I WAS FILLED with pride and relief. Dad had seemingly forgiven my previous blunder, and was trusting me with a huge responsibility. I wasn’t going to let him down this time. I wanted to be worthy of the trust he was showing me, and knowing how much I’d screwed up last time made the desire to be better even stronger. This time, I wasn’t letting anybody down.
It was a warm August night, but Arianna still rubbed her arms like she was freezing as she watched everyone who was going to the market pile into three separate vehicles. Nika and I were taking the wagon, while Ben and Dad drove their cars. Halina felt like running; she would probably beat us all there.
Nika and Hunter were getting into the front of the wagon when I stepped up to Arianna. Wrapping my arms around her, I tried to warm her up and calm her down all at the same time. “It will be fine,” I told her. “Once Simon sees that Jake is okay, he’ll stop all this craziness and everything will go back to normal.”
“And what about this Henry person?” she asked, looking up at me with bright, luminous eyes.
Right. That guy.
Smiling, I repeated the only encouragement I had to offer. “Everything will be fine.”
Arianna gave me a half-hearted smile as she rested her hands on my chest. “Just hurry back. I can’t stand the thought of you being in danger.” My heart starting thudding in my chest. Hearing stuff like that made me feel so good, so…loved.
“Time to go, Julian,” my father suddenly stated. He still looked upset about Nika and Hunter. I sympathized. I’d give anything to have the image of my sister and her boyfriend barely covered by a sheet scrubbed from my mind.
After giving Dad a quick nod, I turned my attention back to Arianna. “Sorry, duty calls.”
Her smile turned brilliant, then she reached up and placed her lips to mine. At just that brief touch, I felt like someone had run a sparkler up and down my skin. Everything burned, in the best possible way. “Bring Simon back safe and sound,” she murmured when she pulled away. “I know he’s made some bad choices lately, but he’s a decent guy once you get to know him.”
I wanted to lean back in for her mouth, but I knew there wasn’t time. I also didn’t want our last words to be about Simon, but that couldn’t be helped either. “I’ll do my best,” I told her.
When I let Arianna go and finally settled into the back seat, a figure moved at supersonic speed to sit beside me. I blinked in surprise at the image of Olivia seemingly appearing out of thin air. She had a monstrously huge smile on her face as she stared at me like I held the answer to all of life’s little mysteries. “Shouldn’t you ride with your dad?” I asked her.
“Nope. He said I could ride with you. So, tell me about you and this Arianna chick. You guys serious? Or are you breaking up soon? Because I think you should. You should save yourself for me. Dad says I can date when I’m sixteen. And I’m like you now, you know, so we’re sort of the perfect couple.”
Nika snorted, and Hunter did his best to hide his smile, but he failed miserably. While Nika started the car, I let out a long sigh. Maybe I should run there like Halina? Staring out the window at my girlfriend, I told the newly turned vampire, “Sorry, Olivia, but Arianna is the one for me. And we’re never breaking up again.” God willing.
Olivia immediately started in on a speech about why she thought that wasn’t true. The ride to Howard’s had never taken so long in all my life.
As predicted, Halina was waiting in the nearby parking lot that Dad had picked as a meeting spot. It was a little-used lot directly behind the market, and surrounded on three sides by a park populated by tall, bushy trees. It wasn’t entirely out of sight, but it was as secluded as we could get in the city. Her long black hair billowing in the night breeze, Halina surveyed the area while Nika pulled into a parking space beside her. Surprisingly, Nika had beat both Dad and Ben here. Or maybe that wasn’t too surprising. As Olivia’s babbling had picked up pace, so had Nika’s driving. I could feel Dad though, and he wasn’t too far behind us. Fifteen minutes tops.
Nika and Hunter stepped out of the car at the same time, with Olivia and I a heartbeat behind them. Halina looked our way and said, “It’s completely quiet. No one is around except for locals buying overpriced coffee and pork rinds.” She grimaced. “Pork rinds. And humans think what I eat is disgusting.”
Hunter smiled, then nodded. “Good, we beat them here. That will give us time to set up a perimeter and—”
Before Hunter could finish his statement, an arrow lodged into his shoulder. We were all so dumbstruck, we stared at it for a good five seconds before anyone moved. Olivia broke the spell by screaming. Then Hunter ripped the shaft from his body, grabbed Nika and pushed her back inside the car. As more arrows whizzed through the air striking the station wagon, I shoved Olivia into the open car door. Ben and Tracey would never forgive me if I let anything happen to her. Once we were both inside, I slammed the car door shut and hunkered down as close to the floorboards as I could get. Olivia, Nika, and Hunter all did the same, while Halina blurred away into the night. Before she vanished, I saw at least two arrows slam into her.
