Shadow Realms- The Complete Series

by Kelly Carrero

  Glaring at me, he bit down on his smile and shook his head slowly. I knew that look. I would have to watch my back.

  I smiled, glad Mason was still Mason after his ordeal. It could’ve really knocked him down, but he chose to get back up and fight, and it was the first time I really respected him for his drive and ambition. I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to bounce back that quickly if it were me who had been kidnapped by a bunch of evil monsters.

  It was one thing to willingly go into the fire, and it was another to be thrown in. I guessed it came down to free will. Didn’t everything?

  Shaking my thoughts away, I looked around, trying to find a bus timetable, but there was none. “Excuse me,” I said to the woman closest to me. “When is the next bus due?”

  Her eyes widened as they locked onto the fangs protruding over my lips with every word I spoke. She backed away as fear rippled through her. I could feel it in the air.

  “It’s okay.” I held up my hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. These are fake.” I pointed to my teeth.

  She looked at me uneasily as the others around her whipped their heads in my direction.

  Groaning, I tilted my head back, then spun around and looked at Mason. “We can’t stay here.”

  He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine but how do you suppose we get there now?”

  We lived a good thirty minutes away by car, but there was a faster way. Heading down the street, I said, “I can carry you.”

  “As splendid as that sounds,” he said sarcastically, “you might have a little difficulty with that when we pick up Dad.” He looked over his shoulder as we turned down the next street then cocked his head toward a parked old blue hatchback that had seen better days. “We could take that.”

  My brows shot up. “Are you insane? We are not stealing a car.”

  He feigned a hurtful expression. “Who said anything about stealing? We’ll just borrow it and return it before they even know it’s gone.”

  I shook my head in amazement, unable to believe he would come up with such a suggestion. If anything, that should’ve been my idea, not his. I was the rebel against authority, not him. “How do you suppose we get it started? You do realize people don’t actually leave their keys tucked between the sun visor and the roof.”

  He winked at me before heading over to the driver’s door, looking around, and trying the handle. It was locked.

  I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Of course, the door was locked. I whispered loudly, “People don’t just leave their cars open…” I trailed off when I heard a click as he tried opening the trunk.

  With a grin from ear to ear, Mason said, “What were you saying?”

  Folding my arms across my chest, I cocked my hip to the side, waiting for him to fail in starting the car.

  Mason climbed into the trunk, over the back seat, then somehow maneuvered into the front seat despite his large frame. It would’ve been easier for me to slip through, but I was having too much fun watching him.

  Guilt clenched my chest as I reminded myself we weren’t there for fun. I should’ve just broken the handle. Hell, I should’ve just thrown Mason over my shoulder and carried him…home. The word felt foreign to me now. Like, somehow, I didn’t belong there. And I didn’t really belong at the compound despite me being their savior.

  Where did I belong?

  Letting my gaze settle on Mason, I realized home wasn’t a place. It was the people you were with. And having my brothers was all I needed.

  An aching loss filled my heart, sucking the oxygen from my lungs as I thought about our mother. The memory of her in the demon veil haunted me, and I had to continue to remind myself it wasn’t real. She was dead.

  Two moments later, the car engine sputtered to life, and Mason leaned over and unlocked the passenger seat.

  I didn’t even want to know where he learned to start a car without a key.

  I quickly scanned our area to make sure no one was watching, then walked around to the driver’s seat and opened the door. “Get out.”

  He frowned. “Get stuffed. I started the car. I’m driving.”

  “You don’t even have a license.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t drive.”

  “You’re fifteen years old. Do you really want to get pulled over by some cops and have to try to explain why we’re in a stolen car?”

  “Borrowed,” he corrected.

  “Either I drive, or I’m carrying you.”

  “I’m not moving.”

  I rolled my eyes, grabbed hold of his arm, and dragged him out of the car. Then I threw him over my shoulder. “You asked for it.”

  “Don’t you dare,” he muttered breathlessly as his stomach hit my shoulder.

  Holding on tightly as he bucked in my arms, I walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and set him down. “Get in.”

  Before he had a chance to object, I zoomed around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. The door was closed and my seat belt was on before Mason’s ass was on the seat.

  He put on his seat belt and gestured to mine. “Why do you even bother?”

  I shrugged. “Habit. Why do you bother arguing with me?”

  Mason smiled. “Habit.”

  I returned his smile then peeled onto the road, forgetting to turn on the headlights until Mason reminded me. I didn’t need the light. It was more important for other drivers to see me. I could see everything around me, in detail that was hidden to the human eye. Although it was nothing compared to how my body reacted when I’d consumed vampire blood.

  We drove for a few minutes in silence before Mason said, “You know, I never really thanked you properly for what you did. So thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I just can’t believe you were prepared to become a vampire to save me.”

  I shrugged again. “You were all I had left.”

  A faraway look consumed Mason’s eyes. Then he turned and stared out of the window. If I had to bet, I would’ve said he was thinking about Mom. He missed her just as much as I did, and like him, I would’ve given anything to have one more day with her. Hell, I’d even settle for a minute.

