The Return: (The Eternity Road Trilogy Book 2)

by Lana Melyan

  Eleanor wanted to have a few words with Hanna before getting home, but as they were driving back in separate cars, she didn’t get a chance.

  Eleanor and Hanna were the first to arrive, and when they walked into the house, Kimberly, who was pacing in front of Kizzy on the couch, rushed to Hanna. “Oh my God. Ruben called to check on me and he told me what happened. Are you okay?” Kimberly, hugged her.

  “I’m all right,” said Hanna softly. But the moment Kimberly let go of her, she burst out in anger, “Why is it always me? I hate when those bloodsuckers touch me.”

  A car door slammed. Ruben was the first to show up in the doorway.

  “You’re dead. You know that, right?” he said, gazing at Eleanor.

  A second later Riley stormed in and stopped in front of her. “What the hell did you think you were doing?” he shouted.

  “Riley, I’m sorry. I—”

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Riley went on. “I made a promise to Craig. Ruben and I gave him our word that we’d keep you safe. You’re lucky Fray didn’t have the dagger on him. He could’ve kidnapped Hanna, could've killed her, and done the same to you.”

  “Riley, we’re stuck, we’re not getting anywhere. I was just trying to—”

  “I know why you went there. And even though I told you not to, you did it anyway.” Riley spun to Hanna. “And you—”

  “Don’t,” said Eleanor. “She came only because she didn’t want me to go alone.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” said Riley, gazing back at her. “Hanna can be a huge pain in the ass sometimes, but she would never disobey me.”

  “How did . . . how did you know we were there?” asked Hanna, stuttering.

  “That’s the thing. I didn’t.”

  “Then how did you find us?”

  Riley drew away from Eleanor. “I told you this morning I was going to keep an eye on Fray,” he said, lowering his voice. “Kizzy and I saw him drive into the school parking lot. There were a few cars there. All of them had tinted windows and were parked next to each other. Fray approached one of the cars and talked to the driver, and it was obvious the cars had been waiting for him and were full of vampires.”

  “It wasn’t obvious to me, was it?” said Hanna. “As you said, those cars were parked next to each other. I didn’t want Alec to see me. My car, standing alone, would strike the eye, so I parked in between them.”

  Riley shook his head.

  “Hanna.” Eleanor looked at her, astonished.

  “What?” Hanna shrugged. “There are plenty of cars out there with tinted glass, and not all of them belong to vampires, you know.”

  “Did you see them grab Hanna?” asked Eleanor, looking at Riley.

  “No.” Riley shook his head. “I didn’t see her at all. We retreated. It was a big open place, and we didn’t want to expose ourselves. I also didn’t want to lose Fray. I knew he didn’t come for a walk. It was almost dark and I could go on foot. Since I didn’t know how many of them were out there and what they were planning, I called Ruben and sent Kizzy home to stay with Kimberly.”

  Eleanor’s heart throbbed. She realized just how lucky they were that Riley and Ruben had found them. If something had happened to Hanna, she never would’ve forgiven herself. Her stubbornness could have cost them their lives. Riley was right to be angry with her.

  “Riley, I’m so sorry,” she said, taking his hand.

  “Eleanor, you can’t go and do things without telling me. I’m responsible for you, we’re all responsible for each other.”

  “I should’ve listened to you. I promise, it’ll never happen again.” Eleanor stepped to Hanna and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into her ear. “I put you in danger.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” said Hanna, rubbing her back. But when Eleanor let go of her, she burst out again. “It’s just, those bastards, they always go for the hair. I hate that.”

  “All’s well that ends well, as people used to say,” Ruben quipped. He crossed the room and picked up a bottle of whiskey from the small table loaded with alcohol. “Now we all need a drink.”

  The front door opened. All of them turned their heads.

  “Ned,” shrieked Hanna. She dashed toward him and hung from his neck. “I’m so glad you're back.”

  “I was only gone for two days,” said Ned, looking surprised. “You missed me that much?”