Muffled gunshots started ringing through the night, adding to the chaos around us. I still couldn’t see anyone, and couldn’t tell what direction the attack was coming from. It seemed to be one gigantic circle, with our station wagon as the bull’s eye. I could hear the metal being punctured, could feel the car vibrate with each hit. What the hell was going on?
“Nika!” I yelled. “Get us out of here!”
She immediately moved to turn the ignition, and Hunter’s hand shot out to stop her. “No, don’t. I smell gas, I think they hit the tank.”
Olivia had been holding it together pretty well, but she completely lost it at hearing Hunter’s news. “What? No, no, no, I don’t want to burn alive! I don’t to be burned alive, Julian!”
I grabbed her shoulders as well as I could in my awkward, huddled position. “No one is going to be burned alive, okay? We’re going to be fine, just fine.”
Olivia calmed down some, just as Hunter hissed, “I have to go out there.”
Now my sister started panicking. “What? No, that’s crazy!”
“I have to help Halina clear a path so the rest of you can escape.”
Just then, I started seeing people emerging from the shadows, closing in on their target—my car, my family. Our attackers—at least a dozen burly men and fresh-faced teenagers—fired continuously, like they knew if they stopped for a second, we would escape our temporary solace and rip them to shreds. As I watched my impending doom coming ever closer, I was instantly grateful Arianna was safe at the ranch. She didn’t need to see me die, and I couldn’t even contemplate the reverse.
Hunter was getting antsy as the shooters got closer. “I’m sorry, Nika. I can’t let this happen. I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss, then blurred from the car. Nika screamed his name as he left. I watched him get hit a half-dozen times in the arms, legs and gut, then I stopped watching. I heard fighting though—growls, men yelling, people shouting. He was making a difference. I had to help him.
“Nika, tell Arianna…” Tell her what? That I was sorry? That I loved her? Yes, all that and so much more. Not able to say it, I shook my head and prepared myself to leave the small safety the car afforded us.
“Julian,” my sister snapped. “Whatever you think you’re about to do, don’t. You’re still alive, and I intend to keep you that way. Both of you!” she said, indicating Olivia.
I was just about to begin my pointless argument, when a body landed on the hood of the car. All of us looked up to see Halina snarling and streaked with blood; she looked like a wild animal. She pointed at us and hissed, “All of you, stay there!”
I immediately nodded. Halina was not someone to argue with, especially now. Nika struggled to obey, though, since the love of her life was out there, fighting alongside our grandmother. Just when it seemed she was about to disregard Halina’s direct order, someone ripped off the door beside her. Nika started scrambling away, until she recognized who it was. “Simon?”
His fangs were down, and he sure looked a lot different than the last time I’d seen him. Olivia sat up when she realized who it was. “Simon! Your men are trying to kill me. Help us!”
Simon glanced her way. He seemed confused and surprised to see her. “Olivia? I thought they killed you. Like the others.”
Nika moved, minutely, and Simon snapped his eyes to her. “We wouldn’t kill her,” my sister said. “We wouldn’t kill anyone if we had a choice. And we haven’t hurt your father. Jake is fine. He’s coming to get you.”
Simon leaned in close, invading Nika’s personal space. I noticed that ever since Simon had approached the car, the vehicle had taken a lot less hits. Actually, there was a lot less gunfire everywhere now, as Hunter and Halina took out hostiles. I could slip out, run around the car, and catch Simon off guard. If I was quick enough. “Where is he?” Simon growled. “Where’s my father?”
Nika opened her mouth at the same time I opened my door. I had almost blurred away, but Olivia, terrified and overwhelmed, threw her arms around me. “Don’t leave me!” she screeched.
Simon looked my way and hissed. Then he raised his gun to my face, in one sickeningly blurred motion. Just as his finger compressed to squeeze the trigger, Nika slammed into him. He stepped back a few feet, and thudded onto the hood of a car that was screeching to a stop—my dad’s car and immediately behind it, Ben’s car. A relieved breath escaped me as our backup finally arrived.
Jake immediately opened the rear door of Dad’s car and stepped out. “Simon!” He ran to his son, engulfing him in a hug.
Simon was so stunned, he looked like he’d been hit over the head with a two-by-four. “Dad? You’re…okay? You’re really okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Jake murmured, holding him tight. Relaxing his hold, he looked at the chaos around us. Aside from me and Olivia, everyone was out of their cars, fighting now. Nika had run off to help Hunter, and Dad and the rest were out securing the area. Stray bullets and arrows were still whizzing through the air while bodies tumbled, collided and fell, never to get up again. It was madness.
