Coleen: Forever (Waking Forever Series Book 5) Read online

  Kullaa did not fully understand what it was she had become, but she knew she was free. For the first time she had complete control over her life. With that realization, blood stained tears began to flow from the vampire’s eyes.

  Chapter 5

  Coleen sat slumped on the ground next to the boy. Her gray cashmere sweater was caked with dirt and the dried blood from her own tears. She had not thought about Gamil in over a thousand years, and she had not permitted herself feelings about her human life in even longer.

  The change had washed so much of her away, leaving only the core of what and who she had been. Attachments and affinities had gone out with the tide as well, but now, looking at this helpless, nearly dead boy, the memories of her human life had come raging back.

  A series of raspy coughs came from the wrecked car. The sound brought Coleen fully back into the present, and she quickly got to her feet. Forcing the crushed driver’s door open, Coleen was surprised to see the woman moving. Her breathing was labored, but her heartbeat was stronger than before.

  “Julian?” The woman’s voice was weak and muffled by the fabric of the deflated airbag.

  Coleen stood perfectly still. She could leave now, and no one would know how these two had managed to free themselves from the car. Looking down at the woman’s legs, though, Coleen could see that wasn’t an option. Her right leg was bent at an awkward angle near the knee and wedged under the collapsed dashboard.

  Damnit. Coleen sighed, and resigned to not leaving the woman or the boy to perish, she leaned into the car. Lifting the dashboard a few inches, Coleen carefully slid the woman’s broken leg free.

  The woman cried out, her heart pounding in Coleen’s ears. Ripping what was left of the airbag free of the steering wheel, Coleen could see the woman’s face for the first time. She was Hispanic, in her mid to late twenties with straight, shoulder length brown hair. In spite of the blood, debris, and white discharge powder from the airbag covering her face, neck and shoulders, it was clear to Coleen the woman was beautiful.

  “Julian? Where’s Julian?” The woman tried to turn her head, but winced in pain.

  Coleen kept her distance, the scent of blood still tickling the back of her throat. “He’s okay. Do you have a phone?” She didn’t want to use her cell phone, and provide further clues to her identity when it was traced later.

  “I – I don’t know what happened to it.” The woman coughed, and tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving streaks in the white powder that coated her face.

  Aggravated by her narrowing list of choices, Coleen reached into her back pocket, and pulled her phone free. Dialing 9-1-1, she took a deep breath as the operator answered. A minute later, Coleen shoved the phone back into her pant pocket, and resigned herself to wait with the woman and boy until the ambulance arrived.

  “I’ve called the paramedics. We are a little ways out; so it will take them at least twenty minutes.” Coleen crouched down on her haunches.

  “Is Julian awake?” The woman asked.

  Coleen could hear the steady beat of his heart and breathing. “He’s asleep, or passed out, but he spoke earlier.”

  “Can you please go sit with him? I don’t want him waking up alone in the dark.” The woman winced again, and Coleen wondered if her injuries were more serious than a broken leg.

  “Okay.” Coleen rose, and walked toward the boy. She refused to even consider using his name as she knelt down next to him. A name, she knew, is what could bring a person wholly into your space, or you into theirs. It cast a line, and permitted that tether to attach when you knew what to call each other.

  As Coleen suspected, the boy was unconscious. She sat perfectly still next to him, his and the woman’s heartbeats drumming in her ears.

  “Is he okay?” The woman’s voice was weak.

  “Yes.” Coleen said flatly.

  “Are you lying?”

  Coleen’s brow furrowed at the woman’s question. “No.”

  A silence, except for the steady drumming of two human hearts, returned, until in the distance Coleen could hear the sound of approaching sirens. Standing, she walked up the incline toward the road, and stood waiting for the ambulance.

  “Are you hurt?!” A thin man in his late thirties rushed toward Coleen. His dark blue paramedic’s uniform seemed to swallow him.

  “No, I found them. They’re down in the ravine.” Coleen wanted this to be over with, but suspected the time for exiting gracefully from the scene had come and gone.

