The Return: (The Eternity Road Trilogy Book 2)

by Lana Melyan

  He stood up.

  “So,” she said in a dry voice, “you’re just going to sit there?”

  The question confused him. He shrugged, pushing his hands into his pockets.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? How can you do this to me?”

  “Kimberly, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I know I scared you. But when I saw you . . . I couldn’t bear . . .” This didn’t seem right. He straightened his back. He was sorry, but that didn’t mean it would never happen again. He was a Hunter. He pulled his hands out from his pockets, folded them behind his back, and said in a steady voice, “I wanted to hurt them. They got what they deserved.”

  “Then what are you sorry about?” Kimberly frowned. “I think they got what they deserved, too,” she said, her voice full of anger. “And I would have done it myself if I could.”

  Ruben stared at her. He stepped closer. “Kimberly, you don’t mean that,” he said softly. “You’re saying this because you’re hurt.”

  “Oh, I mean it. After what they did…” Her voice broke, but she swallowed and spoke again. “After all I’ve witnessed in the last few days. . . . And now they’ve killed my mother. She was all I had, only one who cared about me.” Her eyes flooded with tears. “Now I have no one. So, yes, I mean it,” she said with trembling lips.

  Ruben hugged her. “You have us, and you have me. You’ll always have me.”

  “Then why have you avoided me all day?” Kimberly broke into a cry.

  Ruben’s heart sank. He’d done it wrong. He’d done it all wrong. He kissed her on top of her head. “I thought you hated me,” he said, pressing her to his chest. “I thought you wanted me to stay away.”

  “You scared the hell out of me, yes, but I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.”

  She held him tight enough that he could feel her fingers sink into his flesh. He took her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  Immersed in a leather armchair with his legs up on the low round table, Fray waited for Alec.

  “How did it go?” he asked when the front door slammed.

  “They’re dead. Both of them,” said Alec, walking into the dark room. He turned on a lamp. “It was Ruben who killed them.”

  “And the girl?” asked Fray, taking his legs off from the table.

  Alec dropped down on it. “They killed her mother, but she’s alive.”

  “Then we should try again.”

  “Leave her out of this. She’s just a girl.”

  “She was with them in the castle. She has to know something. There’s no one else we can get information from,” said Fray. He added sarcastically, “Or maybe you want me to ask Riley?”

  “You just lost two of your oldest vampires. Ruben will kill anyone who gets close to her.”

  “I don’t care who he kills.” Fray stood up. “I’ve been waiting for this for too long, and I can’t just sit here and wait for Samson to destroy us.” He went toward the basement. “I want you to keep a close eye on Eleanor,” he said over his shoulder.

  Fray opened the basement door and went down the stairs. Mark bent over the pool table, was feeding from the young girl laying upon it.

  “Enough, you’ll kill her,” said Fray.

  “She’s fine,” said Mark, raising his head. He bit his wrist and pressed the bleeding wound to the girl’s half open mouth.

  “There’s only three of them,” said Fray, looking at the other two limp bodies on the couch. “We lost eleven vampires today.”

  “We couldn’t get more. The Hunters showed up. All of them,” said Mark, wiping the blood from the corners of his thin lips. “We had to get away.”

  “All of them? Ruben, too?”

  “Yeah, he was the first to arrive.”

  He ran back to his girl. Clever boy, thought Fray.

  “I fled the moment I saw him. I was the one to torture him, remember? And I was the one who grabbed Hanna after that party. If they catch me, they wouldn’t just stake me, they’d tear me to pieces.”

  Fray’s vampires were devoted to him, but the oldest and strongest, knowing they were one step away from getting their enormous gift, were becoming too cautious. He couldn’t blame them. What chance did they have against the Hunters?

  Alec was the only one who couldn’t be killed. But even though he had been raised by Fray and trained with him every day, he wasn’t ready for this fight. He lacked the anger, the rage. Alec cared too much. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty vampire who would tear apart anyone to get what he wanted. His love for Eleanor weakened him, held him back.

  But then, he’d killed the witch, and Fray hoped if Alec’s feelings were strong enough, his desire to get rid of Craig would make him fight, eventually.

