by Amber Riley
“How much sleep did you get?” I asked.
He forced himself to sit up on his elbows. “A few hours, on and off. Sarah called. You should know that Lyn’s ex-boyfriend had The Amaryllis searched earlier tonight. They’re probably going to try to pin it on you or something.”
I shook my head. Human laws were the last thing on my mind. Tonight I was going to find Francesca and rip her head off. There was no more time to waste. I got up and walked out the door. I had no idea how to find her, but I was going to look until dawn, and keep looking each night until I found her. At least the weather seemed to be holding up. There was no wind, no rain, and the sky was clear.
“Alone tonight?” Davis asked. He was leaning against the corner of the house in a navy blue suit. “Don’t worry; I’m here on my own too.”
I scanned the surrounding area, but he seemed to be telling the truth.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Hmm.” His face lost any hint of humor “I came to apologize for last night. The Marquis explained the entire thing. I can’t say they were very remorseful, but they should be.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, looking him up and down. “What’s it to you if they’re dead?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “We are supposed to be getting you back without involving the locals. Phoenix wants to get on your good side.”
I laughed and started to walk away. “It doesn’t matter what he does. I’m not going back with you. The three of you need to get that through your heads and go back before I find where you’re staying and kill you.”
His forehead wrinkled. “Were you always this stubborn?”
“Yes,” I called over my shoulder.
“I know where they are staying.”
I stopped midstep. I knew that voice. I would recognize it anywhere. It was the one vampire I had been hoping to see again. I finally felt there was someone I could trust wholeheartedly. Sullivan’s coal gray eyes were lifeless and dull. Even his brown hair seemed to have lost some of its shine. He couldn’t possibly still be in mourning. I wanted to reach out and shake him back to normal. But nevertheless, it was good to have him by my side again, and I had to smile.
Davis laughed. “It really is a family reunion.”
“You know where they’re staying?” I asked, getting back on track.
Sullivan nodded. “There’s a house in Oyster Bay Cove that they’re using.”
That was out of my territory. The only way to get to them would be to piss off the vampires in the neighboring area. I didn’t need that at the moment. And I would never get permission to cross over and kill them, because that would upset Phoenix. I wasn’t going to be able to get to them unless they crossed over to my side of the line.
“I hate to make this short, but I don’t want Francesca to know where I’ve been.” Davis shrugged. “If I were you though …” He lowered his voice and stepped closer to me. “I’d pay close attention to that human you’re so fond of. They’re not going to stop until there’s no one left.”
My eyes snapped to his face. He was serious. “Excuse me,” I told Sullivan in an angry rasp. I stormed into the house and pulled Alex off the floor and onto his feet. “Listen to me very carefully,” I hissed. “Get to Lyn’s now. If you let her leave that house, I will personally detach your head from your body.”
“Kaden? What—”
“If she leaves that house, day or night, I will kill you. It’s not a hard concept to follow.” My chest was heavy, and I gripped the back of the couch. “Do you understand me?”
“How am I supposed to do that?” he asked in a rushed voice. “Do you expect me to start living there? What about finding out what happened to everyone?”
“I don’t care if you have to break her legs, Alex. She doesn’t leave that house.” I pushed him toward the door. “You can call about the bus from her house.”
“Kaden,” he protested as I shoved him outside.
“Come in,” I said to Sullivan, ignoring Alex. “Flo and Stu went out to feed, so it’s just us for now.”
He crossed into the house and looked around. It was the first time he had been to my house. I hadn’t seen him in a century. I had thought he looked bad then, but now his diet had to be worse than mine. It was probably rats or other small mammals.
I still didn’t know what had caused him to go off the deep end. One day he was living in France with his lover; the next he was hiding in the Canadian mountains alone. He was being followed by angry vampires, but I didn’t know the reason for that either. What I did know was that whatever happened had left him broken.
“Nice place,” he said softly.