  “Okay. Stay here. The police will be here in a minute.” The paramedic, along with his partner, rushed past Coleen, and the two disappeared down the incline.

  Brilliant. Coleen crossed her arms over her chest, and looking down at the ground frowned. Shit, my shoes. She would have a difficult time explaining why she was out for an evening stroll without any shoes, but just as she considered making a dash back to her car, the black and white patrol car of a Texas State Trooper rounded the corner.

  Certain her evening was about to get a whole lot more complicated, Coleen stepped to the shoulder of the road, and waited. She concluded her interaction with humans had been well in excess of her tolerance levels as of late, and after this fiasco was resolved, she wouldn’t be endeavoring with them for awhile.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” The officer was dressed in a tan uniform, and his graying hair was combed neatly to one side. He smelled of patchouli and soap.

  “I am. Thank you. The paramedics are just down there with the accident victims.” Coleen smiled warmly.

  “You found them?” The man pulled a small spiral notepad from his left breast pocket along with a black pen.

  Nodding, Coleen feigned a shudder. “I did. I was out for a walk, and to watch the meteor shower, when I heard the tires squeal and then the crash.”

  “What’s your name, please?” The officer asked without looking up from his notepad.

  Rolling her eyes while continuing to berate herself for getting involved, Coleen sighed. “Coleen Andrade.”

  “Can I trouble you for your ID, please?”

  “Sorry. I left it in my car.” Coleen frowned. “I didn’t imagine I would need it.”

  “Along with your shoes?” The man asked while continuing to write.

  Coleen’s patience with the cop was wearing thin, but she reminded herself they had her name and probably her address via the phone call she made earlier. “I’m a bit of a naturalist. Nothing better than a brisk walk with the earth against your feet.”

  Nodding, the man made several more notes, and then looked over Coleen’s shoulder. “Looks like they hit that deer.”

  Coleen, relieved the cop’s attention was no longer on her bare feet, nodded. “I deduced the same thing.”

  “Stay here, please. I need to check on the paramedics and the victims.” The officer walked to the edge of the road, and pulling a large, black metal flashlight from his utility belt, shone it into the ravine. “Y’all have enough light down there?”

  One of the paramedics yelled back that they did, and instantly the cop turned the light on Coleen. The sudden brightness in her eyes caused Coleen to recoil and cover her face with her hand. “Sorry.” The officer turned the light toward the ground. “Did you pull the boy free of the car?” His tone was dubious, and Coleen sensed he enjoyed asking questions he already knew the answer to.

  “I did.” Coleen, attempting to channel what she imagined nervousness to look like, clutched her lower lip between her teeth. “Was that wrong?”

  The cop shook his head. “No. I’m just surprised you could get the doors open. The car looks like it’s in pretty bad shape.”

  Coleen covered her mouth in mock horror. “It was just terrible. The boy was asking for his mother, and I –” She turned away from the officer, and moved her shoulders up and down to give the impression she was crying.

  A warm hand was on her back. “It’s fine. You did really well. They have a better chance because you intervened.”

  Coleen spun around, s
uddenly enjoying the farce she was putting over on the cop. “Do you think so?”

  Nodding, the officer put a tentative arm around Coleen’s shoulders. “Absolutely. Now, why don’t you go wait in my car, and when the other officer arrives, I’ll drive you back over to your car.”

  Coleen covering her eyes with her hand and nodded. “Thank you.”

  Sliding into the passenger seat of the cruiser, Coleen leaned her head against the faux leather of the headrest. Could this get any worse? Of course it can, and it probably will because I’ve broken every one of my own rules. Rules I have lectured others on for centuries. Running her hand through her hair, Coleen considered just leaving, but knew her urge to flee would only mean uprooting her entire life. If she ran now, she would have to keep running.

  Coleen watched as a second patrol car arrived. The officer got out, and began talking with the cop from earlier. Coleen watched as they gestured, and closing her eyes, she listened in on their conversation. The officer discussed the accident, and then the one cop mentioned Coleen’s ass and how hot she was. This was quickly followed by the second cop reminding him he was married to a lovely woman named Ann.

