We Are the Day

Hey there readers! Sorry about being a laggard in updating Damian and Taylor's story; I'm in the process of completing an internship at the Shedd Aquarium (which is completely awesome) so, I'm almost always busy doing work for that. That being said, a new story has blossomed from my time there, so be on the lookout for that as well as the following chapters for WATD.

Also, I hope that this chapter helps to answer a lot of your questions about previous chapters (namely, chapter 3)...if I had all of the "connecting" chapters written, I would've posted them for you guys in one big block so that you wouldn't be so mad at me and my characters, but I work one chapter at a time. But, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! I love hearing from you guys!

Happy reading!

<3 CC

Chapter Five

Her scream ripped through my unconsciousness, but my eyes wouldn't open. I had to reach her...I had to come back. "Taylor! Oh my God, Taylor!" I felt Kenna's body hovering over mine as she put something under my nostrils. It felt like an ear.

"Carter," she sobbed, "Carter, you have to come home, now! Taylor's dying! Somebody," he fought her sobs to try to convey what happened to me. "Somebody slit her throat and she's lost a l-lot of blood. I don't know what happened. One minute we were t-talking and then she w-went to the bathroom. She was t-taking forever and I f-f-found her here like this."

She told him where we were, though I wasn't sure what good it would do. They were all the way in New York, last I knew. I heard her phone drop to the floor as she cradled me into her chest, her hand was at my throat. I guess she was trying to hold in what little blood I had left. I wanted to tell her that it was no use, but I couldn't get my lips to part.

I heard the door to the bathroom fly open and hoped with every fiber of my being that it wasn't the guy who did this to me. Kenna didn't need to die, too. I should've told her to leave. I could've tried to push her out or something.

"Holy fuck!" I heard Carter say.

"NO!" Damian roared. I was probably going crazy, but I swore that I could see the yellow of his eyes from behind my eyelids. He said something about needing to leave, and I was swiftly lifted from the floor.

It felt like I was being squeezed in from all sides as darkness surrounded me. Even with my eyes closed, the darkness was noticeable; it was all encompassing, choking...suffocating.

Open your eyes, open your eyes

, I told myself, but it didn't happen.

Fight, fight...come on

, I coached myself not no avail. I was losing the battle between life and death.

"What are you going to do?" I heard Kenna ask someone.

Damian answered. "I have to give her blood."

"What?"

"I don't have time for your questions. She gets my blood or she dies." His words and a drop of liquid on my neck were the only warnings I received before the pain hit. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find my voice as my body writhed, bent, and bowed.

I would not wish what I was going through on anyone; not even the man who made it necessary. I felt as if I was being scorched from the inside, shredded by barbed wire, and having all of my bones broken by a sledgehammer; but, I'd rather have the pain than the darkness that was waiting for me on the other side. At least the pain let me know that I was alive and making my way back to the people that I loved the most.

"Taylor!" Kenna yelled.

"No, Kenna! She's fine. It just hurts a little," Carter told his mate.

"A little! It looks like she's being exorcised! What did you do to her?" Kenna screeched.

"I saved her life! If you can do anything better, be my guest. If not, I think it's best that you get the fuck out of my house," Damian snarled.

"What's your problem?" Kenna's voice escalated further as they continued to argue. From what I gathered, Damian was upset that we were out at a party. He said something about us being at risk.

As the pain subsided, I felt the skin at my neck warm and tighten as if someone, or something, was pulling it together. I became more alert, though, I was sure at that point I almost preferred unconsciousness to the mayhem around me. Tension from everyone in the room encompassed me as I spoke into Damian's mind.

I wanted to go, Damian. Lay off

, I told him as my eyes opened. I blinked wildly as the light from the room nearly blinded me.

He breathed a sigh of relief before rounding on Kenna. "No, I'm not going to lay off. Carter told her not to drink, and yet she did. Carter told her the dangers of going out on Halloween and she went out anyway; not only that, she took you with her. It's fine if she wants to get herself killed, but she's not going to take you with her." I had never seen him in such a rage. His eyes were the brightest of yellows, his face was like stone as he glared at Kenna.

