HEARING MY GRANDMOTHER’S pronouncement of my boyfriend’s fate, I struggled to get to my feet. Strong, cold hands held me down, urging me to lie still on the ground. Pain burst through my shoulder whenever I moved, causing my vision to fade in and out. In my hazy peripheral, I could see a thick shaft of wood erupting from my skin; my stomach churned with nausea.
I’d been shot…with an arrow. Even in my pain and fear, I was struck with the oddity of it all. Who the hell gets shot with an arrow? I reached up to tentatively touch the shaft and screamed as an explosion of electric pain sizzled through my body.
“Nika, stop moving.”
My mother’s voice was tight, pained. I tried to focus on her features, but my basic bodily functions weren’t responding like I wanted. What I wanted was to rip that damn arrow out of my shoulder and jump to my feet. I wanted to blur over to Hunter and make sure he was okay. I wanted to believe that all of this was just some horrible nightmare that I would soon wake up from.
“Mom,” I croaked out, “it hurts…”
Shushing me, her cool lips graced my forehead. “I know, baby. It will be okay, just try not to move.” As I gritted my teeth, trying to stomach the torture, Mom’s voice shifted to panic. “What do we do, Teren? Leave it in, or take it out?”
Focusing my vision, I concentrated on Dad’s face. His pale eyes were wide as he shifted his attention from me, to the sky, to the others in the plaza. My father was my rock. He always knew what to do. He always knew what to say. He never lost control. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, the distress in his features, I almost didn’t recognize the man leaning over me. He was so lost, so scared, so…human.
“I don’t know… I just don’t know…”
“Dad?” I whispered. “Is Hunter okay?”
Dad gave me a smile that I was sure was meant to be comforting. It wasn’t. “Don’t worry about him right now, Nika.” His worried eyes flashed over my wound, then his head snapped up. “Gabriel! What do I do?”
The youthful, blond vampire was suddenly hovering over my vision. Green eyes intense, he scoured my shoulder that was radiating with pain. He examined me for a few seconds, then reached down and snapped the arrow at the base. The sudden influx of pain was so strong, all I could do was gasp.
His jade eyes turned to my father’s. “She may bleed out if we remove the rest. Leave it for now.”
Dad nodded, then looked over Gabriel’s shoulder. “Julian! Take your sister somewhere safe.” His focus shifted to the left. “Ben, stay with them.”
Dad stood. By the set of his jaw as he scanned the area, I knew he was about to take off. The assault had stopped once Halina attacked Hunter, but the arrow-wielding maniac was still out there, watching us. As Julian squatted beside me, I grabbed Dad’s pant leg. “Don’t leave, Dad.”
He smiled down at me, his face softening for a moment. Then his eyes shifted to my brother. “Take her inside. Keep her down, keep her safe…and don’t come out here again.”
Julian nodded, while Mom kissed my forehead. Standing, she clasped Dad’s hand. They exchanged a look of such love and devotion that it warmed my heart and broke it at the same time. They were silently saying goodbye to each other…just in case.
Julian helped me sit up as they blurred away. “No! Don’t go…” I knew it was pointless. I knew they wouldn’t let a man who was set on destroying our family slip away, but I couldn’t stop the words from leaving my mouth. I couldn’t lose my parents. I just…couldn’t.
Gabriel stayed in front of us, surveying the land while Julian got me to my feet. My head swam as the pain intensified. I could smell blood in the air—some from me, some from the others. A particularly fragrant whiff of blood got my attention, and dazed, I finally spotted Hunter.
He was slumped over in Halina’s arms, unconscious. By the blood I could see on his body and on her mouth, it was clear that she’d been feeding on him. His heartbeat was thready as she held him upright; there was barely any life left in him.
My pain was suddenly nothing. I jerked away from Julian. “No, no, no…Hunter!”
I tried to run to him, to save him somehow, but my body wasn’t up to the task, and my knees gave out. Julian caught me before I completely fell to the ground. Pain made me cry out, both physical and emotional. “No, please, don’t kill him!”
His voice rough with emotion, Julian told me, “We need to go, Nick. It’s not safe here…please.”
