Waking Up

Chapter Four

I stepped out of the castle to see a male vampire waiting next to a very nice car. I didn't know a lot about cars, but I knew enough to know that this car was top line. The vampire average height, maybe five-ten, with one green eye and one brown eye, which was interesting because I had never seen anyone with two different colored eyes. His hair was a soft caramel color that shined beautifully in the sun.

"Miss Calvin, I will be your driver. My name is Will." He smiled. He seemed friendly so I smiled softly back and then slid into the passenger seat. "How are you?" He asked, starting the car.

"I've been better." I said, not wanting to talk about what just happened. Part of me knew that I would have been rejected, even if my mate had been a werewolf or even a human.

"But have you been worse?" He asked, pulling out of the driveway.

"I suppose." I could think of one occasion that was the worst of them all.

"So, this isn't the worst day you've had." He smiled.

"I guess not...you're very positive for a vampire." He shrugged.

"Every vampire is different, like every werewolf is."

"Not really...there are two, no four different kinds of werewolves. The composed ones, who can keep their tempers and are caring, then the crazy hyper ones who can't seem to go a day without a run, then there are the aggressive ones, the ones who can't keep their anger in check and then there is me."

"You seem...different from other wolves, not quite as tall."

"Yep." I said.

"It's not a bad thing, you are very beautiful." Color rose to my cheeks. I had never actually been complimented, at least not in the way Will had.

"Not to wolf standards..."

"So?" He smiled.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, wondering if he had another motive for being kind to me.

"Because you haven't given me a reason not to. I do not judge you by your species, but by who you are as a person." He said. "The King seemed to show an interest in you." Will said, and I could tell that he wanted me to quench his curiosity, but I did not want to talk about Elijah and his interest -or lack of- in me.

"Well, that doesn't matter. Do you know where I live?" I asked, making sure that he did not become lost.

"Yes, the king gave me directions."

"How do you know the King?"

"I owe him my life." He said and I saw him grip the steering wheel tighter.

"Why?"I asked, even though I knew it was not my place.

"I had a bad...encounter many years ago. He saved me from it and if it hadn't been for him I would have died."

"So...he treats you like a slave?" I guessed.

"No, I am his...assistant and I don't mind it. The vampires don't have slaves anymore, instead they have employees. Humans are so uncommon now that having slaves would be useless."

"I've heard about slaves. Wasn't the King before King Elijah the one who destroyed the title of slave? Charles?"

"Yeah, his wife didn't like the idea of slaves since before she was turned she was a slave." He said, pulling on to my rode.

"You know, vampires are very confusing." I admitted.

"I know." He laughed. "I hope to see you back at the castle."

"Oh, I won't ever be going back." I said. "Thank you for the ride." He pulled into the driveway and I got out. I wish I could mind link, because then my brother could have warned me about the storm that I was about to walk into.

"Krista Renee Calvin!" My father yelled as I opened the door.

"Your father wants you in his office." My mom said, not looking at me. What did I do now? I walked into his office to find my father brooding.

"What did you do?" He asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. If he didn't know, and I didn't know, then who did?

"Elijah told me about you being banished from the castle! Not only did you leave without permission, but you also managed to be banished!" He yelled at me.

"He just doesn't like me dad, it wasn't anything I did." I said, looking away.

Maybe I've read too many books, but I wanted the man that would be my knight in shining armor. The man that would save me from the ridicule and take me away from my world and into his perfect one. Yeah, I was reading too many books. There was no prince to whisk me away, I was stuck here until I died.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing...he just doesn't like me."

"Why?" He questioned.

"How the hell should I know, dad?! Maybe you should ask what happened, not what I did wrong! You have no idea what I have been through the last two days, so don't treat me like the bad one here! I am so tired of you treating me like this." I stormed out of his office.

I went to my room, shut, and locked the door. I was breathing heavily. I never talked to my father like that, never. I always took his criticism and swallowed my comments, but not this time. I was going to have to apologize, but not now, for now I was just going to isolate myself. I could feel my adrenaline coursing through my veins and I could feel what I felt last night, I could feel something that was stretching around me. I mentally pushed it, and the desk that was next to me was pushed slightly to the side. I stared at it, shocked. And then I tried to do it again, I tried to move it but it was to no avail. Why? Why did it work the first time, but not the second time? I thought about both times that it had happened and I figured out a common factor, my adrenaline. Both times my adrenaline had been on a high, so in order to use my powers I would have to get my adrenaline going. The only way I could be sure about this, was to test out my theory. I knew that it was not the smartest decision, but I knew that I had to try something.

If I had my glasses, then I probably would have sat down and read a book. I would not have dared to do something so reckless, but I didn't have a book to read and I needed to learn how to use this so I didn't have to train.