"Ian, come on, man," Carter said, obviously torn between his best friend and his mate.

"No, Carter. This shit is beyond ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous?" My voice croaked, but I was happy to have it back.

"Tell her, Kenna," Damian said, not looking away from my best friend. Her face was ashamed, something I had never seen from her before. When Kenna remained silent, Damian continued his tirade. "Well since your friend has found the mute button, I'll tell you why I'm so fucking mad at her. Halloween is more than just a kid's holiday, Taylor. It's about more than just trick-or-treat, smell my fucking feet," Damian said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Kenna stood next to Carter, tears streaming down her face. She didn't speak and he offered her no comfort.

"Ian, really. She didn't ask for any of this to happen."

"Yeah, she did by going out in the first place! And she lied to you on top of it, and you sit here and-," Damian took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "Carter, I know that she's your mate, but I swear...if you turn her, both of you can find another clan to be a part of."

Carter's head whipped around as if he had been slapped and Kenna gasped. "Is it really that serious?"

"Look at Taylor and answer that for yourself!" Damian motioned to me harshly with his hand. She was an inch from death, Carter; an inch! If you turn this girl, she's going to wreak fucking havoc in my clan. She's uncontrollable as a human, the evidence of that was more than obvious the first time I saw her passed out on a fucking lawn. What will she do as a vampire? Go on a blood binge and leave all of South Bend, Mishawaka,

and

Granger dry and decrepit? Feeding in other clans' territories and sparking a war? We already have enough trouble between clans because of Jerusalem."

"Damian, it was no one's fault!" I interjected on Kenna's behalf. "The guy that did this probably threw the party to trap me anyway."

Damian whirled around to face me. "What are you talking about?"

I told him everything that happened up until the party, the nagging suspicion that I was being hunted, the creepy feeling all around me; then I got to the part about the nameless vampire wanting to send him a message. A deafening silence filled the room as Damian stood impossibly still. How much time had lapsed? A minute? An hour? It was too long.

"Damian," I said as I got up from the floor. I meant to walk to him, but I ended up on the other side of the room. "What the hell?" I tried to walk to Damian again and ended up on the opposite end of the room for the second time. I looked up to see everyone staring at me, wide eyed with mouths gaping. "What's wrong with me?" I looked to Damian for the answer, since I was sure this was his doing.

"I had no idea. I gave you just a drop of blood. It was only supposed to heal you," he said, his hard demeanor had diminished and was replaced by worry.

"You didn't answer my question," I felt anger rising up in my chest. He continued to sit silently, making my anger grow even more. "What did you do to me?" I almost shouted.

"It's not what you think, Taylor," he said.

"Then what the hell is it?"

"You're not a vampire."

"Then what am I? A lycan?"

"A lycan?" He laughed, and actually had the gall to look relieved. I saw nothing humorous in the situation. Anger rose up in me and without much thought, I picked up a chair, throwing it at the wall. It shattered into splinters. "Taylor, you better calm the fuck down."

"This shit isn't funny! I was human an hour ago and now I'm some freak that can't even walk across a room!"

"Taylor, shut up and listen for a second," Damian said, holding his hand in the air.

I did as he asked, not because I wanted to, but because I felt incredibly violent toward him and I didn't want to do something that I'd regret later.

While trying to dial down my anger, I heard...everything. Thoughts sailed through my brain; I could easily pin them as Kenna's because the primary focus of the pictures and words were of Carter. I heard blades of grass whistle as they swayed in the wind from the night. Owls hooted together, performing an elegant symphony with chirping crickets; there were heartbeats, two that I could hear right away; Kenna's and my own.

My heart was beating.

I wasn't a vampire, and I had never been more relieved about anything in my life. I let out a long gust of air as my shoulders slumped. My head shot up, hoping that Damian didn't catch the feelings I had just unveiled, but I was too late. My heart sank to think of how much I must have hurt him. His eyes dulled as he tried to look at anything besides me.

"She's a half-breed, then?" Carter guessed as he folded his arms, looking at me like I was an endangered species on exhibit.

"We don't have time for your little experiments, Carter. As a matter of fact, both of you can leave."

"But I live here," Carter said.

