“I will have my way with those in my family, Allison! And you will not say a word to the contrary!” Frederik barked at the girl, his easy tone abruptly vanishing.
Allison’s beautiful face simply broke into a smile. “Well, what’s good for the goose, I suppose. Just be careful with her. She’s only fed once. She’s still weak yet.”
“I’ll not hurt her,” Frederik vowed. “When we have had our time, we’re leaving here. Be ready,” he said sternly.
“Maybe the boy and I will join you in a bit,” Allison suggested, planting a kiss on Frederik’s cheek. “I can tell that he’s very interested in Lanie.”
“I’ll think on it,” Frederik told her. “Now, away with you. But, do not leave the house, Allison. If you do, the consequences will be…terribly unpleasant.”
Something in his words sent a chill over the room and Allison nodded stiffly, taking hold of Chase and pulling him along. Frederik left the office, following behind Allison and Chase as they moved back through the maze of rooms and toward the staircase and Lanie, her mind racing, was desperately trying to figure out a way out of the situation she was in. She did not want this to happen to her. Not with one vampire let alone three!
And then something occurred to her. She was a vampire now. Whether she wanted it or not, she was a vampire. She knew what that meant. She knew. She’d seen…
Lanie knew what she wanted to do and then she was just…doing it. She was fighting against Frederik’s arms around her, her fists landing rapid blows to his face, blows that she heard but didn’t quite feel. She was swinging at him, kicking and bucking against him and Frederik’s eyes widened as she suddenly broke free of his grasp. As soon as her feet hit the floor she shot forward, shoving Allison as hard as she could, sending her flying sideways through the air and crashing into the wall of the foyer.
There was no hesitation as Lanie bolted for the front door and shoved it as hard as she could. Her ears were filled with the sound of the door exploding outward in a hail of splintered wood. A part of her was surprised that it had happened, and with almost no effort from her, but that part was at the back of her mind because the forefront of it was taken up with the thought of getting away from the three vampires who wanted to have a ménage à trois.
As soon as she hit the front steps, Lanie was flying through the darkness, her feet pounding the ground so fast she could barely even feel it. She was flying through the shadows, the wind screaming in her ears, the world around her reduced to nothing more than fleeting shapes that were jetting by, yet she knew where she was heading.
She was familiar with these streets and sidewalks and yards. She knew where she was and she was aware of everything around her, every outline and shadow, every street crossing and stop sign. She was so keenly aware of her surroundings that she could safely race her way through the night with no trouble at all.
She knew to anyone who might be able to hear, her footsteps would sound like soft thunder rumbling in the distance.
Suddenly, a flash of shadow beside her caught her attention and she was hit by what felt like a brick wall. She was jolted sideways through the air, her feet leaving the earth, and a split second later her body smashed against the ground and an instant weight dropped down on top of her, compressing her bones.
“You can’t leave us, little one!” Frederik rumbled at her as Lanie’s gaze focused on his face hovering over her. “You can’t be out in the world on your own! You’ll kill anyone who crosses your path!”
Lanie was struggling to get Frederik’s weight off her, but he had her hands pinned above her head and his heavy weight pinning down the rest of her so that she could barely move. “Please, let me go!” she growled at him. “I don’t want to be with you! Just let me go!”
“You’re part of us now, Lanie,” Frederik told her evenly. “If it’s me you’re afraid of, you needn’t be. I won’t hurt you. And I’ll keep Allison and the boy out of things if that’s what you wish.”
“I wish you hadn’t done this to me!” she hollered, trying to free her wrists, but it was no use. “I didn’t want this! I had a life!”
Lanie found herself upright and cradled in Frederik’s arms so fast it made her head spin. “Poor child. I truly am sorry it had to be this way. I am sorry that so many were taken from you. But, you will forget. In time.”
So many. Stacy and Devyn and Chase. And Gretchen. He’d killed Gretchen right in front of her. He could not lay that on Allison.
