4-Ever Hunted: Vampires Rule

by Blake, Kasi

  His father interrupted halfway through.

  “I know you worry about him, son, but that is not your job. Your mother and I are his parents. Let us worry.” His father made a strangled noise. “No. Scratch that. None of us are going to worry about Patrick, because he’s doing fine. Dr. Baxter has been working with him, and he hasn’t gotten into any major trouble in weeks.”

  Matt leaned against the foyer wall and rolled his eyes. His parents had no clue about the trouble Trick got into on a regular basis. Hunting monsters almost every night, Matt considered that trouble. As far as Dr. Baxter was concerned, she and her husband were part of the problem, not the solution. What would his father say if he told him the truth?

  His father didn’t believe in stuff that didn’t fit into his nice, practical world. If Matt told him monsters were real, Trick wouldn’t be the only one in therapy.

  “Any kid would be a mess after being abandoned by a parent,” Sean said. “We still haven’t a clue what happened to his mother. I always assumed she left before his father did. Ian Carver couldn’t take care of him properly, so he put him up for adoption. It was the best thing he could have done for Patrick.”

  Matt traced the wallpaper flower next to his head with an index finger. “Do you know anything about his father? Like where he is now?”

  Silence followed the question.

  “They were homeless,” Sean finally said. “That’s all I was told, that they lived in their car. Carver realized it was no life for a child, and he turned him over to the system. We offered to let him see Patrick any time he wanted, but his lawyer informed us he wasn’t interested in visitation. He wanted to make a clean break.”

  “That’s harsh.”

  “Maybe he thought it would be easier for Patrick this way.”

  Matt grimaced. The guy was a total idiot if he thought leaving Trick with unanswered questions was better for anyone. He’d left his son with a huge gaping hole in his chest. Matt had done his best to play the big brother, but Trick seemed to see emotions as weakness. He pretended not to care, pretended nothing hurt him.

  Trick didn’t know it, but Matt had heard him crying at night after he’d first moved in. Matt had wanted to go to Trick’s room to comfort him, but even then Trick had been playing the tough guy. Matt had known he would get punched in the face if he tried to offer a shoulder.

  “Do you want to talk to Trick?” Matt asked. “I haven’t seen him this morning, but I can go wake him if he’s asleep.”

  “Your mother is signaling me to get off the phone. She has plans for us today. Give him our love, and we’ll be home Monday night on schedule.”

  Matt hoped they had the vampire situation under control by then.

  ♫

  Fingers snapped in front of his face, and Trick returned to the present. He also returned to his own mind and body. The trip into another person’s memories was unsettling. The worst thing about it was finding out his worries weren’t unfounded. They felt sorry for him. Sean, Laura, Matt, probably the old lady that lived down the block. Everyone pitied him.

  Dizzy, his stomach churned, and his pulse raced. But the physical discomfort was nothing compared to the guilt over spying on his brother’s private thoughts. What was the line about great powers and great responsibility?

  “Where were you?” Matt asked. “You zoned out.”

  Trick shrugged. “Just thinking.”

  “I was going to tell you about the college apps.”

  Trick waved off the forthcoming explanation. After eavesdropping on Matt’s conversation with their dad, he didn’t want to argue about the future. He hated it that Matt saw him as a big baby who needed someone to hold his hand when he crossed the street. Matt felt sorry for him, and it was going to stop right now.

  Trick stood taller and clenched his stomach muscles. “I’m glad you’re going to college.”

  Matt blinked. “You are?”

  “Heck, yeah. As soon as I turn eighteen, I am out of here. There’s no point in you hanging around. I’ll find a group of hunters to work with, maybe even Foster’s gang.” He pasted on what he hoped was a confident smile. “Someday, all vampires will fear me.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. They’ll tell tales of the great hunter named Trick and shake in their boots while doing it.” Matt took a breath, and a muscle throbbed in his cheek. “You told me all vampires were monsters, and all monsters were pure evil, and I believed you.”

