The Vampire And The Orphan
Chapter Twelve

It was just shy of dusk, and Lettie was returning from the little creek in the valley, she and Nathanial had been calling home.

It had been nearly a week, and they had fallen into a routine. Lettie would stay awake most of the night with Nathanial. She’d usually fall asleep at some point before him and would always wake before him.

When the sun would go down, they'd sit and chat under the moonlight, and he would build a fire to keep her warm. They bathed in the creek, and since Lettie would wake before the sun had gone down, she took their clothes to the stream and washed them. She would then leave them to dry in the late evening sun. Many things had fallen from the streets above into the valley down here. They found a tarp and cut it into makeshift clothes to cover themselves while their clothing dried.

Walking around like that was a tad awkward, but they became more comfortable with each other daily. She slipped her newly-dried clothes and left Nathanial's folded clothes near the cave entrance.

He was pensive and lost in his thoughts the prior evening, and she knew it was because he was trying to decide what to do next. No matter how well this valley was hidden, they could only stay in one place for a short time, which posed an important question.

How did they get back up? She craned her neck to look up at that steep rocky cliff, the memory of Nathanial free-falling down it fresh in her mind.

"Those wings would be nice," she said, directing her words toward the sky.

She'd been practicing by healing Nathanial's wounds all week, along with various flowers and shrubs around the island. She'd also slipped in and out of the 'faux 'cave" she'd made several times. She'd always known there was something about her that was different than the other kids at the orphanage. Now at least, she knew what it was, or some of it. She was enjoying starting to hone the abilities she did have.

"Could I exit somewhere else?" she spoke out loud, pacing as she thought. "I always come back right here, but does it have to be? Can I find a way, so my exit is up there?"

With that in mind, she pushed through the invisible barrier and found herself in the void again. This time she paused before returning to the faux cave she'd initially created for her and Nathanial. She stood in the nothing and tried to envision the road; maybe if she made a replica of that, the exit would be on it.

Just like that, she found herself standing on a familiar rough surface. It was as dark as the cave realm she had created; however, she could use the light from her necklace to see she was on the street. She sought out the void again and stepped through it. She was back outside the cave where she'd started when she emerged.

"Darn," she mumbled, "didn't work."

So no matter what she created, she'd always return to where she was. Did that mean that she could get into other realms from that nothingness?

If she could, perhaps she could find the woman that belonged to the voice she couldn't stop thinking of. With that in mind, she jumped through once again. This time she stood in the nothing or the void as Nathanial called it.

She stood and stayed still, letting her senses take over. She started walking slowly and carefully; it was bizarre walking through this void. One couldn't see or feel a thing. It felt like an odd dream; however, you were awake. She continued to move forward with no real direction in mind.

After what felt like a long time, she suddenly stopped. She felt something ahead of her, sensed it.

Did she find a realm created by someone else? Could it be her?

“Hello?" she called out.

"Child, come," came the voice in an instant.

She froze as she knew this voice. She usually heard this voice in her head, her dreams of this place. Only this time, it was real. It sounded like a male voice but very smooth, almost musical.

"Who are you?" she took a step back from where his voice had come from.

She was reasonably sure she knew who this was and remembered the woman's warning well.

"Do not be daft, child," came the mocking reply, "You know who I am."

"Jael," as she it said aloud, she shuddered; even his name held so much power.

"You have come of age. I know that you are aware of what you are now. I know you found your inner light; it repels my seeking orb."

"You're talking about the back cloud?" she questioned, "that's why it went away?"

She hadn't seen it since her necklace started to glow. It made so much sense now, the glowing light on her necklace's stone was Lettie's light energy. That was how she made it brighter when she created the realm.

“Follow my voice," Jael directed, "We have much to discuss."

"I won't," she refused, "I won't come to you."

“You must! Our kind depends on you."

"What?" Lettie asked.

"Our only hope tainted by disgusting human blood," he added in a pitiful mutter.

"Excuse me?" Lettie huffed. "Rude much? Why would I come to you now?"

"Because I demand it!"

"Well, too bad," Lettie found herself smirking. She knew he couldn't come to her; if he could, he would've, so she felt a certain level of power in this exchange.

"Who spoke of me; who warned you? Was it that blasted order?"

He said the word, order, like it made him sick. Lettie remained silent, not wanting to give anything away. She felt in her heart that the woman would not want him to know they spoke.

"You'd believe those wretched blood-sucking abominations over your own kind?"

"They wouldn't exist if not for you," Lettie pointed out.

“They were only supposed to be a means to an end. They ruined us, do you not see it? We cannot survive like this forever."

“What does that mean?" Lettie asked. "You keep making it sounds like there are others."

“There are. I am not alone here," he said. "We need the earth, and it needs us. We are connected in a way they shall never understand. It is weakening the earth and our kind the longer it goes on."

"Did Lilith hide you away here?" She asked, "in another realm? How did she do that?"

