Blood Land by J.R. Lawson (top ten ebook reader TXT) 📖

buzzed around inside him as he did.  Mostly dread as he thought about having to tell Nora that Caroline was going to be with them for a while.  He also felt much confusion as he thought about the fact that Caroline had said she still loved him.  He wasn’t really sure why he was confused about that and that, in itself, made him even more mixed up. CHAPTER 31

 NORA SAT QUIETLY on the couch as Kale and Caroline finally entered the house through the front door.  Kale stood in the living room in front of Nora while Caroline went upstairs without saying a word.

“Where’s she going?” Nora then asked Kale.

“Up to her room…” Kale hesitated to say.

“What?” Nora irritably asked.

“She’s staying here for a few days.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nora argued, now standing up.

“Look she’s only going to be here until we get our divorce final then she’s gone.  She has nowhere else to go.”

“Kale,” Nora now debated, “I don’t even know her!  How can we trust her?  How could you let her stay here!”

“We can trust her…to an extent,” Kale replied, “She won’t rat us out to Dagon, I know that.  She doesn’t even know what’s going on between us and she hates Dagon just as much as I do, trust me.”

Nora sighed frustratingly. “I just don’t understand this!” she protested, “She just shows up says you’re still married and you just invite her in?!  How am I supposed to feel about this?  Am I just supposed to be o.k. with it?  I mean, you never even told me you were married.”

Kale looked away for a second tensely. “I know.”

Nora rubbed her arms nervously and looked away also. “I guess…it really isn’t any of my business.  What happened with you two.” She then turned to look back at Kale who was still looking away. “I just….I guess I have a bad feeling about her being here is all.  Probably because I don’t know her.”

“I know, I know,” Kale now said turning back in her direction, “But I swear this will only be for a while.  I just…need to take care of this divorce thing.  I know it sucks, believe me I did not want to deal with this.  But I’m sort of being forced to right now.  But I promise she won’t bother you.  I told her she’s not allowed to talk to you.  And we’re not going to tell her anything about what’s going on with us.  I really don’t want her involved at all.”

“I agree with that,” Nora responded.

It was then that Caroline came back down the stairs. “Well, my room is still there.  Lots of changes were made to it…guess that was to be expected…” she stated as she joined Nora and Kale in the living room.  She then turned to Nora. “Well, look at my manners.  We never really finished our introductions outside, did we?  You are…?”

Nora glanced at Kale for a second and then hesitatingly responded, “I’m Nora,” she quietly mumbled.

“Hm, Nora,” Caroline repeated as she then took in a large sniff.  Nora looked at her strangely as she did so. “Ooh, Nora you smell human…with a hint of vampire…” Caroline then smugly stated with a smile.  She then looked over at Kale and said, “What’s that about Kale?”

“None of your damn business,” Kale snapped.

“Oooh, o.k.” Caroline mockingly commented, “I guess if you’re human farming again, I don’t really need to know about it.” She then turned and started heading toward the front door.  She turned around briefly, her hair swishing somewhat gracefully behind her shoulders as she did so. “Well, I’m going to go get some of my things.  I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Don’t forget to bring those damn papers back with you,” Kale sternly said to her without turning around to face her.

“Of course, sweetie.” Caroline slyly smiled as she then exited the house.

Nora only looked up at Kale for a second and as she soon realized he wasn’t going to say anything she sighed and silently excused herself from the room to go upstairs to hers.

“Hey, I’m probably gonna leave here in a minute too…” Kale then said after her as she made her ascent.

“Yeah…o.k.” Nora just huffed.

“It has nothing to do with Caroline.  I just have to run an errand.  I should be back before she does, but if I’m not, just let her do her thing and she’ll let you do yours.  I don’t want you talking to her or anything.”

“O.k.” was all Nora said.

“If she’s rude to you in any way let me know…”

“I can take care of myself…” Nora now snapped.

“O.k.” Kale then solemnly responded as he watched Nora go the rest of the way up the stairs and into her room and then he turned to walk out the front door.

It was only several minutes later that Nora had now found herself back on the living room couch quietly reading a book.  However, it wasn’t too much longer that the front door managed to open and in walked Caroline.

“Kaley?” she shouted as she entered, “I’m back!”

“He’s out,” Nora directly stated, not looking up from her book.

Caroline looked at Nora with a slight bit of annoyance as she then replied, “Well, that’s too bad.  I wanted to show him some of the lingerie I brought back with me…”

Nora now looked up from her book and saw the smug smile that was on Caroline’s face. “I think the only thing Kale really wants to see that you brought back with you are those divorce papers,” Nora countered.

Caroline laughed bitterly as she then walked over to Nora. “You don’t know anything about Kale and I,” she said.

“I know him enough to know that he doesn’t really want you here.”

“Oh really?  If he didn’t really want me here, then why am I here?” Caroline was standing right next to Nora now.

