Karizma

Kristopher could not take his eyes off her. Ryleigh slept soundly, beautifully, on her back beside him, while sleep eluded up him with fear. He had been the one to leave after their last encounter, but he feared that she would leave him if he slept even for a moment. This is dangerous, he thought as he watched her. Punishment for the denial of the murder of a Karizma was the death of that vampire. It had been his task for decades, a task that he was good at, and it was the one task that he refused to do now. A life on the run was going to be torture for her, but he vowed to be by her side through it to protect her.

Kristopher had doubt that his scent would be enough to keep away future assassins. His only real hope was that her full magic was masked again; the cinnamon scent of her immediately disappeared when she pulled her magic back into her. He knew that Karizmas naturally smelled of cinnamon even with their magic, which told him that she had found a way to warp her magic to make her invisible to the rest of the world. But how long can she really keep that invisibility going? He traced his finger down her cheek, then bent down and kissed it softly. Activating magic nonstop took immense strength, with immense exhaustion; her body and her magic could never fully rest.

Kristopher tensed as he smelled another vampire in the vicinity. Fuck, he thought. He kissed Ryleigh’s cheek again and slowly rolled out of bed. He pulled on his jeans and slid down his fangs as he listened. The vampire’s tracks were slow, cautious. Kristopher heard the vampire stop at each door of the motel, and sniff. Kristopher repressed the growl that bubbled in his throat. I was right, he thought. My scent was not enough to keep assassins away. I should have known; the last remaining Karizma, they are going to want proof that she is dead. Kristopher’s eyes shifted to Ryleigh briefly. Her magic still smells very much alive. He sighed softly. The vampire hunting them is going to stop here. Kristopher walked over to the front door and waited.

The vampire stopped just before Ryleigh’s motel door. Kristopher heard the vampire sniff the air, and a low growl followed shortly after. Kristopher quickly opened the motel door and dashed outside as he closed the door behind him. The vampire before him was Grayson. Kristopher cursed under his breath. Grayson’s grey eyes studied Kristopher curiously. “What are you doing here, brother?” Grayson asked.

“What are you doing here?” Kristopher hissed.

“Tracking a witch,” Grayson said slowly. “And you are?”

“I’m in a motel with one. What do you think I’m doing here?”

“Your DJ?” Grayson asked in surprise. “Brother, I didn’t realize she was this powerful.”

“She’s quite surprising,” Kristopher mumbled.

“Kris, look,” Grayson sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “You know why I’m here. The Karizma scent was in the air for ten seconds. All of us smelt it and tracked it to where we could before it disappeared. I tracked it to here, I was closest to this motel. So…”

“It’s not her,” Kristopher snapped. “Trust me, I would have noticed.”

“But you don’t exactly think clearly with her, do you?”

“Gray—”

“Kris, in our lives, there is no such thing as coincidences. You mean to tell me that the fact that the Karizma scent originated somewhere in this vicinity, and you happen to be with your witch, is just a coincidence? You’re not so naiive, but I do believe that you are so smitten. I just need to taste her blood, to confirm it’s her—”

Kristopher snarled and wrapped a hand around Grayson’s throat. He slammed Grayson’s back into the wall next to Ryleigh’s door. “You will not taste her,” Kristopher seethed. His grip on Grayson’s throat was not tight or threatening to choke him; Kristopher was terrified, and needed to deter Grayson from investigating further. Kristopher was the top assassin for the Karizma bloodline, which resulted in most vampires not even trying to fight him. He had to be strong enough to kill a Karizma, he was definitely strong enough to kill one of his own. “You will continue looking elsewhere and leave her alone.”

“You know,” Grayson whispered as his eyes widened. “You know that it’s her.”

“Grayson—”

“And she’s still alive, I can tell by the smell of her magic. By the mere fact that her magic is reactive at all. What the fuck, Kristopher?” Grayson shouted as he pushed Kristopher away from him. Kristopher’s hand fell from Grayson’s throat, and Grayson’s fangs descended. “What is this?”

“It’s not that simple,” Kristopher said.

“I gathered that when you attacked me, so try again, asshole,” Grayson snorted.

“The less that you know, the better. You know what can happen to me if I don’t kill her—”

“Which is why you should!” Grayson snapped. “Master is not going to be forgiving at all for this, and you know it. If you can’t do it, then I will.”

“No, you won’t,” Kristopher’s growled thickly. His auburn eyes flared as he stared at his friend. “You will have to go through me first, and I promise that will be a decision that you will regret. The less that you know, the less culpable you will be when the Master asks questions.”

“You love her,” Grayson whispered in realization. His fangs slowly retracted back into his gums, and his eyes softened. “Brother—”

“Stop talking,” Kristopher said. “For your own preservation, stop asking questions.”

“I didn’t know you still felt love,” Grayson muttered.

“Grayson,” Kristopher warned.

“I can’t lie to the Master, you know that,” Grayson said slowly. “If I lie to him, he’ll know, but I won’t tell anyone else. You need to get this shit figured out with her, and fast. I’m not the only vampire looking for confirmation that she’s dead, and, when it gets out that she’s still alive, you’re going to have a lot more vampires trying to kill her.”

“Master is going to come looking for me soon enough as well,” Kristopher said. “It was my job to kill her. I may not see you again for some time, Gray.”

“Fuck, Kris, you really know how to pick them, don’t you?” Grayson sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Goodbye, Kristopher.” Grayson sped off away from the motel, and Kristopher exhaled in relief.

Kristopher entered the motel room and felt Ryleigh’s magic strike him. He looked at her curiously, but she still appeared to be asleep. She is pretending, he realized. “It’s just me, pet,” Kristopher whispered. Ryleigh’s eyes immediately shot open, and she sat up. Kristopher walked over to the bed and sat beside her. “It’s just me,” he repeated.

“There was another one. I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be, I understand. I’d rather you have been prepared than taken off guard.”

“He found me.”

“He happened to be a friend, like a brother to me,” Kristopher whispered. “He left us alone, but we need to leave. We can’t stay here anymore.”

“I need to leave,” Ryleigh muttered.

“Baby, stop that,” Kristopher whispered. He cupped her face and his brown eyes bore into her emerald ones. “I’m not leaving you, I meant what I said. I will kill for you, Ryleigh.”

“I don’t want you to. I don’t want you in constant danger by being around me,” she sighed. “Maybe this was a mistake—”

“No, it’s not,” Kristopher interjected. He kissed her lips softly. “You are the best thing that has happened to this old vampire in centuries. You are a gift, not a mistake, and I will not lose you. We are leaving; not just me, not just you, we need to leave. Together.”