Jake held his son’s shoulders. “Simon, call this off. It’s all a big misunderstanding. I’m fine. I was always fine. You didn’t need to…” His voice trailed off as he examined his son’s elongated teeth. “I can’t believe you let Henry…”
While they hugged it out again, I noticed someone behind them. A man with long, scraggly gray hair and beard, wearing an unkempt Hawaiian shirt, with an unhinged look in his steely gray eyes. I instantly recognized him from a photo at the junkyard. Henry, the reason this “misunderstanding” had downgraded into insanity. Spotting my eyes on him, Henry’s expression darkened, then he turned and started running. No. He couldn’t get away.
Looking down at Olivia still clinging to every part of me that she could touch, I gently said, “Liv, your dad is here now, and you’re going to be just fine, okay?” As I began peeling her from my body, she started nodding. Once I was free of her grasp, I blurred away and left her there.
I didn’t have my family’s super sense of smell and extremely accurate vision, but I was slightly more advanced than a regular human, and I had little trouble chasing after Henry through the park. Now, what I was going to do with him once I caught up to him was another story. One I would worry about when I got there.
Trees breezed past me as I zipped along at supersonic speed, and an odd feeling began penetrating my concentration. I felt like my brain was trying to poke me, or wave a bunch of red flags in my face. My heart started thudding as I tried to understand what my body was trying to tell me. Something was wrong, but what? I didn’t figure it out until I burst through the park and reached the sidewalk on the other side. I was alone, completely alone; there wasn’t a sign of Henry anywhere.
My eyes widened as I understood. “He did the procedure, too. He’s a vampire…” That was what my body was screaming at me. I hadn’t been able to catch him, and I hadn’t shot past him. He’d eluded and escaped me, because he was just as fast as I was. Probably faster. “Shit,” I murmured, before I turned around and dashed back to the parking lot. Even if I could find Henry, taking on a crazed, mixed vampire by myself was not something I wanted to do.
When I got back to where everyone else was, I felt completely dejected. I’d almost had him…and he’d gotten away. There was a strange sense of stillness in the air when I got back to my car. Looking around, I could see the fight was over. A few bodies were strewn over the cement, but none of the victims were my family, thank God.
People began cleaning up as I slowly walked to my father. Nika was asking Hunter if any bullets were still inside him. With a cringe, he told her no, most of them were nicks; the one in his gut was a through and through. Dad sighed and looked my way when he felt me approaching. “Henry got away,” I told him. “I tried to catch him…but I couldn’t. He was too fast.” Dad raised his eyebrows in surprise and I nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t see him do it, but he must be able to run like we can. He must be a vampire. Or, a partial one, at least.”
Dad swung his head around to where Jake and Simon were standing close together. Simon looked very uneasy being around the monsters he’d been trying to eradicate all his life. “Is that true, Simon? Did Henry go through the procedure?”
Simon firmed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. Even though he wasn’t being restrained in any way, it was clear that he saw himself as a prisoner. Jake gently put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, you can trust these guys. They’re not who we thought they were.”
Simon flung a hand at the body Halina and Gabriel were putting into Ben’s car. “You sure about that, Dad? They killed a quarter of my men.”
My father’s expression hardened as he turned to completely face Simon. “We wouldn’t have had to kill anyone if you hadn’t descended on my children with loaded weapons. You started this bloodbath, not us.” Jake held a hand up to Dad and Dad sighed again. “None of that matters right now though. All that matters is that Henry got away…and he still has Starla and Jacen.”
I studied the ground, embarrassed that I hadn’t been able to catch him. Dad put a comforting arm over my shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Julian. None of us would have done any better. You did what you could.”
Looking up at him, I nodded, and I actually did feel a little better. And besides, not all hope was lost. We now had someone who knew exactly where Henry was hiding out. Lifting my chin, I strode forward to face Simon. “If you tell me where your grandfather is hiding, I just might forgive you for pointing a gun in my face.”
Simon’s lips curved into a cocky half-smile. “Go to hell, vampire.”
An amused scoff escaped me. “Vampire? You’re still hung up on that, even though you’re one of us?”
Eyes darkening, Simon immediately shook his head. “I’m nothing like you. I’m still mostly human.”
“So am I, nimrod. We’re both alive…for now. Until our hearts give out and we become undead, just like them.” I pointed to Dad, then Hunter and Nika. If Simon thought being alive lasted forever, he was in for a very rude awakening.
“What are you talking about? Why would my heart give out?” Simon spat, looking around at all of us like every word we said was some sort of trap.
