by Susan Illene
Determination like that, I could understand. “I hope you do.”
He nodded and turned back to Emily. “Seeing her injured today, it reminded me of that time. We survived the Civil War, only to be slaughtered in our home a few years later. My daughter looked much like Emily did today—covered in blood. Except Judith was dead by the time I found her body laying outside where they’d left her.”
I leaned forward. “How did you survive?”
“Variola found me while I was breathing my last breaths, and saved me with her blood. Unlike the rest of my family, I’d had my werewolf side battling to heal me. My body would have lost the battle, though, if she hadn’t come. The injuries were too much to recover from. The attackers had expected me to die soon after, so they hadn’t even bothered to finish the job.”
He shook his head, as if that could clear his thoughts. At least it explained why he stayed loyal to her.
“Do you know who did it?”
Derrick’s jaw ticked. “There were three vampires. I hadn’t seen their kind before, but figured it out real quick when their fangs sunk into my neck. They must have known what I was but it didn’t matter none to them. A woman was there too. I never figured out who she was, but she smelled like somethin’ different. Ain’t none of them shown their faces again, but I’ll keep lookin’ for them.”
He cracked his knuckles as if he was ready to fight them right then. I’d heard the resolve in his voice and realized revenge must have been the only thing left to keep him going after all these years.
“If you ever need my help, you only have to ask,” I said. “Not sure what I could do, but I understand what it’s like to lose people you care about.”
Derrick’s eyes met mine. His had a trace of surprise. Perhaps he hadn’t expected my offer, but something made me to give it. The man had been trying to avenge his family for well over a century. If there was something I could do to help, I would.
“Thank you,” he said, giving me a solemn nod.
I was about to say something more when my senses picked up Emily’s mother. It had to be her based on the age and gender. I let Derrick know of her impending arrival. His face transformed into an expressionless mask. What was he expecting?
When she arrived at the nurse’s station, her shrill voice reached our room from forty feet away. I heard her give her name as Stephanie Druthers. The same surname Emily used. She informed the staff that she would be checking her daughter out right away and told them to give her the paperwork. They argued, but she compelled them to do what she wanted. The doctor went through the same process when he was called over. She used her vamp powers to convince them all Emily was fine and to annotate the records to reflect it.
It took a little while, but they got everything in order faster than the normal time it should have taken. Stephanie headed our way after finishing—even vamps had to make sure records appeared legit or else they’d have a bigger mess to clean up later. If it had been me, though, my priority would have been to see my daughter before anything else.
First impressions can have a big impact on how we see people, good or bad. I didn’t like Stephanie as soon as she stepped through the door. Perhaps there were some preconceived notions already in my mind, but she made them worse in person. She strode into the room, hands on her hips, and lashed out at the first person she saw. Luckily, it wasn’t me.
“Derrick, why was my daughter in the woods alone?”
Irritation flashed across his features. “Don’t know. She’s been too injured to tell us. If you had bothered to look at her, you might’ve noticed that.”
Stephanie let out an exasperated sigh and threw her hands up. “That’s easy enough to fix.”
She strutted over, used one of her long nails to slash her own wrist, and forced her daughter’s mouth open to pour blood into it. Emily started to choke, which drew protests from both me and Derrick.
“She’s my daughter and I’ll do whatever I think is necessary for her. If you paid attention you’d see she is fine now.” Stephanie gave us a pointed look.
Emily had stopped making the gagging sounds, but it had been a close thing there for a moment. She was still barking out short coughs, trying to clear her lungs. I wanted to wring her mother’s neck for being so callous. Nothing about her said “warm and loving” mom in any way.
Stephanie had been turned in her late-thirties and would be stuck with that age forever. She used a ton of make-up and brushed out her shoulder length brown hair to a shine, but her age still showed.
Most women still looked great in their thirties, but if they lived a hard life of drugs and drinking, it usually showed by that point. Stephanie hadn’t escaped the damage she’d done to her body before gaining immortality. Her eyes sagged underneath, taking away from what would have been beautiful blue ones like her daughter’s. She had some extra weight around the middle, and her skin was worn. When you combined that with her personality, it made me wonder what vampire in their right mind would have wanted to turn her. They tended to be picky about who they doled immortality out to.
It took a few minutes more for Emily’s injuries to finish healing. Derrick sat next to her and pulled the stitches off the fading wounds as the threads came loose from her skin. Fear froze her face when she opened her eyes to see her mother.
“What were you thinking?” Stephanie started in right away. “I told you not to do anything stupid and now I’ve been dragged into this mess! How hard is it to keep out of trouble, Emily Jean?”
No concern whatsoever for her daughter, who could have died. My fingernails dug into my palms. Things might have been a lot worse if Derrick and I hadn’t showed up when we did.
Emily shrunk into herself, something I remembered her doing when we first met.
“I’m sorry, mom,” she said in a tiny voice.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it this time.” Stephanie paced back and forth by the bed as she spoke. “I’ll have to think of some kind of punishment for this. You’ll learn to listen when I tell you not to do something.”
Emily turned her face away, but her shaking body and defensive posture told me all I needed to know. Derrick and I exchanged looks. Neither of us liked the direction this was headed.
