Crimson Sunrise

by J. A. Saare

  They squeezed at the same time. Their arms fell away as my father looked past me. I turned around and watched Beverly pull the phone into her chest, closing her eyes and moving her lips as if she were giving a silent prayer of thanks. She reopened them and looked at us, smiling.

  “The officer said she’s fine but completely rattled. She flagged down a State Trooper along the interstate early this afternoon, and he brought her in to the station. They are waiting for us to come and bring her home.”

  “Where has she been?”

  “She refused to talk over the phone. She was babbling and difficult to understand. She’d better have a damned good reason for scaring the hell out of all of us.”

  Beverly shook her head, pretending to be angry, but with obvious relief. She started walking toward the stairs, calling over her shoulder, “Chris and I will go get her. It’s not a long trip into town.”

  “I’ll be back.” I smiled at my parents and they nodded simultaneously.

  Following Beverly as she swept past the kitchen and into the hall, I hesitated at the obstacle in our path. Aidan was leaning against the wall across from the living room. He stood straight to allow us to pass, lowering his eyes.

  I made it inside the living room in time to see Chris pulling on his shoes. He glanced up and then back down again.

  “I’ll get my jacket and shoes from upstairs,” Beverly said breathlessly, shouldering her way past me.

  “Thank God she’s all right.” Chris’s voice was thick and laden with emotion. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. “She gave me premature wrinkles and put twenty years on my life.”

  “You and me both,” Caleb said, releasing a shaky laugh.

  Beverly reappeared, shuffling a heavy weight jacket around her shoulders. “I’m set, let’s go.”

  Chris pushed his hands against his knees, stood, and walked past Caleb to his wife. He hugged her quickly before leading the way to the door. We followed, watching from the doorway as they stepped off the porch. Caleb walked past, starting to follow them, when he stopped.

  He turned and came back inside, standing next to me. His gaze was glued to his parents in the distance, and I knew why. He wanted to be there when they retrieved his sister. He wanted to see that she was fine with his own eyes.

  “Go with them,” I whispered, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge.

  “I’d better stay.” He watched as they got closer to the truck and Chris fumbled with the keys.

  “What the hell am I here for? My unbelievably good looks?” Aidan strode toward us. “Go get your sister. I got this shit covered.”

  Caleb turned from his parents and grabbed my hand. “Come with me.”

  I started forward, but a realization brought me up short. There were other people who would want to know Sammie was fine. I was pretty sure they would be on their way to the house once they got the news.

  “I really should call Sarah and Derek. They’ll want to know Sammie is okay. I should also get in touch with Sam.”

  His face smoothed in surprise. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  “Why should you? Your sister has been missing for over a week, and you just found out she’s all right. Go get her with your mom and dad. I’m sure she’ll want to see you. I’ll make the calls while you’re gone.”

  I glanced around him and frowned at the truck.

  “Besides, it’s freezing and the middle of winter. I don’t want to die of hypothermia riding in the back of that truck bed, if you don’t mind.”

  “I’ll keep you warm.” He tugged on my hand when the truck started.

  “Go on.” I encouraged him with a shove that wouldn’t do squat, but it was enough to get my point across.

  Caleb looked past me as he spoke to Aidan. “Don’t let anything happen to her. She has a hellacious talent for getting into trouble.”

  “Not a problem.”

  He kissed me quickly, letting go of my fingers as a smile crossed his face. “I love you. I’ll be back soon.”

  “I love you too.” I knew I’d never get tired of telling him how much he meant to me, just as I’d never tire of hearing the feelings reciprocated.

  I watched him jump from the porch and run across the driveway. He leapt into the back of the truck effortlessly and waved at his parents. The old Chevy turned in the drive and I watched them go, waving until I could no longer see red rearview lights.

  “Come inside, it’s too cold for you out here,” Aidan said quietly. He waited until I was safely inside before closing it.

