The Hunt for the Healer: the halo series, #1

By SR S

When sixteen-year-old JJ O'Malley meets the Fedore brothers, life and everything she has ever known changes forever; family secrets are revealed, make believe becomes real, blood is liquid gold and knowledge could cost her life.

Caught inside a whirlwind of love, bloodlust, betrayal and ancient lies, JJ finds her undoing in the arms of a very old vampire. Falling in love with the immortal she has unknowingly started a chain of events which slowly tips the worlds balance between good and evil, costing her the only person she has left in the world and being betrayed by the one she trusts the most.  Running from the present she slams into the past and an unknown future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SrS
• Release date: Jun 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386805823

Book preview

Leebo: Drawn

I was drawn to her like a mosquito to a flame. Her smell was what had captured my attention when I first walked past the diner. It wasn’t the same boring smell that thousands of girls drowned themselves in. Hers was like nature, a light, musky, natural scent with the simple smell of soap. Her hair, worn back in a ponytail, was a deep golden mane with several strands bleached naturally by the sun. Her face bore no makeup and her glasses were sliding down her nose in the most annoying way, and that was how I  wound up sitting in a small booth with worn vinyl seats and a music box hanging on the wall.

Taking on the mannerism of a human, I picked up a menu and went through the motions of trying to decide what I was going to order. I heard her before she appeared at my table, and if my heart were still beating I swore it would have been visible to the eye. I held my breath (which I didn’t technically need to do), but I had always found it hard to break certain habits, and I had learned over the years that some habits are best left unbroken. Blinking was one; at first I had to consciously instruct my body to blink, but now it just happened of its own accord.

Are you ready or do you need a few more minutes? Her soft voice invaded into my thoughts and startled me.

Excuse me?

Are you ready or do you need a few more minutes? she asked again.

I couldn’t remember a time in my five-hundred-and-eighty-four years of life when I’d ever found myself speechless. Never had I been intimidated by or feared any man. And yet, here I sat in a small-town diner, staring at possibly the most unattractive girl in the world, and I found myself extremely nervous.

Coffee. Black. Please. What was wrong with me? I sounded like a caveman with no brain between my ears, speaking in guttural sentences. Who does that? How could one small pipsqueak of a girl make me crumble and stutter like a schoolboy? What was it about this girl that made my blood pulse and boil?

Usually my blood raced through my veins only when I was hunting, but I felt no urge to hunt her. I felt as though I was being pulled towards her, as though an invisible force was compelling me to seek her out, to talk to her, to protect her as if she were mine.

Here you go; one coffee, black. Will you need anything else?

Coffee is good for now, JJ.

How do you know my name? she asked.

Your name tag, I point to it with my finger.

Oh yeah. I forget sometimes I’m wearing it.

With that, she set my check on the table, hurried across the diner, and bumped into the wait to be seated sign. I could hear her blood pounding in her veins, and the sweet scent of her body became thicker and muskier. Turning my head in her direction, I focused my attention on her and heard her breathing, shallow and rapid. How could I suppress my smile, knowing that I had affected her as much as she had me?

Glancing at my watch, I realized I was late for a meeting with my brothers, which was unwise, especially at dinnertime.

With a quick swallow, I downed my cup of coffee, laid a tip on the table and looked around for JJ in the hopes of seeing her again before I left. At the counter I paid for my coffee with a woman named Stella, who was all too willing to share with me that JJ had left for the evening. There was so much more I wanted to know about JJ, and I knew that with my powers of persuasion I could have gained all the information I wanted.  However, I heard my brothers coming down the sidewalk.

As I walked outside, I caught sight of Arturo and Garius sauntering past a couple of teenage divas loitering at the local Starbucks, girls who were all too willing to ogle them, inviting them with their painted smiles and charcoal-colored eyes.

Over the centuries trends have changed, laws have changed, but the language of women has stayed the same. Most are as predictable as a rainstorm. Garius loved your standard blonde-haired, blue-eyed femme fatale; if there wasn’t drama and sex you could count him out. Arturo preferred redheads with attitude and a flair for danger. As for me, I never really had much interest in the female persuasion. I wasn’t gay, and I did engage in female companionship from time to time, but I saw no reason to set myself up for heartache and pain. Allowing myself to feel for someone, and perhaps fall in love, would be stupid. In doing so, I would only be able to share a couple of years with her and then disappear from her life so she didn’t notice I was not aging. If in some rare event I could tell her my deep, dark secret and stay with her, it would only end up with her growing old and dying, with me forced to watch her wither.

