by E. J. King
We held onto each other until the water turned cold. When we had dried off and redressed, I noticed that my body was still shaking. The queasiness in my stomach had returned and I couldn’t shake the cloud of doom that seemed to be enveloping me.
The pending battle with Benton couldn’t be ignored any longer. It was time to fight.
* * *
“Pizza and beer?” I gasped when I walked into the kitchen. “Marry me!”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Ethan handed me an open bottle. “Should we see if Rafe will be the best man?”
“You offer him pizza and beer and he’ll agree to be the flower girl.” I took a seat next to Hope and reached for one of the many books piled onto the table in front of her.
Hope shot me a sly glance. “The two of you had a busy afternoon.”
“No comment.” I pretended to be fascinated with the musty book I had chosen.
“Pizza and beer?” Rafe slapped his brother on the back as he entered the room. “Marry me?”
“Sorry. Your girlfriend already asked.” Ethan handed him a beer. “But we’ve decided you can be the flower girl.”
Rafe shrugged. “Always the flower girl…”
“Hey flower girl, bring me some pizza.” I snapped my fingers in his direction and was rewarded with a dirty napkin tossed at my head.
“I don’t know how you guys can be relaxed and joking around,” Hope said in disbelief.
“Easy. Multiple orgasms.” Rafe dropped into the chair next to mine. “You should try it sometime.”
I kicked his leg under the table. “We’re just trying not to focus on the end of the world, Hope. It’s coming whether we stress out about it or not.”
“That’s a very naïve way of thinking about it,” she snapped. It was rare to see her so on edge. Hope never lost her cool, not even when she got turned into a vampire. “But this isn’t just about us anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I noticed that her phone was lighting up with text messages.
“I reached out to some old friends from the dorm. A lot has changed since we left.” She scrolled through the messages. “Over a dozen people have gone missing on campus in the last ten days. The school is on lockdown after dark. The Jackson Police Department says that it is the work of a serial abductor and as of tomorrow, classes are suspended indefinitely.”
I pushed aside the books and reached for the newspaper. “The last ten days?”
“Ten days ago is when the first student went missing.” She pointed to the paper. “You can read all the details in there, but I think we all know who is responsible.”
She was right. It had to be the handiwork of Benton. If we hadn’t already made the decision to go after him, this news would’ve done the trick. Which was probably exactly what he had planned.
“We have another hour before dark,” I said, glancing out the window. “I’m going to do a lap around campus and see for myself.”
“See for ourselves, you mean.” Rafe hurried to finish his beer.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Rafe.” My argument lacked gusto. I had pretty much resigned myself to his overprotective ways. “But if you’re going to tag along, grab me another beer.”
We walked toward campus taking our chances with our open containers. Campus security should be too busy searching for a serial abductor than to worry about our beers.
“If this is what college is like, maybe I’ve been wrong about it this whole time.” Rafe took a dramatic swig of beer and threw his arm around me. “Cold beer in hand, hot woman under my arm, and a stomach full of pizza. Life is good.”
“Sure, it is. Unless you count that whole end-of-the-word, Soul war thing.” I was surprised to see at least a dozen students sprinting toward their dorm. They weren’t just in a hurry because of the mandated curfew. “The kids are scared.”
“They should be.” Rafe’s arm dropped away. “Whatever has been happening on this campus, it isn’t going to end well for the missing kids. The school is wise to suspend classes.”
I noticed several security guards circling the science lab. “It’s too late. The missing kids have been turned. Benton already got what he wanted.”
We were passing in front of the school community board, a place that was usually covered with requests for roommates, open mic night fliers, and job postings. All of that information had been replaced by photos of the missing students.
Once I noticed them, I couldn’t look away. I was frozen in front of the wall, memorizing each photo and name. All of them looked so young and innocent.
“We should go, Kaylie. It’s going to be dark soon.” Rafe’s hand closed over my elbow.
“All of these people died because of me.” I reached out and touched the closest photograph- Alyssa Adams, Age 19. “I could have prevented this.”
“How? We’ve been searching for Benton this whole time. He didn’t want to be found so how were you going to prevent this?” Rafe looked even more worried than usual.
“That’s not entirely true. We did find him, in that old church. We were right there with him. If I had just let him kill me then…”
Rafe flinched. “You’re kidding, right? You think things would be better if you had let Benton kill you back then? That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Just because you don’t agree with it doesn’t mean it’s stupid. My life isn’t worth all of this!” I gestured wildly to the board. “How many more people have to die because of me, James? How many?”
“Kaylie, I’m never going to agree with you. I would sacrifice every student on this campus if it kept you alive,” Rafe said unapologetically.
I hated that I knew he was telling the truth. That made everything so much worse. “Do you understand how that makes me feel? How it feels to know that people are dying and will continue to die because of me?”
“They aren’t dying because of you. They are dying because of Benton.” Again, Rafe was confident in his words.
“I never wanted this.” I couldn’t stop looking at the faces on the board. “Any of this. I never wanted to be special… to have this cursed blood.”