Sobbing, I ignored him. All I could see was Hunter’s dark eyes, his confident swagger, his boyish grin. I couldn’t picture a world without him in it. I’d been ready to part ways with him, to let him go, but I’d never be ready for him to die. I loved him.
Halina looked back at us and snarled. Turning her head to Ben, she snapped, “Get the children out of here!” With her chin coated in Hunter’s blood and her fangs extended to full drinking length, she was the very image of a monster.
I began to beg for his life again, but Ben yelled, “Go!” and shoved Julian forward. My brother blurred away with me before the words could leave my mouth.
He stopped us across the street on the far side of the plaza. A red-bricked church occupied the corner lot, its windows dark and vacant. Holding me in his arms, Julian murmured, “Please don’t have an alarm,” as he kicked in the back door. We both waited for the piercing cry of a security system to go off, but the only sound was the heavy door hitting the far wall.
Stepping into the sanctuary, Julian tenderly set me down in the hallway. I tried to stand but he stuck his finger in my face. “Stay there!”
As I blinked in surprise, Julian blurred away. Fear tore through my chest as I felt him leave me, but his presence started returning almost instantly. Zipping through the door a second later, he carried Ben in his arms this time. Seeing me on the floor, Ben freed himself from Julian and squatted at my side.
“Thank you,” he tossed over his shoulder at my brother. Julian nodded as Ben turned to me. Examining my shoulder, he asked, “You all right, Nika?”
Tears stinging my eyes, I shook my head. “She’s going to kill him. We have to do something!”
Julian squatted on my other side. “There’s nothing we can do, Nick. I’m so sorry.” He cradled my head into his shoulder. I fought back the sobs as Julian’s compassion poured into me. His sympathy only deepened my anguish.
I pushed him away from me, my shoulder screaming in protest. “That’s bullshit! There has to be something we can do!”
Only using the power of my legs, I slid my back against the wall until I was standing. Ben had his hands outstretched, ready to catch me if my strength gave out. Shaking his head, he agreed with my brother. “The only thing we can do is stay here, where it’s safe, until your parents have found and contained the threat.”
My eyes snapped to his. “The threat? You mean my boyfriend’s father.”
Ben pursed his lips. “You need to let the familiar association go. All he is to you now is a predator.” His face softened. “Don’t let yourself feel anything for him. He doesn’t feel anything for you.”
I swallowed a hard lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure if Ben was talking about Hunter’s father, or Hunter. I was about to respond when I heard glass breaking. Tilting my head, I listened harder; Julian mimicked my posture, listening as well. Ben, used to being around people with far superior hearing, said nothing as he studied our expressions. After the initial sharp crack, I heard glass falling, shattering as it hit the floor. A scuffling sound was next, then the crunch of a boot.
Julian and I looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Someone’s inside the church.”
Always the protector, Ben surged in front of us. Him being our shield was ridiculous, since he was weaker and slower than we were, but a man who routinely ran with vampires wasn’t a man to be trifled with, and Ben made for an imposing figure as he blocked our path.
With one hand behind his back, he motioned for us to leave the church. Well-trained, Julian and I quietly inched our way toward the door. My heartbeat surged in my ears, along with Julian’s and Ben’s. I listened for the intruder’s, but I couldn’t hear him anymore, and I cursed my mixed blood. A full vampire would have heard him easily, would have smelled him.
Julian and I clasped hands as we neared the door. We could have blurred to safety in a second, but we both loathed leaving Ben behind. Ben was backing up with us, a knife ready in his hand. I prayed he didn’t have to use it.
The cool night air hit my back, and I shivered; freedom was within my reach. Julian looked back at the open door, then whispered, “Uncle Ben, let me take you…”
Ben looked back at us. His face was framed by moonlight streaming through a window across the hallway. The gray streaks in his hair weren’t noticeable in the shadowy light, the scars along his skin weren’t as defined. His rigid jaw was set with determination, but his lips softened into a smile. He seemed younger as he stood before us, almost boyish, but at the same time, wise beyond his years. While I’d always thought my adopted-uncle was handsome, in that moment, he was stunningly beautiful.
Just as he was about to tell us something, a gunshot shattered the quiet.