Hands raised like Simon was a wounded animal, Olivia stepped forward. “You had Jacen’s blood, right? Well, remember how he was different? Didn’t have a heartbeat and all that. I think that’s what he means. Starla took that shot to keep her…alive. Without it, we turn into…regular vampires.” That wasn’t quite it, but it was close enough.
Simon shook his head. “No…that’s not what happens. We stay alive, why wouldn’t we? We’re alive right now?”
I shook my head at his ignorance. “You have no idea what you’ve done, what you’re about to become. And I don’t have time to explain it all to you. Let’s just boil it down to—your human body can’t handle what you’ve done to it. You’re gonna die, possibly soon…” A thought struck me, and I suddenly wished Gabriel was here to confirm what I now suspected. Voice soft, I told him, “Oh, man…you’re too young…you won’t complete the conversion. If your heart gives out now…you’ll just die. As in, dead forever die.” That was my problem too. If I died now, I wouldn’t convert. I’d just…be gone.
Jake’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about, Julian?”
Wishing Gabriel wasn’t busy with dead bodies, I let out a weary exhale. “It’s not just Starla’s blood that’s a problem. It’s age too. Mixed vampires…need to be older to convert…naturally. Nika and I were always told it would happen sometime before our twenty-sixth birthday. Simon doesn’t have that kind of time. His heart won’t make it.”
Eyes wide, Simon looked over at Jake. Clearly, he was the only one Simon trusted. “Is that true? Am I going to…die?”
Jake didn’t know, so my dad stepped forward. “Yes, unfortunately it’s true. When I turned my wife, her human body couldn’t take the new blood for long. It was going to wear out her heart before our children could be born. The only thing that saved her, and Julian, and Nika, was Gabriel’s medicine.” Dad smiled as he looked over at Gabriel, then he shook his head and returned his eyes to Simon. “It’s complicated, Simon, but ultimately, we can save you…you just have to trust us.”
Simon scrubbed his face with his hands. “Just have to trust…” Looking up, he gave Dad a quizzical expression. “My dad and I have fought your kind for as long as I can remember, and you want me to…trust you?”
Jake let out a long, resigned exhale. “I know it’s hard to trust a vampire, son. It goes against everything we’ve ever believed…but we really don’t have much of a choice. Henry must be stopped, and if they can save you…”
Simon’s face hardened as he locked eyes with Jake. He turned to me with great reluctance. “Fine. I’ll take you to his place. But we better go now, because he’s probably already prepping to leave.”
Feeling a sense of urgency, I twisted to my father. “We should run there, Dad, with everyone who can.”
Expression solemn, Dad nodded. “Agreed.”
Dad motioned for me to follow him, and we hurried over to Ben’s car. With Halina and Gabriel’s help, it had only taken a couple minutes to clean up all the evidence of the fight; even the bullet casings were gone. Ben closed the back of his SUV just as Dad approached. “We need to get the bodies out of here before someone comes by. Take Rory, Cleo, Jake, and Olivia back to the ranch. The rest of us are heading out for Starla and Jacen on foot.”
Ben frowned at hearing Dad’s plan. “I don’t like this, Teren.”
Dad smiled. “I know. But we need to get there fast, and unless you want Great Gran to finally convert you…”
At hearing that, Halina shifted her gaze our way. “He wishes I’d put my mouth on him.”
She winked at Ben after she said it and Ben rolled his eyes. “Just bring them home, Teren. And yourselves.”
“That’s the plan,” Dad said with a smile.
“No, it’s not,” Jake said, coming up behind Dad. With a sigh, Dad turned to face him. “I just got Simon back,” he stated, “and I’m not going anywhere without him.”
“And I’m going too,” Olivia added, crossing her arms over her chest.
Curling his hands into fists, Dad calmly looked at each of them. Pointing at Jake, he said, “You can’t keep up, and time is of the essence. You’re going to the ranch.” Shifting his finger to Olivia, he said, “You’re too young…and your mother will kill me if anything happens to you. And she’ll probably try to kill me anyway once she hears about what happened here. You’re going to the ranch too. End of discussion.” Turning his eyes to Simon, he stated, “Lead the way.”
Looking as insolent as Olivia, Simon shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere without my dad. Especially with you guys.”
Dad opened his mouth, but Gabriel beat him to it. Stepping forward, he coolly told him, “Starla is my child. If you refuse to help us help her…well then, I see no reason to share my medicine with you. And trust me when I say, child, you will die without it. Permanently.”
Simon’s lips pressed into a firm line, but he didn’t object any further. Jake looked like he wanted to attack Gabriel again, but he also seemed to understand where Gabriel was coming from, so he only nodded in response to his ultimatum. Olivia didn’t seem as satisfied as the other two. She started to tell Dad exactly what she thought of his plan, but Ben slapped his hand over her mouth and all we heard was an annoyed series of muffled noises.