"Oh whatever. You know what I mean," Damian said, running his hands through his hair.

I shot Kenna a small smile before she left. She tried to return it, but I could see the pain still laced in her features.

I looked at the door for an immeasurable amount of time, trying to figure out what to do next; what to say. What do you do after your life was basically ended and you were brought back as a creature of the Night? What could you say when you just told the only man you'd ever loved that you didn't want to be with him forever? That's what I basically said, even though I didn't intend to. I was out of my element.

My hand reached up to where the gash in my throat was supposed to be; there wasn't even a pucker. My feet carried me to an antique mirror that stood next to a chest of drawers and my fingers trailed across the place where a scar should have been.

Tears spilled out of my eyes as I sank to the floor. After all of the fussing and fighting seemed to cease, I was left with feelings that I failed to acknowledge earlier. I almost died at a party and now was semi-undead; Damian hated Kenna, everything was turned upside down and there was no way to make sense of it all. I began to tremble like a leaf in the wind as I sobbed into the carpet, my fear and anxiety gripping me, choking me.

Damian stooped down to the floor and cradled me into his chest, rocking me until my sobs stopped. "You didn't have to do that. I'm a mess," I said, looking at the blood caked onto my body.

"It's fine, Taylor. It's just a little blood."

"I'm sorry," I sniffled while moving off of him. I needed to see his face.

"For what?"

"Making you sad earlier. You want me to become a vampire." I waited for his response as I tried to pick his brain. All I saw was a cluster of images that made no sense.

"It's okay, Taylor. I know it's hard to be something one second and the next you're a whole different being. I've went through it too, you know." His eyes didn't turn, but I knew he was still battling with my reaction to vampirism; his mouth drooped downward into a slight frown and his brow puckered, emphasizing his melancholy.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know, honey. I've never dealt with something like this before. I-," Damian began but was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

I was surprised, and elated, that I could hear the entire conversation with my new half-breed abilities. Luke, and some guy named Titus, had found the man who tried to kill me and locked him up in the prison-wherever that was. He wasn't talking to them, but they thought Damian could persuade him to talk. I sat on the floor and tucked my knees under my chin, waiting for Damian to finish his conversation. His face turned toward me and he held out his hand where a pair of jeans and a shirt appeared. I gasped, and he smirked. I forgot that he had special abilities; he so rarely used them.

I mouthed the word "jerk" before going to find the bathroom. My newly improved sense of smell helped me to find the correct door on the first try. I walked into not really a bathroom, but more of a Zen spa, my mouth falling open.

The bathroom looked like it belonged on a post card or one of those calendars that had different pictures for every month; the type of pictures that make people hate their pitiful existence because they've never been anywhere so grand. I set my clothes on a wooden bench to the right of the door and walked to the shower; it was one of those high tech things that had showerheads embedded into the ceiling as well as the walls.

I hated the walls; they boxed me in, making me feel like I was trapped; just like the unnamed vampire trapped me in his bathroom that night to take my life. I turned the water on and let it cascade down my body; it did little to calm me as pictures from the night pushed against my brain, making me forget the calmness of the room I was in. The water from the shower was borderline scalding as I attempted to wash away the blood, the sweat, and tears from the night. I scrubbed my neck with fervor, trying to rid myself of the feeling of death.

"Hey, hey," Damian climbed into the shower and took the loofa from me. "Come here," he turned me around, hugging me into his chest where I started sobbing again. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Taylor. More sorry than you know," his voice was pained as he continued to talk to me. "I should've told you to stay home, but you were so mad at me already." His voice sounded so pained that it tore at my heart. I reflexively hugged him tighter. "Why I had Carter tell Kenna is beyond me. I should've known that she wouldn't listen, but to put you in danger too," he shook his head.

"What does that even mean? Why are you so mad at Kenna? I can't find it in your mind, and you haven't come out and said it yet."

He sighed. "Before we left, I had Carter tell Kenna about Halloween and what it means to the Nightwalkers-,"

"What about the Nightwalkers?"

