by Kasi Blake
Years ago his father told him if he wanted to be a hunter, he needed to pick one person to keep safe above all others, someone he considered low risk. He chose Dani for various reasons. She lived next door, stuck to a strict schedule, and was the opposite of wild. She was his person. As long as she was healthy and happy he could hunt monsters without losing his mind. His father had warned him that he wouldn’t be able to save everyone. So whenever somebody died on his watch, he thought about Dani. As long as she was okay, he was okay.
And he was proud of her.
Finding out monsters exist was enough to throw anyone into an emotional tailspin. He’d expected Dani to crumble, maybe have a nervous breakdown. For a few weeks, it had seemed she was headed in that direction. But she was stronger than he’d given her credit for. Instead of running and hiding, she wanted to be able to defend herself.
Baxter opened the back door and shouted, “Dani, your dog wants outside.”
Dani spun around.
Trick peered over her shoulder and realized Baxter couldn’t see them from her position. He prodded Dani with his fingers, poking her left rib cage to get her to answer her stepmother. The dog shot out of the house and ran straight to her.
“Got him,” Dani yelled.
Baxter shut the terrace door, once again giving them privacy.
While Dani scooped her water bottle off the ground and took a break, Trick hunched down to pet the dog. Carter pressed his cool nose into the palm of Trick’s hand. The dog sniffed. Could he tell Trick was different from other people? If so, he didn’t give a hint.
Dani tilted her head back and drank the water with greedy gulps. She’d had quite a workout and was probably tired. Maybe he should suggest they quit for the day. She’d keep going if he didn’t say something.
He rubbed the dog’s head and sat next to him on the ground. Looking up at Dani, Trick said, “I’m sorry I tried to push you to give me an answer on turning vampire for me. You were right. It’s dumb to worry about something that isn’t going to happen.”
She recapped the empty water bottle and tossed it. “What do you mean?”
“Neither one of us has been in love yet. The idea that we’ll fall in love for the first time with each other is ridiculous. The odds are... I don’t know. I’m just saying you were right. Forget I asked.”
Dani’s eyes narrowed. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No.” He jumped to his feet and cut the distance between them in a few short steps. Every time he got close to her his insides felt mushy and weird. He added, “We’re still having fun, right? We should keep hanging out.”
“Hanging out?”
Was that the wrong phrase? Girls made everything so complicated. Scarlet used to be the only girl that didn’t make him want to bang his head against the nearest wall.
But she’d changed everything with a single kiss.
He opened his mouth to try to dig his way out of whatever hole he’d inadvertently stepped in with Dani.
The gentle buzzing of his cell interrupted.
He stepped away from her, pulled the cell from his pocket, and checked the text. He didn’t realize he was hoping it was from Scarlet until he saw a strange number that couldn’t possibly exist. 000-000-0000. It had to be Oberon.
The text simply read: Want to know what curse I gave you?
From behind him, Dani asked, “Something wrong?”
Another text appeared: Want a hint?
In the blink of an eye, before the words registered in his brain, a powerful hunger hit him hard. The smell of Dani’s blood intensified until he couldn’t smell anything else. His fangs slid out. He dropped to his knees on the concrete and grabbed his cramping stomach with both hands. Pure agony. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“Trick,” Dani cried as she rushed to his side.
He wanted to warn her to stay away, but the monster inside took over. That part of him wanted her closer... close enough to bite. The tender feelings he had for her melted away, replaced by the instinct to survive and the yearning to feed. Without even tasting her he knew her blood would be warm and sweet.
Trick snarled.
Dani gasped.
Fangs bared, he stared up at her in the same way an animal looked at their prey just before the attack.
Hands over her mouth, she screamed. Terror shone in her dark eyes as she backed away. Any second she would bolt for the safety of her home. If he was going to feed on her, it had to be now.
He prepared to lunge.
Carter jumped on him first, clamping sharp teeth down on Trick’s arm. The pain brought Trick to his senses. Instead of killing the girl and the dog, he gave them an escape.
“Go,” he said with a bit of a growl on the end. “Hurry! Get inside.”
Dani ran for her house.
Carter followed her in a sprint.
Tears filled Trick’s eyes, and he clenched his fists. He couldn’t erase Dani’s terrified expression. She may have known he was a vampire before, but the reality hadn’t hit her until now. Didn’t matter if he was capable of loving her or not. He’d lost her forever.
His cell buzzed again.
The new text read: Want me to remove the curse?
He glanced around to make sure he was alone and no one was watching. Then he teleported to Cowboy’s home. He was afraid to be around humans. Cowboy was right. He needed to feed before he lost control and killed somebody.
Good thing they kept a huge blood supply at the mansion.
♫
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hello
Trick made sure he appeared in the guest room he used when he didn’t want to be seen. Instead of searching the house for his vampire friend, he plopped down on the edge of the bed. He concentrated on his shallow breaths and living in the present. The bottomless hunger in his gut faded to a bearable throbbing.
His cell buzzed.
He reluctantly lifted it to his line of vision.
The latest text read: Battle me on my terms.
And there it was, Oberon’s end game.
