I watched her file her nails and roll her eyes at some of the other stories, while appearing bored by the whole thing. Her tough girl routine was starting to show signs of cracking if you looked close enough. When Max mentioned waiting around for his mom after karate practice and finally going outside to check for her, she froze, staring hard at the nail file as he described how he found her lying next to their family sedan in a pool of her own blood.
She readjusted her position on the couch and cracked her neck in discomfort when Brody explained coming home from the movies with friends and a body smashing into the windshield of their car. She exhaled a shaky breath after hearing how the vampire ripped the car doors free to tear his friends apart until another car passed and stopped to call for help.
“Helen saved me from going crazy. That’s what everyone else was saying about me, and I would’ve cracked if she hadn’t recruited me,” Brody finished.
“This shit is getting depressing,” Allison snapped.
Yeah, she was totally fine.
I glanced at Sophie, who hunched over, her eyes on the floor, wet streaks tracking down her cheeks. She moved her glasses up to brush away the tears. Everyone else grew quiet, and as I scanned their faces, they seemed lost in their own thoughts and grief.
“Well, I guess I’ll let you guys get some rest. I promise I’ll get to the bottom of all this. I just want you to know you’re safe here for as long as you need to be,” I added.
“Wait, what?” Max stood and glared at me, his deep brown eyes burning with betrayal. “You’re trying to ditch us already, Lucy? We’re supposed to be in this fight together!”
“It’s not like that Max. I just want you guys as safe as possible. I can’t lose any of you. Even Allison.”
“Gee, thanks,” she replied.
I smiled at her.
“Lucy, this is bullshit,” Brody so helpfully supplied.
“Guys, please. It’s been a rough week. I don’t want to argue.”
Allison rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’d prefer you not get me killed, anyway.”
“Fine,” Max snapped sharply.
“Fine?” I asked skeptically.
“I don’t want to argue tonight either. We’ll discuss it more tomorrow.”
Great. This was going to be a tough sell.
I said goodnight to everyone and headed upstairs to Gavin’s and my penthouse. So weird.
By the time I returned, he was already out cold. I guess the activities of the past week had finally caught up to him. I stood at the bedroom doorway, marveling at the bare chest on display above the sheet. The urge to curl up next to him was strong, but not as strong as my curiosity.
He tried hiding something from me earlier, and I just happened to stumble upon the perfect opportunity to find out what that was. He was drained from his whole ordeal and would probably be knocked out for hours.
Snagging my new key on the way out, I closed the door softly behind me.
7
Getting distracted by a damsel in distress, I ashed her attacker before he could sink his teeth in and brushed off her thanks as I left. I slowed to a walk two minutes later, approaching Helen’s apartment building. A chill went down my spine, and I pushed aside memories of the last time I was here, when she was alive and well, filled with so much hope for me and what I would become.
Doubting the savior in me, I marched ahead and took the stairwell to her floor. Yellow caution tape marked her door, and I tore through it to push my way into the scene of her murder. The smell hit me first. Blood permeated the air, staining the room in more ways than one. The landlord could paint over it, but that smell would linger like a vampire’s calling card.
Scanning the cluttered space once, my eyes immediately stopped on the wall of her compact living room. Someone had tried scrubbing the words off, but they delivered their intended message, loud and clear.
Soon, My Darling Daughter.
The bloodstained note was meant for me, not Helen, as the detective who questioned Gavin had thought. He thought he was protecting me, but keeping this from me was just as dangerous. Blinding me from my enemies didn’t do me any good, and I hoped like hell he was prepared to answer for his little omission.
I stormed out of the apartment with mixed emotions rattling around inside me. I was pissed at Gavin, but the threat of my father making his grand reappearance in my life left me feeling… confused. Fear warred with anger in a potent concoction, but pure hatred for a complete stranger wasn’t something I was familiar with. This was different than the other vampires, because it was so personal. He made it personal. This man has been orchestrating my demise since the day I was born and made a huge mistake by bringing my friends into it.
Needing solace from my raging thoughts, I bolted down the street in a dead sprint and didn’t slow until I circled the city twice. The streets were cleared of a recent snow storm, but evidence of it remained in the partially melted piles pushed to the sides of the road and dotting the lawns.
When I came to a leisurely stroll, my feet stopped in front of a familiar church in a neighborhood I knew like the handles of my throwing knives. Everything was still, the traffic noise in the distance fading out as I absorbed the peace offered on these hallowed grounds. I gazed at the quaint yet beautiful structure, but as my eyes focused on the details, they fractured the moment. Taped to the arched double doors was a handwritten note from Father Thomas himself. From my spot on the sidewalk by the street, I read every heartbreaking word.
It is with a heavy heart that I am no longer able to continue my service here in this community and must close the doors, but the time I’ve had with you will be cherished. All future services are canceled. Thank you for letting me serve you.
Sincerely,
Father Thomas
“What the hell? No. NO!”
Why was this happening? I shook my head in denial but stopped short when a small sign in the lawn caught my eye.
A foreclosure sign.