  Trick’s jaw tightened as he heard a ‘but’ coming.

  Matt added, “Then I met Summer.”

  The evidence was circumstantial, but Trick had heard enough to know his brother was guilty of being stupid. Matt was still seeing Summer behind his back. He was risking death—or worse. What if she turned him into a vile creature of the night?

  What if Trick had to hunt his own brother someday?

  “Stay away from her,” Trick demanded.

  Matt made a face. “What if I don’t want to?”

  “Have you lost your mind? She’s a vampire. This isn’t a game. Vampires kill people, and it doesn’t matter to them how old their victims are or how young or how dumb.”

  “Summer and her friends drink from blood bags.”

  Trick blinked. “She told you she’s harmless, and you’re buying it?”

  “She showed me the blood bags.”

  The color drained from Trick’s face. “You went to her hideout.”

  “She wouldn’t have to hide if hunters weren’t trying to kill her just for being her.”

  Trick considered punching his brother in the face to snap him out of the self-induced delusion. Matt could be stubborn. No matter what Trick said, he wasn’t going to listen. He was too infatuated with the vampire girl. Trick wished he could go back in time and let the Shadow Faerie have her. How was he supposed to keep his brother safe when Matt insisted on throwing himself directly at the enemy?

  “What if I promise to leave her alone?” Trick asked out of desperation.

  Matt scowled as if he smelled a trap. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll let her live if you swear you won’t see her again. I mean it. No contact. Period. Do you agree?”

  Before Matt got the chance to answer, someone knocked on the kitchen door that led to the backyard. Trick figured it was Scarlet. She’d been texting him non-stop, asking when they could hunt again. No doubt his monosyllable comments had left her unsatisfied.

  He held a finger up to Matt. “We aren’t done here.”

  When he opened the door, he got a surprise.

  Dani was standing there in black jeans and a gray sweatshirt that had a university logo on it. He wondered if she was thinking of leaving Reno for higher education too. The thought made his underarms break out in a cold sweat and filled his stomach with a queasy feeling.

  She smiled as she spun her bracelet on one finger like a tiny hula hoop. “My dad told me to give you this.”

  “Did he tell you why?” Trick asked.

  “They gave me some crazy story about vampires and how they fight them like superheroes.” She made a face. “I’m thinking this is another test or experiment, maybe to see how I handle nightmarish images. It’s not going to work. I refuse to give my stepmother the satisfaction.”

  Trick forced a smile, feeling awkward because he didn’t know what to say. She gave him the bracelet, and he slipped it into his pocket. Immediately the charms took on an added weight like heavy clothes after being submerged in water. He hoped that meant it was working.

  “Well, thanks for bringing it over,” he said.

  Dani folded her arms. “Aren’t you going to tell me why you really need my bracelet?”

  Should he? She hadn’t believed her parents, but he could take her hunting, show her a monster in person just like he’d done with Matt. He could make her believe.

  The idea battled with his obsessive need to protect her. She was better off not believing her parents. She still had a chance at a normal life.

  He shrugged. “You don’t
want to know.”

  “Is this your way of getting even with me for breaking your necklace? By taking my favorite bracelet away?”

  “Maybe.”

  She shook her head at him, but there was a glimmer of a smile. “And just when I started to think you might not be a jerk.”

  His smile faltered as he spotted Summer spying on them from a bush between the Foster’s place and his. If he wanted to introduce Dani to a vampire, he had the perfect opportunity.

  A lump lodged in his throat.

  Summer waved at him to get his attention.

  Dani said goodbye and walked away.

  Summer ducked behind the bush.

  What did the crazy vampire girl want now?

  He reached for the stake tucked into the waistband of his jeans, caught between his white tee and black unbuttoned shirt. Although he promised not to hunt her down, he hadn’t said anything about not killing her if she ventured onto their property. He couldn’t help it if she provoked him.

  chapter twelve

  Wicked Game

  As soon as Dani vanished into her house, Trick came out of his with the stake behind his back. Summer left the bushes to stand on the cement path leading to the garage. He advanced on her, ready to kill. Hopefully, his brother wouldn’t step outside or look out a window until it was done. Summer was a vampire. Vampires were evil monsters. Evil monsters needed to die. Period.