  Fray returned to the living room, turned off the lamp, and sank into the armchair. He looked into the open window in front of him. His eyes fixed on the crescent moon shimmering in between the branches of a young maple, he thought about Joanne. He’d never had a woman like her and he never had such a companion. What they planned together always worked. She was strong, smart, and confident, and the fire in her attracted Fray to her in the first place. He needed her in this fight. But he knew that, of all the vampires he had turned, she would be the last one to wake up, because of her past and her age.

  18

  After making sure her father had safely arrived to work, Eleanor hurried to Hanna’s house to meet Kimberly before she and Ruben went to the hotel. David had to go to the police station and Kimberly wanted to stay with Luke so her five-year-old brother wouldn’t have to go with David and listen people discuss his mother's death.

  “She’s upstairs,” said Ruben.

  The tension between her and Kimberly the last few days made Eleanor feel a little nervous. She was full of doubts about what Kimberly’s reaction might be. She raised her hand to knock, when the bedroom door opened. Eleanor’s heart fell as she looked at Kimberly—at her pale face, at the dark circles under her eyes.

  The moment they looked at each other, Kimberly’s eyes shone with unshed tears. Eleanor pulled her into a hug. “Kimberly, I am so sorry,” she whispered. Kimberly’s hands tightened around her. “How are you?”

  “I don’t know. I keep repeating in my head, ‘Is it over yet? Can I wake up now?’” Kimberly pulled back. “But it’s not me I’m worried about.” She brushed away the single tear rolling down her cheek. “It’s Luke. He’s just a kid.”

  “I know,” Eleanor said with a sigh. “The first few months will be the hardest. But after a while, he’ll come around. I know I did. My father helped me. So will David. He’ll take care of him.”

  “Eleanor,” said Kimberly. “I want to . . .”

  Eleanor supposed it was her surprised look that made Kimberly pause. “You called me Eleanor.”

  “Yes, you are Eleanor now, and I was wrong expecting you to behave like Amanda.” She took Eleanor’s hand and pulled her toward the bed. They both sat down. “You lost Gabriella and Melinda, you had to die yourself, and I’m sorry for underestimating your pain. I was scared. Everything changed so fast.”

  “You don’t have to explain,” said Eleanor, stroking her hand. “In the last week you have witnessed so much violence. Of course you were scared. But I want you to understand that Ruben is not an ordinary man. We’re not ordinary people. Our emotions are much higher, and sometimes it’s difficult to control them, especially when we see those monsters hurting someone we care about.”

  “I know. When those vampires were hurting my mom, I wished I could . . .” Kimberly looked down. “I wished I could kill them myself. What I’m saying is, who knows what I would’ve done if I had those powers?”

  “Since you don’t have them, you’ll have to stay here, with us, so we can protect you,” said Eleanor.

  “First I have to talk to David. They won’t be able to go home for a while, and I have to make sure Luke is okay where he is. What if he needs me?” She stood up. “We better go downstairs. Riley wanted to have a word with me before I left
.”

  Riley was sitting on the couch with a newspaper in his hands.

  “Where’s Hanna?” asked Eleanor.

  “We sent Ned to Williamsburg to check the mansion. Hanna drove him to the station. Then she went to meet Debra,” said Riley, folding the newspaper, “to—in her exact words—‘interrogate that bitch.’”

  Eleanor pulled the newspaper out of Riley’s hand and sat next to him. “How bad is it?”

  “Three are dead, and three are missing. Police say that eleven criminals were involved in the attacks and all of them are neutralized. Not a word about who or how. They’re looking for the three missing people.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they’ll show up soon,” grouched Ruben. “With fangs and red eyes.”

  “Riley, you wanted to talk to me,” said Kimberly.

  Riley leaned forward. “Yes. I need to ask you something. Ruben said that yesterday, when he came to—”

  “Kimberly,” Ruben said, taking over, “before I jumped into your room, I heard the vampires questioning you. What was it about, what did they ask you?”

  “We’re sorry to bother you with this,” said Riley. “But if it was something about us, then we need to know what they wanted.”

  “I didn’t tell them anything,” said Kimberly, looking a little startled.

