by Amy Richie
“To save Miranda.”
“I…”
“I’ll be back soon,” he cut me off. Then he turned and disappeared into the trees.
Chapter 21
Miranda sat alone, staring into the low fire. Owen had built it back up a little for her, but it still wasn’t very high. I crossed the camp as quickly as my limp would allow and sat down beside her.
“How’s your leg?” she asked without looking at me.
“It’s ok. Probably not going to be able to climb any mountains or anything.”
She grinned. “I wouldn’t be able to even without a bum leg.”
“You could if you had to,” I sulked.
“And have you…you know, had to before?” Her smile was brief and almost sad. Was she seriously asking if the sisters had ever made me climb a mountain?
“No, I just meant…”
“I know what you meant,” she gently cut me off. “You’ve had a hard life.”
“That’s not what I meant either.” I corrected.
“Then, what did you mean?”
I took a deep breath. I had actually only been pouting, but maybe it did mean more than that. “I just mean that you can do a lot—more than you could imagine—when you don’t have any other choice.”
“You’re just stronger than most humans.”
Paris had said the same thing but I wasn’t sure if that was exactly true. I just wasn’t as afraid as most other humans. “I don’t think I have any super strength or anything.”
“But Lexi, you do. You’re not afraid of anything, at least I don’t think you are.”
I was afraid out there when the wolves were surrounding me. I thought for sure I was a goner. Werewolf baby maker. No way, though. I would rather die. My fingers lightly brushed the hidden knife. “I don’t know,” I murmured.
Miranda had a calming affect about her. Sitting close to her, I felt my anger ebbing away. She had her head resting on her knees, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’re not afraid, are you?” she asked me softly.
“No.” She meant afraid of the wolves, which I wasn’t. There was a hint of worry that the sisters would leave without me, though. “I’m not afraid of the wolves, not right now. They’ll chase them away.”
She regarded me with slightly narrowed eyes. “You have a lot of trust in the sisters.” It was a statement.
“Don’t you—in Owen and Addison?”
A pained look streaked across her face but then was gone. “I wish they had stayed here,” she almost whispered.
“Because you’re afraid the wolves will come?” Hadn’t she heard what I said? The wolves wouldn’t be back for a while. She could relax.
“No,” she lifted her head with a flourish, “I don’t want them to be hurt out there. Owen,” her voice cracked, “he won’t be careful.”
“And Addison?”
She nodded. “And Addison.” A tear zigzagged down her face and dripped off her chin. “Aren’t you worried about the sisters at all?”
“No.” The sisters were fast and smart. If it came to it, they would run and they would get away easily. I wasn’t worried about those three. I hoped Paris would be as smart. The thought formed before I could stop it.
“Isn’t it strange, Lexi?” she asked in a husky voice, pulling me away from my disturbing thoughts.
“What’s strange?”
“How different the world has become in such a short time.”
“It’s been ten years since Jewell,” I added to her melancholy memories.
“I was only a kid when Jewell hit,” she said with sadness.
“Me, too.”
“My mom was a complete mess.”
“You mean… Your mom survived?”
“If you want to say that. She couldn’t cope with losing Dad and my brother.”
“So she just left you on your own,” I concluded.
“I managed okay for a long while.” She played absently with her fingers, lost in her own memories. “There were other kids in my neighborhood that were a lot like me. We joined forces and were able to get food most days.”
“And your mom?”
“Oh, I took her food, too.”
“But she never… I mean she didn’t get better?”
She shook her head. “They had homes for people like her. Once I met up with Philip, he took her to one of them. She’s probably still there.”
“You haven’t seen her since.” I couldn’t imagine just dropping my mother off in some home and running off with a vamp. “Did you ever want to?”
“Um,” her eyes squinted as she considered. What was there to think about, though? It was her mother—even if she did go crazy. A lot of people went mad after Jewell. And the homes they put them in… I guess I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to see her in there. “I didn’t really give her much thought. I tried not to.”
“You might still visit—one day,” I suggested.
“Not very likely.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant because she wouldn’t want to see her again, or she just thought she wouldn’t survive long enough to be able to. I decided not to ask. I wasn’t very good with comfort words anyways. “Probably not.” I wiped some mud clumps from the bottom of my pants.
“Were both your parents killed by the asteroid?”
“No,” I shook my head, “my parents weren’t killed by Jewell,” I answered before I could really stop myself.
“Then how did you…end up a vampet?” She shrugged awkwardly. “Most of us are just… Alone.”
“I’m not a pet.”
“They just let you tag along?”
I could see why she would have trouble believing that. It’s not like the sisters were exactly the club starting type. “They… They didn’t really have much of a choice.”
“Why not?”
“My parents were killed by a…friend of theirs.” Friends wasn’t the right word, but how did I explain Damien Letrell? “And he convinced them to let me stay with them.”
“Have you ever…you know, thought about becoming one of them?”
“A vampire?” We both flinched at the volume my voice had reached.
“Yes,” she hissed with a smile, “a vampire.”