Ben’s head jerked to the side, and he collapsed to the ground. Fresh blood hit the air, and a pool of it started forming around Ben’s limp body. Stifling a scream, I clutched Julian tight. There was no way that just happened. Ben couldn’t be…dead. He just couldn’t be.
I tried to blur to his side, to check his vitals, to stop the flow of blood from his head, but Julian cinched his arms around me, holding me in place. In my ear, he whispered, “Don’t move, Nick.”
Confused, I glanced up at Julian’s face. If we weren’t helping Ben, then shouldn’t we be fleeing? Julian’s eyes were glued on something in front of us, and my slow mind instantly caught up. Ben was shot, and bullets don’t just magically appear. Bullets came from guns, and there was only one person I knew who wanted to put down every member of my family.
My shoulder radiating with pain, I struggled against my brother as I snapped my attention to the threat in the room. “Connor! Stop this!”
Eyes wide, Hunter’s father look like a man possessed, or unhinged. His hand shook as he pointed the gun between Julian and me. “My son,” he croaked. “What have you done to my son!” His lips frothed with spittle as his voice gained strength.
He started storming toward us, and I reflexively raised my hands. I honestly didn’t know if Julian and I could outrun bullets. We were fast, darn near supersonic, but our vampiric gifts were very diluted. And dodging a bullet was something you needed to be sure you could do before you tried it. My father was stronger than we were, and he hadn’t been able to avoid being hit by one...and for us, one hit was all it would take.
As Connor stepped right in front of me, I violently shook my head. I still felt weak from the wound in my shoulder; my legs were trembling, threatening to give out on me. I knew that if they did give way, Connor would think I was attacking, and fire a bullet into my brain. Fear, and my brother’s strong arms, gave me strength. “My brother and I didn’t do anything to Hunter. Please, Connor, we’re not a threat. Let us go.”
Connor pressed the barrel of his weapon against my forehead; it was still warm from its recent discharge. Julian growled, adrenaline pumping through him. “Not a threat? As far as I’m concerned, you’re the biggest threat of them all.” He leaned into me, his breath washing across my skin. “You’re blood-sucking day-walkers. You’re…succubus…luring victims to you so you can spread your filthy seed. I knew following my son would lead me to you, since you’ve somehow poisoned him with your seductress ways.”
A tear dropped to my cheek at hearing his vitriol. “I’m just a girl, and I’d never hurt your son.”
“You already did…” Sadness marked Connor’s features, and, for a second, I felt sorry for him. What my grandmother had done to Hunter would be hard to recover from, especially the longer it took to get Hunter medical attention. Connor pulled back from me, lowering his gun from my forehead. “But you can fix this, you can save him.” A hint of madness in his eyes, he gave me a cold, calculated smile. “You can bring him back.”
I had no time to contemplate what he meant by that. My family had heard Connor’s gun go off, and streaked to the church. They’d been right outside the church, debating how best to proceed, but my father couldn’t idly stand by while a gun was being waved at his children. Once Connor lowered the gun, Dad blurred into the room.
I had to give it to Hunter’s dad…he was fast. He must have known that discharging his weapon would alert the rest of my family. He must have been expecting them to swoop down on him. Maybe that was the real reason why he hadn’t killed Julian and me right away. He tore me from Julian and held me to his chest while he pressed his back against the wall. Dropping his weapon, he pushed his fingers against the arrow shaft still imbedded in my shoulder. I screamed.
Dad froze as his pale eyes surveyed the chaos around him. Ben was bleeding out on the floor, and Julian was staring at me in disbelief while I forcefully stopped myself from wailing. I would not scream for this bastard. Switching his fingers to my neck, Connor grabbed a sharp knife from his belt. The metal glistened in the moonlight as he pressed it against my throat. A sharp zing of pain was followed by a warm trickle of blood. I held as still as I could, so I didn’t inadvertently slit my own throat.
Dad held up his hands. “Don’t… We’ll let you go, I promise. Just…release her…please.”
The knife dug in a little more, and I struggled to maintain my composure. Falling apart now wouldn’t do anybody any good, least of all me. “I don’t want to be let go,” Connor growled.
Dad furrowed his brows. “Then what do you want?” His eyes darted from Julian to me. He clearly wanted Julian to leave, but didn’t want any sudden movement to spook Connor.