  “Yes. Today I was ambushed, and I really need . . .” She looked back at everyone, then said, “Comfort. I need your comfort.”

  Ruben chuckled. “That means the rest of us will need safety belts and earplugs.”

  Riley rolled his eyes. “Kids,” he murmured. “Centuries-old kids.”

  “Ambushed?” Ned stared at everyone. “What happened?”

  They told Ned what happened, avoiding the part where Eleanor and Hanna’s wildcat act was Eleanor’s idea.

  “You think Alec was in on the plan?” asked Ned.

  “No,” said Eleanor. “When Fray showed up, Alec almost attacked him.”

  “Maybe he was acting?”

  “No,” said Hanna. “Eleanor’s right. He was shocked, and he kept throwing furious looks at Fray.”

  “If they didn’t plan it, then Fray will think we did,” said Ruben. “Fray will think this whole thing was a setup, that we used Eleanor and Hanna as bait to make him bring out the dagger.”

  “He probably thought it was suspicious us doing nothing this whole time, not going after him, just sitting and waiting for his next attack,” said Hanna. “He had nothing to worry about, except Samson. Now . . .”

  “Now, we’re screwed,” grumbled Riley. “And I can give back the van, because now he’ll go into hiding. And he was the one who was supposed to lead us to the Book and the daggers.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have left,” said Eleanor. “Maybe we should’ve followed them.”

  “How? He was there, watching us from behind the building, waiting for us to leave. From now on he’ll be watching his own shadow.”

  “I can do a locator spell,” said Kizzy.

  “On what? He’s a Hunter, a personal item wouldn’t work. We’ll need his blood to do it. Same goes for Alec. We had some of Fray’s blood left after the Book was closed, but Samson used it during those years.”

  “So, Ned,” sighed Ruben, handing everyone a glass of whiskey. “How was your trip? Did you find anything?”

  “Sorry, but there isn’t much I can tell,” said Ned, dropping down on the couch. Hanna curled up next to him. “I went to the historical society,” he continued. “They said they don’t know who the original owner was—the old records were lost a long time ago. But for the last fifty-seven years, it belonged to William Thatcher, who didn’t live there himself. He renovated the mansion twice, in 1969 and 2002. The Maysons bought the house ten years ago.

  “When I came back from the historical society, I saw that both cars parked on the front yard in the morning were gone. There was no one in the mansion. I snuck in through the second floor window. The only thing I can say for sure is that Eleanor was right—the house belonged to Fray, and I think it still does. The furniture, all the antique items, the weapons. His weapons. Remember the axes and the sword with his initials engraved on them? They were there, hanging on the wall.”

  There was a deep silence. After a moment of absently looking at the floor, Hanna said, “Fray actually has his own house. A mansion. That’s something I would really like to see.”

  There was another pause, until Eleanor broke the silence. “Ned, I sent you a message this morning.”

  “Yeah, about that. I found the room Alec’s picture was taken in. The paintings were still hanging on the wall, but the drawing was gone.”

  “Dammit.” Eleanor crossed her hands over her chest, exasperated.

  “So you didn’t find anything suspicious?” asked Riley.

  “No.” Ned shook his head. “He has a big cellar. I checked it out. I tried to pull the wine shelves, th
inking there might be some secret door or something. I even went Indiana Jones and pushed some bricks in the wall, you know, just in case, but nothing happened.”

  Eleanor fell into the armchair. “And we’re right back where we started,” she huffed.

  “I think we need another drink,” said Ruben.

  22

  Fray and Alec looked at each other, but the moment Alec opened his mouth to speak, Fray raised his hand, stopping him. “We need to make sure that they’re all gone,” he said, beckoning toward the football pitch.

  Standing in the corner of the school building, Fray saw Hanna’s and Eleanor’s cars take off. After exchanging a few words, Riley and Ruben got into the black Jeep and sped away as well.

  “We can’t go back to the house,” said Fray as he and Alec walked to the parking lot. “We’ll stay with the vampires. Get in the car.”

