“He didn’t get away.”
Slipping my backpack from my shoulders, I walked over to my sister’s car and opened the passenger door. I threw my bag into the back seat, then rested an arm on the top of the car and raised my eyebrows, “Are we ready?”
“Blayke,” my dad growled, his eyes narrowing, “tell me what happened.”
Shrugging, I replied, “I turned him to ash. That’s what vampire slayers do, right?” Not waiting for a response, I slid into the front seat of Chandler’s Cavalier, slamming the door shut behind me. We had a long way to go, and right now all I cared about was getting there so that we could honor mom the way she deserved. The last couple of days had really sucked. I learned my parents weren’t my real parents, that my life was all one big fat lie, and that I was a part of some secret, terrifying world where my new motto was kill or be killed. I had lost my friends, my mother, my life. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I wished that everything would just go back to normal. Although, right now I had no idea what normal even was.
I sat in the front seat of my sister’s car, my head resting against the cool glass of the window, as I tried to come to terms with everything that had happened in the past couple of days. Thoughts of my mom were at the forefront of my mind. What was I going to do without her? She was my rock, the one person besides Chandler who had never judged me. She’d always been there when I wanted to talk, to listen and tell me how much she loved me, and how she would always support me no matter what decisions I made. She was there when one of the other girls in my school tried to bully me in the third grade. She held me close, explaining the difference between right and wrong, and then she went to the school the next day to meet with the principal. That girl never bothered me again. She was the one who comforted me my freshman year when all of my friends were asked to the winter formal, but I wasn’t. She was the one who stayed up with me all night when my dog passed away just the month before. She had always been there for me when I needed her, but now she was gone.
Hearing a soft sniffle, I turned to look at Chandler. Her hands were on the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were white. She sat up straight, her jaw set, her eyes locked on the road in front of her. That was when it hit me how selfish I was being. I wasn’t the only one who had just lost her mother. No matter how strong my sister was, she did not have to go through this alone. Reaching over, I covered one of her hands with mine, squeezing gently. “I love you, Sis,” I whispered softly.
Chandler gulped, and then breathed in deeply, a shudder running through her. I let my hand drop to the seat between us, and turned toward the window again. After a moment of silence, I felt her hand cover mine before she murmured, “Me too, Blayke.” And no one is going to take you from me like they did Mom. No one.
Just hearing those words, even though they weren’t spoken out loud, comforted me. I didn’t realize how much I needed to know that she did not blame me for what happened. She was so quiet back at the house, that I was afraid she might be upset with me. That she might think it was my fault the vampires showed up, which I wouldn’t blame her if she did. No matter what Dad said earlier, I knew it was my fault. All of it. Sighing, I leaned my head back against my seat, allowing my eyes to slowly drift shut. Maybe if I fell asleep, I could hide from everything, just for a little while. That was my last thought before I slipped into sweet oblivion.
We drove all day, stopping only when we needed fuel, and once for food, but we were still unable to make it to Angel’s Pass by the time the sun began to dip behind the clouds. We kept moving, preferring to stay on the road, rather than to hide out in a hotel somewhere. We weren’t going to just sit around and wait for someone, or something, to find us. Maine was a good twenty-two hours from Blue River, Iowa. I’d never been this far east before, but then again, I had never really been anywhere that I could remember, except for the small town I grew up in. We had never even gone on a real vacation before. I hadn’t thought anything of it at the time because we were always so busy with everything else in our lives, but it was all beginning to make sense to me now. My parents kept me hidden from the world, trying to keep me safe from what they knew could happen. They hadn’t wanted anyone from my past to find me.
My sister drove until she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open any longer, and then I took over. It didn’t matter that I did not have a license. I had a permit, and Chandler was a licensed driver. I wasn’t sure if it was technically legal for me to drive with her or not, but we needed to keep pushing. We had to get to Angel’s Pass before we were attacked again. There was the very real possibility that if that were to happen, none of us would survive this time.
I had a lot of time to think while my sister snored softly in the seat next to me. Life growing up in Blue River had been wonderful. I began to see that giving me up was the best thing that my birth mother could have done for me. Because of her sacrifice, I was able to live for several wonderful years with parents who loved me, and a sister who was my best friend. I could have grown up fighting demons and vampires like the ones from the night before, never knowing what it was like to be a normal child. That didn’t mean I was ready to forgive her yet. Even though my mind could see it was for the best, my heart did not understand how anyone could send away their child, knowing they may never see them again.
I began to wonder what would happen once we reached Angel’s Pass. What kind of funeral would my mom have? She was to be honored in the way of our people, but I still wasn’t even sure who ‘our people’ were. Vampire hunters and witches? And if they were real, what else was out there? My mind whirled with thoughts and questions, but never any real answers.
It was still dark in the very early morning hours, when I turned the Cavalier down a long road out in the middle of nowhere. Trees lined the sides of the paved lane, and after about a half a mile, it began to feel as if they were closing in on us. My hands tightened on the steering wheel and I sped up, almost kissing the bumper of Dad’s car in front of me. I could hear eerie noises, ones that had me thinking we were about to be attacked again, and I seriously considered turning around. Just as I went to put my foot on the brake, we broke through the cover of trees and were greeted by several bright lights aimed in our direction. As quickly as they were on us, they were suddenly off again, all except for a tall lamp in the middle of a circular drive.