Seeing that everyone was finally finished voicing their opinion, Dad settled his eyes on Simon, like he was waiting for him to make the first move. Simon finally pointed the way I’d gone when I’d chased after Henry earlier. “That way. Follow me. If you can.” He gave Dad a half-smile, then blurred away.
Dad rolled his eyes, then we took off after him. We sped toward Henry, keeping as much to the shadows as we could. With our speed, we wouldn’t be much more than a trick of the eye to any human who might be looking, but the last thing we needed right now was for one of us to be exposed. Luckily, even Simon seemed to understand that, and he kept out of sight as much as the rest of us.
It was nerve-wracking, using powers openly in a city teeming with humans, and I let out a relieved sigh when the buildings and streets gave away to sloping hills and low brush. Simon stopped every few miles to make sure we were still following. When he saw that we were, he would blur off into the night again, leaving only the sound of the evening wildlife behind.
Halina and Gabriel stayed so close to Simon that they were probably stepping on his shoes, while Dad remained by my side since I was just a bit slower. Hunter and Nika stayed somewhere in the middle of the two packs. Just as my stamina was beginning to fade and I was positive we would never get to Henry’s hideout, Dad and I spotted Simon and the others standing around a clump of trees. As we slowed to a stop, I looked around. There was nothing out here. Nothing but shrubs, trees and rocks. Was Henry living underground or something?
When Simon saw that we were all there, he pointed to the wall of trees behind him. “Grandfather is down in that valley, in an abandoned cabin. We made good time, so he should still be there. Your friends are in no condition to run, so he’ll have to use the van to get them out of there.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened, and I knew why. Starla and Jacen were in no condition to run because they were being drained and starved on a daily basis. I didn’t even want to think about what these last few weeks had been like for them. “Let’s not waste any more time then.”
Gabriel’s tone was cold, emotionless, and somehow that made it even more chilling. A shiver ran through me, and Dad noticed. “You can stay here, Julian. It’s all right.”
I gave him a brief shake of my head. “No, I can’t. This is all my fault…I need to make it right.”
Dad opened his mouth, like he was going to argue, but instead, he shut it and nodded. “Let’s hit him hard and fast, before he has a chance to get organized.”
Simon led the way to a small trail through the trees. It led down a steep hill to a broad valley, where I could just make out a cabin in the moonlight, resting beside a wide river. I had to pay close attention to where I stepped on the rocky slope, but even still, I saw lights on in the cabin and cars parked outside. People were still there. We weren’t too late.
Once we were all on the valley floor, we spread out. Halina and Gabriel stuck close to Simon, like they were worried he might start fighting on Henry’s side. And I supposed that was a possibility, given his prejudice against our species—his own species now. But Simon wanted to live, and he wanted to be reunited with his father. I had to believe that would be enough to keep him on our side.
Dad gave Hunter a signal to travel around the back with Nika. We went around the other direction, while Halina and Gabriel went right through the front door. Thirty seconds later, the relative quiet of the night was transformed into a raging battle with gunshots, shouting and the unmistakable sound of fighting.
“Stay close to me,” Dad hissed, as we approached the backyard. Three hunters, who had clearly gone through the procedure, blurred out of the back door of the house. They started heading our way, but Hunter and Nika ambushed them, giving us an opening. “Now!” Dad yelled at me, and we made a mad dash for the open door.
Inside was surprisingly cozy for a madman’s secret base. There were deer antlers attached to the living room wall, oversized wooden furniture that actually looked very comfortable, and fishing poles in nearly every corner. Lingering over everything was the woodsy scent of pine and cedar. But for the sounds of violent scuffles coming from outside, I could easily imagine this place belonging to my family.
Dad motioned to a set of stairs leading down to a basement. Halina and Gabriel were preoccupied in the front part of the house, while Nika and Hunter were stuck out back, so it was just Dad and me heading downstairs. I wasn’t sure we were going the right way until the smell of blood hit me. Dad gave me a worried look before stepping onto the basement level.
The short hallway from the stairs opened into a large room. Twin cages were set up on either side of the space, one holding Starla, one holding Jacen. Neither vampire moved, so we had no idea if they knew what was going on or not. Or if they were even still alive. In between the two cages, was that damned machine that Henry used for the transfusions, plus numerous cabinets, workbenches, and refrigerators with glass doors showing several containers of blood.
The scent of stale blood in the air was so strong, it was almost nauseating. With one hand behind himself, keeping me back, Dad stepped into the room. “Starla? Are you okay?”
