TrueSide [The Forgotten Vampires, Book Three]

by Holly Hook

  That’s what I want.

  Riley and I pause on the trail, now about a hundred feet behind him.

  Dad turns.

  And I allow the image of an empty trail, and the homeless girl, to drop away.

  Dad blinks as he realizes that Riley and I are standing on the trail, and then his jaw drops.

  “Surprise,” I say.

  I can make Dad march over here right now, but I don't. He caused my outbursts, yes, but it's my responsibility to control them. We need answers. We need him to tell us, right now, who the killer is. Dad must have some idea, even if he denied it to the hunters. Of course, the Originator would have made Dad keep his silence.

  “Olivia?” Dad bursts. He shakes his head and backs towards the cabin. “You can’t be here.”

  “And neither can you,” I say as Riley and I step forward together. “The Beaumonts are around here, you know.”

  Riley's determined to be the man here, though. He glares at Dad, who is doing nothing to disguise himself. “Why did you just leave? Did you know our coven is about to get judged by the High Council? And that if we're found not worthy, they'll kill us?” Despite the gravity of the situation, Riley keeps his voice level.

  I wait for the shock, hoping, praying, that Dad had no idea.

  But none comes across his face.

  “I'm sorry that you're in charge right now,” Dad says. “That's not how I meant for things to happen, but you know how old the killer is.”

  “Huh?” I shake my head. “We don't even know who the killer is!”

  Dad's eyes widen. “You don't? But I told you and the hunters while I was standing there in that ring.” He pales as he eyes the trees beside him. “You don't remember at all? Then he's more dangerous than I thought, and he's manipulating everything behind the scenes. You were smart to get away from Moon's Peak.”

  Dad thinks that he told us?

  “What the hell?” Riley asks, scratching his head. “Are you saying the killer warped our minds during that?”

  My heart soars. Dad never meant to leave us in this. The killer wanted to do that himself. I let my anger calm down from a raging sea to a choppy one. And worse, the Originator made us all think Dad told us he had no clue who this monster is.

  A chill rushes over me. “We have to weed out this guy before the Convening because he's got something planned, and he wants to drive me and Riley apart.” Dad wasn't trying to rip us apart after all. Or was he? The killer has made it impossible to tell reality from fiction. “Who is it?”

  But Dad looks to the side, and motions for me and Riley to duck off the trail. “They're here!”

  I've taken my senses off the woods and put all my focus on Dad.

  “Riley!” Addie shouts from the direction of the cabin.

  The front door is open, and she stands inside, both hands on the door frame.

  Addie is standing in the cabin that Dad was about to enter.

  Dad looks to her. “Stay back. Leave her alone. That's the deal.”

  “The deal?” I shout.

  Dad is working with the Beaumonts? What the hell?

  “Olivia,” he says, both hands up. “You two have to leave. I can't protect Riley. Go. Now! And you can't come back.”

  Underbrush crashes around us.

  And I know that we're under attack.

  “Kill him!” Addie shouts into the trees.

  Addie rushes down the steps in a lightning motion, a blur of blond and purple, and then several dark figures—more than I've ever handled—burst from the trees and onto the trail. Trueblood men in leather jackets snarl at Riley, curling their hands into claws. A Trueblood woman—is that the lady who invited me into the mansion for that terrifying dinner?—circles behind Riley, raising a wicked knife.

  “Riley!” I shout.

  But he's already on it. He whirls, kicking the knife from her grasp, and he shoves the Beaumont woman into a tree with so much force that it cracks.

  Everything bursts into motion. I lose track of Dad, who doesn't join the fight, and I wrap my mental influence around the closest guy while Riley turns to deal with Addie herself.

  We're facing her down again, and she bares her fangs at her former cousin, eyes deep and crimson. “You stole Father's blood,” she says. “That's punishable by death!”