We’ll see about that. There was no way I could allow this place to be auctioned off like another piece of property. It was too special to let go. Where else was I going to go when I needed to be saved?
I touched the coin on my charm bracelet instinctively, remembering my talk with Father Thomas about prophecies. I had no clue how literal mine was, but I was determined to wipe the evil clean off this earth, with help from good people like him.
I’d send him a check with the entire amount of my inheritance if that’s what it took. I wasn’t exactly in danger of being broke anyway. I had a sugar daddy who refused to let me go without the latest iPhone and closet stocked with designer shoes that came with big price tags and foreign sounding names. But I didn’t give a damn about any of it, so long as he stayed by my side. Maybe he would be willing to help.
My eyes absorbed every detail of my most recent favorite spot in town before turning toward the deserted train tracks nearby. I didn’t bother checking in on my old apartment to see if it had been leased yet. There were just as many old stains there as Helen’s apartment. I had a real home now with a man I loved.
Trudging down the long tracks, lost in thought, a crunching sound broke the contemplative silence I had going. I smiled inwardly.
Perfect. Just the distraction I needed.
When my ears perked up, several other footsteps joined the first. Well, this should be interesting. In between two old cargo cars, I had minimal view of my guests, but judging by the lower heart rates and stench of decay lingering in the air, I’d have to assume they were of the undead variety.
“These are my favorite kinds of parties,” I mused aloud.
Heavy footfalls drew closer, at least twenty and counting. So this was a surprise party, and I was the guest of honor. So flattering. Apparently, there were quite a few vampires with grudges as big as their egos.
Luckily, my ego was actually deserved. My new super strength had me itching with restlessness, waiting for me to take it for another test run. Lowly newbie
s are all puffed up on their vampire power because they are tougher than the humans they used to be not long ago.
Don’t ask me how I knew they were young. Call it instinct, but this poorly executed trap reeked of inexperience. For starters, none of my loved ones were involved. They came straight at me. No blackmail, no threat to me.
One by one, they revealed themselves, stepping out of the shadows of the train cars. They lined the roofs of both cars on either side of me and closed the gap on both ends.
A curly haired boy in front of me, who looked like the palest surfer ever, tilted his head toward his friend. “Hey Jackson, she doesn’t look so special to me. Does she look special to you?”
Jackson replied arrogantly. “Not so much, but she does look like fun.”
Both boys shared a cocky grin before Point Break spoke again. “I’d do her.”
A girl with red hair to their right growled angrily. “Shut up morons. We’re here to kill her. This isn’t a singles bar.”
Jackson replied, “Shame.” He addressed me when he added, “Will you at least scream for me, sweetheart?”
Some laughed while others grinded their teeth in impatience. I simply smiled wider. I loved it when they talked big. It made the kill so much sweeter.
And because I was all about having fun, I played along. “Oh no, I’m surrounded on all sides. Whatever will I do?”
Some actually thought I was serious and laughed tauntingly, while most narrowed their eyes on the prize.
Tight quarter fights were fine, but this girl liked space to stretch her tense muscles. I sauntered forward, eyeing the seething vampires in front of me, daring them to make the first move, but as I drew near, the hesitation glittered in their onyx gazes. Before I went straight through them, they parted for me, too stunned and maybe scared to make the first move.
The car to my right was connected to a long line of others, but the car to my left was joined only by the cars behind it and an engine in front. I strolled around the engine to an open yard, pocketing a few spikes off the ground for old times’ sake, and by then, the idiots finally remembered why they tracked me down. My adrenaline spiked at the first sign of a threat, and I kicked and slashed through the first wave of ambushes.
Grunts and growls of frustration echoed through the night as more advanced on me, reminding me of my beginnings as a hunter, using rage to fuel me. I still did, but I was getting much better at keeping my head on straight in a fight. This situation was also becoming common practice for me.
The first trap ever sprung on me by a group of vampires was a real eye opener. I wasn’t as sure footed and aware of my limitations as I am now. Thankfully, Gavin had been there to help me. Although, I’d still never admit to needing his help that day, at least not to his face.
“You bitch!” A tall blond haired vampire yelled the curse as he ran at me.
I spun at the last second, rounding him while throwing my arm behind him, equipped with my knife. It lodged in his back, breaking through bone to pierce his heart. An explosion of fire and ash followed.
“Really? With the name calling? If you guys are going to insist on the insults, at least make them creative. I’ve heard that one too many times.”
Growing bored, I scanned the forming ring of undead around me and charged straight at a broad shouldered vampire with a hint of Mexican heritage in his dark skin and shiny black hair. He welcomed my challenge and stepped forward, sizing me up, staring down his straight nose in an attempt to follow my feet. By the time he lifted his head, my knife had plunged straight through his heart, and I was cartwheeling over him to land outside the ring, preparing to face off with the outside participants.
I fought my way through a few of them, but they crowded me again. When I tried leaping, they were prepared for it. Two jumped to meet me midair, but one of them missed me, while I slammed directly into the other, hooking an arm around her neck. Her opposite force jerked me backward, but before falling to the ground, I twisted to land on top. My free arm snaked between our locked bodies, and the blade entered her chest just before we hit solid pavement. I landed in an ash cloud, coming to one knee for balance.