Before Starla could respond—if she even could—Dad was tackled from the side. He was swept away from me like a flashflood, and I heard him and his assailant crashing into the far wall. “Dad!”
I zipped forward to help him, and saw that Dad was in a snarling, tangled fight with Henry. The older man looked deranged as he fought, with wild eyes and spittle flying from his mouth, a mouth that was punctuated with inch long fangs. “You and your diseased kind have finally met your match, creature! I will hunt down every last one of your undead cousins. With your blood fueling my army!” Henry started laughing, a maniacal sound laced with insanity.
Dad shoved him away, but like a dog defending a bone he would rather die than give up, Henry instantly leapt on him again. Henry used every part of his body to attack Dad, from his teeth to his feet. It was all Dad could do to keep him at bay. “That makes no sense!” Dad said between strained breaths. “You’re the same as us now! If we’re monsters…you are too!”
Wanting to help, I looked around for a weapon. A small voice in the corner of the room said my name. “Julian? What’s going on?” I looked over to see Starla slowly sitting up. Her hair was a disheveled mess, her face pale as chalk, and her skin sunken and hollow. She looked more like a zombie than a vampire, and nothing like the pampered princess who routinely played the part of my mother.
Even as I thanked the fates she was still alive, I snapped out, “I need something sharp!” With shaking fingers, she pointed to a cabinet. Blurring over to it, I yanked the doors open…and saw all sorts of tools I wished I could erase from my memory. Saws, drills, knives, corkscrews and more deadly implements, all faintly coated with blood, like they’d been hastily wiped down before being shoved back into the darkness. Wishing I could move things without having to touch them, I grabbed something that looked like an ice pick, and then turned toward the two men rolling over the ground, each one desperately fighting for the upper hand.
“Dad! Catch!”
We made eye contact and I tossed him the ice pick. He snaked a hand free just in time to grab it, then pushed Henry onto his back and drove it into his chest. I closed my eyes then immediately reopened them. This was an unfortunate part of my world. One I couldn’t pretend didn’t exist. I didn’t ever want to kill, but I had to accept the fact that I might have to one day. To protect those I loved.
Deep, dark red stained Henry’s shirt, and he stopped moving, stopped fighting. Dad immediately stood up and backed away from him. His expression was grim, sad. Dad didn’t like killing either, but Henry hadn’t given him much of a choice. He’d seemed unhinged, like a drugged human who’d gone off the deep end. He’d transformed himself to give himself an advantage…but I don’t think he’d handled the outcome well. To fight the vampires, he’d become too much like one, and it had driven him mad.
I couldn’t stop staring at Henry’s body. At the blood, at the life draining from his eyes. A part of me was still tense, thinking he was going to spring to his feet and attack us again…but Dad’s aim had been true. Henry wasn’t going to recover. Alive or undead, he would never take another breath.
Dad’s hand on my shoulder finally pulled my gaze away from the dead man at our feet. “Best to turn away, Julian. He made his choice, there was nothing we could do.” As Dad turned me around, I nodded. True. Hard to accept, but true.
Now that the immediate threat was taken care of, Dad turned his attention to the cages. Starla was still sitting up on her bed, holding onto the bars closest to her for support. She looked dazed, like she was struggling to focus. She was smiling though. “Hey, vamp boy. Is it over? Did we win?”
Dad strode over to her cage and ripped the door down. Tossing it to the other side of the room, he stepped into Starla’s prison and scooped her into his arms. She was so limp, she looked like a ragdoll. “Yeah, it’s over, Starla. Completely over. You’re safe now.”
Starla sagged in relief, and let out a breathy sigh that sounded like two rocks being rubbed together. She had to be so thirsty. And hungry. And tired. Those assholes.
Starla’s eyes were closed when Dad brought her into the main part of the room. She almost looked asleep, or close to it. But just as Dad motioned for me to take her, her eyes popped open and she twisted her neck to look over at Jacen’s cage. “Jacen? Check on him. They drained more blood from him than me, since they didn’t need to worry about keeping his heart beating. He stopped talking a while ago…stopped moving a couple days ago. I have no idea if he’s…” Her eyes turned glassy, and her face contorted in pain. I wasn’t sure if that was because of her own pain…or Jacen’s.
Dad carefully shifted Starla into my arms. I braced myself for the weight, but she was so light, it was almost like the only thing left inside her was air. I followed Dad to Jacen’s cage, and watched as he ripped the door off his prison. Jacen didn’t move, didn’t flinch, didn’t make any adjustments whatsoever. He wasn’t breathing, his heart was silent…it was impossible to know if he was alive or not. I supposed, only forcing him to ingest fresh blood would tell us how he was. But not here. We had to get him back to the ranch.