I changed out of my dress and into pants, a T-shirt, and then I pulled on a pair of tennis shoes. I didn't want to go downstairs and face my parents, so I opened the window next to my nook and then I jumped. I balanced myself so that the balls of my feet took the force. I still had some of the reflexes and endurance of a wolf, so I didn't injure myself jumping out of the window.

Yelling at my dad and now sneaking out, maybe I would become a true rebel before my eighteenth birthday. I left my car in the driveway and headed to town. I skirted around the edge, making sure I wouldn't run into anyone that I knew and I headed straight into vampire territory. There was an area in town, mostly bars, strip clubs, and nightclubs, that the vampires owned. As I walked through it, I could feel the change in atmosphere and I could feel that I didn't belong. I saw groups of them standing outside of a nightclub and I took a deep breath. I was terrified, but I needed to do this. I swallowed and then stepped up to a group of male vampires. They all stopped talking and looked at me. The only way to make this situation worse, was to cover myself in blood.

"What do you want, mutt?" One of the asked. I met his eyes, I had to be confidant, if I shook under his gaze, I would give away everything.

"I just wanted to ask you something. Have vampires always been low lives, or is this something new?" I asked, smirking.

"What did you say, b***h?" Another growled.

"You heard me. Bunch of blood w****s, that's all you are." One of them lunged at me and I ran. I ran to a dead alley and I corned myself, on purpose. This was so stupid of me, but part of me was proud for doing this.

"You're not very smart are you, mutt?" The vampire from earlier asked. There were four of them, all much larger and powerful than me. "You're going to pay for what you said." He jumped at me and I felt it snap out again. When he was about a foot from me, I pushed mentally and he flung away from me. The other three stood in shock as their leader hit the ground behind them. They were over their shock quickly and all three of them launched themselves at me. I tried to do it again, to launch them all away, but I simply moved one of them. One tackled me to the ground, causing me to smack my head against the concrete. I tried to use the power again, but my mind was too frantic and panicked. He swung his fist back to hit me but before he had the chance to hit me, someone yanked him up by his shirt.

"I wouldn't harm this wolf if I were you." A familiar voice said. "It is a capital crime. My name is William Montgomery, and I am the King's right hand. This woman is under the King's protection." Will growled.

"Forgive us, but this wolf insulted our kind." The vampire stammered.

"That does not matter. Leave before you are placed in prison." The vampires left quickly. Will helped me up to my feet and I rubbed my head, trying to help my newly formed headache. "Open your hand." He demanded. I obeyed and he placed something cold in it. I looked at my hand, and in it was a necklace, with a black stone at the end if it, cut Emerald style, with a golden "E" carved into it.

"What is it?"

"It is a symbol of the King's protection. Anyone who harms you can be sentenced to death for harming you." He explained.

"King Elijah is protecting me?" He rejected me, why would he want to keep me safe?

"Did you really think that he would allow harm to come to you, especially after you know what you are to him?"

"I thought he didn't care." He said he didn't care, he made me say he didn't care.

"You don't know Elijah; you don't understand how he works or thinks." I looked at the necklace and debated what to do with it. Should I put it on, or should I reject his protection, like he rejected me? "You don't have a choice." Will took the necklace from me and put it on me. I had to admit that the black looked beautiful against my pale skin.

"How did you know that they attacked me?" I asked, fingering the necklace. "Were you following me?"

"Yes, I was charged with keeping you safe. I followed you from your house."

"Then...why didn't you step in earlier? When they followed me into the alley?'

"I knew you did it for a reason. You are not an irrational person, so there had to be a reason you provoked those vampires." He said. "What was it that you did to them, how were they thrown like that?" He asked, steering me out of the alley.

"Apparently Lana was our High Alpha Grayson's mate, who is my ancestor. You know how she has mental powers?" He nodded. "Well, they can be passed down and I inherited something."

"So, you have Lana's powers?"

"No...I can't read minds or anything like that...but I can move stuff, just not on cue. I have to have high adrenaline." I admitted. I don't know why I was telling him all of this, but there was really no point in lying because he had already seen me.

"And that is why you provoked the vampires?"

"Yeah...it worked, well sort of. I became too panicked."

"You risked your life to test something, why?" I sighed. Should I trust him, he is a vampire.

"My brother made a deal with me, I tune in with my powers and master them enough before my eighteenth birthday and I don't have to train with the other wolves."

"You're not trained? I thought it was mandatory for all wolves." He seemed very confused.

"It is. I just...I can't." I said.

"Oh...so you need a way to learn how to master your powers?" Thankfully he didn't ask why I was not being trained.

"Yes."

"I'll do it. I'll help you practice, so you don't have to risk your life every time you practice."

"Why?"

"Because, I am going to stick around you so I figure why not be helpful."He shrugged.

I laughed. I should have been mad that King Elijah rejected me, yet he was still intruding in my life, but I didn't mind. It was more protection and he was even offering to help me with my powers. "Thank you."