Using the lunge stance, I sprung toward my closest attacker. The poor guy got to me first without the aid of his buddies. The others came in a group, but the looming train car to my side was closer. I rushed over and ripped a door off the hinges, sending a loud groan and snap of metal ringing though the train yard. Before swinging it in their direction, I chuckled at their wide eyes.
A smoky swirl of my warm breath mingled with the cold air, and by the time it faded, three of the advancing Shadowmarked were headless and engulfed in flames, while the others had ducked and slowed their pace.
When they stopped to eye each other in question, I spoke up. “Well, what’s it going to be boys and girls?”
A pale girl with dark clothes and dark hair was the first to go. “Screw this. I’m out of here.”
The rest scattered in opposite directions. Now, this was a challenge. My legs easily complied with my request for top speed. The girl hadn’t made it a block before I reached her, and the second closest vampire hadn’t made it two by the time I staked him. Widening my arc, I chased down four others, but the last one had a decent head start and gave my muscles a real workout. He skirted a building and ran down a narrow alley, leaping over a dumpster.
I used the same dumpster as a spring board, landing on the two-story building above it, not breaking stride. He turned down the cross street at the end of the alley to escape me, but I jumped buildings and easily caught up to him at the end, throwing myself off the ledge. I soared over his head and my feet hit the road, cracking the blacktop. I spun to face him as he skidded to a halt ten feet away from me.
And what do you know? It turned out to be my good buddy, Jackson. In all the commotion, I hadn’t even realized he avoided the fight.
I tsked him. “You started this. I probably should have warned you that I always finish my fights. Hence, the reason I’m still here. And believe me, I’ve been in quite a lot of fights.”
His eyes darted back and forth for an out. These idiots never wanted to accept their death. “I could put an end to your winning streak.”
“I wouldn’t use the term winning, but you could try. Or wait, did you still want to have a little fun with me? Because I have to tell you, not many men have been able to handle me. In fact, that number is still only one. You’re welcome to try, though. I know it’ll be fun for me.”
He weighed his options once more and abruptly spun, sprinting in the opposite direction.
“That’s what I thought.”
Catching him a block later, I shoved the knife in its mark and sheathed it back at my hip. Brushing the remaining ash off my hands, I sighed, already missing the action.
Eyeing my surroundings, I realized I was, once again, back in my old neighborhood. As I passed the abandoned warehouse at the end of my former street, I had just enough time to curse my wishes for more action before my real challenge revealed himself to me for the first time since this storm of epic shit began.
“Hello, my darling daughter,” a disembodied voice called from the doorway of the neglected building where I once tortured vampires for information on this very man.
A curse slipped out of me the same time my eyes landed on his shadowed form, leaning against the frame. I could still make out every single feature on his strikingly familiar face. I knew I had gotten my green eyes from my mother, along with my heart-shaped face, but the stubborn arch of my eyebrows came from him, as well as my straight, slightly upturned nose and fuller lips. His overall lazy but confident stance might have also resembled my own, just a tad.
The one shocking difference that stood out like headlights on a lonely back road were the two red eyes scanning me from head to toe. So this was what happened to Daymarked vampires gone bad? A small part of me wondered how it happened. He must have been a good person at one point in life.
The large part of me screamed t
hat this was the source of all my nightmares. My heart rate skyrocketed, and I felt the fear trying to edge its way into my muscles.
Calm down, Lucy. Fear gets you killed.
I willed my nerves to relax. Of all the times I imagined this meeting, I could never fully prepare myself for it, secretly hoping it would never come.
“I guess you weren’t expecting to see me this soon after getting my message, but I just couldn’t wait any longer, my sweet girl. I had to meet my own flesh and blood in person.” His voice was smooth, but under the silk lurked an authoritative bass that could be unleashed like a Doberman’s bark if intimidation was his goal.
Latching onto my escaping confidence, I greeted him. “Hello…father.” The word already felt wrong.
His answering laugh boomed through the stillness. “That’s all the greeting I get? Lucille, I thought you might be happier to see your father for the first time.”
Was this man delusional? He was responsible for so many deaths, so much of my heartache. “You were wrong.”
A moment passed as we both studied each other’s intentions. “Well, I hoped you might reconsider your feelings. I came to see if you would join me.”
I waited for the punch line to come, but when it never did, I choked on an incredulous laugh. “You’re serious?”
“Of course. Lucille, we’re family. No other vampire in the world can rival the kind of power we have coursing through our veins. Can you imagine how we’d rule this world together?”
“I’m not the ruling type. Sorry, but you and your offer can screw each other.”
His brows drew down in disappointment and his voice was laced with the same disapproval. “I had a feeling you might say that. I’m sure by now you’ve deduced that our friend, Helen, was sharing certain information with me.”
My blood burned under the surface at the mention of her. I was pissed, which meant, fortunately, I was gaining more control over myself.
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