  No, I wouldn’t.

  If she was with me again, I’d never let her go.

  The smell of vampires lingered in the air, somehow able to seep through the closed windows of the car. My mouth salivated with a thirst begging to be quenched. Mason’s blood gave me abilities of a vampire, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. The demonic essence seeping inside of me, sending my body into a state of complete awareness, and giving me unfathomable strength.

  I half wondered what I would be like when I completed my transition on the eighteenth anniversary of my life. But then I remembered I wouldn’t be here. I would disappear, and my body would be inhabited by someone else.

  Screw that shit. I needed to find a way to stop that.

  There had to be a way.

  I couldn’t leave Mason and Finn alone. They needed to remain a priority.

  As I drew in a deep breath, the smell of vampires once again assaulted my senses, making my eyes widen. They were near.

  Mason turned to me, his eyes swirling with fear. “What is it?”

  “Vampires.”

  7

  Mason’s face paled as soon as the word left my mouth. He may have thought he was ready under the safety of the compound, but out here, where vampires were a reality and there was a very good chance they’d stick their fangs into you, he wasn’t ready.

  My heart clenched with regret. I should never have taken him out. It was too soon.

  If we weren’t down the end of the street from our house, I would’ve kept driving, ignoring whatever the vamps were up to.

  But we were.

  And I had a gut-wrenching feeling that they were waiting for us at our destination.

  I licked my lips, my mouth dry with fear as I tried to weigh the ramifications of leaving our father to die to save my brother. Unfortunatel
y, the decision wasn’t easy because I knew Mason would never forgive me if I put his fears above our father’s life.

  Wasn’t that what parents were supposed to do, though? Die for their children?

  Slowing down, I switched off the headlights as we crawled along the road and came to a stop.

  I swiveled around in my seat. “You take the car. Park it down at Joe’s, and I’ll meet you there.” It was only a five-minute drive from our house to the diner, but it was usually bustling with teens rebelling against the curfew at this time of night. He should be safe.

  Face still drained of color, he shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”

  “I love your loyalty, but you’ll just get in my way.” I sighed. “I’ll be fine. All I need is to get some demonic blood into my system, and none of them will stand a chance.”

  “What if they kill you before you get a chance to bite one?”

  “They won’t,” I said without an ounce of doubt in my mind. I was already hyped up on Mason’s blood, which would allow me to at least get close enough to do some damage. And if it came down to them biting me, it would give me the opportunity to have them exactly where I needed them.

  Mason momentarily glanced up the street before returning his gaze to mine, his eyes swirling with fear. “Maybe he’s not home. Maybe he’s up at the liquor store.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. He could be. You should stop by there on your way to Joe’s. And while you’re there, I’ll check out what’s going on here.”

  Mason opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off. “Look, I know you’re worried about me, but there’s no need to be. Every second that we stay here with me trying to convince you could mean the difference between life and death for Dad. And I know you don’t want that responsibility on your shoulders, so you need to do as I say. Go try to find dad then head to Joe’s, and let me do what I was born to do. No arguments.”

  He nodded.

  “Good.” I opened the car door, ducked around to the passenger side, and waited for Mason to get out.

  Quietly, he closed the door then looked at me, nervously bouncing on the spot as he cast glances around us. It was as if he thought we were going to be pounced on the second he let his guard down. I may not have been at my full ability, but I could still tell if someone—or something—was approaching.

  At least, I hoped I could.

  With that thought churning in my stomach, I ushered Mason to the driver’s side and waited for him to get in.

  Buckled in, he lowered the window and held out his arm. “Do you want a little more?”

  I stepped back, a bit concerned by how freely he offered me his blood. “I’m good.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded then tilted my nose up, sniffing the air, my senses going into overdrive as the smell of vampires pulled on the part of me that ached to be set free. I could almost taste the power that came with it, and I had to do everything I could not to run down the street like some freak, salivating like a rabid dog as I hunted my prey. “I’ll get a chance to get some more soon enough.”

  “Be careful.”

  “You, too.”

  He raised the window and sped down the road, almost making me regret allowing him to get behind the wheel. The guy had a lead foot and hadn’t driven a day in his life.

  “Perfect time to learn,” I muttered to myself, then headed down the street, sticking to the foliage of the neighboring houses.

  Stealthily, I made my way up to the neighbor’s fence and peered over the overgrown hedge in our backyard, remembering how it once was perfectly manicured as was every part of our yard. But that had been when Mom was alive. Now the grass was overgrown, garden beds were a pile of dead plants that would’ve had my mother rolling in her grave if she could see what had become of her pride and joy.

  None of us shared that passion, and Dad sure as hell wasn’t keeping it nice in her memory.

  Everything was quiet. There was a light on in the house, and I could hear the faint noise of the TV coming from the lounge room. It appeared normal.

  I knew it was far from normal.

