Drew nodded and mumbled, “Yeah,” under his breath.
We both stood and found our way to Luke’s room.
I don’t think I had fully prepared myself for what we saw. Luke lay on the hospital bed with a full-length cast on his right arm, a boot cast on his right leg and another one like mine on his left arm. There were tubes coming out from between his ribs that were hooked to a machine, and an oxygen cannula in his nose.
I heard Drew suck in his breath and looked over at him. He looked more angry than sad or worried. I decided to ignore him for the moment and went to the chair beside Luke’s bed.
“Luke, can you hear me?”
He didn’t move. He looked so frail and old laying there.
“Drew, what are we going to do? He is probably going to be in here for a while.”
“We go home, and we see what damage has been done to our people. Then we plan the mission to take our revenge.”
I bowed my head. I felt responsible for all that had happened. If it wasn’t for me, the community wouldn’t have been attacked in the first place. I was sure some of the hunters had died during the attack.
“This is turning into a war, isn’t it?” I whispered.
Drew turned toward the window and replied, “Yes… it is.”
We went home after sitting with Luke until midmorning. Drew and I both needed sleep and showers. After I showered, I crawled into bed and slept so hard I was certain it would be the next day when I woke. I only managed to sleep for six hours.
Drew was in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal and reading the newspaper.
“Hi.” I grabbed a bowl and sat across from him.
“Did you go out there yet?” I nodded in the general direction of town.
“Yes. The stats are that we only lost three hunters… not bad, really… considering the attack, but I think they were more or less after you. We lost Eric, from the guard shack, and the two guys in the control room. One of them was my uncle.”
Oh, god. He must hate me.
“I’m so sorry.” I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. “Are you mad at me?”
Abruptly, he slid his chair out and grabbed his bowl, and then he threw it in the sink so hard it shattered into a zillion pieces. I flinched and sank back into my chair.
“Damn it, Chloe! It’s not always about you. Why in the hell would I be mad at you?”
“I don’t know.” I knew I was whining, but I didn’t care. I just didn’t want him to be mad at me. “I’m sorry.”
I sniffled back a bunch of snot that was threatening to come out of my nose.
He placed his hands on the counter in front of the sink and bowed his head.
I just sat there bawling while he stayed like that. Most likely he was trying to calm himself.
After about five minutes, I couldn’t do it anymore. “I’m sorry.” I whispered, and then got up to leave. I got as far as the door when he grabbed me by the wrist on my good arm and spun me around. It surprised me so much that I gasped and reflexively yanked my arm back.
“Chloe.”
“What? I’m trying to get out of here, Drew.”
“Don’t go. I don’t think any of this is your fault, but I have to grieve, too.” He took a step away from me. “Don’t you get it? I’m sad, Chloe. My uncle just died and so did our friends.”
I didn’t know what to say. It seemed like everything I said to him made him yell, so I did the only thing I knew how to do: I moved in and wrapped my arms around him.
It must have surprised him, because I wasn’t normally a touchy feely person, but eventually he responded and placed his own arms around my waist. We hugged, staying like that for a long time. His grip tightened around me and I heard him sniffle a couple times. He needed release. I did know enough about guys to know that they don’t normally show emotion very well, so I wanted to help him.
When the embrace was over, he released me and turned away. I felt a vibe from him that seemed to say ‘If you tell anyone about this, I’ll have to kill you.’
I figured the best thing to do would be to leave him alone now. “If you need me, I’ll be in my room.”
I saw the back of his head moving in a nod.
On the way to my room, I heard my cell phone chirping its stupid ringtone I hadn’t bothered to change yet. I ran the rest of the way and threw open my door, then did a sort of flying leap toward my bed where my phone was laying.
“Hello!”
“Chloe?” I hadn’t bothered to look at the caller ID and didn’t recognize the voice.
“Yeah, this is me. Who is this?”
“It’s Gavin.”
“Oh, hi.”
“Do you have minute to talk?”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”
“Well, the main reason I called was to see if you were all right, after all that happened.”
“I’m okay. I have a broken arm, but Luke is in pretty bad condition. Drew is all right, too.”
I heard him sigh through the earpiece. “Good, I’m glad you weren’t hurt too badly. I’m sorry about Luke.”
I explained to him all about Luke’s injuries and told him how worried I was. After that, we lapsed into silence for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was unsure. “So… this may not be the right time to bring this up, but the New Year’s Bash is still on.”
“They are still going to put that on, even with all that happened?” I was utterly shocked that they would still go through with such an event after the attack.
“Yeah, its tradition…and I think there will be a lot of discussion about retaliation there too.”
Great, just great. I was still going to have to find a dress. “Oh, well I guess we are still on then?”
“Absolutely, that was the other reason I was calling.”
“Well… thanks for making sure. I guess I’ll see you when you pick me up.” I didn’t know why, but I suddenly wanted to get off the phone really bad.
“I’ll be there,” he told me and then we said goodbye and clicked off.