Garius clapping me on the back brought me back to reality and to the matter at hand, dinner.

Yo bro, whatcha hungry for tonight? Garius waggled his eyebrows at me, and I could tell he had something specific on his mind. 

Garius, why don’t you just pick, I answered, already annoyed. I get the distinct feeling you won’t be happy with any of my choices.

Ah, how well our brother knows us. Wouldn’t you agree, Arturo?

Arturo, still caught up in the guiles of the teenage girls, didn’t hear him. Garius, who didn’t take well to being ignored, kicked Arturo’s legs out from under him, causing the girls to giggle and point. Not willing to be outdone, Arturo turned his attention on Garius, and a show of male bravado began. I did my best to keep the two of them under control and move them down the street as they both began punching, tripping, and shoving each other.

I couldn’t imagine not having my brothers in my life. You would think that spending centuries together would have caused distance between us, but just the opposite had happened.

I couldn’t remember a time when we were ever apart or wanted to be. Our mother and father had us exactly one year apart; Garius and Arturo were twins, although their appearances were distinctly different. However, both were terminally conceited, and each felt that the other twin was most unfortunately ripped off.

I was the youngest. I was born in 1540, the year Venice and Turkey signed the treaty of Constantinople, the year King Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, and also the year he divorced her. Together, we had watched wars erupt (and sometimes fought in them for the cause), plagues decimate hundreds of thousands, and kings be dethroned. We’d seen witch-burnings, slavery, the elections of George Washington and every other president since, and women’s suffrage. Through it all, we’d never strayed from one another. There is only one thing we ever fought about: the one thing we never ever mentioned. How we became vampires.

JJ: Reality

Hi, Mom! I greeted my mom as I walked into the living room.

Hi, honey, how was work?

My mom was lying on the couch, listening to the radio’s soft country music and wearing a smile as wide as the high-school football field. To the untrained eye, Kaitlin O’Malley might have just seemed tired after a long day at work, but I knew the painful truth. It was hard to believe that two years ago, my mom had been healthy, happy, and full of life. There wasn’t a day I could recall when my mom wasn’t working and singing. She was a hard worker and a great mom. She still was a great mom, instilling the right values, making sure my morals weren’t being corrupted, and always being there to listen. My mom was my best friend; truth is, my mom and dad were my only friends.

Long shift. But I made some killer tips and watched Mrs. Petri pocket at least 30 packets of Sweet’N Low. Mr. Delp let me cook on the grill today, but I think it’s safe to say we both agree being a short-order cook is not in my future. I met a really cute guy today and I think I saw that stray dog again...

Wait, wait, wait, JJ...what did you say?

I said I think I saw that stray dog again down by the park looking for scraps around the picnic tables. I didn’t look at her but busied myself with plumping pillows.

Not that part, JJ, the part about you meeting a cute boy?

My mom was watching me very closely, ready to analyze every word that I was about to say. One thing I couldn’t deny about my mom: she was very perceptive. What she lacked with her physical body, she made up for with her brain. I could talk to my mom about anything and I never felt judged or embarrassed, but this was something new for both of us.

There really isn’t much to tell. He came into the diner, got coffee, the end.

JJ, what are you not saying? Was he mean to you? Is it starting back up again now that school is right around the corner? I can call Mr. Delp and make sure those kids aren’t allowed in there on your shift... 

With a heavy sigh, I sat down in the chair facing my mom and got ready for the lecture I’d gotten every year since the third grade. That was the year Becky Thomas showed up and made my life a living hell. Becky Thomas, with the perfect smile, grades, hair, body, and boyfriends. In third grade we all were at a dorky stage, and for some of us it never left. In the years that followed, Becky made sure to point that out every period of every day during the school year and probably would have continued to do so over summer vacation if her family didn’t always spend it in the Bahamas. That’s where they were this year as well, while I spent my summer in Mr. Delp’s diner to help pay the bills that mom’s disability didn’t cover.  

JJ, did you hear a word I just said?

Yes, Mom, not allowed in on my shift, bring it to someone’s attention in school, body will one day catch up, my pimples won’t last forever, and my special someone is just around the corner.

This was the same pep talk my mom gave me every year around this time. I couldn’t say I blamed her; it was she who had wiped away the countless tears every day after school. No matter what Becky or anyone else said to me, I never cried in front of them. I’m not saying that it didn’t hurt; it’s just that I’d learned that it only made matters worse to let them see that it did.