“My son. Tell that bitch to bring him to me.”
Dad didn’t do or say anything. He didn’t need to. Halina blurred into the room before Connor even finished his sentence. Long, black hair, wild and free, wet blood dripping down her chin, she was the epitome of a woman enraged. Dad grabbed her hand as she stormed past. Fangs out, she hissed at Dad, then shifted her attention back to Connor. Muted, driving rock music suddenly pressed against my sensitive ears. I couldn’t turn to look, but it sounded like Connor had just turned on a music player. I had no idea why, until he spoke.
Louder than was necessary, he told Halina, “I can’t hear you, so don’t bother with the mind control crap. Now, unless you want this child covered in her own blood, you bring me my son!”
Halina growled, but didn’t move. That was when Mom entered the church with Gabriel a few steps behind her. Mom was holding Hunter’s limp body in her arms. Her eyes darted to Ben’s equally limp form, and she swallowed a sob. Seeing Hunter’s bereft body, his neck and chest stained red, I bit back my own cry. I couldn’t hear his heartbeat over mine, Connor’s, and Julian’s. I had no idea if Hunter was even still alive as Mom held him.
Gently laying him at Connor’s feet, Mom pleaded, “Please, let my daughter go now.”
Connor couldn’t hear her, but I was sure he understood what she was saying. Pushing the blade deeper into my neck, he spat out, “I’m not going anywhere until he’s recovered.”
Sitting back on her hip, Halina cocked a smile. “Well, that may be a problem, since I got a little carried away. Barring some miracle, he’s going to die any minute.”
I closed my eyes for a second, both relieved that he was still living, and despaired that he was moments from dying. Connor, not having heard her, barked out, “I said, save him! Or I shove this through her windpipe!”
Halina blinked, then looked around. “None of us are doctors with blood bags at the ready. What exactly do you want us to do? Speed him to a hospital…so he can die there? It’s too late for him!”
Seeing her clear bewilderment, an enraged Connor pointed at the body at his feet. “I know he’s dying! I know nothing can be done to revive him! So, do what your bloody kind is meant to do, and bring him back! Turn him, now!”
I felt the madness in Connor’s voice. Whatever hold he’d been keeping on his sanity, seeing his son’s prostrate body had clearly pushed him over the edge. I doubt he was even cognizant of what he was asking my grandmother to do. He just wanted his son back, regardless of the price. I understood; I wanted him back, too, but I couldn’t believe that Connor, a devout hunter of our species, would truly consider vampirism as a viable solution to death.
Halina’s face was paler than I’d ever seen as she shook her head. “No…” she whispered.
The knife in my throat jerked backward, and a sheet of blood flowed down my throat. Too scared to cry out, I sucked in a deep breath and held it. I didn’t want to move a centimeter, lest it be my last.
“Do it!” Connor yelled. “Or I slice open the girl and move on to the boy. Think you can kill me before I kill them both?”
“Just give him what he wants,” Dad begged, his eyes watery.
Halina snapped her head to Dad. “I don’t change people—ever!” Her expression softened. “This is not a life I pass on.”
Dad swallowed as he nodded. “I know…but he’ll kill Nika if you don’t. None of us are fast enough to prevent it. You know I’m right. Just give him what he wants.”
Halina stared at the body at her feet. Tears clouded my vision, then streamed down my cheeks. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want him to die, either, but this…? Being forced to be something he hated for…eternity? He wouldn’t want this. He’d rather be dead than undead. With the knife pressing on my vocal cords, I didn’t dare voice my opinion. My tears spoke for me…and so did Julian.
When Halina bent down to Hunter’s side, he took a step forward. Connor tensed in anticipation, but my brother wasn’t paying attention to Connor. He was focused purely on Halina. “Don’t,” he whispered. “Nika doesn’t want this.” His eyes flashed to mine. “She’d rather die for him, than condemn him for all eternity.”
Halina growled and Julian looked back at her. Fangs bared, she held out her wrist. Under the snowy skin, I could see the bulging veins flowing with pure vampire blood. “Trust me,” she murmured, “he won’t get an eternity.” Her eyes narrowed. “But no child of mine is going to die today.”