Dad came to a stop in front of a large, brick house that looked more like a fortress than a home. Leaving his vehicle, he signaled for us to wait where I had stopped behind him while he started up the sidewalk. The porch light flickered on, and the front door swung open.
“Where are we?”
Chandler’s sleepy voice came to me from the passenger seat, but I couldn’t reply. My eyes were fixed on the person standing in front of my Dad. Long, dark hair, slender build, fighting stance. I knew who she was the minute she opened the door, even though I was unable to see her face with the glare of the light. I felt her, as if she were a part of me. I recognized her on a level I didn’t fully understand. “Alyiah.” Her name was a soft whisper on my lips, and I had to force myself to wait where my father told me to. Until I saw the gleam of a knife in her hand, and I reacted without thought. My mother had just been stolen from me. No one was going to hurt my dad. I didn’t care who she was.
Swinging open my door, I ignored Chandler’s startled gasp as I jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind me. Stalking up the sidewalk, I glared at the knife, my eyes narrowing on it in fury. Suddenly, it flew out of Alyiah’s hand, hitting the brick of the house beside her, and falling uselessly to the floor. Alyiah’s shocked gaze met mine, and her eyes widened as she took a step in my direction. Seeming to catch herself, she stopped and looked back at Dad. I saw the moment recognition hit her, and she whispered, “Daniel?”
“Call off your people,” I ordered quietly. I could feel them out in the woods, surrounding us. I could hear their whispered thoughts, and for once I actually welcomed them.
Are they demo
ns? They don’t look like demons. I don’t see fangs. It was a soft voice, so young and scared.
I don’t know who they are, but they are on our land. We need to protect what is ours. This voice was deeper. Harder. Still young, but not inexperienced.
That knife flew right out of Alyiah’s hand! How did she do that? It was a nervous, almost musical voice. None of us can do that.
I’ll take the one they left in the car first. Then go for the other one if the others haven’t taken her down yet. Alyiah can handle the man. I stiffened when I heard his voice. Low, commanding, and obviously belonging to someone who was used to making decisions.
No one was going to touch Chandler, I thought angrily. “I know where each and every one of you are,” I hollered, my eyes still on Alyiah. “I promise you, if you make the mistake of touching my sister, you will all find out exactly what I can do.” It was a bluff. I may have known where they were, and I may have some new, crazy abilities, but I had absolutely no idea how to control them.
“It’s okay, Blayke,” my dad said, taking a step toward me. “No one here means us any harm. They just don’t know who we are yet.”
“Then maybe they should find out before threatening to hurt my sister,” I growled, my gaze never leaving the wide eyes of the woman in front of me. Eyes that were beginning to fill with tears.
“Blayke?” she whispered, her hand going up to cover her mouth. My gaze narrowed on the dark blue sapphire ring on her hand that matched the one on mine.
“Who are you?” I heard someone demand from behind me. “What do you want from us?”
The voice sent a shiver up my spine. It was the forceful, commanding one. Slowly, I turned to see who it belonged to. My breath caught in my throat when he stepped into the light, and my eyes met his golden-brown gaze. He stared at me intently, and it felt almost as if he could see into my soul. He looked like he was taller than me, but not by much, with dark blond hair, a slight scruff on his face, and a small scar just above his left cheekbone.
Tearing my gaze from his, I looked beyond him at the three kids who crept from the woods to stand at his back. One was so small, with long blonde hair that hung to her waist, and bright blue eyes full of fear. She couldn’t have been more than ten years old. Next to her stood a boy with raven black hair and emerald green eyes. His hand gripped what looked like a sword tightly, and he positioned himself beside the young girl as if protecting her. Last was a girl who had to be my age. Short, dark curls framed her face, and I could feel how uneasy she was, even from a distance.
I knew what I was going to have to do to get them to trust me, even though a part of me just wanted to leave and never come back. Nothing good had come out of finding out who I really was so far. I didn’t want any part of this life.
I heard a car door open, and then my sister was beside me. The winds around us started to pick up, and Chandler’s hair began to lift off her shoulders as she glared at the small group. “Back off,” she ordered softly. I let a small smile appear. My older sister. Always my protector.
Placing a hand gently on her arm, I murmured, “They aren’t the enemy, Sis.” I felt her distrust, but then gradually the wind began to die back down again and she nodded.
“What’s going on out here?” I froze, and my heart began to pound. It was as if something broke inside of me, and all of my memories came flooding back with just the sound of his gruff voice. I knew who he was. I remembered everything about him. The books he read to me when he put me to bed at night, the horseback rides during the day while my mother slept, the lessons on hunting when no one was around. When my mother had left to protect the innocent, he was always there for me.
“Father,” Alyiah said, still sounding as if she were in shock, “she’s come home.”
“Who are you?” the boy in front of me demanded, his eyes darkening in suspicion.