What would you like for dinner tonight, Mom? Steak or lobster? I chirped, hoping she’d let the issue go.

My mom’s eyes filled up, and the tears spilled down her hollow cheeks. This was a game we’d been playing since I was little. Of course, we couldn’t afford steak or lobster, but it made the usual seem a little more interesting. Sometimes, before my mom got sick, we would put on our Sunday outfits, curl our hair and walk around the yard, arm in arm, and pretend we were on some exotic island far away, waiting for our table to be ready. But now that she was sick, we took turns every night making up an outrageous dinner we were preparing to eat. Her heart didn’t seem to be into it today. Like her appetite, it is withering away.

Mom, please don’t cry. Everything is going to be okay. This year is going to be our year; I just know it.

With that, I went to the couch and crawled onto it beside my mom. Wrapping her arms around me like I was little again, my mom started dreaming up the perfect eight-course meal.

Lying there beside her, I couldn’t help but think about the boy with the almond-colored eyes, the James-Dean-rugged looks, and the heavenly smell: a cross between freshly hung-out wash and Axe aftershave. I still couldn’t believe he’d noticed my name, or should I say even took the time to notice. I wondered if he would be starting school with us in September, and if so what grade he was in. I was starting my junior year; sweet sixteen was almost gone and rock-on seventeen was right around the corner. Although if he went to our school, it would only be a matter of time before Becky got her hands on him. There wasn’t anyone good-looking Becky hadn’t gotten her hands (and a few other things).

When my mom started to snore softly, I gently slipped off the couch and made my way to our small kitchen to start supper. The fridge, as always, held our precious few treasures, and thanks to Mr. Delp I always had a few fresh rolls and a small container of soup to bring home every day. He’d been great since my mom got sick; she used to work for him until she couldn’t anymore and I had walked right into her waitress job.

I’d planted a small garden out back in the jungle of weeds and four-foot-high grass, in which were growing string beans, tomatoes, carrots, and some very small potatoes. Throw them together with some flour and small cuts of chicken and bam-you’ve got a hearty stew. It wasn’t bad, although honestly, what I wouldn’t give for some McDonalds French fries and a chocolate shake.

Cleaning up the mess and setting my mom’s dinner to the side for when she woke up, I quickly jotted down on a piece of paper that I would be back soon and set the note beside her bowl. It was six o’clock, which gave me a good two-and-a-half hours of daylight left. Grabbing my house keys off the coffee table I headed out the door and down the road for my daily walk and talk.

As usual, the groundskeeper nodded his head at me as I passed him, and his whistling followed me down the path to my dad.

Hey, Dad, it’s me. I slowly started to clear away the weeds covering my dad’s name plate, making sure to leave the dying pansies that my mom asked me to plant in the early spring. "Mom wishes she could be here, but she is still not feeling well. It’s hotter than a hog on a spit today and the humidity is so not helping my hair. As if anything could help it, right? School starts soon, which means I won’t be able to visit with you as often. Mr. Delp is going to let me work the later shift after school up till ten o’clock. That should keep us going until summer next year but I promise I will come to see you on the weekends."

I brushed my fingers over the headstone. I met someone today, Dad. Well, I didn’t technically meet him, but I waited on him. I don’t think I have ever seen someone so beautiful in my entire life. Closing my eyes, I pictured him as I thought of my next words.

I wish I were beautiful, Daddy. I paused, knowing exactly what my father would have said in reply. "I know, I know, beauty comes from within, but sometimes I wish I had both.

Leebo: Confusion

Good call, Garius; Chinese is exactly what I was craving, Arturo said as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. We quietly exited out the window we’d crawled through, making sure nothing was amiss. With our bellies full, we decided to walk off some of our euphoria.

You’re exceptionally quiet tonight, little brother, Arturo said. You okay?

Yeah what’s up with that, lil bro? Garius added.

I’ve realized that after five centuries together, there is no point in lying to my brothers; we know each other too well. I came across someone today that has my proverbial feathers ruffled.

Trouble, bro? Garius’s usual carefree demeanor was replaced by the serious face of an overprotective big brother.

No trouble, just a girl, I replied.

Dude, girls are trouble. Garius let out a belly laugh, shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair. As usual, he had summed up the issue with his lopsided grin and his words of wisdom.

Leebo, Arturo threw Garius a look of annoyance you are five centuries old. How ruffled could you truly be?"

