by Wendi Wilson
I narrowed my eyes. “If I´m supposed to compel him, shouldn't I be there with you?”
Dad offered me one of those looks a parent often gave their child when they were humoring an idea that they had no intention of even considering. “I’ll call you over once I have him subdued.”
“But that's not how this was supposed to go down,” I complained. “If I can’t compel him, how can you capture him? I have to be there.”
I glanced around, wondering when someone was going to jump in and back me up. I was the witch. I had the power to compel vampires. Sure, I´d been so busy tracking Warren down and getting ready to go after him that I hadn't tried it out, but it had worked on Xander. Levi, Coco, True, and I had all seen it happen.
But when I scanned their faces, none of them chimed in to back me up. In fact, they didn't meet my gaze.
“Tell them,” I said to Levi.
“You did compel Xander,” he said quietly without looking at me.
“But you don't think I can handle Warren,” I murmured, anger simmering in my gut.
“Piper,” my dad said, saving Levi from answering and possibly stepping into a world of hurt. “I´m still your father, vampire or not, and I can’t let you go in there and take on Warren Thornberry. He’ll be like an animal backed into a corner. He will bite, and bite hard.”
I shook my head, not quite believing we were back to me being Useless Piper. “I’ve dealt with Warren before. Is everyone forgetting that I was with him for weeks? And I fought his minion and won.”
“That vamp wasn't trying to kill you,” my father replied. “They will this time. They will know why we’re coming, and they will fight back. Warren will be dangerous.”
“I’m dangerous,” I said, touching the vampire blade on my hip, but no one seemed to believe me. Once again, I was just the frail human in a group of superhuman vampires. It sucked.
I bit my lip, cutting back the stream of angry things I wanted to say. It was no use. They’d made up their minds. I couldn’t just tell them. I needed to show them.
“Oh, and one more thing. No phones. Don’t want to risk Warren being able to track our whereabouts.”
“No phones?” Coco said in horror. She’d been glued to mine ever since I let her borrow it last night.
My father shook his head and waited as everyone dug out their phones and handed them over. He put them in a plastic bin and secured the lid.
“Let’s go,” my father said, gesturing to his crew. The first two mountain vamps nodded and took off, cutting through the trees at an amazing speed. It was fascinating to see how fast they ran. Maybe we could make three hundred miles in three hours.
“Hop on, beautiful,” Desmond said to True, gesturing to his back.
Her foul mood suddenly gone, she climbed onto his broad back, grinning at me as he slipped his arms around her thighs to keep her secure. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was coming along just to be pressed up against Desmond.
“Ready?” Levi said, turning to me.
I pulled my eyes from True, realizing that I got to straddle my own hottie and ride him, though not in the way I’d longed to this morning. Still, it would be good to be next to him, feel his body beneath me.
Sheesh. Badass Piper had fallen asleep at the wheel and let Hussy Piper take over.
Levi crouched, and I climbed up onto his back. While I wrapped my arms around his neck, he secured me to him by locking his arms around my thighs just as Desmond had done.
“Hold on tight,” he said. Then he took off running.
We lurched forward, and the world sped past in a blur.
It was like riding on a very large, very lithe cheetah who didn’t tire. The trees blurred around me as the wind buffed my face and tugged on my braid. Thank God I had these goggles, because branches whipped by overhead, and I could only imagine what a small bug could do to my eyes at this velocity.
Levi was careful, though. Even though the branches sailed past and the tree trunks reared up, one after another, nothing touched me. How he was able to see and calculate the obstacles fast enough to avoid them was as amazing as his ability to run and never tire.
In a little over three hours, he skidded to a stop in a small clearing. My father, his mountain vamps, and Coco were there waiting for us. Desmond and True appeared soon after. I wondered what took them so long since they left before us.
“Everyone all right?” My father asked, turning a paternal eye on each member who nodded and brushed pine needles and tree sap off their hair and clothes. True took off her handkerchief and fluffed out her hair while I stretched the kinks out of my back and legs.