Trick’s heart sank. Oberon was invincible under the best circumstances. No doubt his so-called terms would force Trick to battle him in the worst possible conditions. Trick’s usual over-the-top confidence began to crumble. What if he couldn’t win this one?
A strange scent reached Trick’s nose. He sniffed the air and realized the vampires had company. Strange. It wasn’t Scarlet or Matt. Their guest was someone new, someone Trick hadn’t met. He considered leaving without alerting them to his presence.
Another text came through.
Trick gritted his teeth and looked down, assuming it was another message from the evil faerie king. But it was from Cowboy. The vampire had typed in 911. If it was an emergency, Trick couldn’t leave without checking in first. With that in mind he went downstairs, walking like a regular person instead of teleporting.
“Hello?” he half-shouted.
Cowboy peeked around the wall separating the foyer from the living room. A pleased smile parted his lips. “I was hoping you’d show.”
“This had better be an emergency,” Trick said.
“She insisted on seeing you right away,” Cowboy said.
“She who? Summer?”
A young woman stepped around the corner. She hesitated as if wanting to give Trick a chance to look her over. Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe she wanted to look him over before approaching. Pretty with flowing light brown hair, he recognized her almost immediately. She was his brother’s wife. Silver. The real question was, what did she want with him?
Silver took a step in his direction, her purse strap wrapped tight around her hand. The strap was cutting off her circulation. If it was painful, she didn’t seem to notice. “My mother was right,” she said. “If I saw you on the street, I would know you were Jack’s brother.”
“A passing resemblance,” Cowboy said with a derisive snort. “Skin deep.” He shrugged at Trick. “Tried to tell the girl you’
re nothing like your brother in ways that matter.”
She took another step forward. “Can we talk in private?”
The boys answered in unison.
“No,” Cowboy said.
“Yes,” Trick said.
Hands on hips, Cowboy steamed over being left out. His gaze bounced between them as he waited for an invitation to stay. When Trick didn’t offer, Cowboy turned on Silver.
“Look here, werewolf killer. This is my house, and anything you have to say to Trick, you can say to me. I am not leaving.”
Trick sighed. He was anxious to talk to her. Since she didn’t want to do it in front of the other vampire, he was fine with Cowboy’s temporary banishment. “Give us a minute,” Trick said.
Nothing happened; Cowboy remained glued to the spot.
Trick added, “Please. Give us a second.”
“Fine. Guess I’ll check on Summer,” Cowboy said with a melting glare. “Make sure the werewolf killer is gone when I get back.” On his way up the stairs Cowboy mumbled, “Can’t tolerate her kind in my home.”
They waited for the sound of a door slamming before they continued on to the living room. He hung back for a moment, giving her a chance to choose a seat. His mind whirled in dizzying circles while he tried to decide what he wanted to say first. There were so many things he needed to know about his brothers, information only she could give him.
Did Jack know about him yet? Could she fill in the blanks on how his father died? What was his father like around her and Jack? What had Jack been like as a vampire? Had he killed innocent people? Had he suffered from blood lust too?
Not knowing how she’d react, he was hesitant to ask.
Silver forced a smile. “Mom told me she’d met you. She said you weren’t sure about contacting Jack, that she’d offered to call him, but you needed time.”
“I was still getting used to the idea of having brothers—”
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t contact my husband.” Her eyes widened, and he could see the wild desperation in them for the first time. Her hand went to the baby bump hidden beneath layers of winter clothing. She added, “Please leave Jack out of this mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Her words were a cold slap in the face. How was any of this his fault? He hadn’t asked for faerie power, and he hadn’t done anything beyond existing to draw the attention of a Shadow Faerie. Oberon hated him, but that wasn’t his fault either.
Silver rushed on with, “You have no idea how many times I almost lost Jack. I can’t do it again. I just can’t. We’ve done our part. We saved the world from werewolves. That should be enough.”
Pushing the feeling of rejection to the side, Trick tried to understand where she was coming from. “You’re afraid.”
“Terrified.” She stood, removed her coat, and tossed it on the couch. Her hands went to her stomach again. She was further along than he’d first guessed. “We’re having a baby, and I can’t raise her alone.”
“Her? You’re having a girl?” He smiled at the thought of becoming an uncle. The smile died as quickly as it formed. What made him think he would ever be a part of this child’s life? Silver didn’t want him near her husband let alone her baby. Not only was he in danger from the king of faeries, but he was a vampire.
“Oh, I shouldn’t have said that.” She groaned. “Jack doesn’t even know yet. He wants it to be a surprise, but I couldn’t wait, so I asked the doctor when he wasn’t in the room. Now I blurted it out to you. What is wrong with me?”
“Don’t sweat it. I won’t tell.”
The sweet smile his promise brought to her face made him think of Dani. Silver reminded him of his girlfriend in many ways, but she also had some of Scarlet’s qualities. She was a fighter, and he’d bet his last nickel that she’d stand by her man even if it meant dying.
The scent of her blood reached his nostrils. He pulled out a cigarette to dull his supernatural sense of smell. She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Her gaze dropped to her stomach. No smoking around the unborn child. Right. He put the cigarette away and prayed for supernatural control.
“Is it true you suck out souls?” he asked.
