. I corrected silently.
I hesitated, was that what was bothering him? Me having too much faith in him? "Umm...Yeah." I wasn't sure if I should have tried to lie to him, so my answer was murmured and hardly intelligible.
He opened his eyes now, confused by my uncertainty. Misreading my expression Kale assured me, "I won't get mad at you Jenna. Just give me an answer."
I took a deep breath, decided against lying and said clearly, "Yes. Every word." Nervously, I looked down at my hands as I fumbled with the bed spread.
Kale was silent and I tried to focus even more intently on the bed spread, turning small portions of it carefully in my fingers. Then, the bed spread had been replaced with something much colder, something that had become all too familiar to me. Kale's hand was larger than my own, but with slender fingers, making mine seem short and stubby in their presence.
I hesitated, looking up at Kale with curious eyes. His eyes met mine the moment I'd looked up. My breath caught in my throat and my heart rate sky rocketed again.
Carefully, Kale's slender fingers wrapped around one of my hands and he lifted it to his face. I felt color creep onto my face at his touch. His face was cool beneath my palm, but, somehow, not as cold as it seemed before.
"Jenna." He said firmly, holding my gaze, and I couldn't seem to pull away, "What if I told you that what Aran said was true? That I was only keeping you alive as a bargaining chip?"
I felt my insides squirm uncomfortably. I wanted to go back now, back to before I had asked what was bothering him. I didn't want to answer his question, any other question I might not have minded as much, but this one forced me to face the facts, to push aside my delusions and face reality.
I pulled my hand away, and Kale let it fall to my lap where I cradled it absently with my other hand. Then, I smiled wryly, I was on auto-pilot. A mode where I didn't even reach for a lie that wouldn't hold true. On the bright side, it made dropping my gaze very simple and I watched my hands when I spoke, "I guess I always knew that. A bargaining chip has its uses, but when its gone you hardly notice, and its easy enough to find a new one. I accepted the inevitable months ago. When I found out what you had planned to do with me." I laughed once without humor, "I thought you were going to kill me that night, you know? When you took me from...Darius.
"Before you take me to Lucifer, can I ask you a question?" I didn't wait for his response, "Will he..." Tears were welling up in my eyes now, I was accepting my death, but I was afraid, "Will I be...tortured? While I'm there? Will I ever die? I mean really die. Or, will it be a conscious pain?...Everlasting?" I was too choked up to continue, tears rolling down my face and falling off my chin to land in my hand's open palm.
"Jenna..." Kale had begun to say and I shook my head vigorously.
"I understand why you would honor the deal. She...she was beautiful, Rachel. And she loved you, more than anything, I felt it, to get her back, I understand why you would do anything." I sniffed, "Promise me you'll be happy." I demanded although my voice shook from sobs I couldn't keep back.
"Jenna." Kale said more forcefully this time, lifting my chin with his fingertips. I tried not to meet his gaze, embarrassed by my tears, but he forced me to look at him. His eyes were tender and I was confused at first, then realized it was remorse in his eyes, he hadn't meant to make me cry.
"You're not just a bargaining chip. Do you really think you're so insignificant that once you've lost your use to me that I'd simply get rid of you?" He demanded only slight irritation in his voice.
He pulled his hand away from me and hesitated before saying, "I...I miss R..." Kale couldn't quite get the name out. Two more tries and he managed to say, "Rachel. More than anything, I thought that I would do anything and everything to get her back, to hear her voice again, to..." He trailed off and focused on my eyes again, "Jenna, I...I can't stand seeing you in pain. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could bring you to Lucifer." He pressed his palm momentarily to my cheek, wiping away lasting tears with his thumb, "Seeing you in pain and simply turning my back would be like tearing out my insides and setting them on fire. I wouldn't be able to do it." He concluded, pulling his hand away from my face again, now looking down at the bed spread.
He wasn't going to take me to Lucifer? He had changed his mind?
I squeezed my eyes shut and threw my arms around Kale's neck, burying my face in his cold chest. "...Kale." I murmured almost silently. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and he held me tightly to him as he pressed his face lightly into my hair.
I was done crying. I knew that much when my grogginess caught up with me.
And that night, I fell asleep in Kale's protective arms...
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Wow! I made this a seriously long chapter, and on accident no less! ^_^ Well I hope you enjoyed the update! And for those of you who actually read my journal posts, and read that I would be leaving quizilla, heh, well. Funny story...I actually really don't like mibba, so I've decided to stay and deal with quizilla's little imperfections. =D
So! I hope I'll be talking to you all later! And man I can't wait for the homepages to come back! I really miss mine :(
Anyway, see ya!
.:Trapped:.
