by Sara Hubbard
“Because I’m so docile?”
“Exactly.”
I try not to dwell on his words, but they sting me a little. I’m glad my sister is a fighter, and I admire her for it. But I can fight, too. I proved it when I hit Sebastian with the frying pan. I don’t roll over and play dead, and I can rise to the occasion when I need to. I want to be a hunter—minus the killing part. I want to be magical and feared. I want to be the kind of girl people write stories about instead of the girl who only reads them.
“Open the door, please.”
“As soon as you announce yourself.”
I roll my eyes at him. “This is ridiculous.”
I stretch up on my tiptoes and peer in the peephole. An eye stares back at me, unblinking, and I startle, leaning away quickly. She’s right on the other side of the door.
“Is that you, Emily?” Kara asks.
“Yes! I’m coming in. Don’t hurt me!”
“How do I know this isn’t a trick?” she says with a growl.
“Ask me something only I’d know.”
Her brown eye shrinks as she backs away, and her whole face comes into focus. Relief washes through me. I can tell she’s not harmed—or at least, not badly—and seeing her flawless face relaxes me.
“What was the name of the dog Mom and Dad bought after you came to live with us?”
“Dog,” I say quickly.
“Original,” Sebastian says.
“Don’t judge me.”
Kara backs away a little more. “Oh, my God, Emily! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine. I’m opening the door.”
I step away, and Sebastian unlatches it and opens the door a fraction before backing way. “Afraid of a woman?” I ask sweetly.
He laughs as I pull the door open wide and stand in the frame. Kara sighs and smiles when she sees me before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around me. It feels so good to see her and hold her.
“I love a good family reunion,” Sebastian says.
Enjoying the embrace, I open my eyes and turn my head on Kara’s shoulder to watch him mock us, his eyes alight. Kara pushes me aside and stands in front of me. Her head jerks to the right, and I follow her gaze to a dirty plate on a table and some silverware.
Sebastian tuts at her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Oh,” she says mockingly, “And I really give a shit what you think.”
She makes for the knife, but by the time she takes the three quick steps to the table, a gust of wind rolls past me, fanning my hair out and off to the side. Kara slams her fist onto the table, and getting creative, she takes the plate and smashes it on the corner. She holds up the jagged edge and faces Sebastian, who now sits on the chair not far from the entrance, his hands on the arms and the knife in his tightened right fist.
“Please tell your sister I’m not her enemy.”
Kara laughs as she glances at me, but her face falls when she’s sees I’m not participating in the joke.
“Can you give us a minute?” I ask him quietly.
Sebastian nods but doesn’t move.
“Alone.”
“Of course.” His voice is melodic and syrupy sweet. He leaves the small room and leans against the wall in the far corner of the other room. His eyes never leave me, and I know his ears won’t either. He’ll be able to hear every single word we say. But Kara doesn’t have to know that, if she doesn’t already.
“What’s going on, Em?”
I guide her to the narrow bed, and as I lower myself to sit down I gently pull her down to sit beside me. The springs underneath us creak, and the bed bows. The mattress is so thin, the metal springs poke into the backs of my thighs. This is not at all like the four-poster bed they put me in. The thought makes my stomach turn with guilt.
“You’re right. They took us from our home, and that’s unforgivable. But there’s more to it than that.”
“Emily, are you defending them?” Her face scrunches up as she leans away from me.
“No, I’m not. I swear I’m not.”
“Are they controlling you? Are you one of them?” She reaches up to feel my cheeks and forehead before staring me dead in the eye.
“I’m not a vampire, but I’m not who I thought I was either.”