  The overpowering, sweet stench of the vampires only yards from me was driving me insane. They were there. Most likely watching, waiting for one of us stupid kids to come for our father.

  Well, that stupid kid was me.

  And they didn’t intimidate me.

  There was no sign of human blood, which either meant my father was safe, or they’d already taken him and I was too late to save him.

  Trying to keep my crap together and not race into the house in an attempt to quench my thirst for the good stuff, I snuck between the gap in the hedges, surprised to find my mother’s favorite white-flowered bush still blooming. I guessed we had our neighbor, old Mrs Harris, to thank for inadvertently keeping it alive, seeing as though the bush was backing onto her fence where her own prized garden lay on the other side.

  Tearing my gaze away from yet another memory of my mother, I padded across the overgrown grass that came up to my knees, searching for any sign of my father or the monsters that lay in wait.

  Hearing a faint creak of the floorboards in the kitchen, I halted, my heart rate picking up, ready for whatever was there waiting to pounce on me.

  Just when I was about to continue, the back door opened and a man dressed in a tailored suit stepped onto the back patio. He carried an air of arrogance that only came with power. His gaze settled on me as he held a badge up to me.

  In all my years, I had never encountered anyone like him. Or maybe I had but didn’t realize it.

  My mouth salivated at the sight of him. Tall, well groomed, and handsome. But that wasn’t what appealed to me.

  It was his blood.

  8

  “Vampire,” I said before I had enough sense to realize the implication of that single word.

  His whole demeanor changed in an instant. He wasn’t like the others, and I wasn’t prepared. This one was old, powerful, and something about him made my blood curdle. He was intoxicating.

  Running my tongue across my front teeth, I was reminded my fangs were a dead giveaway for what I was.

  I needed to remain in the shadows because if he suspected for a second what I was, then I was as good as dead. I really should’ve stopped someplace else for some of the good blood and torn through a few vampires in preparation for the “save Dad” mission. “What are you doing here?”

  His steely gaze narrowed in on me, and the corner of his lips turned up into a smirk. “Isn’t it obvious?” He raised a brow. “We’re here for your brother.”

  I dragged in a long breath through my nose as the smell of vampires exploded in the air surrounding me, somehow previously hidden. It was as if they appeared out of thin air.

  Slowly, I glanced from side to side, assessing my situation. There had to be at least twenty vampires surrounding me. Some were the trashy, blood junkies, and others were classy, no longer slaves to the blood. They were the ones I needed to watch out for.

  Chastising myself for being stupid enough to come here alone, I tried to figure out how I was going to walk away from this one alive.

  Then again, I was pretty sure they wouldn’t kill me without confirming I was the one they were looking for. After all, I could’ve just been one of the few who were able to control their blood lust. Then again, why would I come to the house of the hunters?

  In that moment, I knew I was doomed. All I had was my weapons and barely any idea how to use them.

  What I needed was some vampire blood. I needed to come alive, no longer tethered to the bounds of humanity. I needed to be free.

  With all the vampires surrounding me, it shouldn’t have been that hard to get a drop of vampire blood, yet I knew it was going to be virtually impossible.

  Two blood junkies rushed me from either side, their savage fangs bared, ready to tear me limb from limb.

  I waited until the last second before I made my move, jumping, flipping backward, and landing behind
them. With the precision of a hunter, I raised my blades, slashing their throats as they twisted around to face me. Blood spurted from their wounds, and just as I opened my mouth with my heart in my throat, ready to devour their evil souls, someone grabbed my ponytail, yanking my head back, making me miss the drops of blood coming my way.

  Fangs bared down on me, piercing into my throat momentarily before I spun the daggers in my hands and stabbed them into the monster behind me.

  The vampire loosened his grip on me, and I took the opportunity to twist around to face him and rip the blades through his stomach with every bit of strength I had.

  Aching for a taste of his blood, I lifted the blade toward my tongue, but before I could connect, another vampire landed beside me and kicked me in the ribs.

  I flew through the air and crashed into the timber railing on the back porch, snapping it like a twig before falling onto the decking.

  Momentarily dazed, I widened my eyes, trying to get my bearings, but all I could see was the sole of a shoe coming down on me faster than I was able to move out of the way.

  The bones in my face felt as if they were about to crumble under the weight of the head vampire, my eyes bulging as he pushed down harder.

  I thrashed my legs, trying to wrap them around him so I could throw him to the floor, but it was useless. Even with the blood of a human, I was powerless to stop him without a drop of their blood.

  It was as if I were a fledgling, absolutely no match for the power of a vampire. Especially one with so much control.

  He laughed as he looked down at me, his eyes ravenous with his desire to eat me. “You shouldn’t have come back, but that’s the thing about you humans. You foolishly care, willing to give your life at the chance of saving another. That is why you’ll die. That is why you’ll all die.”

  He pushed his foot down harder, his eyes gleaming with delight as a whimper escaped my lips, which were smooshed against the decking. It felt as if my cheekbone were cracking. “I know what you are—hunter.”