Relentless (Vampire Awakenings Book 11)

by Brenda K. Davies

  “Good to know,” Dante said.

  He winced as he settled beside Cassidy and shifted to get more comfortable. Blood soaked his shirt and skin, his skin remained paler than usual, and sweat beaded his forehead. His teeth were locked so tight that a vein in his temple throbbed with every beat of his heart.

  “You have to feed,” she said.

  “I’m okay,” he muttered.

  “Don’t argue with me.” Before he could protest further, she bit into her wrist and offered it to him.

  His fangs lengthened as saliva rushed into his mouth. He disliked the idea of taking her blood in front of everyone, but as those red drops slid down her ivory skin, he couldn’t refuse.

  Turning his back to the others, he lifted her wrist to his mouth. He needed to feed and feel this connection with her; he couldn’t deny it.

  When he bit into her wrist, he nearly groaned in ecstasy when her sweet blood hit his tongue. Closing his eyes, he savored her delicious taste as his muscles and flesh, fueled by her blood, knitted closed at a faster rate.

  He took a couple more pulls before retracting his fangs, kissing her wrist, and releasing her. Able to move his arm again, he draped it around her shoulders and pulled her close as he rested his head against the van.

  With his arm around her shoulders, Cassidy kept her face against his neck. His scent helped block the stench of the Savages, and the steady beat of his heart soothed her.

  Julian drove to a remote area of the state forest in Plymouth and pulled to the side of the road. Unable to take the smell anymore, Cassidy scrambled out the back and leaned against the van before sliding down to sit beside it.

  When Julie refused to leave Preston’s side, Julian and Kyle carried him out and set him down near Cassidy. No one wanted her sitting in the van with the bodies. When they finished and Julie was outside, everyone gathered around her as they waited for the sun to rise.

  Preston woke up a short time later. He sat up and winced as his hand went to his head. “What happened?” he muttered.

  “It’s over,” Dante said.

  “Over,” Preston murmured and lifted his head. When his eyes found Julie, he broke into a grin. “Julie.”

  She threw herself into his arms, and though he looked like he might throw up, Preston hugged her as she cried.

  When the first hint of dawn lightened the sky to a dull gray, they removed the bodies from the van and set them on the side of the road. They waited until the sun hit them and nothing but ash remained before climbing back into the vehicle and leaving.

  The stench of the Savages lingered, but it wasn’t as bad, and the fresh air coming through the windows helped dispel it further. Cassidy looked up to discover Julian giving her and Kyle another fulminating look.

  “We didn’t know what we were walking into tonight, and we were trying to keep you safe. Besides, you took off for four years without much contact with all of us, and we got over it,” Cassidy reminded him. “I think you can forgive us for not calling you tonight.”

  Julian grunted in response.

  “You didn’t talk to me at all for four years, and I got over it,” Aida said. She fluttered her lashes and smiled sweetly at Julian when he frowned at her.

  Cassidy grinned at her sister-in-law.

  “Your mate is a very smart woman,” Kyle said to Julian.

  Aida’s golden-brown eyes twinkled in amusement when she turned to look at him. “Are you just realizing this?”

  “I had my doubts when you choose Mr. Computers Are Better Than Girls over there, but you’ve redeemed yourself.”

  Aida and Cassidy laughed as Julian glowered at Kyle in the rearview mirror. Kyle smiled back at Julian and waved. “We’re alive, it’s over, and we found the girl. If we ever get into a life-or-death situation again, you’ll be the first one we call.”

  Julian gave him the finger, but his features softened. “Why don’t you stay out of those situations from now on?”

  “Believe me, we don’t want to be in them,” Cassidy said. “And if you recall, you dragged us into the last one.” When Julian scowled at her again, she blew him a kiss. “We love you too.”

  “Assholes,” he muttered.

  “Does that mean you don’t love us?” Cassidy taunted.

  Julian stared at the road as he replied, “You know I do.”

  Dante smiled over their banter as he draped his healing arm around Cassidy’s shoulders and pulled her close. He kissed her forehead as he inhaled her sweet scent before resting his head against the van.

  The hum of the tires on the road was lulling him to sleep. It had been a long night, and he was still weak from blood loss. He hadn’t taken enough from Cassidy to sate his hunger, and it churned incessantly inside him.

  Across the way, Julie was still paler than normal, but she held Preston’s hand as the two of them sat shoulder to shoulder.

  “You should meet my mom,” Julie said to Preston.

  Dante considered that to be an excellent idea. He suspected it was only a matter of time before Preston’s mom tried to get money out of Mrs. Abbott. It would be a lot easier for the woman if she learned about Preston’s existence from her daughter first. It would be difficult in the beginning, but once she saw how much they cared for each other, Dante believed she would grow to accept and love Preston.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Preston said. “She probably doesn’t want to meet me.”

  “You’re my brother; she’s going to have to accept that you’re a part of my life. After all this, I can’t keep sneaking away to see you, and I’m going to stop treating her like garbage, so she has to know about you because you are staying in my life.”

  Preston mulled this for a little bit before responding. “And what if she tells you to stay away from me?”