  “I know you didn’t.” Ruben put his hand on her shoulder. “We just want to know what they wanted from you.”

  Kimberly turned to Riley. “They were asking about Samson, where he is and what he’s up to. I told them I don’t know anything, I said they’re wasting their time, that even Eleanor doesn’t know. But they didn’t believe me. They thought if I was with you in the castle, I must know things.” She looked from one to another, then said again, “I didn’t tell them anything. Not about Norway, not about Egypt.”

  “Kimberly, we know you didn’t,” said Eleanor softly.

  “And we appreciate that,” said Riley.

  After Kimberly and Ruben left, Eleanor turned to Riley. “You can trust her. I know her, and I know she would never—”

  “I believe her,” said Riley calmly. “If she had said anything, she would be dead now. Fray created this whole distraction because he needed information. She didn’t know much, but anything would be good for those vampires, as long as they didn’t have to go back empty handed. That’s why they kept her alive. They hoped she’d crack eventually.”

  Eleanor shook her head. “Riley, we can’t let him do this. People are dying.”

  Riley frowned at her, his mood changing in a second. “What do you want me to do?” He jumped to his feet. “Do you have any idea how stupid I feel, sitting here doing nothing?”

  “I do, because I feel the same way,” said Eleanor.

  “Do you know what it costs me to keep calm?” He sounded angrier with each word. “I want to go find him and beat the crap out of him,” he shouted. “But I can’t, because if I do that, innocent people will pay the price. I’m tired of being careful. I want to rip him apart. I can’t bear the thought that he killed Gabriella and is still alive.”

  “I know,” whispered Eleanor. Riley never spoke about his feelings, but it had to be unbearable for him to keep his pain quiet. And she didn’t want him to. She provoked him, wanting him to let it out. “I know how you feel. I know what she meant to you.”

  “I don’t think you do,” he said bitterly, turning away from her.

  “Actually, I do. She told me.”

  Riley froze for a moment. When he turned around, his eyes were full of tears. “She told you?” he asked, his lips barely moving.

  “Yes,” Eleanor said softly. “Riley, you can talk to me about it.”

  Riley walked to the sofa across from her and sat down. “What did she say? How did she. . . ?” His face sank in anguish. “I opened up to her only a few months before she died, and I was afraid that she. . . . Was she angry with me? Did I disappoint her?”

  “Riley, no.” Eleanor hurried to reassure him. “She was worried about you. She knew how hard it must be to have feelings for someone who couldn’t reciprocate. Gabriella wanted you to be happy and hoped you wouldn’t dwell on it. She wanted you to move on with your life.”

  Riley’s face brightened a little. “All these years I’ve been tortured by the thought that my confession offended her,” he said quietly, his eyes fixed on the floor. “That she could consider it as disrespect towards Samson.”

  “Stop it. You knew her better than that. She was impressed by your decency. So was I. To live under the same roof with the woman you love and keep it in secret for centuries?”

  “Yeah,” said Riley, taking a deep breath. “I respected them both too much to do anything silly.”

  “Have you ever spoken about this to someone? Craig or Ruben?”

  “No. But they knew. I always felt their compassion. It helped me. I mean, knowing they didn’t judge me.”

  “There was nothing to judge. Love doesn’t care what’s wrong and what’s right. We can’t control it. Look at Kimberly. After everything she’s been through since she met Ruben, she still loves him.”

  “We can’t let anything happen to her,” said Riley. “The pain that I, Samson, and Craig have been through—I don’t want Ruben to go through that. He deserves to be happy.” Riley narrowed his eyes. “Do you think she’ll—”

  Eleanor didn’t let Riley finish his question. “Oh no, don’t ask me that.” She waved both her hands, stopping him. “First we have to win this war, then we’ll see what happens.”

  “Right,” said Riley.

  He looked a little spaced out, and Eleanor gave him a minute before she said, “Samson wanted me to look at his records. Where are they?”

  “Not here. They’re in the castle.”

  “Then,” said Eleanor, getting up, “while my father is at work, I’ll go get them.”

  “It’s not safe for you to go alone. I’ll come with you.”