Stepping away from Chandler, I walked over to the bottom of the stairs to look up at the man in the doorway. “I am Blayke Wynters. Daughter of Daniel and Amelia Wynters,” I said, holding my head up high. “Before that, I was Blayke Jackson.” I heard a gasp from behind my grandfather, and then a small woman pushed him aside and came out onto the porch. Ignoring them, I raised my hand so they could see the sapphire. “My ring, given to me recently, showing proof of my Jackson lineage.” Lifting my hair, I turned in a circle so that everyone would be able to see the Jackson mark on my neck. When I was once again facing my grandfather, I let the dark strands fall back down. “I’m home, Papa,” I said softly. I had only ever called him Papa in private when I was younger. In front of others, it was always Grandfather. But I knew when the endearment slipped out, that I had done the right thing.
Closing the distance between us quickly, he gathered me in his arms and held on tightly. “My sweet, sweet granddaughter. You have been missed so much.” I held myself stiffly at first, uncomfortable because even though I might have remembered him, I didn’t know him now. Soon I let myself return his hug though, closing my eyes as I remembered how he gave them to me freely so long ago.
She’s home. My baby girl is home. The words washed over me, and I peeked out from my grandfather’s embrace to catch a glimpse of my mother. She stood off to the side, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she watched us. Her eyes shone brightly with unshed tears, but she didn’t make a move toward me. She will hate me when she finds out what I’ve done.
I froze when I heard her thought, but before I could say anything, my grandfather leaned back and looked at me, grinning widely. “It is time for a celebration!”
Stepping back, I glanced from Dad to Chandler, slowly shaking my head. “The celebration will have to wait, Papa.” As his brows furrowed in confusion, I whispered, “We were attacked by vampires. My mother…she didn’t make it.” Stiffening my spine, I went on, “We need to give her a funeral.”
His eyes darkening in sadness, Grandfather squeezed my shoulder as he promised, “She will be honored in a ceremony fit for a queen.”
After Dad carried Mom in from the car and laid her on a bed in one of the rooms on the main floor, Chandler and I left him so that he would be able to say goodbye in private. We would each have the chance to spend a quiet moment with her, but as her husband, our father deserved it first. My sister and I were given a room on the second floor of the house, which I found out later was called The Manor by all who lived there. We were offered separate rooms, but chose to share one with twin beds because neither of us had any desire to be apart. We had been through too much the past couple of days, and needed each other close. I was relieved to find out that my father’s room was directly across from ours. I was supposed to be the vampire slayer, but I felt safer with the two of them near.
“Do you want to shower first?” I asked Chandler, as I collapsed onto the bed nearest the window. I was filthy, my entire body ached, and my head felt like it was going to explode. All I wanted was to close my eyes and fall asleep, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“I don’t care,” came the quiet response.
I rested in silence for a while, wishing I were in my own bed back home, before I finally spoke. “We should get ready. They will probably come looking for us soon.”
“No they won’t,” Chandler murmured. “The ceremony won’t take place until tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. We need the presence of the moon when we speak the ritual words.”
“What ritual words?”
I had no idea what my sister was talking about, and suddenly I felt so lost, confused, and a little ashamed. Chandler had spent her life learning her craft. Studying it so that she would someday be able to fight by my side and help protect me from demons. What had I been doing? Hanging out with friends, flirting with boys, anything and everything a typical teenage girl was supposed to do. How had I missed the fact that my sister was never given the chance at a normal life?
“We will request that the Goddess above accept mom’s spirit, and watch over it un
til she is ready to be reborn again.”
“Goddess?”
“She is the one our people pray to. The one we look to for guidance. She is loving, giving, and also magical and very powerful.”
I thought about that for a minute before asking in awe, “Mom can be reborn again?”
“We can request it. Nothing is guaranteed, though.”
Turning on my side, I slipped my hands under my cheek and stared at my sister. “Because she wasn’t one of us?”
Chandler mimicked my pose, and then nodded in confirmation. “It will be up to the Goddess to decide whether or not Mom’s soul is worthy.”
“It’s definitely worthy.”
A small smile formed on Chandler’s lips. “I agree.”
“I’m sorry, Chandler,” I whispered softly.
“For what?” she asked. “Dad was right, Blayke. None of this is your fault.”
“Not because of this,” I interjected, “but I am sorry for that too.” Kicking off my shoes, I crawled under the covers before looking back at her. “I’m sorry that I got to live a normal life growing up, but you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did,” she argued.
“No,” I insisted, shaking my head, “you didn’t. All that time you spent at home alone, or at the library reading. I always thought it was something you enjoyed, but it wasn’t, was it? You were studying. Training so that you could stand by me if I was chosen to become a hunter, weren’t you? I was out with friends having fun, but you didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s not true,” Chandler argued, her dark green eyes flashing. “Yes, a lot of those times I was training, but it was never because I had to. I’ve always had a choice, Blayke, and I chose you. I will always choose you.”
My gaze misted over, and I had to blink a couple of times to clear my vision. Even after everything we had been through in the past couple of days, my sister still chose me. She would never know what that meant to me. “I choose you too, Chandler,” I whispered. “Always.”
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