With that, she tore into her body, exposing her blood. Eyes locked on Connor’s, she brought the gaping wound to Hunter’s lips. When his mouth filled, he instinctively swallowed. The sound broke my heart. It was done. He’d turn now. He’d be forced into darkness, into shadows. There was no cure for vampirism. He’d hate himself. He’d hate me…
As Hunter gulped more and more of Halina’s blood, her pausing on occasion to reopen the wound at her wrist, reason seemed to return to Connor. Releasing the knife’s tension at my throat, he muttered, “Dear God…what have I done?”
Dad moved an inch to the left, and Connor’s rigidness returned. The knife bit into my flesh, and I forced myself to not cry out. Dad held up his hands, then pointed to Ben’s body. “I just want to check on my friend.”
Connor must have nodded, for Dad continued moving toward Ben. Eyes wide, I watched my father squat next to the fallen hero. Dad tilted his head, listening, then placed a couple of fingers along his jugular. Anxious, Mom whispered, “Is he okay, Teren? I can’t hear his heartbeat.” There was a lot of blood on the floor around Ben. I didn’t see how anyone could survive a head shot like that, but I also couldn’t imagine Ben dead. He’d been a fixture in my life for too long.
Face grim, Dad looked up at Mom. “It’s there…barely.” He swung his head to Connor. “We gave you what you asked for, now please, let my daughter go, and let us take him to a hospital.”
Connor’s grip on me tightened as he considered Dad’s proposal. Halina, finished with her assignment, stood and licked the blood from her closing wound. Her pale eyes burned holes into the man holding me captive, and her fangs were still extended. She seemed a little steadier than she was at the motel. I figured that the massive amount of human blood she’d drank tonight was the reason.
Lying prone at her feet, Hunter looked the same as before. Well, no, he did look a little different. There was no slight rise and fall to his chest anymore, no involuntary muscle twitches. He was stone still…dead. Tears ran down my cheeks.
Connor’s free hand pointed at his son’s body. “Why isn’t he waking up? Why isn’t it working?”
His music was still blaring through his headphones, keeping his mind protected from my grandmother’s hypnotizing words. Realizing this, Halina lifted her wrist, miming like she was checking the time on a watch. “It is not instant, you imbecile. Pureblood conversions take time.”
She showed him her fingers, curled them, then reopened them. She repeated the process, only flashing four fingers. Twenty-four. That was how long Hunter’s conversion would take. Connor understood her game of charades. Of course, he had probably known that all along, having come from a generations-old vampire-slaying family. Indicating outside, he told her, “I need to speak with your nestmates…” he tapped his ear, “so you need to leave.”
Halina rolled her eyes. “I won’t compel you.” A small smirk was on her lips after she said it, and I knew she was lying.
Connor couldn’t hear her, but he got the gist of what she was saying, and he also questioned her sincerity. With more force, he reiterated, “Leave! Or I add one more lifeless body to this room!”
Mom grabbed Halina’s elbow. “Halina…please? Teren and I can handle this. You and Gabriel take Ben to a hospital.” She swallowed, and her voice warbled. “He’s going to die, Halina, for us…and he’s sacrificed so much already. We owe him.”
Halina looked back at Ben, her eyes compassionate. They hardened again as her head snapped to Connor. “He does not get to walk away from this,” she snarled.
“He won’t,” Dad whispered, his eyes locked on Halina’s.
Halina appraised her grandson for a moment, then nodded. Giving Connor a warning hiss, she slinked her way over to Ben. Connor watched her apprehensively, his body tight with tension. Halina effortlessly scooped Ben into her arms, then backed toward the exit. Stepping next to Gabriel, she gave Connor an icy glare.
In Russian she told him, “After my grandson kills you, I am going to pull off your head, place it on a platter of fine china, and rest it on my nightstand. Every night before I retire, I will smile at your vacant eyes, knowing you are no more.”
Gabriel’s lip twitched as he followed Halina out the door. I felt Halina’s presence streaking away, getting Ben some much needed help. I prayed that he made it…that we all made it.
Julian turned to Connor once she was away. “She’s gone.”