Her question completely threw me off. I had never even considered the possibility of becoming one of them. But she had thought of it. My eyes widened slightly at the realization. Did she want to be one of them?
“No,” I finally answered, “I’ve never thought of it.”
“Oh, come on, never?”
“Never.”
She seemed to believe me. “It would make things easier, though.”
“They don’t have an easy life.” I remembered all the times they had left me at some hotel or another while they had to deal with things they didn’t want me to see.
“I guess not,” she agreed solemnly. Her face was twisted with worry and uncertainty, but she was different than the other pets. I had known that when I first saw her.
“At least they don’t have to worry about being a werewolf girlfriend.”
She laughed lightly and I found myself smiling back despite the scene around us. It was the least funny moment I had ever been in, but Miranda and I were sitting there smiling like fools. What was wrong with us?
“We should probably be crying, or,” she shook her head quickly, “I don’t know—screaming.” She laughed again.
“I was just thinking the same.” I giggled. “There is nothing funny about any of this.”
“Indeed not.”
“Giant wolves…” I laughed harder.
“I know… Trying to get us.” She pushed her hand into her side.
“This is not funny,” I shushed her, to very little avail.
“I know,” she gasped. Her hand flew up to press into her mouth.
I didn’t show any such reservation though, laughing outright at nothing that was funny. “But, you know,” I said after I could finally talk again, “you and I are going to be ok.”
“Are you thinking about running again?”
“Would you come with me if I did?”
She was already shaking her head, though, her smile tight. “I’m not leaving here without them.”
“You mean Addison?”
“And Owen.”
“Yeah.” Her dedication to the vamps was baffling. If it came to it, I would leave without the sisters. They would expect me to.
“Anyways,” she laid her head back on her arm, “It’s not like we’re any safer out there.”
She was probably right, really. The fire and the other vamps were at least making the wolves hesitate. They wouldn’t keep them out for much longer, but for now at least, it was safer here.
Across the fire, the girl with the bright red hair sat with tears streaming silently down her face. Her shoulders were slumped but her face was raised up to face the fire. From the vacant look in her eyes, I wasn’t entirely sure if she even felt the fire.
In fact, all around the camp was an air of defeat. The pets weren’t scared anymore, but only because they had given up. They knew that the likelihood of us making it out of the woods alive wasn’t good.
It didn’t matter what they thought, though, I wasn’t giving up quite so easily. Even if I was the only one left, I would be here when they returned for me. And they would. They had to.
My stomach growled furiously, cramping painfully. I put my hand over it, but it didn’t help any. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had eaten. Was it at the hotel? Was that just last night?
“How do we get food around here?” I looked around, but saw nothing.
“The vamps will get it.”
“How?”
She shrugged awkwardly, her position on the ground making it more difficult. “They just do.”
The nearest town we had found was far away. “I wish they would right now.” I rubbed my stomach again.
“Too bad Paris wasn’t here, he would go for you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” My nose wrinkled at her insinuation.
“I see the way you watch him.”
My face burned red. “I do not!”
She tucked her chin into her elbow to hide her smile. “And I see the way he watches you, too.” My face flushed again. “Watching each other when you think no one notices.”
“That is… Not true.”
“Why is Paris so interested in you anyways?”
I scowled her way. “He’s not.”
“He wants to keep you safe.”
“He was sent to get me.”
“To save you from the sisters?”
“I don’t need saved from them. I like being with them.”
“Even if it is dangerous.”
“So?” It was like arguing with Paris all over again.
She held up both hands in surrender. “I like running with vamps, too. I know how you feel.”
Remembering the way she looked at Addison and Owen, I doubted very seriously if we felt the same about the vamps.
“I can’t imagine having a normal, human life.”
“I’m pretty sure normal had been redefined anyways.”
I rolled my eyes with a scoff. “I think you’re right about that.”
“I’m right about Paris, too,” she insisted.
“Paris? What about him?”
“He likes you.” Her face broke into a wide grin at the childish banter.
“I’m his mission.”
“Oh, I’ll say.”
“Stop it.” I swatted her leg playfully. “He just…wants to take me back to his brother.”
“Mmm.” She yawned wide. “I don’t think so, Lexi,” she mumbled.
“You’re delusional,” I clicked my tongue. “Probably from lack of sleep.”
“I am kind of tired,” she admitted.
It was easy to see that it was more than just ‘kind of.’ “You go to sleep.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll sleep, too.”
She smiled weakly. “When we wake up, maybe they’ll be back.”
“Maybe.” Maybe not. “You’ll have your boyfriend back.”
“And you’ll have yours,” she replied while she still could.
I watched Miranda’s eyes flutter closed with a sigh already on my lips. I had never given much thought about boyfriends and other such nonsense before I met Paris. Not that I was interested in him like that or anything.
I shook my head to clear any such thoughts. Paris was here on a mission to get me, to take me back with him. I wasn’t about to start thinking foolishly about him—no matter what Miranda said.
I stretched myself out on the ground beside Miranda. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, but I didn’t fall directly asleep like I thought I would.