  Alec didn’t move. “Why did you follow me?”

  “I said get in the car. We have to go.”

  “Fine.” Alec threw him a dark look and marched to his car.

  “Not yours. Mine,” said Fray.

  “I can’t. There’s something I need to do first.”

  “I said we have to leave now. That estate is the only safe house we have here. If they see you—”

  “If someone tails me, I’ll notice.”

  “Like you noticed the vampires following you here?”

  Alec dashed back to Fray. “Oh, I saw that car,” he said furiously. “But I thought you sent them to keep an eye on me in case something went wrong, not spy on me and then call you and your escort.”

  “I have a feeling you’ve got something to say,” said Fray. “Why wait?” Though he didn’t doubt Alec’s loyalty, he was afraid Alec’s obsession with Eleanor might change him, sow wrong thoughts into his mind, make him question their ambitions.

  “All right,” said Alec. “Why didn’t you hit him back? You’re stronger than he is.”

  “Yes, I’m stronger, and I wanted to fight him. I wasn’t in danger,” said Fray in a low but firm voice. “The problem is that all those things Riley threatened to do—they could do it to you.”

  “They wouldn’t. When Eleanor was about to stab me in the heart, Ruben stopped her.”

  “Ruben stopped her because he didn’t want Eleanor to get dirty, he didn’t want her to break the ‘never torture humans’ rule. But after what we did to Ruben during all those decades, he would gladly stab you himself. He and Riley are old enough not only to break the rules, but to create their own. Or they might take you away and lock you up for the simple reason of making me weaker.”

  “And you couldn’t let that happen,” said Alec, heavy irony in his voice.

  “Of course I couldn’t,” said Fray, opening the car door.

  “Why? Because you care about me? Or because you need me?”

  “Both.” Fray closed the door again and drew closer to Alec. “What is this? Is it because of what she said to you? Alec, she needed information and was trying to get under your skin.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s . . .” Alec hesitated.

  “What? Spit it out.”

  “They’re like a real family,” said Alec carefully. “They care about each other.”

  “And we’re not?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes I think you only took care of me because you needed me.”

  “How can you say that? You’re the only human I ever turned. I gave you everything. I’ve always shared my thoughts, my desires with you, discussed my plans with you.”

  “For now, yes. But what’s going to happen when your Joanne wakes up? Will I still fit? Will my opinion still matter? Or will I be left alone again?”

  Fray knew what Alec wanted to hear. Like any other human, he didn’t want to be alone, he wanted to be loved, know that he was an important part of someone’s life. “You are like a son to me,” he said, and he saw Alec’s look soften. “And, as I’ve shown you in the past ten years,” Fray continued, “I’m nothing like your alcoholic parents. It’s time for you to let go of your past. I’m immortal and you’ll never be alone again. Even when Joanne is back, I’ll feel the same way. The thing is,” Fray put his hand on Alec’s shoulder, “it’s you I’m worried about.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “You and I, we were a family. But now that Eleanor’s back, she’s all you care about. Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s turning you against me. She has awakened this aggression in you that I never knew you had. It’s a weapon.” Fray walked back to his car and opened the door again. “Turn it on the right target. I’m not your enemy.”

  As Fray took off, he glanced into the mirror. Alec hadn’t moved. He was looking after Fray. Leaving him confused, standing alone in the middle of that big, dark, empty parking lot, made Fray’s heart ache. It reminded him of the days when Alec was a boy and Fray came to visit him at the mansion. His visits were short and Alec begged him to stay longer. But he couldn’t, and every time he left, Alec was standing and looking after the speeding car, like he did now.

  Everyone has a weakness. Fray never knew Alec was his until that moment. He and Alec were close; there was a bond between them. But the way he felt now was different, new. He never cared about anybody like this before.

  He had Joanne. But Joanne wasn’t human. Watching Alec, that mortal boy, grow up, teaching him to be a strong, confident man, making sure he was safe, was a new experience. Alec needed him. Joanne was a two hundred and thirty-three year old vampire when they met. What drew them to each other was passion and their love of freedom and power. The only thing Joanne had to know was how to avoid the Hunters, and Fray showed her their pictures and taught her how to stay away from them.