  She lunges, but I can't help Riley. Another Trueblood man seizes my arm, pulling me to the side. Then a leather-clad arm wraps around my throat from behind, cutting off my air. He whirls me to face Riley. Addie's produced a dagger that shines like silver—it just may be silver—and she's swinging it at Riley, missing his throat by inches. Riley dodges as ten other Truebloods gather around, watching the fight. I recognize the growling guy from back at school. One girl Addie shopped with. They're all back and they want revenge.

  They laugh.

  Despite Riley's grace, he's outnumbered.

  And Dad has vanished.

  Why isn't he stopping this? He can help me control these Truebloods.

  Has he joined the Beaumonts? But that's impossible.

  I pull against the guy as Addie advances on Riley, and two Trueblood men approach him from behind.

  “R—” I start, but my captor squeezes harder. Spots dance in my vision. I can't focus on my power, can't even focus on anything other than getting air into my lungs. Riley is going to die in front of me, and there's nothing I can do.

  A small spark of rage ignites in my chest, spreading heat and pressure.

  It's not much, but I seize it and reach out for Addie. I seize her limbs, her blood, and blink as I see through her eyes. Riley's circling her just feet from the closing ring of Truebloods, eyes darting, but I turn my focus back on Addie.

  I leave her cruel mind untouched and take her arm.

  I lift the dagger.

  Addie screams as the other Truebloods leap, determined to save her.

  And I make her plunge the knife towards her heart.

  “Let her go!”

  A figure in a green coat—Dad—charges into the fray, seizes Addie, and flicks the knife from her grasp. It lands on the ground, where another Trueblood picks it up and turns on Riley, who whirls.

  Dad just helped Addie.

  He is helping the Beaumonts.

  My shock dispels the pressure in my chest and head, and I'm powerless as I slump in my captor's grip. I let out the last of my oxygen. I'm about to pass out because of this.

  Dad is betraying us.

  I look away, and at Riley, who is kicking another Trueblood as Dad releases Addie.

  Oh, I'll never forgive Dad for this.

  Ever.

  Darkness forms on the borders of my vision, closing in. Veins of black spread across everything as a Trueblood man seizes Riley's wrist and twists.

  Snap.

  Riley winces at his broken wrist, but he pulls away. And that's enough for one last burst of power to rise.

  The dark veins retreat, and I sweep over the entire crowd at once. The Truebloods. Addie, who is picking up her dagger. The ring has thickened, and I know we're outnumbered twenty to one. We're surrounded.

  We have to retreat.

  I'll leave Dad with his new crowd. He can stay with them. I'm better off without his ass.

  I seize my captor and force his arm off my throat. I suck in a breath, focusing, and I pan out, feeling the borders of each Trueblood's body. And Dad's. He faces me, unreadable, as I force him to back away from Riley with the others.

  Mentally pushing out the ring, I shout, “Riley!”

  A Trueblood woman trips, pulling her companion down. The time to leave is now.

  He nods to me.

  And we run down the now-open trail, away from the cabin.

  “Don't chase them,” Dad shouts.

  Oh, now he cares? I look back one final time, and I find him standing in front of the scattered Truebloods, holding out his arms to keep them back. Addie stands just behind him, watching, her reddened eyes wishing nothing but death. And Dad does nothing to stop her as Ril
ey and I reach the beach and bolt down the gravel, back towards town.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  We run back up the beach for a long time, and finally bump into Lily, who is making her way towards us.

  In the fray, I forgot that we texted her to follow us.

  And now I'm glad she didn't get far as she runs up the gravel. Lily could have died, and then I would have had to watch.

  Dad wouldn't have saved her, either.

  He couldn't tell us who the killer is, and worse, he's gone to the Beaumonts.

  He helped Addie.

  I take a heaving breath, focusing on the pain of the air going into my lungs. That's better than focusing on Dad.

  He's just committed the ultimate betrayal.

  “Riley. Olivia,” Lily says, stopping and panting.

  We stop on the beach, and I look back to make sure no one's followed us. How far have Riley and I run? A mile? Two? The cabin is back there, and that's where the Beaumonts are hiding. The Beaumonts and Dad. They must have come out here first, and then Dad joined them last week, right after he left the mansion.

