How to Elude a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Book 2)

by Alice Winters

  She’s at least heading toward Orin’s house, so I sit back and just wait for the bombshell she’s planning on dropping on me. I reach into my bag and grab onto the tiny keychain stuffed dog Aria had given me when I was separated from her after Orin took her and I was left with my mother. I know it’s weird that I still carry it with me at sixteen, but I like to fiddle with it when I’m upset or stressed. It seems to calm me for some reason.

  “So, how’s school?” she asks.

  “Fine.”

  “Orin treats you well? He was always too nice for his own good. At first, I couldn’t even imagine that he was actually a vampire!”

  “Orin is amazing.”

  She gives me a forced smile. “That’s wonderful to hear. Can I take you to get ice cream?”

  “I kind of need to get home. I have… an appointment at four.”

  “What if we go through the drive-thru? There’s time for that, right? I haven’t seen you in five years, Finn. Please?”

  I swallow a lump in my throat, and for some reason, I find myself nodding. I push the stuffed dog’s ears back, just running my finger over it. I’m letting her get into my head again. This is so stupid.

  “Wonderful,” she says as she drives past the exit for Orin’s house. “Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?”

  “Just… stuff. I don’t have to worry about finding food for us or a place to bathe or anything anymore. It frees up a lot of time.” I didn’t realize the words would have so much venom until they’re out and her face twists.

  “I’m sorry, Finnigan. I really am.” She glances over at me, but I refuse to look at her. “It’s hard for me to explain. And it’s impossible to justify. Just know that I’m truly sorry for what I did to you.”

  I nod. “Okay.” I can’t accept the apology, but I’ll at least hear it. And it means a little something that she even bothered to say it.

  She turns her blinker on, telling me she’s planning on going to Aria’s favorite ice cream place in town. She starts to get over, into the exit lane, but at the very last moment, she jerks the wheel, pulling us back onto the highway. A car narrowly avoids us as they lay on their horn and Mom’s hands tighten.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as I squeeze the tiny stuffed dog keychain. I just want to go home. I just want her to take me home.

  “I thought I’d just… take you home instead,” she says as I notice the car jumping up in speed. “I forgot I didn’t bring my purse.”

  “Okay…” I really don’t care. If she wants to take me home sooner, that’s fine.

  “Is Orin home?”

  Do I lie? Why do I feel like I should lie?

  “Yes.”

  She nods. “Good, I’ll take you home. Maybe he’ll take you out to ice cream? I’ll ask him to.”

  “It’s not a big deal… why are we going so fast?” I ask.

  Mom lets up on the gas a little, but I notice the hands on the steering wheel are clenched so tightly that her knuckles have no color. “Sorry!”

  She glances in her rearview mirror.

  “Mom, is something wrong?” I ask.

  “Nothing, Finnigan! Nothing is wrong! I’m taking you home! I thought you wanted to go home!”

  I lean away from her, deciding I’ll just be quiet until she drops me off. That’s always been the best way to deal with her once she starts raising her voice.

  She shakes her head as her face twists into some weird look. “I’m sorry, Finnigan, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. I’m just… I made a mistake picking you up. I’m sorry. I… it was a mistake.”

  She jerks the wheel hard and we jump onto an exit ramp.

  “Please slow down,” I whisper.

  She nods, but when we reach the turn, the car is going too fast. She holds a cell phone out to me as she turns onto the bridge so she can jump back on the highway to head to Orin’s. “Finnigan, call Orin, tell him there’s someone—”

  And that’s the moment she jerks the wheel hard to the right. The car skids out of control, slamming into the railing as the airbag explodes in my face. It seems like the car is going to go through the railing as it crushes the front end and pain explodes into my leg.

  I hear Mom scream and then nothing but the sound of crushing metal. The car jolts to a stop as I fall back into my seat, my seat belt holding me in tightly. Pain tears into my leg as I try to look around to see what’s happening.