The rock music abruptly ended, and Connor let out a long exhale. “I’m assuming none of you can control people’s minds…otherwise the girl would have compelled my son ages ago.”
Dad stood. “Her name is Nika, and she’s only sixteen years old.” Carefully avoiding the pool of Ben’s blood on the floor, Dad made his way toward me. I wanted to reach out for him, but the metal pressed into my neck frightened me so much, I couldn’t even lift a pinky. “Your son will live now. Please let her go.”
“Live? Is that what you call it?” Connor’s voice was full of despair, but my well of sympathy for him had run dry a while ago.
Dad reached out a hand for me. “If you give her to me, I’ll let you leave with your son. You have my word.”
Disbelief flowed into me from Julian. Underneath my mountain of fear, I felt the same way. Dad had told Halina that Connor wouldn’t get to walk away. Dad was either lying to Connor right now, or he’d purposely misled Halina so she would leave. I wasn’t positive which direction he was headed, but by the sincerity on his face, I was guessing that he really was going to let Connor leave. Halina was going to be pissed.
Connor’s tone was hard when he responded. “Your word? What good is the word of a monster?”
Dad clenched his jaw. “I’m no more monster than you. But when I give my word…I keep it. You and your son are free to leave.” Dad glanced over at Mom. She was scowling, but she nodded. She wouldn’t go against Dad’s act of amnesty.
Slowly, I felt the sting of the knife retreating. The warmth of fresh blood trickled down my neck as I inhaled a deep breath of relief. My initial reaction was to turn and strike Connor in the nose with my elbow, but I knew how dangerous he was, and I wasn’t about to risk getting knifed in the stomach. I’d had enough of knives…and arrows…and guns. I’d had enough of violence. I never wanted to see blood again, and that was saying a lot, considering how much I loved the stuff.
Julian’s arms were instantly around me when Connor backed away. The relief coursing from my brother nearly drowned me, but I buried my head in his shoulder, grateful and tired. Mom urged us both to back out the door with her, but my eyes were transfixed on Hunter’s body. I was assaulted by memories of his warm smile, of the sunlight reflecting in his dark eyes. He would never again feel the heat of the afternoon sun on his body. His favorite time of day was now forbidden to him, along with silver…and food.
He would live in a world of deceit now, where he was forced to lie to every person he encountered. Then again, he was born and raised to be a vampire hunter…he’d been lying to people for a while. But he would live in a world of thirst, where blood ruled his senses. The urge to drink was pretty mellow for my family and me, another one of the benefits of having diluted blood, but to Hunter, a newborn pureblood, the desire for blood would be profound. Especially when he first woke up.
I lifted my head and stared at Connor inching his way to his son, his knife protectively held in front of him. “He’ll need to eat right away,” I murmured, my voice scratchy, my throat feeling bruised. Connor snapped his eyes to mine. He paused as I continued. “If you want him to live…he’ll need to eat as soon as he wakes up. And he’ll be hungry, really hungry, so if you want to live, you better have something ready for him.”
My eyes drifted to my father. The story of Dad’s conversion was legend in our home. It was a horrific warning of what could happen to my brother and me if we walked into our own conversions overconfident. There were some things about our lives, about our bodies, that needed to be handled with the greatest of care and planning. Conversions were at the top of that list; they were not to be taken lightly.
Connor’s face paled as he looked down at his vampire son. His words reverberated in my mind: Dear God…what have I done? I couldn’t help but think the exact same thing.
Eyeing my mother and father, Connor tucked his knife back into his belt, bent down to retrieve his discarded gun, and then picked up his son. He didn’t have our super-strength, so it took him a moment to lift him. Once he was carrying Hunter, he cautiously made his way toward the door. He passed close by me, and I absentmindedly reached out to stroke Hunter’s cheek; it was cool to the touch.
Connor hesitated, and I peeked up at his face. His eyes were brimming, the earlier madness in them gone. His hope seemed gone, too, as he held his limp child. Swallowing my grief, I leaned over and placed a light kiss on Hunter’s forehead.
“Goodbye, Hunter,” I whispered, not sure if he could hear me. “I’ll always love you.”
Tears fell on Connor’s cheeks as he carried his son away from me.