“Thanks.” I sunk into one of the chairs. “Make yourself at home.”
“I’m sorry it took so long to get here,” he said, perching himself lightly on the edge of a couch cushion. “I wanted to find them first.”
I nodded, shutting my eyes. My forehead wrinkled as I tried to rethink my plan. I wouldn’t be able to tell when Francesca crossed the border unless I was waiting there for her. If I waited in one place, she might cross in another. I could wait outside Lyn’s house, but then she might go to Tom’s. I was at a loss.
“Don’t worry,” Sullivan said. “If we stay calm and go about things rationally, then we’ll find a way to beat them.”
“Calm?” Flo asked, coming inside. Stu bobbed along after her as usual. “What’s with you two? That’s the last thing we need to be.”
“Hey.” Stu beamed, cutting her off. “Sullivan, nice to see you again.”
He held up one hand as a greeting just as tires crunched onto the gravel outside. If it was Alex, I was going to strangle him. I opened my eyes and twisted around to look out the bay window. It was Reece’s Trailblazer. I sighed. The bus had finally gotten back. I just didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Uh, Kaden,” Stu said nervously.
Reece stumbled out of the vehicle. He clutched his stomach and sprinted toward the house. Stu opened the door for him, and he fell inside. He stayed kneeling on the tile, trying to catch his breath. His body was shining with sweat, and one side of his head was caked in dried blood. “The news,” he whispered. We all exchanged glances. “The news,” he repeated. “Turn on the news.”
Sullivan picked up the remote and changed the TV to a different news channel. Live footage of the highway appeared on the screen. Fire was billowing from the windows of a bus, and black smoke was rising into the night sky. Firefighters were spraying it with giant hoses, while cops ushered the crowd back. The anchor’s voice was nothing more than fuzz to my ears.
I turned to Reece. Tears were brimming in his eyes as he tried his best to stand up. “Dead,” he whispered. “They’re all dead.”
“What’s going on?” Flo demanded.
“Hello,” Stu said. “Look at the television.”
“Stop it,” I yelled as she reached out to hit him. “Where’s Sid?”
“I don’t know,” Reece croaked. “I stayed behind to watch his girlfriend so she wouldn’t go on the trip. When I saw that”—he pointed to the screen—“I knew she had something to do with it. I snapped.”
“Where is she now?” I asked, panicked.
“Dead.” He sniffled and tried his best to hold himself together. There wasn’t much that would be worse than seeing a strong man like Reece break down. “I killed her.”
I grabbed my head and did my best not to scream. I was ashamed of myself for ever having doubted Sid. Now it was too late. Reece and Alex were all that were left. Davis was right. They weren’t going to stop until everyone was dead. I had to stop Alex before they found him. I had to do something with Lyn.
“I’ll be back,” I said in a daze.
Alex’s car was still sitting in the driveway. He wouldn’t have transformed and run all the way to her house, I thought. But he must have. That would have meant he had already arrived. I didn’t know what I was going to tell him. I didn’t want him to create a scene in front of
his fake girlfriend. It would probably be best to get him back to the house first.
The real problem was Lyn. No matter where I took her, Francesca would find her. I had to come up with something. She couldn’t continue with her routine. Even school and work were dangerous; it was a sure thing that Phoenix’s wolves hadn’t blown themselves up too.
But I was out of time to think. I was pounding on Lyn’s door before I realized I was even there. Alex flung the door open, his lip turned up into a snarl. I pushed him aside and rushed into the house.
“Kaden, what are you doing?” he hissed.
“Reece is at my house.” I looked into the living room, around the corner into the kitchen, and finally poked my head around the banister. “Do what you need to do and get there. Where is she?”
“Reece?” he asked, stunned. “They’re back?”
I shook my head and started up the stairs. Alex followed after me asking for details. I kept going in silence. I was determined now. I knocked on Lyn’s door and pushed it open.