  “She won’t,” Julie said. “I’m sure she’s going to be upset that my dad never told her about you, but she wouldn’t do that. She’s not cruel; she’s not… me,” Julie whispered.

  “You’re not cruel,” Preston assured her as he hugged her closer.

  Fresh tears streamed down Julie’s face. “I’ve been so awful to her.”

  “And she understands,” Dante assured her. “She knows how difficult your dad’s death was on you. You’ll get through all of this together.” He looked to Preston as he spoke the next words. “All three of you will.”

  Preston stared at him before giving a small smile. “Yes, we will.”

  It was a few minutes before Cassidy spoke again. “What are you going to tell your mom about why you’ve been gone?” she asked Julie.

  “It’s going to break her heart, but I’ll have to tell her that I ran away,” Julie said. “I can’t tell her the truth. She’d think I’m crazy if I did, and, honestly, this isn’t a burden I would place on her.”

  Cassidy leaned across the space separating them to squeeze Julie’s knee. “I know that’s going to be difficult, but it is for the best.”

  “Thank you, all of you, for coming for me,” Julie said. “I was sure Jasmine was going to kill me.”

  “You can’t tell anyone about us,” Dante said. “You’d put all of us, and yourself, at risk if you do.”

  “Oh, believe me, I know. One crazy vamp and her insane friends are enough for me for one lifetime. I will keep my mouth shut.”

  “I’m sorry,” Preston said. “I know Jasmine started losing it after she changed me, but I never saw that coming.”

  “It’s not your fault. I thought she was awesome until the night she took me.”

  “What happened?” Dante asked.

  Julie stared at the wall behind him as she replied. “I was walking to the T from Preston’s place when I heard someone calling my name. I turned to find Jasmine coming toward me. She told me she missed me and had a shirt she wanted to give me. She used to do things like that when she was dating Preston, so I didn’t think anything of it. I still had some time before I was going to be late, so I agreed to go to her place to get it. Except we went to
Margie’s instead and…”

  Her words trailed off as she shook her head. “Well, you know the rest.”

  They digested her words in silence.

  “Do you think they were mates?” Dante asked Cassidy after a few minutes. “Do you think that’s why she got so possessive and went so crazy after changing him?”

  “If they were mates, she wouldn’t have gone crazy,” Cassidy replied. “Her behavior after changing him shows she was spiraling out of control before making Preston a vampire. She might have assumed changing Preston and having him in her life forever would help stabilize her. When it didn’t, it caused her to unravel further. She was probably fighting her impulse to kill for a while and gave in to it. I bet she started killing before Preston broke up with her. She smelled really bad.”

  “I didn’t smell anything,” Preston said.

  “Neither did I,” Julie said.

  “Only those who are born vampires can smell the rot of a Savage’s soul,” Cassidy said.

  Julie gawked at her. “There are vampires who are born?”

  “There are.”

  Cassidy saw no reason not to tell the girl about purebreds. Julie already knew a lot about vampires, and too much time had passed to change her memories; they were too ingrained. They could take control of her mind and compel her never to tell anyone, but she’d been through enough already. She didn’t need her mind messed with on top of everything else she endured.

  “What a crazy world I got mixed up in,” Julie muttered.

  “I’m going to keep you safe,” Preston said.

  “It will be okay,” Cassidy assured her. “Not only do you have Preston, but we’ll also be here for you if you want.”

  Julie sniffled. “Thank you.”

  “I’m Dante Alvarez, by the way,” Dante said.

  “I thought your name was Dan Vares,” Preston said.

  “That’s what I told you it was before I knew if I could trust you. It’s also what your mom believes it is, and I would like to keep it that way,” he said with a pointed look at Julie. “I was once a police officer in this city, and I’d prefer to keep my anonymity as much as possible. Please, don’t tell your mom my real name, but if you need us again, you should know it.”

  “I won’t tell her,” Julie promised.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  That afternoon, Dante led Julie up the steps to the door of her home. He hadn’t called Mrs. Abbott to let her know they were coming; Julie wanted to surprise her mom, and he wasn’t going to take that away from her. She’d endured enough trauma, and now she was trying to bask in the joy of something.

  Dante’s wounds were almost completely healed by the time Julie was cleaned up and confident enough to face her mom again. The girl’s anxious dread radiated off her in waves as she fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, she chewed on her bottom lip and shifted from foot to foot as she stared at the door with a mixture of dread and anticipation.

  “It will be tough in the beginning, but you’ll get through this,” he assured her. “Your mom really wants you home.”

  “I wish I could tell her the truth. I won’t!” she blurted. “I would never do that to her, Preston, or any of you. Sometimes, living in the dark is better, but I wish she didn’t have to go through the rest of her life thinking I left her on purpose.”

  Dante rested a hand on her thin shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “As long as she has you back and gets to keep you, she’ll get over her hurt.”

  Julie nodded, but she didn’t look convinced.

  “Are you going in?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t feel like my house anymore,” she whispered.

  Dante turned her toward him and grasped her other shoulder. “I met your mom, I sat with her, and I listened to her talk about you. She loves you more than anything. To her, this will always be your home. Things will probably be strained between the two of you in the beginning, but the tough times will pass, and it will get better.”