Part of me is excited to discover I’m not like everyone else. I never stood out in school. I practically blended in with my high school’s furniture. Sure, I did well in track, but that never made me popular with the girls or wanted by the guys. I was just kind of there. Even as an adult, I get up, go to work, come home, and hang out pretty much with just my sister. My life is about to change, and I’m curious to see where it takes me. I also can’t deny I’m scared as hell. Being a vampire hunter will make me a target for some pretty powerful people—albeit undead people—and I’m not strong enough to take them on. I have more enemies than I can imagine, and that means she does too. Kara is the only person I want to tell about my unique blood, and I have no idea how she’ll respond. She’s always protected and loved me. My big sister, always. But what will happen when I tell her I’m more than human? That I’m supernatural? I know in my heart, she’ll still love me, but what if she doesn’t? What if she puts me in the same category as the vampires? A monster. A freak.
“I…” But I have to tell her. I can’t stop myself.
She squeezes my hand and slides in closer. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
I fight a nervous smile, and my heart races. “They brought me here to test my blood because of the monster I saw outside the bookstore last night. It was one of them.” I chin nod toward Sebastian.
She tips her head and shakes it. When she looks back up at me, her face softens, and her eyes crinkle about the corners like Mom’s. Looking at her now makes me miss Mom as much as I did after she first died. I clear my throat, feeling mighty choked up.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you when you thought you saw something outside the bookstore. I never imagined things like this existed. I just thought you were overwhelmed. Mom and Dad’s death was so hard on you, and I know you’re still hurting. Even now.”
But so is she. I squeeze her hand to comfort the both of us.
My lower lip trembles, but I bite it and then release before taking a breath. “I never told you everything that happened last night. One of them bit me and…they died. The vampires here thought it meant I was something called a blood hunter. They took me to test my blood to be sure that’s what I am. They took you…to make sure I cooperate. But then, they also thought you could be like me.”
Kara is silent for a moment that feels like forever.
“What are you thinking?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“I’m a reaper, Kara, a witch who hunts vampires.” I bite my lip while I gauge her reaction. But she’s expressionless, like a blank page waiting for words. “Like Van Helsing. Or Buffy, or Blade...only I’m a witch too.”
Kara blows air through pursed lips, and pushes off the bed, and paces.
“I know this is a lot but think about how...exciting this could be. Some might consider this a gift. I have a purpose in life now.”
“And what is that?”
I clear my throat and keep my voice low because I expect her response. “To kill vampires who don’t respect human life.” Even as I say it, it seems crazy and foolish—me, a gifted witch with toxic blood and a life mission to kill supernaturals? I might as well tell her I’m Bigfoot. I want to believe in myself, but it’s farfetched, especially for someone as little as me who would never hunt an animal let alone a human—or former human.
“Are you insane!” She looks at Sebastian, who whistles while glancing around the room. I have to roll my eyes at him. We both know he can hear us. She lowers her voice, and I don’t have the heart to tell her there’s not point to it. She approaches me and crouches down so we’re at eye level. “Emily, I know you’ve always wanted to believe you’re different because your parents gave you up, an
d you are special in so many ways. Their loss has been Mom’s and Dad’s and my biggest gain. I can’t imagine a life without you. But I’ve known you my whole life, and you’re not supernatural. You have to know that, right? Deep down. You don’t need to accept whatever bullshit they’re selling you for you to feel like you matter.”
I breathe out through pursed lips and feel choked up all over again, but for a very different reason this time. I know I mattered to Mom and Dad and that I still matter to her, but hearing her saying this out loud tamps down the worst of my insecurities. And it reassures me that if I am a blood hunter, she’ll still love me regardless—even if she doesn’t believe it’s true. Yet. Hell, I still need some convincing.
“I’m so sorry they took you.”
“Don’t apologize. They did this, not you.” Kara exhales loudly. “Did they tell you what they want?”
“Apparently, the witch blood in me is really strong. They want me to help them…” I could tell her they want me to kill an elder vampire, but I don’t. She doesn’t need to know this. It’s dangerous, and the less she knows about it, the better. I don’t want her to worry.
“This is a lot to process.” She glances away and pushes herself up off the bed.