  Mom is slumped against the seat belt, blood dripping onto her lap. “Mom?” I ask, but my voice is barely audible. I know I need to get out and find help, especially with how much smoke is pouring out of the car, but when I look down, I realize that the pain in my leg is from my leg being crushed between the caved-in door and the dashboard.

  A sob escapes me and that’s the moment I hear metal groan. The entire door is ripped off, making me cry out as the pressure on my leg lessens.

  “Where oh where do you think you were taking my beautiful little doll?” a man says.

  I’m confused and realize his words aren’t making sense, but he’s here and he’s helping us.

  “I can’t get out,” I say as I reach for him and he catches my hand in his.

  “I’m here for you. I’m sorry this happened. I didn’t mean for it to happen like this, but I’m here for you,” he says as he frees my leg before pulling me out. And the last thing I remember is slumping against this man who was here to save us.

  MARCUS

  The moment Finn jerks back, I’m awake.

  “Finn?” I ask as I reach for him. His body tells me he’s still asleep, but the way he’s moving and reacting tells me something’s wrong. Is he having another nightmare? He hasn’t had one in a while, but it makes sense with what happened today.

  “Finn, babe, wake up,” I say as gently as I can. I use light, soothing touches to get him to react without jarring him out of the dream in a panic.

  He jerks awake anyway, eyes wide, hand reaching out for me, so I take it.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I’m right here,” I say as I sit up and pull him into my arms. “I’m right here.”

  “Fuck,” he whispers as he tightly clutches me.

  It’s only times like this where he truly grabs onto me without his prostheses, completely forgetting about his arm and leg just to be close to me. And while I love that he’s now comfortable enough around me to hold on to me, I hate why he’s holding on. I hate him having to go through this.

  “Are you okay?” I ask. I’m glad I was able to wake up and pull him out of it, but who knows how long he suffered, wrapped up in that nightmare?

  He nods as he digs his fingers into me and just holds on like I’ll save him from it all. And god, how I wish I could. How I wish I could push away all his pain and keep that man from ever looking at him again.

  He sinks until he’s sitting fully on my lap and takes a deep breath. “Sorry for waking you, it was just a dream.”

  I let my fingers run in circles on his bare skin as Hela and Artemus try to figure out what has made the love of their lives upset. Hela whines, so I reach down and give her a pat. “Don’t ever apologize for waking me,” I say as he tucks his head against my shoulder and lets go of me long enough to give each dog a little scratch. “You can always wake me up for anything. Never hesitate.”

  “God, I woke up and worried everyone,” he says as he looks at the dogs. “Y’all get worried too much, it was just a stupid dream.”

  He’s trying to act like it’s not bothering him, but I can feel the light tremble to his fingers. I want to ask him why he’s trying to hide it from me or if he still doesn’t trust me enough, but I know he’s going through enough at this moment, so I just squeeze him and give him a kiss.

  He leans back and smiles at me. “Could you get me a drink of water? I don’t want to put my leg and everything on to go down the stairs.”

  “Of course. Are you alright here?”

  “Yeah, I have plenty to keep me company,” he says as he grabs Artemus and pulls the dog against him
as he slides off my lap.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back,” I say as I get out of bed and grab my sweats that I pull on.

  When I reach the door, I look back to see him ruffling Artemus’s ears as Hela rolls around on her back. Then I slip through the doorway and rush down the stairs, determined to return to him quickly. When I reach the kitchen, I realize I’m not alone as I find Orin sitting at the breakfast table, head lying on it. He opens his eyes when he sees me, but I don’t think he was asleep.

  “Can’t sleep?” he asks.

  I wave to the fridge. “I’m getting Finn some water.”

  “Nightmare?” he guesses.

  “I take it this isn’t a new thing.”

  He sits up and shakes his head. “It’s weird… not being the one to reach him first.”

  “You mean because I’m here?” I ask.

  He nods and I can’t tell if it upsets him.