  I hurried to the phone, anxious to call Sarah and Derek. They would be ecstatic and beyond relieved to get the news.

  “Emma?”

  Aidan’s questioning tone stopped me halfway down the hall, and I turned to face him. “Yes?”

  “Is that her?” he asked, speaking softer than I would have ever thought possible.

  “Is that who?” I asked, looking in the direction he indicated. He pointed at a framed photo in the living room of Sammie from her senior year.

  “Is that her?” he repeated.

  “Is that Sammie?”

  “Yeah, Caleb’s sister.”

  “Yes.” I frowned at the inquiry. “Why?”

  He stared at her picture and murmured, “Just curious.”

  Before I could ask anything else he walked up to me, swerved past, and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Chapter 19—A Parting Gift

  Sarah and Derek were on their way, just as I thought they would be when they learned Sammie was coming home. It was worth staying behind just to hear Sarah’s voice and the relief that was evident through the phone line. I hoped in some way it would help alleviate some of the stress she was experiencing.

  I got off the phone with her and called Sam. When I was taken to his voice mail instead of the man himself, I left a message that Sammie was safe and told him that the Blackneys were en route to pick her up. I hated to tell him the good news via a cell phone mailbox, but Sam was always busy, and I figured with everything he had going on he would understand.

  When I placed the phone back on the kitchen receiver and turned around, Aidan was exactly where I’d left him, leaning across the island in the middle of the kitchen. His bulky arm muscles stretched and constricted each time he moved his hand toward the peanut container he’d opened and promptly laid into. His blue eyes followed me as I walked to the refrigerator, pulled it open, and reached inside for my drink of choice.

  “How did you meet Caleb?” he asked and popped a peanut into his mouth.

  “That’s a long story.”

  “Do I look like I have some place I need to be?” He planted his elbows on the island to make his point.

  “Have you always been so...suave?” I asked, shaking my head and reclining against the counter. Even Derek wasn’t this annoying, and when he was, at least he managed to be funny when he was playing the part of an asshole.

  “I wasn’t hard wired to be a conversationalist.” He didn’t shift his position, looming over the counter, and spoke to me as if we were talking about simple things like the weather. He poured more of the can into his palm and started picking the peanuts off one by one.

  “At least you’re honest.” I cracked open the can of coke and took a drink, gauging him over the counter. “We met when he brought me to meet my father.”

  “Your father the vampire?” He cocked an eyebrow.

  “I refer to him as dad, but yes.” I glowered at Aidan and changed the subject. “How did you meet Caleb?”

  “The Pit.”

  I looked down at my hands, not wanting to ask the question but unable not to. “And which of you won?”

  “He’s the alpha, isn’t he?” he asked, chomping on a fresh handful of peanuts.

  I nodded but didn’t look up, fingers making lines on the moist aluminum can. I didn’t like thinking of Caleb like that, fighting for entertainment, although that seemed to be what most werewolves knew him for. His talent in that violent hole in the ground
was legendary.

  “You might as well get used to it,” Aidan said as if reading my thoughts. “It’s in our blood. It’s what we are. He’ll always have it. The sooner you accept that, the easier it’ll be.”

  “You mean accept violence as a lifestyle?” I responded heatedly.

  He shrugged his huge shoulders indifferently. “I wouldn’t call it a lifestyle, more of a way of life.”

  “Where I come from, those two things are practically the same thing.” I took another drink, keeping my eyes trained on his.

  “They are not the same at all,” he corrected, shaking his head and maintaining the eye contact. “Lifestyle would mean you want to live a certain way. A way of life means it’s what you are, it’s ingrained in you. There’s a difference.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. Averting my gaze, I started walking from the kitchen. My parents were downstairs waiting, and I wanted to have as much time with them as I could. I shuffled away from the center island, past the entranceway, and into the hall. I heard Aidan behind me and I turned, frowning when I realized he was following me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Following orders,” he said simply. He didn’t elaborate or offer any further explanation.

