by M. K. Dawn
“Tito,” Nikko explained, “ordered his pack to free the townspeople from being held hostage by any means necessary. I assume the vampires resisted.”
Resisted was an understatement. Samantha didn’t know how she hadn’t notice it before. Scattered among the wreckage were dozens of bodies—vampires or wolves he couldn’t tell—all on the verge of decomposition. “Does a werewolf's bite kill a vampire?”
“No,” Nikko replied. “When in wolf form, our strength is equal to that of a vampire.”
Darrien faced them. “Their secret weapon is not their bite, but their claws. When they pierce a vampire’s heart, it’s instant death.”
Samantha stared out the window at the mangled bodies. “Everything I know about our race is a lie, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry,” Darrien reached back and lightly smacked her leg, “I’ll give you a brief history lesson on the way to the boat. Wait. How long’s the drive?”
Nikko furrowed his brow. “Four, maybe five hours.”
“Detailed history lesson it is.”
Samantha forced a smile. “Thanks, Darrien.”
Ethan navigated around the parking lot of what Samantha assumed was Evie’s apartment complex and parked parallel to the building in the direction of the exit.
Darrien glanced out the window. “Nice parking job. Think you may be over the line a little.”
Ethan glared. “Makes it easier for a quick getaway.”
“Didn’t know we were pulling a heist.” Darrien drummed on the dashboard. “Would have packed my ski mask.”
“Weird.” Evie opened the back door. “I’ve never seen this place so empty. Do you think the wolves helped these people get out of town as well? From the Council’s broadcast, it didn’t look like there were that many Sanguines—vampires—in town. Is it me, or is anyone else struggling with the new terminology?”
For Samantha, there was something instinctual inside her that allowed the word “vampire” to roll off her tongue as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I have always known Sanguines were vampires,” Nikko answered when no one else responded, “so the opposite is true. It is ingrained in the soul—to know who they are and who their enemy is.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Evie jumped out of the Suburban. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait,” Ethan called out. “Maybe we should all go.”
Evie slammed the door. “That won’t be necessary. There’s nobody here and it will only take a minute.”
“Correction: there are no vehicles here,” Darrien said. “See the difference?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Nikko lifted the back hatch and climbed out. “The sun is almost up, and Ethan is the only one who can navigate us out of town. I will go with Evie. Plus, I want to make sure she remembers the phone.”
“Thank you, Nikko.” Ethan let out a heavy breath. “If there is any sign of danger…”
Nikko nodded and followed Evie up the stairwell.
Minutes ticked by with no sign of trouble.
Darrien flipped through a case until he found music to listen to. “And they say CDs are dead.”
Samantha continued to stare out the window. Daylight peeked over the horizon, though not enough to shed light on their surroundings. The cluster of trees between Evie’s building the next cast shadows that played with her mind. She swore it looked as if something moved between them. “What is that?”
“I didn’t hear anything.” Darrien bounced his head to whatever pop song played.
Another shadow darted between the trees.
“Turn that down,” Samantha snapped.
Ethan hit the mute button, bringing an abrupt silence to the vehicle.
A couple of seconds passed before Ethan spoke. “I still don’t hear anything. Darrien?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Samantha?” Ethan pressed. “What is it?”
She squinted, trying to get a better look; her exceptional eyesight unable to focus through the developing morning fog. “I’m not sure. I saw something. By the trees between the buildings.”
“Are you sure?” Darrien sounded more annoyed than anything. “Shadows and the morning haze plus the wind moving the branches around. The combination can play hell with your sight.”
“It wasn’t a shadow.” The conviction she felt a second ago faltered. “At least I don’t think it was.”
Darrien flipped the music back on and danced in his seat. “Next time be sure before interrupting my jam.”
“Turn it off.” Ethan punched the mute button again. “I heard something that time.”
“Not you too. You’re being para—” Darrien snapped his head towards Evie’s building. “Okay, that sounded like a crash.”
Ethan’s eyes darted to the clock. “What time did they head up?”
Samantha glanced up at the building. “Shit!” Is he carrying Evie?” Samantha swung her door open and bolted out. As soon as the sun hit her skin, she screamed and darted back into the SUV. “God, that hurt.” Like someone poured gasoline on her and lit it on fire.
Darrien grabbed her arm. “Are you crazy? We are v…a…m…p…i…r…e…s. Sun is bad. Sun is hot. Sun burns.”
She smacked his hands away. “Shut up, Darrien. I forgot.”
“In the back,” Ethan yelled, throwing up the hatch.
Nikko laid Evie down and climbed in beside her. “Ethan, go. Get us out of here.”
“I can drive.” Darrien scooted over.
“What about the sun?” Nikko asked.
Darrien lifted his hand against the front windshield. “No pain. I’m good. Just tell me which direction to head.”
“South. To the coast.”
“Got it.” Darrien threw the car in gear and hit the gas.
Samantha flung forward at the unexpected motion. “Careful.”
“Sorry, it's a bit touchy.”