“Please tell me what you’re thinking. I’m still the same person. I’m still your sister.”
She raises an eyebrow and stops pacing. “Of course you are. Why would you think that would matter to me?”
I hitch a shoulder and look at the floor. She cups my chin and forces me to meet her eyes. “We’re all we have. I would never abandon you, and I can’t believe you’d think I would.”
“I know…I know.” I pull her into a hug and grip her tighter than before. The breath I’m holding escapes my parted lips. Over her shoulder, I meet Sebastian’s thoughtful eyes. For the first time since I met him, he looks away first.
Kara leans back and cups my cheek, forcing me to face her. “Don’t believe anything they say. They’re monsters and liars. You’re exactly who I think you are.”
But what if I don’t want to be boring old Emily anymore?
“They also told me that when they looked into my history, they found my birth certificate, and it had Mom and Dad’s names on it. That’s impossible right? I mean, I’ve never seen it before, but it can’t be right.”
Something in the way she shifts her eyes and then focuses on me while smiling tightly gives me pause. “I have no idea what they’re talking about. See? Liars. Don’t believe them. Your blood is normal. Now…” She bends forward and moves her arms around my neck. With her ears inches from my ear, she whispers, “When you get the chance, you run. And don’t stop. You hear me?”
“Kara…”
She grips my shoulder so tight that I feel the indent of her nails in my flesh. “Just do it. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get out of here. I swear it.”
“Kara, I don’t know if I can,” I whisper, turning my head to speak in her ear as well. “I promised them.”
“I don’t care.”
“I think they can help me find out more about my parents. Maybe help me find them.”
She grits her teeth, and her jaw widens as she thinks. “I thought you didn’t want to find them.”
“I never said that. I just…I didn’t want to hurt Mom and Dad. I’ve always wanted to know why I ended up in an orphanage, for closure, if nothing else. Now Mom and Dad are gone. I’ve been thinking about it more and more, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but now this has happened, and they’re all I can think about. There are questions I need answered.”
“They gave you away. I’m your family. You and me against the world.”
I nod in agreement, though it’s for her sake not mine.
“This reunion is touching,” Sebastian says. “It almost makes me tear up.”
My back straightens at Sebastian’s voice. I don’t have to look at him to know he’s a few feet away. Kara turns to glare at him.
“You’ve had your moment. Now it’s time to go.”
Kara rubs my back. Her words echo in my mind. Run. I should do it. I should find a way out and to save her too, but my mind is already made up, and I can’t change it. The need to know more about what and who I am is too great. Nothing can force me to change course. Besides, I promised Sebastian, and though I could care less about Alexander, I feel the need to keep my word if only to ensure he and his brother eventually leave my sister and me alone.
“Tick tock,” Sebastian says. “You have an elder vampire to kill.”
“An elder?” she says with narrowed eyes.
“Yes. One of the oldest and strongest vampires in the world,” he adds.
I could scream at him. Was it really necessary to taunt her like this? If I ever get super strong, I’m going to remember this and punch him in the nose with all I have—but not until I know it’ll hurt.
Kara stills and the look on her face is pure murder. I want to shout I’m sorry, but it will only fall on deaf ears. She spins around and lunges for Sebastian. Who is this person? Kara has always been strong and protective, but this Kara is fearless and a little bit scary.
Sebastian whizzes out of the way, and Kara hits the wall with her hands up, palms out. She slams her fist into it and curses before trying again. Every time she attacks, Sebastian pivots.
“Stand still and face me!” she screams, fists up, knees bent.
“I thought you were going to tell her to be nice,” Sebastian says to me. This time, when she swings, he stays put. Her fist collides with his nose, and though it bleeds, it’s Kara who topples to the floor, cradling her arm against her chest. She moans and whimpers, but her lips remain straight, too proud to admit she’s likely broken something.
I rush to her. “You didn’t have to do that,” I snap at Sebastian.