Stephanie shook with anger and outrage as she continued to strut about, waving her arms. When she stopped, she turned back to her daughter and pointed a finger at her.
“I’m getting rid of the house, Emily. You’ll stay with me and Robert at Variola’s. That way I can be sure you’ll stay out of trouble. There is a cook there. As part of your punishment you can help her in the kitchen for the next month.”
Disturbed blue eyes met mine. She did not want to go to a house full of sups and I couldn’t blame her. Emily sat up with a pleading expression on her face.
“Please don’t make me go there, mom. You know I hate being around a bunch of creepy people. School is starting and I want to be closer to my friends.”
Stephanie slammed the side table. Her fist cracked the surface, making us all jump. Her fury had risen with vampiric swiftness. I sensed not an ounce of sympathy or love from this woman and doubted she had much even before her change. Vampirism only enhanced the personality that was already there.
“You’ll do what I tell you and not argue with me. I’m not in the mood to hear it.”
“But mom…”
In a move too fast to see or anticipate, she slapped her daughter’s face. The sound of it echoed through the room. Emily cradled her cheek and fresh tears spilled from her eyes. Derrick and I both stood up in unison. This had gone too far and we had to put a stop to it.
He spoke before I did. His anger rose as he enunciated each of his words in a tone that would have made most people quiver in fear. “Stephanie, that is enough. The girl just survived a bear attack and you’re makin’ things worse. There was no need to hit her.”
Stephanie didn’t bother to look at him. “Derrick, she is my daughter and no concern of yours. Someone has to discipline the ungratefu
l little wretch and I’m the only one around to do it!”
Red colored my vision.
“You bitch,” I spat out.
Stephanie turned at my words. She had nothing but disdain in her expression. “I know who you are, sensor. Don’t think you can step into my business. I’ll clean the floor with you.”
I stared at her coldly. “Give it your best shot.”
Stephanie spread a nasty grin before flying forward and knocking me into the wall. We collided with a thud. I figured she might do something like that.
My hand clutched a six inch blade I’d pulled out before drawing her attention. It had been hidden behind me. While it might be illegal in most states, including Alaska if concealed, I had opted to take my chances in carrying it and was glad I did now.
Stephanie clenched her hand around my throat, trying to choke me. I ignored the pressure and shoved the blade through her torso and up into her heart. The sharpness of it made the move easier than it might have been. The pressure released from my neck as she froze in shock. Her heart had stopped beating in order to preserve her life. My free arm grabbed her when she started to collapse. Derrick stepped in to help by propping her up from behind.
My hand twitched with the urge to draw another weapon and remove the stupid woman’s head. As a vampire, she’d turn to dust and there wouldn’t be a body for anyone to find. A broom and dustpan could remove any evidence that remained. But she was Emily’s mother. The young girl might be permanently traumatized if she watched her mom die in front of her. Especially after what she’d already been through. Kids tended to love their parents, flaws and all.
The frightened blue eyes staring at me from the hospital bed kept me from it. Stephanie might not be able to move, but she was aware of her surroundings. Derrick stayed close as I mulled over what to do. His lips twitched. I sensed amusement coming from him. It reassured me he wouldn’t interfere.
I stared deep into the eyes of the woman before me and gave her my coldest look. Never again would she touch Emily if I could help it.
“That door you came through,” my head nodded toward it, “you’re going to walk right back out of it as soon as this knife comes out.”
She blinked.
“When you leave, don’t look back. I’ll care for Emily from now on so you can go on being the stupid bitch you are without affecting a young girl’s life. You’ve done enough to her already.”
I drew the knife out enough so that it was no longer all the way in her heart.
“Say ‘yes’ if you understand.”
“Yes,” Stephanie gritted out between clenched teeth.
No doubt the blade continued to cause some discomfort. Good. She needed a wake-up call and a little pain would give that extra special jolt to push her along.
“Don’t try anything stupid either. I promise…you will regret it.”
My hand twisted the blade for emphasis. She cried out as the hole in her chest widened and blood trickled down her shirt. I smiled. “Please, give me a reason to really hurt you. It wouldn’t be all that hard to take you down.”
At my nod, Derrick stepped back to give me space. I shoved her toward the door, letting the knife come free of her chest. Stephanie stumbled, but didn’t fall before reaching the exit.
She paused to give me a venomous look. “One day, I’ll make you pay for this.”
My brows lifted. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
“It should,” she replied.
A wave of my knife had her fleeing out into the hallway. Good thing she wasn’t one of those vamps who enjoyed pain—that would have made things more difficult. I’d noted a stagger in her step—it would take her a while to heal.
“Nicely played,” Derrick told me with a grin. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t cause any more trouble.”
“Thanks,” I said.
He took the knife from me and cleaned it before returning it. My hands still shook with anger. There were few times in my life when I’d ever been that furious, but seeing Stephanie hit Emily pushed me beyond my limits. I took a few calming breaths and turned to the girl in question.
Her lip quivered as our gazes met. “Did you mean what you said, Mel? That I could stay with you?”