“Okay, good. The train yard is about a quarter mile due north,” my father continued. “I’ll take Landon and Allister, and the three of us will scope it out. If we’re not back in an hour, something has gone wrong. Levi and Desmond, I want you to take the girls and get them out of here.”
Coco jutted a hip. “If we had our phones, you could be in communication about what was happening, but no.”
“Also, leaving you to die is not happening,” I replied. “I lost you once...” The rest of the words got stuck in my throat. The thought was too much to bear.
Dad stepped forward and gently took my hand. “Piper, nothing will happen to me.”
“Then let us all come,” I said. “I’m not a little girl anymore. A lot has changed since you di—left.”
His chest rose and fell, another automatic sigh for a man who didn’t need to breathe. “Fine.”
“If you told her to stay back, she’d probably have gone ahead, anyway,” Levi said with a smirk.
“She’s always been stubborn,” my father replied.
“Runs in the family,” I shot back.
True leaned forward, inserting herself. “Then, it’s settled, we’re all going?”
“But the witches stay behind us,” my father said, his eyes trailing from True to me. “With Desmond and Levi standing guard.”
“Fine,” I said, knowing it was the best we were going to get. At least we weren’t back at home darning socks or some nonsense.
With that settled, True and I climbed onto our escorts’ backs, and we took off again.
We sprinted through the trees and into a clearing. The train tracks cut right and left, cutting the forest in two before disappearing inside some dense brush.
And there, in the middle, sat the train.
It was an old passenger train with a dozen cars still connected, however the engine was long gone. The blue paint was chipping, and the wheels looked rusty and useless. The foggy windows wouldn’t allow us to see inside, but it seemed clear from where we stood that the train hadn’t been in use for quite some time.
Only, it was in use. Warren was in there.
Or was he?
I didn’t see any movement, any sign that anyone had been here. The weeds that had grown up around the train were still intact, showing no noticeable footpath. Had Zelda been wrong?
Suddenly, a figure darted out, running toward us. Before I had the chance to cry out, it blasted into Allister and then Landon, knocking them flat on their backs. Then it went for my father.
“Dad, watch out!” I shouted.
Beneath me, Levi growled. “I need to help your father.” He set me down in one fluid motion before turning to Coco who had skidded to a stop beside us. “Stay by Piper.”
Then he was gone, tearing across the field toward the two blurred shapes of my father and Warren.
With my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of my chest, I pulled out the vampire blade. But, no, that wasn’t why I was here. I need to concentrate. I needed to see if I could compel Warren.
“He’s really fast,” Coco said, staring. “Your dad can’t even catch up.”
“Shh.” I closed my eyes, trying to find the thread of light like I’d done with Xander.
“Everything okay?” True’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“Stay here,” Desmond said. “I’m go
ing to help Levi.”
I heard his boots on the ground and people shifting around me, but I couldn’t seem to focus on finding Warren’s aura with my mind’s eye like I’d done before.
“Where are they going?” True asked.
“Shh,” I said, peeling open one eye. “I’m trying to concentrate.”
“Well, concentrate on this.” She pointed toward the far side of the train yard. “Warren is leading them away. Like, far away.”
My gaze followed to where she was pointing, and I realized she was right. Warren sped away with all the men in pursuit, leaving us alone.
“Oh shit!” Coco said, just before someone crashed into her.
There was an awful crunch as bodies slammed together. Coco flew dozens of feet in the air before gravity brought her crashing down. She hit the ground hard and didn’t get up.
“Coco!” I said, turning and drawing the vampire blade at the same time.
The attacker moved so fast I couldn’t even track him. In one fluid motion, my wrist was pinned and wrenched back. The blade dropped to the grass as I cried out in pain. There was a pop and a sickening crack as the attacker twisted my hand the wrong way. Then I was pulled into a hold and pressed against someone’s cold, hard body.