  I hadn’t thought about how much Finn probably relied on Orin for most of these things that he now tells or shares with me. “Do you… want to go talk to him?”

  Orin leans back and crosses his arms before giving me a soft smile. “Nope. I’m sure you’re handling it just fine. He’s an adult now with a partner who loves and cares for him. I don’t need to be his rock every time. I pass the baton to you if you’d like to take it.”

  “I wish there was no baton needing passed,” I say. “But I’ll do everything I can to take it. Whenever he wakes up like that, I’m so filled with rage and anger that I want to tear the world apart and destroy the man who dared make him feel this way, but I also know I have to keep a clear head so I can give Finn what he needs at that moment.”

  Orin nods as he gives me a sad look. “I understand. I felt that way so many times that I threw myself into trying to find the monster, trying to destroy him, but I found nothing. And I soon realized that I wasn’t making Finn any better by fixating on it. That my topmost priority was helping him heal and return to his former self.”

  I grab a cup from the cupboard before turning to him. “Well, you must have done a great job because he turned out pretty well.”

  “Ah, I can’t take credit for that. Finn is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. He refuses to let anything get him down.”

  “He gets a little… hung up on that sometimes, though. Like… I want him to talk to me or open up to me, but he just keeps it all locked down.”

  Orin leans back in his chair. “He was like that since he was a kid. I think it’s something he learned in his childhood. You have to remember that his mother didn’t take care of him or his sister. He practically raised Aria when he was just a child himself. So he learned how to put on this façade so he’d come off as unbelievably strong and determined. He’s just never lost that.”

  I hadn’t thought about that. I’d been so fixated on everything that happened with that man, I’d pushed his shitty childhood to the side. “That makes a lot of sense.”

  “Have the nightmares been bad?” Orin asks.

  “Not too bad. Maybe once a month. Did they used to be worse?”

  Orin nods. “They said it was a result of PTSD. That people with it will replay the memory in their dreams… they’ll have to live through it as if it’s happening again. But he got better as he got older.”

  I hate that he’s dealt with this for so long and now it’s worsening again. “This… bullshit is probably making it worse. Do you think I’m the reason he’s come back? I know he was following Finn for years but he’s escalated recently. Is it because of me?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself again and again, but it’s the first time I’ve managed to say it out loud. Because if it’s me, if it’s true, I would have to be prepared to leave him to keep him safe.

  Orin seems to think about it for a moment. “I don’t know why it’s worse. The thing is… he could have taken Finn at any point when you weren’t around. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to protect him and hell, I didn’t even know it was happening. But he never took him.”

  “I think he enjoys toying with him or watching him. Obviously, it’s impossible to get into his head, but I think there’s some type of obsession with Finn being his or being ruled by his fear of him.”

  “But again, does he want him? If he does, why hasn’t he come for him?” Orin asks.

  I shake my head, not truly knowing, but having dealt with enough bad people to have a semblance of an idea. “I think it’s just an obsession. It seems like once he has someone, he kills them, like the girls. Maybe he doesn’t want to kill Finn? Maybe he’s afraid that if he takes Finn, he’ll kill him. I think he also wants Finn to know he can ruin or control his life. I don’t know. But I do know I have the best damn detectives and my godawful brother on this and we’re going to outsmart him. We’re going to figure it out and keep Finn safe.”

  Orin nods as he draws his hand in an arc over the breakfast table. “That would be lovely. I suppose I’ll head off to bed now. Have a good night, Marcus.” He gets up and walks toward the archway as I fill the cup.

  “Orin?” I ask before he escapes.

  He stops and looks at me.

  “If I was given no choice but to turn him, would you allow it?” I ask.

  “I would do just about anything to keep that kid safe. If it comes to that, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it never gets out even if I have to move both of you overseas. My top priority is my children. And I will change him myself and deal with the consequences if it comes to that.”