She was sitting at her desk with another textbook open in front of her. A highlighter was in her hand, and yellow lines marked up the pages. Her cupcake hat lay on the bed, and she was still wearing her polo shirt, spotted with flour.
I smiled as brightly as I could. “I want to take you out tonight.”
She looked up at me, surprised. “Kaden, I don’t think I can.”
Alex stood in the doorway with his jaw hanging open. I raised my eyebrow to him. He spun on his heel just as his girlfriend grabbed him and pulled him into her room. “Look at this,” I heard her say. A television was on in her bedroom. The same newscaster was still talking about the explosion.
I went across the hall to the mint green bathroom and grabbed a few essentials. I hoped it was the right toothbrush. I opened her closet, found a duffle bag sitting in the corner, and pulled out a few pieces of clothes. I stuffed everything into the bag and held my hand out to her.
“Come on.” I smiled. She was staring at me like I had lost my mind. Alex came bounding around the corner, eyes wide. I shot him a dirty look, mouthed “go,” and turned my smile back to Lyn. “I’m stealing you.”
Chapter 11
Lyn sat as far away from me in the cab as she could get. Apparently there was something very fascinating outside the window. All I saw were a few houses, some trees, and the occasional car passing in the opposite direction. The silence between us was only made worse by the driver’s incessant tapping on the steering wheel in time with the music.
I hadn’t really thought of her reaction to being forced into leaving with me. In my own defense, she did give in fairly quickly. It wasn’t until we were in the taxi that she really thought twice about it. I would, however, take the blame for poor presentation of the idea.
As we neared my house, I pulled my wallet from my pocket. My driveway was hard to find during the day, and nearly impossible to find at night. Thick trees lining the side of the road camouflaged it, along with any trace of a house lying behind it. It was perfect for privacy.
“Stop here,” I told the cabbie. I didn’t know what would be going on at the house. He looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror, and I held the money over the seat to him. He eyed me curiously, and then Lyn, before stopping the taxi. I could only imagine what he thought of dropping us off in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.
I hopped out and grabbed her duffle bag. Reality began to sink in as I watched the two red taillights disappear around the bend. I was going to have to explain things before we went inside. Or at least try to. It wouldn’t be possible to hide the truth with everything that was going on.
What the hell had I been thinking?
“Where are we?” Lyn asked, yawning, and pulled her purple hat farther onto her head against the cold.
“This way,” I told her. Here goes nothing, I thought. “Watch your step.”
Our feet crunched on the gravel driveway. She followed close behind me, staring at the ground. When the trees ended and the house came into view, I stopped. I set her bag on the ground and turned around to face her. I didn’t know how to tell her about us. I just knew that I had to.
“You live here?” Her mouth hung open, and any resentment she had was gone from her face. “It’s huge.”
I looked back over my shoulder. The porch lights were on, illuminating the white siding and blue shutters. The second floor was a mirror image of the first, but the third floor had decorative windows and a widow’s walk. A large flowered wreath hung on the door, which I attributed to Flo. The porch went the full length of the house, with stone pillars holding the roof up. Neatly trimmed shrubs were planted in front of it. The shades were drawn in all the windows in anticipation of the coming dawn. On the outside it looked like a peaceful, all-American home. On the inside, Flo was hissing.
One disaster at a time, I told myself. My chest tightened, and my stomach churned. I had to bite the bullet. “Listen, things here aren’t exactly normal.” She tore her eyes from the house and cocked her head. Her breath formed little clouds in front of her face. “I’m going to introduce you to some people inside,” I continued. “On the off chance that you actually believe me, don’t be scared.”
“You have mob connections, don’t you?” She smiled. “I knew it.”
This was going to be harder than I thought. I didn’t know how I was going to tell this sweet, innocent girl that evil truly did exist in this world. I didn’t want to be the one to open her eyes.
“No, we aren’t in the mob.” I took a deep breath. “We’re vampires. Well, there are a couple of werewolves too, but the majority of them are missing at the moment, so it’s mostly vampires right now, and—” She formed a cross with her index fingers and started to laugh. “I’m serious,” I said.