  Hunt. Kill. Survive.

  A tiny part of him was horrified by the thought of what he was about to do. She looked so young, so innocent. But he knew the second she saw the stake she would sprout fangs and attack. If he killed her in self-defense, it wouldn’t bother him that much. He just needed to make sure she dropped the sweet act long enough to reveal her monster-face.

  “We need to talk,” she said.

  “No, we don’t.”

  He started to draw his weapon, but his peripheral vision caught movement to his left. She’d brought one of her vampire friends. Getting caught between them was not a good thing.

  Thinking fast, he made a cross with two fingers and held them in front of him as if trying to ward her off. “S-stay away, v-vampire.”

  She blinked. “Huh?”

  “I have a stake.” He lifted the stake high, holding it at an awkward angle as if he didn’t know what he was doing. His hand visibly shook. He channeled his inner-Matt. How would his brother behave in this situation? He stuttered, “I-I’m n-not afraid to use it.”

  He took a step in her direction.

  Then he turned and threw the stake at the other vampire.

  The vampire ducked, and the stake flew past him.

  “I wrote the book on fighting dirty,” the male vampire said as he took a step closer. “We know you’re the real thing. After you staked Summer, I asked around. Some vampires say it’s smart to avoid Reno and the surrounding towns, cause a mysterious hunter has been taking out their friends one by one.”

  A tiny thrill rocked Trick’s senses, and he mumbled beneath his breath. “The word is spreading.”

  It was finally happening. His fight against vampires was becoming known in their world. Now if he could just get them to start using his name, he’d be on his way to being the greatest hunter ever. Then he could track down his father and ‘accidentally’ bump into him.

  The vampire added, “Others say they’ve visited Reno, had a great time, and nothing happened. They didn’t see signs of a hunter anywhere. What happened? School night?”

  Trick spread his legs and balled his fists, ready for battle. Too bad he’d thrown his only stake down the walkway. It rested near Laura’s flowerbed. Also, he hated fighting without his music, but he didn’t think the vampire would give him time to turn his MP3 on. Guy looked like the chatty type.

  He shrugged. “Can’t be everywhere at once.”

  The vampire chuckled. “Maybe you were grounded that day or had a lot of homework.”

  Trick thought about running. He didn’t want the neighbors to see the upcoming fight. It would be hard to explain. He wondered if he could get the vampires into the garage.

  As if reading his mind, the vampire said, “We’re not here to fight. Summer tells me she thinks you can help us with our Shadow Faerie problem.”

  “Help a vampire?” Trick grinned at their stupidity. “Me?”

  Not in this lifetime.

  The vampire said, “Your father did it. Ian Carver. I knew him, and I can give you information. Hear you’ve been searching for answers. You must have a lot of questions since he dumped you on strangers.”

  Trick clenched his teeth and balled his fists. “Did your research, huh?”

  “Enough to know if anyone can kill a Shadow Faerie, it’s you.”

  “Why can’t you kill it? There are two of you, or is it more than that? How many friends do you have?”

  Twinkle in his eye, the vampire spoke to Summer. “I like him.” He returned his amused gaze to Trick. “I like you.”

  “Great,” Trick said. “I’ll be sure to write that in my diary tonight.”

  The vampire chuckled and took his eyes off Trick again.

  In a reckless move born of desperation, Trick attacked. He used his fist. Not the ideal situation, but there was a chance he could drive the vampire far enough back so he could get the stake. He needed to hurry before Summer decided to jump him from behind.

  The vampire moved fast, bending and scooping up a handful of dirt from the flowerbed.

  A spray of dirt hit Trick in the eyes, momentarily blinding him. Hands grabbed him by his shirt. They slammed his entire body against the side of the brick house. Pain rattled his bones and teeth. An arm settled sideways against his throat, applying just enough pressure to make breathing difficult.