As Dad emerged from Jacen’s cell with his limp body in his arms, Starla tried to push herself up so she could see. “Jacen? Sweetheart? Are you okay?”
I could tell from the look in her eyes that she would cry if she could. She had no tears left though. Jacen didn’t respond to her, and Starla’s strength gave out. She collapsed back into my arms with a whimper. “Dad,” I said. “We need to get them out of here.”
Dad nodded. “We’ll leave the same way we entered. It sounds like most of the fighting is over with anyway.” Dad looked up, to where we could feel Halina. “Great Gran, I’m going back to the ranch with Starla and Jacen. When you’re done here…burn this place to the ground.”
Halina responded with a low menacing growl, and something in Russian that was too low for me to make out. I was positive it had something to do with bathing in blood. Dad twisted to where we could feel Nika. I could tell he wanted to order her to leave with us, but surprisingly, he didn’t. He just told her to be careful and meet us at the ranch when she could.
We headed upstairs. The living room was clear, the backdoor still open, so we took off at supersonic speed into the night. It felt weird to be leaving a chunk of my family behind, especially when some of them were still engaged in fighting, but Starla and Jacen were in desperate need of help, desperate need of blood. And I supposed, a part of growing up was knowing when to let others handle situations on their own.
Family members who had waited at the ranch were standing outside when Dad and I arrived. Jake, Ben, Olivia, and the others were with them, having returned from Howard’s Market already. I was a little shocked to see them here, since it felt like we’d only spent a few seconds at Henry’s hiding place.
Imogen and Alanna took one look at the bundles in our arms, and blurred into the kitchen. I could already smell the warming blood when Dad and I entered the house a moment later. Surprisingly, Trey and Arianna were still there. As Dad motioned for me to follow him upstairs to where the bedrooms were, Trey’s mouth dropped wide open. “Dude, are they dead?”
Firming my jaw, I quickly told him, “No,” and hurried after my dad.
We went to a guest room with a bed large enough for both vampires. After I laid Starla down beside Jacen, she immediately grabbed the comatose man’s hand. Once mine were free, Arianna clutched my fingers. “Thank God, you’re okay. I was so worried.”
“Why are you still here?” I asked, looking down at her.
She pursed her lips, like I’d just asked her the most ridiculous question in creation. “Like I could go anywhere not knowing if you were okay or not.” Glancing back at the bed, her expression softened. “What happened to them?”
Stepping away from the bed, so the adults could examine Starla and Jacen, I shook my head. “I don’t know. That Henry guy drained them, starved them…basically tortured them.” Arianna gasped, and she looked so pale, I thought she might need to lie down too. “They’ll be okay. They’re tough…they’ll be okay…” As I repeated it, I wasn’t sure if I was comforting her or myself.
Imogen came up with a steaming thermos in each hand. Malachi was a step behind her, thermoses in his hands as well. He stopped the second he laid eyes on Starla and Jacen, and I had to wonder if he was seeing his past in their present. When we’d found him, he’d been in almost as bad of shape. Imogen gave him an encouraging smile as she indicated Starla. Malachi gathered himself, shook off his inner demons, and walked over to the woman who could barely keep her eyes open.
Starla couldn’t hold the thermos, so Malachi tenderly tilted it against her lips. Closing her eyes, she took small sips at first, then larger gulps. Seconds later, she was clasping the container in both hands and drinking it down as quickly as her throat would let her. I smiled at seeing the small semblance of life returning. Arianna clenched my hand, but she was smiling when I looked at her.
Imogen tried to feed Jacen, lifting his head and tilting the cup to his lips, but he still wasn’t responding. The blood she poured into his mouth, ran right out of his mouth, staining his shirt and the sheets. As I shifted my attention to him, my concern grew. If he didn’t drink—if he couldn’t drink—his body would desecrate. A fate worse than death. It would be kinder of us to stake him, then to let him degrade like that.
After another failed attempt, Imogen sighed and looked back at Dad. “If he can’t drink on his own, we’ll have to feed him with a tube.”
Starla had finished her second thermos at this point, and seemed a lot more like herself, although still very weak. She held her hand out for Jacen’s thermos. “May I?” she asked my grandmother.
Imogen smiled and handed it to her. Starla unscrewed the lid and dipped her pointer finger into the blood. Then she brought her finger to Jacen’s mouth and worked her way between his lips. Nothing happened at first, but then his mouth moved, just a slight amount, like he was licking her finger. Starla did it a few more times, murmuring encouragement with each dip.