“Me? She’s the one who threw the punch.”
I scowl at him.
I rub Kara’s back, but she shrugs me off. “You’re going along with this? Really? That’s what they want you for?”
“I would have told you, but I knew you wouldn’t like it, and…”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t. What are you thinking?” She moves and flinches as her arm twitches.
Sebastian crouches beside her, and she leans away. He bites his wrist and holds it out to her, red blood dotting his flesh before sliding down his arm to drip in splatters on the floor. “Drink it. It’ll mend your bones.”
“I’d rather you amputate my arm.”
“I could do that too,” he says with a wicked gleam in his eye. “You won’t turn. A few drops won’t do anything to you but heal you and maybe make you a little stronger. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? A better chance to escape?”
“Stop tormenting her. She knows she isn’t going to get out of here unless you allow it.”
Though she refuses to take the blood at first, eventually, she relents and decides to coat her fingers with his blood and suck on her fingers instead of touching her lips to his skin. He chuckles as she wipes his blood off the floor and touches the crimson liquid to her tongue.
“I’ll give you points for pride. But pride only gets you so far in life. And it often gets you killed.”
“Eat shit, vampire.” With crimson-stained lips, she closes her eyes. I see a change in her immediately. Her pale, tortured face returns to its normal golden hue. The cuts on her cheeks and above her eyes seal and disappear. A moment later, she wiggles the fingers on her injured arm.
“Okay?” I ask.
She nods, still scowling. “Don’t do what they ask. You’ll regret it. Or you’ll be dead.”
“I’m sorry. But I don’t have choice.”
“I promised Mom and Dad I’d do whatever it took to protect you, and I meant it. The only way you’re doing this is over my dead body.”
“It could be arranged…”
“You’re not helping,” I snap at Sebastian.
“I told you this was necessary,” Sebastian says, and I know what he means, even if I don�
�t like it. “Always the hard way.”
I have to leave her now. She’ll be safe, but it doesn’t crush me any less. It feels like a betrayal, and she’ll take it as one. I only hope she can forgive me in time.
His vampire friend, Michael, enters. I frown at the drop of blood on his chin, but I refuse to think of how it got there.
“The she-devil is out,” Michael says with a sigh.
My sister narrows her eyes at him.
“Time to lock you back up,” Sebastian says.
“Not fucking likely,” Kara says, but when Sebastian and Michael pounce on her I take a step back and ignore the wrenching stomachache that spreads through me like a disease. The last thing I see before they slam the door between us is her open mouth and the pain in her soft brown eyes.
6
The drive back to the mansion is quiet. I stare at the window, refusing to let Sebastian see my face. In the dark and quiet space, I feel protected as my eyes burn with the sting of threatened tears. I blow out a very quiet, calm breath. It’s enough to keep the tears at bay for the moment.
Kara’s face—It was almost too much to bear.
At the mansion, I get out the moment we stop and jog up the stairs. I don’t hear him behind me as I manage to find my way to my room, but I’m sure he’s there. A glance over my shoulder inside my room confirms it. He stands in the doorway, lazily leaned against it, watching me like a proper stalker.
“I’m tired. Can I go to sleep, please?”
He considers it. “There are clothes in the closets. Take what you want. And Claire purchased toiletries for you. I hope they’re okay. If not, let her know, and we can get something else to suit your taste.”
God, he’s so formal when he talks, all gentleman-like—if you ignore the fact that I’m basically a prisoner. “Who’s Claire?”
“One of the maids. She also shops for us if you need something specific.”
I frown at him and open the closet door, intending to pluck out some comfy pants and T-shirt to sleep in. I gasp and make a face at what looks back at me: sequined ball gowns and cocktail dresses. On the other side of the room is another closet, and I check that one out too. Suits, fancy shirts, and tight black pants. How long have I been in this underwear? I open the drawer underneath the closet doors and pull out a lace thong with a single finger. “Whose clothes are these?”