Damn it. Now I had to see if Drew would drive me to the mall after we went to visit Luke later. The last thing I wanted to do was bother him about going to get a dumb dress. I had no other choice; I didn’t have anything to wear.
“You need to do what?” he hollered at me.
“I need a dress, Drew.”
“People have died, Luke is in the hospital and all you can think about is what you’re going to wear to a party!”
I crossed my arms. “That isn’t all I think about.”
Drew didn’t say anything after that; he just turned away and grumbled under his breath.
“So are you going to take me, or what?”
“You know, I will,” he snapped. “I just don’t have to like it. Let’s go. We can visit Luke and then go to the mall afterward.”
Silently, I gathered my things. I sure was getting tired of his mood swings. It was understandable that he was emotional, but it felt like he was taking it out on me.
We stopped to see Luke, who didn’t wake up the entire time we were there. We didn’t really try to wake him up either. I figured it was probably easier for him to sleep as much as he could.
Afterward at the mall, I searched the stores while Drew went to the food court to get himself an Orange Julius. I think I made him an addict for those things after the last excursion to the mall.
Most of the shops didn’t have formal dresses. It took me over two hours, but I finally found a very pretty gown in royal blue. When I tried it on, I was as happy with it as I was when I saw it on the rack. The whole thing fit snug against my body. The top showed off some cleavage, but not enough to make me feel inappropriate, and it had tiny little spaghetti straps. My dark hair contrasted the shimmering blue perfectly. The only thing I needed was a pair of shoes to go with the dress. The dress was long, all the way to my ankles, and had a slit that went up to just above my knee. I hoped people didn’t think the dress was too old f
or me, because it was the only one I liked.
I took it off and put my clothes back on, and then I paid for my dress. Man, it sucked having spent all that money and leaving with one tiny little bag. I wandered over toward the food court to see if Drew was still there.
I scanned the tables, looking for Drew’s blond head and pretty green eyes. I didn’t see him anywhere. Deciding that he probably just went to the bathroom or something, I got myself an Orange Julius and found an empty table. Slurping the orange liquid noisily through a straw, I continued to look around the food court for Drew.
No Drew.
But I saw someone else.
He sat at a table across the room with his black jean clad legs crossed and a drink in front of him. He had a pale face, pale hands and dark brown eyes that any woman might have fallen for.
It was Trevor… my father. I just knew it was. Something inside me knew that person, just as I had known Sostrate was a part of my blood.
I sat as still as I could, even though I felt the flush of heat rush through my body. I was scared to death, but decided that the best thing to do would be to play it cool. He wouldn’t dare hurt me in a room full of people with camera phones.
I sipped my Orange Julius slowly, without taking my eyes off of him. In turn, he stared back at me while he stirred his coffee or whatever it was he had in front of him. He kept his legs crossed and our eyes locked.
I didn’t know how long I could stand sitting there staring at him. It was obvious he was threatening me, but I didn’t know exactly what kind of message he was trying to send. I wanted to send him a message, too, but didn’t know how to even go about that.
I was going to kill him… and he should know it.
Finally, I set my empty Orange Julius on the table and broke eye contact. I turned my head only for a second and he was gone.
Shit!
I waited for Drew for another twenty minutes. After rambling on like a crazy person about what had happened and freaking out on him all over again, he rushed me out the doors with one hand around my waist and another on his gun.
I had brought my gun, too, this time.
“I should have shot him,” I told Drew, once we were in the truck and speeding down the dark icy streets.
“Yeah, right, you were going to shoot him, in the mall, in front of all those people.”
I clenched my fists, getting angrier by the second. I had let him get away. “I don’t care. He needs to die.”
“There was nothing you could do, Chloe. He was messing with you.”
I wanted to scream, I was so frustrated and angry. “Where were you?” I demanded of him.
“I was in the knife shop.”
“Figures,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I snapped.
Despite the attack a couple nights before, I felt safer once we had driven through the gates and they were securely locked on the other side of us. We pulled into the driveway and I jumped out of the truck, slamming the rusty old door behind me. I had no idea why I was treating Drew so badly, but I had to take it out on someone. I guess it was how he had felt earlier when he had yelled at me.
“’Night,” I called out rudely. I let myself inside the house. I didn’t even look back to make sure he came inside. I went straight up to my room.
Once I had stripped off all my clothes and put on my comfy pajamas, I crawled under the covers and hugged my extra pillow to my chest. I wasn’t tired at all. I tossed and turned, I tried counting backwards, I tried turning on my iPod, but nothing was going to bring the sleep I needed so much.
My mind kept going back to those piercing eyes, those dangerous eyes…
While his dark eyes haunted me, a realization hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. It was a realization so simple I should have thought of it before. He wanted me.
People were dying because of me.
So, maybe… maybe I should simply go to him willingly. I could protect my other family, by going to the one I hated and making him believe I wanted to be with him.
And then I could kill him.