Around the fourth or fifth time, it was obvious Jacen was beginning to come around, as he eagerly sucked on her finger now. Starla gently brought the thermos to his lips, giving him a larger flow. A low growl rumbled from Jacen’s chest, and Starla’s face erupted into a wide smile. “That’s it, baby. Drink up.”
Jacen’s eyes fluttered as his throat bobbed with each swallow. He stirred in the bed trying to sit up, and Imogen helped him. She propped him up so he was sitting straighter, so he could take deeper swallows. When the thermos was empty, Starla removed it from his lips. Jacen’s eyes sprang open. He snarled at Starla, like she was denying him something he desperately wanted. His bloody fangs were menacing, but Starla didn’t look the least bit afraid of him.
A bright smile on her face, she reached out to Malachi for the second thermos. He immediately handed it to her, and she gave it to Jacen. He used both hands to grab it, and started drinking it down like he was feverish. Tears in her eyes, Starla told him he was doing great, and she was so proud of him.
Imogen looked delighted as she met eyes with my father. “I better help Alanna make some more. Maybe we’ll even butcher a cow. These two need fresh blood.”
Dad nodded, also looking relieved, and from behind me I heard Arianna make a strangled noise. “You okay?” I asked, turning to look at her. Even if she had an iron stomach, this was a lot to take.
Her paleness hadn’t left her, except now she also looked a little green. She forced a smile to her face though. “Yep, I’m fine. Totally cool.”
Studying her, I asked, “Want to get out of here?”
“Yes,” she breathed, closing her eyes. Then she reopened them and stuttered, “If you want to, I mean.”
It made me smile how brave she was trying to be. I indicated the door. “Come on, let’s go get some air.”
Some of the bedrooms along the back of the house had balconies on them. I took her to one and led her outside, so she could clear her head and I could pretend we were alone. Leaning on the railing, Arianna inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths. After a long moment of careful breathing while she looked out over the acres of pastures glowing in the moonlit, she gave me a sideways glance. “You must think I’m the biggest wuss.”
Her words sent a spark of shock through me. “No, not at all. You’re one of the bravest people I know.”
She twisted her lips in an expression of Don’t lie to me, I’m not an idiot. “I’ve met most of the people you know…and compared to them, I’m not brave at all.”
Her voice was almost eaten away by the breeze it was so small. Grabbing both of her hands, I squatted down until we were looking at each other straight in the eye. “I know you, and I know things you’ve done, things that you’ve forgotten…and I’ve seen you be very brave.” Cupping her cheek, I let myself get lost in her beautiful blue-green eyes. “So incredibly brave. And sweet, and funny, and beautiful…”
Leaning in, I kissed her. Her lips were warm and receptive against mine, and so incredibly soft. I got so lost in the way they felt against my skin that I accidentally forgot to hold my teeth in, and they crashed down into place during a brief break in our touch. Arianna pulled away from me when she felt something different. Feeling my skin heat, I murmured, “Sorry…you distracted me. I…lost control.”
Her smile grew playful, like she was intrigued with the idea of me losing control. My skin felt on fire. With tentative fingers, she reached out to touch a sensitive tooth. I felt the vibration of the contact all the way down my spine. “You have to hold them in all the time?” I nodded and she frowned. “Isn’t that exhausting?”
Shrugging, I told her, “I’ve been doing it my entire life. I’m used to it.”
Dropping her hand, Arianna lifted her chin. “Well, you don’t have to with me. You’re free to be whoever you are. And besides…they’re sexy,” she added with a giggle. Then she leaned over and carefully ran her tongue along my fang.
The ache was so sudden and severe, I had to clench the railing to keep standing. A low growl escaped my chest, completely unbidden, and I felt winded when she pulled away. Holy… God, that felt good. Arianna’s eyes were wide as she studied my expression. By the way I felt, she must have been seeing pure lust and desire.
“You liked that?” she murmured, her voice low and sensual.
“You have no idea,” I muttered, wishing we were someplace soundproof.
Arianna’s seductive smile turned sweet and charming, innocent even, and damn if it didn’t turn me on even more. “I’ll have to remember that trick.” That made me smile. Thanks to Trey, she would remember.
I was still burning with need, wanting more, but I knew Arianna wasn’t there yet. Not really. “It’s getting late. We should get you home.”
Her lip came out in an adorable pout. “I don’t want to go yet. And besides, my mom thinks I’m spending the night at a friend’s house. I have nowhere to be until tomorrow…”
My body raged with life at hearing her words. All night. No more rescue missions. No more danger. No more threats. Simon was safe with Jake, Starla and Jacen were recovering, and Henry was…finished. Arianna was free from her parents for an evening, and I was free to be with her. “I don’t want you to go either.”
I leaned down to kiss her again, and she hungrily met my lips.