by Amy Patrick
Shifting in his seat, he added, “And my experiences when I first turned left me with, shall we say, a bad taste in my mouth about drinking from humans.”
“You never did tell me what you remembered about those days once your mind cleared from the animal blood.”
Reece shifted again, his mouth forming a hard, unwilling line. “I don’t really like to talk about it.”
The night I’d left him behind at the Bastion, Reece had said some things to me I’d never forgotten. One was that he deserved to spend eternity enslaved to Imogen because of something he’d done. I disagreed then, and I felt even more strongly about it now.
Maybe if he’d just tell me what he’d done, I could convince him he was wrong, that what he deserved, like all of us, was forgiveness and a fresh start.
“I told you about biting Josiah,” I prompted.
Reece rolled his lower lip in then out, exhaling loudly. “Yes. I did drink human blood right after turning. I attacked my family.”
“Oh. Did you k—did they die?”
“No. I stopped before draining them completely, but I... hurt them. And I didn’t stop there. I went on a sort of rampage. I bit a lot of people.”
My next question was hushed. “Did they turn?”
He was quiet for so long I thought he wasn’t going to answer. But then he did. “Yes. All of them.”
For a few moments there was only the sound of the tires on the road and the soft patter of rain on the windshield. Reece had inherited Imogen’s “gift.” He could turn a human with a single bite, and he’d turned his whole family.
I touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded but didn’t look at me, just kept going in a monotone voice. “I can never go home again—or anywhere near there. My family hates me. I basically terrorized my hometown, leaving brand new vampires in my wake. I’m the worst kind of rogue. I should have been destroyed.”
My fingers on his arm tightened, and I leaned down, craning my neck to the side to look at his face, to try to get him to look at me.
“No—you shouldn’t have. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know what you were doing. The only reason I didn’t do the same thing is that Kannon found me early on and brought me in. Is that why you started drinking animal blood? The guilt?”
He nodded. “I was really shaken by what I’d done. I was determined to resist drinking from humans, but the thirst was so powerful. I hoped the animal blood would satisfy me. Unfortunately, it turned me into a freaking psycho.”
“Look, Reece... I don’t mean to be insensitive, but in the grand scheme of things what you did was not that bad.”
“Not that bad? I just told you I turned my parents and my brothers and God only knows how many other people.”
“Yes. I get it, and that is bad—if they had no interest in becoming vampires. You changed their lives forever, but you didn’t take their lives. It’s not bad enough for you to think you don’t deserve freedom and the right to still live your own life.”
“If you’re going to try to convince me again to defect from the Bloodbound—”
“I’m just saying I don’t understand why you didn’t think you could tell me about this before. What you did is no worse than what I did to Josiah and his family.”
Reece’s scowl melted into a blank expression, and he stared straight ahead out the windshield where the rain had begun to fall harder.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. The subject is closed, okay?”
Heaving a heavy sigh, I said, “Okay.”
Suddenly noticing it was cold in the car, I cranked the heat up to knock off the chill.
The sky looked strange, a bank of thick nimbostratus clouds hanging low overhead and giving it the appearance of dusk, though it was much later.
Precipitation continued to strike the windshield with a light tapping noise. It didn’t sound like rain, though, now that I was paying attention. It sounded icy.
Well, we were on our way to Canada. What were the chances of making it all the way there without any weather issues?
“Is it supposed to snow today?” I asked. Might as well talk about the weather since we can’t talk about anything important.
Reece bent to view a larger picture of the sky through the windshield. “I guess it snows every day somewhere in December. We’re passing through so many states, odds are we’ll get hit with it eventually, especially since we’re going north.”
“We should check the forecast. Snow or freezing rain would really slow us down.”
I turned on news radio, hoping to hear a local weather report.
Reece chuckled. “Your Amish roots are showing.”
He opened the car’s center console and pulled out a phone, offering it to me. “Try this.”
“Oh, right.” I searched national radar, locating a small system moving through this area and the possibility of a larger one up ahead. We’d have to keep an eye on it.
We left the radio on and listened for a while. Working for Sadie, I’d gotten used to keeping up with current events—especially those that had a direct impact on the vampire community.
After a few minutes, the host threw the coverage to a live report from President Parker’s latest rally.
Though he wouldn’t be running for re-election for almost four years, he continued to hold big events where he whipped his audience into a near-frenzy of adoration for him and hatred of anyone who wasn’t exactly like them—vampires in particular.
Having met with him a few times, Sadie speculated that Parker didn’t necessarily even believe in what he was saying—he just craved the slobbering idolization of his supporters and would say anything they wanted to hear in order to get the ego boost from their worship.
In that way, he wasn’t much different from Imogen.
I reached for the dial, intending to change the station. I’d heard enough already to know this speech wouldn’t be any different from the rest of them.