She’s different, Arturo. I smelled her the moment I turned the corner. Her smell pulled at me. I could think of nothing and no one else.

And now? they said in harmony.

Now I just feel the need to see her again. To know she is okay, to sit and watch her.

Then that is what we should do, Arturo said.

Arturo’s right, bro. Let’s go stalk your babe.

She’s not my babe, Garius. I gritted my teeth and tried to suppress the rage that was starting to mount up inside me, confusing me even more.

We had been walking for a few minutes when Arturo broke the silence. Where does she live, Leebo?

I shrugged and shook my head. I don’t know.

You don’t know? Arturo repeated.

I don’t know. 

Are you kidding, you don’t know? Garius asked.

I really don’t know, I said with a scowl.

What’s her name, dude? Garius continued with his arsenal of questions.

JJ.

JJ what? Arturo and Garius said in unison.

I don’t know, I said, frustrated. I didn’t have time to find out before I heard the two of you coming down the street to the diner.

What’s with the friggin ‘I don’t knows’? Bro, do you know anything? Garius snorted.

Yeah, dick, I know this. With a single leap, I jumped over Arturo and landed on Garius’ back, with my arm wrapped around his throat. For the next mile the three of us bounced each other off of tree trunks, wailing on each other pretty good.

It was always like this with my brothers and me; we were old enough to be wise, but never quite mature enough to get over being teenagers. Together we were the unstoppable, strong and united. Always had been, always would be. It was while Arturo had Garius in a headlock and I was attempting to break his leg that it hit me.

The smell, her smell, only something was different about it. It was off somehow, like sunshine beating down on four-day-old trash. Without so much as an explanation I got up and started running, running as if my life was at stake. Garius and Arturo immediately followed, right on my heels.

What is that smell, bro? Garius burst out.

It’s her, Garius. Only it's mixed with something else.

It’s the smell of impending death, Arturo said.

No!

If it weren’t for my brothers grabbing my arms, I would have run directly into a house and more than likely right out the other side. Instantly Arturo put his hand over my mouth and nodded to a window that was slightly ajar. It was obvious that this was where the horrible smell was emanating from. The three of us quietly made our way to the window and peered through. Our eyes never wavering, we heard the conversation as if we were sitting right next to them.

As vampires, we possessed exceptional hearing and eyesight. We could see for miles, down to molecules in the air. The hardest part had been learning how to control it. To make the focus of our vision perfect or focus on one sound instead of hearing thousands of sounds all at once. Now, my focus was on her, as were my brothers’. The sight before us was something private, but we just couldn’t drag ourselves away until JJ left the house nearly an hour later.

The three of us followed her through the trees, making no sound, listening to her whistle an Irish love song. A warm summer breeze carried her breath back to us, and it washed over my skin like feathers. I looked sideways at my brothers and knew that they were experiencing the same sensation.

We stopped inside the grounds of a cemetery, all of us questioning why JJ would walk here. It was barely six-thirty, but here, in the cemetery, the world took on an odious gloom. Perhaps it felt that way more so to us, because by all rights we should be inside one of the tombs.

A little way up JJ had decided to stop; at first glance, I thought she was tying her shoe. It was when she started talking to her dad that the truth of the situation hit us. JJ’s dad was dead. Unlike others we had encountered in cemeteries, JJ was talking to him as if he were sitting right in front of her; her words poured over us like molten lava.

She could not keep her sadness and loneliness out of her voice. Glancing at my brothers; their facial expressions revealed all the emotions they were feeling. How could this one girl affect three of the oldest vampires in the world? Garius’ shoulders squared as if he were going to do battle with the devil himself over this girl. Arturo’s gaze never left JJ’s face; tears ran down his cheeks from emotions we all had forgotten.

Quietly, we retraced our steps back to the gravel path, each one of us noticeably quiet and deep in thought.

Garius was the first to speak. Bros, why do I feel like this? Like somebody kicked my puppy. Nobody kicks my puppy, dude.

Garius, you don’t have a puppy, Arturo said.

I could have a puppy, dude.

Leebo, I think I understand your fascination with her. Arturo started kicking small stones with the tip of his boot absentmindedly. And getting to know her may be in our best interest.

Why?

I felt her pull as well. He looked at both of us, trying to put what had happened into words. But it wasn’t her scent that pulled me; it was her aura that lured me. It reached out and surrounded me, making my skin feel warm, like I was human again. Garius, were you warm or did you smell anything?