  Her eyes shifted toward the door. “I hope she doesn’t hate me.”

  “She could never hate you. I know love when I see it, and that woman loves you more than anything. However, I would wait a little bit before introducing Preston to her.”

  He wanted Julie to tell her about Preston before Lindsay got the chance, but… “You have to work on your relationship with your mom before throwing another major thing into the mix. In a month or two, when you think the time is right, tell her. She’s probably going to be shocked to learn your father had another child, but I think she’ll grow to love Preston too. I wouldn’t wait much longer.”

  By the time he finished speaking, fresh tears streamed down Julie’s cheeks. “I won’t.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t still talk to Preston,” he assured her.

  “I know.”

  “Also, talk to your friend Paris and apologize. She’s a good friend; don’t blow it.”

  Julie’s lip trembled. “I will, and she really is.” Then she threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin like a soldier marching off to war. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  Releasing her shoulders, Dante turned and rang the doorbell. Julie continued to fidget as they waited for the door to open. As the seconds ticked by, he found himself hoping Mrs. Abbott was home. Maybe he should have called first.

  He was beginning to think this reunion wasn’t going to happen right now and the cluster of vamps at the end of the street was about to be disappointed. Then someone called from within, “I’ll be right there!”

  Julie shifted back and forth faster as she gnawed her bottom lip like a beaver chewed on wood. Then the wooden inner door opened, and Mrs. Abbott blinked at him from behind the glass door. Her hair was wet, and she looked as if she’d tossed on her clothes.

  At first, she looked astonished to see him, and then she started to smile. Her smile faltered when Julie’s anxious movements drew her mother’s attention.

  It took a few seconds for full recognition to dawn on Mrs. Abbott’s face. When it did, she flung the outer glass door open and hit Dante with it. He didn’t make a sound as he edged away from the door while the mother and daughter embraced.

  “Julie, my God, Julie!” Mrs. Abbott sobbed as her shoulders shook, and her words became difficult to decipher. “I’m so glad you’re home. My baby, oh, my baby.”

  Julie was crying too hard to reply as she hugged her mom back. Wanting to give them time alone, and trying not to draw attention to himself, Dante edged down the steps. When he reached the sidewalk, he slipped into the flow of people strolling by before either of them realized he was gone.

  Dante jogged across the street and over to where Cassidy, Kyle, Julian, Aida, and Preston waited at the corner. When he opened his arms to Cassidy, she stepped into them. She rested her head on his chest as they turned to watch the joyful reunion.

  It was a few minutes before Mrs. Abbott and Julie realized they’d forgotten about Dante. Mother and daughter lifted their heads to look around. When they didn’t see him, Mrs. Abbott opened the door and led Julie into the house.

  “I understand why you do this, but that made it a whole lot more special,” Cassidy said.

  “Unfortunately, there isn’t always a happy ending,” Dante said.

  Cassidy didn’t want to think about those times; she intended to bask in the joy she felt from experiencing this time. “I’m going to help you with your next case too.”

  Dante laughed and kept his arm around her shoulders as they turned to stroll down the street with the others.

  “Let’s hope the next case is a little more normal and doesn’t involve vampires,” he said.

  “I second that,” Kyle said.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Dante felt like someone had picked him up and thrown him back in time twenty years as he studied his old college campus. While some things had changed, many things remained so similar, he felt like he could almost touch the past.

  The
y stood on the edge of a couple of acres of grass they called “the lawn” in his day; he’d bet they still called it that now. Students milled around the lawn as they talked with friends and played games. There weren’t as many kids as there used to be, but that was probably because the spring semester was over and the summer semester had started.

  As he had when he attended school here, kids threw frisbees across the lawn. Students sat in the branches of the large maple tree everyone climbed, and the building across the way—though freshly painted a grayish-blue instead of cranberry—was still the women’s dorms.

  The clothes and hairstyles had changed, and he didn’t recognize any of the faces, but the laughter and carefree attitude of young adults enjoying their freedom remained the same. He recalled that carefreeness and the feeling of having the world at his fingertips.

  He’d been so confident everything would work out exactly as he planned. Nothing was going to stop him from living his dreams. And then, something did.

  But now, he had new dreams, a new family, and a life he’d never allowed himself to hope for after losing everything he once loved. This world, and that life he dreamed about, would never be his, but it was never meant to be his.

  However, he had love again, and he would fight to the death to protect it. And maybe he would finally have some answers too.

  “Can I see that picture of your sister?” Brian asked.

  Dipping a hand into his pocket, Dante carefully removed the small photo of Maya he’d tucked inside. He also had a picture of Lewis Guthrie. If Brian couldn’t find Maya, he might be able to locate Lewis. And if he did, Dante would do whatever it took to get the answers he sought from the man.

  Dante gazed at Maya’s beautiful, smiling face before handing the photo to Brian. He wasn’t exactly sure how Brian’s ability worked, he didn’t think Cassidy knew either, but after Brian looked at Maya’s photo in Cassidy’s old apartment, he led them here.

  Brian stared at the picture for a minute before closing his eyes and bowing his head. Beside him, Abby searched the lawn as Cassidy studied the students.