Reece held up a hand. “Wait. I want to listen for a minute. It’s good to take the temperature of things in the outside world every so often.”
“... and we’re gonna drive ’em out of our neighborhoods,” the president was saying.
There were loud cheers. “And we’re gonna drive ’em out of our schools.”
More cheers. “And we’re gonna drive them out of the workforce and give jobs back to hard-working, God-fearing Americans who stayed on the straight and narrow instead of choosing the path of darkness.”
Tremendous cheers and shouts of “Hail King Parker,” and “Stake the vamps! Save the humans!” blared through the radio.
I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyelids shut, trying desperately to employ my Amish community’s policy of praying for our enemies instead of hating them.
It wasn’t easy. What about those of us who hadn’t chosen to become vampires? Like me, and Reece, and Kelly, and Larkin, and—well, I knew of too many others to name them all. A lot of us were God-fearing Americans and didn’t want anything to do with ‘darkness’—except for of course the fact we had to live our lives at night.
“We’re gonna drive them out of this country and back to the mouth of Hell from whence they came,” Parker continued. “But I need your help. Donations to my—”
Reece reached up and snapped the radio off in a furious motion. “Sorry I made you listen to that.”
“No, you’re right. It’s important to be aware of what’s going on.”
“Like we can avoid being aware of it. How many billboards for hotels and restaurants have we seen on this trip that said ‘no vamps’ in bold letters? Things are getting worse, not better.”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his fists shook, and he let out an angry sound.
“It makes me so mad. This is why we need the Bloodbound. We have to fight back.”
15
Any Other Reason
Abbi
I hadn’t seen Reece this irate since he’d first been brought into the
med clinic at the Bastion.
It was hard to blame him, but still I felt the need to talk him down from his enraged state.
“There are other ways of fighting, you know. Sadie’s media appearances and peaceful protests were making some headway with public opinion. And the VHC employed a whole team of lawyers who fought unfair policies in the courts.”
Reece rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I was gonna be one of those someday—before I was turned and my college career ended.”
“You wanted to be a lawyer? I would have thought you hoped to play professional basketball.”
“Nah. I mean, sure, that could have been fun, but players like me were a dime a dozen. I’m tall, but I was nothing special.”
He gave a sad laugh. “Now I could run circles around the other players and dunk with one finger. Of course, vampires aren’t allowed in the NBA—or college hoops.”
“I think you would have made a great lawyer,” I said, once again trying to distract him from the unfairness of it all. “You’re incredibly smart, and you’re a voracious reader. You’re also very persuasive when you want to be.”
He slid a glance at me, and the edges of his mouth turned up in a reluctant smile.
“Also, you’re really good at arguing,” I teased.
Reece’s smile grew. “I was the president of the debate team in high school.”
“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
I studied his profile, so strong and handsome—even more so when he smiled like this. God, I loved looking at him. If he were to become a lawyer, there wasn’t a jury on the planet that wouldn’t side with him every time.
“You know, with all those skills, you didn’t really need me to come along and help you talk to Sadie,” I said.
Reece’s smile dropped, and he sat straighter in his seat. “I wasn’t sure she’d even speak to me without a go-between.”
“She would have. She’s willing to listen to anyone who has something valuable to say. And an offer of cooperation with the Crimson Court is valuable.”
The icy precipitation increased, and Reece seemed to want to focus on the road, which was smart. I stopped talking so he could concentrate.
Unfortunately, the rain and sleet turned into heavy snowfall. The highway department’s salt trucks couldn’t manage to keep up with it. The road conditions steadily worsened until the Charger’s tires were sliding more often than they rolled.
We weren’t the only ones having trouble. The farther we went, the more cars we saw in the median or off on the shoulder.
When the wind picked up, turning the snowstorm into whiteout conditions, Reece put on his turn signal and started making his way to the right lane.
“We’re gonna have to get off the road for the day, let this storm pass. We’re only a few hours away, but it’s too hazardous to keep going in this.”
“Okay.”
Though it would mean another stay in a hotel room, he was probably right. A collision could result in a car fire or even one of us being decapitated, both of which were deadly to vampires.
At the very least, a car accident could leave us without a working vehicle, and public transportation was out of the question.
This time the hotel room we checked into did have two beds. Which was a good thing. Really.
So why did I feel a sinking sense of disappointment when the clerk had cheerfully announced he could accommodate Reece’s request?
Don’t be stupid, Abbi. Mind on the mission, remember?
As we unpacked and got ready for bed, my mind was actually on something else—our conversation from earlier about Reece’s excellent persuasive skills and the fact he’d interceded with Imogen and asked to bring me along on his mission.
The truth was, he didn’t need me to help him obtain an audience with Sadie—especially now that the VHC had been attacked and she was more likely than ever to want to connect with potential allies. He had to realize that.