“Right. You’re a vampire.” She kept laughing. “Can we go in now? It’s pretty cold.”
“Lyn, please listen,” I begged.
She put her hands down and looked up grudgingly. “Okay, okay. You’re a vampire, and I’m a leprechaun. A freezing and exhausted leprechaun. So if you don’t mind, I’m going to go inside and crash.” She trudged toward the house without waiting for an answer.
I hurried across the lawn after her so I would be the one to open the door. If she was going to be shocked into believing me, then at least I would be the one to get hit with any possible flying objects that Flo had sent toward Stu. And by the vibes I was getting from inside, it was extremely likely that I would.
“What’s wrong?” Lyn asked when I hesitated.
“Nothing.” I yanked the wreath down and swung the door open just in time to see Flo lunge across the room toward Stu with her fangs bared. “Stop,” I yelled as Stu dodged her.
Flo landed and spun on her heel. “What’s your little human doing here?”
I threw the wreath at her. “She’s going to stay here until Francesca leaves town. Don’t touch her. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t even talk to her.”
“You told her?” Flo’s eyes flashed. “What were you thinking?”
“Kaden,” Sullivan whispered in my ear, “I think she was frightened off.”
Lyn was halfway down the driveway, running as fast as she could toward the road. The scent of fear hung heavy in the air, almost gagging me. Everyone reacted differently when they found out the truth, but deep down I had hoped she would be one of the accepting ones. The sight of her running pulled on a few strings I didn’t know were attached anymore.
I hurried after her, desperate to make her understand. But I appeared in front of her before I realized what I was doing, scaring her even more. She jumped back and nearly fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide and her breathing unsteady.
“I’m sorry. I tried to tell you,” I blurted. “I swear that no one will hurt you, so come inside.” There was an unfamiliar pang in my chest as I struggled to collect my thoughts into something coherent. “I’ll answer any questions you have, so just please, please come inside.”
> Tears burst from her eyes. “I won’t say anything to anyone. I swear. Please, don’t kill me. I can— I can just go home to Vermont, and you won’t have to worry that I’ll tell your secret.”
“I’m not going to kill you. If I wanted you dead, then you already would be by now.” I cringed. That wasn’t the best thing to say. “I brought you here to save you, and that’s why I can’t let you go anywhere. You’re safer here than anywhere else right now.”
She closed her eyes and pinched herself through her jacket. “This isn’t real. Wake up, wake up, wake up.”
“Please. I promise that you’ll be safe.” I held my hand out to her, but she didn’t move. “It’ll be all right. Trust me.”
I didn’t move a muscle. I just waited with my arm stretched out in front of me like an idiot. I was waiting for her to trust me, to take my hand and know she would be safe. I knew it was too much to ask for, but I needed it. Every second she hesitated was gut-wrenching.
As the minutes ticked by, her tears slowed to a stop. Her breathing steadied somewhat, and her muscles relaxed a little. And then, ever so slowly, she lifted her shaking hand and reached toward me. It hovered above mine while uncertainty flooded her eyes.
Carefully, so I wouldn’t scare her, I raised mine to close the extra space between us. She flinched when my skin made contact, and I froze. When she didn’t pull away, I wrapped my fingers around hers as delicately as I could. I made sure to hold on loosely so she didn’t feel threatened. She could pull away at any moment if she wanted to.
“Your hands are cold,” she whispered.
Butterflies were dancing around in my stomach, and I smiled. “I know.”
I was leading her back to the house when I felt her stop. Afraid she had changed her mind, I glanced over my shoulder. Her face was paler than a sheet, and she started to sway. Her head bobbed backward, and her knees buckled from underneath her.
I caught her before she could hit the ground. I tapped her face lightly, but she was out cold. It had been too much for her. It probably would have been too much for anyone.