Out the back window, two men—Tito and a man with dark skin and piercing blue eyes—watched as they sped away. “They’re not following us. Why aren’t they following us?”
“They’re not going to.” Nikko searched through all the storage compartments.
“Why not?” Darrien asked, keeping his eyes on the road. “Don’t they want Samantha?”
“Yes, but now he knows we will come to them.” Nikko pulled out a first aid kit. “Wolves love to seek revenge.”
Ethan remained quiet, hovering over his injured sister.
“Revenge?” Samantha tried to get a better look at Evie’s injuries. “What did they do to her?”
“One of Tito’s wolves bit her.”
The Suburban fishtailed and Darrien quickly got it back under control. “Sorry. Did you say a wolf bit her?”
“Yes,” Nikko gritted through his teeth. “Bastards.”
Samantha scanned the somber faces of the men in the vehicle. “What does that mean? Will she transform into a werewolf?”
Nikko met her eyes. “We don’t know.”
“But she has the same genes as Ethan.” Samantha pressed her lips together. “He survived, so why wouldn’t she?”
“How many women did you see at Tito’s compound?” Ethan asked as he dabbed the wounded arm of his unconscious sister.
She thought back. It wasn’t like they allowed her to roam the grounds, but during the training, she remembered a few women. “Not many, I guess. The doctor for sure. I could smell it in her blood.”
“It's rare for women to carry a strong enough werewolf gene to complete the transition.” Nikko’s eyes darted to Evie. “So rare in fact it is no longer attempted. The women you saw—a half a dozen at most—were the lucky few. Those who do not transform die.”
Samantha hid her face in her palms as she tried to calm the panic constricting her chest. “What are you trying to say? Evie’s going to…”
“Die?” Ethan barked. “No. Evie will not die. We come from a long line of pack leaders. The gene runs strong in our blood. She’ll b
e fine.”
A scream escaped Evie’s lips and Ethan wrapped his arms around his sister. “It’s okay, Evie. The pain will fade.”
“How long does the transformation take? Until we know for sure?” It killed Samantha to see Evie and Ethan suffering.
“If she has not transformed in a few days, a week at the most…” Nikko shook his head.
“When does the boat leave?” Darrien asked as he merged onto the empty highway.
“Less than that.” Nikko settled into the back seat. “If she is not well before then, I am not sure what we will do. The captain will not let us board with her displaying any signs of illness.”
“It won’t matter,” Ethan rocked his sister in his arms, brushing her damp hair out of her pale face. “She’ll complete the transformation by then.”
Samantha leaned her head against the headrest, praying he was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Lookie there, water at last.” Darrien rolled to a stop. “We’re at the end of the road, ladies and gentlemen.” Literally. Nothing left but the great big ocean in front of them. “Where do we go next? I’m thinking a hotel is out of the question.”
Samantha leaned closer and removed the earplug from Darrien’s right ear. “She’s settled now. The second round of sedatives seems to be working.”
A couple hours back, they had stopped in a small town to get gas and food. Nikko had come prepared with a wad of cash. Across the street was an emergency clinic they figured would stock lots of goodies including sedatives and bagged blood. He’d gotten the ear plugs from the gas station. Evie’s screaming played hell on his concentration.
It hadn’t taken much effort to get the items they needed. The medical center was closed, which Ethan said was odd for a hospital. Darrien figured it had to do with the collapse of the Immortal Council. Word had gotten around, and the humans had gone into hiding—a smart move, considering it was only a matter of time before vampires started hunting for their next meal.
“Take a left,” Nikko said. “On the edge of town there’s an abandoned subdivision that was wrecked by a hurricane a few years back. A lot of the houses were destroyed, but there’s a few left standing.”
“Are they safe?” Samantha asked.
“They’ll do.”
Darrien veered left. “Where do we catch the boat?”
“At the stop sign we were just at, you would take a right.”
Samantha leaned over the back of the seat. “The bite looks better, doesn’t it? That’s a good sign, right?”
Darrien’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and he caught of a glimpse of Ethan’s distraught face. Samantha had been trying to stay positive, reassuring Ethan every time he looked as if he was on the verge of a breakdown. Darrien wasn’t sure how much her little pep talks were working. Ethan looked like hell, and from Nikko’s somber expression, so did Evie.
“She needs rest.” Ethan slumped against the side of the vehicle. “All this bumping around isn’t helping.”
Up ahead, the abandoned subdivision came into view. Nikko hadn’t exaggerated when he said the storm had destroyed most of the houses. He drove down the pothole-ridden street, keeping his eyes out for a house that didn’t look like it would collapse at any moment.
“There is one at the end,” Nikko suggested. “The corner. See it?”
Darrien picked up speed and pulled into the driveway of the concrete structure. “It has an ocean view.”
Samantha climbed over the console and into the front seat. “It looks stable.”
“Nikko opened the back and climbed out. “I’ll check it out. See if I can get the garage open so you can pull in and avoid the sun.”
“I’ve never seen the ocean before.” Samantha sighed. “It really is beautiful.”
“With the sun reflecting off the water, it’ll leave a nasty burn too.”