  “You can’t. The witch is arriving today. She can show up any moment. Besides, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not Amanda anymore; I can take care of myself.”

  Riley stood up. “Eleanor, we can’t risk it.”

  “Riley, I’ll be fine.”

  Eleanor was glad to get away from Green Hill for a couple of hours. Too much had happened in the last few days and, sometimes, when Amanda popped up and Eleanor looked at everything from her point of view, it made her uneasy. In those moments she always thought of Kimberly.

  Before leaving town, she stopped at a flower shop and bought violets for Gabriella and daisies for Melinda. Then she called Hanna.

  “I’m on my way to the castle,” she said. “Do you need anything?”

  “Why? What’s in the castle?” asked Hanna.

  “I need to pick up Samson’s journals.”

  “Yeah, I want you to bring me my ring and the bracelet. They’re in my bedroom. In that small jewelry casket you bought me in New Orleans.”

  “Okay. Anything else?”

  “No, that’s it. Say hi to Amelia.”

  “I will.”

  Eleanor thought about the conversation with Riley while she drove. She was glad she made him open up, speak out his doubts. Looking at his brightening face, she could see a huge weight falling from his shoulders. Eleanor didn’t want him to be alone for the rest of eternity. She hoped that maybe, after they put down Fray, he’d be able to move on.

  Eleanor turned onto the dirt road and drove into the familiar woods. When she had woken up in the castle a week ago, she’d been too shocked to fully appreciate what had happened. Now, when the castle emerged in front of her, Eleanor’s heart throbbed from the realization of what a miracle it was to come back to life, to come back to Craig, to come back home.

  She ran her hand over one of the big pentacles on the large wooden front doors, then stepped inside and headed for the kitchen. “Amelia,” she called.

  Amelia, a thin woman with gray shoulder-length hair, showed up in the doorway. She wore a dark purple dress wi
th a black belt around her thin waist.

  “Eleanor.” Amelia rushed toward her with a warm smile. “It’s so nice to see you. How are you? Is everything all right? How’s everybody? How’s my Hanna?”

  Eleanor suppressed a laugh. The way Amelia fired off her questions reminded her of Melinda. “She’s fine. She says hi.”

  “Oh, I miss you all so much. I can’t wait until you finally come home. Let’s have some tea. I have a nice pie.”

  Eleanor followed Amelia into the kitchen. It looked different. The old ovens were gone and it was now filled with modern equipment. The furniture was new, but it still had the old-fashioned style—milky-colored wood with light brown scuffs, no plastic or marble, which made it look warm and cozy.

  “It must be difficult for you?” asked Eleanor. “To be here alone?”

  “It was in the beginning,” said Amelia, putting cups on the table. “But not anymore.”

  Eleanor looked at the white cups with violets and golden stripes around the wavy rims and shrieked with joy. “I remember these! Gabriella bought them in Paris. I can’t believe they’re still in one piece.”

  “I use them only on special occasions.” Amelia beamed.

  “How long have you lived here?” asked Eleanor.

  “It’s eighteen years now. Before me, it was Melinda. Right after you were born, Melinda moved to Green Hill. Samson sent her there to keep an eye on you. That’s when he invited me to manage the household.”

  “You knew Melinda?”

  Amelia poured the tea and put a slice of blueberry pie in front of Eleanor.

  “We were close,” she said. “We were in the same coven. She was only twenty-six when she came to live here. Melinda was too young for this job, and I know she agreed to it mostly because she had a huge crush on Samson.”

  “Really?” asked Eleanor, putting down the cup she had just lifted.

  “Oh yes,” sighed Amelia. “She knew his story and never expected anything to happen. She just wanted to be close, do anything she could to help.” She sat across from Eleanor and pulled her cup closer. “It’s not easy to cut yourself from the outside world at that age. You Hunters can come and go whenever you want, but we can’t. We can go out anytime, but to come back, we need Samson to let us in. She couldn’t leave the castle when he wasn’t home and didn’t want to when he was here. So she never went too far.” Amelia sipped her tea. “But she didn’t live here for long. Only six years. When you were born, Samson rented her an apartment in Green Hill. And after, when she moved to your house, you were all she talked about. She loved you with her whole heart.”