“You killed my aunt,” she told him, suddenly feeling numb inside. “You made me watch. And now you want me to be your…plaything?”
She would never. She would keep trying to get away until she succeeded and then she would find Kyle and beg him to put a stake through her heart.
“I don’t want you to be my plaything, Lanie,” Frederik told her softly. “I want you to be the mate that Allison has never been to me.”
She would never. She would keep trying to get away, no matter what it took. “That’s no better,” she told Frederik, but he didn’t seem upset by her words.
“I’m sorry about your aunt, but sometimes there are casualties, Lanie. Allison wanted you and if I hadn’t done what I could to bring you to her, she would have done much worse than killing a few people.”
“If she’s so bad then why don’t you kill her! You don’t have a problem killing everyone else!” she hissed, burying her face against his shoulder.
It seemed Allison was a burden to everyone.
“I wish I could kill her. But, could you kill a child that you bore, even if that child was damaged?” he asked her, spinning around on his heel.
Lanie felt sympathy wash through her, even though she knew she should not feel anything but hate for this man. He’d killed people. He’d killed her aunt. He’d killed her friends. He’d hurt her dad. This monster did not deserve sympathy. Yet, it was still there.
“Things will seem alright soon enough, little one,” Frederik told her. “You’ll be surprised at how easily one slips into this way of life.”
Lanie didn’t want to know how easy it was to become a monster. She’d already killed a person. How far was it from that to becoming Allison? She was afraid it wasn’t very.
“I’ll take you from here, little one,” Frederik said, starting forward. “We’ll collect Allison and we’ll be on our way. You’ll be more comfortable in your skin once you’re away from the reminders of your last life.”
That said, Frederik took off down the darkened street at a dead run and Lanie knew she’d never be able to make it to where she’d been headed. She would never be able to get home and tell her dad goodbye.
Frederik was whisking her through the darkness at a breakneck speed, but suddenly Lanie was flying from his arms, soaring through the air and then abruptly crashing to the pavement so hard the world was blotted out.
Lanie couldn’t say how long she was lost in the darkness. Her eyes were just suddenly flying open and she was on her feet and pounding down the street, away from the sounds of Frederik snarling and growling as he fought with…Kyle. She knew it was Kyle. She recognized the sound of his enraged snarls.
Lanie’s heart tore, but she didn’t look back. She had to keep going. She had to get home. She had to get to her dad so she could tell him goodbye because she would never see him again after tonight. She had to tell him that she loved him. Surely, the Universe would allow her that much.
She felt herself bank to the right and knew she was flying across Maple Street. She was almost there. A few more streets and she could see her father.
“Lanie!” a voice shouted at her over the sound of wind screaming in her ears.
It was Kyle. But, she couldn’t stop running. She had to get to her dad. That was the only thing that mattered.
She whipped around a corner and then shot down Oak Street, flying to the end and then jerking to the right, her feet pounding hard, carrying her toward her destination. And then she was slamming to a halt so fast that everything inside her sloshed agains
t her ribcage.
Lanie blinked several times and realized that she’d made it. She’d made it…home. She was standing on the front walk, looking at the light spilling out from the windows and the fancily dressed scarecrow still standing at the bottom step. The front door was closed. Her dad had obviously had it fixed.
Everything looked the way it should. It looked…like home. If she didn’t know there was a gaping hole in the side of the house, she never would have been able to tell.
Glancing to her right, Lanie saw the patrol car sitting in the driveway. A wave of desperation surged inside her and she bolted forward, hitting the front steps, determined to make it to her dad even if it was just for a few seconds. Her dad had to know that she loved him and that she was okay.
“Lanie! Wait!” a voice blasted in her ear and a hard hand clamped down onto her shoulder, spinning her around.
Lanie found herself facing Kyle, and for a very long moment they stared at one another, unmoving. And then Lanie watched as something…gut wrenching…rolled over Kyle’s ruggedly handsome features. For a second, he seemed staggered, as if some unseen fist had just struck him a blow, and he stumbled backward a few steps.