Nope, but I can tell you exactly what she was feeling. I felt it; sad, overwhelmed, excited...which, by the way, bro, he looked at me and raised his chin she really digs you.

Well then, I said, I guess we had better put our heads together and figure out what the hell we’re going to do.

JJ: Cash

Another day down with some pretty good tips, and tomorrow was Saturday, which meant I could sleep in as late as I wanted. I planned on sleeping until noon. Today brought all the usual customers, and although I didn’t want to admit it, I waited all day for my mystery boy to show up. Perhaps he had just been passing through town and was gone, leaving me to daydream about him forever. When I closed my eyes, I could see his face as if he were standing right in front of me. I wondered how long that sensation would last before it faded over time and became nothing more than a memory.

Walking home doesn’t seem so bad when you’re occupied with daydreaming about the most gorgeous guy you have ever seen. Of course, I didn’t have much experience with gorgeous guys, unless you counted the infamous Salvatore brothers, Damon and the equally delicious Stefan. Now there were two hot guys for sure.

Only one more block to go, some dinner to make, and a much-needed shower; nothing like old Mrs. Brewster spilling her French onion soup on me to brighten my day, and, let’s face it, walking in ninety-four-degree weather with a thick layer of humidity was just worsening the smell. It appeared as though my Eau de onion perfume, which I did not care for, seemed to be a huge favorite among stray dogs.

For the past two months I’d been chasing one certain dog through parks, backyards, and halfway to Timbuktu, never able to get within five feet of him. I say him because while chasing the idiot I got a bird’s-eye view of his family jewels swinging in the air and now here I was, minding my own business, only to look down and notice him walking beside me. Just walking without a care in the world, nose up, and his jewels a-swingin. Unbelievable.

Well, big boy, had I known it could be this easy, I would have dunked myself in soup months ago. However, I never really thought much past the idea of catching you. Now what? I barely have enough to feed my mom and me, let alone another mouth. And damn, you sure are big. What? Hasn’t anyone ever talked to you?   Oh my God, just look at those big brown eyes looking up at me, two big pools of melted chocolate...ah, crap, I’d looked into his eyes. The first rule of helping a stray: never ever look into their eyes. Crap, I looked again. Now I couldn’t just keep walking and do nothing.

All right, here’s how this is going to go. I am gonna take you home and obviously give you a bath. You stink. You stink really bad. We basically have the run of the house because my mom is real sick and she stays in the living room. It will be our own little version of hide and seek, okay? Then, when I feel the time is right, we will announce your adoption into the O’Malley family. I suppose you’re gonna need a name, big boy, something that stands out, and something that represents our newfound bond. I paused, thinking over my options. I got it! Your name is Cash. Cash O’Malley. We all could use some cash. 

Making myself laugh, I put my bag of soup and bread on the ground, bent down in front of Cash, taking his face in my hands, stared into those chocolate eyes, and kissed him on the nose. This seemed to please him a whole bunch, and he responded with one of his own kisses, which left me wet and slimy from my chin to my forehead.

Well, well, well, look everyone, JJ finally found a prom date.

I didn’t hear the car come down the gravel road and I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was behind me. Becky Thomas.

I’m sure, JJ, the two of you will be very happy together. I’m just so glad you finally get it. Your kind should stick together, dog for dog.

With that, the driver spun the tires, kicking up dirt and small pebbles, which pelted us both in the face and covered us with a layer of dust. I don’t know how long I knelt there, just staring at Cash. I wasn’t even aware that I was crying until I felt my tears hit my hand.

Slowly I stood up, grabbing hold of my precious bag of food, and patted Cash on the head. Come on, boy, let’s go home.

Leebo: The Plan

Brainstorming had always been Arturo’s gift. So, when four a.m. rolled around and we had nothing figured out, I was ready to yell defeat.

Surprisingly, it was my brother Garius who startled us with a fantastic plan. It had wrinkles to be ironed out, but we had a point to start at. It was very simple, really: find a way into JJ’s life. We already had an obvious in as school started. I would be able to befriend her, and with a little persuasion I could be in all of her classes. Garius would start his senior year and set himself up at the diner as the short-order cook the owner was looking for. As for Arturo, guardianship of two younger brothers seems to be the only role left. This had turned into an hour-long debate between Arturo and Garius, with Arturo winning in the end because he was, after all, fifty-eight seconds older than Garius. He also had the demeanor of someone older and wiser. Arturo was a fantastic father, I thought. Sometimes we would