“Too bad, Hart.” Rafe crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. “This is the hand you’ve been dealt. Now you just have to deal with it, or bluff your way out of it.”
“Nice metaphor,” I said with a pout. I knew that he was just handing me some tough love, but it still annoyed me. “You’re not helping.”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. This is it, Kaylie. We’re going to be fighting Benton soon and you need to be at the top of your game. You can’t go into it being willing to die. You have to be focused on fighting. There’s no other option.”
“You can’t assess the situation clearly because you love me,” I said.
“That’s right.” He nodded emphatically. “I do. And because I love you, I see just how special you really are. It’s not your blood that makes you special, Kaylie. It’s your heart. You care so much about these people that you’ve never met that you are willing to die for them. But are you willing to fight for yourself?”
It was a fair question. The problem was, I didn’t know the answer. “We should go. It’s nearly dark.”
I led us back to the house, walking several feet in front of Rafe. He seemed content to let me work off my anger and didn’t stop me until we were standing on the front porch.
“Hey.” He grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry if you were wanting me to be a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. I can’t do that right now. All I can focus on is finding a way to keep you alive. If that means I have to be tough to light a fire within you, then that’s what I am going to do.”
“I don’t need you to light my fire,” I said. The words hung in the air for a second before we both realized how ridiculous it sounded. I was the one to laugh first, with Rafe quickly following.
“And here I thought you liked having me light your fire.” Rafe looked at me with tired eyes. I wondered if he had been sleeping poorly lately. Come
to think of it, I hadn’t seen him sleep in a couple of nights.
“You should worry about taking care of yourself,” I scolded. “You look exhausted.”
He reached for the doorknob. “I’ll sleep when we have killed Benton. When that happens, I’m going to sleep like a baby.”
With the front door open, we could hear loud, excited voices inside. Two of them I recognized, one of them I did not.
The room became completely silent as I stepped into the doorway. Three heads swiveled in my direction: Ethan, Hope, and my mother.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Violet?”
I had only spoken to her once, just after nearly getting eaten by a Were. Things had been hazy and she had done most of the talking. But this time I was fully conscious.
“What are you doing here?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s not the greeting I was expecting.”
“You thought I would run into your arms crying mommy?” Venom practically dripped from my words. “Sorry, not going to happen.”
“I didn’t expect you to cry, but a hug would’ve been nice,” Violet said. It was clear which side of the family tree had given me the sarcasm gene. “Care to introduce me to your boyfriend, dear?”
I had forgotten that Rafe was behind me. “Didn’t the two of you already meet?”
When I had been attacked by a Were at Haven, Violet had used her magical abilities to help Rafe find a way into my subconscious.
“Not officially,” Rafe answered, sounding tense. “If I would’ve known it was meet-the-parent night, I would’ve put on a nicer shirt.”
“It will take more than a nice shirt to convince me you are good enough for my daughter.” Violet stared hard at me, looking both surprised and disinterested at the same time. “You grew up so fast.”
“It only seems that way because you haven’t seen me in eighteen years,” I snapped. “Are you here to kill me, too?”
She smirked. “No. Despite how you seem to feel, I’m not evil like your father.”
“If you say so.” I didn’t find her smile to be reassuring nor welcoming. “It doesn’t seem like you’ve been very interested in helping me.”
“Can we sit?” she asked suddenly. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long conversation.”
I didn’t want to have a long conversation with Violet. I wanted to yell at her for abandoning me as a baby and then I wanted her to leave. But Violet had information that I needed. “Fine. Let’s sit.”
The living room had never felt small to me until that moment. With the five of us seated across from each other on two couches, I was very aware of how tense everyone seemed. Ethan sat with Violet while Rafe, Hope, and I crammed onto the couch across from her.
“Why are you here, Violet?” Rafe asked first. He sounded even more annoyed than I felt. I didn’t think that as possible.
“I take it that you know Benton has set up shop in town. He’s waiting for you, Kaylie.” Violet was continuing to ignore Rafe. I got the feeling that she didn’t like him.
“Yes, we know.” More venom on my words. “I repeat, why are you here?”
“To warn you. Benton no longer wants to kill you.” She ran a hand through her hair in the same way that I did when I was nervous. “For all of your life, Benton thought that your blood could kill him. It has that effect on other Souls, as I’m sure you know.”
I nodded.
“He was wrong. The reason why I had to keep you hidden, protect you from him, is because your blood will have the opposite effect. It will make him immortal.”
I tilted my head doubtfully. “Why would he think that? I’ve seen my blood kill.”
“But you’ve also seen the effect it has on Weres. It makes them stronger, harder to kill. You know that your blood can affect different creatures in different ways.” Violet had a way of speaking without putting any inflection in her words. It was unnerving.
“Benton isn’t some random monster. He’s just a Soul,” Ethan said.
“He isn’t just a Soul. He’s Kaylie’s father. They share the same blood, the same DNA.” Violet looked at Ethan slightly more kindly than she had looked at Rafe. “They have a bond.”