  Of course, there was always a chance of losing her. And once, he nearly did.

  Even before meeting Fray and learning about the Hunters, Joanne had always been careful, always covered her tracks. However, one day she almost got killed. By Eleanor.

  It was a couple of years after Fray had found her. Joanne was always on the move, and so was Fray. Communication was a problem, and they needed some permanent place where they could meet or leave messages for each other. Their first house was hours from the castle. For security reasons, Joanne always went there alone, and nobody knew about its existence. The house had a field in front of it and forest behind it. Joanne liked the place. It had an extra exit through the basement leading to the woods, where she could walk even at daytime, if it wasn’t too sunny.

  Fray had never had his own place, and it felt good to have one. Joanne was the first member of his own family, and the time they spent there together was exciting for both of them.

  That evening he was going to meet Joanne. He was in his room, preparing to leave. He heard a neighing, and as he looked out of the window, he saw Craig and Eleanor mount their horses and gallop into the woods. He assumed they were going for a ride, but when he came out of his room, he heard Gabriella’s voice coming from Samson’s study.

  “Are you sure that the two of them will be enough?” she asked. “Maybe I should go with them?”

  “I’m sure,” said Samson. “There is nothing big there.”

  “What’s going on?” asked Fray, walking in.

  “There was an attack,” said Samson. “It’s a full moon, it’s probably just a couple of werewolves.”

  “Where?”

  “Not far, only two or three hours away.”

  That’s how far his house was from the Castle. Trying to hide his anxiety, Fray asked again, “Where?”

  “Why? As I said, there’s nothing big.” Samson got up from his desk. “Besides, didn’t you say you were leaving?”

  “I was about to, and that’s why I ask. It might be somewhere on my way.”

  “Here,” said Samson, pointing at the small red stain on the still open Map. “Next to the Clear Pond.”

  As Fray looked at the location, the blood rushed to his head.

  “Fray.” He heard Gabriella
’s voice.

  His thoughts buzzing, he slowly turned his head to look at her.

  “Is that where you’re going?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “If I catch the wolves, or whoever they are, I’ll let you know.” He threw a glance at Samson’s bracelet and dashed out of the room.

  When Fray arrived at the house, Joanne wasn’t there. He looked up at the moon. The Hunters being summoned wasn’t her fault, he was sure of that. He knew how careful Joanne was, he knew if she was hungry and she killed someone, she wouldn’t just leave the body lying around. She loved it here and she would never do anything to compromise this place.

  Standing in the middle of the field and listening to the silence, Fray looked around. Craig and Eleanor would’ve had to move fast, but if they were somewhere close, they wouldn’t be able to gallop through the dense woods. He left his horse next to the barn and went on foot to search the surrounding area. He ran across the field, and as he reached the trees, he heard a noise. He stopped, trying to determine the direction the noise was coming from. Then he heard it again. It wasn’t close, but he was sure he’d heard a growl. He ran again, but after about hundred yards he realized that the noise, which was much louder now, was moving toward him.

  Fray didn’t want to be seen, so he got as close as possible and stopped behind a thick trunk. A few seconds later, two pairs of yellow eyes shone in the darkness. A black shadow was running away from them. He knew that it was Joanne, but before he could make a move, he heard Craig’s voice.

  “Eleanor, go get her. I’ll take care of these two,” said Craig.

  Both werewolves turned at the sound of his voice. Snarling, they leapt at him. But Craig was too quick. He kicked one away and clutched the other one by the throat, slamming it to the ground. Eleanor flashed away, and Fray lost her from view. Following the noise, he realized Joanne was running toward the house. He guessed why. She wanted to get in and then get out through the basement and into the woods.

  When he reached the field, he finally saw them. Eleanor was only ten feet away from Joanne. Joanne looked back at her, and in that moment Fray darted forth, stopping in front of Eleanor.