She rotated so her body faced him. “This is how it was before the Great Reveal? Living in darkness?”
Darrien didn’t understand why that was such a big deal. “Yes. Same as we did after.”
“I know, but we could go in the sun. It was uncomfortable, but if we wanted to, we could. I wonder if the witches know why and how to fix it—fix it all.”
“Fix it all?” He cocked his head. “What do you mean by that? You want to go back to how things were? With the vampires being deceived into believing they’re something they’re not?”
She crossed her arms. “Would that be so bad?”
Before Darrien had a chance to answer, the garage door opened and Nikko waved them inside. He closed the door behind them and Darrien hopped out of the vehicle.
“The windows are gone and there’s a lot of stuff lying around. It smells like mold and I think the rats and maybe raccoons call this place home, but it is stable.”
“A silver lining among the horror.” Darrien patted him on the back. “Thanks, brother.”
Ethan exited the back with Evie cradled in his arms. “Is there a room I can put her in; one where she can rest?”
“There is a master bedroom is to the right of the kitchen.” Nikko opened the door to the house for him. “With a bed. It is not pretty.”
Ethan headed inside as Samantha came up beside Darrien, the little food and blood they had left in hand. “I’ll put this inside and then I’m going to find somewhere to sleep, if there is such a place.”
“Try a closet,” Darrien yelled after her. She responded with her middle finger.
Darrien snorted. “It was a serious suggestion. No windows mean no sunlight.”
“I need to go to the shipyard and meet with the captain,” Nikko said.
“Isn’t he expecting us?”
“He is, but I would like to ensure all is ready for our arrival and I need to pay our way.”
He’d figured. “How much?”
“Does it matter?” A tight smile found his lips. “You have no money. I have been saving for hundreds of years.”
“I have money, just no way to access it.” Which was true if their banking system had survived the attack. “Maybe.”
“I am not sure how long money will be a viable source of payment.”
Darrien rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Have you heard anything about what’s happening in the Immortal Realm?”
“Not a word.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Agreed.” Nikko held his hands out. “Can I have the keys? I will not be too long and will look for additional supplies, though they may be scarce. There are few who call this town home.”
“Am I to assume they will provide provisions on the boat?”
Nikko climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. “Blood? No.”
Darrien held back the slew of swears he wanted to utter. “How long’s the trip?”
“Long. Will you and Samantha be able to stand the hunger until we make landfall?”
Darrien yawned. “Doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice.”
“I will see if I can find some to take with us.”
Darrien closed the door behind him and headed inside. The living room was brighter than he expected. He and Samantha would have to be careful walking around in here during the day.
The wall to wall windows opened to the sea, allowing in a warm, salty breeze. He’d heard the ocean had a calming effect. If it weren’t for the blistering sun, Darrien figured the sound of waves crashing into the shore might ease some of his tension.
“It’s nice here.” Ethan closed the master bedroom door and joined Darrien in the kitchen. “I mean, besides the shit everywhere.”
Darrien passed him a bag of food. “You need to eat something. Doesn’t do Evie any good if you faint.”
“Faint?” Ethan ripped into a package of jerky and took a bite. “Not going to happen.”
“You’re not as indestructible as you think you are.”
Ethan shrugged.
Darrien had known a lot of wolves in his days
, and all had the same dismissive attitude. “You can die. It might take a little effort, but it’s not impossible.”
“I know.” Ethan rummaged through the supplies and opened a bag of chips. “I’ll be careful. Happy?”
Darrien studied Ethan for a while as he stuffed his face. “I’m not sure I like your newfound attitude. It’s too much like…” He paused, trying to come up with the right word.
“You.” Samantha entered the living room, hugging close to the wall to avoid the sun. “He’s like Darrien junior.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Is that a compliment?”
She smiled—the first real smile Darrien had seen since before they turned themselves in to the Immortal Council. “I haven’t decided.”
The garage door opened and Nikko came bursting inside. “We have a problem.”
Darrien dropped his head. “What a surprise.”
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
“I spoke with the captain. They are ahead of schedule and leaving tonight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ethan rubbed his temple in a useless attempt to erase the bomb Nikko had dropped. “When?”
“I got him to push his departure until after sunset.”
Darrien banged his fist against the counter. “How much did that cost you?”
Nikko didn’t hesitate. “Almost everything I had left.”
“Dammit, Nikko,” Darrien shook his head. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Like I said earlier, it is only a matter of time before paper money becomes obsolete.”
Ethan glanced at the master bedroom. “What about Evie? Will he look the other way if we bring her on unconscious?”
“If he believes she is ill, no.” Nikko didn’t hold any punches.
Samantha chewed her bottom lip. “What do we do? We can’t leave her. Besides her being our friend, she’s the only one of us that knows about the witches.”
“We have her notes,” Darrien reminded them.
Ethan threw the small notebook on the counter. “I’ve gone through this thing backwards and forwards. We need Evie to explain what the hell it all means. Her notes are half-assed and in her shorthand. Plus, I’m not leaving without her—not in the condition she’s in.”