  I stared at him, shifting my weight and crossing my arms, waiting for the punch line. When he didn’t say anything, I tried a different approach.

  “I’m going downstairs to see my mom and dad. I think you can take ten.”

  I started back in the direction of the stairs when I heard him behind me again. I stopped, turning around slowly, and narrowed my eyes. He was directly behind me, right on my heels.

  “You can’t expect to follow me through the house like a guard dog,” I said half-jokingly, although my eyes widened when he didn’t move back but forward.

  “I’m not the friends the alpha kept around here to watch over you. He says, I do, simple as that.”

  “Listen.” I felt that warm rise of temperature light me up from within, signifying the appearance of my growing temper. “I want to spend time with my parents. You can stay up here and keep the ponderosa intact.”

  “You can get as mad as you want, sweetheart,” he addressed me evenly, keeping his tone level. “I’m sticking to your ass like glue. Think of me as your second skin, the yin to your yang, the sugar inside your fucking Kool-Aid. You go to the john, and I’ll be the one handing you the TP. Do you feel me?”

  “Can you cut out the tough guy bullshit?” I hissed, keeping my voice as low as possible but knowing my parents could probably hear us arguing anyway.

  “It’s not tough guy bullshit.” He leaned toward me, invading my space, and I stepped back to avoid bumping into his chest. “It’s the way pack works. My understanding is you have no idea what that is all about. Think of me as your crash course on the subject.”

  “Don’t push me,” I snapped, stepping forward, until we were chest to chest. That feeling, the burning red haze, was becoming more insistent. “I am not in the mood.”

  He produced what I construed was an admiring grin. “We can do this all night if you want. Or you can just accept the fact that I’m the white to your rice. Either way, you’re not leaving my sight. That’s non-negotiable.”

  “Good God!” I snarled. “You just don’t know when to stop, do you?”

  He didn’t say another word, standing like a wall in front of me.

  The phone interrupted our face off, shrilling inside my ears. I groaned, glared at Aidan, and strode around his body into the kitchen. Any distraction was a good one. I was about to lose it and show him just how loud a screecher I could be.

  Picking up the phone without looking at the caller ID, I pushed the talk button and thrust it against my ear, keeping my tone footloose and fancy-free.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Emma?”

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “It’s Sam.”

  His voice was almost indistinguishable because of the sounds in the background I knew only too well. He was in the Pit. I could hear the bets being placed and the growls and chants inside the room. Aidan lingered in the doorway, watching me as I moved across the kitchen and to the island, his eyes taking in everything.

  “Hi, Sam.” I tried to keep my voice light and chipper.

  “I got your message. Samantha is home?”

  “Not yet. They left to go get her from the station,” I answered, glowering at Aidan when he came into the room and leaned against the wall. He truly was like an overgrown guard dog.

  “That’s wonderful news.” Sam spoke loudly through the phone. “I’ll be sure to tell Haven and Billy.”

  I nodded and realized he couldn’t see me. “I’d appreciate that, Sam.”

  “If you don’t mind my asking, where was she?”

  “We don’t know. She wouldn’t talk over the phone.”

  I brought the coke to my lips and took a quick drink before Sam could ask another question. The phone was muffled as he thanked someone and then cleared as he returned to the line.

  “If I can do anything, please don’t hesitate to call. Have Caleb contact me as soon as he has the opportunity. I’ve set a date for the pack meeting.”

  “The pack meeting?”

  “We discussed this earlier.” He sounded slightly agitated, his voice changing slightly. “It’s the opportunity for other potential alphas to assert their claim to lead the pack.”

  I lifted my eyes and Aidan was still there, listening in like a spy. “I’ll tell him.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you soon. Good night.”

  I heard Sam talking to someone just before the phone call was disconnected. I rolled my eyes, stomped to the cradle, and slammed the phone inside. Spinning around, fully intending to tell Aidan off once and for all, I went still when the expression on his face stopped me cold. His blue eyes were flashing white and he was growling.