  “Finn’s lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you. My own parents thought I was an abomination and I promised myself that I’d never be like that. I actually promised I’d never have kids, but somehow they became the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “I share a similar experience regarding my parents, but I had Claude by my side. And no matter how annoying he is, it was better than being alone.”

  “I’m sure it was. Good night, Marcus.”

  “Night,” I say as I head up the stairs to find Finn squished up against Artemus who’s already back to sleep, a paw over Finn’s side as he snores.

  Finn turns to me. “I was afraid you got eaten by the bogeyman.”

  “The only bogeyman allowed to nibble on me is you,” I say as I hand him the cup.

  “Good. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m kind of the jealous type and want no one even glancing at you but me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I assure him. I notice he has the blankets pulled back up high again and wonder if he’s cold or hiding himself.

  He takes a drink before setting the cup to the side and dropping back down on the bed. “Sorry for waking you up.”

  “If you say that again I get to toss you onto the dog bed or put you in Hela’s crate.”

  “Hela’s crate is too small!”

  “I’ll fit you in there. That’s how serious I am.”

  He smiles at me. “Fine!”

  I slip under the covers and pull him away from Artemus and into my arms.

  “Night, my evil prince,” Finn says, voice teasing, which I’m happy to hear.

  “Night, my annoying king.”

  “Ooh. I like being king,” he says as he presses against me and closes his eyes.

  I know he won’t fall asleep for a long time and sleep starts to come for me first, even though I wish I could push away all those thoughts in his mind.

  “Oh my god,” Finn says as he smacks my chest, waking me from the half-sleep I’d fallen into.

  “What the fuck?” I cry.

  “I realized something.”

  He hits the light on, blinding me as Artemus lifts his head, takes one look at the human and passes back out. Hela doesn’t even budge.

  “What’s that?” I ask as I try to blink away the blinding light.

  “So sometimes I have dreams, and I swear it plays like the memory and this time it was the day I was taken and my mom was picking me up. See, it was really weird for her to pick me up. I hadn’t seen
her since she went to jail years prior and then to have her randomly pick me up out of nowhere? She hadn’t even contacted me once since she lost me. I take that back. She did one time but that was to just bitch at me and threaten me into telling them I lied about the abuse. Anyway, so she coerced me into going with her and then asked if I wanted ice cream. I didn’t really want it, but I felt stupidly guilty or something and agreed. So as she was getting off the highway, she got this look on her face and jumped back onto the highway before taking off and telling me to alert Orin that we were headed home. I don’t know why I forgot it, but I realize now that she looked panicked. I always thought that he just targeted our car but now… now I think my mother knew.” His eyes get wide and he grabs my shoulder and gives me a shake like it’ll help him get his point across. “My mother fucking knew.”

  His mother knew the man who took him? “So you’re thinking that she was taking you to him before thinking better of it and trying to get you back home to Orin’s protection?”

  Finn thinks about it for a moment. “Hmm… maybe you’re right. I could see her giving me up for a bit of money or something.”

  He crawls over Artemus, grabs his prosthetic leg and takes off while struggling to put clothes on at the same time.

  “Where are you going?” I ask as I grab for my pants.

  “Orin!” he says as he races down the stairs with me right behind him. He reaches Orin’s door and knocks before throwing it open and letting himself inside. “Orin!”

  “What?” Orin cries as he leaps out of bed completely naked.

  “Oh my god!” Finn cries as he spins around and grabs for his face. “My eyes! My eyes are bleeding!”

  “Well, you did just burst into his room,” I say. Orin looks ready to fuck something up while naked and I feel like I need to calm him down so he can put some clothes on. “Finn has a question, I think.”

  “I’ve forgotten the question now!” Finn says. “I didn’t think you’d jump out of bed.”

  “You made me think something was happening! There, I have pants on. What’s going on?”

  “So the day of the car accident, I think my mother was taking me to him, but then changed her mind and tried getting me back to you.”