  After a minute of the bravado laden man-speak, Coleen tuned the cops out, and laid her head back on the headrest.

  “Ms. Andrade?” The first officer was leaning on the open passenger door of the cruiser. “I can drive you back to your car now.”

  Coleen nodded. “That would be great. Thank you.” The sooner she could be away from the humans, the better.

  “So do you frequently walk around at night without shoes?” Coleen could tell the cop was trying to be funny, and even a little flirtatious.

  “Yes.” Coleen knew she should continue to make nice with the officer, but her patience was gone.

  An awkward silence fell over the car that was luckily short lived, as it took less than ten minutes for the officer to drive Coleen back to the road side rest stop.

  “Assuming they make it, are you okay if I give the woman your contact information? Most people like to show their gratitude.” The radio mounted to the cruiser’s dashboard squawked, and the cop quickly turned it down.

  “Actually, I would prefer not to be contacted.” Coleen opened the car door.

  The cop was clearly surprised by this, and stammered his response. “I wouldn’t think – I mean it would be nice –”

  Coleen shook her head. “Best they just move on.”

  The finality in Coleen tone silenced the cop. He nodded toward Coleen’s car. “So, you really walked.” The cop’s smile was too broad.

  “What can I say, I love nature. Thank you for the ride.”

  Nodding, the officer continued to smile. “Bill. My name is Bill.” He held out his hand. “It’s been very nice meeting you.”

  Coleen looked at Bill’s outstretched hand, and quickly shook it. “Thank you again for the ride.” Coleen got out of the car.

  “When I finish up back at the accident site, I would love to have a cup of coffee with you.” The cop leaned over. His smile from earlier had turned to an appreciative leer as he looked at Coleen’s breasts.

  Coleen stuck her head back into the cruiser. “I’m sure your wife Ann would take issue.” Not waiting for a reply from the stunned cop, Coleen shut the door and casually walked to her car.

  ***

  True to her word, Coleen had not continued her search for a companion. She had enough human interaction to last her a decade, and she imagined boredom and loneliness was far more palatable than having her true nature found out and being made to leave San Antonio altogether.

  It had been nearly two months since the car accident, and since Coleen had what she could only describe as a momentary breakdown. It, she told herself, amounted to nothing. Now, she sat in a pair of dark Levi jeans, a teal tank top, and dark gray ribbed zip-up sweater. She was readingDostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov for the tenth time. Her phone buzzed next to her as she read the line, Woe to the man who offends a small child!

  Glancing at her caller ID, Coleen didn’t recognize the number, and quickly returned to her book. Less than a minute later, the phone buzzed again, and again the unknown number appeared on the caller ID.

  Tisking, Coleen closed the book, and snatched the phone up. “Hello!”

  Silence.

  “Hello?” Coleen was about to hang up when she heard a quiet gasp on the other end of the line. “Is someone there?”

  “Hello.” It was a child’s voice. A boy, speaking so softly Coleen wondered if she had imagined it.

  “Yes? Can I help you?” Coleen’s irritation was suddenly replaced with curiosity.

  “Is this Ms. Coleen Andrade?” The boy had pronounced her last name as Arcade, and Coleen couldn’t help but smile at the mistake.

  “Yes. Who’s this?” She wasn’t sure why her tone had softened, as she didn’t feel any less annoyed than she had a few seconds ago.

  “This is Julian Esparza. You helped me and my sister.” Julian’s speech was halted, and it was clear he was very nervous.

  Coleen closed her eyes, a sudden wave of dread washing over her. She had feared this would happen. She had no faith the police would keep her identity to themselves if pressed for it by the very people she had saved.

  “Hello, Julian. It’s nice to hear from you.” Coleen didn’t have it in her to be rude to the child, nor could she see the point.

  “I want to take you to dinner for helping me.”

  Coleen could practically hear the smile in the boy’s voice, and before she realized what words were coming out of her mouth, she had accepted Julian’s invitation. “That would be very nice.”