Nora stood up and faced her. “Maybe because he’s been backed into a corner because you didn’t sign your divorce papers.”

Caroline laughed again. “Why am I even talking to you?  You’re only here because Kale is using you for blood.”

“You don’t know anything,” Nora snapped.

“I know he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about you!  He’s just going to toss you out on your ass when he’s drained you dry.  And you’ll be nothing but a helpless fledgling with no one to help you!”

“Whatever,” was all Nora said.  She couldn’t say more without telling Caroline what was really going on with her and Kale.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Caroline smiled as she began to walk away.

“You’ll be out of here too once he’s divorced you,” Nora suddenly found herself angrily blurting.

Caroline scoffed as she then turned around again. “Oh wow…the little blood sack has some bite to her bark…” She then approached Nora and got nose to nose with her.  Nora just stared at her with as much hatred as she could.  Caroline then lifted a hand and brushed Nora’s ponytail, which had found its way to resting on her shoulder, behind her neck. “I wonder if Kale would mind if I just…took a taste…”

Nora then swiftly smacked Caroline’s hand away from her. “Don’t you touch me,” she commanded.

“Oh, you do have some fight!  I wonder where Kale found you!”

“Shut up!” Nora now yelled, “You don’t know anything!”

“You keep saying that, but really it’s you who doesn’t know anything…” Caroline then retorted.

“I know Kale,” Nora persuaded.

“Not like I do.  I was married to him after all.”

“I know him well enough.”

“Oh do you?” Caroline now sneered, crossing her arms and looking arrogantly at Nora. “Do you even know what he did to his own father?”

“Yes, I do,” Nora confidently stated, “He told me about how he ate him when he turned.  I know all about that.”

“Hm, well, how about his mom?  Did he ever tell you about her?”

Nora stood there silently.  She didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, didn’t tell you about that one, eh?” Caroline jeered, “Well, if he had, you would know that she begged him to change her when she was dying and he didn’t do it.  That’s right, he let his own mother die.”

Nora just stood staring at Caroline.  She wasn’t sure if Caroline was just saying things to upset her or if they were true but she had a gut wrenching feeling in her stomach that wasn’t letting her speak.

“Or did he tell you about the numbers of people he massacred?” Caroline continued, “Like how he would pick off entire families and sometimes turn the lone survivor…”

Nora looked away from Caroline.  She didn’t want to hear more and her anger was reaching a peak.

“Like the one specific time when he stopped traffic on a bridge, sought out a car and killed the three children in the back seat while the mother in the front cried in horror.  Then turned her into a vampire.  He ever tell you that one?”

“Shut up!” Nora now screamed.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” Caroline mocked.

“Kale isn’t like that anymore!  He did all of that stuff when he worked for Dagon.  He doesn’t anymore.”

“Oh sweetie,” Caroline derided, “Kale only left Dagon because of me.”

Nora’s now angry expression turned to a surprised one.

“That’s right.  He just left because he was smitten.” Caroline looked over at Nora who wasn’t looking at her anymore.  “Whatever ‘good guy’ act Kale is putting on for you, it’s a lie.  He’s still who he’s always been.  He’s a monster.   A vampire.  And you’re a human.  You’re just here to give him what he wants and once he’s done he’ll dump you.  You’ll realize I’m right when you’re out on the street alone.”

Nora couldn’t say anything back; the lump growing in her throat wouldn’t let her. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she could barely even look at Caroline.  She didn’t want her to see her cry.  She couldn’t give her that satisfaction.  When Caroline could see that Nora wasn’t going to say anything further she chuckled to herself and turned to walk up the stairs with a triumphant sort of skip to her step.

It wasn’t much longer before Kale came walking into the house and the first thing he saw was Caroline sitting on the couch. “Hey, where’s Nora?” Kale immediately asked her.

Caroline huffed and rolled her eyes. “Ugh who cares?”

“Where is she, Caroline?” he then angrily repeated.

“I don’t know!” Caroline retorted, “What am I supposed to keep track of her or something now?  I’m not even aloud to talk to her, remember?”

Kale just sighed and left her as he then hastened up the stairs.  Once he made it to Nora’s room, he knocked at the door. “Nora?” he asked as he then entered without waiting for a reply.  He saw Nora sitting on her bed Indian style, looking down at her own fiddling hands.

“Hey, are you o.k.?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Nora answered in between sniffles.  Kale instantly put himself right next to her on her bed.

“No you’re not, you’ve been crying,” he observed.

“No I haven’t, I’m fine,” Nora tried to convince him again.

“What did she say to you?” Kale now irately asked.

“What? Nothing…”

“Caroline.  She said something.  What was it?  Tell me!” Kale now raised his voice.

Nora paused for a while before speaking, “Did you kill your mother?” She kept her head down as she asked.

“What?” Kale questioned.

“You’re mom wanted you