  “I...” I start, a sob working its way out of my throat. But I can't finish.

  Riley wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. “We need to get back to the hotel room, pack up, and get back to Moon's Peak immediately. No questions, Lily. We need to go.”

  “But the first Nightside—” Lily starts.

  “No questions. Now,” Riley says.

  He's paler than normal. I look at him through my blurry vision, aware that Lily is studying me. We're alone on the beach, but for how long?

  The Beaumonts all know about Riley's theft.

  That means Dominic has found them. And he's with them.

  And so is—

  Lily gulps. “Okay. We're still a couple miles away from the hotel. Let’s go.”

  How could our day have gone from bliss to terror so quick? I lean against Riley as we hurry along the beach. Each time I look behind us, I check for that slight woozy feeling that comes with mind manipulation. For all I know, Dad could make us think no one is behind us, returning the favor.

  Riley's my rock now.

  He always has been.

  Do I even need Dad anymore?

  No. I'm going on without him and I'm going to stand on my own. The thought sends a new cascade of tears down my cheeks and my chest aches with each breath.

  As we hurry along the sand and gravel, the ocean kicks up, with taller and taller waves beating at the shore. It matches my mood. The clouds darken and spit rain. My neck hurts as my muscles tighten, and by the time we reach those concrete stairs that lead up to the hotel, no one's on the beach except for a pair of seagulls. I smell their gross blood, pumping with old food and garbage, and hold back a gag.

  No one says a word as we hurry back into our hotel room and start packing our bags. Lily closes her still-open laptop and shoves it into the bag lying open with several daggers and stakes inside. They're daggers lined with silver, designed to be extra deadly against vampires. And they're just like the one Addie tried to use on Riley.

  Oh, I wanted to kill her. And I would have, if Dad hadn't intervened.

  I take a breath as Riley releases me and rubs his wrist.

  “Shit,” I say, heart leaping. “I should have asked you how that's doing.”

  “Cameron broke it, but it's better now. I'm healing faster than I ever have,” Riley says like it's no big deal. “Olivia, I have no words for what happened back there.”

  “And neither do I,” I say, turning to the little coffee machine on the table. I want to grab the glass pot and shatter it against the wall. But I bite my lip, drawing blood instead. Yeah, I'm going to go on without Dad now, but I'm going to carry this anger and betrayal with me to the Convening. That's the only way we're going to survive it. So at least I can thank him for something.

  “Olivia. Breathe. I know that was unspeakable.” Riley strains that last word and I know he's angry with me. He wants to take the emotional burden.

  “I know I sound impatient,” Lily says, packing her laptop, “but what happened? You two were gone for a long time, and I kept looking for that mystery Martin guy, and he never showed up at the cafe.”

  “It was my father. It had to have been,” I shout. “We saw him on the beach. We followed him. And he's staying with the Beaumonts. Asshole!” I yank the curtains shut.

  “What?”

  Riley pulls something out of the closet. “We followed him to a cabin, and we have confirmation that the Beaumonts know I took Dominic's blood without permission. It came right out of Addie's mouth. That means Dominic is staying with them.”

  Now Lily closes her case and paces around the hotel room. “Shit. This is not good, on any level. But why would your father stay with the Beaumonts? Willingly? If he was walking up the beach, alone, then that means he wasn't exactly captive.”

  “That's what's bothering me!” I whirl, pressure filling my head, but now I can hold it back. Riley and Lily have nothing to do with my frustration.

  “And me, too. Dominic would have killed your father on sight,” Riley says. “But if he's not, something weird is going on. The Beaumonts didn't kill you. They just yanked you aside so they could go full throttle on me.” He shakes his head and our gazes meet. “Maybe they're keeping your dad alive to get information out of him, like who the Originator is. Dominic will want to find his old enemy and exact revenge.”

  I breathe out, trying to calm my racing heart, but that does no good. Dad still defended Addie and did nothing to help Riley. “So what? He could have just left. They're obviously letting him walk free. And he might know about the Convening.”