Which left only one explanation for why Reece had stuck his neck out for me. He’d wanted to protect me from Imogen. He’d wanted me with him.
I sat on the edge of my bed, watching him move around the room. He’d brushed his teeth and showered, but he’d put his clothes back on instead of emerging from the bathroom in only his boxers as he had last night.
Too bad. I couldn’t touch but looking never hurt anyone, did it?
When he’d put his shirt back on, he hadn’t buttoned it up all the way. My eyes kept straying to the open neckline and the glimpses of chest muscle it afforded.
Wow. Was it hot in this room?
Reece glanced up, and our eyes met and held for a moment. I swore sometimes he could hear my thoughts.
“Are you about ready for bed?” he asked. “I’ll turn out the light.”
“Yeah. Okay,” I wheezed, feeling breathless.
After another long moment of searing eye contact, Reece moved to the light switch and the room went dark.
I heard the sounds of him removing his clothing and sliding under the bed covers. Not helping the breathing at all.
He was only a few feet from me, but after last night’s closeness and the tight quarters of the car for the past few days, it felt too far away. I lay there in my much-too-roomy bed and pictured him lying in his bed. In his boxers.
Apparently sleeping wasn’t going to be any easier this time than it had been last time.
His voice came out of the darkness, deep and rough and absolutely toe-curling in its appeal.
“Abbi? You awake?”
“Yes.”
“There was another reason for my request to bring you along... I mean, besides just needing an in with Sadie.”
My pulse shot up to the ceiling. “There was?”
“I couldn’t leave you there at her mercy. I’m not sure you fully understand how angry she was with you for leaving.”
“I guess leaving her for her sister was pretty insulting,” I said.
“Yes, but more than that, she was worried about you forming a rival ‘hive’ of vampires.”
“She thought I was going to compete with her?” The idea was ludicrous.
“She talked about how powerful you were—about the strength of your allure.” After a beat, he added, “She wasn’t wrong.”
A tingly feeling circulated through my body. During the trip, Reece had made a few provocative remarks, but he hadn’t come right out and called me “alluring” before. Did he mean as a potential queen... or as a woman?
“I certainly don’t feel powerful,” I said honestly. “And she above all people should know I have no interest in ever becoming a queen.”
“She knows you don’t want it—now. But the potential is there. And then of course there’s the chance you could someday produce biological offspring. If you did, that would set up a dynasty in the vampire world that could never be challenged by anyone—including her.”
“Wow.” My head spun with this new information. “So then, you got me out of there because you thought she was going to kill me.”
“Yes.”
For a few minutes, I was quiet, trying to work up the nerve to ask the real question on my mind.
“Was there any other reason?”
“What do you mean?” He huffed a quiet laugh. “Wanting to save your life isn’t enough?”
“Well... I wondered if maybe... I hoped...” I had to stop and take a fortifying breath before continuing. “I hoped that maybe you also wanted to be with me, to spend time together.”
“Abbi...” Reece’s voice held a warning note.
I ignored it.
“Reece—I missed you. So much. The whole time I was away, I could never manage to stop missing you. I thought of you all the time. I kept thinking I saw you in different places around LA, even though I knew it couldn’t possibly be you. I could never manage the least bit of interest in another guy because I was still so caught up in you.”
“You left easily enough,” he grumbled.
He thought it had been easy for me
to leave? I was stunned.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t want to be separated from you. But I couldn’t stay—not when you were bound to Imogen for eternity. It hurt too much to see you every day and not be with you. And seeing you with her was...”
The memories were so sickening I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“I told you I was never with her that way,” he said quietly.
“I know. I know. And selfishly, I’m glad,” I admitted. “But you were never going to be with me that way either—at least not for a few millennia. By that time, I would have gone mad. Being constantly close to you and yet so far removed would have killed me day by day until there was nothing left of me when our time finally came.
“I thought putting physical distance between us would help, but it didn’t. Reece... I loved you too much to stay. I still love you.”
Rustling from the other bed told me he was no longer lying under the sheets but sitting up. In the dimness of the room, I could see him sitting on the edge of his bed, facing me.
“You don’t love me,” he insisted. “You can’t.”
16
Not Even You
Reece
My heart thrashed inside my chest, thrown into a frenzy by Abbi’s sweet, terrible confession.
“You can’t love me. I’m Bloodbound.”
“That doesn’t change how I feel,” she insisted.
She’d moved to sit up, staying in her own bed, thank God, but facing me only feet away. I could literally feel her enticing warmth and passion from here.
“It was the pendant—my blood,” I suggested. “I should never have given that to you.”
“That did make me feel close to you—and it saved my life after I was shot—but it’s not what I’m talking about. I do love you. I always have.”
Inappropriate joy warred with justified shame inside me. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew everything I’ve done. You wouldn’t love me—you’d hate me.”