  What the hell did I just say? Coleen sank down onto the sofa, and practically buried her head in the leather cushions. She couldn’t possibly go to dinner with this boy, and no doubt his sister.

  “So you’ll come?!” Julian’s enthusiasm was catching, and Coleen found herself smiling in spite of what was sure to be a complete cluster.

  “I will. When and where?” Coleen sat up, her eyes still slammed shut.

  “Oh, ah - do you like pizza?” Julian asked.

  Pushing past the gag reflex the thought of human food triggered, Coleen said she did. She could hear a woman’s voice in the background, and she assumed it was Julian’s sister trying to help him. Julian quickly rattled off the name of a restaurant, and told Coleen they would meet that Thursday at six o’clock.

  “Wait, my sister wants to talk to you.”

  Before Coleen could respond, there was a brief silence and then a woman’s voice came through the phone. “Hi, this is Julian’s sister, Isla.”

  Coleen knew the hole she was digging just kept getting deeper by the second. “Hello, this is Coleen, but then I assume you already knew that.”

  “Yes. I hope you don’t mind, but Julian hasn’t been able to talk about anything else since he got out of the hospital. So I finally broke down and called DPS to get your information.” Isla’s cadences were slow, with a hint of an accent that made Coleen wonder if the woman had been born in Mexico. “He insisted on making the call himself.”

  “I’m glad you’re both okay.” Isn’t that what people say? Coleen had no real experience with these sorts of interactions. She wanted the call to just end, but knew that was only a temporary solution since she had just agreed to have dinner with the two humans.

  “Thanks to you.” Isla’s voice wavered, and Coleen cringed at the thought of the woman crying now, or worse, when they met for dinner. “I wanted to call weeks ago, but the DPS officer had mentioned you didn’t seem interested in being contacted.”

  “I didn’t see the point of accolades. I was just in the right place at the right time.” Coleen couldn’t bear the conversation anymore. “I have to run, but I’ll see Julian and you Thursday.” Before Isla could say her goodbyes, Coleen hit the end button on her phone, and tossed the device to her side on the sofa.

  Damn. Coleen stood up and began pacing. This is the complete opposite of goo
d. She stopped walking and grabbed her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, her thumb hovered over Rachel’s name. After several seconds, Coleen tossed the phone back on the sofa, and resumed her pacing.

  It was ironic that the very experiences that made Rachel the perfect person to talk to about Coleen’s current predicament also made her the absolute worst. Coleen had been utterly unforgiving of Rachel’s entanglement with Sara after the vampire had saved the then human Sara’s life. She had lectured Rachel endlessly about turning or killing Sara, and had even threatened to do the latter if Rachel couldn’t decide.

  Coleen had shown little shift in her attitudes toward Sara even after she was turned, given she had immediately ended one of Coleen’s offspring. Coleen was resigned to navigating her situation solo. She would have dinner with the two humans, and then never see them again.

  I can’t imagine they will find me particularly pleasant. Coleen thought as she sat back down on the sofa, and picked her book back up. I have little social graces when it comes to humans, and I have worked very hard over the centuries to cultivate that.

  Flipping to the last page she had been on, Coleen winced as she read Love children especially, for they too are sinless like the angels; they live to soften and purify our hearts and, as it were, to guide us.

  Chapter 6

  Coleen sat in her car outside the north central eatery Dough. The restaurant specialized in Neapolitan style pizzas, and offered a variety of beers and wine. She had picked up her phone countless times in the past three days to cancel. Any number of excuses came to mind, but something always stopped her.

  It wasn’t until she was driving to the restaurant that Coleen decided to stop entertaining such excessive self-delusion, and acknowledge how much Julian reminded her of Gamil. It was the only reason she could come up with for her willingness to indulge the boy.

  It was nearly ten past six, and Coleen thought it was now or never. Getting out of her car, she walked slowly toward the restaurant, and wondered if this is what prisoners on their way to the death chamber felt like.