  “Maybe not,” Riley says. “Your dad wouldn't have let Addie try to kill me if that were the case. If I die, then the High Council will kill you and the other Nightsides, since there won't be a Trueblood controlling them.”

  Nothing's going to make me feel better about this. Dad should know that the Truebloods will lie to him. So what was their deal, anyway?

  I yank my clothes out of the closet, stuffing them inside the overnight bag I bought yesterday. I cram them down with my foot, determined to get the hell out of Shacklesburg. I'll never come back to this town again. “Dad's still working with the enemy. What should he expect?” The only positive is that he didn't kill Riley, but he didn't let me stab Addie, either.

  I can't go back for Dad.

  The Beaumonts will wait, and Riley will die. Their numbers are still too great, and we need both of us alive to survive the Convening.

  But the killer is back in Moon's Peak.

  I look at Riley, taking a breath. At least, the chest pain has lessened. “We have to get ready on our own and go back to Moon's Peak. I'm getting better at using my abilities. We're going to have to take care of this ourselves.”

  “The first Nightside is there,” Lily says, paling so much her freckles turn brown.

  “I know,” I say, forcing a grin. “That's why I'm not going back there as Olivia. Olivia ran away to Chicago. Thanks to you. I'll hang back as the newbie girl, watching and waiting. I'll be just as dangerous as this first Nightside.” Then I turn to Riley, hating the Beaumonts. “Honestly. Would it be so bad to let a Nightside take over vampire society? I'm assuming that's the plan.”

  Riley freezes near the bed, hovering over his overnight bag. “Truebloods have lots of rules, so neither our kind nor humans have to suffer needlessly. In the old days, Truebloods and humans were at constant war. Now, we've mostly calmed down as a species, and the hunters balance us out.” He speaks with a mesmerizing clarity.

  “Except for the Beaumonts and those rogue guys who tried to attack me,” I say.

  But I don't faze him. “Not all Truebloods are like that. But we're less dangerous than Nightsides. You've seen that, both of you,” Riley says to me and Lily. “The first Nightside will be capable of outsmarting the hunters. He already has. They won't be able to balance out whatever new order he's going for, and then everyone
will suffer. All Truebloods will fall, and war between humans and vampires will probably break out.”

  I gulp, hating that he's right, and that I can't put anything past this killer. He already helped to make this lovely situation into an even worse one. We can't trust this guy to do good for anyone.

  I've got to step up, no questions asked.

  And I have to be smarter than someone much, much older than I am.

  I take a breath, determined to put Dad behind me once and for all. I'm almost an adult, and I've got to act like one.

  “Okay,” I say. “We go back to Moon's Peak, we figure this guy out, and we come up with a plan of our own to stop the overthrow. Or whatever this first Nightside has planned.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I am not returning to Moon's Peak as Olivia, and I can't be Olivia to anyone but myself. That means no affection for Riley, no friendship with Lily, and zero associating with Mom.

  Yep. We have to make Mom think she'll never see me again, and that breaks me inside almost as much as my permanent parting with Dad. Otherwise, our enemy can grill her for answers, and she won't be able to resist.

  During the drive back, I practice disguising myself as Miranda, the homeless girl, and mastering my story. I recite my rap to Lily to make sure I have consistent details.

  “I went on a date with a guy named Beckett back in my old school,” I say, “and it turns out he was a Trueblood.”

  “Cornville High in Nebraska. There's a Trueblood coven out there, so that checks out,” she says, eyeing her computer. “It's a small coven, but there is a guy named Beckett they exiled for hanging around human girls too much. The story checks out.”

  “Good,” I say. “Then I felt weird afterward and realized I was attacking people in my sleep. So I left, going anywhere but near my family.”

  Riley nods as he drives. “Excellent. You can do this.”

  “Just don't try too hard to hide,” Lily tells me. “Do that, and you're the suspect. I watched a show one time about a kids' camp where there was a child actor there, and I knew it was the shy kid before the end of the show.”