Why couldn’t I get Paris Letrell out of my head?
Chapter 22
I opened my eyes slowly, glad that it was still daylight. That meant not very much time had gone by yet. And one thing was clear to me before I even sat up—they weren’t back yet. I stayed where I was, willing my eyes to close again. Things were easier when I was sleeping.
It didn’t work, though. Now that I was awake, all my senses were hyper alert. I didn’t have senses like a vampire, but I knew how to be quiet and listen. They weren’t anywhere close to the fire, but maybe they were back in camp.
I wanted to jump up and go find them, but something held me in place. It was strange for me to feel so much doubt and confusion. All this time the sisters told me what to do each step of the way. I didn’t have to make many decisions on my own. Not important ones anyway.
When this was all over, I would probably have to go with Paris, I realized. If he didn’t leave me to the wolves, he wouldn’t give up for the sisters either. What did Kiera want me for? Was it true that she just thought I was in danger living with the sisters?
That couldn’t be the whole truth, though. Why would she care what happened to me? She was some all-powerful vampire queen—she shouldn’t even know I exist. Surely one human girl was beneath her notice?
Maybe there was some hope. If she was just going to kill me, she would have told Paris to do so. Not take me to Blakesly House. If I just went there and let her know that I wanted to stay where I was, she wouldn’t care if I lived with the sisters. But if it was my choice and not Damien’s order—would they even let me stay? I sighed and looked out at the other vamps.
Even the vamps and pets who weren’t sleeping were not talking. I glanced wearily around the fire. There was a strange sort of silence around the camp. I didn’t see the sisters sitting around, but that didn’t mean they weren’t back yet. Maybe my earlier impression had been off. If it was later than I thought, they could be back. The camp wasn’t that big, though.
I rolled to my side with a wince, trying to get a better look without actually moving much. If I could just see that they were back, I could try to sleep some more. Sleep would be nice. I rubbed my eyes roughly.
Most of the pets were sleeping I saw, only the vamps sat at their weary posts. That’s why the camp was so quiet. The crying and whimpering were gone, making it that much more eerie.
One of the vampires caught my eye, a young woman with long brown hair that she kept in a low ponytail at the bottom of her neck. Her hand brushed lightly along the forehead of her pet, who was lying across her lap. There was intense despair in her eyes, a sadness that nearly took my breath away.
I was relieved when she finally looked away. Miranda was right, the pets were like their children. The woman might look young, but I had no doubt that she was hundreds of years old. And all the pets would have been just children when Jewell hit, likely leaving them orphans. Borrowed sadness washed over me. The pets wouldn’t make it. They would be forced to leave them in the end.
Miranda was wrong about me, though. The sisters didn’t see me as their child, but I was their responsibility.
I rose to my feet slowly, gingerly testing the pain in my leg now that I had slept on it for
so long. It was stiff and sorer than it had been before, but I could walk on it. I looked back at Miranda, but she still didn’t stir. A vampire across the fire looked up at me, but obviously didn’t see me as a threat. He didn’t get up.
I took a few steps away from the fire, still careful on my sore leg. I was surprised at how well I could walk, though, considering that a werewolf had just gashed out a chunk of my leg. Maybe I was tougher than I gave myself credit for. My lips twisted up slightly, but I stopped myself before it could be a full blown smile.
Being tough wasn’t exactly a compliment. I recalled Paris’s eyes when he told me the same thing—that I was tough—and warmth heated my face. I guess it could be a compliment—sort of. I shrugged the thought off, I needed to find the sisters, if they were here.
A quick look around the fire confirmed what I already knew, that they weren’t in sight. I made my way quickly to the nest and ducked inside. I had to be careful not to bend my leg too much so the stitches didn’t rip out.
It didn’t matter, though. The nest was empty. I scanned the woods just outside, but didn’t see anything there either. I considered calling out to them, but quickly discarded that plan. I didn’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention.
I walked back through the quiet camp, gaining no new insights. I did find two large wooden crates, though. Inside were piles of food. Bread, apples, wrapped packages.
My stomach lurched at the sight of so much food. Where had it all come from? Was it possible that one of the vamps had left, only to come back? I leaned my face close to the bread and inhaled deeply. I could almost taste that doughy softness. Were we allowed to just take it?
I looked around for help, but no one was paying me any attention. If it was someone else’s food, they didn’t seem to care much about it. Miranda had said the vamps would get us food, but I couldn’t imagine one of them leaving and then coming back. Yet, here was a pile of food that wasn’t here when I went to sleep.
They had gone. I wished I knew which one, that way I could ask how many wolves were still out there. I needed to focus on what was important though. We were here at the camp and my stomach was twisted in hunger. Miranda was probably not far behind me.
I scooped up two of the apples and a loaf of the bread. I had been eating an awful lot of bread these past few days, I smiled wryly. I wanted to rummage through the box and see what the wrapped packages were, but I still wasn’t completely sure whose food it was. Maybe it would be better to just hurry away with what I had.