“Lanie, no,” he whispered in a coarse, gravelly voice. “No. God, no.”
Lanie felt her throat choke and she opened her mouth to say something, anything that would wipe that look off of Kyle Vincent’s face. That look of weight and guilt and…repulsion.
At that moment, Lanie knew that she looked like Frederik. She knew that she had that same ashen, gaunt face, those same gleaming, blood red eyes. She knew she looked like a monster.
“Lanie, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m…I didn’t want this to happen to you,” he rasped, shaking his head and still moving backwards away from her.
It was then she knew that she couldn’t ask Kyle to drive a stake through her heart. She would just be another stone around his neck.
Lanie glanced over her shoulder at her house, which looked like a beacon shining through the night, and then she bolted away through the darkness. She’d made a mistake and she’d wasted precious moments that she didn’t have. Instead of going to see her dad she should have been heading out of town, away from Sam Bancroft and everyone else.
If her father saw her like this, if he saw her face, he would be haunted for the rest of his life and she didn’t want that. Sam didn’t deserve it.
Lanie made it to the end of Rosetree Lane before she was jerked to a halt and spun around so fast the world tilted crazily.
“Lanie, what are you doing? Why are you running from me!” Kyle demanded angrily.
“I’m leaving. Let me go!” she cried, struggling to shake off the hands holding her.
“You can’t be out on your own. You’re newly turned! You’ll kill someone!” he growled at her.
“I’ve already killed someone!” she shot back and hearing the words caused a jolt to go through her.
“Lanie, you…you—“
“I fed! I killed Hayley Strong!” she blurted out the words, feeling her stomach turn over. “Please, let me go! I…I just need to go!”
She would leave Fells Pointe. She would run until she couldn’t run anymore and then she would find someone…some way…to put an end to herself before she hurt anyone else.
Kyle suddenly pulled Lanie to him and wrapped his arms around her in a crushing hug. “It’ll be okay, Lanie. I know how to help you.”
Help her? Could he turn back the clock and undo what had been done to her? If not, then he couldn’t do anything for her.
“You can’t help me, Kyle,” she told him, letting her arms slide around him so that she could hold on tight. She thought she had never felt anything so wonderful as having his arms around her right then. How very…normal it felt. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend everything was okay.
“Father Cristos can help you, Lanie. He knows how to live without hurting people. He’s been doing it for centuries. He can teach you how,” Kyle said, squeezing her so that her spine popped.
Lanie felt a wild spasm uncoil in her belly. She didn’t have to die and leave her dad behind? She could go on and…live. At least in some form or fashion.
“You can choose how to live, Lanie. Father Cristos taught me that much. It’s hard, but you don’t have to kill to survive. I know you’re strong enough to make that choice,” Kyle told her.
Yes. She was strong enough. Well, she wanted to be strong enough. And if she could learn to live without having to hurt people to do it, then she wanted to try. She wasn’t ready to have a stake put through her heart. Not yet. Maybe one day, but not just yet.
“I need to tell my dad what’s going on. He should know,” Lanie said into Kyle’s shirt.
“We’ll call your dad from the road. We have to get out of here while we have the chance,” stated Kyle. “My car is at Gretchen’s.”
“I have some clothes there,” Lanie said as Kyle lifted her up off her feet and nestled her against his chest. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Can I-I…get inside? I mean…now?”
“Gretchen is dead and if there’s no one else with ownership of the house, then you can walk in on your own,” he told her.
“I went to see my dad, but…I couldn’t have gotten inside, could I?” she questioned hoarsely. She’d been ready to barge inside and see her father. She hadn’t even thought…
“No. You couldn’t,” Kyle said, his eyes sad. “You…you have to be invited into that house.”
She couldn’t go inside her own house. She had to be invited before she could even see her own father. This was not how things were supposed to go.
“It’s alright, Lanie,” Kyle assured her, holding her tight. “I’ll help you get through this. I swear. I’ll be right here with you.”