  “Stay here,” he ordered and walked from the kitchen.

  Despite the warning, I followed him. Aidan moved across the hallway in huge steps, toward the front door, his biceps bulged as he clenched his fists. He pulled the door open and stood there, his deep growl becoming louder. The ominous warning seemed to carry off the walls.

  “What’s the problem?” I asked, walking to him.

  He didn’t turn around, instead his voice contorted as his beast slid under his skin. “I told you to stay put!” he snarled. “Get Caleb on the phone.” When I didn’t move fast enough, he turned on me and I got a glimpse of his face. His features were changing too. He was ready to shift if necessary. “Get him on the phone, right now! Tell him to get his fucking ass back here, pronto.”

  I didn’t argue or waste time, rushing to the kitchen in confusion. I ran to the phone, snatched it off the cradle, and pressed the numerical pad with my thumb.

  “Mom! Dad!” I screamed to them while I waited for the phone to ring, walking in a circle around the kitchen.

  A little mechanical ring sounded from the dining room and I bit back a curse. Caleb had forgotten his phone. Aidan’s growls deepened considerably, and I quickly dialed Chris’s cell. No one answered and I hung up. There was no one else to call. Carrying the phone, I ran back into the hallway.

  “Tell me what is going on,” I demanded, approaching Aidan in slow movements and stepped to his side.

  “Don’t you dare walk past me,” he warned, keeping his face forward and eyes focused. “We have company.”

  I moved closer to him to see outside the door. The breath left my lungs in a rush. Sheer terror, panic, and desperation permeated through my body, incapacitating me. Everything stood still as I suffocated in waves of fear. I saw everything, and felt everything, but my eyes wouldn’t focus and the steady pounding in my ears wouldn’t cease.

  Decimus stood directly in front of the house, only a few feet away from the porch. His long, pale hair fell freely, billowing out and around his massive frame, shrouding his shoulders and back. His dark black slacks tracked
against the ground, and his matching shirt was open at the neck, revealing a portion of his smooth alabaster skin.

  I told myself not to look him in the eye, not to see what waited for me within those canary yellow depths, but I couldn’t stop myself. The power was still there, radiating from him. Across the distance, I could see his lips curve into an arrogant smirk.

  “Emmaline Hope Johnson, it has been awhile.”

  My body erupted into tremors at the sound of his voice. I’d almost forgotten how powerful it was, how terrifying.

  “Stay behind me.”

  Aidan shoved me into the hallway, and I stumbled on wobbly legs, making solid contact with the wall. I welcomed the support as I leaned against it. The sounds of feet coming up the stairs from the basement riveted my attention. I watched in horror as my mother and father appeared.

  “No,” I breathed the word, shaking my head from side to side, stuck in denial but knowing they were gone.

  Their faces were blank, the expressions exactly as my father’s had been when he challenged Decimus, with one exception. As they approached, both pairs of eyes remained fixed on me.

  Aidan turned, blocking the door with his huge shoulders. He saw them, narrowed his eyes, and started growling again. My parents responded in turn, baring lethal fangs and hissing, crouching as if preparing to pounce.

  “What the fuck are they doing?” Aidan continued growling as he asked, taking a step to stand beside me.

  “They can’t help it, don’t hurt them,” I said quickly, pleading with him. “It’s him, he’s controlling them.”

  Mom moved in a burst of speed, lunging at Aidan. He met her attack, grasped her by the shirt, and threw her into the stairs. Her body hit and several of the wooden slats cracked under the pressure, splintering loudly.

  “Don’t!” I screamed, coming to my feet.

  Aidan didn’t listen, going after my father next. They collided and exchanged blows, moving from side to side in the hallway. Each punch Aidan landed only stunned my father, it didn’t stop him. When he realized that, he reached around Dad’s neck and squeezed, bringing them face to face as Dad hissed and bared fangs.