I scoffed. “That’s only because of all that father-daughter bonding we’ve been doing where he tries to kill me and I fight for my life. You know, typical daddy-daughter stuff.”
“You can make jokes, Kaylie, but it doesn’t make the situation any less dire.” Violet suddenly looked very tired. I studied her closer and noted the similarities we shared. She had died her hair a dark shade of brown, but I could see glimpses of red highlights. Her lips were full like mine and her skin a smooth alabaster. If I hadn’t known her approximate age was in the early forties, I would’ve thought she was barely thirty. She had aged well, despite everything.
“Okay. So Benton doesn’t want to kill me anymore… What does he want instead?” I didn’t think I was going to get off the hook that easily.
“He wants to drain your blood,” she said bluntly. “Afterward, he will be stronger than any Soul you’ve ever faced and he will be unkillable. You can understand why I want to prevent that.”
I felt Rafe flinch next to me and when I turned to him, I saw that his eyes were full of anger as he looked at Violet. “That’s what you’re worried about? Benton’s super-strength? You’re not at all worried about Kaylie, are you?”
“I don’t need to worry about her. She has you for that.” Violet matched his gaze with a fury of her own. “I also don’t need you to judge my parental instincts. You know nothing about me and the life I’ve been forced to lead. Do you honestly think I wanted to abandon my daughter and have the love of my life turn into a vicious monster?”
“Benton has been hunting Kaylie for months and you only decided to step in and help now that it’s convenient for you. So yeah, I’m judging you.” Rafe’s hand was clenched into a tight fist.
I put my hand on his knee and whispered, “It’s okay.” I appreciated his indignation on my behalf, but we both needed to let it go. Regardless of why Violet had decided to make an appearance, we needed her help. “What else can you tell us about Benton?”
“He’s more vicious than you can imagine. He learned the truth about your blood by torturing Allya. When I found her body it was barely recognizable.” Violet’s face still remained impassive.
“Allya? The creepy lady from the apothecary?” I asked. I had gone into that store because I was following Violet. Once inside, all I found was an eccentric woman that spoke using strange words and handed me an ancient book about the original evil.
“Allya was a dear friend of mine,” Violet said with a light upturn of her nose. “She died trying to protect you.”
“It seems more likely that she died trying to protect you,” Rafe snapped. “Don’t try to pin this on Kaylie.”
Violet lifted an eyebrow in surprise. It was the most reaction she had shown for the entire conversation. “It’s good that you protect her. She’s lucky to have you.”
“If you came here to warn me about Benton’s change of plans, consider me warned. You can go now.” I didn’t like the way she was looking at Rafe, making assessments of our relationship. She didn’t deserve to be part of my life like that. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“You want me out of your life? I guess I can understand that. But you shouldn’t chase me away yet. I haven’t told you the good news.” Her lips betrayed the slightest smirk.
“Then tell us. I don’t have time for games.” I felt Rafe’s leg move under my hand and realized I had forgotten I had put it there. Seeing Violet had caused my entire body to go numb.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about me. I know you’ve spoken to other Hunters,” she said. “You know that I have special powers, that I can control supernatural creatures. But I can only do that when I can get close to them. I’ve never been able to get close to Benton.”
I had several biting comments waiting on the tip of my tongue, but I decided to
ignore them. I wanted to get the information from Violet as soon as possible so she could be on her way. “What does any of that have to do with me?”
“Because I can get close to you.” She leaned forward as if to further prove her point.
Then I remembered what she had said at the beginning of our conversation. Benton and I had the same blood. We shared a connection. Violet couldn’t get to him directly, but she could get to him through me. “You want to use me?”
“It’s our only chance of stopping him.” Violet was unapologetic.
“No way,” Rafe said when he realized her plan. He became very agitated, his leg shaking furiously. “You really have a lot of nerve.”
Hope hadn’t spoken the entire time, but even she thought Violet was crazy. “You want to use Kaylie to get to Benton? That seems like a terrible idea.”
“Kaylie won’t be in any danger,” Violet said calmly. “I just need to make a connection to her blood. It will only take a few minutes to do the entire ceremony.”
“How do you know this ceremony is going to work? Have you ever done anything like it?” A chill had run through my body. “Have you already been manipulating my blood?”
All those times when I had felt dizzy and nauseous. My missing vials of blood after Violet had saved me at Haven. I finally understood.
“I was hoping I could do the ceremony without involving you, but it didn’t work.” She at least had enough shame to look chagrined.
“Without involving me? I’ve been sick off and on for weeks because of you.” My stomach was beginning to churn again. “What did you do to me?”
“Nothing…bad. I just used the blood from the vials as a connector to Benton. It also connected me to you in the process. But the connection was too weak to give me control.” Violet’s eyes grew darker as she said, “That will change if I can get direct access to your bloodstream.”
I had to take several deep breaths to calm myself before I spoke. “Thanks for asking so nicely, but the answer is hell no.”
“Well, that’s pretty much the answer I had expected. Take some time and think about it.” She stood and pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket. When she handed it to me, I saw a phone number scratched across it in blue ink. “Call me when you change your mind.”