  “Easy there, tiger,” the vampire said.

  Summer smirked at Trick over the guy’s shoulder. “This is my friend Cowboy.”

  Cowboy grinned. He kept his arm across Trick’s throat, but loosened the pressure a bit. “Don’t feel bad. A lot of hunters have tried to kill me and failed.”

  “Did my father try to kill you?”

  Cowboy removed his arm and took a step back. “Nah. He was too smart to try to kill me. We even fought side by side a couple times.”

  Trick repeated information he’d heard from John Foster. “Werewolves. You battled the werewolves together.”

  “Battled them? We erased them from the stinking planet. Or at least we thought we did.”

  “Huh?” Trick’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Summer sighed. “I missed the big battle and never met your father, in case you were wondering.”

  Trick frowned. The Fosters had that part of the story wrong. They were under the impression that both Summer and Cowboy had been at the Great Werewolf Battle.

  A cold sensation like an early frost chilled his skin from beneath. Setting aside homicidal thoughts, he demanded answers. If the vampire boy wanted to live, he’d better give him the truth. “Tell me about my father, and maybe I’ll let you live.”

  Cowboy laughed and smacked Trick’s cheek in a mocking way, three light slaps. “I knew it. We’re kismet, you and I. We are going to be best friends.”

  Trick Donovan? Friends with a vampire? Not likely.

  Summer peeked around Cowboy’s arm and said, “He likes crazy people. Guess you qualify. Congratulations.” She looked at Cowboy, her impatience showing. “Can we go now?”

  “One thing you need to know about me,” Cowboy said. “I never give anything away for free. You want information? I want you to kill the Shadow Faerie. Do we have a deal?”

  Trick mulled the offer over. It didn’t matter to him if the Shadow Faerie killed these two. In fact, he’d applaud from the sidelines if he had the opportunity to witness the showdown, but that thing knew he had power. Up to this point he’d been more worried about dark magic killing him than anything else. Now he needed to face the reality that the Shadow Faerie wanted him dead. Like it or not, it was in his best interest to help th
e vampires. Was that how his father had felt? Hating them but choosing to work with them because it was the only way, the lesser of two evils?

  With a grimace he said, “First, I need to know you have information I actually want.”

  A grin stretched Cowboy’s lips, and he nodded. “I get it. You want a little taste to wet your whistle. Okay. Let me think. What do I want to share?”

  Cowboy rubbed his stubble-covered jaw while Summer looked north, hands on hips.

  “Got it.” Cowboy snapped his fingers. “I know something about your father that very few living people know.” He leaned in close. “I can tell you how the man died.”

  The bottom dropped out of Trick’s world, and he sagged against the brick wall. All this time he’d been hating a dead man for walking away without bothering to get in touch. No letter. No phone call. What if there was a reason for Ian’s absence?

  “When did he die?” Trick asked in a voice that sounded far away to his own ears.

  Cowboy shrugged. “Three or four years ago. I’m immortal so I don’t notice time like humans do, but it’s been more than two years for sure.”

  “Could it be more than five?”

  “No.”

  Summer interrupted with, “Look it up yourself. He died five seconds after he inherited your grandfather’s money.”

  “The Dark Wizard?”

  Cowboy’s eyes lit up. “You know about him? Good. I can tell you about him too if you want.” He puffed out his narrow chest. “Had a hand in killing him myself.”

  Summer tapped her friend on the shoulder. “Don’t tell him everything, or he won’t have any reason to help us.”

  Cowboy wagged a finger at Trick. “She’s right. I’m not giving away information here. Will you kill the Shadow Faerie or not?”

  With a reluctant nod Trick said, “If you can tell me what I want to know, I’ll help.”

  The back door popped open, and Matt emerged with a stunned look on his face. His gaze went straight to Summer. They smiled at each other in a way that made Trick’s skin crawl. He created a mental note to have another talk with his brother about the consequences of falling for a vampire.