“Hand her over, boy!” a deep voice stated, causing Kyle’s gaze to whip up.
Dread surged inside Lanie and her head jerked toward the voice. Frederik was standing in front of them on the street, Chase Wylie beside him, both pairs of eyes gleaming in the low light.
Lanie felt every muscle in Kyle’s body go rigid and the hate that was suddenly pouring out of him was smothering. Slowly, he sat Lanie on her feet and tucked her against his side. “You can’t have her,” he told Frederik, his voice deadly cold.
Frederik regarded Kyle for a few seconds. “Do not make me take her from you. Hand her over,” he warned.
“I’ll die first,” Kyle said plainly.
“I’m giving you a chance to avoid that, boy,” Frederik said thickly, his lips pulling back over his teeth. “I’ve let you live this long, I see no need to kill you now. Just hand her over and you can go on as you have.”
“I’m not coming with you,” Lanie heard herself saying. “I’m staying with Kyle.”
Frederik’s brows shot up and a look of slight hurt crossed his pale face. “I’m your family now. You must go where I go.”
“I’m not coming with you,” she said again. “Please, just…just go away and leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that,” Frederik told her. “You belong to me.”
Lanie saw a look of irritation waft over Chase Wylie’s pale face. She couldn’t believe that was the boy she’d gone to school with her entire life, that pale monster with the gleaming eyes and the cold expression. This was not Chase Wylie. This was a monster living inside his body.
“Come to me, Lanie. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt,” Frederik said, his tone gravelly. His patience was wearing thin.
“You can’t have her,” Kyle restated. “She’s staying with me.”
The very next instant the world seemed to explode in a torrent of movement and sound and Lanie was watching it all as if it was in slow motion. With an earthshaking snarl, Frederik charged Kyle at the same instant that Kyle whipped his crossbow out from beneath his coat and hit the trigger, sending a gleaming shard flying at Frederik.
The shard struck Frederik in the chest but didn’t stop him from hitting Kyle head on, k
nocking him backward onto the ground. They were instantly locked in a brutal clash that seemed to be nothing more than flying fists and gnashing teeth. The next second Chase bolted forward toward Lanie, his teeth barred as he clamped his hands down onto her shoulders and jerked her forward off the ground.
But, Lanie wasn’t going with him without a fight. She would not be Allison’s…pet! Her body jerked into action and some of the self-defense training she’d gone through seemed to kick in. Only this time, she was fighting with a strength and speed that her mind could hardly comprehend.
Her forearms were crashing down over Chase Wylie’s, breaking the grip he had on her shoulders and allowing her to fall to her feet. Stunned, he hesitated for a moment, but Lanie did not. Rage was instantly sweeping over her, a rage unlike any she’d ever experienced before. And that rage spurred her and fueled her and then next thing she knew her fists were cracking into Chase’s face and his solar plexus, which doubled him over enough for her to allow her to crash her knee into his stomach and then she was off, flying over the ground and away from Chase Wylie, who she knew was stronger than she was, even though she’d managed to catch him off guard.
She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, without a thought of where she was heading, but having a location in mind wouldn’t have mattered because she heard Chase’s fast footsteps behind her within a few seconds. She was suddenly seized by the waist, whipped through the air, and then slammed against something hard enough to tear an anguished cry from her throat.
“Don’t run from me!” Chase’s coarse voice snarled at her.
She felt herself being whipped around again and then slammed down to the ground with enough force to shift her bones beneath her skin. Before she could recover, she felt Chase’s hands tearing at her clothes, grabbing hold of her shirt and ripping the fabric as easily as if it was tissue paper.
Terror shot through Lanie and she blindly began to fight, her fists striking Chase and her nails clawing at him. She heard herself shrieking in a way she never imagined she could and fighting with every ounce of strength she possessed, fighting tooth and nail, her mind refusing to allow what Chase Wylie was trying to do to her there in the dirt. Again!
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