Well, I could try…
THE VAMPIRE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER
PART IV
DIVIDED
The cast on my right arm was more than annoying. It was bulky and sweaty and stinky and itchy underneath. I could not wait to get it removed.
I stared at myself in the mirror and wondered why the heck I had agreed to go to the New Year’s bash. My grandfather Luke was still in the hospital. It felt wrong to go to the event without him. Also, Drew was not happy about it at all.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Going with Gavin—one of the hottest guys at school— to the dance wasn’t exactly a terrible thing. It just felt like the timing was wrong. Besides, I had other plans to get on with. Aside from all that, it really wasn’t so bad.
I thought about these things while dressing and doing my hair.
And my dress!
It was certainly nice to wear something pretty instead of jeans or workout clothes. The silky royal blue fabric hung loosely against my skin and went perfectly with my dark hair. My cast stood out stark white in contrast with the blue.
Groaning, I gave my hair one last bobby pin, placing it in with my good hand with the other hundred bobby pins that held up the top half of my hair. I had it piled in a bun type thing with loops and curls, which hadn't been easy to do with the freakin' cast on my arm. The bottom half of my hair lay in ringlets against my back. Finally, after putting on a pair of silver hoop earrings, I turned away from the mirror and grabbed my coat.
I had a wrap, but that certainly wasn’t going to keep me warm. I planned on wearing my coat, no matter how out of fashion it might be.
Knowing Gavin would arrive soon, I tried to hurry.
Drew was down there, and I didn’t want Gavin to have to deal with him. Drew had been super cranky the last few days. I figured it was because of the attack, losing his uncle and Luke being in the hospital. That was certainly enough to make anyone cranky.
When I finally managed to make it down the stairs in the dangerous too-high heels I had bought to go with my dress, I found Drew in the kitchen, tying his bowtie and eating an apple. Boy, he looked good in his tux. Weird how some guys looked uncomfortable dressed up and others could pull off a suit with no problem. Drew was the no-problem kind.
“Hey,” I said.
His eyes flicked up my way and then back to his tie. I didn’t know why he had been practically giving me the silent treatment lately, at least since the town had been attacked. There I was, all dressed up, and he couldn’t even tell me I looked nice, not even an approving glance.
Well, see if I compliment him on his tux, then.
“You never told me who you’re taking tonight,” I tried. I leaned against the counter next to him.
“I’m taking Christina,” he said around his apple.
Ugh, what is wrong with him?
I should have known he’d take her. I didn’t care how bad her childhood had been, she was still a mean slut as far as I was concerned. After she had started that fight with me at school and got us both suspended, I would have thought Drew would have been on my side. At the very least, he shouldn't have been taking her to a fancy dance.
“Why do you like her?” I couldn’t help myself; I had to ask.
“Chloe, we had this discussion already. I dated her. We're still friends. I like her, okay?”
“Fine.” I waved my hand and turned to get a glass out of the drainer.
I must have mumbled something under my breath, because Drew practically shouted, “What did you just say?”
“Nothing… I don’t know.”
“You said something.” His green eyes were glowing and he took a defensive stance with his body.
“Jeez, Drew, I don’t know. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, you don’t see me all up in your business about you going with Gavin. He’s not exactly an angel himself.”
/>
I narrowed my eyes and put down my glass. “What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged and walked out of the room.
I followed him. “Drew, you can’t just say that kind of stuff and then walk away.”
Still, he said nothing. Sometimes his iciness bugged the crap out of me. I followed him into the living room. He must have felt cornered because he turned around and went back into the kitchen.
“Drew, stop! What the hell do you have against Gavin?”
“Forget it!”
Inside, I wanted to stomp my foot and throw a fit like a two year old. It was infuriating, his acting like he knew something and not telling me. I could feel my body starting to heat up and knew what was happening. Since the attack, I had become more in tune with my fire power; I could sense it coming, unlike before, when I didn’t have a freakin’ clue. I was, however, still having trouble controlling when it would come and wasn't certain how to make it stop.
I closed my eyes and blocked everything out, trying to think of anything that would calm me down. My mother’s face materialized behind my eyelids. She used to sing all the time, no matter where we were: at home, in the car, shopping for groceries. Her voice was a constant in my life, ever since I could remember. Sometimes, even after I was older, she would come into my room and sing to me like she had when I was little.
Now, her voice was my constant… a way for me to put out the fire—both literally and figuratively—that burned inside of me. The one thing I had discovered about this stupid fire power was, once it was burning, I had to put it out with my thoughts. It wouldn’t just eventually go out on its own.
“Chloe, are you all right?”
I could barely hear him. He sounded far away. I ignored him and just kept my breathing regular and my mother’s voice prominent in my head until I felt the heat pass and my body temperature return to normal.
“Chloe?”
I opened my eyes and glared at him. His eyes had lost their ice and were filled with concern.
“You were fighting the fire again, weren’t you?”
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection Page 8