"She did no such thing," Jael laughed at that. It was a chilling sound. "I planned this carefully... it was never supposed to end up like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Our fate," he said in a frustrated tone, "I only intended to buy us time, that foolish girl! She foiled everything!"

"What, girl?" Lettie asked.

"Your mother... my final child," he sounded nearly wistful as he spoke.

Her mother, the women's voice she'd heard, had to be her.

“She ran away from her fate and duty, and then she foolishly mated with a human." Lettie listened intently as Jael spilled the secrets of her parentage. "She won't be able to hide forever," Jael added, "she will face me. She will face her betrayal."

="If she ran away from you, I assume she had a reason," Lettie said as she folded her arms.

"Just come, child, see for yourself," he urged.

Truthfully she did feel something, a pull. Were there others that needed her, or was he lying? She ignored his plea for the time being, but she wasn't done trying to obtain knowledge from him, so she remained in the void. "My mother is your born daughter, directly? Making you my grandfather?" She questioned.

"Do not spit blasted human titles at me. I am the father of all fae, you included, as tainted as you are."

"How am I able to open realms?" She questioned, "if you cannot, how can I? How can my mother?"

"I will not answer another question until you come to me," he said.

"I won't," she held firm.

"You know where you belong," his voice became lower and more threatening as those words spilled out.

"I do," Lettie said, "it's with Nathanial. My mate. That is where I belong. He is my home."

"Mate," Jael spit the word out like it tasted awful. "I care not one iota about fabled destiny and soulmates. It's all a bunch of rubbish! A pure natural fae to be mated to such an abomination! Lies and blasphemy is what it is."

"You're wrong!" Lettie yelled out.

"Am I?" Jael asked.

"You are!" She refused to allow him to take this away from her; finding out she truly belonged to someone after a childhood of loneliness was the greatest gift. She may have been upset about it at first. However, she longed now for the days ahead with her handsome vampire. She could not wait for their bond to grow into true love.

"Then let me ask you why I only feel pure hatred for my supposed mate?"

"What?" Lettie gasped. "You had a soulmate?"

"Have," he corrected her, "... and she destroyed me and my real love. I despise her with every ounce of my being. I never loved her."

"Never?" Lettie whimpered; how could that be?

“Does that bother you, Olette?" He was taunting her now, "to know he may never love you?"

"I don't want to listen to you anymore!" Lettie yelled, then she turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She could hear his laughter behind her as she ran.

Finally, she felt that opening again and jumped through. When she landed back on earth, it was dark already.

"Lettie!" Nathanial was suddenly in front of her, his hands upon her shoulders. His emerald eyes were full of panicked worry. "I've been searching relentlessly! I was so worried! Where did you go? Did you go into the void alone?"

She'd never seen Nathanial so panicked. He was usually so very calm. She felt terrible for worrying him so much. "I did. I'm sorry. I wanted to try something, and then I got caught up."

"Don't ever do that again!" His look was so intense it took her breath away. "I was beside myself."

"I'm sorry!" She stepped closer, placing her hands on his cheeks. "I'm okay, see just fine," she assured him as his concerned eyes washed over her face.

He was so worried...

"Our blood bond," Nathanial spoke quietly, "allows me to always sense you. I can feel your state of mind. It's how I can rest, knowing you are safe. When you were gone, I couldn't sense you anymore. It .. it felt like I'd lost you."

A look like she'd never seen from him came over his face as he said that, and it stilled her heart, "I was terrified."

She hadn't moved, and neither had he. There were so close her long lashes were nearly touching his face. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"You can't go in there again without me," he begged her, "please promise me."

"I promise," she assured him, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. She could see his face relaxing as she comforted him.

"I can't lose you, my little faery girl," his voice became even quieter and softer, and her heart quickened at the tender look in his eyes. Jael was wrong; she knew he was. She felt Nathanial's heart more each day.

"You won't lose me," she whispered, "and I won't lose you. We belong to, and with each other; I know we do."

"Oh, sweet girl," he said in a whisper of his own, "of course we do." His eyes dropped then to her lips, and she gasped.

He looked at her with a questioning look in those emerald-green eyes. She didn't have to say yes, because he saw it in her violet gaze. His lips touched hers, and the electric feeling that soured her body made her feel very alive. His kiss was just like him, gentle but assuring and controlled. She was able to melt into it, into him. She wound her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, both losing themselves.

Then he suddenly pulled back abruptly and urgently.

"Nathanial?"

He held his finger to his lips and looked up towards the sky. "Someone is coming," he whispered.

"What?" Her eyes widened.

And then she heard it too... the sound of a helicopter approaching them from overhead. "What do we do now!?" Lettie asked in a panicked voice.

"We have nowhere to go." Nathanial looked at her, "go hide in the cave. I'll see what they want."

"But"_

"Lettie, go!"

She did as he said but she stayed near the mouth of the cave, watching intently as she waited to see who was coming.

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