He chuckled, "Well if you'd let me finish." After I muttered my apologies, he began to talk again. "Nightwalkers celebrate Halloween in the most terrible ways imaginable. It's one of their binge nights, if you will. They go lurking about in the shadows, preying on drunk and unsuspecting people...mostly young women. Some of the male Nightwalkers have made it a contest to see who can bed and drain the most women in a night. Thankfully, there were none of those types at that party, though the night was still young. I'm sure they would have shown up later."

"And Kenna knew that? I mean, she knew that there would be vampires like that?"

"Yes. That's why I'm so pissed at her."

"I'm not. Kenna would never intentionally put me into danger. I think she just wanted to help me. I was feeling pretty crappy after you left and she wanted to cheer me up." Neither one of us talked as the water poured onto us. I tried again to read Damian's mind, but it didn't work. I'd have to practice on someone else. "You know," I said, breaking the silence, "you could've told me this. I would've made sure that me and Kenna both stayed inside."

He gripped me tighter before speaking. "I'm not sure if that would've helped, baby. This man obviously wanted to get to us; he would've found another way. But you're right in that, I should've told you. I've been trying so hard to keep you safe from the other side of my world, but it hasn't helped. I haven't been myself since this mess in Jerusalem started and you've suffered because of it. I've suffered because of it. I almost lost you tonight," his voice hitched and I looked up to see tears pooling in his blue eyes. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kenna isn't totally at fault here. Yes, she lied to Carter and said that you two were going to stay in, and she was definitely wrong for involving you in her plot, but it was I that should've went straight to you in the beginning. I just didn't want you to run from me," he said, stroking my wet hair.

"Why would I run from you?"

"I had already hurt you so much, and I've been overprotective, cold in some ways. I didn't want to suffocate you anymore."

"Did you mean what you said? About Kenna and Carter having to find another clan?"

"I did at the time, but not anymore. Kenna's thoughts are filled with nothing but loathing of herself and regret...and fear. As much as I'm disappointed in her, I don't want her to feel that way. I was just so angry that all of this happened. I wanted someone else to blame besides myself."

"If anyone is to blame, it's me. I should've called you when I felt like I was being watched. I was about to, but I was being stubborn."

"Let's not do this," he held me at arm's length and looked into my eyes. "Not right now. What's done is done; all we can do is move forward, okay?"

"But what about the guy? I thought he was being held prisoner and you have to question him."

"I told Lucas that we would be there in the morning. I want you to rest tonight. All of us need to rest."

We finished up our shower and lay in Damian's bed, a companionable silence encompassing us. I felt sleep coming for me, but I wanted to put it off; I wasn't sure what my dreams would bring and I was unsure that I could handle a replay of my almost death. "Did you pick the color red for your room on purpose?" I asked, looking at the crimson wall across from me.

He chuckled. "Not in the way that you're thinking. Go to sleep, Taylor. You're tired."

My bottom lip poked out while I snuggled into his chest. I realized that this was the first time in a long time, I felt okay. Not everything was perfect, but at least I had my Damian back. It seemed like he was remorseful for his behavior over the last week or so; and it looked like he was going to start including me in all aspects of his life. I guess having your significant other almost die could do that to you; make you want to change.

Sunlight poured in through Damian's window the following morning and I flew off of the bed and into the closet, my breathing erratic and my heart trying to imprint itself into my chest. It was still surprising that I moved with such speed.

"Taylor. What's going on?" Damian asked, opening the closet door.

I hissed and back away. "The sun." I frowned.

"Taylor, the sun has been hitting your skin for hours. You're fine." He sounded amused.

"Why are you always laughing at me?" I felt the heat of anger build up in my chest as my eyes bore into Damian's.

"Because you constantly amuse me," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Why can I take the sun?"

He shrugged. "It could be because you're half human, or that you have my Daywalking abilities since it was my blood that sort of Turned you. We may never really know why."

"I'm a freak," I sighed, and sunk into the floor next to Damian's shoe collection that greatly rivaled my own.

"Awe, come here, baby. You're not a freak, just special," he told me while making his way to where I sat, slumped on the floor.

"It's the same thing."

"Come on, I have some things to talk with you about. And you need to eat," Damian said, while pulling me up from the floor and leading me into a kitchen.