“I wanted to give you pleasure, ma belle, but you refused. Maybe you like pain better.”
“WARREN,” I said, tears blurring my vision as I tried to ignore the throbbing pain from my wrist.
But I wasn’t alone. As the only one left standing, True gave a roar and charged forward. But one strike from Warren’s free arm and she, too, went sailing into the grass.
“Leave them out of this!” I shouted, struggling against his arm, while the pain in my wrist grew to excruciating levels. “Don’t hurt them.”
“There was a time when I would have done anything you asked, Piper. That time has ended.” Warren’s voice was cold, calculating. There was no syrupy sweetness now. Only rage.
“What are you going to do to me?” I said, feeling the need to stall. If only I could find the thread of his aura now… I closed my eyes, but the pain in my wrist made it nearly impossible to focus on anything but my agony.
“Right now, I’m going to taste you like I’ve always wanted to. Then I’m going to turn you. You’ll be so much easier to control once you’re one of us. Plus, it will make your father and that insipid vamp pup so very angry.”
“Warren, wait.”
It was too late. His fangs pierced my skin at my jugular. He groaned with pleasure as they slowly sank into my flesh. Then he began to drink, his tongue lapping at my neck as the blood began to flow. One hand pulled me closer, grinding our bodies together as he savored my blood.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately to compel Warren. Stop! Stop drinking! Freeze! Don’t move!
Nothing happened. Instead, I felt the throb of my wrist and his growing pleasure as he took more of my blood. The venom would come next, and I’d be a vampire forever. And was that bad? I wasn’t sure, but I did know I wanted the choice. I didn’t want Warren to make it for me.
Then, in a split second, his plan was blown apart.
Someone crashed into us, ripping Warren away. I spun, stumbling and toppling over into the grass as my rescuer attacked Warren. An involuntary yelp escaped me as I landed on my injured wrist. Holding it close to my chest, I rolled over onto my back nearly unconscious from the agony.
I sat up and tried to focus on who had saved me. It was Levi. He must’ve realized the ruse and come back. He and Warren fought like savage dogs, ripping and snarling, biting and kicking.
As I struggled to get up, Levi grabbed one of Warren’s arms and wrenched savagely. The sound of bone shattering was unmistakable. Warren hissed as he jerked away from Levi’s grip. With one last look at me, he took off into the trees.
I thought Levi would go after him, but instead he spun and ran straight to me.
“Piper, are you hurt? What did he do to your arm? God, your neck.” One hand searched until it found my wrist while the other put pressure on the bite mark on my throat. The pain was incredible as he carefully inspected each injury. “Bite isn’t so bad, but your wrist is broken. We need to get you to a doctor.” He sounded barely under control, and I knew it took all his will not to rush after Warren and rip him to shreds.
“True. Coco,” I said pointing to where they’d been tossed into the grass.
Coco was staggering up, one hand on her head, but she seemed no worse for wear. I was more worried about True, but her groan let me know she was at least alive.
“Asshole,” she said, sitting up as Coco helped her. “I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Levi already did,” I said, joking through gritted teeth. The pain seemed to double now that my adrenaline was fading.
“Piper, shit. What happened to you?” True pointed a trembling finger.
I glanced down, realizing that my shirt was covered in sticky blood. My blood.
“Damn vampire bit me again.” I tried to laugh, but instead, the world dimmed, then tilted as my legs gave out.
And then I knew no more.
Chapter Seven
“Piper? It’s Mom. I need you to wake up, honey. Open your eyes, Piper. Please. Come back to me.”
The soft words filled my ears as I tried to escape the black void in which I seemed to be trapped. My eyelids were glued shut, and, try as I might, I could not force them open. Confusion wracked me as I wondered why Mom was in my cabin, trying to wake me up as I lay in my bunk sleeping at Camp Shadow Lake.