“Is it true you became a vampire for a girl?”
They stared at each other, neither willing to answer their question. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Why should he tell her about his personal life when she didn’t want to share anything from her end?
All business, he asked, “What do you know about Oberon?”
“His son almost killed Jack. The guy was super powerful. I can only imagine how much more power his father must have.” Changing the subject on a brisk note she said, “I came here to ask you to leave Jack alone. My mother wasn’t sure how long you’d wait before contacting us. Please don’t do anything until Oberon is gone.”
A splinter of jealousy dug into his heart, and he found himself envying his own brother. He couldn’t imagine having someone so in love with him she’d travel hundreds of miles to keep him from getting hurt. Part of him wanted to argue with her. Before he could she brought out the big guns.
“Stress isn’t good for the baby,” she said. “If you involve Jack, I might get so upset that... you won’t forgive yourself if you cause me to lose my child.”
She was right. If she suffered a miscarriage, he wouldn’t be able to shake the feeling it was his fault. How could he face his brother then?
“I’ll leave him out of it,” he said.
“Promise?” Her eyes took on a bright light. “Do you promise?”
“Yes.” After a moment something else occurred to him. “What about Billy? Can I visit him, or does he have a wife too?”
Silver’s mouth fell open. “Oh... I’m sorry. Guess no one told you. Billy didn’t make it through the last battle.”
The bottom of Trick’s stomach dropped, and he felt sick. Why hadn’t anyone told him? Jersey, Cowboy, Summer, they all had to know, yet none of them had revealed it. Why?
“I’m sorry.” Silver reached out and placed a hand on top of his. “Maybe I shouldn’t have—”
“No. No. I’m glad you did. The truth is always better than being in the dark.”
Life changed in the blink of an eye. That morning he had two biological brothers, and he’d been looking forward to meeting them. Now he was down to one, one he wasn’t allowed to meet. “How did it happen? Who killed him?”
“Oberon’s son.”
Trick sat up straighter. “Tell me how you killed the son? I might be able to use it against Oberon.”
Silver told him with obvious reluctance. “Jack had faerie power, so he learned to suck out a faerie’s energy. He also had the help of a faerie turned traitor.”
“Well, I’ve got the power. That’s no problem.” Trick thought about his near-death experience with the Shadow Faerie. “I kind of used the energy sucking power already. The only thing I’m missing is a faerie that will help me.”
Silver shook her head. “Oberon has to be a hundred times more powerful than his son, and that battle almost killed Jack. I doubt you could suck out Oberon’s life energy even with the help of ten faeries.”
He threw his hands into the air. “Then how? What do I do? I’m not going to wave the white flag and hope he decides to let me live. Oberon is coming for me. I have to do something.”
Silver reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of blood. “I don’t know if anyone told you about me, but my blood is special. Hunters have used it to save themselves from werewolf bites. Jack used it to heal himself a few times when nothing else could. It’s not your answer to destroying Oberon, but it might save your life someday.”
She placed it in his hand.
“Thank you.” He grasped it tightly.
They said their goodbyes, but she didn’t leave until he repeated his promise to steer clear of Jack.
As soon as she walked out the front door, he yelled up the staircase. “Cowboy! Get down here now.”
He lit a cigarette and pulled as much smoke into his lungs on the first drag as he could.
The other vampire took the stairs two at a time, bounding down them like an elephant. “Did she leave?” Cowboy asked.
“I need a blood bag.”
Cowboy’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you were Mr. Control.” His gaze dropped to the vial in Trick’s hand. “Why aren’t you drinking that?”
“It’s Silver’s. She said something about it being unusual, that it might help me later.”
Cowboy took it and tossed it around like a ball as he grinned. “This stuff can keep people from turning into little doggies. Always good to have some on hand.”
Trick’s muscles clenched, watching Cowboy toss the valuable blood around. He wanted to warn the other vampire not to break it, but he knew that would just fuel Cowboy’s rebellious side. Cowboy would toss it even higher then. “Hold onto it for me,” Trick said. “I can’t exactly take it home and keep it in the back of the family fridge.”
“What did Mrs. Jackpot have to say?”
Trick explained everything while Cowboy retrieved a blood bag from their refrigerator. He told Cowboy about Silver’s warning to leave Jack alone and Oberon’s disturbing texts. The vampire listened without comment. Then he waited for Trick to drink his fill before responding. Trick hated showing weakness to the other vampire, but he didn’t have a choice. His hunger had him close to losing control. He turned away and sucked the bag dry.
Leaning back against the counter, Cowboy crossed his ankles. “Guess the dog was right. Oberon is cursing us with our worst fears. He made Summer ugly and you into a monster. Wonder what he has in mind for me.”
“What would be the worst thing he could do to you?” Trick asked, curious.
“Make me watch The Sound of Music.” Cowboy scrunched his face after the sarcastic comment. “I’m not afraid of anything or anyone.” He chuckled. “Spiders totally freak Jackpot out, by the way.”
The interesting information sailed over Trick’s head. He didn’t have time to think about Jack or his wife. The most crucial thing on his mind was getting rid of Oberon. There had to be a way to put the king of faeries to rest.