I went over to her and eased myself onto the side of the bed. My chest was beginning to hurt again. The pain killers must have started wearing off.
“Of course I did, Em. Why would you think otherwise?”
Tears filled her eyes once more. “You didn’t come. I waited for days and it was like you disappeared and left me. Even Derrick wasn’t coming around. That’s why I was out in the woods. It seemed like no one cared about me anymore, so nothing mattered.”
I rubbed my face in frustration and wanted to kick myself. Things had gotten so crazy after Variola and her crew captured me that I hadn’t had a chance to deal with anything else. Not to mention with Derrick so close all the time it didn’t seem like a good idea.
Not knowing what else to do, I hugged her. She gripped me tight, as if hanging on for dear life.
“I’m so sorry, Em. Something happened and I couldn’t come visit you, but I’m here now. Please don’t cry.” She was sobbing into my chest as my hands rubbed her back in comfort.
Taking on a teenager at this point in my life was not the best idea, but letting her stay with her mother would have been worse. Besides, based on Derrick’s concerned gaze, he would watch out for her too. We’d figure the rest out after everything was over and see what to do from there. No way would her mother ever get near her again if I could help it.
After Emily calmed down, I pulled away. She had red, swollen eyes and one very puffy cheek, but otherwise didn’t look to be in too bad of shape. The fear was gone and she even managed a small smile for me.
“Let’s get you changed and leave this place, okay?”
She nodded in agreement. Ten minutes later we were headed to her house to grab all her belongings before going to the cabin. Tomorrow, I’d take her shopping for anything else she needed. At least she appeared happy to be coming with us. I wondered how I kept digging myself deeper into the drama surrounding Fairbanks.
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later I found myself sitting in a Cessna 180 bush-plane. The engine roared in my ears and took me back to my days of jumping from planes. Only this time, I didn’t have a parachute. Derrick had assured me the pilot knew what he was doing after I’d eyed the old plane with wariness.
We’d dropped Emily off at school that morning so at least she wasn’t sitting alone at the cabin. A bus could bring her back, which worked out in case we couldn’t return in time. She had wanted to come along with us, excited by the prospect of flying, but I didn’t want her missing her first day of class. Summer break was over and she needed some normalcy in her life.
I’d gotten the idea of using a plane after our tour on the riverboat cruise. Derrick had agreed it would be a faster and more effective way to search. We were both tired of driving through endless forests and wanted to get the hunt for Nikolas over with.
Derrick called in a favor from a hunting friend of his and we were able to find a pilot to fly us around. To our benefit, the guy had nothing more important to do and the money he got out of the deal made it worth his time. He didn’t mind our non-specific purpose for his services. All he knew was he had to fly certain patterns, which Derrick gave him as we went along.
The one drawback to flying was the large amount of sups popping up on my radar gave me constant mental whiplash. Some of the fae inhabited areas outside of Fairbanks, along with quite a number of werewolves, vampires, and other creatures who might have given me nightmares if I ever came across them in person. I supposed if you wanted to live in Alaska, it wasn’t for the civilization, but for the remoteness and privacy.
My senses were going into overload because of it, though. The plane moved much faster than a car and it stayed close enough to the ground so that everything popping up hit me harder than usual. I rubbed my temples trying to e
ase the ache. It had been an hour, and though there were some older sups around, none hit the millennia mark.
I gazed out at the scenery and a wave of awe came over me. Nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of Alaska until I viewed it from a bush-plane. There were dense forests all over; along with swamps and open grass areas to break the sea of trees up and give some variety. The immediate land around the city was mostly flat with some rolling hills interspersed around it, and in the distance, mountains rose to make for an amazing backdrop. When you added the rivers, lakes, and streams that could be seen all over, the place took on a mystic quality.
Derrick ordered the pilot to turn east toward the town of Fox. We’d been flying over the land west of Fairbanks and had turned up nothing. It had been a long shot for the vampire to have come this far, but it had been an area we’d needed to rule out.
Our next destination came much higher on the list of potential areas. It had a large amount of private property that couldn’t be crossed on the ground without risking trouble. Flying alleviated this problem. If we found something, we could plan a way to avoid notice when checking it out.
My senses fired up not long after we passed over the town to continue north. I pulled my gaze to the area below and found an old mineshaft dug deep into the ground. No activity appeared to be there now, so they must have stopped using it. This region was well known for gold mining operations, including the Ft. Knox gold mine, where they continued to produce a hefty amount of U.S. gold. That wasn’t what drew my interest, though. It was the twelve hundred year old vampire resting somewhere down there.
I’d done a lot of thinking since chatting with Charlie the last time he visited. He’d been right that Variola needed to be brought down. She couldn’t be allowed to stay in power, but I couldn’t take her out on my own—someone much stronger had to help. If the shaman believed the older vampire could handle the job, and be a better leader, I had to hope he was right.
It couldn’t be all about me and my concerns anymore. I needed to consider the innocent human lives in this region. The bodies Derrick and I had found showed far too many deaths had already occurred. We needed to put a stop to it. Charlie acted confident we could save Aniya. I had to believe he understood the dangers, or else my friend’s life would be over.