And she needed to be quiet, or she’d wake the campers.
“Please, honey,” she whimpered, and the fear in her voice cut through my confusion like a hot knife through butter.
My dad. The train yard. Warren Thornberry breaking my wrist. His fangs in my neck as he drained the life from my body.
I sat up with gasp, my eyes popping open to look wildly around the room. Was I… in my bedroom? How did I get here? Was I dead? Was I—
My hand flew up to my neck, and pain exploded through me as a hard-shelled cast connected with a wound under a thick layer of bandages. I cradled my wrist, which throbbed despite being protected inside a layer of plaster, and attempted to breathe through the pain.
My head ached, and I could hear the blood whooshing through my ears, which actually calmed me. If my heart was pumping that blood, I wasn’t dead. And I wasn’t a vampire, either.
“Piper,” my Mom begged, and I realized it wasn’t the first time she’d said my name since I woke.
“Mom?”
“Oh, thank God,” she said, leaning over me to place a kiss on my forehead. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“How am I here?” I asked, my eyes trailing over the boy band posters on my bedroom walls. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” she asked, the worry in her features intensifying. “You were in a car accident.”
“A car accident?” I asked, my brow crinkling as I thought of Coco.
Was that the standard explanation for a body mangled by a vampire attack? At least they hadn’t claimed it was a bear.
“Levi brought you to the hospital. When he called to give me the news, I nearly lost my mind. Thank God, Jackson was here to calm me down so I could drive. The doctors patched you up and released you, even though I asked them to keep you overnight… or at least until you woke up. It was strange how quickly they cleared you for release.”
Levi. He must’ve compelled them to think I was fine so they wouldn’t report the “accident” or ask too many questions.
“Wait. Who’s Jackson?” I asked, comprehending the rest of what Mom said.
“My boyfriend,” Mom murmured, her cheek turning a pretty shade of pink. “I told you about him, remember?”
What I remembered was that my dad, her husband, was back from the dead, and she had no need to be dating some new guy. And what the hell kind of name was Jackson, anyway? Dude sounded like a douche canoe.
I shook my head
, feeling a little guilty for my harsh, judgmental thoughts. He was probably a perfectly nice man. I shouldn’t have hated him before I met him, just because he was dating my mom. He didn’t know my dad wasn’t actually dead.
And neither did Mom.
Should I tell her? She would want to know her husband was alive… sort of. And Coco, too.
“Piper, you’re awake.”
My heart fluttered as Levi strode into the room, concern etching his face as he rounded the bed to stand on the side opposite Mom. His fingers brushed my hair back, tucking it behind my ear before lingering on the sensitive skin there.
“How are you feeling? Is there any pain? The doctor prescribed you some medication if you need it.”
“I’m okay,” I said, hoping my heart didn’t speed up with the lie.
Everything hurt, but I couldn’t risk the foggy-headedness that came with taking pain pills. I needed to be clear and alert so I could figure out how much I should tell my mom.
“Diane, could I please have a few moments alone with her?” Levi asked.
“Of course,” Mom said, then looked at me. “I’ll be in the kitchen, making you some soup. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, giving her a ghost of a smile.
As soon as she walked out, Levi leaned over and softly brushed his lips across mine.
“I know you’re in pain,” he said. “Why don’t you want to take the meds?”
“I want to be clear-headed,” I replied, then changed the subject. “Where is everyone else?”
“True is in the living room, watching television. The story is she was driving the car when someone in another vehicle fell asleep and crossed into your lane, coming at you head-on. True swerved, but the car clipped her bumper. The vehicle you were in spun out and rolled over.” His fingers reached out to touch the bandage at my neck. “You got a pretty bad burn from the seatbelt, and you broke your wrist.”
I nodded, committing the story to memory. It seemed plausible, and I was sure True got a little banged up when Warren swatted her away like a pesky fly.
“Dad?” I whispered, looking at him with wide, worried eyes.